September 2007 Archives
There are always a lot of questions regarding these “Creature from the Black Lagoon” films- and we’ve gotten a few about the final leg (or fin) of the trilogy that aired last night “The Creature Walks Among Us.”
For those interested, the underwater scenes were shot on location- in Wakulla Springs, Florida (see? They really WERE where they said they were- in Florida!) The area they shot in is actually a state park now. One expert viewer told me that Rex Reason- the good guy lead scientist- actually made a few appearances on the “Here’s Lucy” show with Lucille Ball, in various roles! He also pointed out that the female lead, Leigh Snowden, was married to a once-popular singer and accordion player (?!) Dick Contino- and she gave up show business after marrying him. See, guys? Play the accordion, and women will do anything for you! (Yeah, right…)
The sleazy young captain, played by Gregg Palmer, once was in the running to play comic strip character Lil Abner in a proposed series back in the 50s. The only reason this is of interest to us today is- when he auditioned, the part of his lovely blonde main squeeze from the comics- Daisy Mae- was played by a little-known actress named- Marilyn Monroe! How could that NOT have made it to air?!
Ricou Browning, who played the Creature for underwater scenes in all three of these films (remember-he’s the guy who could hold his breath for over FOUR MINUTES!) was interviewed once for a documentary, and talked about how, by the time they got to the third film, he felt that maybe he should get some onscreen billing as the Creature, as should the man who played the Creature for all the land-based scenes, who, in the third film’s case, was Don Megowan. However, the studio was adamant that the Creature NOT have an actor billed as “inside the costume.” Though the thought was that it was to maintain the mystery of the Gill Man, and make him more like a real Creature- the reality was most likely that they were worried they’d have to pay Ricou more!
I know that both Ricou and Ben Chapman, who played the creature on land in the first film, still like to make the rounds of horror and film conventions, and love meeting fans of the Gill Man. Our sponsor, Horrorbles, has actual autographed items that Gill Man movie actors have signed- and, it seems that most of them look back on their soggy days with the Creature very fondly!
For those interested, the underwater scenes were shot on location- in Wakulla Springs, Florida (see? They really WERE where they said they were- in Florida!) The area they shot in is actually a state park now. One expert viewer told me that Rex Reason- the good guy lead scientist- actually made a few appearances on the “Here’s Lucy” show with Lucille Ball, in various roles! He also pointed out that the female lead, Leigh Snowden, was married to a once-popular singer and accordion player (?!) Dick Contino- and she gave up show business after marrying him. See, guys? Play the accordion, and women will do anything for you! (Yeah, right…)
The sleazy young captain, played by Gregg Palmer, once was in the running to play comic strip character Lil Abner in a proposed series back in the 50s. The only reason this is of interest to us today is- when he auditioned, the part of his lovely blonde main squeeze from the comics- Daisy Mae- was played by a little-known actress named- Marilyn Monroe! How could that NOT have made it to air?!
Ricou Browning, who played the Creature for underwater scenes in all three of these films (remember-he’s the guy who could hold his breath for over FOUR MINUTES!) was interviewed once for a documentary, and talked about how, by the time they got to the third film, he felt that maybe he should get some onscreen billing as the Creature, as should the man who played the Creature for all the land-based scenes, who, in the third film’s case, was Don Megowan. However, the studio was adamant that the Creature NOT have an actor billed as “inside the costume.” Though the thought was that it was to maintain the mystery of the Gill Man, and make him more like a real Creature- the reality was most likely that they were worried they’d have to pay Ricou more!
I know that both Ricou and Ben Chapman, who played the creature on land in the first film, still like to make the rounds of horror and film conventions, and love meeting fans of the Gill Man. Our sponsor, Horrorbles, has actual autographed items that Gill Man movie actors have signed- and, it seems that most of them look back on their soggy days with the Creature very fondly!
Remember the old Fats Domino song- “I’m walkin’, yes, indeed…” –well, the Creature from the Black Lagoon is walkin’ tonight at 9 on Svengoolie- mainly because- he HAS to! No, he didn’t get his driver’s license revoked after a drunken road rage incident with Lindsey Lohan…the Gill Man, who, last time, you remember, escaped into the watery depths at Florida’s edge, did NOT die! He remains alive out in the Everglades. Naturally, there’s a new group of scientists and their cronies who want to find and capture the scaly rascal.
This time, however, things take a strange turn- and the Creature gets so badly burned, his gills won’t function- so, an amazing operation takes place to turn the Gill Man into a lung-breathing, land- dwelling Creature!
This is the final movie of our “Black Lagoon” trilogy- and Ricou Browning is still the man inside the Creature costume for all the underwater scenes. No Nestor Paiva as crusty Captain Lucas this time- but there is yet another leggy female for the Gill Man to fixate upon- and this time, she’s got a jealous hubby with whom she’s constantly at odds. Watch carefully for a scene where the Creature jumps up onto a boat- careful viewing will reveal that the film is actually run backwards, and it was shot with him leaping OFF the boat!
We’ve mentioned that the Gill Man was the last of the real classic monsters created by Universal Studios, and that they are working on a remake. The general opinion I’ve gotten from viewers is- if they re-make the film, it will be a BIG mistake to make the Creature look a lot different from the original…just as we want our Frankenstein to have that Boris Karloff/ Glenn Strange design to him, most people want the Gill Man to look like the 1950s version. Many brought up the disaster of having that new Godzilla not look like the original. Others wrote that they feel it would be a mistake to create the Creature through computer graphics- a cg Creature just wouldn’t be right- they actually WANT a guy in a rubber suit! Another prevalent opinion is- why remake it at all? Can’t we just have the classic version? My feeling is- if they can do what they did with the modern re-make of “the Mummy”- I wouldn’t mind seeing that at all. I’d still love the original, but could certainly tolerate a well-made new version with the FEEL of the classics.
That said, you’ll want to see the original third part of the Gill Man’s story…and our new song is a tune whose original has been sampled in a current popular hit! Plus- I’ll try to be Henry Higgins to “My Fair Gill Man” and get him to behave amidst human society. See you tonight at 9!
This time, however, things take a strange turn- and the Creature gets so badly burned, his gills won’t function- so, an amazing operation takes place to turn the Gill Man into a lung-breathing, land- dwelling Creature!
This is the final movie of our “Black Lagoon” trilogy- and Ricou Browning is still the man inside the Creature costume for all the underwater scenes. No Nestor Paiva as crusty Captain Lucas this time- but there is yet another leggy female for the Gill Man to fixate upon- and this time, she’s got a jealous hubby with whom she’s constantly at odds. Watch carefully for a scene where the Creature jumps up onto a boat- careful viewing will reveal that the film is actually run backwards, and it was shot with him leaping OFF the boat!
We’ve mentioned that the Gill Man was the last of the real classic monsters created by Universal Studios, and that they are working on a remake. The general opinion I’ve gotten from viewers is- if they re-make the film, it will be a BIG mistake to make the Creature look a lot different from the original…just as we want our Frankenstein to have that Boris Karloff/ Glenn Strange design to him, most people want the Gill Man to look like the 1950s version. Many brought up the disaster of having that new Godzilla not look like the original. Others wrote that they feel it would be a mistake to create the Creature through computer graphics- a cg Creature just wouldn’t be right- they actually WANT a guy in a rubber suit! Another prevalent opinion is- why remake it at all? Can’t we just have the classic version? My feeling is- if they can do what they did with the modern re-make of “the Mummy”- I wouldn’t mind seeing that at all. I’d still love the original, but could certainly tolerate a well-made new version with the FEEL of the classics.
That said, you’ll want to see the original third part of the Gill Man’s story…and our new song is a tune whose original has been sampled in a current popular hit! Plus- I’ll try to be Henry Higgins to “My Fair Gill Man” and get him to behave amidst human society. See you tonight at 9!
Okay, I’ll admit it-I actually watched a little of “Dancing with the Stars” the other night- haven’t watched it much since the one where the lovely Stacy Keebler was cheated out of a victory- and still wonder who decides that some of these people are stars. Granted, Wayne Newton can claim stardom- although, at this point, he looks like a waxwork figure (or a brother to that guy who does the fitness equipment warehouse commercials with the unnaturally dyed black hair and moustache)- and some of the other ‘stars” are questionable. Is wealthy sports team owner Mark Cuban a star?
It did give me a great idea- too bad they can’t do a one-time-only Halloween version of the show, with all the major monsters taking part. Imagine, the Frankenstein Monster doing a stiff-legged tango (just don’t let one of the judges tell him that he was “on fire” during his number!)…or, his Bride hissing at the judges when they put down her two-step! You have to admit that Dracula would be a suave ballroom dancer, complete with tuxedo…and the Wolf Man could be a hip-hop sensation, with his crouched stances. The Creature from the Black Lagoon might be at a disadvantage (unless it’s the land- dwelling version, whom you’ll see this Saturday night on Sven in “the Creature Walks Among Us!”)- in which case he might be able to do a creature Cha Cha! Besides, with his eye for the ladies, he’d be more than happy to have one of those hot professional dancer women as his partner! The Mummy would only be able to do slow dancing…reeeeaaallly slooow dancing (you recall his foot-dragging movement in all those sequels!)
I know somebody will bring up that Sven himself should be representing on a monster “Dancing” program. Believe me, that wouldn’t be pretty- but, here’s a tidbit for you- back at Maine East High School in Park Ridge, when a young Mr. Goolie was attending under his alter ego-one of the dance teachers, who always had a shortage of male dancers for the musicals, saw me and a good friend doing the grouch Marx walk- the stooped –over amble he used in the old movies. She noted that it was similar to one kind of dance move (which I don’t even recall now…hey, wait- did she put on over on us?!) and challenged us to work as dancers for her in an upcoming musical. Well, we did it- and here’s a tip for you youngsters in high school-not only was it kind of fun- but the female dancers were very attractive young women that we got to spend a lot of time around! And, I think we even did a good job as dancers.
That was many years before aching knees, a weak back (how long have I had a weak back? Oh, about a week back. That was for you Stooges fans) and loss of whatever coordination I once had finally set in. Nevertheless, today, I’d rather watch Frankenstein attempt a mambo than try it myself… although the results would be frighteningly similar!
