Sic Transit Bozo

The passing of Larry Harmon, a memorable Bozo:

• "Bozo the Clown is dead"
  USA Today (July 3, 2008)
  • "Larry Harmon, who popularized Bozo the Clown through the new medium of television 50 years ago, died today of heart failure in his Los Angeles home. He was 83.
  • "Harmon was not the original Bozo, who was created by Alan W. Livingston in 1946. Harmon exaggerated the original look, then donned the distinctive make-up, hair and suit for countless appearances as 'Bozo, The World's Most Famous Clown.' More important, however, he licensed the character to TV stations - which hired their own Bozos — and created a cartoon series.
  • " 'You might say, in a way, I was cloning BTC (Bozo the Clown) before anybody else out there got around to cloning DNA,' Harmon told the Associated Press in a 1996 interview. 'Bozo is a combination of the wonderful wisdom of the adult and the childlike ways in all of us.'..."
• "Toledo's Larry Harmon, longtime Bozo the Clown, dead at 83"
  MyFoxToledo (July 3, 2008)
  • "LOS ANGELES (AP) — Larry Harmon, who turned the character Bozo the Clown into a show business staple that delighted children for more than a half-century, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 83.
  • "His publicist, Jerry Digney, told The Associated Press he died at his home.
  • "Although not the original Bozo, Harmon portrayed the popular clown in countless appearances and, as an entrepreneur, he licensed the character to others, particularly dozens of television stations around the country. The stations in turn hired actors to be their local Bozos...."
• "Bozo the Clown's Larry Harmon dead at 83"
  Reuters (July 4, 2008)
  • "LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Larry Harmon, the alter ego behind Bozo the Clown for more than 50 years, died on Thursday of congestive heart failure at age 83, his spokesman said.
  • "Harmon, a native of Ohio, died at his home in Los Angeles, his spokesman, Jerry Digney said.
  • "Harmon was not the original Bozo, but he portrayed the flame-haired clown in numerous appearances over the years.
  • "More importantly, he purchased the copyright and trademark to the clown in the 1950s, and as a result was responsible for keeping Bozo working in the entertainment industry for more than half a century....

Bozo the Clown: An American cultural icon.

More at

• "Bozo actor dead at 83"
  CNN (July 3, 2008)
• Internet Movie Database
  • "Bozo's Circus" (1961-1980)
  • "The Bozo Show" (1980-1994)
  • "The Bozo Super Sunday Show" (1994-2001)