September 11: Bozo’s Circus

In 1961, Chicago magician De Yip Loo was the first guest act on the premiere of Bozo’s Circus, on WGN television. Louie (as his friends knew him) had toured with Dante and Blackstone as a young man, and then assembled his own Chinese magic act. The Chicago production of Bozo’s Circus, starring Bob Bell as Bozo, was based on the Los Angeles children’s television show. Every show in Chicago, five days a week, featured a complete vaudeville-style variety act booked by agent Howard Schultz. Over its 40-year run, Bozo’s Circus offered a steady diet of jugglers, ventriloquists, puppeteers, animal acts, and, of course, lots and lots of magicians.