It did give me a great idea- too bad they can’t do a one-time-only Halloween version of the show, with all the major monsters taking part. Imagine, the Frankenstein Monster doing a stiff-legged tango (just don’t let one of the judges tell him that he was “on fire” during his number!)…or, his Bride hissing at the judges when they put down her two-step! You have to admit that Dracula would be a suave ballroom dancer, complete with tuxedo…and the Wolf Man could be a hip-hop sensation, with his crouched stances. The Creature from the Black Lagoon might be at a disadvantage (unless it’s the land- dwelling version, whom you’ll see this Saturday night on Sven in “the Creature Walks Among Us!”)- in which case he might be able to do a creature Cha Cha! Besides, with his eye for the ladies, he’d be more than happy to have one of those hot professional dancer women as his partner! The Mummy would only be able to do slow dancing…reeeeaaallly slooow dancing (you recall his foot-dragging movement in all those sequels!)
I know somebody will bring up that Sven himself should be representing on a monster “Dancing” program. Believe me, that wouldn’t be pretty- but, here’s a tidbit for you- back at Maine East High School in Park Ridge, when a young Mr. Goolie was attending under his alter ego-one of the dance teachers, who always had a shortage of male dancers for the musicals, saw me and a good friend doing the grouch Marx walk- the stooped –over amble he used in the old movies. She noted that it was similar to one kind of dance move (which I don’t even recall now…hey, wait- did she put on over on us?!) and challenged us to work as dancers for her in an upcoming musical. Well, we did it- and here’s a tip for you youngsters in high school-not only was it kind of fun- but the female dancers were very attractive young women that we got to spend a lot of time around! And, I think we even did a good job as dancers.
That was many years before aching knees, a weak back (how long have I had a weak back? Oh, about a week back. That was for you Stooges fans) and loss of whatever coordination I once had finally set in. Nevertheless, today, I’d rather watch Frankenstein attempt a mambo than try it myself… although the results would be frighteningly similar!
September 27
One of our viewers brought up an old comedy bit that surfaces every once in a while- and asked who did the original recording of it. The thing is- I’m not sure, from his description- So, I’m asking you for help. Bill recalls the story of “Rindercella”- the Cinderella story done in “spoonerisms” (a transposition of sounds in a word or phrase for comedic effect- whether planned or unplanned)- about Rindercella and her two “sugly isters”-her “mugly other”- and how the glass slipper “find’t dit” until Rindercella tried it on and then the “flipper sit.” By the way, my spellcheck on this computer is going crazy while I attempt to write this…
I remember that Archie Campbell, one of the comics on the old “Hee Haw” show, did a recording of it in the late 60s…but Bill says the version he heard, in the early sixties, had the guy, who sounded like a beatnik, doing the story over a jazz music bed. If you have any idea who recorded that version- or know for sure who wrote the bit- please let me know!
I remember first learning about spoonerisms as a kid- supposedly named after a Reverend Spooner who had a habit of mixing up his words in that fashion. One example that was always printed was when he welcomed a parishioner to his church, and said “madame, may I sew you to your sheet?” (although that seems to be written phonetically…)
Spoonerisms reminded me of “Tom Swifties”- a definitely dated wordplay deal. This was another mid-60s thing- there were older, more archaically written adventures of Tom Swift that always used phrases like “ ‘ We have to land safely at the air strip’ he said dryly” or “ ‘He ran over that hill’ he said breathlessly.” There was always that descriptive word after the “said”- so, some comedians invented “Tom Swifties”- where you made up that descriptive word to make a joke out of the previous sentence. Examples: “ ‘That’s a big hole in the ground’ he said gravely” (get it? Hole in the ground? Grave?) or, to use the same descriptive word from one of the above sentences “ ‘I could sure use a beer’ he said dryly.” I guess it wasn’t THAT funny- and I’m also guessing that, if they do indeed still write Tom Swift adventures- they dispensed with that kind of stuff a few decades ago…it just dawned on me that there are probably people who have no idea who Tom Swift was (is?)- he was a popular character for young readers,like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. He usually had adventures involving futuristic inventions and aircraft, and was a youthful hero young boys were supposed to want to be like! That makes me wonder- do kids want to be like other kids, or do they want to be like ADULT heroes? (I always thought I wanted to be like Batman, not like Robin…)
Wow. My writing today has veered from one subject to the next! Maybe tomorrow I can keep the blog train on a single track…
One of our viewers brought up an old comedy bit that surfaces every once in a while- and asked who did the original recording of it. The thing is- I’m not sure, from his description- So, I’m asking you for help. Bill recalls the story of “Rindercella”- the Cinderella story done in “spoonerisms” (a transposition of sounds in a word or phrase for comedic effect- whether planned or unplanned)- about Rindercella and her two “sugly isters”-her “mugly other”- and how the glass slipper “find’t dit” until Rindercella tried it on and then the “flipper sit.” By the way, my spellcheck on this computer is going crazy while I attempt to write this…
I remember that Archie Campbell, one of the comics on the old “Hee Haw” show, did a recording of it in the late 60s…but Bill says the version he heard, in the early sixties, had the guy, who sounded like a beatnik, doing the story over a jazz music bed. If you have any idea who recorded that version- or know for sure who wrote the bit- please let me know!
I remember first learning about spoonerisms as a kid- supposedly named after a Reverend Spooner who had a habit of mixing up his words in that fashion. One example that was always printed was when he welcomed a parishioner to his church, and said “madame, may I sew you to your sheet?” (although that seems to be written phonetically…)
Spoonerisms reminded me of “Tom Swifties”- a definitely dated wordplay deal. This was another mid-60s thing- there were older, more archaically written adventures of Tom Swift that always used phrases like “ ‘ We have to land safely at the air strip’ he said dryly” or “ ‘He ran over that hill’ he said breathlessly.” There was always that descriptive word after the “said”- so, some comedians invented “Tom Swifties”- where you made up that descriptive word to make a joke out of the previous sentence. Examples: “ ‘That’s a big hole in the ground’ he said gravely” (get it? Hole in the ground? Grave?) or, to use the same descriptive word from one of the above sentences “ ‘I could sure use a beer’ he said dryly.” I guess it wasn’t THAT funny- and I’m also guessing that, if they do indeed still write Tom Swift adventures- they dispensed with that kind of stuff a few decades ago…it just dawned on me that there are probably people who have no idea who Tom Swift was (is?)- he was a popular character for young readers,like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. He usually had adventures involving futuristic inventions and aircraft, and was a youthful hero young boys were supposed to want to be like! That makes me wonder- do kids want to be like other kids, or do they want to be like ADULT heroes? (I always thought I wanted to be like Batman, not like Robin…)
Wow. My writing today has veered from one subject to the next! Maybe tomorrow I can keep the blog train on a single track…
Okay- as I promised yesterday- a double-long blog today! (Well, maybe not a full double shot, but- close enough!) I get a lot of nice comments from you fans of the Sven songs. Many of you enjoyed the parody of the current Rhianna song
“Shut Up and Drive” that we did in “Revenge of the Creature”- our version was “Shut Up and Dive!” As always, Doug did a great job on the background track. People often ask if I had an influence in parody song writing…and, yes, there were a few that spring to mind right away. No, Weird Al wasn’t one of them…because the influences hit me at a very young age-probably even before Al was born! My brothers and I always made up little song parodies, so when we discovered pros who did it- we took notice!
Two of these influences were mainly recording artists and radio stars. Spike Jones and his band were cranking out their funny stuff in the 40s and 50s, and even made their way from radio to TV! They did parodies of a wide range of music- classical, popular, and even traditional songs. The full orchestration of a big band, along with the wacky sound effects (for those who don’t know, Spike would play stuff like a brake drum, washboards, bells, auto horns, etc.) made for some energetic, funny songs. Some people listen to his stuff today, and just don’t get it- but, I did and still do! Some of the tunes are still funny, even if you don’t know the original version.
The other artist is Stan Freberg, who was a great radio performer who did parodies of all kinds, but his musical parodies are great. His versions of “Sh-Boom” and “Heartbreak Hotel” go beyond just changing lyrics- they rib the performers, the techniques they used to present their music- it becomes a whole concept thing, and it certainly left a lasting impression on me!
The final influence was Allan Sherman. He was mainly a TV producer, who created and produced the long-running TV hit “I’ve Got a Secret”-but he also was a comedian, and wrote parody songs. He reportedly wrote an entire full-length Jewish-American parody of “My Fair Lady”- but couldn’t record it due to copyright issues. He became a big hit, with several albums of parody songs. I think everybody knows “Hello Muddah-Hello Faddah”- and there are certain tunes that I can hear and remember, word for word, Sherman’s parody lyrics- much more readily than the original lyrics!
Supposedly he was a favorite of President John F. Kennedy (who was also being parodied at the time in the famous “First Family” album.) He also wrote a Broadway musical that DID get produced and recorded, and wrote a couple books. With his popularity back then in the early to mid 60s, he even ended up guest hosting “the Tonight Show”- and just happened to be the one who first introduced the TV audience to a young comic named Bill Cosby! (If you check Cosby’s early record albums, Sherman is listed as a producer, but supposedly, his name was put on the records to take advantage of his vast popularity and try to “give the rub” to Bill, and maybe have people who wouldn’t pick up the record do so because they liked Sherman-who really didn’t have a lot of involvement in the albums!)
So, even as a kid, I was putting together songs that had lyrics that were close to the originals, but had a comedic bent to them. At first, I was doing them just to entertain my family and friends- but, as time went on, I found new audiences- whether live or via broadcasting (including my early broadcasts on the high school radio station at Maine East!)
And- eventually- they became a big part of the entertainment I’ve presented, both on TV and radio. I really enjoy doing the songs- even though I’m not exactly a good singer. When the words are close to the original, and yet sell
“Shut Up and Drive” that we did in “Revenge of the Creature”- our version was “Shut Up and Dive!” As always, Doug did a great job on the background track. People often ask if I had an influence in parody song writing…and, yes, there were a few that spring to mind right away. No, Weird Al wasn’t one of them…because the influences hit me at a very young age-probably even before Al was born! My brothers and I always made up little song parodies, so when we discovered pros who did it- we took notice!
Two of these influences were mainly recording artists and radio stars. Spike Jones and his band were cranking out their funny stuff in the 40s and 50s, and even made their way from radio to TV! They did parodies of a wide range of music- classical, popular, and even traditional songs. The full orchestration of a big band, along with the wacky sound effects (for those who don’t know, Spike would play stuff like a brake drum, washboards, bells, auto horns, etc.) made for some energetic, funny songs. Some people listen to his stuff today, and just don’t get it- but, I did and still do! Some of the tunes are still funny, even if you don’t know the original version.
