"Bozo
the Clown"
Willard
Scott as Bozo
(WRC-TV
Publicity Photo)
From
Willard's Autobiography "The Joy Of Living"
|
("Bozo"
TM & © 2004 Larry Harmon Pictures Corp. All Rights Reserved)
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Aired
on WRC-TV 4
Broadcast
"In Living Color"
Mondays
through Fridays
Various
Airtimes,
From
August 10, 1959 to August 1962:
"Bozo
the Clown"
| 5:00
to 5:30PM (1959 to 1961) |
|
"Kukla
& Ollie/Bozo the Clown
with
Rocky & Friends"
|
5:00 to 6:00PM (1961 to 1962) |
|
| "Bozo
the Clown w/Kukla"
|
Starting
in 1961, "Kukla & Ollie" episodes aired at
5 PM
with Bozo following at 5:15PM. For a while,
"Rocky
& Friends" cartoons were featured as well.
|
In
Fall of 1960, a Saturday AM spin-off called
"The
Bozo Show with Cousin Cupcake" began.
|
|
Willard
Scott In the
1963
AFTRA Directory
(Donated
by Skip McCloskey)
|
Host:
Willard
Scott portraying
"Bozo,
the World's Most Famous Clown."
-
|
Willard
Scott as Bozo
(Photo
by Reni Photos, Donated by Jack Maier)
From
Willard's Book "America is my Neighborhood", p. 151
|
Broadcast
from WRC-TV,
4001
Nebraska Avenue, N.W. studios.
In-studio
audience participation and
"Bozo
the Clown" cartoons.
|
Photo,
some facts from "Whatever Happened To Those Kiddie Show Hosts?"
by Trisha
Katson (George Mason University's "Phoebe" publication;
Summer
1977; donated by John Ahmad & Jack Maier).
|
Willard
Scott often drove the "Bozo Mobile" Jeep with
an open
surrey top to various promotional appearances.
-
The
show was reportedly "First Daughter" Caroline Kennedy's favorite program.
Willard played Bozo at The White House for her birthday party and appeared
in President Kennedy's 1961 Inaugural parade.
|
"TV
Guide" Magazine, 6/3 to 6/9/61 Issue
(Donated
by Jack Maier)
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According
to research by Tim Hollis (for his
book "Hi There, Boys and Girls! -America's Local TV Programs"), Willard
needed three weeks time off, so show director Bob Porter filled-in as "Cousin
Cupcake".
The
Cupcake character proved such a big hit that a regular Saturday
Morning
"Cupcake" program was spun-off and ran for five years.
|
|
Sean
Hall reminisces "What most people don't know is my dad, Jim Hall, stood
in ... as Cousin POUNDCAKE. ... My dad was just a utility guy at Channel
4 in 1961. He would soon go to the Mutual Broadcasting System, where
he would spend the rest of his career. At that time, though, Willard needed
someone to do his vacation fill-ins and Jim offered to try it since freelancers
were paid piece rate for such things. More equalled merrier. I was
on the show half a dozen times... "
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Willard
Scott was involved in other children's programming
before
and after his days as Bozo.
Click
here to visit the "Willard Scott" page.
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Sources:
Willard Scott's "The Joy Of Living" and "America is my Neighborhood" with
Daniel Paisner;Trisha Katson's "Whatever Happened To Those Kiddie Show
Hosts?" (Summer 1977; George Mason Univ. "Phoebe" publication; donated
by John Ahmad & Jack Maier).
Tim
Hollis in "Hi There, Boys and Girls! - America's Local TV Programs",
Skip
McCloskey (from the 1963 AFTRA Directory), Sean Hall in the DCRTV
Mailbag.
TV Listings
in Washington Post and Evening Star papers.
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