WHDH-TV "Bozo the Clown" 1966
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- čas přidán 2. 01. 2010
- Boston's original Channel 5, WHDH-TV, produced a local, weekday version of the "Bozo the Clown" children's program between 1959 and 1970. Booth announcer Frank Avruch played the title role. These excerpts are from a 1966 broadcast.
Episodes videotaped at WHDH between 1965 and '67 were syndicated to markets that did not produce a local version of the show.
All rights are acknowledged.
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* Recollections from former WHDH-TV employee Ron Hopkins via tvdvdreviews:
I worked in the Music Dept. of WHDH-TV/Channel 5 in the 1960s. Ed Carroll Spinney was Grandma Nellie, Mr. Lion and Kookie Kangaroo, along with a few others. Del Grosso was Clank the Robot. The reason for each playing more than one character was that it gave the show more variety and allowed them to work several days a week.
During the Holiday Season, those of us in the Music Dept. would wear the costumes of the characters so that they could appear all on the same show. Ed Spinney would do the voice of each character off camera.
When Frank Avruch was sick or injured - he broke his hip playing handball - Romper Room's Miss Jean's husband Bill Harrington would play Bozo's brother Nozo.
Ed Spinney went on to become Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on "Sesame Street." - Zábava
I was on that show when I was in the third grade! I was picked for a chance to win the treasure chest. They had a wiggly long necked thing with a ping pong ball in a cup and you had to balance it. I didn’t do too well, but what a memory. The lights were very bright and hot I remember. When they went to commercial they shut them off and it got nice and cool. It was my first introduction to broadcasting so to speak. Years later as an adult and an air personality at WZOU in Boston, I met Frank Avruch at a local Jerry Lewis Telethon and I related this story and he didn’t want to talk about being Bozo. He didn’t feel it was one of the better things he did in his career. Frank was a very cultured guy who then was a local movie critic and had really gone on to do much bigger and better things in his career. This was 40 years after Bozo when we met. Anyway, it’s one of my fondest memories. It really was the reason I ended up with a 30+ year broadcasting career I think. I was really mesmerized by what I saw in that channel five studio that day and the rest is history as they say...
I kid you not...for a second...I was back in 1966 Brooklyn...my Mom in the kitchen fixing me a sandwich...and my sister and cousins around the TV. Great time to be a kid...
I was on an episode with my brother in 1966. Years later, as an adult, I was on
another Massachusetts Bozo show. One episode drawing Bozo and another showing Bozo collectibles.
Thank you for posting this--what great
memories. Frank is a GREAT person to know.
My dad was on the Bozo The Clown show and he was riding one of the cars and he accidentally didn't know how to stop and he crashed into the cameras and lights in 1959-1960. He is 58 now and he still remembers. LOL
The clarity of this video is amazing!
I was born in '58 and grew up in Dorchester, MA. Bozo, Captain Kangaroo, Miss Jean and Romper Room, Rocky & Bullwinkle, all fond, fading memories of a good childhood.
Thanks for posting!
Thank you for posting this rare piece of modern American history. I would watch this whenever I could at about four years old. This episode was one of the better ones because he sings the intro very well. It made me very happy to see a man who was very child-like and optimistic. Even though it is all just a pantomime, it was great to see these adults humorously do their best to put up with such a young audience.
Caroll Spinney as Mr. Lion!!! Thanks so much for putting this video up!
To see a copy of this broadcast in CoLoR and such great quality, is just Wow! This is fantastic!
I used to love this show! And I just found out that Carrol Spinney (who played BIG Bird and Oscar for so many years on Sesame Street), played Mr. Lion. If you listen when he talks, you will hear his unmistakable voice. thanks for posting these gems!
Okay, here's where I date myself. I met Bozo when he did a personal appearance at the Coats Fields store (later Zayre) at Haverhill and North Main in Brockton MA when I was about 4 or 5. I still have the autographed photo that he gave me that day. I used to watch Bozo on Ch. 5, Major Mudd on Ch. 7, and Rex Trailer on "Boom Town" on Ch. 4. I didn't know Carroll Spinney (Big Bird) got his start on Bozo. Thank you for posting this!
Bozo:"I'm looking for number 81"
Bobby: "I got it! I got it!"
Bozo: "That's 132 Bobby, thats close"
LOL
Those children are @ or nearing retirement now.
U got that right!! Born 1963!! Lol
,Not retired yet,not for a long time.
, yes, we are!
+, (NC, USA) Well hopefully they had decent lives since this.