The other artist is Stan Freberg, who was a great radio performer who did parodies of all kinds, but his musical parodies are great. His versions of “Sh-Boom” and “Heartbreak Hotel” go beyond just changing lyrics- they rib the performers, the techniques they used to present their music- it becomes a whole concept thing, and it certainly left a lasting impression on me!
The final influence was Allan Sherman. He was mainly a TV producer, who created and produced the long-running TV hit “I’ve Got a Secret”-but he also was a comedian, and wrote parody songs. He reportedly wrote an entire full-length Jewish-American parody of “My Fair Lady”- but couldn’t record it due to copyright issues. He became a big hit, with several albums of parody songs. I think everybody knows “Hello Muddah-Hello Faddah”- and there are certain tunes that I can hear and remember, word for word, Sherman’s parody lyrics- much more readily than the original lyrics!
Supposedly he was a favorite of President John F. Kennedy (who was also being parodied at the time in the famous “First Family” album.) He also wrote a Broadway musical that DID get produced and recorded, and wrote a couple books. With his popularity back then in the early to mid 60s, he even ended up guest hosting “the Tonight Show”- and just happened to be the one who first introduced the TV audience to a young comic named Bill Cosby! (If you check Cosby’s early record albums, Sherman is listed as a producer, but supposedly, his name was put on the records to take advantage of his vast popularity and try to “give the rub” to Bill, and maybe have people who wouldn’t pick up the record do so because they liked Sherman-who really didn’t have a lot of involvement in the albums!)
So, even as a kid, I was putting together songs that had lyrics that were close to the originals, but had a comedic bent to them. At first, I was doing them just to entertain my family and friends- but, as time went on, I found new audiences- whether live or via broadcasting (including my early broadcasts on the high school radio station at Maine East!)
And- eventually- they became a big part of the entertainment I’ve presented, both on TV and radio. I really enjoy doing the songs- even though I’m not exactly a good singer. When the words are close to the original, and yet sell
September 25 (and what you missed Sept. 20!)
I’ve been informed that our September 20 blog somehow wasn’t posted- so, since I’m way late on things today, here’s the missing blog…and I’ll give you a double-header tomorrow!
I just was tipped off to something that’s really funny- if you’re an Ed Wood fan, or even know a little about him.
I think most people know that Ed Wood, whose life was brilliantly portrayed by Johnny Depp in the Tim Burton “Ed Wood” film, was a cheapo film maker, who loved making movies, continuity and budget not withstanding. He made the immortal “Plan 9 from Outer Space” and “Bride of the Monster.” He befriended Bela Lugosi when he was down and out in his later years, and used him in his films. Wood enjoyed cross-dressing- dressing as a woman- and had a real fondness for fuzzy angora sweaters. He even made a film-“Glen or Glenda?”- that was the story about “someone” (who happened to be played by Wood himself) who enjoyed dressing as a woman, and how this caused turmoil in his life. Several years back, we did a really nice, sort of documentary show on Svengoolie that I’m kind of proud of- called “Out of the Woodwork”- about Wood, his life, and his films. There are some very interesting books about Wood out there as well, for those who’d like to learn more about a very strange, yet dedicated filmmaker.
Anyway- the reason I bring this up- on the very popular YouTube site right now, there is a funny film mash-up that those who know about Wood and his films will especially enjoy. Just look for “Bugs Bunny in Glen or Glenda.” This short film uses footage from old Warner Bros. cartoons, and footage and soundtrack from Wood’s “Glen or Glenda” to make a NEW “Glen or Glenda” film starring Bugs! We all know how Bugs and other characters would often end up dressed as women in some cartoons- and this short uses clips to illustrate the “Glen or Glenda” subject matter. Certain things work best if you’re really familiar with the Wood film- but there’s an awful lot that anybody with even a limited knowledge of Wood and his films will find funny. You’ll even see our old pal Bela show up in clips from “Glen or Glenda”- so, check it out!
This also reminded me what a big fan I’ve always been of the old classic Warner Bros. cartoons- stuff that not only made me laugh as a kid, and certainly influenced my sense- and style- of humor, but also served as an education- you learned about stuff like gasoline rationing, World War II, fads and catch phrases, old Hollywood stars- seriously! Of course, as I got older, I really got to appreciate how ell-made, well-written, and well-acted these cartoons were- and learned the difference between the weaker newer Warner Bros. stuff and the vintage great stuff.
Please check out the mix of Wood and Warner, if you’d like a good laugh- then, go rent or buy those DVDs of classic cartoons if you’d like some great laughs! Th-th-th-that’s all, folks! (Especially you folks in the angora sweaters…)
I’ve been informed that our September 20 blog somehow wasn’t posted- so, since I’m way late on things today, here’s the missing blog…and I’ll give you a double-header tomorrow!
I just was tipped off to something that’s really funny- if you’re an Ed Wood fan, or even know a little about him.
I think most people know that Ed Wood, whose life was brilliantly portrayed by Johnny Depp in the Tim Burton “Ed Wood” film, was a cheapo film maker, who loved making movies, continuity and budget not withstanding. He made the immortal “Plan 9 from Outer Space” and “Bride of the Monster.” He befriended Bela Lugosi when he was down and out in his later years, and used him in his films. Wood enjoyed cross-dressing- dressing as a woman- and had a real fondness for fuzzy angora sweaters. He even made a film-“Glen or Glenda?”- that was the story about “someone” (who happened to be played by Wood himself) who enjoyed dressing as a woman, and how this caused turmoil in his life. Several years back, we did a really nice, sort of documentary show on Svengoolie that I’m kind of proud of- called “Out of the Woodwork”- about Wood, his life, and his films. There are some very interesting books about Wood out there as well, for those who’d like to learn more about a very strange, yet dedicated filmmaker.
Anyway- the reason I bring this up- on the very popular YouTube site right now, there is a funny film mash-up that those who know about Wood and his films will especially enjoy. Just look for “Bugs Bunny in Glen or Glenda.” This short film uses footage from old Warner Bros. cartoons, and footage and soundtrack from Wood’s “Glen or Glenda” to make a NEW “Glen or Glenda” film starring Bugs! We all know how Bugs and other characters would often end up dressed as women in some cartoons- and this short uses clips to illustrate the “Glen or Glenda” subject matter. Certain things work best if you’re really familiar with the Wood film- but there’s an awful lot that anybody with even a limited knowledge of Wood and his films will find funny. You’ll even see our old pal Bela show up in clips from “Glen or Glenda”- so, check it out!
This also reminded me what a big fan I’ve always been of the old classic Warner Bros. cartoons- stuff that not only made me laugh as a kid, and certainly influenced my sense- and style- of humor, but also served as an education- you learned about stuff like gasoline rationing, World War II, fads and catch phrases, old Hollywood stars- seriously! Of course, as I got older, I really got to appreciate how ell-made, well-written, and well-acted these cartoons were- and learned the difference between the weaker newer Warner Bros. stuff and the vintage great stuff.
Please check out the mix of Wood and Warner, if you’d like a good laugh- then, go rent or buy those DVDs of classic cartoons if you’d like some great laughs! Th-th-th-that’s all, folks! (Especially you folks in the angora sweaters…)
I promised you we’d get back to my feedback from you at svengoolie@wciu.com ...so, let us continue!!!
J.C. sent me some information he found on someone else’s blog page-(thanks to Rog!) about some bizarre Halloween candy that was proposed- and never made it to stores! You won’t believe this stuff- it’s a line of candy called “Chef Goul-R-dee” (no relation to famous old horror host from Cleveland, Ghoulardi)-and, among the bizarre offerings are the “Body bag of parts”- a collection of candy ears, hearts, etc. with lots of detail to them- the label reads that “Zombies Kill for Them!”-
And “Zombie Claws”- gummy fingers with gooey innards, all in different flavors and colors! I’m not even going to get into the “Edible Scabs”- but, I think you can see why these never quite made it to the candy aisle of your favorite store!
Jerry asked if I knew about a documentary making the rounds- “American Scary” –about various horror hosts new and old- he noticed that I wasn’t involved although the original Sven, Jerry G. Bishop, does appear. Well, I was not available when they were shooting the documentary- but, they are planning a book to be a companion for the doc, and they will be interviewing me for that. Meanwhile, a documentary about yours truly is in the works- you may have encountered the fellows shooting it at some of my appearances. When that surfaces, I’ll tell you about it here!
El’Ahrai writes that watching my show has always been a tradition in his house- and that there’s a new tradition with a new addition! He and his wife have a brand new daughter, and the first day she was home was a Saturday- so he settled down with his new daughter and watched the show with her (was she laughing at my jokes, or was that just gas?!) I hope to show a photo of this on a show next month…
The subject of our webmaster on the show, Qwerty the tarantula, continues to be discussed- more and more of you seem to think that you’d like him to lock onto just one voice that would be consistent from week to week. Kevin M. says he thinks that a Jerry Lewis voice, like the Nutty Professor, would be good- or, even with a few embellishments, turning that voice into a “Professor Frink” voice, like the character on the Simpsons, might be equally as effective. Other votes include a Peter Lorre voice, or even Pee Wee Herman.(I kind of liked the Hulkster voice, except it killed my- I mean, HIS- throat…)- so, let me know what your opinion is- maybe by the end of the next month or so, he’ll have a single voice (when we have the time to LET him talk, of course!)
Please keep the feedback coming! The e-mail address is at the top of this blog- so, scroll up, and write on!
J.C. sent me some information he found on someone else’s blog page-(thanks to Rog!) about some bizarre Halloween candy that was proposed- and never made it to stores! You won’t believe this stuff- it’s a line of candy called “Chef Goul-R-dee” (no relation to famous old horror host from Cleveland, Ghoulardi)-and, among the bizarre offerings are the “Body bag of parts”- a collection of candy ears, hearts, etc. with lots of detail to them- the label reads that “Zombies Kill for Them!”-
And “Zombie Claws”- gummy fingers with gooey innards, all in different flavors and colors! I’m not even going to get into the “Edible Scabs”- but, I think you can see why these never quite made it to the candy aisle of your favorite store!
Jerry asked if I knew about a documentary making the rounds- “American Scary” –about various horror hosts new and old- he noticed that I wasn’t involved although the original Sven, Jerry G. Bishop, does appear. Well, I was not available when they were shooting the documentary- but, they are planning a book to be a companion for the doc, and they will be interviewing me for that. Meanwhile, a documentary about yours truly is in the works- you may have encountered the fellows shooting it at some of my appearances. When that surfaces, I’ll tell you about it here!
