Accolades continue to roll in for Boston’s own beloved Bozo — longtime WCVB personality Frank Avruch, who died Tuesday from heart failure at 89.
Avruch worked for WCVB for more than 40 years as a contributor to its “Good Day” program and host of “Man About Town” and “The Great Entertainment,” among other shows, but he was best known as Bozo the Clown to millions of Baby Boomers across the country.
Avruch played the legendary clown with the gravity-defying orange hair from 1959 to 1970. He was the first Bozo to star in national syndication.
Millions of adults can still recite the words to Bozo’s trademark song, which opened with “Bozo, Bozo, always laugh, never frown.”
Actor and director Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”) paid tribute to Avruch on Twitter yesterday with a clip of his own “Seinfeld” guest spot in 1994 — as a clown named Eric who doesn’t know who Bozo is, much to George’s (Jason Alexander) righteous irritation.
Bobbi (@RaidersNana) remembered Avruch as “part of my young life, use to watch all the time. Clowns weren’t made into scary creatures at that time.”
Others recalled his impressive knowledge of classic films, which he shared as the tuxedo-clad host of “The Great Entertainment.”
On Facebook, one visitor to WCVB’s station page noted, “Mr. Avruch introduced me to so many classic films. This time was before the internet and he always had the ‘back story’ that made the film far more interesting. The tux was a great added touch. He was a wonderful story teller.”
The Winthrop native and Boston University graduate was a staple on WCVB’s charity telethons over the years and served as a UNICEF ambassador. For his many contributions to broadcasting, he was inducted into the National Television Academy’s Gold Circle.
Years ago, reflecting on his career with WCVB, Avruch said, “A lot of people, when they talk to me, they’re sort of hesitant to bring up how could this suave, somewhat sophisticated guy be this guy with big orange hair and the big shoes. I said, you know, that was one of the highlights of my career.”
The nation mourns a clown. Boston remembers a class act.
