August 2007 Archives

Let’s wind up the week- and the month- with some feedback from those of you who read these blogs – here’s what I’ve gotten via the mail and at svengoolie@wciu.com…

Josie asked about whether or not I was called for jury duty. a while ago, I mentioned here that I had received a summons to be a stand-by juror- where you call a certain number the night before, and a recording tells you if you have to show up or not. I’m not sure if I ever told the story here, but- I called that night, and the recording said that only people with last names beginning with “B” through “G” had to come in (no, I wasn’t using “Goolie” so I was not expected to show)-however, the recording did leave the ominous note that “all others will be called at a future time.” So- my turn will probably be coming up…

Okay, ONE MORE ghost story from a viewer- Andrew said that he would hear a series of short loud bangs on the walls when he was going to sleep. Nobody else in his family heard them.

He decided to try bribing the ghosts by leaving out money, which seemed to work for a while (wait- was the money GONE, Andrew?!)Then, one night he saw a black mist form over his bed- and, since then- nothing else has happened. And, likewise, no further ghost stories shall happen in this blog…for now…

Since we had Vincent Price in “the Invisible man Returns” I’ve been flooded with other VP memories- Bill from Brookfield (Wisconsin, not the zoo one) aid that Vincent played “the saint” in several radio shows back in the late 40s and early 50s, and did some TV ads for “Cousin’s Subs” with his wife in the 80s. Gourmet Vincent touting sub sandwiches?! Maybe they were EGG-salad- dating back to his Batman “Egghead” days- and if they dated that far back, he shouldn’t have eaten ‘em…Mary loved Vincent’s performance in “Comedy of Terrors”-with Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, and- Rhubarb the cat!(I’ve seen ALL his flicks!)-and Bill (not the Brookfield one) reminds us that Vincent was also in Alice Cooper’s “Welcome to My Nightmare!”

Welcome to the End of My Blog! Come back tomorrow for info on the cool movie we’ve got for you tomorrow night!

By now, I’m sure that you’ve heard about the upcoming show based on the wacky cavemen form the insurance commercials.

These are not the first cavemen to be stars of their own show- naturally, we’ve had “the Flintstones”-the modern Stone Age family, undoubtedly TV’s most prominent cave people. I remember a wacky mid 60s show called “It’s About Time” in which some astronauts broke the time barrier, and ended up in prehistoric times, with Imogene Coca and Joe E. Ross (“Car 54’s” Gunther Toody- whose trademark was going “Ooh!Ooh!”) as cave people. And, I’m not even going to bring up “Captain Caveman”…

Cavemen have certainly appeared on Sven- we’ve shown “Eegah!”- with James Bond’s “Jaws” Richard Kiel as a caveman existing in the desert.(It still shows up on the weeknight 3 am Me-TV schedule once in a while…) One that we only had rights to in our early years at “the U” was “the Neanderthal Man”- a 1953 epic starring Robert Shayne. You old fans of the “Superman” TV show with George reeves know that Shayne played Inspector Henderson, the head cop who hung around with Perry White, Clark and Lois while petty crimes were most likely being committed right and left. In this film, he’s a scientist with the amazing theory that man didn’t evolve from cavemen- they DEVOLVED, since the Neanderthal brain was of such huge size.(Devolved? Was he an early DEVO fan?) Anyway, he developes a serum that turns his cleaning lady into a cavewoman, and a housecat into a sabretoothed tiger! As you probably have guessed by now, he tries out the serum on himself, and transforms into a Neanderthal guy. However, even with his “larger” brain, he’s a stupid brute, causing destruction. His “caveman” make-up actually looks a lot like the final “mask” that Boris Karloff wore as Mr. Hyde in (here we go again) “ Abbott and Costello Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” He gets shot along the way, but escapes captors-only to be killed by one of his cat-turned-sabretooth creations! This was a fun, low-budget flick- and certainly not the best primer about Neanderthal man…

Anyway- will the upcoming caveman sitcom be on the air for a lot less than the Neanderthal era? I’d pretty much plan on that…supposedly, the creators want to use the same idea that the recent commercials use- of the cavemen being a suppressed “minority.” I’m guessing the real minority here may end up being the actual audience that tunes in to thi show every week….

It just occurred to me that summer is pretty much a thing of the past. I know a lot of people have already returned to school, taken whatever vacation they were going to, and/or kissed off any summer activities that they never got around to doing. What ever happened to Labor Day weekend being the finish line for summer?! I guess that went the way of the Betamax home video recorder when school started to go into session BEFORE Labor Day. Isn’t it funny how that event- the beginning of the school year- effects even the people who don’t have school-aged kids? ( I know- Chicago public schools do start later…thank Da Mayor for that!)

So, do we define these days as “fall?” If we feel summer is over, should these days that used to be summer now move to the next plateau? With 80-90 degree days, it makes it hard to call this “fall”- maybe you should do as we television people do, and declare it officially fall once the new TV season begins!

First of all, let me mention this right now- both 3 Stooges “Stooge-a-palooza” and Svengoolie WILL be staying in the same timeslots on Saturday night. I’m assuming the Sven run on Me-TV at 1 am Saturday night will also remain. At this point, I’ve noticed those weeknight 3 am Sven classic shows are still scheduled through the second week of September- but, I don’t know if any formal decision has been made regarding their continuation…

It was pretty cool to get the many e-mails that I received regarding last week’s Stooges pre-emption…that brought up the fact that a lot of people really enjoy the one-two punch of Stooges and Sven on Saturday nights. Many people have mentioned that it’s become a family event- a time when everybody in the family gets together to watch the same thing.

Imagine- ME bringing families together! I’m like Dr. Phil with more hair and less Oprah-connection…

It’s also funny how, while so many of you are excited to see the classic Universal films on our show- after years and years of asking for them- there are still letters asking why we’re showing all these black-and-white movies, and why aren’t we showing more really lousy, cheap-budgeted movies? Just goes to show that I can’t ever please everyone. The Universal stuff will continue well into the new year- and, in fact, this fall (and now, you’d better consider THIS “fall”-since you’ll see one this weekend…) we’ve got some great classics- giant insects, the dreaded GillMan (better known as the Creature from the Black Lagoon)- just a handful of previously aired flicks (NO Abbott and Costello- relax!)-and a GIANT helping of various Frankenstein movies (okay, one of THOSE DOES include Abbott and Costello- but, I’m guessing you won’t mind that one!)

And, one more thing- Fall also brings – Halloween! (Not the movie-the holiday!) So, maybe it’s a GOOD thing that Fall has already fallen…

My mention of movie re-makes certainly brought in some comments- the usual people who are dead set against them, the folks who think they can improve the stories, and even plugs for upcoming re-makes! “The Great Gaileena,” a long-time Sven fan, mentioned seeing a trailer at the movies for “I am Legend” starring Will Smith- which is a remake of the old Vincent Price film “Last Man on Earth” (which was also remade with Charleton Heston as “Omega Man.”) It’s based on a great novel by Richard Matheson with that same title “I Am Legend”-about the last normal man left on earth when all others have been converted to strange vampire-like creatures.

In this newest remake, Will Smith is a scientist trying to stop a virus that is wiping out mankind and turning the survivors into mutations that are very vampiric. I have a feeling the film might be pretty good- but, we’ll see when it comes out. There will always be those who prefer either the Vinnie or Heston versions, which both are somewhat different, yet both very watchable.