El’Ahrai writes that watching my show has always been a tradition in his house- and that there’s a new tradition with a new addition! He and his wife have a brand new daughter, and the first day she was home was a Saturday- so he settled down with his new daughter and watched the show with her (was she laughing at my jokes, or was that just gas?!) I hope to show a photo of this on a show next month…
The subject of our webmaster on the show, Qwerty the tarantula, continues to be discussed- more and more of you seem to think that you’d like him to lock onto just one voice that would be consistent from week to week. Kevin M. says he thinks that a Jerry Lewis voice, like the Nutty Professor, would be good- or, even with a few embellishments, turning that voice into a “Professor Frink” voice, like the character on the Simpsons, might be equally as effective. Other votes include a Peter Lorre voice, or even Pee Wee Herman.(I kind of liked the Hulkster voice, except it killed my- I mean, HIS- throat…)- so, let me know what your opinion is- maybe by the end of the next month or so, he’ll have a single voice (when we have the time to LET him talk, of course!)
Please keep the feedback coming! The e-mail address is at the top of this blog- so, scroll up, and write on!
Our Gill Man sequel last night- “Revenge of the Creature” –seems to have been well accepted by you guys! Although I kid about the headaches it caused me when I ran it in 3-D, and had to weather all the complaints, I really do enjoy it.
One cast listing I saw credits a “Loretta Agar” as “woman on boat”- I’m wondering if that’s the woman having a drink on the boat with a guy near the end who hear something…anyway, I discovered that she was John Agar’s wife (following his short marriage to Shirley Temple!) She also played a dancing girl in Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” –and that was about it for her film career.
There are some nice hokey moments in the film- did you notice that, when the Gill Man meets the two young college guys on the beach at night, and he throws one of them into a palm tree- you catch a glimpse of the wires holding the guy up?
I’ve read that they used wires to help hold up some of the people the Creature had to carry, but this is the most visible example!
Here’s another question- when they bring the Gill Man from his home in the lagoon in the Amazon to the Ocean Harbor theme park in Florida- why do they put him in a tank with salt water creatures, like barracuda and sawfish? Wouldn’t the Gill Man be a FRESH water dweller? Or, did the scientists accidentally put him on a high sodium diet? You’d better watch that blood pressure, Gill!
Did you also notice- that they used the same footage of old captain Lucas tooting the ship’s horn and scaring a crocodile that was used in the first film? And- IS the footage of the Creature supposedly sinking to his doom at the end of this flick the exact same footage they used at the end of the first film? These guys obviously believed in re-cycling… here’s another bit of trivia for you- the guy who did the land scenes as the Creature- Tom Hennesy- came close to drowning in one scene! In a nighttime scene, he grabs the lady ichthyologist (actually, a stunt woman for this scene) and leaps off the pier with her in his arms. As they went into the water, they discovered a couple disheartening things- one, that the water was full of jellyfish- and two- there was a nice undertow pulling them down! The stuntwoman swam to the surface and got out- but Hennesy, whose costume was the LAND version, found his suit was getting water-logged and pulling him down further into the water, since it was getting so heavy! Only the assistance of two local kids who had been watching the filming from a boat, and pulled him to safety, kept that Gill Man from becoming a dead man!
Okay, you’ve come this far- you’ll need to see how the whole story ends- so, tune in next Saturday night for the final part of the Gill Man saga!
One cast listing I saw credits a “Loretta Agar” as “woman on boat”- I’m wondering if that’s the woman having a drink on the boat with a guy near the end who hear something…anyway, I discovered that she was John Agar’s wife (following his short marriage to Shirley Temple!) She also played a dancing girl in Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” –and that was about it for her film career.
There are some nice hokey moments in the film- did you notice that, when the Gill Man meets the two young college guys on the beach at night, and he throws one of them into a palm tree- you catch a glimpse of the wires holding the guy up?
I’ve read that they used wires to help hold up some of the people the Creature had to carry, but this is the most visible example!
Here’s another question- when they bring the Gill Man from his home in the lagoon in the Amazon to the Ocean Harbor theme park in Florida- why do they put him in a tank with salt water creatures, like barracuda and sawfish? Wouldn’t the Gill Man be a FRESH water dweller? Or, did the scientists accidentally put him on a high sodium diet? You’d better watch that blood pressure, Gill!
Did you also notice- that they used the same footage of old captain Lucas tooting the ship’s horn and scaring a crocodile that was used in the first film? And- IS the footage of the Creature supposedly sinking to his doom at the end of this flick the exact same footage they used at the end of the first film? These guys obviously believed in re-cycling… here’s another bit of trivia for you- the guy who did the land scenes as the Creature- Tom Hennesy- came close to drowning in one scene! In a nighttime scene, he grabs the lady ichthyologist (actually, a stunt woman for this scene) and leaps off the pier with her in his arms. As they went into the water, they discovered a couple disheartening things- one, that the water was full of jellyfish- and two- there was a nice undertow pulling them down! The stuntwoman swam to the surface and got out- but Hennesy, whose costume was the LAND version, found his suit was getting water-logged and pulling him down further into the water, since it was getting so heavy! Only the assistance of two local kids who had been watching the filming from a boat, and pulled him to safety, kept that Gill Man from becoming a dead man!
Okay, you’ve come this far- you’ll need to see how the whole story ends- so, tune in next Saturday night for the final part of the Gill Man saga!
After so many of you tuned in for “the Creature from the Black Lagoon” last week, I’m sure tonight at 9, you’ll all be coming back for the next installment in the “Gill Man trilogy”- “Revenge of the Creature!” And, before you ask- yes, this IS the movie that I presented to the Chicago viewing audience in 3-D back in the 1980s! Although BOTH last week and this week’s films were originally produced in the 3-D process- THIS is the one I ran on WFLD that way! And- NO- you can NOT have your 89 cents back because it didn’t work…
However, this movie certainly works- another group heads back up the Amazon to the Black Lagoon, to see if –a) the Gill Man is still alive, and b) to capture him-this time for sure! Leading the expedition is John Bromfield. Those of you who used to watch me in the 80s will remember we made non-stop fun of him- because he used to emcee and promote the yearly outdoors and sportsman show in Chicago. Wearing his ever-present cowboy hat- a relic from his 50s TV show “Sheriff of Cochise”- he’d show up in TV and radio ads, modestly proclaiming “I’m John Bromfield- Mister Sportsman!” (Who crowned you with THAT monicker, big shot?) “It’s the biggest show ever!” he’d bellow every year. By the 70s and early 80s,
Memories of his TV show were probably wearing kind of thin, but he’d be there, signing autographs and kissing muskies- I mean, babies. He had gotten into sport fishing after his TV career took a dive- maybe it all stems from his days with the Gill Man. Anyway, he brings him back alive to a theme park in Florida- where he’s studied, “conditioned” with an electric underwater cattle prod (remind me why the current wouldn’t travel through the water and zap the person doing the zapping?!)-and, getting an eyeful of a pretty female ichthyologist. Needless to say, before too long, the Gill Man makes his escape- and the public lives in fear that he’ll ruin their tanning time at the beach, or even rip their faces off.
John Agar is the valiant scientist hero who tries to spare the populace from the “Revenge of the Creature!”
Watch for young Clint Eastwood in a quick cameo as a wacky lab assistant- and, an extended visit with “Flippy the Educated Porpoise.” Since the guy in the Creature suit for the aquatic scenes- Ricou Browning- later worked with Ivan Tors on “Flipper”- do you think he might have gotten that name from this film’s porpoise?
Regardless, this movie is a lot of scary fun- so tune in tonight- and come back next week for the final part of the trilogy…no 3-D glasses necessary…
However, this movie certainly works- another group heads back up the Amazon to the Black Lagoon, to see if –a) the Gill Man is still alive, and b) to capture him-this time for sure! Leading the expedition is John Bromfield. Those of you who used to watch me in the 80s will remember we made non-stop fun of him- because he used to emcee and promote the yearly outdoors and sportsman show in Chicago. Wearing his ever-present cowboy hat- a relic from his 50s TV show “Sheriff of Cochise”- he’d show up in TV and radio ads, modestly proclaiming “I’m John Bromfield- Mister Sportsman!” (Who crowned you with THAT monicker, big shot?) “It’s the biggest show ever!” he’d bellow every year. By the 70s and early 80s,
Memories of his TV show were probably wearing kind of thin, but he’d be there, signing autographs and kissing muskies- I mean, babies. He had gotten into sport fishing after his TV career took a dive- maybe it all stems from his days with the Gill Man. Anyway, he brings him back alive to a theme park in Florida- where he’s studied, “conditioned” with an electric underwater cattle prod (remind me why the current wouldn’t travel through the water and zap the person doing the zapping?!)-and, getting an eyeful of a pretty female ichthyologist. Needless to say, before too long, the Gill Man makes his escape- and the public lives in fear that he’ll ruin their tanning time at the beach, or even rip their faces off.
John Agar is the valiant scientist hero who tries to spare the populace from the “Revenge of the Creature!”
Watch for young Clint Eastwood in a quick cameo as a wacky lab assistant- and, an extended visit with “Flippy the Educated Porpoise.” Since the guy in the Creature suit for the aquatic scenes- Ricou Browning- later worked with Ivan Tors on “Flipper”- do you think he might have gotten that name from this film’s porpoise?
Regardless, this movie is a lot of scary fun- so tune in tonight- and come back next week for the final part of the trilogy…no 3-D glasses necessary…
We haven’t done a genuine, hard-hitting, action-packed feedback blog lately- so, let’s take a look at some of the latest e-mails and messages that have arrived via snail mail and svengoolie@wciu.com ….
First of all, lots of questions regarding upcoming Sven public appearances- will Sven be at Great America’s “Fright Fest” again? Will he appear at the Portage Theater like last year?
Is there someplace we can meet Sven near us? All will be answered soon- please keep checking here and watching the show for details on this year’s October Halloween Tour!
