Totally Unwatchable

[Wheezer]

So while I was setting up the DVR on WGN for this afternoons Hawks matinee game I came across what was currently being broadcast.
Apparently Channel 9 discovered a bunch of the "Bozo's Circus" episodes from the 1960's and have digitally remastered them.
So they are replaying them as an hour long special.

They shouldn't have, God it's horrific.
The stuff we we used to watch while eating lunch was not exactly formative.

I don't know how we all didn't get seizures from the camera swinging around looking for Grand Prize Game contestants.

It's how they weened the weak out of society. Only the strongest failed to seize and die. You weren't just a fan of Bozo, you were a survivor.

Even getting tickets was some Hunger Games shit. People ordered tickets the day their child (or grandchild) was born, and the classified ads were full of people looking for Bozo tickets. I'm guessing that was quite the cottage industry.

I actually went to one of the shows. Some very long time friends of my parents were the Chicago distributors for 7-Up (could this conversation be any more 60's?) and they had connections. I was friends with their son and they invited me. I was 6 or possibly 7 which makes it 1965 or 1966. I remember bits and pieces of it. The stands are just bleachers and they herd you around in order to get everything in place because it was broadcast live. Most of the black kids were sitting towards the back. I remember being severely disappointed because i wasn't picked for the grand prize game. I think all the cast members were drinking and although I wouldn't have recognized it at the time I'm sure everyone smelled like cigarettes because everyone smelled like cigarettes back then. I wanted to meet Bozo and that didn't happen so now I just light devotional candles to Bob Bell.

I went as well; I'm trying to reconstruct how we got there (train? bus?), but it wasn't that small of a group. Wizzo scared the living shit out of me in general.