The other things I’ve heard quite a bit about- flooding and the lack of “Stooge-a-palooza” last Saturday night! Regarding the Stooges- many seemed to think that the fact that they were pre-empted for a special showing of the excellent Ray Charles bio-pic “Ray” was a solid hint that our Stooge show had been cancelled. PLEASE- don’t worry! “Stooge-a-palooza” will be on next week. It will continue to be on in its current timeslot. I know the recent spate of pre-emptions- whether for basketball or a special movie- has been aggravating to you loyal Stooge fans, but, it looks like smooth, pre-emption-free viewing coming up. Barring further storms and power outages that keep you from tuning in to your favorite programs, which leads us into…

As far as the flooding goes- I really feel for you. My own parents were without power for about two days, and, with no power, their sump pump didn’t work, and six inches of water infiltrated years and years of things piled around their big basement. It was very sad to see some memorabilia ruined, especially things my mom had kept since high school- but, the bottom line is- it’s just “things”- and everybody made it through okay. There’s so much clean-up to be done everywhere, and I’m guessing that power is finally back on in almost every location. Lots of tired people, lots of soaked belongings, lots of spoiled food, not to mentioned soured attitudes. Nothing that a good dose of Stooge mayhem wouldn’t perk up next Saturday- when, by the way, it’s an all-new Sven with a great flick- “the Deadly Mantis!” but- we’ll talk about that more in a few days…

With the Rob Zombie “re-make” of “Halloween” being heavily promoted- some of you have discussed the fact that some movies just don’t NEED to be remade! I’ve watched Rob Zombie’s films, and found them pretty fascinating- and have no doubt that his re-make (or, “re-imagining”) will also be interesting- but- wasn’t the original good enough? Just like the re-make of “Psycho” a few years ago- was that necessary? Was it better than the original, done by some guy named…HITCHCOCK?! We can all bring up the lack of originality in Hollywood, or debate whether some films are held in TOO much esteem, and could stand an updating- but, why not just make a new, similarly-themed film, without the same name?

Case in point- “House of Wax”- yeah, the one that featured Paris Hilton. Now, most of us horror film buffs know that the Vincent Price “House of Wax” (itself a sort of remake of 1930s “Mystery of the Wax Museum”- an early Technicolor flick I used to show at WFLD) pretty much owns the title- especially due to the scary 3-D version that made it so popular! The new “re-make” is fairly far-removed from the original’s plot- but still had some good ideas and cool effects. It’s not a great movie, but it IS entertaining (especially when Ms. Hilton meets her demise…I won’t spoil it if you’ve never seen it!)-and didn’t need to use the same title.

It makes me think of the cool movie I mentioned back when we showed “the Invisible Man”- Kevin Bacon’s “The Hollow Man.” It probably could’ve been called “the Invisible Man” as a publicity hook- and, actually, had a bit more similarity to the Claude Rains film than the two “House of Wax” films had to each other…but, it opted for the title it had, instead- and, it certainly stood on its own, without a similar title.

So- couldn’t Rob Zombie make a new film, with a similar theme to “Halloween”-without going back to the Michael Meyers well? Please understand that I’m NOT putting his film down- unlike some critics, I don’t pass judgment on something I haven’t even seen- and, for all I know, his film may be more fleshed-out, and better than the original. We’ll have to wait and see. It just seems to me that doing something new- even with a somewhat similar idea or theme- might give the film a better chance, since it doesn’t create an instant prejudice in the minds of loyal fans of the original. I know Rob has the creativity to do so! Regardless, I’ll give the Zombie “Halloween” a chance- especially since it seems to have retained the “white “William Shatner” facemask!

I’m still getting ghost encounter stories from many of you blog readers- it’s surprising how many of you feel that you’ve encountered the supernatural! Let’s hit a few more of your scary stories, kids…

Our pal Dave says, at one point, he and his family lived in Joliet, across the street from- not one, but TWO- cemeteries!

One was well-kept, the other older and barely kept up. They would hear bumps in the house, banging as if someone was slamming a cabinet door in the kitchen- and even thought they saw a dark-haired child in the house that would suddenly disappear. There were other strange things, including times when they’d be on-line using their web cam, and the people they were talking to would say they saw faces in the background- on investigation, the faces were figures wearing Amish-like clothing, Civil War soldiers, and Native Americans.

Research showed Dave that one former owner died in the house, and was buried in the newer cemetery- another former owner was a caretaker who was buried there as well. Here’s the kicker- in the older cemetery- there was a Native American burial ground (what is this, “Poltergeist?!”)-along with graves of- you guessed it- Civil War soldiers!

Dave relates another tale of being startled while walking his dog through the cemetery, by a teenaged girl sitting on a tombstone- she appeared to be crying, so Dave let her be- then noticed she was gone, and couldn’t have left the cemetery without his seeing her! Dave says they never let anybody investigate the in-house stuff, since he didn’t want strangers coming in, and possibly upsetting his daughter (good idea, Dave- we don’t want HER sitting on a tombstone crying!)

One more, from Rob- a cousin of his lived in an older 2-story in Chicago. While watching TV in the basement, they’d hear footsteps on the first floor above, come from the front of the house to the back- then come about half-way down the stairs and stop. Even their dog would be looking up at the ceiling when the footsteps occurred! Upon checking- all upstairs doors were locked. Their theory was that it might be the spirit of the cousin’s deceased father, letting himself in when he knew they were in the basement!

What do you think? Real encounters? Just reading this kind of stuff can make you get the chills! Did I ever tell you about my haunted computer keyboard that occasionally will write things on its owSVENGOOLIE IS AN IDIOT !!!! HAHAHA!!!

Put on your shoulder pads, draw on your eyebrows, and ditch the wire hangers pronto- tonight on Svengoolie we give a final run to Miss Joan Crawford in the gimmicky William Castle flick “I Saw What You Did!”

You know the story by now- two teenaged girls and a little sister find fun and bedevilment by making what we used to refer to as “crank calls’- “phony phone calls”- and/or “dial and ditch.” They randomly choose their “victims” from the phone book- and eventually call a guy who just killed his wife, unknowingly giving him the message “I know who you are and I saw what you did!” Mr. Murder Boy believes them- and, before long, finds out who THEY are-and where they live- and shows up there- not to deliver a Candygram, if you know what I mean. Add in Joan Crawford as his neighbor who’s got eyes for him (and eyebrows as well) and sees the teenage prankster as a threat- and you’ve got campy fun for two solid hours!

We’ve told you a lot of the inside info- that the two featured teens were actually high school students with no previous acting experience, that Joan took her cameo role and had it embellished- and got top billing in the flick, etc. We’ve also mentioned that there was a made-for-TV remake –in 1988, that featured Shawnee Smith (Linda on “Becker”) and Candice Cameron (from “Full House”)- plus, David Carradine as the brother of the creepy killer guy (played by his brother, Robert!)

Before you ask, nope, we don’t have that version- and, after tonight, we won’t have the version we’re showing- this will be its final run. So, watch it now or forever hold your peace- or, put your peace on hold, since this is a whole telephone oriented thing. Oh, and watch for a few scenes redone in “Svensurround.”

