Send in the Clowns ... Bozo is Dead

TMZ ^ | today | staff

[xcamel]

Larry Harmon, the man credited with making Bozo the Clown the icon he was, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 83.

Harmon wasn't the original Bozo, but built up the character and eventually licensed it to television stations across the country.

Born in Toledo, Ohio, Harmon became interested in theater while studying at the University of Southern California.

"Bozo is a star, an entertainer, bigger than life," Harmon once said. "People see him as Mr. Bozo, somebody you can relate to, touch and laugh with."

[xcamel]

[COBOL2Java]

RIP Larry. I remember you well (yeah, I’m that old)... :-(

[xzins]

RIP Bozo.

Me too.

[Reagan Man]

Bozo and the Captain were amateurs.

Long live Johnny Jellybean! ;^)

[1000 silverlings]

Lol. I’m older. I was on the Detroit show, 1969.

[Glenn]

“That’s a Bozo No-No!”

[xcamel]

But Larry cloned himself a thousand times before we even knew what DNA was...

[CindyDawg]

Sad. Did you line up buckets and toss the ball?

[gorush]

RIP Bozo (But he was no Emmett Kelly)

[Reagan Man]

Like Ronald McDonald.

RIP, Larry Harmon.

[COBOL2Java]

Lol. I’m older. I was on the Detroit show, 1969.

Smile. Sorry dude, I got ya beat. In '69 I was a Sophomore in High School.. :-)

Let's see...my TV memories are: Bozo, Colonel Bleep, Crusader Rabbit, and Captain Kangaroo.

[La Enchiladita]

I am afraid of clowns, they scare me.

[indylindy]

I watched old Bozo with my kids all the time. Lining up the buckets for the toss was the highlight!

RIP Bozo

[liege]

Lol. I’m older. I was on the Detroit show, 1969.

Was that the infamous "Cram it, clownie" show?

[CindyDawg]

He made a lot of kids smile:’)

[1000 silverlings]

I don’t think so. Detroit Bozo was nice, sang songs on the piano, had live jungle animals on,fun stuff.

[TruthConquers]

Oh, yeah, Crusader Rabbit, Captain Kangaroo, Tom Terrific, and Diver Dan!!! And Felix the Cat, the wonderful, wonderful cat! And Master Cylinder!!

[COBOL2Java]

I vaguely remember. I mean, we’re talking almost 50 years ago...

[indylindy]

I used to watch him even if the kids weren’t. I liked the ball toss for the prizes.

Shhh, don’t tell anybody! LOL

[karnage]

Bozo is not dead. He is heading up the Dim ticket.

[CindyDawg]

Ah well..me too lol.

[indylindy]

I heard James Carville has been asked to replace Larry Harmon.

Did you ever see “IT”?

[COBOL2Java]

I remember Felix, and another cat, Crusader Cat (and Minute Mouse). As I’m typing I remember the jazz-like theme song with that bass line!

[CindyDawg]

Kids miss out on a lot of good stuff today.

[indylindy]

I just know someone is going to come along and make us feel ashamed!;^)

[hsrazorback1]

Sad. The guy was a great marketer, but for years he made people believe he was the original. The clown hall of fame even took his award away.

[CindyDawg]

“Felix the cat...the wonderful wonderful cat”. Awe Thanks...I was humming that tune about this time last year too when a storm of like name was churning.

[karnage]

Yes. Friends of mine produced it.

[COBOL2Java]

I’ve always managed to maintain a childlike love for animation. It allows me to enjoy cartoons like “SpongeBob”, “Wall-E” and “Invader Zim” with my grandsons. :-)

[nmh]

Well the COBOL to Java kind of gives you away.

As a fellow COBOL and FORTRAN person ... I understand and not throwing darts at you.

Have a Happy July 4th!

(from a fellow old timer!)

[indylindy]

Well, tell them there are some people’s husbands that watch it everytime it is on the tube!

He likes the smartass evil clown.

[FlyVet]

I remember the "Bozo No-No" legend being talked about back when I was a little kid in the 1960's. From Snopes.com:

[TV Guide, 1998]

It took place during a game, Bozo's Treasure Chest, which boasted a huge cache of toys as a prize. "One day this young, underprivileged kid was competing and his eyes were as big as saucers looking at those toys," Harmon recalls. The boy had to toss three Ping-Pong balls into a barrel. He landed the first two, but missed the third. The show's ringmaster said to the boy, "You're never a loser on the Bozo show, you're just an almost-winner," and handed him a Bozo towel as a consolation prize. "The kid looks at the towel," Harmon says, "he looks at the ringmaster, then looks at Bozo and says, 'Cram it, clown!'" Bozo's response? "That's a Bozo no-no."

Some of my cousins swore they saw it live.

[COBOL2Java]

“Felix the cat...the wonderful wonderful cat”.

"Righty-Oh!"

[CindyDawg]

Like most people I’m sure he had faults but hey..what do you say about... let’s not talk about the man in the suit, but just remember Bozo today? :’)

[library user]

Is this the clown that kills people?

[indylindy]

Nah, that was IT, not Bozo. Bozo was nice and fun.

[CindyDawg]

I watch cartoons and kid shows with my grandkids. At first it was to keep an eye on what they were viewing...now it’s what time does_______come on?

[TruthConquers]

Minute Mouse, that sounds familiar and Crusader Cat, I think I liked that one but I only saw it once in a while. Sniff.

[CindyDawg]

I just know someone is going to come along and make us feel ashamed!;^)

Nah. That's not possible. It's like trying to insult a redneck by calling him a red neck.

[indylindy]

LOL. I feel better now.

[mdittmar]

Lining up the buckets for the toss was the highlight!

I always liked that part,got to watch the show every summer,after the family's annual 2500 mile trip to the grandparents house in Illinois,we didn't have it in my home town.

Mom,Dad,five kids,in a car or on a train every summer,don't know how my parents did it;)

Still remember the bwah,bwah,bwah,when some kid missed.

Can't do stuff like that now,might hurt the kids self esteem,don't ya know;)

RIP Bozo

[COBOL2Java]

Minute Mouse, that sounds familiar and Crusader Cat, I think I liked that one but I only saw it once in a while. Sniff.

Here's a shot:

FYI, my bad. I believe his name was "Courageous Cat". "Crusader" was a rabbit. Hey, after 50 years the brain gets tired, ya know? :-)

[cyclotic]

Are you sure it was Detroit? I was a studio member of the Bozo show twice around then but it was filmed at CBC in Windsor, Ontario. Home of far better kids shows like Mr. Dressup and the Friendly Giant.

[SilvieWaldorfMD]

.... and this is “Breaking News” because???????

[COBOL2Java]

.... and this is “Breaking News” because???????

LOL. Hey, we're old, and our childhood memories are passing away! :-)

[Gondring]

Some of my cousins swore they saw it live.

In what city?

[indylindy]

I know what you mean. We didn’t see it here until cable came into our neighborhood. Brings back some really good memories.

We used to take Amtrak out to Denver every summer to see family. It was a chore. But, the kids had a good time.

[CindyDawg]

Hey now...I’m not old..just mature (well most of the time)

[Old Sarge]

my TV memories are: Bozo, Colonel Bleep, Crusader Rabbit, and Captain Kangaroo.

OMG, I'm right up there with ya!

I thought I was the last one on the planet who recalled Colonel Bleep!

[indylindy]

Hey, Bozos final retirement is breaking news.;)