Thursday, September 1, 2022

Bo Harwood obit

Veteran Sound Expert Bo Harwood, Who Won an Emmy for Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Dies at 76 

He was not on the list.


Veteran sound expert Benjamin “Bo” Harwood, Jr. has died at the age of 76. He worked as a sound mixer, sound editor, sound engineer, music supervisor, composer, and songwriter over the course of his illustrious career.

Born in Los Angeles in 1946 to Benjamin Harwood, Sr., and Jeanne Elaine Yourell Harwood, both native, first-generation Angelenos, Bo grew up in Pacific Palisades, where he often adventured in the hills of Will Rogers State Park.

In his late teen years, Bo and his mom moved to Midland, Texas, where he took up sports cars as a hobby. While in Texas, Bo studied architecture at Texas Tech University.

Bo started playing the guitar and harmonica as a teenager, singing and playing Bob Dylan’s songs. In the mid-‘60s, Bo took his guitar to the Bay Area to live and work in Haight Ashbury, dubbing himself “a proud veteran of the 1967 Summer of Love — fully equipped with long hair, knee-high moccasins, beads, bracelets and a pocketful of hope.”

After joining the band Trio in 1966, he was offered the chance to score music for a movie, The Bach Train, conceived and directed by James Eric, who Bo regarded as “one of the great artists in Hollywood.” As the composer of The Bach Train, Bo met independent filmmaker John Cassavetes at a screening of the film in 1970. Bo went on to work with Cassavetes the very next day.

With time, their relationship developed into a deep, artistic collaboration and friendship that lasted until Cassavetes’ untimely death in 1989. Bo composed the music and sound engineered the Cassavettes films Minnie and Moskowitz, A Woman Under the Influence, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Opening Night, Three Plays of Love and Hate, and Cassavetes’ last film, Love Streams, for which Harwood composed an operetta.

Bo earned awards for his work in Canada, one of which was a Genie for Best Original Song in 1984 for Paul Almond’s “Ups & Downs.” Bo’s film composer credits also include the cult classics Terror Train and My Bloody Valentine, both of which brought him Genie nominations.

Throughout the 1980s to mid-2000s, Bo was a sound engineer on several smaller films and television shows. During this time, he sound-engineered dozens of episodes of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, (for which he won an Emmy for Sound), My So-Called Life, Malcolm in the Middle, Felicity, Six Feet Under, and Entourage.

Always modest despite his innate talent, Bo shared his personal and professional wisdom with those around him with an open and loving heart, always ready to blow wind into another’s sails.

In 1996, Bo assumed legal guardianship of a goddaughter, after the passing of her father, one of his childhood friends. He maintained close relationships to his last days with many of his other godchildren, acting as a mentor and parent as needed. He shared his passions with others in a way that made clear he never lost his sense of childlike wonder.

Bo urged others to follow their passions and dreams, to take chances because amazing things happen when you follow your heart.  For many people, he was someone who helped make those dreams happen, dedicating time and taking chances on younger, inexperienced hopefuls whose passion he understood. Bo worked through the hard times with many, reaching out to numerous people working through substance use and abuse issues.

Bo was always surrounded by a loving dog, from Bear through to Dio, who were the backseat drivers in his Cadillac Seville. His equestrian-friendly neighborhood in Rancho Burbank was home to his horse Yogi, a larger-than-life personality. He also loved his motorcycles (he traded in his Ducati for a modest Harley-Davidson) and bluffing his way through poker games, and he was passionate about great movies as well as the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bo Harwood was married to Joanne Tolley, and later to Leslie Hope. He is survived by his sister, Laurie David and her, family, the family of his sister Joan Elkins Almond, many nieces and nephews, his adopted goddaughter Missy Meisenheimer, and many other loving godchildren.

Bo left an indelible impression of care and wisdom appreciated by numerous nephews and grandnephews, as well as untold godchildren who crossed his path. Bo’s family, friends, and second family members were fortunate and deeply blessed that he was in their lives. What will be remembered and missed about Bo Harwood, besides his dreamily artistic musical talents, are his care and hope for those in trouble and the considered opinion he was willing to provide. 

A Celebration of Life will be held for Bo Harwood at Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 3-5 p.m. In lieu of flowers, you may send a donation in Bo Harwood’s name to the Golden Retriever Club of Greater Los Angeles, where he found a couple of his best friends.

