Obituaries

R.I.P. Frank Avruch, best known as Boston's Bozo the Clown

He hosted 'Bozo's Big Top' in Beantown during the 1960s.

March 22, 2018, 9:44AM By MeTV Staff

Image: WHDH-TV / YouTube

No matter where you lived in America, odds are you grew up with Bozo the Clown. Or, a Bozo the Clown. The iconic TV clown first appeared on the airwaves in Los Angeles at the end of the 1940s, portrayed by Pinto Colvig for KTTV. A decade later, the red-white-and-blue entertainer was popping up in television franchises across the country.

Vance Colvig, son of Pinto, slipped on the red wig for Southern Californians. Willard Scott wore the ruffles in Washington, D.C. Roger Erickson clowned around in Minneapolis. Bill Britten was the Bozo of New York. Chicago had Bob Bell as its Bozo, perhaps the most well-known portrayal of the children's character. All the while, Larry Harmon, who owned the license to the Bozo character was behind it all, also dressing up as the clown for public appearance. Meanwhile, Boston had Frank Avruch.

Avruch, a graduate from Boston University, hosted Bozo's Big Top for WHDH-TV (now WCBV-TV) in Boston between 1959–1970. He continued to work for the station after wiping off the makeup, appearing on the news as the local "Man About Town." As reported by The Boston Herald, Avruch passed away this month at the age of 89.

"We will miss him greatly," his family said in a statement to WCVB-TV. "Our dad loved the children of all ages who remembered being on his show, and was always grateful for their kind words."

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