Vance Colvig
Vance Colvig | |
---|---|
Born | Vance DeBar Colvig Jr. March 9, 1918 San Francisco,California,U.S. |
Died | March 4, 1991 Los Angeles,California, U.S. | (aged 72)
Other names | Pinto Colvig Jr. |
Education | Oregon State University |
Occupation(s) | Actor, writer, animator, producer |
Years active | 1938–1991 |
Spouse | Virginia G. Arslanian[1] |
Children | 1 |
Parent(s) | Vance "Pinto" Colvig Sr. Margaret Bourke Slavin |
Vance DeBar Colvig Jr.(March 9, 1918 – March 4, 1991) was an American actor and writer.[2]He voiced the Chopper bulldog character onThe Yogi Bear Show.In the 1980s, he made guest appearances in various films, television series, and music videos.
Career
[edit]Colvig began his career as a page atNBC.In the 1940s, he became a writer for such radio shows asBreakfast in Hollywood,Command Performance,andBride and Groom.[3]
On January 5, 1959, he became the first to portrayBozo the Clownon a franchised Bozo program licensed byLarry Harmon.In the role that his fatherPinto Colvigfirst portrayed onCapitol Recordsin 1946 andKTTV-TVin Los Angeles in 1949, Vance portrayed thewhiteface clownBozo onKTLA-TVin Los Angeles from 1959 to 1964.[4]
His best known cartoon voice is of Chopper the Bulldog,Yakky Doodle's best friend and protector onThe Yogi Bear Show.
He worked primarily as a character actor in numerous performances spanning the 1980s; many roles subtly express his clowning talent. He made guest appearances on TV shows includingThe Golden Girls,Hill Street Blues,andSt. Elsewhere.One of his last film roles is as abumopposite"Weird Al" Yankovicin the 1989cult comedy filmUHF.He appeared on a 1990 episode of the TV seriesNight Courtplaying a bum. He enjoyed playing several characters atKnott's Berry Farmamusement park and at trade shows.[5]
He appeared in commercials and music videos. His cameo appearances in music videos includeDavid Lee Roth's 1985 cover of "Just a Gigolo"as a female cleaner, andGregg Allman's 1987 "I'm No Angel"as a gas station attendant.
He identifies himself by name on the secondNegativlandalbumPoints(1981). On the track "A Nice Place to Live", his live remote broadcasts from the Los Angeles and Contra Costa county fairs are sampled.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Colvig was married to Virginia G. Arslanian until his death in 1991.[1][5]They had a son, Vance DeBar Colvig III.[1][5]
Death
[edit]Colvig died March 4, 1991, of cancer at hisHollywood Hillshome, five days before his 73rd birthday.[3]
Select works
[edit]Film and television
[edit]- The Quick Draw McGraw Show(1959, TV Series) — Narrator / Tombstone Jones (voices)
- The Yogi Bear Show(1961, TV Series) — Chopper (voice)
- Death Valley Days(1966, TV Series) — Dusty
- Fred Flintstone and Friends(1977-1978, TV Series)
- For the Love of It(1980, TV Movie) — Old Hippie
- American Pop(1981) — Hobo #1
- St. Elsewhere(1982-1984, TV Series) — Bum / Mr. Pechar
- Three's a Crowd(1985, TV Series) — Wino
- The Boys Next Door(1985) — Old Man
- Amazing Stories(1985, TV Series) — Vaudevillian #1
- My Chauffeur(1986) — Doolittle
- Odd Jobs(1986) — Chairman
- Barfly(1986) — Alcoholic Man
- Yogi's Treasure Hunt(1986-1987, TV Series) — Chopper (voice)
- Maid to Order(1987) — Man with Newspaper
- Dudes(1987) — Hezekiah
- Boys Will Be Boys(1987, TV Series)
- Pass the Ammo(1988) — Fritz
- Crime Story(1988, TV Series) — Billy Jones
- Track 29(1988) — Me. Ennis
- Mortuary Academy(1988) — Uncle Willard
- Arizona Heat(1988) — Mr. Gordon
- Big Top Pee-wee(1988) — Clownie
- All's Fair(1989) — Old Man
- Hard Time on Planet Earth(1989, TV Series) — Fan #2
- UHF(1989) — Bum
- Night Court(1990, TV Series) — Bum
- Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme(1990, TV Movie) — Dungeon Warden
- The New Adam-12(1991, TV Series) — Wino
- Boris and Natasha: The Movie(1992, TV Movie) — One-Eyed Man (final film role, posthumous release)
Radio
[edit]- Breakfast in Hollywood(1941–1948) — Writer
- Command Performance(1942–1949) — Writer
- Bride and Groom(1945–1950) — Writer
References
[edit]- ^abc Mother and Wife of Vance Colvig -page 3-
- ^ObituaryVariety,March 11, 1991.
- ^ab"Vance Colvig; Roles Included 'Bozo the Clown'".The Los Angeles Times.California, Los Angeles. March 11, 1991. p. A 24.RetrievedSeptember 16,2018– viaNewspapers.
- ^Cashin, Pat (April 23, 2010)."VANCE COLVIG: Bozo Appearance (1964)".clownvalley.net.RetrievedMarch 22,2014.
- ^abc"Actor Vance Colvig Jr. Dies".AP News Archive.March 11, 1991.RetrievedMarch 22,2014.[dead link]
- ^Negativland, "A Nice Place to Live".Points,Seeland Records 1981.