Larry Harmon
| Larry Harmon | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Lawrence Weiss January 2, 1925 Toledo, Ohio |
| Died | July 3, 2008 (aged 83) Los Angeles, California |
| Cause of death | Heart failure |
| Known for | Bozo the Clown |
Lawrence Weiss (January 2, 1925 – July 3, 2008), better known by the stage name Larry Harmon and as his alter-ego Bozo the Clown, was an American entertainer.
Harmon was born in Toledo, Ohio and raised in Cleveland. During World War II, he served as a private in the Army. Upon returning, he wanted to become a doctor, until he met entertainer Al Jolson. According to Harmon's autobiography, The Man Behind the Nose, Jolson told him, "Being a doctor of medicine is honorable, but you'll touch so many more lives as a doctor of laughter!" Harmon instead attended the University of Southern California, where he majored in theater and performed in the Spirit of Troy marching band.
In 1956, Harmon purchased the licensing rights to the Bozo character from Capitol Records. Harmon marketed the Bozo property aggressively. By the late 1960s, Harmon had licensed local Bozo TV shows in nearly every major U.S. market, as well as in other countries. Harmon also produced a series of Bozo animated cartoons intended to be shown with the live-action show, performing Bozo's voice himself.
Harmon's animation studio also produced eighteen Popeye The Sailor cartoons in 1960 as part of a larger TV syndication package.
In the mid-1960s, Harmon bought the merchandising rights to the likenesses of Laurel and Hardy from the comedians' widows; and promoted a Laurel and Hardy TV cartoon series, the animation work on which was done by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Harmon performed Stan Laurel's voice in the series. In 1999, Harmon co-produced and co-directed a live-action feature, The All New Adventures of Laurel and Hardy: For Love Or Mummy, starring Bronson Pinchot as Laurel and Gailard Sartain as Hardy. Intended as the first of a series, it was released direct to video and no sequels were made.
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