Okay- a quick current pet peeve- people who use quotation marks in ads and signs that make no sense, and shouldn’t be there. Example- I saw a truck with the painted logo-‘ “50” Years of Trucking.’ There’s also a sign on the side of a bar that says ‘ WE! “Serve” Food.’ How many violations is THAT, punctuation police?!(Hmm- it’s been a while since I saw that one- maybe it’s ‘ “WE” Serve! Food ‘- not that it’s more correct…) Anyway, tonight ‘YOU! “Watch” Svengoolie’…

Wow- talking about those ghost hunter shows really set some of you off! I’ve received some really chilling stories…some, with more content than those shows-so, let’s continue with our brushes with the spirit world…

John, who was a Navy guy at the time, would come home to his family’s apartment in Manteno…and would often be there alone at night while his brother was out, and his mom was-and I quote- “working at the balloon factory by the old asylum!” (Sounds like the setting fro a Sven film…)

One night, he heard what sounded like someone clanging pans that hung over the kitchen sink. He thought that maybe he’d left the sliding door to the outside in the kitchen open, and that some goofs had snuck in. Being a Navy guy, he was ready for whatever was there- and, saw two shadows move past, as if looking around. He swung a mean right hook at the first shadow- and caught nothing but air! He flipped on the lights, only to see- no one. Yet, he heard what sounded like people running in and out of the other rooms of the two bedroom apartment-but, upon investigation, found no one, and all the doors locked as he had left them. So- he lays down to relax- and feels like someone is pushing his face down into the pillow! He jumped up- and saw- nothing! When his mom came home, and saw his expression, she said- “You saw them, huh?!”

Turns out the apartment seemed to be haunted by a handful of- children! John’s mom would occasionally hear them laugh, run around the hallways, and- even saw them watching her while she was watching television- they even would change the channels on her once in a while (no doubt she was watching “According to Jim” and the kids had good taste.) John’s brother never talked about the “hauntings” until after they had moved out of that apartment- and said that, when he played his guitar, it was obvious that the ghost kids didn’t like it- which encouraged him to often stay at his band mates’ places!

There was never any theory or explanation as to why children would be haunting the place- no stories of kids mistreated, murdered, forced to eat spinach against their will. John said he had no further experience while on that leave. But- this makes me wonder- who lives there now- and are they getting visits from these otherworldly rugrats?

Still a few more stories to spin- but we’ll get top them a little further down the line. If you’ve got one- drop me a line- svengoolie@wciu.com

Recently, I wrote about my enjoyment of some of the ghost hunting shows that appear on various cable channels- and asked if any of you have had encounters with what you believe to be ghosts. As usual- some of you sent me some great stories, which I will now recount for you- so, turn the lights off, and read this by the chilling light of your monitor…

Jeannine had a strange story that involved –REMODELING!

That’s a horror story on it’s own, but the ghost story she tells us involves a house in Westchester. She and her hubby would occasionally see weird things- like a transparent figure (not Claude Rains or Vincent Price) walking down a hallway- or, their dogs stopping, looking into their dining room, and growling at nothing. They never had anyone else see anything, though…until the dreaded remodeling.

They were gutting a bathroom, when one of the workers had suddenly left, having a co-worker finish the job. The story they were told was- he was sitting on the edge of the tub, putting a tool together next to a wall that had been knocked through in such a way that you could see into the basement and the basement stairs. Suddenly, a large white mist came through the other wall, rushed past him, went through the hole down into the basement, and disappeared around a basement corner. This shook up the poor guy so much that he never returned. Supposedly he lived in a two flat in Berwyn (honest-that’s what she said) that was haunted- and that there were a bunch of ghost there, but, if you didn’t mess with them, they wouldn’t bother you.

Jeannine says she’s done research on the paranormal, and that it’s pretty much a “given” that, when you do any sort of remodeling, “ghosts” that might be present will become more active- maybe because you’re changing the way the place was when they were alive? Anyway, her aunt had died the previous February, and since they had used some of her inheritance money to remodel the bathroom- Jeannine thought that maybe it was just her aunt coming by to check out the work- after all, she paid for it!

Thanks, Jeannine, for sharing the story- maybe we could have sent some guys to spend the night in the bathroom to check it out ( I have some friends who would spend the night in there, just because they’d drunk too much previously…)

…come back tomorrow for another viewer-related ghost story!

Okay, okay- this blog got posted way late. I know. I almost blanked out on my computer password today. I’m sure you know what it’s like- you’ve got different passwords for various infernal devices (at least, that’s the way you’re supposed to do it for maximum security) and any slight brain freeze leaves you trying to guess what you’re currently using as the password. With our computer system, it gives you three tries- then locks you out (as in “three strikes, and you’re out!”) Fortunately, I recalled the right password eventually –and, no, it was not- and never has been – “Berwyn!” (Come on- that would be the first thing someone breaking into my system would guess! On the other hand, nobody would guess “Cicero”- which is right next door to Berwyn, so…oh. Darn! Now I’ve got to change THAT password!)

All the recent rain and the threat of flooding reminds me of a time quite a while ago when I was renting a townhouse in Des Plaines (hey! THAT would make a great password…uh…until I just mentioned it…darn…)-when I first looked at it, the person currently renting it had a small piano in the basement, so I assumed that it wasn’t someplace that got water. Maybe I should’ve looked more closely, to see if it was up on blocks, because…once I was living there, and it was springtime, I got an unexpected visit from the nearby Des Plaines River! It was bubbling up like the oil that Jed Clampett was squinting at in the open of the “Beverly Hillbillies” program…except it was cool, clear water, not black gold/Texas tea. There was a sump pump down there, but it was a slight distance from where the water was coming in- through some cracks in the basement floor. So much for some rugs, boxes, etc. that had been in the basement. There wasn’t a lot of damage, thankfully, and it never turned into one of those in-house basement pools that we always see on the news shows when there’s flooding, but it did make the decision easy when the townhouse owner called to tell me that his balloon payment on the townhouse was deflating, and he wondered if I’d like to BUY the place. If I were the Creature from the Black Lagoon- you bet. However, that not being the case, I passed.

Any of you experiencing such flooding, you have my sympathy.

Any of you who can’t remember a password for whatever, be it your phone messages, computer, ATM, or He-Man Woman Hater’s Club…you have my sympathy as well.

I was talking to some nice people about ghosts the other day…

I guess I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of there being real ghosts, though I know many people are skeptical. These folks were telling me that there is a ghost at the radio station they work at-and that everyone there has a ghost story of their encounters with it! Personally, I don’t have much of a story- in a house that I was renting once- there would occasionally be a huge loud “BANG!” from the second floor- as if a huge dresser or cabinet had fallen over. But then, when I’d go upstairs- there was nothing out of place! It wasn’t the wind moving something on the outside of the house, either. There was no rational explanation for the big bang…and yet, it would happen, at different times, again and again. There were also some kind of eerie paintings of weird looking children in several rooms. It was kind of weird, but, certainly not a full-fledged ghost story!

I love to watch the cable shows with various investigations of haunted places- I’m pretty sure I’ve told you about the “Most haunted” one, where a goofy blonde woman and her crew spend the night in supposedly haunted places. They always bring a psychic along to act as an ambassador to the “spirits” who live there (is “live” the right word?!) The funny thing is- the woman is really spineless, and at the least noise, she runs crying, screaming, and swearing (they bleep a lot of what she’s saying out!) and trying to get out of the place! Why be host of this kind of show, if, as soon as something interesting happens- you’re going to bail out?!

Then, there’s that other ghost hunter show, which usually involves some guys that you’d run into at the corner tavern, running around houses, arguing with each other, and constantly turning to each other and saying in a “Sout’ side of Chicaga” type way- “Didjou hear dat?” They find “things of interest” and then the head of their organization pretty much tells them its nothing. Now THAT’S entertainment.

But- I still love that stuff! Here’s my idea- do any of YOU have a ghost story- something you experienced that makes you think you actually encountered a ghost? I want to hear about it! Send me your tale at svengoolie@wciu.com …and maybe we can get a blog or two out of what you’ve run into! OR- a story of something that seemed haunted –but turned out to be logically explained! Either way, I’ll be happy to recount it here- while holding a flashlight under my face….

