November 2006 Archives

Okay, “thirty days has November- and my uncle Leo for speeding…” – time to wrap up the next-to-last month of the year. I had such a good time yesterday, talking about “one-hit wonder” movies on Svengoolie- movies that we only got to air ONCE on the show, for whatever reason- that I thought we could continue talking about some of them today. One of the weirdest we’ve had was “Blood and Donuts” (sounds like a Homer Simpson vampire movie!) Actually, it is a vampire movie- in which a guy shooting golf balls off his high-rise shatters a window on a building, and the ball knocks open a crate in the building that a young long-haired vampire guy rests in- so, he’s revived and starts trying to find parts of his previous waking life. Among his pals are a goofy Borat-accented cab driver and –the young woman who works at an all-night donut shop. You even get modern horror great David Cronenberg ( of “Scanners” fame) as a sort of “business man/mob boss!” I’m truly sorry we only got one shot at that one. One I’m actually happy we only saw once- “the Raffle!” First off- NOT a horror film- we’ve had success on our show with non-horror titles, but, boy, this wasn’t one of them. Two wacky out-of-work pals come up with a way to make money by trying to find the most beautiful woman in the world- then having a lottery for someone to win a date with her. Mark Hamill –Luke Skywalker, for pity’s sake-has a bit part in it! Lots of bimbos, but, sorry, guys- it’s another “pg-13” film. “PG” must stand for “pretty gruesome.” Maybe that’s why I had it on my show! Okay, one more- and not a bad one- Chicago’s own Lisa Zane in “the Nurse!” Yep, she’s the sister of Billy Zane, who you recently saw on the show as the demon “Collector” in “Tales from the Crypt: Demon Night.” Lisa plays a woman who masquerades as a home care nurse- in order to get close to a paralyzed businessman whom she blames for the death of her family. See, he caused her father to lose everything- which drove him crazy, driving him to wipe out the family and commit suicide. When the businessguy heard about what happened, he had a stroke, leaving him in this catatonic state. So- Lisa becomes his nurse, then starts killing off the members of HIS family. A pretty creepy movie. Trivia time- she also did voices for some Marvel Comics cartoons- “Iron man” and “the Incredible Hulk!” Want me explore more one-hit wonders that ran on Svengoolie? Let me know- or, if you have other things you’d like me to tackle- just send ‘em to svengoolie@wciu.com See you tomorrow with more blog!

Recently, I heard a radio station having a weekend of “one-hit wonders”- you know- bands or individuals who only had one hit song, then went back to the obscurity they had come from. So, I thought about blogging about something similar- movies that we only got to run once on the Svengoolie show. The way that often happens is- we will sometimes get a special deal from a distributor for a movie that comes with commercials already in it- that we can only run once(sometimes twice.) If we think it might be entertaining for you guys, we’ll take it- though it’s tough to prepare and record a lot of material for a show that will only air one time. I thought I’d mention a few of the “one-hit wonders” that only aired once on the show. Let’s see if you caught any of these in their single showing… Last year, we had a couple fairly amusing movies, right about this time of year. The first- “Jack Frost!” Now, this was not the heart-warming, feel-good film with Michael Keaton reborn as his son’s snowman- oh, no. This was about a serial killer, caught in an accident with a chemical truck, who is transformed into- a killer snowman! He kind of becomes a flash-frozen Freddy Krueger, spouting one-liners as he offs his victims. He can transform to water, then refreeze- so, he can seep into places. The carrot-nosed killer terrorizes a small town and its sheriff- and, affords the male viewers a quick scene of the lovely Shannon Elizabeth taking a bath (sorry, guys, it’s pretty “pg”!) What ends up being his undoing? SPOILER ALERT! DON’T READ IF YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE IT AND BE SURPRISED !!!- okay, while some people are logging off- the killer snowman is done in by- what else?-antifreeze! Har-de-har-har. But wait- there’s more- we also got one run of its sequel- “Jack Frost II: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman!” In this one, the stressed-out sheriff from the original movie is finally convinced by his wife to take a vacation to calm his nerves- to a tropical island! However- the anti-freeze mixed snow killer somehow ends up reconstituted and- get this- can survive tropical temperatures! So- he goes after the sheriff for revenge! On the island, he even spawns these little killer snowballs with nasty sharp teeth. Boy, I hope you caught that one!!! If we didn’t have the Universal stuff, I’d be begging to get both these “chillers”- get it?- back… I’m kinda having fun with this…I think I’ll blog about more “one-hit wonders” tomorrow- meanwhile, if you remember any of them- drop me a line at svengoolie@wciu.com!

Today is a special day-any idea why? No, it’s not Walter Jacobson’s birthday- well, maybe it IS, but I’m not keeping track of that. Actually, today marks my twelfth year here at WCIU ! I came in just a little over a month before Neal Sabin and crew turned channel 26 into “the U” on January 1, 1995. Who would have expected things to skyrocket like they have since then?! This is the longest continuous job I’ve had in my entire life…and definitely a place that I feel is…home. I’ve had the opportunity to do so many different things here, being a kind of “utility” player in several different capacities, and I’m very proud to have been a member of the charter group of people who made this station “the U!” Some people didn’t realize that the station was no longer broadcasting ethnic programming, and didn’t catch our “sneak preview” of the station on that New Year’s Eve…and didn’t know I’ d be on all New Year’s day, along with the late Morton Downey Jr. hosting a Munsters marathon! From that beginning, we went on to become Chicago’s fastest-growing station- as our company, Weigel Broadcasting, has expanded and grown as well, which is why you can see my shows in Milwaukee and Michiana. We’ve added “Me-TV” locally, with all-time favorite classic programming that we all love (you KNOW that I can watch “the Honeymooners” over and over again- not to mention “Get Smart”- and…well, check out the Me-TV website for all the cool shows you’ll find there!) The fact that Svengoolie is still going strong on the station- even stronger, thanks to Mr. Sabin’s hard work at bringing in the Universal movie deal- and, I guess, that Sven is now a Chicago icon- is due to the support of the folks in charge here. So- a personal “thank you” to them- and, of course, to YOU- without your support for all these many years- I don’t think Mr. Goolie would have lasted this long. A little over a year from now, my WCIU program will have DOUBLED the amount of time that my original “Son of” program was on the air. I’m sure, if you’ve heard me interviewed, you’ve heard me say that, sadly, most broadcast stations don’t do the kinds of shows we do anymore. I’m really fortunate to be at a place where they want this type of local entertainment to continue, and that they’re letting me keep the tradition going. I’m going to go find a rubber chicken with twelve candles on it- meanwhile, please return tomorrow for more blogism. And, seriously- thanks for your support-otherwise, you’d probably be reading something else right now…or googling yourself. Didn’t I tell you to stop doing that?

