Customer Reviews

Bozo: The World's Most Famous Clown, Vol. 2

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a Chicagoan, I am probably biased -- no, this isn't the "real" Bozo (Bob Bell of WGN-TV, later replaced by Joey D'Auria) and anyone expecting the familiar Chicago Bozo will be sorely disappointed with this set.

Still, these shows are fascinating as examples of locally-produced children's television from the 1960s, preserved on color videotape. Given the media on which this show was created, the material really shows its age -- which is fine. If you watched these on TV at any point over the last 40 years, this is probably how they looked. The shows are what they are.

As far as the content, the humor may not be anywhere near the level of the Chicago show (which played to parents as much as their kids -- if not more), and the characters are no match for Cooky, Wizzo, Oliver O. Oliver, Sandy, etc. But "Mr. Lion" (played by Sesame Street's Carroll Spinney, billed here as Ed Spinney) and other sidekicks are fun in their own way, and fair enough for a mid-1960s kiddie show. Mr. Lion even does a routine drawing pictures from the name of a child in the audience, reminiscent of another Chicago favorite, Bill "BJ" Jackson of "BJ & Dirty Dragon." The kitchy Larry Harmon "Bozo" cartoons appear in every show, and there is an occasional guest circus act to mix things up a little.

Good to have this stuff, but I was somewhat disappointed in the "thrown-together" presentation. For both volumes ("Collection 1" and "Collection 2"), 30 shows are assembled in what appears to be a random sequence ("Bozo's Big Top" shows with a 1966 date appear before "Bozo The Clown" shows with a 1965 date), just arbitrarily listed as Shows #1 through #30, with a brief summary for each but no info on the actual "official" episode numbers or original running order. Also, Larry Harmon's Bozo cartoons are unidentified, with most episode titles skipped. From a technical standpoint, there are some authoring issues on these discs, with the very beginning of several shows slightly clipped...it's a minor issue, but shouldn't happen. Worse, the episode listed as Show #7 on "Collection 2" is actually a repeat of the episode listed as Show #12 on "Collection 1" (so if you get both, you'll really have 59 shows, not 60). With 156 original half-hours to choose from, this should not have happened.

By the way, the photos on this package do not represent the shows within. I don't know who is posing as Bozo on the front cover, but it doesn't appear to be Frank Avruch, who appears in the shows themselves. Two inside photos also clearly come from some other local version of a "Bozo" show. In one of them, a character is holding an Ernie hand puppet from "Sesame Street," sold in stores in the early 1970s, several years after these shows were produced. One clown looks slightly reminiscent of Ray Rayner as Oliver O. Oliver, and the other is a near dead-ringer for Don Sandburg as Sandy (but it's not them).

Despite these nitpicks, these shows are still fun...but a release of the Chicago "Bozo" would be a lot more enjoyable and most welcome.

It's GREAT to see yet another box set of 30 more episodes of TV's FIRST Nationally syndicated Bozo The Clown played by Frank Avruch!

If you grew up in Boston, New York or even Los Angeles in the 1960's, you saw THIS Bozo TV Show! Featuring Frank Avruch as Bozo with his pals Kookie Kangaroo, Professor Tweedy Foofer and of course Mr. Lion played by Caroll (Ed) Spinney who later became Big Bird & Oscar The Grouch!

Again the makers of this box set "forgot" to credit Mr. Avruch ANYWHERE on the packaging (whoops!) even the pictures on the cover and inside the box are of a different Bozo! ...funny how Larry Harmon's name remains big and clear, 'eh? You'll find Mr. Avruch's AND Mr. Spinney's credits still in tact at the end of each episode when you watch them...

...just curious, what are the makers of these sets trying to hide by covering up the credits of these great actors that they are currently profiting from?

hmmmmmm?

Having attended the BOZO SHOW a few times in Boston as a child, I was hoping that I may see myself! LOL These shows are great! The color is fantastic and the shows are perfectly aimed towards kids! Even though the shows are all very similiar, each episode is fun! I only wonder why Judy Valentine , also a regular on the show is not included in any episodes. One note, with todays child obesity problem , I noticed there were no fat kids on the show! LOl I guess kids new how to eat and play back then!

These first two videos are just great. How long before the third collection comes out?