Goodbye, Bozo

Larry Harmon: January 2, 1925 – July 3, 2008

“Bozo is a combination of the wonderful wisdom of the adult and the childlike ways in all of us”–Larry Harmon, 1996.

My parents passed their love of Bozo on to me and I, in turn, passed him down to my own kids. It’s funny–even as a little kid I knew Bozo was from my parents’ era and not “modern,” but it never mattered. I parked myself in front of that TV every day to giggle and sing along with my friend and his thrilling games and prizes!

So when I heard that the man who kept the spirit of Bozo burning bright passed away last Thursday, I wanted to share my respects and send a salute from all of us here at Betty’s Attic.

For over fifty years Larry Harmon donned his fuzzy wig, red nose and crazy costume because he loved making people smile. He wasn’t technically the first Bozo. That distinction goes to Disney voice actor Pinto Colvig. He briefly promoted the persona created by Alan W. Livingston back in 1946 to promote a series of kid’s albums. But not long after, Harmon stepped into the big shoes when he heard bigwigs were casting a local Bozo for public appearances.

Not only did Harmon get the job, he had the incredible smarts to license the character of Bozo! This was not during the age of hyper product placement we’re in now–it was an innocent time when the mere concept of television was novel and new! Yet, this man had the foresight to license himself as a brand and train over 200 Bozos across the country to represent the image on local TV stations around America!

Did you know the Chicago Bozo Show on WGN was so popular there was a 10-year waiting list to get tickets? It became so crazy that WGN stopped taking reservations! Then, years later, when they decided to try again it took only 5 hours to book the show for the next 5 years! The phone company said there were over 27 MILLION phone calls to request tickets!

Harmon passed away from congestive heart failure Thursday, but his spirit lives on in all of us! His wife Susan said, “"He was the most optimistic man I ever met. He always saw a bright side; he always had something good to say about everybody.”

We could all learn a lesson from our old pal, Bozo.