+, (NC, USA) Omg I know! 1966....so they were totally boomer kids, aka my parents (I'm 29, my parents are 59 and 63)....well, actually, they might have been a little too old for Bozo....my mom maybe, but my dad-- nope. They grew up in England, anyway.
Me and my mother met Bozo at the DMV a few days ago. He told my mother "how are you doing young lady" lol and she knew immediately it was him. He's being featured on our local news today.
Talk about childhood memories. I watched this every day on WHDH TV5 when I was a kid. The theme song and words came back to me the second he start singing. And what a clear copy, and even in color. Many thanks for this one!
This is awesome. I grew up in Chicago watching our Bozo Circus show, but I know teh character started in Boston. Notice the little kids and how they looked back then. Some of the boys wearing short pants! Things have sure changed tehse days. Great clip...thank you for posting it!
Such is the fact of most stations in those days. I suppose we aught to be grateful for Harmon Productions in having saved these particular episodes anyway.
One of my few memories of this show, in about 1962, was Bozo asking a little girl, "Do you like the Bozo show?" "Yes," she replied. "Why do you like it?" he asked. "Because." "Because what?" "Just because...", she said with some discomfort at being put on the spot.
It's been 42 years, since I last saw Bozo. Thanks for posting it.
I remeber being in the grand stand..That was so the highlight of my childhood..
Me too! I remember the goodie bag they gave us and how hot the lights were..Ahhhhh good times for this Dorchester boy
Right..
I am looking for his show from 68-71 my sister was on the show and I want to surprise her for her 5oth lolo
"i'm looking for 81...thats 132 Bobby, that was close" LOL...Boston Bozo forever!
This video made me feel very safe.
When I was four years old, I watched Boston's very own Bozo the Clown on TV in Plaistow, New Hampshire.
Another throwback.Use to look at this when I came home for lunch from Public school in the afternoon.
In the 1980s we used to watch "In Living Color," on FOX and we all liked Homey the Clown. We moved from San Diego to Pensacola in 1991 and one of our cable channels was WGN-Chicago, where the Bozo show had been running for decades. My children had never seen Bozo before and my 5-year-old was delighted: "Homey has his own show!"
These audiences were more intelligent then talk/gossip show audiences today.
I was on this show-- not this episode, but the show in Detroit, did the games etc.
but this wasn't really a talk/gossip show. Captain Kangaroo was more of a talk show/variety show like what Maurey is today
I went on this show when I was in the 3rd grade and that was it. I was bitten by the TV bug badly. I said to myself this is what I am going to do with the rest of my life. It worked out quite well.
The Boston show, Morrissey Blvd.? Me too
Yes the one at 50 Morrisey Blvd
My cousin,who has since passed,was on the show in Boston sometime in 1967. She was picked out of the audience,but I don't know what for,and Bozo nicknamed her "DING DONG DANDY DONNA"!!! It would be an awesome find to be able to see this episode.
What a wonderful memory jolt! As a child, in the 60s, I'd watch Bozo after school every afternoon (on a Black & White set). That opening alone is a great memory, with the animated characters blowing their horns. I recall that treasure chest too, and being amazed by that trike with the Bozo on the front. Oh, for kids TV to be that innocent again.
Wow...that's a blast from the past! I loved Bozo the Clown.
And, later in life, loved watching The Great Entertainment on Saturday nights -- thanks, Mr, Avruch, for entertaining me.
I would have loved to be alive in the 1960's, it must have been fun going to those live shows of bozo's. And you guys are right, kid's t.v has not changed a lot.
Oh my gosh...loved this show as a kid.
I, unfortunately did not grow up with this show (born in 2000), I'm just here because I love clowns.
Wow, brings back such great childhood memories! I used to watch Bozo while getting ready for school when I was a little girl. Thanks for sharing!
+Ro Barg RO Barg that is the time when I use to look at the bozo show in the morning on a snowy day...eating breakfast. lol. sometime bozo would show cartoons.
The best, right?!!! :)
good times , wow I will never forget these fun time and the BOZO show Ro Barg...just good times
I remember watching "Bozo" on KCOP out of LA.
I went to a couple tapings of Bozo in Orlando...todays kids would be freaked out big time just seeing Bozo....and we loved it!
This showed up NYC kids TV in the 60s. He was cool Bozo ("your ole pal Bozo") and a well produced show. I always thought it was produced in NY. Thanks for the post and memories.
I was one of the children on this show. These were wholesome times that are long gone. We were living in a golden age.