I just realized I’ve got some old business to address- especially since a lot of you saw clips on tv or on-line of it. I’m talking about the recent regional Emmy awards, where WLS-TV’s Janet Davies and I teamed up as presenters.(Oh, by the way- the nominated Sven t-shirt commercial did not win this year- But, it’s an honor just to be…oh, never mind…) Janet, who hosts the “190 North” show (not to be confused with “26 N. Halsted”) came up with the idea that she and I should dress as – each other! (I should add- Joey “Bozo” D’Auria and I once discussed doing the same thing for the Emmys- not dressing like Janet Davies, but dressing as each other’s alter ego) We decided to do it- and I brought her a Sven top hat, rubber chicken, and wig- and she already wore a black suit, and a red turtleneck (guess Janet has been too busy to watch and see my tuxedo shirt!) And- she brought me a wig, earrings, and a “190 North” polo shirt- PLUS a skirt, a bra, and some (ahem) washcloths to stuff it with! As the event was starting- we were “suiting up” in the back-to the amusement of host Tim Kazurinsky and the other folks backstage. We were the first presenters and it seems like the audience got a kick out of what we did. After we finished, the next category was one Janet was nominated for, and she decided that- if she won- I should go out there (as her) to get the Emmy! Well- she won! So, I strode out there, grabbed the Emmy, and started to stuff it into “my” purse- when “SvenJanet” came out, took it away, and stalked off! It was actually pretty funny. Now, if you saw the clips (and I think they’re on the WGN Morning show website, and a few other places online) –you can see I really looked like Janet- if she were to give up broadcasting, bulk up, and become a linebacker for the Bears. She made a much more convincing Sven, though…it was fun, she was a great sport, and we made everybody laugh a lot- so, it was worth it! Too bad they still don’t broadcast those Emmy events, eh? Maybe I should get Janet to write tomorrow’s blog…no, guess I’ll be stuck doing it. The least you can do is come back and read it! Deal?

Is there anything as depressing as a nice long holiday weekend winding up?! Seems like it was just Wednesday night…and we were all about 5 pounds lighter…now we start the ever-accelerating journey to the holidays and the end of the year… When we’ll be 15 pounds heavier, and our wallets will be lighter. So, we got that going for us- which is nice (how do you make that sound like Bill Murray in “Caddyshack” in print?!) Hope you liked the vintage “Dracula’s Daughter” last night-no, not as much vampire action as some movies, but another great example of the atmosphere of those 30s Universal flicks. It also brought to mind something else- that sequels back then weren’t numbered! Younger folks today expect a “Spider-Man III” or a “Rocky VI”- but, looking back at all the old movies, especially our Universal horror films- there was no number. Last night’s movie was “Dracula’s Daughter” not “Dracula II” -and, no subtitle either (what would this one be- “Dracula II: Daddy’s Little Ghoul?”) We had “Dracula”-“Dracula’s daughter”- “Son of Dracula”- we had “Frankenstein”-“Bride of Frankenstein”-“Son of Frankenstein”- it would branch out to real estate in “House of Frankenstein” and “House of Dracula.” There were cross-referencing sequels, like “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man”-and movies that just barely were sequels- a good example being “Invisible Man” and “Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man”-which just acknowledged the original in passing (remember me pointing out the picture of Claude Raines on the doctor’s wall?)Back then, nobody was numbering related movies- we’d have had “Sherlock Holmes 7” and “Blondie 6” if they had! “Son of” sequels were always very popular- in fact, that’s what we based my initial appearance as the Svengoolie character on- “Son of Svengoolie!” I guess I’m sort of a living sequel ! But, as I’ve said before- don’t ever expect a “Svengoolie III”- original Sven Jerry G. Bishop and I have agreed the family line stops here (maybe that’s a good thing!) What’s the most ridiculous “Son of” sequel you can think of? “Son of Godzilla” was kind of goofy- “Son of Blob” was even MORE goofy- have you ever seen that one? It was supposed to be a kind of comedic film, directed by “Dallas’ ” J.R. (and “I Dream of Jeannie’s” Major Nelson-thank you, Me-TV), Larry Hagman- and it even featured Chicago improv legend Del Close! Del actually liked my Svengoolie shtick, and even appeared on the old “Son of” show! But, even he couldn’t save that Blob movie… Well, save me ONE MORE slice of left-over turkey- and save some time to come back tomorrow for more blogging. Drop me a line about your least favorite “Son of” sequel at svengoolie@wciu.com.

See? I told you- you can’t shop forever! You’ve got to stop sometime- like, maybe, tonight at 9 pm? (Okay, 7 pm so you can catch “Stooge-a-palooza!”) Tonight at 9, however, instead of the usual turkey (see what I did there?)- it’s a vintage Universal Studios movie- the follow-up to the original Bela Lugosi Dracula- although Drac himself is portrayed by a dummy in this film (he’s just a slain vampire, lying in state!) It’s “Dracula’s Daughter”- which came out a whopping five years after the story of her dad! It’s a very atmospheric film, with plenty of glimpses of some of the sets used in the original film…and , one of that film’s stars- Edward Van Sloan, who played vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing!(Or is it VON Helsing? That changes from movie to movie…) The good doc gets nabbed by local police just after staking the evil count- try explaining THAT one. (“Well, officer, I know this looks bad- me holding this mallet, this guy lying here dead with a wooden stake driven through his thorax- but it was self-defense! He pulled an incisor on me- two, even!”) Meanwhile, when the Count’s body is under police lock-up- a woman wrapped in what looks like a black burka comes to claim the body…which then disappears! Soon, you’ve got people attacked, drained dry of blood- and an new foreign countess making the rounds, accompanied by a big goofy-looking servant with a Shemp Howard haircut! Will Van Helsing get off the hook? Is the foreign vamp a vampire? You’ll find out tonight! Funny how different “Van Helsings” can be- last week, we had Peter Cushing as a more dashing, younger Van H.- this week, it’s the frail-looking little old man Van H. played by Sloan.(For more confusion, see the Hugh Jackman “Van Helsing” flick!) Don’t think the Dracula family line ends with the daughter- tonight, you’ll meet , thanks to your old pal Sven, the seldom talked-about “Grandson of Dracula”…who might that be?Our song has a “Bury” Manilow flavor to it- and – did you love our “Tomb Digger” video from a few weeks ago? Due to popular demand, we’ll show it again!( It’s been a major hit in a few Chicago night spots- it’s even run at the smokin’ HardDrive!) If you’ve got relatives in town who never saw it, tune in and let them get a look.(Warning- many people who do so create new Sven fans, and are forced to tape the shows to send to those out-of-town relatives!) Also-please watch for the info on how to order a t-shirt, so you don’t have to write to me about it! Okay- see you at 9 tonight- and back here tomorrow for more blog. Write to tell me what you thought of the show- svengoolie@wciu.com. # # #

Oh, come on- you’re not tired of left-over turkey already?! Turkey sandwiches, turkey soup, turkey tacos, turkey bits dipped in hot sauce, turkey chili, turkey Popsicles…oh, all right, after that last one, I’m with you- enough already! Yes, even as we speak, people are lining up outside SprawlMarts everywhere…could you please tell me WHY you need to be out at 4 am –waiting in line in cold weather- just to get a quarter off a sweater?! Not to mention being stuck among a feverish clump of humanity built up to a frenzy awaiting the moment the pimply –faced ,squeaky –voiced kid from “the Simpsons” opens the store door, and everyone tries to push their way in- all at the same time- trampling the AARP-card wielding greeters, and knocking over kiosks of cut-rate shaving cream. MUST- SHOP- NOW !!! I avoid stores like the plague on “LeftOver Friday…” – not that the Christmas hype hasn’t been simmering for a long time. Nothing like being on summer vacation, wandering into a store in 86 degree weather, and seeing the new Hallmark Christmas ornaments set up (yes, nothing says ‘Yuletide’ like an ornament depicting the Beverly Hillbillies’ car, complete with music, lights and sound chip –“Weee dawgies!”) I love those “Christmas wonderland”-type stores that pop up mid-November thru New Year’s… big plastic Santas as far as the eye can see…anybody old enough (ahem-like me?!) to remember when it was a big deal to get one of those “Polk Bros. Santas?” (The big formed plastic, lit from within, St. Nick that you got free with a purchase at the old Polk Brothers appliance stores that were around throughout the Chicago area)-The wonderland stores of today have every kind of tree imaginable, capable of doing everything but paying the electric bill for you…and , the big inflatable decorations! You want Spongebob as Santa? No problem! Homer Claus? Scooby Santa’s Helper? Rachael Ray in an elf costume?(Wait- they have one of those? Or am I in the wrong kind of store…) Icicle lights, marquee lights, Bud lights (no, really- a string of lights shaped like beer cans!)- guaranteed to make you sick of the holiday before it actually arrives, just like those radio stations that switch to holiday music when the first leaf falls off a tree. Let’s just spend the day after Thanksgiving wrapping up those left-overs, realizing that weight control will be a problem for the next month or so, and “wait” control- being able to WAIT just a little while to get into the gift-giving holidays- is probably a problem as well. No problem with coming up with tomorrow’s blog- I’ll tell you about our movie for tomorrow night! See you here then… # # #