Kevin (not “hit the theme, Kevin” from our show) wrote about a movie he was trying to remember- in it, a lady lives in a house that has “little monsters, that, if I can remember, live in the furnace.” Her husband doesn’t believe her, and, in the end, they drag her down to the basement- but, since they hate light, she uses a camera’s flash against them. Kevin asks if he’s been dreaming, or is this a real movie- and what’s the title? Well, Kevin, you may be dreaming- but that has nothing to do with this. I think the movie may be a made for TV flick from the 70s- “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”- featuring Kim Darby (who was in John Wayne’s “True Grit”) as the young bride. The little demons are unleashed after she goes into a forbidden room in the house, and they come up through the fireplace, if I remember correctly. The most unnerving thing is- they communicate with some weird whispery indistinct voices.
Anybody want to confirm this for me?
Paul brought up a seeming mistake in “Deadly Mantis” that I never would have caught- Craig Stevens calls one of his men who has two stripes on his uniform “corporal”- but, Paul, a former Air Force guy, says that by the time this movie was filmed, the rank had been officially changed to “airman 2nd class”- so, Stevens should have called him “airman.” If he’d been on “South Park”-should he have called him “Cartman?!” Just kidding- thanks, Paul…
Nikki asks if, when we do our next Sven t-shirt- will it still say “It Came from Berwyn”? No, Nikki- it will most likely be a new and different design (hopefully, still glow in the dark)- but it won’t say the same “Berwyn” line- so, if you want one that DOES- order sooner than later! You’ll find the tab for the info right on our main page (and NO PERSONAL CHECKS!!!)
Let’s do some more feedback in a couple of days, since I’m running out of time and space (what am I, Doctor Who?!) today…come back tomorrow for information about this Saturday night’s Sven “Creature” feature-starring the Gill Man!
First of all, lots of questions regarding upcoming Sven public appearances- will Sven be at Great America’s “Fright Fest” again? Will he appear at the Portage Theater like last year?
Is there someplace we can meet Sven near us? All will be answered soon- please keep checking here and watching the show for details on this year’s October Halloween Tour!
Kevin (not “hit the theme, Kevin” from our show) wrote about a movie he was trying to remember- in it, a lady lives in a house that has “little monsters, that, if I can remember, live in the furnace.” Her husband doesn’t believe her, and, in the end, they drag her down to the basement- but, since they hate light, she uses a camera’s flash against them. Kevin asks if he’s been dreaming, or is this a real movie- and what’s the title? Well, Kevin, you may be dreaming- but that has nothing to do with this. I think the movie may be a made for TV flick from the 70s- “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”- featuring Kim Darby (who was in John Wayne’s “True Grit”) as the young bride. The little demons are unleashed after she goes into a forbidden room in the house, and they come up through the fireplace, if I remember correctly. The most unnerving thing is- they communicate with some weird whispery indistinct voices.
Anybody want to confirm this for me?
Paul brought up a seeming mistake in “Deadly Mantis” that I never would have caught- Craig Stevens calls one of his men who has two stripes on his uniform “corporal”- but, Paul, a former Air Force guy, says that by the time this movie was filmed, the rank had been officially changed to “airman 2nd class”- so, Stevens should have called him “airman.” If he’d been on “South Park”-should he have called him “Cartman?!” Just kidding- thanks, Paul…
Nikki asks if, when we do our next Sven t-shirt- will it still say “It Came from Berwyn”? No, Nikki- it will most likely be a new and different design (hopefully, still glow in the dark)- but it won’t say the same “Berwyn” line- so, if you want one that DOES- order sooner than later! You’ll find the tab for the info right on our main page (and NO PERSONAL CHECKS!!!)
Let’s do some more feedback in a couple of days, since I’m running out of time and space (what am I, Doctor Who?!) today…come back tomorrow for information about this Saturday night’s Sven “Creature” feature-starring the Gill Man!
We’ve talked about “misheard lyrics’ in this space before (I always thought Herman’s Hermits’ “She’s a Must to Avoid” was “She’s a Muscular Boy”-that sort of thing)- but I had a misheard title the other day. One of the morning local news show had a country singer on, and he was talking about the song he was going to sing- a lovely little ditty called “All Mama’s Steaks.” Hmm…must be a song about his mother running a diner or something…or, was it “All Mama’s Stakes”- about all the money she had? It took me a few minutes to realize that I was a victim of his down-home Southern drawl- and had mis-understood when he said the name of the song was “All My Mistakes!” See? “All Mah Mistakes?!” Actually, I would have preferred a tune about a nice bone-in rib eye, tenderly sautéed by Mama…
Maybe you won’t want to have eaten anything when you hear this- they’re trying “Smell-o-vision” again! No, not some of the films I’ve shown that really stink…”Smell-o-vision” was a gimmicky process that the movie industry has tried a few times since the 1950s. At first, in this 50s entertainment miracle, something on the film track activated some tubes arranged around the theater to emit scents that corresponded with what was on the screen. A similar process-“Aroma-rama”- actually sent odors through the theaters via the ventilation system! In the 1980s, a weak gimmick called “Odor-ama” was tried- where you had a scratch and sniff card that you would use, scratching a certain numbered place on the card when the number appeared on the screen. I think that was how John Waters “Polyester” worked, unleashing such smells as …uh…dog excrement.
An artist named Megan Dickerson has staged outdoor screenings of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” using scented oils and fans to waft the odor of blueberry pie, chocolate, and more to the viewers- and she now wants to try this with various films in actual theaters. She thinks the way to do it may be by giving each viewer small squeeze bottles of scent to enhance their viewing- and smelling- pleasure.
However, there may be pitfalls- a guy from the Sense of Smell Institute (there IS one!?) says the problem with indoor scent shows is- the scents get layered upon each other, and the mix of smells has the potential to make people feel ill!
Try it when we show “Revenge of the Creature” this Saturday- have a can of sardines ready when there’s underwater scenes…and some garbage ready when I do my segments…
Maybe you won’t want to have eaten anything when you hear this- they’re trying “Smell-o-vision” again! No, not some of the films I’ve shown that really stink…”Smell-o-vision” was a gimmicky process that the movie industry has tried a few times since the 1950s. At first, in this 50s entertainment miracle, something on the film track activated some tubes arranged around the theater to emit scents that corresponded with what was on the screen. A similar process-“Aroma-rama”- actually sent odors through the theaters via the ventilation system! In the 1980s, a weak gimmick called “Odor-ama” was tried- where you had a scratch and sniff card that you would use, scratching a certain numbered place on the card when the number appeared on the screen. I think that was how John Waters “Polyester” worked, unleashing such smells as …uh…dog excrement.
An artist named Megan Dickerson has staged outdoor screenings of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” using scented oils and fans to waft the odor of blueberry pie, chocolate, and more to the viewers- and she now wants to try this with various films in actual theaters. She thinks the way to do it may be by giving each viewer small squeeze bottles of scent to enhance their viewing- and smelling- pleasure.
However, there may be pitfalls- a guy from the Sense of Smell Institute (there IS one!?) says the problem with indoor scent shows is- the scents get layered upon each other, and the mix of smells has the potential to make people feel ill!
Try it when we show “Revenge of the Creature” this Saturday- have a can of sardines ready when there’s underwater scenes…and some garbage ready when I do my segments…
Time for another meeting of “Sven’s Book Club”- wait, was there ever a previous meeting? Oh, well…
I was browsing through a bookstore- it may have been a B. Dalton- I get confused by the Daltons, Walden’s, etc.- and, looking at the clearance books, stumbled on something really fun and cool- at about a quarter of its original price. It’s called “the Field Guide to Monsters”- and caught my attention with a big picture of Bela Lugosi on the cover as Dracula. It’s kind of clever, actually- the book is laid out like one of those nature field guidebooks, say, like ones about birds or reptiles. It shows maps of where the various monsters are located (their “natural habitat” if you will) and describes them by weight, length, and size compared to a human!
There are various categories of monsters- mutated creatures, mutated men, manufactured monsters, and those “from beyond.” Each monster gets a page, with information, great classic photos and artwork, and descriptions of each monster- defining their behavior, lethality (how dangerous they are- worse than second-hand smoke?), their powers and their weaknesses. It’s all done very tongue-in-cheek, and at times it gets a little TOO cutesy, but it is enjoyable.
The whole premise is that Professor Van Helsing originally wrote a field guide to monsters after his original encounter with Dracula. This book is supposedly an update, with monsters that Van Helsing never encountered.
I have to say that the authors, Dave Elliot, C. J. Henderson, and A. Allen Leider, have done a good job- but there are some odd listings. Why, for example, would “Humanoids form the Deep” be listed as monsters “from beyond”- when the entry on them clearly states that they are mutant salmon- which should go in the “mutated life” section? Also, Hitler’s Brain –from the movie “They Saved Hitler’s Brain” (you’ve never seen that one?) is listed as a manufactured monster. Some how, I think it belongs in a different category (other than bizarre and ridiculous!) The also include the Gorgon- the mythical woman with snakes for hair, who can turn you to stone if you look at her (much like Brittney Spears) is listed as a mutated being- since it’s (she’s?) a mythological being, wouldn’t that be categorized as “from beyond?” Or- does it even matter?!
Check out “the Field Guide to Monsters”- I think you’ll enjoy it- and, don’t forget to carry it with you! You never know when you’re going to have a Gorgon sitting next to you on the bus…
I was browsing through a bookstore- it may have been a B. Dalton- I get confused by the Daltons, Walden’s, etc.- and, looking at the clearance books, stumbled on something really fun and cool- at about a quarter of its original price. It’s called “the Field Guide to Monsters”- and caught my attention with a big picture of Bela Lugosi on the cover as Dracula. It’s kind of clever, actually- the book is laid out like one of those nature field guidebooks, say, like ones about birds or reptiles. It shows maps of where the various monsters are located (their “natural habitat” if you will) and describes them by weight, length, and size compared to a human!
There are various categories of monsters- mutated creatures, mutated men, manufactured monsters, and those “from beyond.” Each monster gets a page, with information, great classic photos and artwork, and descriptions of each monster- defining their behavior, lethality (how dangerous they are- worse than second-hand smoke?), their powers and their weaknesses. It’s all done very tongue-in-cheek, and at times it gets a little TOO cutesy, but it is enjoyable.
The whole premise is that Professor Van Helsing originally wrote a field guide to monsters after his original encounter with Dracula. This book is supposedly an update, with monsters that Van Helsing never encountered.