All right, this is getting further out of hand- recently, we discovered the company by-law that said the other Svengoolie cast members were entitled to have equal time writing these blogs. We heard from Tombstone and Durwood- and now, the one flesh-and-blood member of our cast- my musical director and sidekick Doug Graves- has decided to throw his porkpie hat into the ring and write more than music- he’s going to write today’s blog! Let’s hope he’s as good with the computer keyboard as he is with the musical one- ladies and gentlemen- Doug Graves!

Hey. It’s about time Sven let me write one of these- after all the years of my having to put up with his (ahem) “vocal stylings.”

I’ve worked with some amazing singers- and Sven isn’t one of them. It IS amazing that he sings on television every week- what other show, other than the “American Idol” program, showcases someone whose voice is so awful, he needs a license to carry his vocal chords, since they’re a deadly weapon?

I’ve known Sven since our high school days- we were in the band together. I played trumpet, and Sven played around with a flute player. No, actually, he played trombone- no doubt, getting set for his horror career by playing the only instrument with BONE in it. The band director always asked Sven to play solo- play SO LOW, nobody would be able to hear him. I joined Sven on his first show –back at WFLD- where we actually had an upright piano. At least, it was upright until Sven accidentally knocked it over. Eventually, I began to arrange and play fully-orchestrated tracks for Sven to sing along with…and we did many more ambitious musical numbers.

The funny thing is- as the music got better- Sven didn’t. His vocalizing has remained the epitome of tone-deaf torture.

Also, he doesn’t pay me much…I don’t consider a CTA pass and the boxed set of the first season of “Girlfriends” to be a typical living wage. It’s a good thing that I do gigs with several bands in the Chicago area, or I’d probably have to eat some of those rubber chickens he carries around with him.

Don’t get me wrong- I like working on the show- I like everything about it- except Sven. I always said I’d like to work with a chick singer- not a rubber chicken singer. Thanks to everybody who digs what I do…and even more thanks to anybody who would bury Sven…

Okay- we’ve finally said goodbye to ‘Abbott and Costello meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde!” Now, stop complaining, and go find something fun to do- maybe check out the Air and water Show right at the Lake Michigan shore! Every year, we can tell when its coming- because it sounds like our studio building is being dive-bombed by various aircraft in the days before the show, when the pilots are practicing! And, when one of those ominous shadows flashes over our skylight windows- you feel like you’re in a scary movie!

Actually, we could make our own horror air and water show, with some of the various creatures we’ve encountered- the air portion could include any number of airborne menaces from our films. Among the aircraft could be the spiffy flying saucers that floated perilously on wires in Ed Wood’s “Plan 9 from Outer Space.” We could also bring in some of those wacky buzzing, spark-spurting space sleds from the old “Flash Gordon” serials. Also flying by could be the giant praying mantis who will be appearing soon on the Sven program in “the Deadly Mantis.” The Japanese contingency could include Mothra, Rodan and the ever-popular Gamera the flying turtle, flying in formation over the lakefront! (Just don’t invite Godzilla, or we’ll be missing a few high-rise buildings…)

Instead of the Thunderbirds- why not just go Hitchcock and have-“the Birds?!” Imagine them flying into view from across the lake- and dive-bombing the crowd on the beach!

Now, on to the water part of our show- oh, okay, Godzilla can surface there briefly if he behaves himself. Gorgo could even come in as an opening act for Godzilla…also appearing would be the Creature from the Black Lagoon (who will also be on Sven very soon!) who will no doubt pick up a few bathing-suited beauties during his portion of the show. That would lead us to the “Humanoids from the Deep”- who would no doubt come up on Navy Pier and create havoc just the way they did at the pier side amusement park in their film! Stay away from the Ferris Wheel! Some extra excitement could be provided by the giant leeches from “Attack of the Giant Leeches”- maybe they could snag a few patrons from the refreshment stands to be…refreshments. I like it- the Svengoolie Monster Air and Water Show- I’m sure Mayor Daley would go for that idea. Since he loves Halloween, he can add it to the city’s October calendar…right after he eats some of the fish from the Chicago River…

Buckle up for one more round of Bud and Lou…tonight, the Sven movie is (sigh) “Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” I know- many of you will complain, in spite of the fact that the great Boris Karloff himself plays the good/bad doctor. Yes, this IS the fourth time we’ve run this film- and also, the very last time. As I’ve mentioned before- the run schedule was set up by Universal, and we have to run the films as they dictate. So- why not just settle back and enjoy it- since you may not see it for a long time to come?

You do get Boris, as I said, plus Craig Stevens, who will be showing up very soon in “the Deadly Mantis.” You get some cool make-up effects, too- not only Boris (and Lou, for that matter) doing the Mr. Hyde transformation- but, also, the cool transformation of Lou into a large mouse! Yes, there are a couple of the prerequisite musical numbers that were considered a part of these movies back in the day- consider it part of a time capsule. You also get a really weird guy as Boris’ mumbling assistant- a huge hulking guy who scares Lou a few times, but still gets slapped around by Boris (maybe Boris was watching a few Stooge shorts, and decided to go Moe on his Lackey!) The big guy is actually John Dierkes- who got into films in an unusual way- he was working for the U.S. treasury Department- and was sent to Hollywood to serve as a consultant on the film “To the Ends of the earth.” While out there, none other than Orson Welles gave him a part in “MacBeth!” He then returned to work with the treasury Dept.- but, before long, was called back to LaLa Land to appear in “the Red Badge of Courage.” He never returned to the government job again after that, and appeared in many films, including the John Wayne epic- ‘the Alamo.” He appeared in TV westerns like “Gunsmoke,” “Rawhide,” and “Bonanza”- and

Several horror films, including the Edgar Allan Poe classic “Premature Burial.” His tall gaunt look certainly made him perfect for horror films. So, watch for his frightening countenance in tonight’s flick- I’m pretty sure no make-up was used on him. And- if you can actually understand what he’s saying, give me a clue! You’ll also enjoy some brief scenes we re-did in “Svensurround.” Then, say goodbye to this film- as I said, this is the last time we get to run it…and start counting the days until we bring you “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein!”

…oh, why did we start this?! After yesterday’s blog by Tombstone- now Durwood, the famed ventriloquist dummy whose roots go back to the original Svengoolie (actually, his roots probably go back to an oak tree…) has demanded his crack at equal time in the blog universe- and , if he’s got a crack, maybe some wood putty would be beneficial…anyway, get set for another blog by an inanimate cast member of the Sven show- Durwood!

Well, hello there, kind viewers of the Svengoolie program-for once, nobody is putting words in my mouth (I know, I’m a ventriloquist dummy- people are SUPPOSED to put words in my mouth…)…yes, I go back to the original Svengoolie show, with Jerry G. Bishop, back at WFLD- back then, my green hair was so full and luxurious- now, look at it! Mere wisps of green…seems like both Tombstone and I have had follicle changes since working with “Son of”- now known as Svengoolie…I’m not too fond of him, either- keeping me in the same coffin carrying case that I’ve been in for over 30 years- not doing my high-pitched voice nearly as well as Sven Sr. did- and, recently, using me wrapped in toilet paper for his Mummy gags! Is THIS how a show biz veteran, representing a classic wing of entertainment- ventriloquism- should be treated? I have to slave under the hot studio lights, risking sweating and warping (Sven: Why don’t you wear deodorant under the lights?”)...I dunno, Sven, why don’t YOU wear deodorant under your ARMS?!…anyway, my performances have always been a benchmark of the Svengoolie shows…actually, my uncle used to just…be a bench… and you’d think that I’d get more respect, but , no!!! This morning, on WGN radio, Spike O’Dell broadcast his show from Fitzgerald’s in Berwyn… and did he even think to invite me?