Get set, kiddies- today’s feature is “the Blog That Lasted for TWO Days!” With the holiday tomorrow, I figured I’d have more time to watch parades, football, and my waistline if I did one blog for both Wednesday and Thursday. The parades are always on Thanksgiving morning- now there’s even one in Chicago. The Chicago parade used to have lame balloons- while New York had Spider Man and Kermit, our town had “Mr. Zip” the Zip Code mascot and Generic Teddy Bear. Seems like they’ve improved on that the last few years. I have been in the parades, when they were previously the Christmas parade, and –first of all- being in these parades in cold weather is no picnic. Secondly, you never know if you’ll end up on camera, because some competing stations will purposely NOT show anyone from another station if they can avoid it.(God forbid you upstage their consumer reporter…) The parade vehicles are often unusual- I once rode in a two-wheeled car that was really cool…been on fire trucks- and once, was sitting on a car that was entirely coated with hard candies! Nobody seemed to know that, sitting on some of the candy where they had me situated, it’d MELT- leaving me with a trip to the cleaners, trying to explain why my tuxedo had a delicious candy coating on certain areas… Lots of killer food on Thanksgiving (no, not like “Killer Tomatoes” or “the Stuff”- a dessert topping-looking item that controlled and killed people!)-as much as I’m identified with rubber chickens, I prefer turkey! Pumpkin pie is also a big favorite- provided it’s not made out of that moldy Jack O’Lantern we had on the front porch about a month ago… and the controversy continues- REAL cranberries or the jelly-like version?! I don’t mind a little of both- although, if you leave the jelly version in the exact shape of the can without cutting it up, it’s a little unsettling… I hope you all settle for a nice meal with the people you care about. Yeah, it’s a cliché- but- think about what you really are thankful for- or what you SHOULD be thankful for…I’m thankful that enough of you care about what I do to keep me employed!!! And, that you’ve shown such great support to our shows, and our website features…so, I promise a new blog on Friday- if you’re not too busy shopping…hmmm..THERE’S a blog topic! Have a nice holiday and check in for my next rant… # # #

I was just going through some files in my desk, and found various newspaper articles that have been written about your little tv pal, Mr. Goolie…so, if you need something for the bottom of the parrot cage, you’re in luck. I’m always amazed that we’ve had so many articles written regarding yours truly…and , of course, some are good, and some are…interesting. I’ve always been surprised by how some reporters will set a tape recorder in front of you- tape every word you say- and the proceed to misquote you. I’m sure that’s pretty common, but there’s a big difference when you’re just Mr. Rubber Chicken Target, but- when you’re a political figure, or the head of a big company? That’s kind of scary. Another favorite was a guy who asked for a list of my favorite movies- then proceeded to either replace a few with HIS favorites, or give different reasons of his own why I liked certain films. I’m all for artistic license, but- come on!!! Don’t get me wrong- there have been some really nice, really fun articles- it’s always cool to find that a reporter has some insight into the show, and isn’t just regurgitating stuff everybody knows already. Some of the writers are long-time fans, and their enthusiasm and enjoyment of what we do can come across very well. I love the folks who aren’t taking it too seriously (“what do you see as the art form of the horror host?” -uhhh…I’m just trying to do something that makes people laugh…)-and who understand that it IS work- but it’s also fun (most of the time, anyway!) Occasionally, we get somebody really off the wall- we had a guy who came here, took notes and pictures all day, and asked us to pay for his parking…then a month later called and said he lost all his film, and wanted to start over. We started doing more stringent checks of people who asked for interviews after that. Speaking of parking, (and this has nothing to do with the previous part of the blog)- the other night, I’m waiting for the elevator at the parking garage. The elevator arrives, and a guy wanders out, looking confused-he asks where a certain business is (it’s right in the same building as the garage)-then asks if he parked in an “allowed” area. I told him it was a pay lot, and he whined “does it cost 25 bucks an hour?” I told him I didn’t think so, and he proceeded to tell me how little he makes a year, and how he unfortunately has a degree in a dead filed- mentioning some sort of scientific jargon. All I could think is “if you’re so smart- how come you couldn’t read the garage signs that said it was a pay lot?” Maybe he has potential to be a writing partner for the guy who lost all his film… Enough blog whining from me for now- come back tomorrow for more whining- or whine for yourself by writing to me at svengoolie@wciu.com …sorry, no interviews right now… # # #

It’s Monday of a short work week for most of us- and, it’s a welcome break for your friendly neighborhood Svengoolie crew! We’ve been working extra hard with all the new stuff for about three months now (we started work on the Universal shows before Labor Day) and this is actually the longest stretch of consecutive new shows in a long time…which will continue into December! So, a short week is appreciated- of course, until we get back and have to make up all the extra work to keep on schedule…but, at least we get a little break, to visit with family and friends. Speaking of which-how does rapper Jay-Z connect to Sven? It’s kind of a “6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon” thing…although with my diet, bacon is right out. Tomorrow- Jay Z releases his comeback album- “Kingdom Come.” The title and the song of the same name- are based on the famous graphic novel about the future involving DC Comics superheroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman- done by our good friend, the master comics artist Alex Ross. I’m sure a lot of you remember Alex making a special guest appearance on the show when we did the “Captain America” movie, where he made a beautiful sketch of Sven being carried to safety by Cap. He also contributed to our “TV Graveyard” show of Batman episodes. I was especially proud when Alex decided to use our Sven crew to pose for some of the panels in his tabloid-sized graphic novel “Liberty and Justice” with DC’s Justice League! We’re all in there- as workers at the Pentagon (you see Rich Koz with the Flash leaning on his shoulder, and our director Chris sitting at the same control panel with Green Lantern behind him.) Alex even hid Sven in the book a couple places – on Batman’s Batcave tv monitors, which show criminals in Gotham City’s “Arkham Asylum” for the criminally insane- there’s Sven in a strait jacket just near the middle crease of the book! And, later, as the monitors show disasters around the world- on a monitor right between Wonder Woman and Superman-you see Sven being pelted with rubber chickens on his dungeon set! How cool is that?! So, that’s like “2 Degrees of Jay Z” or “2 Degrees Above Zero” (the zero being- who else?-Sven!) Well, have to go- getting a call from the Justice League (Krypto the Super Dog had an accident, and they need me to clean it up…) I’ll return tomorrow with more top secret blog! Meanwhile, drop me a line at svengoolie@wciu.com…we’re about due for another blog answering your e-mail questions! # # #

