The Man Behind the Nose by Larry Harmon

Author:Larry Harmon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins

In just a couple short years, my animation studio had really taken off. At its height, four hundred people worked to create cartoons. We started with the Bozo cartoons to accompany the live-action Bozo show. But over time, we picked up work for other characters as well. We did some cartoons for Popeye, Mr. Magoo, Tintin, Dick Tracy, and other great characters at my studio. So I decided to give Bozo some permanent friends. I had my eye on two characters who had kept America in stitches through over a hundred films: Laurel and Hardy.

I had met Stan Laurel some years earlier and always looked forward to interacting with him. Contrary to his on-screen persona, Stan was hardworking and intelligent. I loved his quirky sense of humor and enjoyed getting laughs by doing impersonations of him.

Oliver Hardy had passed away in 1957, so Stan was kind of alone with the memories of his great entertainment career. He lived in an apartment down by the beach and spent his time at a typewriter, writing extensive letters to fans. He really cared about all the people who supported his career over the years and if you were to write him a short note, he would always respond. Stan also entertained a string of comedy greats in his apartment who came to pay their respects, including Jerry Lewis and Dick Van Dyke.

In 1961, I finalized a deal with Stan and Oliver Hardy’s widow, Lucille, and purchased the rights to the Laurel and Hardy characters. My initial plans were to use the comedy duo in a series of cartoons that would introduce their greatness to a new generation of viewers. Those cartoons were produced with Hanna-Barbera in the mid to late sixties, and then in the early seventies we did some Scooby-Doo tie-ins.

In the meantime, Bozo the Clown was spreading across the globe. Race, language, and cultural barriers didn’t seem to exist for this character. No matter where we went, people related to the love and laughter Bozo presented. We had a show that was huge in Thailand. At one time or another, we were on television in Greece, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Brazil, and many other countries. Our success was so great, I began to think Bozo could be accepted by any group of people, anywhere.

So when I was in Australia finalizing the launch of a show there (which would eventually be watched by almost everyone with a TV in Australia, plus probably some kangaroos and koala bears), I decided to put that theory to the test: I asked the Australian government to take me into the desert to meet with the nomadic Aboriginal people who still travel those dusty lands.

Though I was worried that the humor wouldn’t translate and the character would be too extreme, the Aborigines turned out to be not only the most welcoming people I had ever encountered but also one of the most responsive audiences I’d ever performed for. From little children to old women, most of them liked me as much as I did them.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.