The Shields & Yarnell team was born on the streets of San Francisco where Shields was plying his craft as the first street mime, getting slugged, hassled and arrested four times while creating a new form of innovative street theater, which made him the top tourist attraction after the cable cars. When he met dancer Lorene Yarnell, the results were magic. After connecting at a Renaissance Faire in Los Angeles, they met once again while filming a television show. Yarnell, who had been studying dance since the age of 4, was established in her career by age 15 as a very successful variety performer, both on television and off-Broadway. She gave up the career she had worked so hard to hone and moved to San Francisco where she learned mime and taught Robert dance.  What followed was an entertainment phenomenon.

When Shields & Yarnell moved to Los Angeles, they brought their mix of new vaudeville and physical comedy to their performances as regulars on “The Mac Davis Show.”  When that was cancelled, they were quickly snatched up by CBS to appear as regulars on "The Sonny & Cher Show" in 1976. Due to their overwhelming popularity and successful reviews, CBS gave them their own variety show. Many fondly remember the robot characters, "The Clinkers."  The show regularly resided in the Top 10 Nielsons, and was the first show in the history of CBS to rate in age groups from 8 – 80.

Their dancing and flawless mime led them to subsequent appearances on over 400 national TV shows, including the “The Muppet Show,” “The Return of the Wild, Wild West,” network specials and “The Tonight Show.”  When the television show ended, Shields and Yarnell continued to perform – in Las Vegas (winning two successive Entertainer of the Year awards), on Broadway, with orchestras around the country, and around the globe.  They accompanied Bob Hope on his landmark visit to China.

Their performance in a TV special written by Shields, "TOYS ON THE TOWN," earned them an Emmy award. Other awards garnered by this dynamic couple include dual awards for "Rising Stars of the Year" and "Special Attraction of the Year" from the American Guild of Variety Artists. Highlights of their meteoric career include performing for two Presidents and a command performance for the Queen of England.  They have performed in concert halls throughout the world.

At their height, famous fans such as Jackie Gleason, Red Skelton, George Burns, Jack Lemmon, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Danny Thomas, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Carson, and countless others were tuning in regularly to see them TV.  In fact, it was Elvis Presley’s favorite show. Even Groucho Marx fell in love with the young mime team, inviting them to his house for hours on end, and making a rare trip to see them perform in Vegas.  Michael Jackson and his brothers were fascinated by the show and watched it religiously, with Jackson eventually incorporating Shields’ mechanical routines into the Jackson 5 number “Dancing Machine.”  Shields was the originator of the Robot, influencing two generations of dancers and street performers. 

Today, the Shields and Yarnell Show is still an outrageous kind of side-splitting controlled insanity, incorporating all the classics from the past along with newer concepts in dance and pantomime.

For the last nine years Lorene Yarnell has lived in Sandefjord, Norway with her husband, Bjorn.  She teaches jazz, tap and ballet and has many devoted students who travel far to study with her.

Robert Shields is an accomplished and well-known painter, sculptor and jewelry designer.  He lives in Sedona, Arizona, where he has been a resident for more than 20 years.  To see Robert’s artwork and for more information on Shields and Yarnell, go to www.robertshields.com.

"SHIELDS & YARNELL have taken
this ancient art and polished it into a
fascinating and enthralling evening of
entertainment. They are truly in a class
by themselves." ---San Francisco Chronicle

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