Already got a lot of feedback on “Brides of Dracula”-obviously, lots of Hammer horror film fans watching the show! To answer one question- no, sadly, we don’t currently have any Christopher Lee “Dracula” flicks coming up- I’ll mention it to management as something to put on my “wish list” for the future (hey, it worked for these Universal movies!) And, we do have another Peter Cushing film coming up in a couple weeks- this time, he’s Dr. Frankenstein! I’ll fill you in on that one as it comes up… Meanwhile, we still have some fresh shows in store- going well into December! And, although “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” is NOT scheduled for WCIU this year ( I hear two reactions- some people going “awww!” and some people cheering!)-I’ll have to see if I can convince the powers that be to put it on Me-TV as the late night Sven! I’ll let you know if I succeed or not…those who have complained about us not having the old-school 1930s horror flicks will be pleased to know that we have some vintage stuff on the way- including this next Saturday’s show. Though they aren’t the biggies, if you’re a fan of the classic “tiny plane circling the globe” Universal logo era pictures, you’ll like these- a couple even star the “Gruesome Twosome” top stars of Universal horror-Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi- together! (And- about those “biggies”- yes, we will get to them- again, please be patient- we’re going by the order Universal has given us.) I know a lot of people have been busy this weekend, already stocking up for Thanksgiving- although some will wait until a day or two before to hit the grocery store. And, let me say- although I’ve been amazed by the Halloween decorations some people put out this year- I’m even more amazed by the Thanksgiving decorations on people’s lawns! Giant inflatable turkeys- corn shocks (shouldn’t those be grounded to avoid the shocks?)-dummy Pilgrims even! (That makes me picture Redd Foxx, as Fred Sanford at the first Thanksgiving-“you big dummy Pilgrims! How’d you like some giblets across your lips?!”) Is EVERY holiday a lawn and house decorating holiday now? At Labor Day, will we have giant inflatable Teamsters? Is this getting out of hand? And-please- if you’re gonna put them up- TAKE THEM DOWN !!! Leaving those Halloween ghosts up ‘til now just doesn’t make it (and I’m not buying that you’re waiting a few weeks so they can be the “Ghosts of Christmas Past!”) One more thing, as you prepare for Thanksgiving- remember that, while you may be unhooking your pants waist after that big dinner- there are folks who won’t have anything special. Some people still barely have food on their plates the rest of the year. While there’s still time, why not help provide a little something for the table of someone who may not have much for Thanksgiving dinner this year? Check with your local organizations and places of worship to see if you can donate food, or money to provide food for the less fortunate. Just one of the great organizations right here in Chicago is the Greater Chicago Food Depository- who work all year long to provide food for those who have none. For information on how to contribute- call 773-247-3663. You can find other such organizations as well. Give NOW so Thanksgiving will be a happier time for people in need. And- NO rubber chickens! I mean it. Okay, that’s my good deed for today- and my bad blog, as always…more tomorrow. Check out the video room here for my latest Sven webisode!(talk about a turkey…) # # #

Saturday again already?! Time for another Svengoolie show already?! Time to type both a question mark AND an exclamation point at the end of another sentence already?! (See? There they were!) We have a very cool movie for you tonight, again, thanks to Universal. It’s a British Hammer horror film, and one people have asked for in the past. A 1960 vampire classic- it’s “Brides of Dracula!” You get horror legend Peter Cushing as the fearless vampire fighter Dr. Van Helsing (quite a change from the old guy Van Helsing from the American Dracula flicks!)-who is summoned to Transylvania to investigate some vampiric action. A lovely young French teacher (she’s French, she doesn’t TEACH French!) has arrived, and been lured to the castle of a much-feared Baroness- who , for some reason, keeps her son locked up in their castle. He convinces the young teacher to help free him- and things REALLY get scary! Young women in the area are turning up dead- or, is that Undead?! Van Helsing, of course, knows the drill- and sets out to find out who’s behind this rash of newly-revamped vampires. For those who might recall , this is the movie with the blondish-haired vampire guy – and, no, Christopher Lee is NOT Dracula in this film.(We’ll tell you why in the show!) There are plenty of young female vampires showing their- fangs…and a lot of great and colorful sets, typical of the color Hammer films. If you like Hammer horror, we’ve got another one- also featuring Peter Cushing- coming up in a couple weeks! I’ve always liked the Hammer films- good acting, everything from carnage to cleavage- and great stories. The Hammer folks didn’t fully get into horror until the end of the ‘50s- they produced various movies before that, including the sci-fi “Creeping Unknown” with Dr. Quatermass- and really took off with their retelling of the stories Universal had originally done- Dracula, Frankenstein, etc. They went out of business in the mid ‘70s, but the films still hold up pretty well! And- you get to watch a good one tonight- at 9pm- “Brides of Dracula!” (No actual weddings take place, by the way, so cool it with the rice!) Enjoy that, then come back to enjoy more blog blather from yer old pal Sven tomorrow! # # #

People always ask about how we do the Svengoolie program- do we sit waiting while the movie runs? Do we have a studio audience? Do I just work those two hours a week? Here’s the lowdown- first of all, when we tape our segments, we do them one after another- we don’t put the movie in until later! No- we don’t have a studio audience- right now, our studio area is not set up for any kind of audience. However, I know a lot of you would like to see a Sven taping. I will continue my quest to get management to , someday, just do ONE show with a studio audience. Keep your fingers crossed (I know I will, which makes my bad typing even worse…) And, no, obviously, I don’t just work two hours a week- we spend several days screening the movie, taking notes, working on the stuff for the show, working with Doug Graves on the music for the week, while getting things together for the assembly of the previous show we’ve done…NOBODY loafs on the Svengoolie production team (well, except Tombstone…but that’s part of his job description…) You ask about the sound effects- all our Sven sound effects originally were on cartridges (similar to the old eight-track tapes, but just containing a little bit of tape with the sound effect recorded on it. As time passed, and technology progressed, we moved to a digital cart machine- with the sound effects all on a hard drive, each with its own number. You’d type in the number on a keyboard, hit play, and “ow-ow-OW!” We now use a similar type of system, with a touch screen rather than a keyboard. The thousand plus Sven sound effects are all stored in a hard drive in the computer system-but- it still takes an alert human operator to hit them at just the right time! We have both manned and unmanned robotic cameras used in the studio- the manned camera can be either locked down on a tripod, or operated handheld on the shoulder of our incredible camera ace Malcolm, who also handles the studio lighting. Malcolm is also the ONLY person who has so far been allowed to hit Rich Koz in the face with a pie- yes, he’s that trustworthy! I trust if you have questions about how we do the show, you’ll send them to me at svengoolie@wciu.com. Come back here tomorrow, and I’ll tell you about the show for tomorrow night! # # #

Quick reminder- tonight, it’s radio fun, as Steve and Johnnie welcome WCIU’s guiding light Neal Sabin- and WCIU’s dim bulb, yours truly- to their WGN AM 720 overnight show. I’m sure we’ll talk about “the U”,Sven, Stooges, and –who knows? Tune in and take part- we’ll be there around 11:15 or so. Put on some extra coffee so you can stay up late! Speaking of late night- some of you still complain that the Svengoolie show isn’t on late enough (although you can catch it at 1 am on Me-Tv.) For the most part, our move to 9 pm- right after “Stooge-a-palooza”- has been something most of you appreciate. But- there’s a certain group of people who feel horror movies are most effective when viewed late at night. One thing I’ve learned is- you can never make everybody happy. People asked that we not do “Svensurround” through these Universal flicks- so, we haven’t- and a vociferous faction feels we’re not making them as much fun as we could by NOT adding sound effects, etc. I switch to the red tuxedo shirt, and some people think I NEVER should have changed from the red turtleneck (oh, yeah? YOU try wearing it in under those studio lights!)We throw rubber chickens, and some people demand that we throw rubber ducks…okay, I made that last one up. But, seriously, I’ve learned you can never make everybody happy- especially those people who tell me to get off the air… One thing I have to mention- again, making some people unhappy- we do NOT make copies of our show to send out. Many times, folks who have sent something that we show in our mail and e-mail segments miss when we show their stuff, or don’t have a tape running. Due to the number of requests, we just can’t make copies for you. I certainly understand that you may not watch or tape every show- but, we aren’t allowed to make copies of the show. You can often find some very nice people on the fan sites, including the “Svengoolieweb” Yahoo group, who can help you out. I do hear that those Sven fans with a Tivo have a lot of that covered- but, they complain because they can’t set their Tivo for “Svengoolie” since the listings won’t list the show as anything other than the movie title! Like I said- you can’t make everybody happy. I know some of you have complained about the Universal films – that we haven’t shown the classics yet. As I‘ve said, we’re working by a schedule that Universal set up for us- they decide what movies we show- and when we show them , including when we rerun them. Yes, we WILL be getting the big classics- but, we have to get them when Universal has scheduled them for us, at the times when the movies are not under contract exclusively to someone else. It’s a small price to pay for us finally getting these films! And, I think you’ll agree, some of these Universal movies will be a whole lot easier to watch again than a fourth showing of “TerrorVision”…(now, somebody will complain that they never SAW that one… jeez…) Tune in to WGN radio tonight, won’t you? (Leave your tv on , set to WCIU or Me-TV, with the mute button on…) I’m sure you’ll have a fun time! And- there’s more blog fun tomorrow- providing I get up early enough after the late night tonight… # # #