What, is he afraid of getting splinters when shaking my hand?

Speaking of which, Sven better watch where he puts his during our comedy bits-I think you know who the REAL dummy in the act is…ladies and germs, I appreciate you reading this blog…and your many years of fandom for this humble hardwood harbinger of hilarity. Request that Sven use me more on the program! And now, I’m finished- with some lovely shellac that brings out the ivory sheen of my face (Ivory Sheen- isn’t that Charlie Sheen’s new wife? Goodnight, everybody!)

We’ve been writing a daily blog since October 1, 2006. During that time, I have been the only person writing this blog. Well, this came to the attention of some of our other cast members- and they seem to feel that THEY should get a crack at it. I disagree, but someone (and I think I know who) discovered a clause in the company by-laws that indicates that we must give equal time to other cast members, even if only in small dosages- so, with that said, I reluctantly turn the keyboard over to- Zalman T. Tombstone, also known as Mr. Tombstone, also known as Tombstone the talking skull, also known as a major pain in my- wait a minute, he’s a skull- how is he going to TYPE?!

Whoa, mind your own business, you black-eyed baboon! Greetings, Tombstone fans near and far! I’m honored to be given the chance- finally- to address you via the Internet!

It’s about time, too- you’ve been reading that Goolie propaganda for over ten months! Don’t you want to hear what a hard-working cast member like me has to say?

I’ve been working with that top-hatted twit since 1979- back then, I had a lovely green moustache, and smoked a panatela the size of one of the Olson Twins’ forearms. I was an immediate hit, and got scads of fan mail. Much like the original Svengoolie’s female skull, Zelda- who was a distant relative of mine (notice the resemblance? We both look like skulls!)- I was kept out of the limelight by the alleged “host” of the show- who couldn’t carry a tune in a Ziplock bag. Sven has always been jealous of my talent- when he won any of his Emmy awards, did he ever thank me? No. When he gets interviewed, does he ever allow the interviewer to speak with me? No. When he makes his t-shirts does he ever put MY picture on them? Well…yeah, okay, he did that a couple times- but now- look! He’s too busy putting some pullet with a pituitary problem and some sort of greenish eye emanations on his shirts to include the benevolent bonehead who has contributed so much to his lackluster programs. I’ve worked so long and hard, my hulkish-green moustache has become a golden orange- and he stopped buying me those expensive cigars- although, actually, I stopped smoking them- you know, those things can kill you! Wait-I’m already dead. Well, now you know why.

So, I implore you- let Sven know how much you love me! Tell him we want “Bonuses for Boneheads!” This is Tombstone signing off from the blogisphere…because my chin can only take so much of this banging against the keyboard!

I know-“ more feedback?” Hey, you guys have come up with a lot to discuss and share with me and our blog readers!

Bret wrote to say that HE recently got a stand-by juror summons- much like I got, that I will be waiting to call in on soon, and find out if I will again be serving in the juror pool (I’d better wear water wings, or ask Amy Jacobsen for help…)

He called in, and , sure enough, he had to go in! This is in regards to me saying that I’d never known anyone who called in and was told NOT to show up- however, Bret says his mother once got a stand-by notice- called in- and was told she didn’t have to come in. Aha- but, a few weeks later, she got a regular jury summons, and had to go in. So, either way, he thinks I’ll end up serving soon…

Our long-time fan and friend Bohus, a film maker whom I’ve mentioned before, had an interesting story- that, while in college, he was called every year to serve! He mentioned how one attorney had a sneaky way of finding out people’s affiliations- by asking what bumper stickers they had on their car! Another time, since Bohus lived in (say it with me) Berwyn, the judge asked him how he liked Berwyn, and what he did on weeknights- and whether he considered himself a strong guy!? Bohus was a little concerned that this judge might have interest in him that wasn’t quite tied to the judicial system (not that there’s anything wrong with it, as long s it isn’t on the taxpayer’s time)…until later, the judge ran after him in the corridor- and asked him if he’d want to join his softball team that played in Berwyn that was short a couple guys! Take it from me- nobody will be asking ME to join their softball team…rubber-chicken tossing team, maybe…

John wrote, asking about the fact that, during a recent Mummy movie, when we did the song, a sticker on Doug’s piano said “T-Birds Rule”- he asked whom the T-Birds are, and what exactly it is that they rule? Well, John, You must not be a fan of the movie musical “grease”- the song we did was a parody of the song from the movie “Summer Nights”- with Tombstone doing an admirable job on the Olivia Newton-John part- and, in that movie, the gang the guys belong to is “the T-Birds!” And, I’d assume they rule 70s movies about the 50s…

And, with that- let’s end our feedback sessions for now. Honest, I promise. No feedback tomorrow. But, possibly, a day or two from now…

Let’s continue with our e-mail feedback- boy, I’ve got plenty of it- we may have to go another day or two!

Not too long ago-we ran a whole load of “Mummy” movies- in the order they were supposed to be in, as far as sequels go- with the exception of one film that Universal did not provide to us- “the Mummy’s Ghost”-which, as I mentioned on air, I would have liked to run, since it featured John Carradine as the fez-wearing fiend who was directing the Mummy on his fiendish forays. Well, I got an e-mail from Patricia, who told me how, at age six, she went to a friend’s house and happened to see an old mummy movie on TV. In it, the mummy carried a young girl into the swamp, and, as he went further into the morass, the young woman changed into an old crone. Patricia said that movie scared her to death- and now, fifty years later- she finally knows the name of the movie that frightened her so badly- ‘the Mummy’s Ghost!” She was thankful that my mention of it on the show finally solved the mystery for her. Now, if only we could have shown it!!!

Eric was happy to see some of our “Svensurround”-ed segments of the old 1932 Flash Gordon serial on a recent show. He wondered if there would ever be a whole Sven show of the serials…it’s certainly a possibility, since we’ve done several segments – it does take a long time to do them, with re-recording dialogue, added effects, etc. We might also be able to just do a whole, UN-“Svensurround” Flash serial, but, with our current Universal schedule, it might not be for a while. I know some of you remember us doing the fun full-color “Flash Gordon” movie (the one with the Queen soundtrack) several years ago. There’s a newly-refurbished version of that out on dvd, with cover by our pal the gifted artist Alex Ross- who also is in one of the disc’s extras, talking about the movie and its influence on him.

I mentioned that I had received a summons to be a stand-by juror-yes, the dreaded jury duty- and, no, I have not gone yet- the date is still to come, and you know I’ll write about it here. It’s one of those things where, the night before, I’m supposed to call in and find out if I will be needed the next day. Knowing my luck, I’m guessing that I will be told to show up, and, of course, I will perform my civic duty and appear- just as I have SIX TIMES before (what, doesn’t somebody ELSE ever get a turn?!) Anyway, I got a couple e-mails regarding that- but, once again- I’m running out of space- SO- let the feedback continue- AGAIN- tomorrow! In the meantime, you can write me at svengoolie@wciu.com…

How about starting the week off with some feedback that I’ve received lately from you avid blog browsers at svengoolie@wciu.com?