I have to say that the authors, Dave Elliot, C. J. Henderson, and A. Allen Leider, have done a good job- but there are some odd listings. Why, for example, would “Humanoids form the Deep” be listed as monsters “from beyond”- when the entry on them clearly states that they are mutant salmon- which should go in the “mutated life” section? Also, Hitler’s Brain –from the movie “They Saved Hitler’s Brain” (you’ve never seen that one?) is listed as a manufactured monster. Some how, I think it belongs in a different category (other than bizarre and ridiculous!) The also include the Gorgon- the mythical woman with snakes for hair, who can turn you to stone if you look at her (much like Brittney Spears) is listed as a mutated being- since it’s (she’s?) a mythological being, wouldn’t that be categorized as “from beyond?” Or- does it even matter?!
Check out “the Field Guide to Monsters”- I think you’ll enjoy it- and, don’t forget to carry it with you! You never know when you’re going to have a Gorgon sitting next to you on the bus…
Looks like “the Creature from the Black Lagoon” was a favorite for many of you- and, yes, next week it’s “Revenge of the Creature”- (the one I showed in 3-D in the 80s) followed the next week by “the Creature Walks Among Us!” Word is that Universal is again trying to get a remake done…they had hoped to do one back in the 80s-in 3-D- but it was shelved when they decided to do “Jaws 3-D!” With Universal still re-thinking the revival of the famous monsters after “the Mummy” series and “Van Helsing”- it just might happen.
Supposedly the original idea for the Creature back in the 50s came when producer William Alland was working with Orson Welles-and heard a famous Mexican cinematographer talk about a legendary creature that lived in the water, but looked like a man- that supposedly dwelled in South America. Alland had a scriptwriter work on that idea, and – there was the Gill Man! Even before the script was completed, it was decided that, at the end, they were going to leave the Creature’s final fate nebulous, so they could cook up a sequel! Universal knew they had struck monster gold again, for the first time in a long time, with the Creature. Their last monster success was in 1948,with the revival of the careers of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello and the big three monsters- Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man- in “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein”- and they hadn’t had a NEW monster successful enough to join that trilogy in a long time!
There have been some similar creatures to THE Creature- everything from “the Monster from the Surf” to Roger Corman’s various “Humanoids from the Deep”- along with a curious being known as “Creature from the Haunted Sea!”
None of them has been as highly regarded as our Gill Man, though…as big an underwater star as Flipper, and a lot less yakky.
Will the Creature remake truly surface? Rumor was that, while he was finishing the Michael J. Fox film “the Frighteners” Universal had offered Peter Jackson the chance to do a re-make either “King Kong” or “Creature from the Black Lagoon”- he went for “Kong!” But- when Disney announced plans to do ‘Mighty Joe Young” before he had even started, Universal backed off on “Kong”- so, neither got made back then. (Although Jackson finally got to do his re-make of the big ape after “Lord of the Rings.”) Let’s hope that, should the new Gill Man become a reality, he isn’t TOO different looking from the Creature design we know and love…
Supposedly the original idea for the Creature back in the 50s came when producer William Alland was working with Orson Welles-and heard a famous Mexican cinematographer talk about a legendary creature that lived in the water, but looked like a man- that supposedly dwelled in South America. Alland had a scriptwriter work on that idea, and – there was the Gill Man! Even before the script was completed, it was decided that, at the end, they were going to leave the Creature’s final fate nebulous, so they could cook up a sequel! Universal knew they had struck monster gold again, for the first time in a long time, with the Creature. Their last monster success was in 1948,with the revival of the careers of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello and the big three monsters- Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man- in “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein”- and they hadn’t had a NEW monster successful enough to join that trilogy in a long time!
There have been some similar creatures to THE Creature- everything from “the Monster from the Surf” to Roger Corman’s various “Humanoids from the Deep”- along with a curious being known as “Creature from the Haunted Sea!”
None of them has been as highly regarded as our Gill Man, though…as big an underwater star as Flipper, and a lot less yakky.
Will the Creature remake truly surface? Rumor was that, while he was finishing the Michael J. Fox film “the Frighteners” Universal had offered Peter Jackson the chance to do a re-make either “King Kong” or “Creature from the Black Lagoon”- he went for “Kong!” But- when Disney announced plans to do ‘Mighty Joe Young” before he had even started, Universal backed off on “Kong”- so, neither got made back then. (Although Jackson finally got to do his re-make of the big ape after “Lord of the Rings.”) Let’s hope that, should the new Gill Man become a reality, he isn’t TOO different looking from the Creature design we know and love…
This is the night many Universal fans have been waiting for- the return to free TV of –“the Creature from the Black Lagoon” on Svengoolie! I’ve always been a big fan of the Gill Man- I even had the old Aurora plastic monster model! So, obviously, I’m delighted to bring him back tonight (by the way, for anybody who watches the rebroadcast on Me-TV- tonight, the show will start a half-hour early- at 12:30 pm!)
I’m sure you remember the premise- scientists go to South America, in search of the rest of a fossilized claw. When they arrive, the native guides left at the camp have been killed by-something! When the search for the fossil yields nothing, they decide that maybe it settled into the water and floated downstream- to an area called the Black Lagoon! As Captain Lucas says- “when you go there- you never come back!” (So- naturally- they decide to go there!) Too soon, they discover that there’s a living, water-breathing version of the fossil- and he’s not too thrilled that they are invading his swimming area!
Soon, it’s man v.s. Gill Man, with a side order of a sultry lass in a white bathing suit that both the creature- and many a male viewer- can’t seem to forget!
We’ll give you some insight on the movie, the guys who played the Creature (one for the water scenes, one for the land scenes) and the designing of the Creature’s look. Find out what cast member worked with Lucille ball- and almost shared her greatest fame! Plus – a glamorous Gill Man product, and a Sven song that takes my voice a few octaves too high (is that cracking my voice or your TV screen?!)
Something I didn’t get to mention in the show- Ricou Browning (who played the Creature in water scenes in all three of the “Creature” flicks) joined forces for aquatic films and TV shows- he worked on Lloyd Bridges’ “Sea Hunt” (which we give a nod to with our closing “hand-at-the –door gag) and worked on the beloved “Flipper” series!
This film also spawned a REAL fossil amphibian’s name- a University of Cambridge archeologist discovered the fossil of an amphibian in an area that had once been a swampland.
She named it “ Eucritta melanolimnetes” –which, when translated, means- “the creature from the black lagoon!”
Tune in tonight for a real classic- Universal’s final entry to its hall of Classic Monsters- “the Creature from the Black Lagoon”- the first part of the “Creature Trilogy” we will be presenting on Sven for the next few weeks!
I’m sure you remember the premise- scientists go to South America, in search of the rest of a fossilized claw. When they arrive, the native guides left at the camp have been killed by-something! When the search for the fossil yields nothing, they decide that maybe it settled into the water and floated downstream- to an area called the Black Lagoon! As Captain Lucas says- “when you go there- you never come back!” (So- naturally- they decide to go there!) Too soon, they discover that there’s a living, water-breathing version of the fossil- and he’s not too thrilled that they are invading his swimming area!
Soon, it’s man v.s. Gill Man, with a side order of a sultry lass in a white bathing suit that both the creature- and many a male viewer- can’t seem to forget!
We’ll give you some insight on the movie, the guys who played the Creature (one for the water scenes, one for the land scenes) and the designing of the Creature’s look. Find out what cast member worked with Lucille ball- and almost shared her greatest fame! Plus – a glamorous Gill Man product, and a Sven song that takes my voice a few octaves too high (is that cracking my voice or your TV screen?!)
Something I didn’t get to mention in the show- Ricou Browning (who played the Creature in water scenes in all three of the “Creature” flicks) joined forces for aquatic films and TV shows- he worked on Lloyd Bridges’ “Sea Hunt” (which we give a nod to with our closing “hand-at-the –door gag) and worked on the beloved “Flipper” series!
This film also spawned a REAL fossil amphibian’s name- a University of Cambridge archeologist discovered the fossil of an amphibian in an area that had once been a swampland.
She named it “ Eucritta melanolimnetes” –which, when translated, means- “the creature from the black lagoon!”
Tune in tonight for a real classic- Universal’s final entry to its hall of Classic Monsters- “the Creature from the Black Lagoon”- the first part of the “Creature Trilogy” we will be presenting on Sven for the next few weeks!
I asked what you guys think of our mail assistant- the tarantula webmaster “Qwerty”- and we got a great response!
The general consensus is- the majority of viewers like Qwerty- BUT- they don’t like the fact that he keeps switching voices (the premise being that, since he has eight legs, he has eight personalities/voices- schizophrenia divided by eight- and, in fact, has just kept switching voices beyond using just eight!)
Most others checking in can take him or leave him- and, a handful just want to leave him! Some wished for the days of former mail assistants, the Wacky Dactyl DJ, the Dinosaur, and, going back REALLY far- Ed the Bat- whose voice was so annoying to our boss Neal Sabin that he fired him! Plus, a few odd votes for Tombstone and Durwood the ventriloquist dummy…how did those get in there?!
So- now the question is- if we pin Qwerty down to just one voice- what should it be? Ralph Kramden? Pee Wee Herman?
The Hulkster? Flanders? One front-runner seems to be the Peter Lorre voice…anyway, if you have an opinion- send it here- svengoolie@wciu.com…
John from Horrorbles, our fine sponsor who provides us with rubber chickens and more- has asked for some help. A customer asked him about a movie –it’s black and white, and has a swamp creature in it at the beginning-the creature has bad seaweed all over it- and there’s something about a girl being stabbed in a beach house (and, if you’ve ever been stabbed in your beach house, you know how painful that can be…) I had thought it might be “Monster from the Surf” –also known as “Beach Girls and the Monster” which has run on Sven- but, I’m not sure about any girl getting stabbed in a beach house in that one…so, I’m asking you readers –many of whom have great knowledge of horror films- to help us out- any idea what that movie might be?
I sympathize with John, because I get questions like that all the time- and some are extremely hard to answer! Sometimes, it’s because the person is combining memories of two different movies, thinking it’s all the same flick- and, sometimes, it’s just too vague for me to figure out! Someone will write something to the effect of “I saw a movie when I was seven years old that scared the heck out of me- it was black and white, and there was a woman who wore a nightgown. Then there was lightning, and she heard a noise, and when she turned around, there was a monster behind her. Can you tell me the title of this movie, the year, the entire cast, where I can purchase it on dvd, and how many facelifts the lead actress has had since she was in the film?” I’m always happy to try to identify that long-ago flick for you, but, sometimes, I need a little more information…
The general consensus is- the majority of viewers like Qwerty- BUT- they don’t like the fact that he keeps switching voices (the premise being that, since he has eight legs, he has eight personalities/voices- schizophrenia divided by eight- and, in fact, has just kept switching voices beyond using just eight!)