Okay, get lots of sleep, because you’ll want to stay up late tomorrow night- because yours truly will be live in the WGN radio studios with our good friends Steve and Johnnie for a big broadcast. Joining me will be one of the guys in charge here at WCIU- and the guy who really turned the place into “the U”- vice-president Neal Sabin. We’ve both known Steve and Johnnie for a long time, and we’ve talked about the two of us being there together sometime- so, tomorrow night a little after 11:15 on AM 720- we’ll be there. Please listen in, and , yes, there’s a chance we may just take some phone calls! I know I’ve told this story before- I’d met Steve and Johnnie back when both were working at WIND, doing talk programming, and had then worked with them at WGN, as well as at WFLD. When I had left WFLD the last time (1993)- I’d been free-lancing, and doing Son of Sven just for public appearances- and Steve and Johnnie had asked me to show up as him for their annual food drive at a north suburban pumpkin farm. I remember being there at 5 am- freezing! Johnnie lent me a nice warm cape, and we did several hours of live broadcasting from there. They mentioned that their former boss and good friend- Neal Sabin- was about to launch the newly- renovated WCIU , and said “you should really talk to him!” Needless to say, they paved the way for me talking to Neal, and becoming a charter member of “the U’s” launch team. I’ve thanked them many times before- and I hope all of you thank them, because I might never have been here at WCIU for almost twelve years if not for them! One more thing- you know the skeleton pin that’s on my lapel? That was a gift from Steve and Johnnie when I went to their food drive. I always look upon it as a “good luck charm”- since it was right after that ,that I joined WCIU. That’s why it became a permanent part of the Sven wardrobe!(Although Johnnie’s cape didn’t…) Steve and Johnnie recently celebrated their 5000th show on WGN, and I recorded a special song to commemorate the occasion. I’ve been on the radio with them quite a few times-even been there at their Showcase studio on Michigan Avenue to welcome in a few New Years! They’re great people, good friends, and always a lot of fun. Plus, Johnnie usually bakes little tidbits for when we drop by…so- YOU drop by- tomorrow night,11:15, WGN AM720. It’s sure to be fun- and, no doubt, Steve will fire the “Berwyn” shout-out at least a few times. I’ll remind you again in tomorrow’s blog- so, come back then! Before I become “radio-active” (get it? Radio? Yeah, that DID stink…) # # #

Been working on an upcoming show for December- an old Universal film starring both Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff Called “The Raven.” Bela is a guy obsessed with all things Edgar Allan Poe- and that got me thinking about the old Roger Corman “Poe” movies-that featured one of my favorite horror legends- Vincent Price! Price always seemed to lend a sort of “Shakespearean” edge to characters he played, with his perfect diction and amazing voice (okay, there WERE times when he seemed like he had a slight lisp…) We’ve had Vincent in ‘the Bat” and “Theater of Blood” (speaking of Shakespeare- that’s the one where he bumps off theater critics in the manner of Shakespearean plays!) I only wish we could get his “Dr. Phibes” films- I always loved those movies! Vincent did a whole string of those Corman Poe movies that I mentioned- ‘the Pit and the Pendulum”-“House of Usher”- “Tomb of Ligeia”- and , amazingly- one called –“the Raven!” it was a comedy, with Vincent, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff as warring sorcerers- some of the film was improvised by Lorre and a then-young Jack Nicholson- and, according to Corman, Karloff really didn’t enjoy the ad-lib comedy! Peter Lorre is very funny in the film, including being partially turned into a raven. Of course, I’d be a total egghead not to mention Price’s appearances as “Egghead” in the ‘60s Batman tv show.Did anybody ever say “EGG-cellent” as well- until the arrival of the Simpsons’ Mr. Burns? EGG-squisite! Price made “the Tingler”- the movie I’ve mentioned before where certain seats in the theater were rigged to provide a shock- and wound up his career in Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands.” No, I haven’t forgotten about his narration of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”- or, his later years as a shill for Sears “Fine Art” collection- available next to the power tools and waste disposals. I can see Vincent putting a Sears executive into one of those with glee. What a great –and lengthy-career! Will modern horror stars like the paper mache- faced guy from “Saw” last that long? I’m lucky I’VE made it this long! Come back again for more Sven blog, won’t you? EGG-cellent… # # #

Oooh, it’s Monday the 13th! Unlucky day! (Not due to the 13th…just because it’s another Monday-booo!) How many horror movies can you think of with “thirteen” in them? (Can you think of thirteen ?)Let’s see- off the top of my top hat, I can think of “Friday the 13th” and all it’s sequels…that Michael Crichton movie “the Thirteenth Warrior” (with the Viking warriors battling the supernatural)-and “Thirteen Ghosts” (both the William Castle original, where you had to look thru a special viewer to “see” the ghosts- or, a different part if you were too scared- and ,the newer version , with Tony Shaloub from “Monk” and Shannon Elizabeth.) Another “thirteen” that most tv fans recognize is 1313 Mockingbird Lane. Do you recall who lives there? You guessed it (says Casey Kasem)-the Munsters! It’s kind of funny to think that the Munster house is now on Wysteria Lane in “Desperate Housewives!” (It’s always been a part of that neighborhood set block at the California Universal Studios- you can still see it on the tours!) The Universal tour is really a lot of fun- I haven’t been out there in years- the last time I was on the tour, the tram was kidnapped by “Cylon Warriors” from the ORIGINAL “Battlestar Galactica !” They also had a great “Dracula’s Castle” show with various monsters- including one guy recruited from the audience who would end up turning into- the Incredible Hulk!(I’m not making this up!) The original “Psycho” house is still there, too, I think- although you can see a re-creation at the Orlando Universal theme park. When the Orlando park opened, I was doing “Koz Zone” and we went there to shoot a week’s worth of shows. Some of the attractions- like “Jaws” and “King Kong”- weren’t quite working at the time, but it was still fun. A lot of big stars were there- and, as we were preparing to shoot one scene, a golf cart was approaching, in which there was a woman with light blonde hair. “Wonder who that is?” one of our crew asked. In my best Jon Lovitz ‘liar” character voice, I used one of his SNL lines- “Why, that’s my wife- Morgan Fairchild!” just then, the cart passed, and – it WAS Morgan Fairchild, glaring at me, having obviously heard what I had just said! Come back tomorrow for more blog- and write to me at svengoolie@wciu.com my secretary- uh, wife- Morgan Fairchild will read me all the messages! “Yeah! That’s the ticket!”

