Jim Snell

Oscar James "Sunny Jim" Snell (born c. 1887 in Alabama; died May 8, 1962 in Tuscaloosa) was a contortionist and circus clown for six decades.

He began as an acrobat and contortionist with the family's "Snell Brothers" act, but excelled as a clown, working his way up with his brother, Tom, from Shrine circuses to the Ringling Brothers' show. Snell owned houses in Lovington, Illinois and on the Florida coast and continued to perform seasonally into his 70s, by which time he was considered the oldest living circus clown in the country.

Snell died in 1962 after suffering a heart attack a month earlier. He is buried in Sulphur Springs Baptist Church's cemetery in Trussville.

References

• "Death Claims Circus Clown" (May 9, 1962) The Tuscaloosa News