Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Here's a (mostly) complete broadcast (except for the opening and first minute or so) of an edition of Bozo's Circus on WGN Channel 9, from its heyday with Frazier Thomas as the ringmaster, Bob Bell as Bozo, Roy Brown as Cooky, Garfield Goose and his friends popping up now and then, and backing by the Bozo Big Top Band.
All station and local voiceovers by Merri Dee. Bumper voiceovers by Frazier Thomas.
Includes:
Frazier giving Cooky a lecture on the 4th of July (joined in progress), Bozo with a funny warning, Cooky doing his own special dance, before the dancers of Diana's School of the Dance do a 4th of July-themed series of dances (posted separately here: youtu.be/WYEfzhp8Fmk)
Bozo cartoon - "Ball Park Lark" (set on the 4th of July at a ball park)
The Grand Prize Game, with Chris, 8, and Girl Scout Brownie Leanne, 7 (who sadly seems to have a "thousand-yard stare" most of the time); Chris drops a silver dollar into Bucket #6, for a total of $11.00; Leanne's at-home player will be Karen Miget, 6, of Richton Park, and Chris' is Donald Dounias, 3, of Elmwood Park; prizes include a certificate for a Burny Bros birthday cake, Tomy Tutor Typer, Bozo buttons, Snap-Tit building set, Vienna Sausage Bozo hot dogs, Devita's restaurant certificate for a pizza, Ideal Pocket Flix, "Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective," Operation board game, and a day for a family of four at Six Flags Over Mid-America in St. Louis.
Commercials for:
Kool-Aid - "Bank Robbers" (posted separately here: youtu.be/1cvYQDf1zYk)
"The Cat from Outer Space" (theatrical trailer)
The Dells Wisconsin (30 second version)
The Rianos Duo perform various acrobatic and juggling feats on the slack wire
Commercials for:
Golden Grahams cereal
Nestle's Crunch bar
McDonald's (photograph)
The Dells Wisconsin (10 second version)
A routine involving Frazier, Cooky, Bozo, and a cannon - and technical difficulties in carrying out the ending gag
Commercials for:
Lucky Charms cereal (sand castle)
Promo for Cubs vs. Cardinals (music: "I'm Qualified to Satisfy You" by Barry White - had to be altered to avoid YouTube blockage)
Frazier out to make sure Garfield and Romberg Rabbit has everything ready for 4th of July picnic
Commercials for:
Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes - "Secret Formula" (featuring Kim Fields (TV's "Tootie") as one of the kids)
PSA for Parents' Guide to Childhood Immunization (with C-3PO and R2-D2 from "Star Wars")
Marshmallow Tossing Into Hats game; winners receive Klondike board game, others receive Play Hooky Go Fishing game and tickets to Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI
Commercials for:
Trix - Rabbit poses as hula dancer in Hawaii to get Trix
PSA from American Cancer Society - "Smoking Stinks"
Adler Planetarium, John G. Shedd Aquarium and Field Museum in Grant Park
Frazier explains the Pledge of Allegiance (routine borrowed from a Red Skelton record), then leads the audience into it (posted separately here: youtu.be/VPFmIAunnGs)
PSA's for:
U.S. Department of Commerce - Office of Telecommunications (urging people to call ahead of time to save fuel)
Advertising Council - "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires" (with July 4th motif showing a tree living through history)
Bozo leads special 4th of July Grand March with audience, as end credits show:
Bozo's Circus
Starring Bob Bell, Roy Brown, Frazier Thomas
The prizes awarded on this show were furnished in consideration for the promotional value of the prizes.
Musical Director - Tom Fitzsimmons
Asst. Director - George Waschbusch
Producer - Allen Hall
Directed by Don Strukel
Bonus!: Mid-Day Report with Merri Dee
Commercials for:
Press-O-Matic iron
Home Pride Butter Top Wheat Bread
Depend-O Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaner - with Depend-O Woman Superhero
WGN "Last Farewell" ID
First minute of Lead-Off Man with Lou Boudreau, with sponsor billboard for Danley's Garage World - and Cubs' outfielder Bobby Murcer
Extra Bonus: end of tape find: Search for Tomorrow excerpt and news audio blip which Bozo recorded over
This aired on local Chicago TV on Tuesday, July 4th 1978 during the 12:01pm to 1:01pm timeframe.
This video authorized by © Nexstar Media Inc. (WGN-TV) and Bozo™ & © Send in the Bozos LLC. Special thanks to George Pappas.
About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:
The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. If you have any old 1970s videotapes recorded off of TV please email: tapes@fuzzy.tv We preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is there), for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to digital, please e-mail tapes@fuzzy.tv Thank you for your help!
