By Michael Quinn/Reported by Wendy Cole

There are those who think nothing quite compares with the experience of being entertained by a clown...with the possible exception of being trapped inside a kettledrum during an all-Sousa concert. Such Bozophobes may welcome Shakes the Clown, comedian-borderline hysteric Bobcat Goldthwait's film-noir farce that depicts clowns as foulmouthed rummies--much to the horror of the wig-and-whiteface set. Some 150 clowns withdrew from opening-day festivities after learning of the film's contents. "Helping to promote Shakes the Clown would be like a group of doctors promoting a slasher film," says clown activist Joe Barney, who dismisses the movie as "clown bashing." Goldthwait says he never disliked clowns--until now. "They have the same sense of humor as Jesse Helms. It's becoming The Last Temptation of Bozo."