Bozo the Clown Is Hanging Up the Red Nose
Four decades after his bright red nose popped onto the television scene, Bozo the Clown is headed for his last laughs.
WGN-TV General Manager John Vitanovec has announced that the final telecast of “The Bozo Super Sunday Show” would be Aug. 26.
The show began in 1961 as “Bozo’s Circus,” one of more than 180 locally produced Bozo shows around the country under license from the character’s owner, Larry Harmon Pictures Corp.
Today, it is the only locally produced Bozo show left in the United States.
“It’s been a great run,” Harmon said in a news release. “No children’s television show has enjoyed this kind of longevity.”
Vitanovec said competition from specialty cable kids networks like Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel was one reason for the show’s demise.
His announcement ends what was once one of the most popular shows in television history. In its heyday, parents would wait years for tickets to the show for their children.
During its run, two men wore the Bozo face paint: Bob Bell, who died in 1997, originated the role and did the show until he was replaced by Joey D’Auria in 1984.
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