Hope you enjoyed the ‘Demon Knight” last night- I’ve always thought that it was a very watchable flick. Our sound guy/editor Kevin pointed out that, in Dick Miller’s demon-induced fantasy, among the bikini girls surrounding him were “Baywatch” beauty Traci Bingham and (ahem) “adult star” Chasey Lain. Kevin is a great movie and tv buff (not to mention comics as well)-and now can add a new credit to his resume- he’s an extra in the Will Ferrell movie “Stranger Than Fiction!” Kev is in the crowd behind Ferrell at the bus stop. Please do not swamp him asking for autographs, the next time he joins us for a Sven public appearance- oh, heck, go ahead and swamp him!(Yes, he is the immortal Kevin of whom I ask “hit the theme, Kevin” at the end of each mail segment!) My movie extra career is limited to a direct-to-video movie called “Thinking Big” (NOT the Barbarian Bros. film) that was locally produced- I was working on a project with the folks who were producing it, and they asked me to be an extra in a party scene. We shot in a lovely home in Evanston, and the story revolved around a small boy whose talking teddy bear shows him what it’s like to be an adult (not an “adult star.”) You can catch me in the background, at times, behind the boy and the bear. The big time movie that Sven was ALMOST in was “Detroit Rock City!” The film’s director, Adam Rifkin, used to watch me- and wanted to have Sven on the television in the background when the kids were talking about making their trek to see a KISS concert. This all went down the tubes when they changed the STATE that the kids lived in- to a location where Sven was not on back in that year.(Actually, the film takes place in 1978- a year before I was on anywhere!) So much for my film credit right after Paul Stanley… I’ll give you credit for coming here to check out ye olde blog. Drag yourself back here tomorrow for more… # # #

In the words of SCTV’s Count Floyd (Joe Flaaherty)- “Saturday night, kids! And we’ve got a scary movie for you!” It’s true- our deal with Universal not only will bring us the classics, but some more modern horror flicks as well- and tonight at 9 on WCIU, that’s the case. It’s a solid scarefest, under the umbrella of the “Tales from the Crypt” franchise- but this was the first full-length made –for-theaters film they produced-“Demon Knight!” You just get a quick taste of the CryptKeeper (actually a guy in make-up, not the usual puppet at the beginning!) –wrapped around a great horror story- of a guy whose job it is to fight the demons of Hell. That guy is William Sadler, who was the executioner in the first story in our “Tales” show last week-and was the Grim Reaper in “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey!” He’s being pursued by a mysterious guy in a cowboy hat (Chicago’s own Billy Zane) who wants a special artifact that he holds- which can protect against demons- and keeps the evil forces from taking over humanity! You’ll see lots of ghastly hellspawn, as Sadler and some folks are trapped in a hotel, that used to be a church, by the evil demons. Plenty of familiar faces, too- CCH Pounder, Jada Pinkett Smith, the future “SpiderMan III” Sandman- Thomas Hayden Church, John Schuck, “Roger Rabbit” voice Charles Fleischer- and famous graduate of the Roger Corman school- Dick Miller! He starred in the old Corman epic “Bucket of Blood” as the nebbish guy who finds fame by coating dead things in clay…appeared in lots of other Corman films, and has since been hired by many directors who loved him from those old films-he was even in the “Gremlins” movies! The “Demon Knight” movie itself has good special effects, lots of suspense, and an interesting premise. Plus- the CryptKeeper does show up at the end of the flick for a wacky wind-up piece. Of course, you get yours truly through-out the entire film-with schtick a’plenty. Get your eyes in front of the tv tonight at 9-and, good news for you night owls- it will also run tonight at 1 am on our sister station- Me-TV ! Meanwhile, enjoy your Saturday- and keep coming back here for the blog. I’ve got some news about a radio appearance this upcoming week that you’ll want to stay up for- and maybe even call in to! You can write to me at svengoolie@wciu.com - and just watch the show tonight for our “snail mail” address, information about ordering your own glow-in-the-dark Sven t-shirt (the commercial doesn’t mention it, but- yes, we now have size medium! If you’re interested, I’d order now, because it’s a limited time deal!)-and commercials from some of your favorite local pitchmen (Sorry- Harry Schmerler, your “Singing Ford Man” is no longer available…)…”Rock-a-bye your bay-beeee…” # # #

It’s Friday- and you’re one day away from the weekly Svengoolie fix generously supplied by our stations-at 9 pm tomorrow night, we’ve got a special “Tales from the Crypt” theatrical movie (unlike the episodes we had last week)- More about the movie tomorrow. People always ask me about the movies- why we don’t run certain ones, why we run some of them so much, why we don’t just do “TV Graveyards” of old tv shows instead of movies, why we don’t just do a show without a movie.But the word “movie” always comes up, no matter what. Sometimes, people ask what the name of a certain movie was that I showed. There are times when people kind of blend stuff from two movies together, and then don’t believe that it’s not all from the same film. There are people who ask about movies I’ve never shown, which they mistakenly think I did. There are even people who may have been “under the influence” of something and describe such a fantastic movie that you wish it WAS real! Recently, a viewer was asking if I knew where to get a copy of a movie I’d shown on the night-time “Koz Zone” on WFLD. The movie? “Kenny and Company.” This movie became the poster child for the hatred of my co-workers and I back then. I remember that our illustrious program director at the time said it was a special movie that we had to run for Halloween. I’d never heard of it, and asked what it was. “It’s a slasher film” he said- lying through his teeth. It was actually a dull movie about a dull kid and his dull friends that took place right around Halloween. No slashers. Barely any plot. Great dialogue like a twelve year old drooling “I like naked girls.” (No naked girls, either, by the way.)One of the highlights was the ever-popular setting a bag of excrement on fire and having the mean old neighbor stomp it out. I personally would have left this movie on the doorstep, on fire…anyway, we made merciless fun of it, using our character of station manager Wilton N. Klystron taking over as host, promising that the film would be about teenagers who…”drink blood!” Eventually, even Klystron lost interest in the dog of a movie. And, NO- I have no idea where to get a copy of it- if I did, I’d get one, just to keep at least one other person from suffering through it. Do you recall a real stinker I’ve shown? E-mail me at svengoolie@wciu.com. We’ll discuss.And, come back tomorrow- I’ll fill you in on this Saturday’s movie, which does NOT stink. It might smell of brimstone a bit, but… # # #

Today, let’s address the most-sought after Svengoolie prop- something synonymous with this program- you see it on the current Sven t-shirt-you see it on air every week- and, if I’m not carrying it when I do an appearance, people ask about it- yes, I’m talking about- the rubber chicken!!! Historically (if not hysterically) it’s been a comedy prop for centuries…Wikipedia, that fountain of true, semi-true, and not nearly true information, says that the first rubber chicken may be attributed to famous clown Grimaldi back in the early 1800s, where he made fun of wealthy gluttons of the upper class by having his pockets loaded with fake food-including the rubber chicken. Famous west coast gag company Archie McPhee claims that French Revoluntary soldiers hung rubber chickens from their muskets for luck. Yeah, that seems plausible…the chickens were a stock vaudeville prop, often used to bash a stooge ( a comedic underling- that’s where the 3 Stooges got their name) over the head. The tie-in to the Svengoolie family was, of course, Jerry G. Bishop’s use of a gaggle of rubber chickens being hurled at him as vengeance for a bad joke- and I continue the family tradition today. Any time I do a public appearance, at least a couple people will bring their own rubber chickens-in various sizes- for me to autograph. This is sometimes difficult- ones with plenty of “goosebumps” (I mean “chicken bumps”-you know, to give the illusion that the chicken has been plucked) will often be hard to write over. Remember, kids, the smoother the rubber chicken, the more legible the autograph. People also send me the chicken catapult “chicken chucker” which throws small chickens-keyring chickens, small beanbag chickens, chickens that bang cymbals like those toy monkeys do, one almost four foot giant rubber chicken (thanks, Adam!),and a disgusting chicken that- when you squeeze it- from between its legs comes a clear ball with a yolk in it, swimming in some ungodly fluid. I’ve also received chicken hats, stuffed chickens (plush, not Pepperidge Farm), and –once- a real chicken foot. Actually, we think it was a turkey foot. A friend working here was adamant that I didn’t actually touch it, because it might be cursed.(Maybe it was- I did have to show “Return to Mayberry”…) The chickens are so popular, when I do some appearances, the venue will actually purchase chickens they then sell for me to sign! The rubber chicken- good for comedy, good for the economy. Svengoolie- good for nothing. More blogism will come your way tomorrow. I promise I’ll keep a rubber chicken next to my keyboard while I write it…# # #

