Always smiling

Larry Harmon would carefully describe himself not as the original Bozo the Clown, but as "the real one."

Harmon, who portrayed the wing-haired clown for more than a half-century, died last Thursday of congestive heart failure, according to his publicist, Jerry Digney.

He was 83.

The last time I interviewed Harmon was in October 2003, first for a Times cover story and then later, he joined me on the air for a radio interview on WLJE.

Without his make-up, Harmon wasn't someone easy to recognize as a celebrity.

But once Harmon let out with a laugh, it was easy to discover the clown inside.

He always seemed to have more energy and enthusiasm than a teenager.

"I feel so fortunate that I've had a life that's allowed me to meet so many people from all over the word," Harmon said from his home in Los Angeles.

"And my bonus comes from the fact that I get to meet people at their best, when they're smiling and laughing."

The Bozo character was created in the early 1950s by Alan Livingston who was the voice for a series of children's albums for Capitol Records. Livingston said he doesn't know why he chose the name Bozo, other than it sounded like the name of a clown.

Harmon, who played Bozo on KTLA in Los Angeles, bought the rights to the name "Bozo" from Capitol in the 1950s and franchised the clown program around the country. He hired Willard Scott to play Bozo in 1957 in Washington before he lost the wig and make-up as the weatherman on NBC's "Today."

Harmon had told me he was saddened back in March 2001, when WGN-TV in Chicago announced it was ending its 40-year tradition of airing a locally produced "Bozo Show," bringing down the curtain on the last of what was once 200 franchised local Bozo shows across the United States. WGN management said a competitive market of cable networks targeting young audiences 24 hours a day made it difficult to keep Bozo a profitable mainstay.

"For so many people, Bozo was a favorite part of childhood," Harmon said.

"If you do the math totaling studio audiences for all of the Bozo shows around the country, more than 28 million people attended a live show taping."

During the 1960s, every major city across the country had its own "Bozo Show." WGN's "The Bozo Show," originally aired as "Bozo's Circus," still ranks as the longest-running locally produced children's show in U.S. broadcast history.

During its run on WGN, two men portrayed Bozo. Bob Bell was the first, and worked until he was replaced by Joey D'Auria in 1984. Bell died in 1997. Roy Brown, who played the clown Cooky the Cook in Chicago for 25 years on the show, died in 2001.

Magician Marshall Brodien, whose clown alter-ego Wizzo the Wizard was introduced on "Bozo's Circus" in 1968, celebrates his 73rd birthday today, which you can check out with today's celebBirthdays listing on the fastTimes weather map page.

One of the ways to measure the popularity of the famous clown who sports an 83 AAA-size shoe was to find out who could get tickets and how many, Harmon said. Securing tickets for a taping of the show became a part of parenting legend in the Midwest, especially in the Chicago venue.

In 1980, ticket requests for the 200-seat studio taping were backed up 11 years. The last time ticket requests were taken was in 1990, when WGN's telephone lines received 27 million calls for ticket requests during a five-hour period. The proceeds from the 1-900 calls raised more than $500,000 to benefit local children's charities.

The Chicago incarnation of Bozo also has a local history, participating in community events such as parades, telethons and even live stage show appearances at Chicago's museums, zoos and shopping malls, including River Oaks Mall in Calumet City.

"I like to think of myself as 'the Ambassador of Laughter,' " Harmon said.

"Every generation can identify with me."

The following were some of Harmon's favorite (and frustrating) Bozo moments from his career:

* The voice of Krusty the Clown on "The Simpsons" animated series is based on the Bozo played by Bob Bell in Chicago. Bozo has spoken out against only two things: the uncouth Krusty and the negative use of the word Bozo, sometimes used to describe ineptness.

* There also was a Bozo cartoon series. The first episode: "Bozo Meets the Creepy Gleep."

* Joey D'Auria got the job to replace Bob Bell as Bozo in Chicago after producers saw him appear as "Dr. Flame-O" on "The Tonight Show." In his act he placed his hand over different-sized burning candles and screamed out the notes to "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes."

* Among the many words of advice delivered by Bozo over the years: "Remember what your old pal Bozo always says: It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice."

* After Bozo suits up for an appearance, he is not allowed to eat or drink during the eight-hour contracted period.

* Harmon trained 203 Bozos during the last 50 years at his Bozo University school for clowns.

* Bozo's official full name is Bozo T. Clown. T. stands for "the."

* Bozo received 2 million votes as a write-in presidential candidate in 1984.

* Bozo's trademark winged hairstyle wig is made from yak hair flown in from Tibet.

* Before Harmon decided to be an entertainer, he considered a career as a gynecologist.

* Bozo received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with UNICEF in 1966.

* During the late 1960s, Bozo traveled to the New Guinea outback to film a television special entertaining a village of cannibals.

* The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

celebBirthdays

Boxer Jake LaMotta ("Raging Bull" was based on his life) and Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver are 87. Composer Jerry Herman is 77. Puppeteer Jerry Nelson (voice of "Sesame Street's" The Count) is 74. Magician Marshall Brodien aka Wizzo the Wizard ("Bozo's Circus") is 73. Singer Mavis Staples is 69. Actor Mills Watson ("B.J. and the Bear," "Lobo") is 68. Guitarist Jerry Miller of Moby Grape is 65. Actor Ron Glass ("Barney Miller") is 63. Actress Sue Lyon is 62. Folk singer Arlo Guthrie is 61. Bassist Dave Smalley of The Raspberries is 59. Singer Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys is 54. Banjo player Bela Fleck of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones is 50. Drummer Shaw Wilson of BR549 is 48. Guitarist Peter DiStefano of Porno for Pyros is 43. Actor Gale Harold ("Queer as Folk") is 39. Country singer Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts is 38.

"Bachelor" turned newlywed Andrew Firestone is 33. Actor Adrian Grenier ("Entourage," "Cecil B. DeMented") is 32. Actor Thomas Ian Nicholas ("American Pie") and singer Jessica Simpson are 28.