The Magic Clown facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Magic Clown |
|
|---|---|
Zovella, the Magic Clown, and "Laffy" (NBC promotional photo, 1951).
|
|
| Created by | Tico Bonomo |
| Starring | Zovella (1949–1952) Dick DuBois (1952–1958) Doug Anderson (1958–1959) James Randi (1970–1971) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 15 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC (1949–1954) WABD (1954–1958) WNTA (1958–1959) Syndicated (1970–1971) |
| Original release | September 11, 1949 – July 24, 1959 |
The Magic Clown was a fun TV show that aired on NBC from 1949 to 1954. After that, it moved to other TV channels like WABD and WNTA. The show was sponsored by a candy company called Bonomo Turkish Taffy. The first person to play the Magic Clown was an amazing magician named Josh Norris, who used the stage name "Zovella."
Contents
What Was the Show About?
The show was all about a friendly clown who performed cool magic tricks. At first, he was just called "The Magic Clown." Later, he was renamed "Bonomo, The Magic Clown" because of the candy company that sponsored the show. Sometimes, his puppet friend, Laffy, would help him with the tricks!
Selling Candy with Magic
The show was created by Tico Bonomo. He was the grandson of the person who started the Bonomo Turkish Taffy company. His main goal was to help sell more candy. Because of this, every episode talked a lot about the candy. Some people even think it was one of the first "infomercials" – a TV show made to sell a product!
How the Show Was Made
It took more than a year to get The Magic Clown ready for TV. Tico Bonomo had just finished college. He spent a lot of time working with writers, producers, and advertising people to create the show. It was a lot of hard work, but it paid off!
Who Played the Magic Clown?
Finding the right person to be the Magic Clown was tricky. Tico Bonomo said it was hard to find someone who could do both magic and act like a clown. He explained that you need a real magician first, and then you teach them how to be a clown.
The First Clowns
- The very first "Magic Clown" was known as Zovella. He hosted the show from 1949 to 1952.
- After Zovella, a comedian named Richard DuBois took over. He continued to play the clown even when the show moved to a different channel, WABD. He stayed until 1958.
Later Clowns and Changes
- When the show moved to WNTA in 1958, a talented person named Doug Anderson became the Magic Clown. He was a comedian, a mimic, a cartoonist, and even a puppeteer! His wife, Gayle Anderson, also helped on the show.
- Doug and Gayle added new parts to the show, like fun facts and interviews. The show even started airing every weekday! However, they didn't like how much the candy company controlled the show. So, the show ended after only one year on WNTA.
A Famous Magician as the Clown
- In 1970, the show was brought back for a short time. This version was made in Canada.
- The Magic Clown in this new version was played by a very famous magician named James Randi. He was also known as "The Amazing Randi."
What Happened to the Episodes?
Sadly, not many episodes of The Magic Clown still exist today. This is common for many old TV shows from the 1950s.
- You can find one episode on a DVD box set from Shout! Factory.
- Two other episodes are on a DVD from Shokus Video and in a DVD set called "Classic Game Shows & More."
- Many of the episodes that still exist are now in the public domain. This means anyone can share and use them freely!
- A person named Ira Gallen, who collects old TV shows, has several episodes in his collection.