Please! Please!! Please!!! Will everyone STOP sending me the joke about the guy walking home, who gets followed by a coffin clumping down the road after him? I know it’s a perfect joke for our hand at the door- that’s why WE ALREADY DID IT over a year ago!!! Understand that I do appreciate you guys sending door gags- and we do use some of them on-air- but- didn’t you see that one the time we used it? I know it was back when the show was ending at 1 am, so some of you might have dozed off. It’s just funny that so many of you decided to send that same joke to us! Okay- for those who haven’t heard it- to give you the short version-a guy is walking home on a dark night, when behind him, he hears “boom-BOOMP! Boom-BOOMP!” He turns, and sees a coffin bumping its way down the path towards him- so, naturally he runs- and behind him –“boom-BOOMP! Boom-BOOMP!” –the coffin continues to bounce along, right behind him…(there’s a lot more detail of his escape route, with the ever-present “Boom-BOOMP!” behind him)…he gets to his front gate, the coffin follows (“Boom-BOO…” –oh, you get the idea…)-it smashes through the gate, follows him into the house, follows him upstairs… with plenty of “boom-BOOMP”-ing embellishment…he makes it into the bathroom, and, just as the coffin is relentlessly coming through the door at him, He grabs the first thing he can find in the medicine cabinet- a bottle of Nyquil…and flings it at the coffin! And- you know what happens? …the coffin stops. THE “COFFIN” STOPS! “COUGHIN’?!” Get it? It’s a joke that works so well verbally- and the repetitive, and ever-increasing “boom-BOOMP!” sound effect builds the tension. So, there it is- yes, we already used it on the air- but it did, thankfully, help fill a blog for today! And, once again- thanks for your feedback on the Sven blog- please feel free to send your thoughts, ideas, and questions to me- I may just put them into this space! Drop me an e-mail at svengoolie@wciu.com …and let the internet do the rest. (Well, the internet and your two-fingered typist Sven!) # # #

Welcome again to the Svengoolie blog- where I write a blog about nothing that Jerry Seinfeld would approve .So, let’s write about …something. How about guests that have wandered into the Svengoolie studio? Actually, some wouldn’t come in- famous comedian Jackie Mason was here for an interview on another show once, and, although he thought it was great that we were doing our show- he just didn’t want to step into the studio- just stood by the door! Someone who came through the door- and out of the coffin- was Jon Pertwee, a fine English gentleman who was the third “Dr. Who” on BBC television. This was actually in my ‘Son of Svengoolie” days at WFLD. Jon was in town for a convention, and graciously came to visit us. He wanted to make a grand entrance, coming out of the coffin in dramatic fashion- and , boy, did he! On his cue, Jon threw open the coffin, with arms out wide, shouting “I am the Doctor!” And we almost needed a doctor- the coffin lid hit a nearby fake-but very large and very heavy- pillar, which came crashing down- fortunately missing any people or equipment! A similar thing happened here at WCIU, when my old friend John Records Landecker (now back on Chicago radio at the “True Oldies” channel- glad you’re back, John!) came by to play a game show host. When he entered through the door (in a smaller studio we no longer occupy) the door struck a large piece of scenery that came crashing down. We all survived that one, too! And, I’ll tell you something, brother- when Hulk Hogan came in, he was always ready to snap into his hyper Hulkster character- but was actually very low key most of the time, like you see him on the cable “Hogan Knows Best” show. He was very willing to do any shtick we asked of him- saying “I’ve made a living making a fool out of myself.” He was promoting his then latest movie “Santa with Muscles”- which the Hulkster predicted “would become one of those holiday classics they show every year at Christmas- like ‘Gone with the Wind.’ (?!)” Unfortunately, that flick WAS gone with the wind- consult your local listings to see if it surfaces this Xmas season (no, it won’t be on Sven!) Just don’t hold your breath… …and keep breathing until our next blog. Write to me at svengoolie@wciu.com and come back to this same place tomorrow!

Yesterday we mentioned some of the various e-mail we’ve gotten- and I don’t mean to ignore all the “snail mail” we get every week. There’s always a bunch of letters, drawings, and photos sent by you guys. This brought to mind our various “sidekicks” for the mail segments- some beloved, some not. When we first started here, Doug Graves, our musical director, often did the mail segment with us…but, as his schedule became more hectic, he relinquished it to- Ed the Bat!!! Some of you might remember Ed, for his erratic flights above the mailbag, but mainly for his squeaky voice-which led to his early demise…one of our top men in charge here at WCIU, Neal Sabin, absolutely HATED the shrill, annoying voice of Ed- and asked me to get rid of him. I told him we would- IF he would appear in a segment that told the story of Ed’s being fired! He graciously did- and away went Ed. We sometimes had his British bat cousin Nigel fill in, but he also got his walking (or flitting) papers. The next mail assistant was the Postasaurus- a gruff dinosaur character who would add commentary during the mail. He was replaced by a long-time favorite- the “Wacky Dactyl” from the “WOOO in Berwyn” Morning Zoo radio show!(No, I have no idea why you could never get that station on your radio…) He had a long run, and, I think, went to satellite radio, so we now have –QWERTY !!! Our “webmaster” is a spider- who, along with his eight legs, has eight personalities- of which we have a few to discover! Some longtime fans might remember that there was a previous different character named Qwerty on the “Koz Zone” many years ago…and, yes, the name came from the first six letters on the keyboard! Let us know if one of Qwerty’s eight personalities is your favorite- maybe with some counseling, he might just lock into ONE personality! Another question we’ve gotten regards why we don’t do really long mail segments like we used to- well, some of our movies were long enough that, with our commercial load, we had to use the mail segment as out “safety valve” to keep the show on time. Plus, with so e-mails, it’s easier to respond quicker by just typing out an answer! We do have some shorter Universal films coming up- maybe we’ll do a couple marathon mail segments, like in the old days… And this marathon blog session is now over…more tomorrow!