Dennis- writing all the way from Utah!- sent us a very eloquent e-mail, commenting on the recent passing of make-up great William Tuttle (who, in my blog, I neglected to mention did the make-up work on Peter Boyle in the beloved Mel Brooks horror parody “Young Frankenstein.”) Dennis wrote about how the current computer generated effects that have replaced not only make-up by actual three-dimensional depictions in films are great- but they kind of remove some of the wonder of what a movie-goer sees. Seeing the things done as miniatures, models, and stop-motion effects, like King Kong climbing the Empire State Building- as well as the great make-ups, like Lon Chaney’s Wolf Man- did give us a different sort of thrill that isn’t the same as something we know was just created with a computer and isn’t there at all. I certainly enjoy the c.g. effects as well, but I know what Dennis means. As he put it, with the c.g. effects- “you already know how it’s done.” The old way was kind of like watching a stage magician work- it was sleight of hand with a camera. Well-put, Dennis…

I heard from an old friend- Barry Kaufman, who used to run the great “House of Monsters” store in Chicago- sadly, the store is no more, but Barry is still around, and wrote to tell me how much he’s enjoying the old Universal classics. He wrote that it recalls the “golden age” of horror hosting, and, as much as he loves Dean Martin, when we ran “Cannonball Run” a few years ago- it wasn’t quite as rewarding as when we bring you “the Invisible Man.” Barry first wrote to me back in about 1979, when I was first hosting horror flicks, and he was running a sci-fi/horror fanzine that had lots of info on Japanese monster movies. It’s great to know he’s remained a fan for all these years!

Rick brought up a crazy old commercial from the 60s or 70s- with the Invisible Man for Scotch Invisible tape! He says it creeped him out as a kid- take a look at it at -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHrSWxKXliE

…meanwhile, it looks like I’ve used up my space (no, not MySpace) for today- so, let’s continue our feedback tomorrow- and, remember you can talk back to me at the address we gave at the top of this blog- svengoolie@wciu.com (or, if your e-mail bounces back at you- svenonu@aol.com )- thanks!

Did you enjoy seeing (or, almost seeing) Vincent Price in our movie last night? He’s always been a favorite actor of mine- And I’ve shown a lot of his movies in my career. Back at WFLD, they had the rights to a whole load of the Roger Corman/Edgar Allan Poe films that Vincent made- and they’d often make me run them one after another, which aggravated some viewers the way that our continuous runs of, say, Abbott and Costello movies do nowadays. Nevertheless, Price’s films are always a good time- like “the Pit and the Pendulum”- or, among my very favorites- “The Abominable Dr. Phibes” and “Dr. Phibes Rises Again!” I always felt that “Theater of Blood’ which we’ve run a few times on Sven, has the same sort of feel as the original “Phibes” flick- with a man thought to be dead, committing themed murders -and, back at 32, I believe I showed his movie “Madhouse”- in which he played a horror actor who returned to kill various people who’d done him wrong…again, kind of like the “Phibes/Theatre of Blood” plot.

We’ve shown him in the gloriously-gimmicky “House on Haunted Hill” and “the Bat”- and even had him in historical movies like “Tower of London.” Every horror film fan HAS to love him for “House of Wax”-in scary 3-D, kids! Of course, fans of the Caped Crusader remember him as ‘Egghead” in the 60s “Batman” series- while pop music fans put him on the charts for his voice work on Michael Jackson’s epic “Thriller.”

Some of you might recall a show that ran on WFLD for a short time, that was actually a Canadian production- “the Hilarious House of Frightenstein”- that Vincent did some work on- it was actually mainly a one-man show, with Billy Van dressed as various horror creatures. His final film role, of course, was his bittersweet performance in “Edward Scissorhands”- his role was supposed to be much more involved, but Vincent was far too ill to handle much at that time- and, sadly, could only appear in two of the scenes that had been planned for him.

In doing some research, I was amazed at how much television he did- everything from “the Red Skelton Hour” to “Columbo” to (sigh) “the Brady Bunch.”

Do any of you recall that, in the late sixties or early seventies, Vincent was tied in with sears, and promoted a line of “fine art” that they were pushing at the time? How incongruous are those three things- Price, Sears, and “fine art?!” Not only was Vincent an appreciator of art- but he also loved gourmet cooking. A friend gave me a huge cookbook written by Vincent and his first wife- and no, none of the recipes utilized “eye of newt.”

One of my favorite stories is how, at Bela Lugosi’s funeral- Vincent and Peter Lorre stood before Bela’s coffin, and Vincent whispered- “do you think we ought to drive a stake through his heart- just to be sure?” No wonder we love Vinnie!

Okay, there IS an unexpected Chicago Sky game airing tonight before Sven, so, you know the drill- the game may run long, and delay the start of the Svengoolie movie BUT- PLEASE keep tabs on what’s going on- as soon as the game winds up, we WILL be on, and, the show will run in its entirety- no “joining the show in progress.” And, you will want to see this entire show- it’s a sequel to “the Invisible Man” which you enjoyed last week- the seldom- seen “Invisible Man Returns.”

No, it’s not the deceased Mr. Griffin- Claude Rains- coming back- although you will see his mug shot on a police fingerprint record. This time, there’s a new transparent menace in town- played by none other than the great Vincent Price!

Vincent plays a wealthy young man who has been framed for the murder of his brother- and is about to be executed. However, he is friends with the scientist brother of the original Invisible Man- who helps him make his escape from prison- by utilizing the same formula, although with a slightly different name, to make Vincent invisible! There is still the nasty side-effect the drug has, of driving its user mad eventually- so Vincent is in a race with time to find out who actually murdered his brother and “clear”(get it?) his name- before the drug starts to warp his mind, and turn him evil.

This is another highly watchable movie; with some great actors as side characters- we’ll point them out, as usual- and the usual state of the art (for 1940) special effects are fun to see.

The main attraction, just like with Rains, is Price, whether he’s wrapped up, or doing the “voice-over” invisible performance. We have the usual Sven fun throughout, as well- the crew questioned why I used the song that I did- which I think most of you will recognize- and I think you’ll see how it fits! ( I got a few e-mails about last week’s song, that some folks didn’t recognize it until it hit the chorus- yes, it was “Stand By Your Man” redone as “Can’t Find Your Man!”) We’ll even bring you an older Vincent Price-lined bit, that dealt with a now-defunct game show (although I did notice it was also parodied on a first season new “Dr. Who” episode that PBS ran last week…)

So- please wait around for the Sky to finish their game (I keep hearing that this will DEFINITELY be the last one on a Saturday night for a while)- so you can see the whole Sven show this week. Believe me, I don’t want an invisible audience…

Winding up a sweltering workweek here at WCIU- and not a moment too soon. We just got thrown a curve for tomorrow night- there will be a previously unscheduled Chicago Sky game on before Sven, so, those of you who have been watching in the past couple months know the drill- the game very likely will run over, but STAY TUNED- we will run the entire Sven movie, “the Invisible Man Returns” –in its entirety. Yes, I know this means the 3 Stooges “Stooge-a-palooza” is pre-empted AGAIN. (It will happen again on the 25th, but NOT due to basketball…more to come at a later date.)

Might as well toss in a few loose ends here before the weekend…in the news today, they said that the Sun Times will now be relying on the Tribune to distribute their newspapers. If you’ve been reading here for a while, you know that I’m happy about that. The local agency that’s SUPPOSED to deliver my Sun Times has a tendency to deliver well for a few weeks- then, somehow just…not deliver. However, the Tribune is always there on time- and right on the front steps. Our Sun Times delivery is anywhere from right near the curb, where any passing cheapskate can filtch it, to under the bushes…so, bring it on, Tribune delivery!

