I was a great fan of the Original Svengoolie.

In Chicago television, there were two great horror shows in the early 1970's. First was "Creature Features - where WGN tv showed all the great classics. Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy etc... It had a great opening:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0hkF_WwkZY
www.horror-wood.com/creature_features.htm

But, there was another show, that played only grade-b horror shows.



A hipped out hippy, (Played by Jerry G. Bishop), showed campy horror movies and comic bits...had quite the cult following...then replaced later with Rich Koz as "Son of Svengoolie" - now just Svengoolie.

A short while ago, I posted a comment on a Youtube clip on Svengoolie and made quick friends with a fellow Svengoolie lover who is restoring the old clips.

Today, he says....check this out - he's reading your letter....

#wha#

I go to see...and DANG!....he is!

www.youtube.com...

I'm the second letter read.



I don't know how in holy hell he found this and associated it with me... I almost forgot about it. But yes....a lifetime ago - 1979, ( I was a teenager at the time), and he read my letter on his second show. I even got a couple of autographed pics of him back then.

Incredible.

At around 11 years of age, I remember watching "Screaming Yellow Theater". A Friday night grade-B horror showing. Then, one night the announcer started talking in a loose Dracula accent...and it caught on. Only audio, he would tell jokes make comments about the movie and started to read letters from fansduring the commercials. Then, they started to show just stills of this "Svengoolie" character. And with big fanfare...finally - full video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NnSN-yMNWc

Every Friday at 10:30 pm on WFLD tv was reserved for Svengoolie and his goofy movies. He became a Chicago icon with celebrites wishing to come on and sign his guest book and later his coffin. The rubber chicken started here, as well as Zelda the skull and Derwood the dummy. The Svengoolie theme song (Link Wray's "Rumble" overdubbed with a SFX woman scream), was catchy and iconic.

Then one Friday...three years later...nothing. No Svengoolie, just the movie. The brain trust at the old WFLD decided to pull and cancel the show. A short time later they put on a guy called "The Ghoul" - an import from some other city. He was amusing at times. but a pale attempt at a replacement...and was soon shown the door. Then came along "Son of Svengoolie in 1979. Rich Koz is cool and he started to write Bishop with ideas and jokes...and was invited to assist in the show. He's quite funny and entertaining - and I appreciate him reading my letter...and seeing this clip, (only the second time seeing it), decades later makes me very happy.

*When you visit the Son of Svengoolie clips, subscribe to "Graveyardtheatre's" YouTube page www.youtube.com/user/graveyardtheatre and his content. A Treasure trove of Svengoolie and other horror related content. Great stuff!


Thought I would share very pleasant surprise that brought a big grin ;D with my friends who might remember Svengoolie.

Joe Goolie