James H. Allen (b. May 15, 1928) portrayed the clown character Rusty Nails and was the host of various children's television shows in the Portland, Oregon, U.S. television market from 1957–1972. His program on KPTV was the second-longest running children's program in Portland, second only to Ramblin' Rod Anders.
He hosted shows on KOIN, KPTV, and KATU as Rusty Nails (originally known as Rusty the Clown), and at last report, still makes local appearances.
Matt Groening, who grew up in Portland watching the shows, loosely based the Krusty the Clown character from The Simpsons on the real-life clown, though Groening says that Krusty's cantankerous nature is nothing like Rusty Nails.
Famous quotes containing the words rusty and/or nails:
“Through the hollow globe, a ring
of frayed rusty scrapiron,
is it the sea that shines?
Is it a road at the world’s edge?”
—Denise Levertov (b. 1923)
“Time has an undertaking establishment on every block and drives his coffin nails faster than the steam riveters rivet or the stenographers type or the tickers tick out fours and eights and dollar signs and ciphers.”
—John Dos Passos (1896–1970)