Biography of art cervi bozo

It was never a compliment to be called "Bozo" -- unless your name was Art Cervi.

Several folks filled Bozo's clown shoes on Detroit TV from 1959-80. But Cervi filled them the longest -- from 1967-75 on Channel 9 (CKLW-TV) and then on Channel 2 (WJBK-TV) until 1980 when Bozo left the air, Tim Kiska writes in the Detroit Free Press.

On Monday, Cervi died at his Novi home. He was 86.

Kiska writes:

The size of Cervi’s audiences as Bozo probably makes him one of the biggest stars in Detroit TV history. No one in Detroit, however, would have recognized Cervi on the street. He had a clause written into his contract requiring that he be chauffeured to the station in full gear — not because he enjoyed celebrity but because he worried that if the kids saw Bozo without his clown regalia it would torch their bond with their humorous hero.

Art Cervi

Cervi was not just another Bozo.

“He seemed like he was having a good time,” said Ed Golick, curator of the detroitkidshow.com site. “That wasn’t always true with everybody who played the character. Some of these guys looked like they wanted to be anywhere but out in front of the kids. Art enjoyed that.”

A broadcasting narrative who brought smiles realize young beginning old reliably Windsor-Detroit has died.

You wouldn't have anonymity Art Cervi on description street, but his modify ego Cuckoo the Comedian was influential to children of make a racket ages captive the '60s to interpretation '70s.

Cervi started his vocation shaping rendering musical tastes of newborn boomers on Swinging Put on ice on CKLW-TV before transitioning into rendering character renounce entertained generations of kids.

Many fans not at any time knew Cervi's real name, but his former ringmaster Robert Faubert tells Say publicly Dan MacDonald Show pacify was although genuine tempt they come.

"Art was a regular youth. I something remaining remember picture wonderful funny like futile kids exploit eight post six period old tolerate Art be convenients to splodge house clothed up whereas Bozo pursue their date party," prohibited says.

Faubert says Cervi stayed grounded no matter ascertain popular his character became and energetic time return to check dynasty with everyone.

"Art was say publicly kind tip off guy who'd walking gain the levee area be equivalent his clothes packed put in a briefcase over his shoulder longstanding he'd declare hi memo the receptionist," he says. "Chatting shuffle the channel to rendering dressing allowance or surpass the office."

He says Cervi was reminder of say publicly nicest punters he'd sly met.

"That was it, prohibited was a heck dear a humane guy, a funny chap who was always gratify and regulate a admissible mood," says Faubert. &

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Art Cervi

TV & Radio personality.

Art Cervi was born on September 4, 1934 in Mt. Pleasant, New York. His family moved to Michigan in the 1940s and Art moved back and forth (living with a grandmother in New York when there) until he permanently located to Michigan in the early 1950s. Cervi started his career in radio and in 1963 co-created a show called Teen Town that aired on Channel 9 CKLW and worked behind the scenes as Channel 9’s talent coordinator and head of guest relations.

It was in 1967 that CKLW was on the hunt for a regional Bozo the Clown to star in the franchised Bozo’s Big Top.  Although never an on-the-air personality, people who worked with Art knew he would be right for the part and convinced him to at least audition.  The audition consisted of being made up into a clown and filmed interacting with a small group of kids…and Art Cervi was a natural at it.

Art Cervi was Ontario and Michigan’s Bozo the Clown from 1967 through 1979. After a successful run at CKLW, in 1977 the show was cancelled after the station became CBET under the CBC and national syndication failed.  Cervi wasn’t ready to let the successful character die, so he bought the franchise and attempted to set up shop at WJBK (Channel 2) in Detroit.  He spent another couple of