Our friend Elizabeth from Horrorbles (a fine Sven sponsor- if you haven’t been there, what’s the problem? It’s 6731 W. Roosevelt in BERWYN) has sent an update on the famed “Spindle” located in the selfsame suburb that is so near and dear tour staked hearts. The sculpture- the multiple cars piled up on a huge spike, topped by a vintage little red Volkswagon bug- is still in the center of controversy- the local government and others, currently embarking on a big p.r. campaign promoting how lovable and livable Berwyn is (and you get no complaint form me there) are still wanting it removed to be replaced by a drive-thru equipped Walgreens. However, local papers report that a lot of the good citizens of Berwyn and surrounding burbs LIKE the sculpture- and want to see it survive. Doubtless, in the past week, you read about the bicycle group that wound up its weekly ride at the “Spindle”- or read the Tribune commentary (I did- since it was delivered PERFECTLY to my home!) in which none other than Judy Baar Topinka bemoaned that Berwyn is mainly known by the public for this “Spindle” and- the “BURR-WYN” cry of Svengoolie fame! Upcoming next week, WGN-AM’s Spike O’Dell will actually broadcast from Berwyn! Meanwhile, the cost to move and relocated the “Spindle” runs about $300,000 … any takers? If my rubber chicken budget wasn’t so high, I might make an offer…

This weekend, comic book fans around the Midwest will be flocking to the Wizard World comic convention in Rosemont.

I’m sure you might catch some of our crew out there, since many of us are comic fans.

Before the local big convention was taken over by Wizard (a magazine that gives the inside scoop on the comics industry)-

It was the Chicago ComiCon- and I was asked to visit, do a signing, and also to do something unique- they wanted to give me a wireless mike, which would broadcast over the in-house audio system, and have me just wander around, visiting people and booths, making comments, doing interviews, etc.

So, I did it- we had a nice crowd following us, enjoying what wee were doing…until one of the store owners who had a booth stormed up and said- “thanks a lot, you just cost me a $500 sale.” Right- I’m sure that if he had a customer who seriously was interested in an item worth that much money- that person would be easily distracted by my antics, and give up entirely on this item for which he was willing to part with half a thousand dollars. Whatever. That goof was the reason we stopped doing the commentary, much to the dismay of everybody but him- god forbid somebody take any attention away from his booth.

Nevertheless, we had a great time at the ComiCon- we got to see overblown wrestling star the Ultimate Warrior trying to push his comic book, got to chat with the lovely Carmen Electra, who also had a comic book at that time, and was quite taken with my make-up (I’m a rubber chicken magnet- I mean, a chick magnet- I mean- well, maybe both…) and met various other celebrities. We even met the gentleman who wrote the original novel that “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” was based on- who also told us that the sequel was already in the works. Ahem. Guess that never happened.(He DID live in Berwyn at one time, though…) It was a fun time, and you may have even seen the video footage, which we ran on the show-I think it was in three parts, spread across three shows. Recently, I met a guy at one of our signings-who we had interviewed there, who was dressed as Batman! There were plenty of costumed folks there, and it’s always kind of fun to see the people who dress up as a favorite character just to be a part of one of these big comics events. Meanwhile- will there ever be a Svengoolie comic book? Right now, that is privileged information…

In a previous blog, we mentioned that one of our viewers was not happy that we have to put so many commercial breaks into the Universal flicks we are currently showing, and said that the old “Shock Theatre” that ran on WBKB (now WLS-TV) in the 50s- Chicago television’s original source of the first TV run of the Universal classics- did not have any commercial breaks, ran the movie uninterrupted, and only had Marvin appear after the movie ended.

My personal recollections of “Shock Theatre” are very fuzzy, seeing as how I was only about four when it was on, and rarely got to stay up late enough to see it, so, I had no idea if they ran uninterrupted movies or not- but, knowing the nature of broadcast television, I was skeptical. But-darned if you loyal Sven fans out there didn’t come to the rescue- as usual- and supply the correct information!

Jerry says he was just 6 years old, but remembers loving the show, and –seeing commercial breaks, though he doesn’t recall if Marvin, the host, appeared in every one of them. He does, however, recall times after the movie that Marvin would host “Shocktail Parties” with a band in an expanded break.

Plus- no less an authority as Ted Okuda (whose “Chicago TV Horror Shows” book will be out soon) tells me that, in his interviews with cast members- they referred to the sketches they’d perform BETWEEN the commercial breaks! So, it had to have had the commercial interruptions. In fact, not only did they not run the movies uninterrupted, but actually would, at times, take out the opening title sequences of the films- and just go from their opening bit to the first scene of the film. Ted Also mentioned the “Shocktail parties”- which was an additional dosage of Marvin and his band “the Deadbeats” that came about when the show was such a ratings success, that the station actually expanded its time slot to accommodate the extra fun.

Ted e-mailed again to let me know that his friend Bob Andrews, who was an avid fan of Marvin back in those old days, watched the show all the time- and confirmed that there were commercial breaks. He also mentioned that there were times that the movies were trimmed down to accommodate the time slot.

My thanks to everyone who supplied the information- I can always count on you guys- and , you’ll find more info on “Shock Theatre” in Ted’s upcoming book (as well as full chapters about both the original Svengoolie and the current model!)

We often talk about the great old-school make-up men who made horror movies so believable on the show- and I found out that another great artist of the make-up craft has left us.

William Tuttle was once the head of MGM’s make-up department, and had a reputation as a true craftsman. He worked on the faces of some of the biggest stars, starting out early in such films as the early Technicolor classic “the Wizard of Oz.” Tuttle was quoted to say that working on the changes in make-up from black and white films to Technicolor- where the intense light used to bring out the color was strong enough to actually melt layers of make-up- was a “nightmare!”

He also did make-up jobs that would give people nightmares- he helped design the hideous Morlocks, the cannibalistic underground race in the movie of H.G. Well’s “the Time Machine”- using such unique influences as a visit to the zoo to study monkeys! He also devised small light bulbs to make the hideous monsters’ eyes light up!

Another great film for which he created unusual make-up was “the Seven Faces of Dr. Lao”- where he not only turned Tony Randall into an aged Chinese magician, but also the seven characters he also played! He also worked magic on Marlon Brando, transforming him into various characters, from a Roman leader to an Asian houseboy.

He worked on the faces of many of the biggest and most glamorous stars- including Donna Reed, who actually was married to for a while!

I was surprised to read about one of his techniques- he would make a perfect wax facial replica of just about every star at the studio-then, he would use that basis to design the various character make-ups required by each of their roles. He soon became known around the studio as the “King of the Duplicators” because he made such perfect copies of their faces.

William Tuttle passed on at the age of ninety-five- and was an Oscar winner who could create monsters or add just the right touch to make beautiful people more beautiful. In this day and age where so much is done with computer graphics, the loss of such a creative and knowledgeable man may signify the slow disappearance of the people who physically create make-up magic in films.

Since Stella Foster of the Sun Times (and her predecessor, Irv Kupcinet) have always been so kind to mention my birthday, let me turn the tables, and wish Stella a happy birthday! Best wishes- and no rubber chickens!

And now- let’s start out this week with some of your feedback – received at svengoolie@wciu.com…

Dave read my blog about stuff I want to do before summer’s end, and one of those things was to go pet the stingrays at Brookfield Zoo. Dave is a volunteer at the zoo, and pointed out A tip to those of us who want to commune with the rays- he says that, usually by noon- the rays are kind of worn out from all the attention, and tend to spend more time gathered at the middle of their pool, not necessarily within reach of people- so, he suggests going early for a good stingray experience! They even do a “breakfast with the rays” where you can feed them!

There is a charge for that, though…he also mentioned, before you get on your “Crocodile Hunter” horse, he also mentioned that the rays’ barbs are cut down (they’re kind of like your fingernails) so there’s no chance of any injury.