 

Sound Department

Kevin Dillon, Adrian Grenier, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Connolly, and Jerry Ferrara in Entourage (2004)

Entourage

8.4

TV Series

sound mixer

2006

2 episodes

 

In Order of Appearance (2005)

In Order of Appearance

7.4

Short

sound

2005

 

Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodríguez, Frances Conroy, Rachel Griffiths, Michael C. Hall, Peter Krause, and Mathew St. Patrick in Six Feet Under (2001)

Six Feet Under

8.7

TV Series

sound mixer

2003–2005

29 episodes

 

Scott Foley, Keri Russell, and Scott Speedman in Felicity (1998)

Felicity

6.9

TV Series

production sound mixer

1998–2002

62 episodes

 

Frankie Muniz, Justin Berfield, Bryan Cranston, Jane Kaczmarek, Christopher Masterson, and Erik Per Sullivan in Malcolm in the Middle (2000)

Malcolm in the Middle

8.2

TV Series

production sound mixer

2000

1 episode

 

Nothing Sacred (1997)

Nothing Sacred

7.4

TV Series

sound mixer

1998

1 episode

 

'Til There Was You (1997)

'Til There Was You

4.8

sound

1997

 

David Conrad and Kimberly Williams-Paisley in Relativity (1996)

Relativity

7.7

TV Series

sound mixer

1996

1 episode

 

Claire Danes in My So-Called Life (1994)

My So-Called Life

8.4

TV Series

production sound mixer

sound mixer

1994–1995

19 episodes

 

Amelia Kinkade in Night of the Demons 2 (1994)

Night of the Demons 2

5.9

sound mixer

1994

 

Confessions: Two Faces of Evil (1994)

Confessions: Two Faces of Evil

5.1

TV Movie

sound mixer

1994

 

Julie Andrews, Ann-Margret, and Hugh Grant in Our Sons (1991)

Our Sons

6.8

TV Movie

sound mixer

1991

 

Mimi Rogers and Mark Harmon in Fourth Story (1991)

Fourth Story

6.0

TV Movie

sound mixer

1991

 

The Judas Project (1990)

The Judas Project

3.6

sound mixer

1990

 

Paul Reubens in Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986)

Pee-wee's Playhouse

8.1

TV Series

production sound mixer

1989–1990

20 episodes

 

L'homme qui a vu l'homme qui a vu l'ours

7.3

TV Movie

sound

1990

 

Solar Crisis (1990)

Solar Crisis

4.1

sound mixer: additional production

1990

 

Night Angel (1990)

Night Angel

4.5

sound mixer

1990

 

'Weird Al' Yankovic in UHF (1989)

UHF

6.9

sound mixer

1989

 

Clare Wren in Season of Fear (1989)

Season of Fear

4.4

sound mixer

1989

 

Juliette Lewis, Anne Ramsey, and Nancy Mette in Meet the Hollowheads (1989)

Meet the Hollowheads

5.3

sound

1989

 

Night of the Demons (1988)

Night of the Demons

6.1

sound mixer

1988

 

Bulletproof (1987)

Bulletproof

4.9

production sound

1987

 

Moebius Play

Short

sound

1985

 

Kings and Desperate Men (1981)

Kings and Desperate Men

5.3

audio consultant

1981

 

My Bloody Valentine (1981)

My Bloody Valentine

6.2

sound

1981

 

Terror Train (1980)

Terror Train

5.8

sound mixer

1980

 

Opening Night (1977)

Opening Night

7.9

sound

1977

 

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

7.3

sound

1976

 

A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

A Woman Under the Influence

8.0

sound (uncredited)

1974

 

Composer

John Cassavetes on Acting: Video Essay for Husbands (2020)

John Cassavetes on Acting: Video Essay for Husbands

Short

Composer

2020

 

An Ode to Chad Muska

Short

Composer (music by)

2016

 

I'm Calling Frank (2007)

I'm Calling Frank

7.7

Composer

2007

 

A Constant Forge (2000)

A Constant Forge

7.4

Composer

2000

 

The Dance Goes On

4.9

Composer

1992

 

Moebius Play

Short

Composer

1985

 

Love Streams (1984)

Love Streams

7.6

Composer

1984

 

Ups & Downs (1983)

Ups & Downs

7.1

Composer

1983

 

Happy Birthday to Me (1981)

Happy Birthday to Me

6.0

Composer

1981

 

Opening Night (1977)

Opening Night

7.9

Composer

1977

 

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

7.3

Composer

1976

 

A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

A Woman Under the Influence

8.0

Composer

1974

 

Music Department

Mélanie Pilon and François Bernier in Our Footprints (2021)

Our Footprints

Short

music

2021

 

Ups & Downs (1983)

Ups & Downs

7.1

music director

1983

 

Tracy Vaccaro in Candy the Stripper (1983)

Candy the Stripper

5.4

Video

music & lyrics

1983

 

Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)

Minnie and Moskowitz

7.2

musical supervisor

1971

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