Zeezo The Clown
A special treat for you Zeezo fans out there. A while ago I did a post about how much I dislike Safeway and I used a photo that Gearhead and Jeff immediately replied positively to about Zeezo the Clown. Coming from the East Coast, I grew up with Bozo the Clown, so I had never heard of Zeezo.
Anyway, I had a reply to that article, and I'm sure that no one ever checks the archived article here so I figured I'd share it with you Oregon natives, Zeezo fan.
"Blogger Larry said...
The Zeezo that you saw in Oregon is not the original "Real" Zeezo. The 1st and real Zeezo the Clown was in the Denver Safeway Division. He traveled to 6 states - but did not do shows in Oregon. That was Bob Berghim (not sure of the spelling) who used the idea and paid Larry Campbell (the original ZEEZO) a small amount each month for using the idea, name and dressing like ZEEZO. The postcards that Bob gave out of ZEEZO - was not of him. It was the picture of ZEEZO in the Denver Div. of Safeway.
Bob passed away many years ago. But Larry is live and doing well - living in Huntington Beach, Calif. email: czeezo@gmail.com
I'm (not)* too crazy about Safeway too!
signed, ZEEZO the Clown (Larry Campbell)"
I wrote to Larry and he sent the photo above. I asked him several questions and here is his reply:
I'm now 72 years young. There were only 2 Zeezos and you saw not me but Bob Berghim. Did two shows last week and one tonight.
I'm retired US Coast Guard and do shows at the military bases around the world.
If you really want to know the man (me) just go on Google and type in Zeezo the clown. There is one from Bliss and one from Richard.
Give me a call or email if you need any more info.
Keep a smile, Larry
Larry's resume:
1962-63 Children’s parties and store promotions Long Beach Ca.
1963-64 Juneau AK Happy Birthday Show with Zeezo the Clown
1965-Present International Brotherhood of Magicians
1965-66 Denver Co. Store Promotions Safeway Inc. Various Hospitals.
1965 Cast Member, Fred and Fae Show (ABC-TV)
1967-1969 Traveled 6 states for Safeway Denver Division, school assemblies, radio and TV Promotions
1970-1972 Full-time student.
1973-1988 Owner of 13 retail magic stores known as Zeezo’s Magic Castles (Colorado, Oregon, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Missouri)
1889-Present Volunteer for U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force to entertain at military bases: USA, Japan, Singapore and Germany. Carnival, Celebrity and Norwegian Cruse Line.
So there you have it folks. I love blogging. Consider dropping him a line. It's kind of cool to do something that people remember many years later.
* the word not was missing, but it seemed to be implied.
posted by The Guy Who Writes This at 4:00 AM
8 Comments:
Ah, the wonders and benefits of blogging and Googling.
Fascinating story - even for those of us not from Oregon.
I did see that response about Safeway from Larry Campbell and wondered if it was really ZEEZO. Cool beans. But Clowns still freak me out big-time.
Still not big into clowns, but I have been to two of Zeezos Magic castles, one in Oregon and one in Colorado. Good times. I guess it was good that I was helping keep a clown off of the streets.
Hmmmmmm...I grew up out here and never heard of Zeezo. My kid shows originated from Seattle, tho. JP Patches and Brakeman Bill with his sidekick Crazy Donkey. JP Patches was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay cool.
Beth, who was your local clown in Canada?
Auntie, I used to get freaked out by mascot costumes. Mr. Peanut was really weird.
Darev, I think it would be pretty interesting if there were more clowns in the streets. Picture walking down the street and every fifth person was a clown. That would be an interesting town. Felleniesque, but interesting.
Kris, the world of childrens entertainment is a whole other world.
I have no idea who our local clown is/was. And I would never have approached him even if I knew. I'm afraid of clowns!
The Oregon Zeezo visited my grade school in Portland in the 70s and handed out those postcards to us kids. I kept that goofy postcard for years. I always wondered why the clown in the photo didn't resemble Zeezo. Mystery solved!
My Dad was a Clown and he met Zeezo while Zeezo and my Dad were both out of Character. By the way Zeezo and Dad both had the same kind of car,it was brought about by an idea my Dad thought of and asked the creator to build him one. After Dad got his they seemed multiply. Dad's was first then Zeezo's then the Shriners got them.
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