I was on the show too, wish I could go back in time to 1966, best times of my life, thank you for posting.
i remember these playing in NY when i was growing up in the 60's.
I love watching the Bozo show back in the '60's when I was a child. When in second grade, attending James Doolittle in Chicago, my class attended a live taping of the show. This brings back wonderful memories. Thanks Vintage Television for posting this.
Is this where the expression, "Whoa, Nelly" comes from. holy moly.
I actually have an ornament of Bozo the Clown.
He's so pristine, we don't take him out of the box.
How old is the ornament?
Jacquelyn King it is 26 years old.
I was on the bozo show 1963-1965 I was chosen to be Belinda spot light I remember landed on me and I got to choose a toy a talking phone
I know i saw this on CH 5 in new york but I had a black and white tv. OMG i cant belave i am seening this Thank you soo much
This was aired in Los Angeles on KCOP-TV on tape. Those times are long gone.
This is the show I watched in LA as a kid! So weird seeing it after almost 50 years and remembering stuff I had forgotten!
Too bad these kind of shows don't air on television anymore.
NationOfOranges696 Kids nowadays have the attention span of a gnat. My granddaughter would watch about five minutes of this show and then get on the internet.
The part at 6:00 where they draw an animal out of the names is really clever.
That was my favorite part of the show!
A fantastic memory! As a kid, I'd watch it on WPIX in New York. Unfortunately, we had a black & white TV set, so I didn't see how great it looked in color. I always loved that treasure chest, and the tricycle with the Bozo head.
We who lived in New England at the time this show originally aired miss all our great kids show hosts, whether they are dead or alive: Willie Whistle, Rex Trailer, Major Mudd, Bozo, Bob Glover, Bunker Hill, Capt. Bob Cottle, Salty Brine, the folks on "Jabberwocky", and of course, the "Zoom!" kids; we also miss the national and syndicated ones like Pixanne, the Friendly Giant, Capt. Kangaroo, Miss Frances, all the ladies who hosted "Romper Room", Fred Rogers, and any others I forgot who made a difference in so many children's lives. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.
WGN's Chicago's Bozo in the 1960's, is the best!
2" Quadruplex color videotape for the win. Even on a 480p CZcams upload it looks clean 48 years later.
This showed up NYC kids TV in the 60s. He was cool Bozo ("your ole pal Bozo") and a well produced show. I always thought it was produced in NY. Thanks for the post and memories. The Ed Spinney in the credit is Carol Spinney (Big Bird). Recognize his voice.
GOSH!! 43 years later I can watch again this show! Boy! How did I beg my parents to take me to the show. Now I know they couldn't , living in La Jolla , California, Boston was very far away! I dreamt of winning any prize and having Bozo touch my nose and doing some trick just in front of me!
Willard Scott was the first Bozo the Clown in the Washington DC area. Willard did the show from 1959 to circa 1968.
My mom and dad watched Bozo the clown from Chicago they both loved Bozo
I like this kind of show because it looks like its less scripted than today's show and the kids look more innocent than today
I remember my grandma calling me from the front porch..........Joe...Bozo is on.
But your name is Doug
lol.....she was forgetful
What an awesome memory! I watched Bozo all the time, when I was a child in the 60's. It was on a black & white set, of course.
I know i saw this on CH 5 in new york but I had a black and white tv. OMG i cant belave i am seening this Thank you soo much the music baught me back .
Wow...I have not seen one of these since I was barely out of diapers. That really sucked me in and took me right back to some of my earliest memories...
Oh, to be 5 years old again! I love this! I have my own collection of rare videos containing amazing stories, facts, music, and news!
Brings back some serious childhood memories. Thanks for posting.
HOW CAN ANYONE NOT LIKE THIS???!!!
@sps242 im 19 and even i remember that. it was awesome. came on Sunday mornings
@Gambler92543 Boy! U gave me the answer! I was raised in San Diego and when i found this clip I thought it looked a lot like the show I used to watch when I came back from La Jolla Elementary School. So it was taped in Boston! At last more than 40 years later , I understand why my parents never took me to the show no matter how much I begged!
when i was a little kid i meet bozo and he is so cool to me i miss him alot
I was 8 in 66. Used to love this show!
OMG! All of the memories start streaming back. I used to watch Bozo all of the time!
Holy sh*t! I was about to comment aboput how great he was, but now I understand why!
The guy who played "Mr.Lion" in this show went on to portray "Big Bird". I knew I recognized his voice.