Here's a (mostly) complete broadcast (except for the opening and first minute or so) of an edition of Bozo's Circus on WGN Channel 9, from its heyday with Frazier Thomas as the ringmaster, Bob Bell as Bozo, Roy Brown as Cooky, Garfield Goose and his friends popping up now and then, and backing by the Bozo Big Top Band.
All station and local voiceovers by Merri Dee. Bumper voiceovers by Frazier Thomas.
Includes:
Frazier giving Cooky a lecture on the 4th of July (joined in progress), Bozo with a funny warning, Cooky doing his own special dance, before the dancers of Diana's School of the Dance do a 4th of July-themed series of dances (posted separately here: youtu.be/WYEfzhp8Fmk)
Bozo cartoon - "Ball Park Lark" (set on the 4th of July at a ball park)
The Grand Prize Game, with Chris, 8, and Girl Scout Brownie Leanne, 7 (who sadly seems to have a "thousand-yard stare" most of the time); Chris drops a silver dollar into Bucket #6, for a total of $11.00; Leanne's at-home player will be Karen Miget, 6, of Richton Park, and Chris' is Donald Dounias, 3, of Elmwood Park; prizes include a certificate for a Burny Bros birthday cake, Tomy Tutor Typer, Bozo buttons, Snap-Tit building set, Vienna Sausage Bozo hot dogs, Devita's restaurant certificate for a pizza, Ideal Pocket Flix, "Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective," Operation board game, and a day for a family of four at Six Flags Over Mid-America in St. Louis.
Commercials for:
Kool-Aid - "Bank Robbers" (posted separately here: youtu.be/1cvYQDf1zYk)
"The Cat from Outer Space" (theatrical trailer)
The Dells Wisconsin (30 second version)
The Rianos Duo perform various acrobatic and juggling feats on the slack wire
Commercials for:
Golden Grahams cereal
Nestle's Crunch bar
McDonald's (photograph)
The Dells Wisconsin (10 second version)
A routine involving Frazier, Cooky, Bozo, and a cannon - and technical difficulties in carrying out the ending gag
Commercials for:
Lucky Charms cereal (sand castle)
Promo for Cubs vs. Cardinals (music: "I'm Qualified to Satisfy You" by Barry White - had to be altered to avoid YouTube blockage)
Frazier out to make sure Garfield and Romberg Rabbit has everything ready for 4th of July picnic
Commercials for:
Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes - "Secret Formula" (featuring Kim Fields (TV's "Tootie") as one of the kids)
PSA for Parents' Guide to Childhood Immunization (with C-3PO and R2-D2 from "Star Wars")
Marshmallow Tossing Into Hats game; winners receive Klondike board game, others receive Play Hooky Go Fishing game and tickets to Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI
Commercials for:
Trix - Rabbit poses as hula dancer in Hawaii to get Trix
PSA from American Cancer Society - "Smoking Stinks"
Adler Planetarium, John G. Shedd Aquarium and Field Museum in Grant Park
Frazier explains the Pledge of Allegiance (routine borrowed from a Red Skelton record), then leads the audience into it (posted separately here: youtu.be/VPFmIAunnGs)
PSA's for:
U.S. Department of Commerce - Office of Telecommunications (urging people to call ahead of time to save fuel)
Advertising Council - "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires" (with July 4th motif showing a tree living through history)
Bozo leads special 4th of July Grand March with audience, as end credits show:
Bozo's Circus
Starring Bob Bell, Roy Brown, Frazier Thomas
The prizes awarded on this show were furnished in consideration for the promotional value of the prizes.
Musical Director - Tom Fitzsimmons
Asst. Director - George Waschbusch
Producer - Allen Hall
Directed by Don Strukel
Bonus!: Mid-Day Report with Merri Dee
Commercials for:
Press-O-Matic iron
Home Pride Butter Top Wheat Bread
Depend-O Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaner - with Depend-O Woman Superhero
WGN "Last Farewell" ID
First minute of Lead-Off Man with Lou Boudreau, with sponsor billboard for Danley's Garage World - and Cubs' outfielder Bobby Murcer
Extra Bonus: end of tape find: Search for Tomorrow excerpt and news audio blip which Bozo recorded over
This aired on local Chicago TV on Tuesday, July 4th 1978 during the 12:01pm to 1:01pm timeframe.
This video authorized by © Nexstar Media Inc. (WGN-TV) and Bozo™ & © Send in the Bozos LLC. Special thanks to George Pappas.
About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:
The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. If you have any old 1970s videotapes recorded off of TV please email: tapes@fuzzy.tv We preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is there), for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to digital, please e-mail tapes@fuzzy.tv Thank you for your help!
