Thursday, June 22, 1922
After the death of Joanne Perez in 2004, her entire estate was liquidated, and the proceeds benefitted Biola University in Southern California. One of the items that was sold was Pepito’s scrapbook. The current whereabouts of this fabulous scrapbook are unknown. It is my hope that the current owner will contact me, and consider sharing scans or xerox copies of the pages to this research project. The contents of this scrapbook would bring to life Pepito the Spanish Clown’s formative years in Spain, Cuba and Mexico.
One page must have fallen out of the scrapbook long ago, and ended up in a box of photos and newspaper clippings and costumes. A wonderful lady named Lisa purchased that box on Ebay, and she was ever so kind to loan me the page you see above for scanning. Lisa knew that I would be intrigued by a piece of crumbling, yellow paper, and she was right. Little did she realize that this scrapbook page, from 1922, contains fabulous clues and heretofore unknown information about Jose Escobar Perez BEFORE he became “Pepito the Spanish Clown.”
On this theater playbill, Pepito is listed as his previous clown persona, “Senor Mac Wills,” performing at the Teatro Mier y Teran in Oaxaca, Mexico, with his good friends, “Los Egochagas,” a husband-and-wife comedy team whose real names were Alfredo Egochaga and Emerita Egochaga.
The Teatro Mier y Teran is now named Teatro Macedonio Alcalá.
Special thanks to Marcelo Melison for translating this playbill.
THEATER MIER Y TERAN
PREMIERE CIRCUIT OF SPECTACULARS
On Sunday, June 25, 1922
Follows the runaway success of the large variety shows
MAC WILLS
Y LOS EGOCHAGAS
Attractions of the highest order. Imitations of animals and sounds. Parodies, jokes.
Great collection of trained dogs. Duets. Entries Ciws. Musical numbers.
Caricatures. Rapid drawing. Great bullfighting with trained dogs.
Major comic cycling acts, in which Mac Wills submits the smallest bicycle in the world.
Large circus numbers.
TEATRO MIER Y TERAN
PRIMER CIRCUITO DE ESPECTACULOS
Hoy Domingo 25 de Junio de 1922
Sigue el exit loco de las grandes variedades
MAC WILLS
Y LOS EGOCHAGAS
Atracciones de primer orden. Imitaciones de animales y sonidos. Pariodas, chistes.
Gran coleccion de Perros amaestrados. Duetos. Entradas de Ciws. Numeros, musicaies.
Caricaturas. Pintura rapida. Grandes corridas de toros con perros amaestrados.
Grandes actos de ciclismo comico, en los cuales Mac Wills presentara
la cicicleta mas pequena del mudno.
Grandes numeros de circo.
Programa:
Dos tandas, a las 4 y a las Nueve.
MAC WILLS Y LOS EGOCHAGAS
Que tato exito obtuvieron en su debut, trabajaran con nuevos y escojidos numeros, con grandes actos de circo, actos musicales, perros amestrados que tocan piezas de musica. No pierda Ud, es espectaculo. No deje de admirarle pues quedara satisfecho.
Sources:
Pepito’s Lost Scrapbook
http://en.travelbymexico.com/oaxaca/places-to-visit/?nom=eoaxmacedonio
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teatro_Macedonio_Alcalá
Pepito & Joanne 