BONKERS FOR BOZO
Boyhood hero lives on with cherished collectibles.
During the spring of 1976, Bob Bell, who played Bozo the Clown in Chicago from 1959 to 1984, brought his show to Nashville as part of a national tour. At 4, I was devoted to the red-haired TV clown. The term “superfan” wasn’t in common use in the 1970s, but when it came to Bozo, that’s definitely what I was. My family got tickets to the show’s Nashville taping as a special treat for me.
In the studio, producers sat the kids in a separate section of the audience. I was with my sister Cyndy, who was 10. The lights went down, the curtains parted and there was my idol! I yelled his name over and over, then rushed the stage: “Bozo! Bozo! Bozo!”
Production immediately halted. Cyndy heard the clown shout “Somebody get this kid out of here!”
The incident didn’t dampen my enthusiasm for Bozo. I collected a lot of Bozo the Clown merchandise over the years. Once I outgrew my fascination for it, I began selling it off at my mom’s yard sales.
Fortunately, Mom packed away two Bozo towels so I’d have some tokens of my childhood obsession. We found them in 2014 in a keepsake box. They’re a fun reminder of that day in Nashville and of growing up in the 1970s. Bozo definitely was an important part of kids culture in that era.
Share your Keepsake stories:
He was born James Cleveland Owens in Alabama, and called J.C. When his family moved to Ohio, a teacher misheard it as Jesse and the name stuck.
At the Big Ten track championships in 1935, Owens set three world records and tied a fourth—all in 45 minutes.
Owens was the star of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, winning gold in the 100- and 200-meter races, long jump and 4x100-meter relay.
President Gerald Ford awarded him the Medal of Freedom in 1976.