Most others checking in can take him or leave him- and, a handful just want to leave him! Some wished for the days of former mail assistants, the Wacky Dactyl DJ, the Dinosaur, and, going back REALLY far- Ed the Bat- whose voice was so annoying to our boss Neal Sabin that he fired him! Plus, a few odd votes for Tombstone and Durwood the ventriloquist dummy…how did those get in there?!
So- now the question is- if we pin Qwerty down to just one voice- what should it be? Ralph Kramden? Pee Wee Herman?
The Hulkster? Flanders? One front-runner seems to be the Peter Lorre voice…anyway, if you have an opinion- send it here- svengoolie@wciu.com…
John from Horrorbles, our fine sponsor who provides us with rubber chickens and more- has asked for some help. A customer asked him about a movie –it’s black and white, and has a swamp creature in it at the beginning-the creature has bad seaweed all over it- and there’s something about a girl being stabbed in a beach house (and, if you’ve ever been stabbed in your beach house, you know how painful that can be…) I had thought it might be “Monster from the Surf” –also known as “Beach Girls and the Monster” which has run on Sven- but, I’m not sure about any girl getting stabbed in a beach house in that one…so, I’m asking you readers –many of whom have great knowledge of horror films- to help us out- any idea what that movie might be?
I sympathize with John, because I get questions like that all the time- and some are extremely hard to answer! Sometimes, it’s because the person is combining memories of two different movies, thinking it’s all the same flick- and, sometimes, it’s just too vague for me to figure out! Someone will write something to the effect of “I saw a movie when I was seven years old that scared the heck out of me- it was black and white, and there was a woman who wore a nightgown. Then there was lightning, and she heard a noise, and when she turned around, there was a monster behind her. Can you tell me the title of this movie, the year, the entire cast, where I can purchase it on dvd, and how many facelifts the lead actress has had since she was in the film?” I’m always happy to try to identify that long-ago flick for you, but, sometimes, I need a little more information…
Today’s blog looks it it’s shaping up as a bunch of bits and pieces that have been littering my desk (and my brain) for the last few days…including some info on this Saturday’s “Me-TV” screening of Sven having a one-time-only time change…
First of all, let’s acknowledge a true Svengoolie brain freeze- on last Saturday’s show, I showed a t-shirt that I had received, depicting the troubled “Spindle” sculpture in Berwyn- you’ve read about it here a few times. Well, no matter how many times I’ve read about it- written about it- and even seen it, when we taped that segment, I accidentally called it “the Spike!” Several viewers took me to task for that- and, believe me, I groaned when I saw the footage back for the first time!
Unfortunately, we had no time to fix it before the show deadline, so- let me now restore the “Spindle” to its proper name, and may I never refer to it as the “Spike” again- I joked to some friends that perhaps I was just thinking of WGN Radio’s “Spindle” O’Dell, who did his morning show live from Berwyn a few weeks ago…
Another oversight from that show- when I ran down the various actors in the “Tarantula” film, I completely forgot to mention that the sheriff- Nestor Paiva- will be very prominent in the first two of the three “Creature from the Black Lagoon” films, starting this weekend…he plays the captain of the small ship that carries our valiant explorers to the Black Lagoon to find the Gill Man! You’ll notice quite a difference between the smug “Tarantula” sheriff and the unkempt Hispanic-accented Captain Lucas- which demonstrates Paiva’s talent to play all sorts of characters and ethnic types. Thanks to viewer Ed Anderson, who not only supplied the info I had forgotten, but also didn’t hold my omission against me!
Okay, now, regarding that Sven/”Me-TV” time change…if you usually catch the repeat of the 9 pm Saturday Sven show on Me-TV Saturday nights at 1 am- make sure you tune in A HALF-HOUR EARLIER this week! Due to a special movie showing that will follow the Sven program on that station, the start time for Sven has been moved up to 12:30 on this Saturday, September 15. Of course, your WCIU showing of Sven remains at 9 pm, following “Stooge-a-palooza.” And, for you folks who watch us on WMLW up Milwaukee way-please be advised that the Sven show has been moved to Sunday afternoons- as a way to avoid some of those nasty pre-emptions that you’ve been complaining about. So, now, you can see Sven Sundays at 2 pm- in an afternoon that also includes “Stooge-a-palooza” and some great classic TV shows!
Please let other fans know about all these changes…and remind them that “the Creature” trilogy starts this Saturday on Sven!
First of all, let’s acknowledge a true Svengoolie brain freeze- on last Saturday’s show, I showed a t-shirt that I had received, depicting the troubled “Spindle” sculpture in Berwyn- you’ve read about it here a few times. Well, no matter how many times I’ve read about it- written about it- and even seen it, when we taped that segment, I accidentally called it “the Spike!” Several viewers took me to task for that- and, believe me, I groaned when I saw the footage back for the first time!
Unfortunately, we had no time to fix it before the show deadline, so- let me now restore the “Spindle” to its proper name, and may I never refer to it as the “Spike” again- I joked to some friends that perhaps I was just thinking of WGN Radio’s “Spindle” O’Dell, who did his morning show live from Berwyn a few weeks ago…
Another oversight from that show- when I ran down the various actors in the “Tarantula” film, I completely forgot to mention that the sheriff- Nestor Paiva- will be very prominent in the first two of the three “Creature from the Black Lagoon” films, starting this weekend…he plays the captain of the small ship that carries our valiant explorers to the Black Lagoon to find the Gill Man! You’ll notice quite a difference between the smug “Tarantula” sheriff and the unkempt Hispanic-accented Captain Lucas- which demonstrates Paiva’s talent to play all sorts of characters and ethnic types. Thanks to viewer Ed Anderson, who not only supplied the info I had forgotten, but also didn’t hold my omission against me!
Okay, now, regarding that Sven/”Me-TV” time change…if you usually catch the repeat of the 9 pm Saturday Sven show on Me-TV Saturday nights at 1 am- make sure you tune in A HALF-HOUR EARLIER this week! Due to a special movie showing that will follow the Sven program on that station, the start time for Sven has been moved up to 12:30 on this Saturday, September 15. Of course, your WCIU showing of Sven remains at 9 pm, following “Stooge-a-palooza.” And, for you folks who watch us on WMLW up Milwaukee way-please be advised that the Sven show has been moved to Sunday afternoons- as a way to avoid some of those nasty pre-emptions that you’ve been complaining about. So, now, you can see Sven Sundays at 2 pm- in an afternoon that also includes “Stooge-a-palooza” and some great classic TV shows!
Please let other fans know about all these changes…and remind them that “the Creature” trilogy starts this Saturday on Sven!
We deal with “scary” things on our show all the time- but today’s date is a reminder of one of the most frightening events in recent history.
I’m sure we all remember where we were when we heard the news on that day six years ago… for me, it was turning on the TV when I woke up, and seeing the footage of the horrible “accident” that had occurred in New York- an airplane crashing into the World Trade Center. Speculation that it might not have been an accident also was mentioned. What a horrific scene! Then, the terrible truth became apparent, as we watched- at the moment it happened- the second plane flying into the tower. I just remember sitting there stunned- what was happening? A second plane?! This was intentional?! It took a while to actually comprehend that America had been attacked on its own soil.
The tragedy continued to unfold- as the frightening reports continued- people leaping to their deaths out of the buildings- reports of a plane heading into the Pentagon- another plane crash- and then- the towers falling. The sight of the huge clouds of ash and debris filling the streets is burned into my memory. I always remember Carol Marin’s article about being out on the street and surviving the chaos. As the horror of the event just kept growing, I remember thinking- will things ever be “normal” again?
Today, we think of the many lives lost- and the heroes who tried to help. We think of the survivors- and of the far-reaching effects of this huge tragedy. We get the unwelcome reminder supplied by a “new” tape of Osama Ben Laden- his beard dyed black- amazingly still free somewhere.
There are reminders every day in our lives- added security here and there, the procedures at the airport, the suspicion about people who “look” like they could be part of an evil plot against our nation and our people. Yes, our world changed horribly and dramatically that day- and changed and challenged a lot of what we thought.
Please take a moment to remember those who lost their lives that day. Take a moment to think of how our world has changed. Take a moment to value what –and who-you have.
I realize this is not the customary blog you expect to find here- and I promise it will be back to normal tomorrow-even if all of us will never be, after the events of 9/11.
I’m sure we all remember where we were when we heard the news on that day six years ago… for me, it was turning on the TV when I woke up, and seeing the footage of the horrible “accident” that had occurred in New York- an airplane crashing into the World Trade Center. Speculation that it might not have been an accident also was mentioned. What a horrific scene! Then, the terrible truth became apparent, as we watched- at the moment it happened- the second plane flying into the tower. I just remember sitting there stunned- what was happening? A second plane?! This was intentional?! It took a while to actually comprehend that America had been attacked on its own soil.
The tragedy continued to unfold- as the frightening reports continued- people leaping to their deaths out of the buildings- reports of a plane heading into the Pentagon- another plane crash- and then- the towers falling. The sight of the huge clouds of ash and debris filling the streets is burned into my memory. I always remember Carol Marin’s article about being out on the street and surviving the chaos. As the horror of the event just kept growing, I remember thinking- will things ever be “normal” again?
Today, we think of the many lives lost- and the heroes who tried to help. We think of the survivors- and of the far-reaching effects of this huge tragedy. We get the unwelcome reminder supplied by a “new” tape of Osama Ben Laden- his beard dyed black- amazingly still free somewhere.
There are reminders every day in our lives- added security here and there, the procedures at the airport, the suspicion about people who “look” like they could be part of an evil plot against our nation and our people. Yes, our world changed horribly and dramatically that day- and changed and challenged a lot of what we thought.
Please take a moment to remember those who lost their lives that day. Take a moment to think of how our world has changed. Take a moment to value what –and who-you have.
I realize this is not the customary blog you expect to find here- and I promise it will be back to normal tomorrow-even if all of us will never be, after the events of 9/11.
The comments I’ve been receiving from you guys regarding “Tarantula”- which we aired last weekend- has reminded me about something I’ve been meaning to get your opinion on-
And that is- QWERTY! Yes, the arachnid “web-master” who often shows up in our mail segments- who started out with eight voices to match his eight legs- but, subsequently, has ended up sprouting more voices than he has legs (talk about a split personality!)
