Comments on: Story Time: Bozo and the Santa Claus Horror Show

By: the Other michael

the Other michael — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I so wish there was an up-vote mechanism for comments like this.

By: ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive

ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Thanks Anon8. Fixed that too.

By: Prospero761

Prospero761 — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In the early 70′s, my sister and I were in the audience as part of our local (Philadelphia) Bozo Show. It was a small crowd that day, so almost every kid in the stands got a chance to be on TV, even my sister, who would have normally been considered too young on any other day. Our biggest Bozo memory? – Bozo’s filthy, yellow teeth. No wonder my sister now hates clowns…

By: efergus3

efergus3 — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

To paraphrase Arthur Carlson at WKRP, “As God is my witness, I thought Santa could fly.”

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

i love stories……

By: Stefan Jones

Stefan Jones — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

There was a Bozo in the NYC market. I believe his show ran on Channel 9, WOR. (Well, that’s right, but looking on tvparty.com there was another Bozo on Channel 11, WPIX in the early 60s . . . way too early for me to have watched. I remember the cartoons mentioned in the piece, but I could have sworn that a live Bozo ran in the mid 60s.

SO . . . when you watch a TV show as a kid, you really absorb lots of details and get used to how people sound and act.

In the summer of 1969, my family travelled to Arkansas to pick up a boat we’d bought from my uncle. The BIG event that week was the launch of Apollo 11, but one afternoon during our stay my cousins and sister and I watched Bozo.

I was a little freaked for two reasons. One, Bozo was not on the right station. There WAS no Channel 9! And . . . it wasn’t Bozo! Not THE Bozo! He sounded different, and the set was different.

I didn’t find out until years later that Bozo (and Romper Room) were franchieses.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

You’re absolutely right about WPIX, Stefan. Bill Britten portrayed Bozo for them from 1959 to 1964… and he’s alive and well. Great guy, too.

By: bazzargh

bazzargh — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Vance was a little disappointing and out of rhythm… but the second act, with the Souza? COMEDY GOLD. That kind of nonsense is timeless – I’m sure there’s an app for that.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

good story. I remember when i saw the bozo show…. however i was not selected for the bozo buckets… :(

By: bazzargh

bazzargh — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Gah.. re-reading that comment seems miserly. The story is fascinating (to me, a furriner who’s never seen Bozo), the ‘disappointing’ bit was only about Vance’s head-bashing after Dangerfield’s big build up in the video. Didn’t mean to tread on any oversized shoes.

By: ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive

ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

You can see Vance in Mickey Rourke’s Barfly and Weird Al Yankovic’s UHF too.

By: Kimmo

Kimmo — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

One of my favorite pass-times is storytelling.

*pastimes

By: Freddie Freelance

Freddie Freelance — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

[blockquote]“I didn’t find out until years later that Bozo (and Romper Room) were franchieses.”[/blockquote]
What?!? And next you’re probably going to tell me Miss Mary Ann wasn’t talking directly to ME!

By: ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive

ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

thanks! fixed.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Actually, Vance was Los Angeles’ second TV Bozo. His father, Pinto, preceded him on KTTV in 1949. Vance was KTLA’s Bozo from 1959 to 1964.