Remembering 'Bozo the Clown', an Arkansas Entertainment legend

Little Rock (KATV) — If you grew up in Arkansas in the 1970's the only place to be at 3:30 in the afternoon, was in front of your television, watching the Bozo show on Channel 7.

Gary Weir was the man under the big top. He made magic and memories with a generation of kids.

A native of Russellville, Weir first arrived at Channel 7 at the age of 22 as a radio DJ who was looking for something more.

And he found it...with the most popular show on local TV.

"When we're taping here on Monday night, when we have these children down here they've been waiting for a year to be here, our reservation list is over a year long. And the guys here take the attitude that geez, this is only going to take us about an hour let's make it the best hour we can for the kids."

And that's what he did, day after day.

A quarter-century run as Arkansas' favorite entertainer.

Weir's second act took him to Hot Springs, where he hosted the Oaklawn report for 18 years.

However, it was in his role as Bozo that he made his mark, a legacy that endures throughout Arkansas.

"It seems like the longer we've been off the air more people come p to me in restaurants or various places and say 'hey, I was on your show when I was 7 and now I'm 39.' And I always tell em I'd have hated to done something 25 years and nobody remember. Looking in those little eyes was a thrill every day. To see they were enjoying themselves and there was a program out there just especially for them."

Gary Weir raised countless amounts of money for muscular dystrophy, Easter Seals, The American Heart Association and the Little Rock Zoo.

A father and grandfather, he was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame in 2013.