Bill read my blog regarding jury duty- and that this must be my sixth time…he wins, though, since he says he’s been called for jury duty every year for the past ten years! And yet- he’s never been picked! The worst part is, he lives in the city, and, invariably, has to go out to the suburbs…I’ll report on my jury duty experience when it comes up…I did hear a dj on the radio saying he got a summons, and a caller told him to just “throw it away- that’s what I did!”…smart girl…that’ll catch up with her eventually…

Paul is enjoying the Universal flicks, but doesn’t like the many commercial breaks. He says that the old “Shock Theatre” had NO breaks and Marvin, the host, was only on at the beginning and end. (Is that true?) I explained that we have to have that many breaks, to accommodate the sponsors, which pays for the movies. Paul also suggests that sometime I dress up as the original Sven! What do you guys think?

Recent e-mails have reminded me that you should NOT send me your resumes. I do not do any hiring, and there are NO job openings specific to the Svengoolie (or Stooges) show. If you have an interest in working here, please check with our human resources department.

More feedback soon- in the meantime, if you have a question or comment, I’m here to read it- just drop me a line at svengoolie@wciu.com …should that bounce back to you, try svenonu@aol.com …remember, I do personally read every single thing that comes in here! It’s all part of the job when you’re Svengoolie…(which surprises some people, who are amazed that I can read!)

I’m glad to hear that “the Invisible Man” was a big hit with Sven viewers last night- and a treat for those who never saw it before! And, next week, it’s the rarely-seen sequel-“the Invisible man Returns”- featuring Vincent Price as the next subject for the invisibility drug.

Invisible guys have certainly made a name for themselves in movies and television- heck, even Harry Potter tried it out with his “cloak of invisibility!” In the movie world, we also got an “Invisible Agent”- and, an “Invisible Woman!” In that one, none other than the honored third Stooge Shemp Howard made an appearance! You also saw an invisible man with our old pals Bud and Lou in “Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man”-not to mention a cameo at the end of “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.”

Television has spawned all manners of invisible guys- in the 50s there was a very popular television show that came from Great Britain called “the Invisible Man.” In that show, the unseen subject was a hero, and had no problem with the drug causing madness. America spawned a couple invisible ghosts on the show “Topper” which use a lot of the same type of effects our Invisible Man movies used.

The early 60s brought us another sort of invisible man- a Martian- “My Favorite Martian” to be exact, who could become invisible whenever he wanted to!

David McCallum, best known as agent Illya Kuryakin in “the Man from UNCLE” in the 60s, became another TV “Invisible Man” in the 70s- another good guy using his invisibility for the betterment of mankind. He was permanently invisible, and had to wear a realistic rubber face mask (complete with long blond hair!) and gloves when he was “visible!” The show was revamped a little, and became “Gemini Man” the next season-starring Ben Murphy as the guy who could disappear- I seem to recall that he had a watch that would trigger his appearing and disappearing, but I might be slightly off on that- hey, it’s only been about 30 years or so since I saw it!

I’m sure you remember a frightening modern movie- “the Hollow Man”- with Kevin Bacon as the guy who goes invisible- and, subsequently, mad. The special effects in that film were truly outstanding, including the “transformations” from visible to invisible- with the gradual appearance of bone, blood vessels, musculature and the rest.

Got a favorite invisible flick or show I didn’t mention? Let me know- svengoolie@wciu.com…

For once, I’m going to tell you what you’re NOT gonna see on Svengoolie tonight. Yeah, bad joke- it’s “the Invisible Man.”

If you’ve never seen this flick before, you’re in for a real treat!

This is a classic that I feel doesn’t get as much lip service as the big names like Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man- but it deserves to be right up there with the best Universal monster flicks.

As with so many of these black and white classics, the film creates an atmosphere that really affects the viewer. Claude Rains plays Griffin, the unfortunate Invisible Man, for most of the movie as just a “voice-over “ actor- as the special effects make his invisible progress operate, we hear his voice a great deal of the time-but don’t see him. He appears on-screen as the well-wrapped griffin, but you only see his real face at the very end of the movie. This doesn’t keep him from giving a masterful performance, though- you have to be impressed by the drama he creates solely with his voice! This was actually Rains’ second movie role- and his first SOUND movie appearance!

We explain about how the effects were done in tonight’s show- including how director James Whale had Rains dressed in a head to toe black velvet suit under his other clothes, and then shot him against a black background to be super-imposed against the rest of the film. All the effects were really a breakthrough at that time, and established certain ways of doing effects for many years to come. Also, if you watch tonight, I’ll tell you who Universal Studios originally wanted to play the Invisible Man- though Rains was Whale’s first and only choice, wait until you hear who the studio wanted!

Rains is often depicted, usually in a still picture, in subsequent sequels, mentioned as the scientist Griffin who tested this strange drug “monocaine” on himself- and fought the madness that came with the invisibility.

I’m very happy to be able to present this movie again- having shown it as “Son of” back in the 80s. Claude Rains was a great actor- we saw him in “the Wolf Man” as Larry Talbot’s father, who out-acted his “son” easily- and his name deserves to be right up there with Karloff and Lugosi. I hope you’ll tune in for a film that wears the name “classic” well- about a guy who- most of the time- doesn’t wear anything!

There are a couple things to celebrate today- first, Mark of our web staff has calculated that today marks my 300th blog !!! That’s a lot of two-fingered typing- mostly hitting the backspace key to correct mistakes. It’s hard to believe that I’ve written a new one of these every day since October 1st of last year.

Second, as I mentioned a few days ago- today is the birthday of someone without whom my Svengoolie career would not be possible. That person is, of course, Jerry G. Bishop- the original Sven, my mentor, and my friend.

Jerry is a Chicago native- spent a lot of his years in the Rogers Park area, went to Marshall High School, attended the U. of I. Chicago back when it was located at Navy Pier (it’s true!)-then, started in radio at small stations here and elsewhere in Illinois. He worked his way up the broadcasting ladder with great success, landing gigs in Washington, D.C., during the time of President John F. Kennedy, where he would occasionally, on-air, urge the President’s daughter Caroline to eat her oatmeal! Then, it was on to Cleveland, where he was very popular and successful, doing both radio and television- In fact, he had a Saturday night television show, a kind of dance party program- that was on opposite another Cleveland legend- Ghoulardi, the famed horror host played by Ernie Anderson. And- his radio show was on opposite Ron Britain!

Then, came the big and fortunate move- Jerry came home to Chicago to join WCFL radio. He took over for Jim Runyon in the mornings- you might remember Jim as the original narrator of the Dick Orkin “Chicken Man” radio serials (“Wellllll!” ) I immediately became a fan- he was quick, funny, not afraid to do “shtick”, and had the best library of “drop-ins” (the sound effects like “ow-ow-OW!”) this side of Wally Phillips, the WGN radio kingpin at that time. He played his guitar and sang (had a regional hit record called “She’s Gone”-

if you ever find a copy of that 45, let me know- also let me know if you have no idea what a “45” is…) Jerry got into television at growing station WFLD, which was conveniently located right next door to where WCFL was-in what was called the Marina City Theater Building, but is best known now as- the House of Blues! Jerry did various types of shows, read news, and was a staff announcer- who just happened to have the shift on Friday nights when the station showed horror flicks. He started doing stuff in a “Bela Lugosi crossed with Yiddish” accent- and Svengoolie was born!

I’ve told the story of how I hooked up with Jerry before, so I’ll end this here- but, I just want to say that Jerry has always been a wonderfully talented man, and an extremely generous man (hey- he’s the one who got me into this business, and gave me the permission to carry on with the Svengoolie name!)

I may be “Son of Svengoolie” in name only, but I feel that Jerry really is family to me. Happy Birthday, Jerry!

It’s our second blog of August- should we just call it the “Aug-Blog?” As July went away, so did our month of Mummy movies. There’s good and bad these themed months that we’ve done…it’s cool to show a film and its sequels (as I mentioned, Universal withh