Bicycle Clown (1958)

[Music] The police told me that Jimmy had come barreling down the side street with hands on the handlebars. He hadn't stopped for the blue stop sign. And when he saw the car coming on the main road, it was too late. It was just like Jimmy. I remember once I'd reminded him always to obey traffic signals and signs and Jimmy said, "Oh, traffic signs, they're for cars." Why did Jimmy always have to stunt and show off? Why didn't he follow you rules? Something was wrong. Well, I was his big brother. I wanted to try to find out. Perhaps I could help him. First, I went to the police station. I knew that their traffic department had a bicycle safety program, and I wanted to get a few facts about bike accidents. One of the officers told me that their reports had shown one out of every four bike accidents involves a bicycle that is mechanically defective. One out of every three bicycle accidents involve an automobile. But two out of every three bike riders injured or killed in a collision have violated a traffic law or safety rule. [Music] Mechanically defective bicycles cause accidents. What about Jimmy's bike? Did he keep it in good shape? I went to talk to Mr. Bert, the owner of the bicycle shop in our neighborhood, and he told me that Jimmy knew perfectly well that it is important to keep a bike in tiptop shape. He knew that a mechanically perfect bike must have properly adjusted brakes, handlebars set tightly in the frame, a horn or bell that can be heard at least 100 ft, a saddle that is adjusted correctly and tightened firmly, a clean, welloiled chain with the right tension, just enough to keep it from jumping off the sprockets. Tires that are not worn beyond safety and are kept inflated with the correct air pressure. and pedals that do not have worn and slippery treads. But Jimmy was more interested in flashy ornaments that might impress his friends. He had no time to bother with a thing like a loose bow. To him, a showy ornament was more important. Ornaments are fine and can be fun, but they belong on a sound bike. A well-kept bicycle is a safe bicycle. Some of Jimmy's schoolmates told me how Jimmy once almost got hurt because of his clowning and showing off on his bicycle. [Music] Jimmy had made the kids laugh all right with his stunt writing and clowning. He wanted to draw attention to himself and he foolishly thought this childish showing off was the way to do it. [Music] He didn't realize that his friends were laughing at him, not with him. I went to talk to Mr. Brown, who taught Jimmy's class, the bicycle safety program. [Music] He told me that Jimmy was a good bike rider, one of the best in his class. [Music] But he also said that Jimmy had the silly and dangerous notion that a good bike rider can take chances and he would violate the most important safety rules just to impress his schoolmates. He would take his life in his hands. I remembered something Mike had told me about the little tricks Jimmy would use to keep out of trouble when he was caught doing something wrong on his bike. [Music] Once when he was stopped by a police officer, he acted extra polite and sorry and said yes sir all the time. While the police officer told him that it is against the law to ride two on a bike and that a bicycle rider must ride on the right side of the street just like a car. Little Mike from down the street hero worshiped Jimmy. He thought Jimmy could ride a bike faster and better than anyone. It must have been important for Jimmy to be admired, even by little Mike. But it was a serious mistake to try to win this admiration by reckless and illegal bike riding. [Music] Every Saturday afternoon, Jimmy used to deliver papers for a neighborhood newspaper. And I went to see the route man. He told me that Jimmy was a good and dependable worker, but that a couple of people on his route had complained about his reckless bike riding. Only recently, he'd warned Jimmy that he couldn't work for the paper if he didn't ride his bike safely and correctly on his route. It seemed that Jimmy had been riding on the sidewalk instead of on the street despite repeated warnings and almost had run into a lady with a small baby. The route man had given Jimmy a good talking to. He told him that serious accidents can happen that way, both to Jimmy himself and to others. But the route man said that he felt that Jimmy had that foolish and dangerous it won't happen to me attitude. From Jimmy's teacher, I learned that Jimmy was a bright and willing student. But she also told me that Jimmy recently had a little disappointment. Jimmy's class was forming its basketball team, and Mr. Wade put on a game to select the players. [Music] Jimmy had his heart set on getting on the team and he was bitterly disappointed when he was not chosen. That afternoon, Jimmy had outdone himself with his foolish showing off on his bike, as if he were trying to make up in this manner for his earlier disappointment and win the admiration of his friends in another way through reckless stunning. But although his classmates watched him and laughed at him when he showed off, they knew he was being foolish and childish. And it was that same afternoon. [Music] I thought I knew some of the reasons why Jimmy went wrong with his bike riding. He thought it was all right for a good bike rider to take chances. But the truth is that a good bicycle rider who does take chances isn't a good rider at all. He wanted to be admired and looked up to by his friends. But he went about it in the wrong way by trying to win the hero worship of the smaller kids and the admiration of his own classmates by clowning and reckless stunning. and he was more interested in impressing his friends that way than in keeping his bike in safe repair. With his childish showing off endangering both himself and others, he was trying to make up for his little disappointments and failures, and to win the respect of his friends, not realizing that by his foolish behavior, he was really accomplishing the exact opposite. I had a long talk with my brother. After I told Jimmy what his teachers and friends had said, he realized how dumb he had been. I could tell from the grin on his face that he had learned his lesson and his clowning days were over. [Music]