Posted on 03/14/2009 11:19:06 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Alan W. Livingston, the music executive who created Bozo the Clown and signed the Beatles during his tenure as president of Capitol Records, has died. He was 91.
Livingston died Friday of age-related causes in his Beverly Hills home, said his stepdaughter, Jennifer Lerner.
Livingston began his multifaceted career in show business as a writer and producer of children's read-along record albums for Capitol Records. He came up with the Bozo the Clown character for the 1946 album "Bozo at the Circus," which became a hit and spawned a cottage industry of merchandise and the television series featuring the wing-haired clown.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
At least he lived long enough to see his creation get elected President ;-)
In a strange way, I’m gonna miss George Soros.
He leaves some big shoes to fill!
My mother was a Bozoette at school.
The signed the Beatles to Capital Records and brought them to America. The article goes on to say that he also signed Sinatra, The Beach Boys and even the Steve Miller Band.
Then he goes on to produce “Bonanza”. Amazing.
Did he come up with that lame toss with the ping pong balls and the buckets?
When I was about 10 years old (a very long time ago), we would ocassionally watch that game during lunch break. We used to laugh at how uncoordinated and unathletic kids seemed to be when they played it. I think the (politically incorrect) phrase was, “What a spaz!”
The show (originated here in Chicago) was so popular that rumor has it mothers put in for tickets just after their kids were born because the wait list was so long.
I grew up with those read-along record albums such as the ones that featured Bozo. These were illustrated booklets, sort of like graphic novels, designed to be read while listening to a 33- or 78 rpm record.
His legacy lives on . . . wherever liberal Democrats are to be found.
Did he come up with that lame toss with the ping pong balls and the buckets?
***
The local Bozo in Wash. DC used to do the ping pong ball toss ... the first toss was sooo short that you could just drop it in ...
One day Bozo had a kid that tossed the first ball - and MISSED !!!
The kid said: “Oh sh*t!”
This was a LIVE program - Bozo came over to the kid and said: “Thats a Bozo no-no, but I’ll let you try again.”
The kid tried again - AND MISSED AGAIN !!!
The kid then said: “Aw, fu*k!”
Bozo came over to the kid again and said: “I told you thats a Bozo no-no!!!”
The kid looks at Bozo, gives him the finger and said: “Cram it clown!!!”
Suddenly, the TV went blank with a notice saying the station was not responsible for the comments of the public ...
The show came back on - the kid was gone, and the curtains were billowing behind Bozo (where they obviously hustled the kid off).
This is a TRUE story - I SAW it ... it was back in the 70’s during my salad days when I was young and foolish ... me and my friends were getting high on some good Columbian when we saw it ...
I WILL NEVER FORGET IT !!!
“These were illustrated booklets, sort of like graphic novels, designed to be read while listening to a 33- or 78 rpm record.”
My folks bought us a million of those things.
“BEEP - Please turn the page!”
somebeach always skeered me
I always found good weed went well with Romper Room myself.
hot chicks and mirrors and all
His brother was Jay Livingston :
Jay Livingston (March 28, 1915 – October 17, 2001) was a partner with Ray Evans in a composing and songwriter duo best known for songs composed for films. Livingston wrote the music and Evans the lyrics.
Livingston was born Jacob Harold Levison in McDonald, Pennsylvania; he was Jewish.[1] Livingston studied piano with Harry Archer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and worked as a musician at local clubs while still in high school. He attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he organized a dance band and met Evans, a fellow student in the band. Their professional collaboration began in 1937. Livingston and Evans won the Academy Award for Best Original Song three times,[2] in 1948 for the song Buttons and Bows, written for the movie The Paleface; in 1950 for the song Mona Lisa, written for the movie Captain Carey; and in 1956 for the song “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera),” featured in the movie The Man Who Knew Too Much. Livingston and Evans wrote popular TV themes for shows including Bonanza and Mr. Ed. They also wrote the immensely popular Christmas song Silver Bells in 1951 for the film The Lemon Drop Kid as well as “Never Let Me Go” for the 1956 film The Scarlet Hour.
Livingston died in Los Angeles, California, and was interred there in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. His brother, longtime Capitol Records executive Alan W. Livingston, is best known for creating “Bozo the Clown” and signing Frank Sinatra and The Beatles among other legends with Capitol.
GEORGE: 25 kids for his birthday party? Don't put your tongue on the floor! He's putting his tongue on the floor! Here, here, have some more sugar packets.< /SEINFELD >ROBIN: So, what about entertainment? Should I get Barney?
KID: No Barney!
ROBIN (to George): Maybe a clown.
GEORGE: How about Bozo?
KID: Who's Bozo?
GEORGE: Who's Bozo? Bozo the Clown, that's who Bozo is. When I was a kid, Bozo the Clown was the clown, bar none.
ROBIN: George...
GEORGE: With the orange hair, and the big clown shirt with the ruffles...
ROBIN: George...
GEORGE: And the TV show! He had cartoons!
ROBIN: George! Forget Bozo, George. Bozo's out. He's finished. It's over for Bozo...
New scene - George talking to Eric, the clown at Robin's son's birthday party.
GEORGE: Bozo?
ERIC: No.
GEORGE: B-O-Z-O?
ERIC: Sorry, I...
GEORGE: You've never heard of Bozo the Clown?
ERIC: No!
GEORGE: How could you not know who Bozo the Clown is?
ERIC: I don't know, I just don't.
GEORGE: How can you call yourself a clown and not know who Bozo is?
ERIC: Hey, man - what are you hassling me for? This is just a gig, it's not my life. I don't know who Bozo is, what - is he a clown?
GEORGE: Is he a clown? What, are you kidding me!?
ERIC: Well, what is he?
GEORGE: Yes, he's a clown!
ERIC: Alright, so what's the big deal! There's millions of clowns!
GEORGE: Alright, just forget it.
ERIC: Me forget it? You should forget it! You're livin' in the past, man! You're hung up on some clown from the sixties, man!
Willard Scott as Bozo.
Seen here plotting global domination.
A little song, a little dance. A little seltzer down your pants.
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