@1952kid - This WHDH (Mk. I)-produced version was nationally syndicated in the '60's - and in New York, seen over WPIX Channel 11. (The locally-produced version of Bozo, in the late '60's, originated from WOR Channel 9.)
My mom was on Bozo the clown and she picked a frisbee but she thought it was a powder puff😂
I could watch this all day
Yes, Bill Harrington was a news reporter in later years. The original Channel 5, WHDH TV, was the first outlet in Boston for ABC.
I watched this show-Bozo The Clown-when i was about seven years old in my home state of Milwaukee Wisconsin.
thats Bozo the clown!!!!this theme has always stuck n my head 4over40yrs!!!
I love watching BOZO I wsed to watch it on snow days when I was in grade school
I can remember this show as a kid. I'm glad I found this on youtube.
"81? no that's 132 bobby, that's close"
@Stabulent1
hey there..i was born in 1960 in new haven, ct and remember the same shows!..romper room!..wow i forgot about that one!..yes fading memories alright..just watching this clip brought me back to when i was six!
Wowie kazowie! It was great to see a rare local Bozo the clown show other than Chicago's Bozo's Circus. Frank Avruch was outstanding as the title clown and he also played the role on the syndicated Bozo's Big Top in the mid 60s. It's a shame that kids today aren't able to see shows like this on their local station since daytime lineups are littered with talk and court shows. But Bozo was memorable and entertaining and we can all just keep laughing.
Howard Luloff The other bozo that was often shown was fond of saying "Whoah-Nellie". The intro was done in a small street car setting. I remember this episode, it had the "cutout" intro, and later added the stage lights, which had been borrowed from the 1969 "bugs bunny/road runner hour" intro premiering that year. I think the other actor might have been Larry Harmon himself. - He was funnier and more energetic than Frank Avruch, as I seem to recall.
i remember when bill brittin left pix 11 (nyc) in the mid 60s,this station ran this show.
What memories! Watched this every day!!!
Yup, that's the Bozo I remember! Thanks--and the print is really good too! I can still remember coming home from elementary school and laying on the floor eating my cream of tomato soup while watching Bozo. This reminded me of how often my eyes popped out when Bozo brought out the "Bozo's Treasure Chest"--I seem to recall the odds were always staked against the kids winning anything other than a "Bozo Bath Towel" or something (although Larry here seems like he's slightly inebriated and has no idea where he is, even though he won all that stuff!) It's nice to see kids that were nicely dressed and groomed--how things have changed!
This is good TV. Everything seems natural and not scripted like today's shows.
I am 17 and I love this show!!!
Does anyone else notice that Mr. Lion is portrayed by Caroll Spinney, the guy who performs Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street.
That's him, alright, using the same voice he would later give to Big Bird.
Yes, WHDH-TV was Boston's original Channel 5. The station operated between 1957 and 1972. The current WHDH that is licensed to use Channel 7 has no connection to it.
I watched this back in the 60's whenever visiting my Grandparents in Haverhill MA.
@davidkeppit Matt Groening mentions several inspirations for Krusty. One was a local clown he knew back in Portland, OR called "Rusty Nails" that he modeled Krusty's show on, but the voice itself was based on Bob Bell's performance of Bozo on WGN in Chicago for many decades.
Jerry Harrell played Bozo in Richmond, VA until 1974. It's one of the first things I remember seeing on TV.
i miss this show. remeber watching it when i was little. mostly like when the kids would see if they would put the ball in the bucket to win the prize.
The Brazilian version is the most famous and was a popular icon in the country in the 80's.
I was on bozo show in Boston around 1963. Fun times!! especially the goodybag they sent you home with.lol
Wow weee .what wonderful memories,,thanks for posting
This is the Bozo I grew up with....I remember Frank Avruch later on hosting late night movie shows and really enjoyed him doing that in the late 70s/early 80s....funny to think that's him under the greasepaint!
I knew of Bozo in the 80's though mostly indirectly out of toys, out-of-market TV viewings since nowhere in town had him besides the Grand Prize Game showing up in a local arcade.
There were Bozo shows on local channels all over the USA with different actors being Bozo in each market. Harmon was Bozo on the West Coast. Bob Bell was Bozo on WGN-TV in Chicago. However it was in another market where a boy who got a consolation prize cursed at Bozo on live TV.
"sigh" I'm 17 years old, and I really wish I grew up in this era. It was such an innocent time... now kids can only be entertained by tv if they are on a sugar high, and stuff keeps blowing up.
8:10 Wow....just wow