2/5/2007

People really get into the old Svengoolie history- and ask many questions about it. Time again to provide some answers! Here’s a question that comes up every once in a while- and has come up again after my recent visit to WLS-TV’s “190 North”- when they asked about the origins of the “Berwyn” bit, I mentioned it was started by “my dad, the original Svengoolie.” I’ve already gotten a bunch of e-mails asking if he was my real father. Nope- although the original Sven, Jerry G. Bishop, was a mentor to me, and the guy who got me into this business- we are not related. I refer to him as my “dad”- because, as many of you will remember, I first came on TV as “SON of Svengoolie.” Storyline-wise- I was supposed to be his son (in the tradition of the old horror movie tradition, “Son of Frankenstein”- “Son of Dracula”- “Sanford and Son”- no, wait…)It was Jerry G. who , when I came to this station, decided I could drop the “Son of” and just be Svengoolie- and I still occasionally hear from older fans who say “how dare you call yourself Svengoolie.” Well, folks- I do so because Jerry WANTED me to!!! Another question is- where is Jerry? He is , wisely, in a warmer place- beautiful San Diego, where he owns two restaurants and enjoys his family. Even when you were hearing him on weekends at that short-lived oldies station- he was actually recording his shows out there and they were dropped in here via computer magic. A question I got recently from fans of the original show- “who was Valentine Janicki?” That was a name Jerry used when he’d do a litany of gag names who allegedly starred in that night’s movie(“ John Wayne, Freda Payne, Carol Kane, and Valentine Janicki as Spot the Wonder Fungus…”) Who was he? Well, he was a commissioner for the Chicago Sanitary District- who, unfortunately , in the 70s, went to prison for accepting bribes in some sort of sewage deal (no, he didn’t accept sewage as the bribe…ewww!) I believe Mr. Janicki is no longer with us- but I’m sure the sewage lives on… Got a question about the old shows- or, even this new-fangled one I’ve been doing for about twelve years now? Drop me a line- svengoolie@wciu.com- and perhaps I can shed some light on it!!!