After last night’s “crypt-tales” on the show-I thought we should hit the “dead letter office”-also known as what we like to call e-mail at svengoolie@wciu.com - and give you a look at what we’ve been receiving there lately…”Mother” (no, not MY mother) liked my rendition of “Those Boots are Made for Walking” in “Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man.” And, a whole LOT of you liked our “Tomb Digger” song- we’ll try to rerun it soon, due to popular demand…regarding our bunch of Bud and Lou movies-Rick was happy to see them- especially right before Halloween, when he said “television gives us plenty of gore…thanks for including this often overlooked segment of the ‘horror’ genre…” Rick, my pleasure- but then, I get an e-mail from Gary,Shirley,Pteri, and Kipper (how do they all fit at the keyboard?) saying “Enough, enough, enough-no more Abbott and Costello movies! …how about a month of Godzilla movies?” Well, first of all- sorry you didn’t dig A & C… We got a great reaction to them, and they will be back- now, regarding ‘Zilla- those Godzilla movies are currently very difficult to get for local independent stations like ours- just like the Gamera flicks that Alan asked about. However, remember that these Universal flicks were tough to get, too- so- who knows? We may just get to them eventually…J.C. asked “have you ever thought of a Svengoolie cartoon? We really love that Tombstone.” Yes, we have thought about Sven cartoons- and there is the possibility of some web-toons, right on this site eventually! We’ve thought of a lot of uses for Sven in various other media besides just the tv…some may happen, some may not…you just have to keep watching (and reading here) for further developments. There’s one very cool project that’s at least a year down the road, but will be pretty impressive! …okay, we get lots of questions regarding the Sven “It Came from Berwyn” t-shirts- yes, they ARE available- we’ve re-stocked-in large, extra-large, 2XL, and – for a limited time- MEDIUM !!! We give the info on the tv show, but, maybe we can convince the web powers-that-be to again carry ordering information here on the WCIU site. Well, what are you waiting for? Provide me with some new e-mail, so I don’t have to think of subjects to bore you with in this blog! It’s svengoolie@wciu.com…and, if there’s something particular you’d like me to write about- let me know! I’ll be back tomorrow… # # #

Greetings, kiddies!!! …where’d THAT come from? I think you’ll know when you tune in our show tonight at 9 pm. It’s “Tales from the Crypt!” yes, I have a sort of “co-host” tonight- the beloved Crypt Keeper! I should explain- when Universal first schedules this film, I thought it was going to be the 1972 British film “Tales from the Crypt”- which featured distinguished actor Sir Ralph Richardson as the Crypt Keeper- no giggling decomposed ghoul he! I’ve always been a fan of that movie…which starts with the chilling tale of a deranged maniac on the loose in a Santa costume, trying to get into the home of Joan Collins- who was a total fox back then! When we received this print, we realized that it wasn’t that film- it was the ‘theatrical’ version of the “Crypt” tv show that aired on HBO for so many seasons. The only reason it was a theatrical version was because –originally- as I’ll explain on the show tonight- it was SUPPOSED to be a feature film, but, instead became a cable tv show- from which they lifted the first three episodes, and combined them to run in theaters. There were two additional theatrical “Crypt” movies – “Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight” (coming to this show real soon) and “Tales from the Crypt: Bordello of Blood” starring the cynical Dennis Miller, cha-cha. The big difference was- those two were specifically made as movies. There was a plan to continue to make “Crypt” films, and always release them on appropriate days, like Halloween and Fridays the 13th- but, it seems like they kind of lost steam.

Regardless, you’ll enjoy the crypt-tales we’ve got for you tonight- especially since it DOES have a version of the maniac Santa story (minus Joan Collins!) I’m warning you now, as I will on the show- if you have kids who love Santa- PLEASE don’t have them watch this! I know adults who have been traumatized by this episode! This show is a little more adult-oriented than the Abbott and Costello stuff we’ve been showing, so- viewer discretion is advised. As Marty Robinson used to say before Monty Python episodes on channel 11- it ‘may contain content unsuitable for younger and more sensitive viewers.” A tip of the Sven stovepipe to you, Marty, wherever you are- and, as for the rest of you- tune in tonight for crypt-kicking chaos! Write to me at the addresses you’ll see on your screen. More blogging coming soon! # # #

Wow- it’s already November! (Okay, it took me a couple days to figure it out- so sue me!) Seems like only yesterday that we were doing the New Year’s Eve show, with the giant pie being launched at midnight to bring in 2006 with a 3 Stooges marathon…and now, there’s less than two months until 2007. We still have several more new Svengoolie shows coming up before the end of the year…including some newer horror- a couple British Hammer films- and even some 1930s-era Universal films (yes, with the little plane circling the globe while proclaiming “It’s a Universal Picture!”) There’s lots more to come, too…just stick with your old Svenmeister. People always ask what my favorite movies are, and it’s not easy to pin specific ones down- I like different movies for different reasons. Then- people ask which ones I really dislike…please! Don’t get me started! I always remember a flick that they demanded I show in my “Son of Svengoolie “ days- called “Track of the Vampire.” This was never a favorite- with long boring stretches, an endless dance routine of a girl dancing alone on the beach, and a lengthy, mostly pointless chase through town to the beachfront. The only way to save it? The miracle of –“Svensurround!” We re-dubbed that portion of the film- which, actually had no dialogue. We turned the scene into the story of a swim coach chasing a member of the swim team who is unwilling to practice that day. There is a bald lifeguard who showed up in part of it- who we verbally turned into Curly from the 3 Stooges! Son of Sven fans were always fond of that presentation- as well as the time when we combined two movies-“Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow” and “The Giant Gila Monster” into one Svensurrounded film we called “Hot Rods to Gila!”( the title is a take-off on another favorite laughable film, “Hot Rods to Hell!”)Complete with its own 1950s-style title sequence, this film, edited together by a dear talented friend, the late Mike Smith, was another totally different-and pretty funny- take on the usual horror fare. We also did our own “horror film” for one of our Son of Sven Halloween specials- where a “spacecraft” landed, and released a new threat to mankind- a giant toy monkey with cymbals. I don’t think I have copies of any of these- as I may have mentioned before, almost all of the tapes of “Son of Svengoolie” were thrown away when WFLD moved from its long-time Marina City studios (now occupied by the House of Blues!!!) to the current Michigan Avenue location. Only a few big reels of tape survived. Do you think they’ve thrown away all of Walter Jacobson’s tapes yet? A new Sven show will air tomorrow night! What’s it all about (Alfie?)Find out in tomorrow’s blog- and drop me a line at svengoolie @wciu.com! # # #

I was just talking to my co-worker George Blaise (you know him from “26 N. Halsted”, the old “Crew on the U”, “the Homework Show” and numerous Sven cameos) about what song we’re going to parody on Svengoolie this week…and we were laughing about how both myself and my musical director Doug Graves have done so many parodies since 1979 , that we sometimes don’t remember what songs we have and have not done! (Although if we repeat a song that we did in 1981, are you going to complain?!) I guess I started doing parody songs waaay back in grade school- I distinctly remember writing some around third grade or so. Guess I never out-grew it. The song parodies have always been a favorite part of the show for viewers and myself…and I used to write parodies for the original Sven as well…Jerry G. Bishop would play along on his guitar (often hitting some questionable chords!) and sing the newly-minted lyrics. He was especially fond of doing the gags of “the (Name) Song.” For example- the gag would be “Do you know the Joan Rivers Song?” then he’d sing (to the tune of “Moon River”)- “Joan Rivers, wider than a mile…” -he always wanted me to write him more of those! Maybe we should bring them back on our show- what do you think? Anyway, people always ask how many song parodies I’ve written- and, honestly, between all the radio and tv I’ve done, the total has to be around a thousand. Hard to believe…a lot of people say we should do a cd of some of them…but, I always wonder- do they really still work without visuals? Would they still stand up? Some of them are so specific to the movie, you have to wonder. I’m always glad that you guys are so into them-and I have to laugh that, here I am, a guy with a lousy voice- and I’m singing a song every week on tv! Unlike Jerry G., I can’t accompany myself on guitar (don’t know enough chords- maybe I should get out my old trombone, but I don’t think I could play it and sing at the same time!)-so, it’s always great that Doug can create the amazing musical tracks we use every week. I hope you can catch Doug some time live when he plays trumpet with a band or jazz combo- and, maybe sometime, he and I will do a live Sven musical gig again. Any takers?! As for me, I’m taking a hike…back tomorrow with more blog. ( Oh, yeah- and this week’s parody? You won’t believe it- a CHRISTMAS song?! You’ll get it when I explain about the movie this Saturday…) # # #