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fly on the wall
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7/3/2008 7:24:53 PM
---- Updated 7/3/2008 7:29:07 PM
On the passing of Bozo the Clown who died today
commentary below
LOS ANGELES (July 3) - Larry Harmon, who turned the character Bozo the Clown into a show business staple that delighted children for more than a half-century, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 83.
His publicist, Jerry Digney, told The Associated Press he died at his home.
Although not the original Bozo, Larry Harmon portrayed the popular frizzy-haired clown in countless appearances and, as an entrepreneur, he licensed the character to others, particularly dozens of TV stations around the country. The stations in turn hired actors to be their local Bozos.
"You might say, in a way, I was cloning BTC (Bozo the Clown) before anybody else out there got around to cloning DNA," Harmon told the AP in a 1996 interview.
"Bozo is a combination of the wonderful wisdom of the adult and the childlike ways in all of us," Harmon said.
Pinto Colvig, who also provided the voice for Walt Disney's Goofy, originated Bozo the Clown when Capitol Records introduced a series of children's records in 1946. Harmon would later meet his alter ego while answering a casting call to make personal appearances as a clown to promote the records.
He got that job and eventually bought the rights to Bozo. Along the way, he embellished Bozo's distinctive look: the orange-tufted hair, the bulbous nose, the outlandish red, white and blue costume.
"I felt if I could plant my size 83AAA shoes on this planet, (people) would never be able to forget those footprints," he said.
The business - combining animation, licensing of the character, and personal appearances - made millions, as Harmon trained more than 200 Bozos over the years to represent him in local markets.
"I'm looking for that sparkle in the eyes, that emotion, feeling, directness, warmth. That is so important," he said of his criteria for becoming a Bozo.
added by fly on the wall (2008)
More importantly I believe, was his legacy as a fool His show was pretty unwatchable, at least I thought so, as a kid. Think of all the humans in the history of our culture who were referred to in a derogatory manner as bozos. I remember quite clearly the day I got fired as a security guard for getting caught bringing my electric guitar and amplifier onto my shift, guarding a paint and supplies store in Florida. My Captain said when he called me on the phone "You don't need to come in tonight, you're done, we saw your little concert. We have hidden cameras in there, you bozo."
How did the name of a children's entertainer get transformed into the vernacular for an idiot's idiot, as a label for the most useless loser in town? I remember for me, the most entertaining game on the Bozo show was one where a kid chosen from the audience had to throw a ball into a series of buckets that were further and further away to win more prizes. So many times the kid picked was such a dope that even the first bucket, which only required reaching your arm out and dropping the ball in, was missed with an overthrow. My friends and I would laugh our asses off at that. The most famous moment in the history of Bozo happened when some kid lost and Bozo told him he is a near-winner and the kid said "Cram it, Bozo." That show was so awful some network guy should've told Bozo to cram it long before that.
I was also very intrigued when I found out the host of another local show Bowling for Dollars was Bozo without his makeup. He had a potmarked face which my mom told me had to do with the makeup. I suppose if I could'be been Bozo and the host for Bowling for Dollars, I too would've humiliated myself as Larry got quite rich it seems. Sometime his children surely heard from the other kids at school, your dad is a Bozo, nyah nyah. He may have died but the term bozo lives on. For instance, a number ot people here at IAC are clearly bozos. Carry his torch proudly, you sorry lot. And Larry Harmon, R.I.P, you fucking bozo. :~D
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Janey G.
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7/4/2008 6:59:03 AM
My mother was on the Bozo show.
She has pictures, including one signed by Bozo. When I tell her he died it will make her sad.
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Phlegm
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7/4/2008 7:09:20 AM
"for instance, a number of people here at IAC are clearly Bozos...."
yup. look to your right a bit.
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7/4/2008 10:47:09 PM
This is for you, Bozo.
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fly on the wall
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3/15/2009 12:14:45 AM
It just goes to show you how madcap the music biz is. The same guy who created Bozo not only signed Frank Sinatra (no surprise) and the Beach Boys but signed and brought the Beatles to America. :~D
LOS ANGELES (March 14) - Alan W. Livingston, the music executive who created Bozo the Clown and signed the Beatles during his tenure as president of Capitol Records, has died. He was 91.
Livingston died Friday of age-related causes in his Beverly Hills home, said his stepdaughter, Jennifer Lerner.
Livingston began his multifaceted career in show business as a writer and producer of children's read-along record albums for Capitol Records. He came up with the Bozo the Clown character for the 1946 album "Bozo at the Circus," which became a hit and spawned a cottage industry of merchandise and the television series featuring the wing-haired clown.
When he moved into executive positions at Capitol Records in the early 1950s, Livingston signed Frank Sinatra, then at a low point in his career, and introduced him to arranger Nelson Riddle. Together, the pair produced "I've Got the World on a String" and "Young At Heart," which led to Sinatra's comeback.
Livingston left the record label in the late 1950s to work in television, where he produced the western series "Bonanza." He returned to Capitol Records as president in the 1960s, when he signed the Beach Boys and Steve Miller and the Band.
When Livingston heard the Beatles song "I Want to Hold Your Hand," he agreed to release the single and brought the Fab Four to the United States in 1964 to promote it. Capitol, which was partly owned by the Beatles' record company EMI in the United Kingdom, earlier had rejected the group's initial hit singles as unsuitable for the American market.
"He had great taste and judgment, as far as musical talent, and as an executive, he was always very mentoring, very supportive," said Neil Portnow, the president and CEO of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, who worked with Livingston in the 1970s.
In addition to Lerner, Livingston is survived by his wife Nancy Olson, one son, one daughter, and another stepdaughter.
His late brother Jay Livingston, who died in 2001, was a composer who teamed with songwriter Ray Evans to produce such standards as "Mona Lisa," "Silver Bells" and "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" and the theme music for "Bonanza."
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Conversation Suicide
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3/15/2009 5:12:45 AM
Urrrr.... Frankie Sinatra??
So you're saying BOZO had Mafia ties...???
WOAH.
I think I need to get me some Mafia connections, so I have a shot at this music thing.
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AnigmaS
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3/15/2009 5:25:21 AM
I heard that the funeral will be attended by over thirty five of the Bozo's that he personally trained.
They of course, will be arriving in a volkswagon.
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Village Jammers
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3/15/2009 10:45:51 PM
Phlegm...."mafia connections", LOL!!
Thanks, Fly. This is the first I heard. Interesting read, too.
No need for nasties, folks......."We're All Bozos on this Bus" (Firesign Theater)
Let's enjoy the ride. :)
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