I’d just like to know- what do you think of him? Are you enjoying his participation in the mail segments? Granted, depending on how much time we have available in the show, there are times when he isn’t a part of the mail- and I’ll occasionally get an e-mail asking why he didn’t interject anything during a certain segment. So- what’s your opinion? Let me know at svengoolie@wciu.com …
After a couple weeks of overgrown bugs, we’ll be switching from land nuisances this week to more aquatic menaces- One in particular- the Creature from the Black Lagoon! The Gill Man, as he’s known, was really the final big Universal monster to be launched by the studio…and he’s a definite favorite that many hold right up there with the other biggies, like Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man. He’s made a lasting impressions, and I remember seeing, in pre-Orlando days, on the Universal lot where they did the tours in Hollywood, they even had a site set up where you could walk into an area with water and a life-sized model of the Creature and take a picture with “him!” The popularity of the Gill Man
Continues to this day- and I know we’ll have a big audience for his flicks- and, yes, we will be presenting the entire “Creature” trilogy- in order! Wait until you see some of the cool Creature merchandise that our sponsor Horrorbles has provided us with- it’ll make any fan of the Gill Man green with envy…at least as green as the Gill Man himself!
On a related note, one cast member commented in an interview that most representations of the Creature today have him TOO green! The original Creature was supposedly moss-green, not bright leprechaun green-and images with bright red lips are also inaccurate!
We’ll have plenty of tidbits about the Gill Man in the weeks to come-and I’m sure long-time fans won’t be able to watch the second film “Revenge of the Creature” without thinking of my 3-D showing of the film back in the 80s.(Yes, I showed the SECOND film- NOT the first- in 3-D, although both were made in that process!) More on that in upcoming blogs…
And that is- QWERTY! Yes, the arachnid “web-master” who often shows up in our mail segments- who started out with eight voices to match his eight legs- but, subsequently, has ended up sprouting more voices than he has legs (talk about a split personality!)
I’d just like to know- what do you think of him? Are you enjoying his participation in the mail segments? Granted, depending on how much time we have available in the show, there are times when he isn’t a part of the mail- and I’ll occasionally get an e-mail asking why he didn’t interject anything during a certain segment. So- what’s your opinion? Let me know at svengoolie@wciu.com …
After a couple weeks of overgrown bugs, we’ll be switching from land nuisances this week to more aquatic menaces- One in particular- the Creature from the Black Lagoon! The Gill Man, as he’s known, was really the final big Universal monster to be launched by the studio…and he’s a definite favorite that many hold right up there with the other biggies, like Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man. He’s made a lasting impressions, and I remember seeing, in pre-Orlando days, on the Universal lot where they did the tours in Hollywood, they even had a site set up where you could walk into an area with water and a life-sized model of the Creature and take a picture with “him!” The popularity of the Gill Man
Continues to this day- and I know we’ll have a big audience for his flicks- and, yes, we will be presenting the entire “Creature” trilogy- in order! Wait until you see some of the cool Creature merchandise that our sponsor Horrorbles has provided us with- it’ll make any fan of the Gill Man green with envy…at least as green as the Gill Man himself!
On a related note, one cast member commented in an interview that most representations of the Creature today have him TOO green! The original Creature was supposedly moss-green, not bright leprechaun green-and images with bright red lips are also inaccurate!
We’ll have plenty of tidbits about the Gill Man in the weeks to come-and I’m sure long-time fans won’t be able to watch the second film “Revenge of the Creature” without thinking of my 3-D showing of the film back in the 80s.(Yes, I showed the SECOND film- NOT the first- in 3-D, although both were made in that process!) More on that in upcoming blogs…
I hope you enjoyed seeing “Tarantula” last night-actually, I’ve enjoyed seeing some of these films again, having last run them over 20 years ago! There’s a lot that I remember, but also things I’ve forgotten, or maybe never even noticed in them. I’ve also dug back into my basement archives, and found my original notes on some of these films, plus some that were written up by the late WFLD film department head Mike Smith- a good friend who wrote with a wry sense of humor that permeated his film notes! We once talked about him putting his film synopses into book form, for other people to enjoy- but, when he re-wrote them- they didn’t seem to be as much fun, and we both let the idea drift away. I’ve thought about writing up some of my notes in a similar fashion (yes, one of the many books you guys have encouraged me to write) but, as always, the enemy is time- I just don’t have enough to do that right now. I’ll probably end up with the time to do it at a point where none of you will be interested any more! So, I’ll have an autobiography, a book about films I’ve shown, and probably a children’s book that will sit on store shelves until
They are relegated to the cut-out bin- or, used to go under an uneven table leg somewhere…
Will there ever be other Sven projects, at a time when there IS interest in them? It’s hard to say- I’d like to think that there will be a few, depending on my life and my schedule- there is one really cool project that a friend and I have been talking about, that is in early stages of development, that I think a lot of Svengoolie fans will be thrilled about- but, until it’s actually under way, I’m not going to spill the frijoles. As I mentioned in a previous blog, there will be a new design for a Svengoolie t-shirt coming up in the future- possibly by late this year, or early 2008, depending on certain variables. Other Sven merchandise? Maybe.
In the meantime, there will be things of interest available- I’ve mentioned that book about Chicago horror shows, which I’m hearing should be out any minute now- and, we are working on a new Sven autograph card to hand out at my public appearances. I know a lot of you guys like to get each new card autographed by yours truly for your collection- and, with some October Halloween season appearances looming on the horizon- you will no doubt be getting the chance to visit with me and get a new card! As the saying goes, collect ‘em all. I’ll let you know when they’ll be available, so keep coming back…
They are relegated to the cut-out bin- or, used to go under an uneven table leg somewhere…
Will there ever be other Sven projects, at a time when there IS interest in them? It’s hard to say- I’d like to think that there will be a few, depending on my life and my schedule- there is one really cool project that a friend and I have been talking about, that is in early stages of development, that I think a lot of Svengoolie fans will be thrilled about- but, until it’s actually under way, I’m not going to spill the frijoles. As I mentioned in a previous blog, there will be a new design for a Svengoolie t-shirt coming up in the future- possibly by late this year, or early 2008, depending on certain variables. Other Sven merchandise? Maybe.
In the meantime, there will be things of interest available- I’ve mentioned that book about Chicago horror shows, which I’m hearing should be out any minute now- and, we are working on a new Sven autograph card to hand out at my public appearances. I know a lot of you guys like to get each new card autographed by yours truly for your collection- and, with some October Halloween season appearances looming on the horizon- you will no doubt be getting the chance to visit with me and get a new card! As the saying goes, collect ‘em all. I’ll let you know when they’ll be available, so keep coming back…
There’s more big bug fun on Svengoolie tonight- as we present the beloved “Tarantula!” An atomic isotope (remember this WAS the 1950s) is the cause- it’s used to produce a unique nutrient that make things grow really big, really fast! However, it doesn’t quite agree with the human body’s make-up… causing mutations on any person who tries it out! Along the way, a large hairy tarantula that has been fed the nutrient escapes into the desert during some turmoil- and the horror grows!
“Tarantula” is another Jack Arnold- directed “giant bug” movie, released in 1955. No stop-motion stuff, or guys in spider suits here (sorry, Tobey MacGuire)- through out this film, they used genuine tarantulas! Among the stars in this film are our old stand-by, John Agar, plus Playboy Playmate Mara Corday (don’t worry, kids, she keeps her clothes on)- and Leo G. Carroll- a recognizable TV star of the 50s and 60s (we’ll point out the programs he was on during the show!) Watch for a “Green Acres” alumnus as well as a familiar face from “the Beverly Hillbillies”…and, it only occurred to me at this moment-the Sheriff is played by the same guy you’ll be seeing in upcoming weeks in “Creature from the Black Lagoon” as the unshaven Hispanic-tinged boat captain- Nestor Paiva!
You’ll also see an early appearance by one of the biggest stars in popular films who now mostly directs- most horror film buffs know who I mean, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise for those who don’t know! Actually, his face is mostly obscured by a pilot’s oxygen mask, but you can tell who it is…
There are a lot of fans of this genre of fifties horror- I know that just from the reaction I got from you Sven viewers when we ran the “Giant Mantis” last week! The special effects aren’t that special, compared to modern films, and the greatly-magnified and super-imposed tarantula does seem rather hokey, but, as usual, the film is very watchable, with some surprise scares that Jack Arnold loved to add- the shock surprise that turns out to be something very innocent in reality!
I always remember working at a radio station, and someone sending me the shed skin of a tarantula –which was intact when it was shed. When I brought it into an office to show to someone, three women shrieked and climbed up on chairs, even as I was attempting to explain it was just the skin, and there was NO spider inside it! It didn’t matter- even when they heard the explanation, they just kept on screaming…so, maybe some of you will do the same when we show “Tarantula” tonight!
“Tarantula” is another Jack Arnold- directed “giant bug” movie, released in 1955. No stop-motion stuff, or guys in spider suits here (sorry, Tobey MacGuire)- through out this film, they used genuine tarantulas! Among the stars in this film are our old stand-by, John Agar, plus Playboy Playmate Mara Corday (don’t worry, kids, she keeps her clothes on)- and Leo G. Carroll- a recognizable TV star of the 50s and 60s (we’ll point out the programs he was on during the show!) Watch for a “Green Acres” alumnus as well as a familiar face from “the Beverly Hillbillies”…and, it only occurred to me at this moment-the Sheriff is played by the same guy you’ll be seeing in upcoming weeks in “Creature from the Black Lagoon” as the unshaven Hispanic-tinged boat captain- Nestor Paiva!
You’ll also see an early appearance by one of the biggest stars in popular films who now mostly directs- most horror film buffs know who I mean, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise for those who don’t know! Actually, his face is mostly obscured by a pilot’s oxygen mask, but you can tell who it is…
There are a lot of fans of this genre of fifties horror- I know that just from the reaction I got from you Sven viewers when we ran the “Giant Mantis” last week! The special effects aren’t that special, compared to modern films, and the greatly-magnified and super-imposed tarantula does seem rather hokey, but, as usual, the film is very watchable, with some surprise scares that Jack Arnold loved to add- the shock surprise that turns out to be something very innocent in reality!
I always remember working at a radio station, and someone sending me the shed skin of a tarantula –which was intact when it was shed. When I brought it into an office to show to someone, three women shrieked and climbed up on chairs, even as I was attempting to explain it was just the skin, and there was NO spider inside it! It didn’t matter- even when they heard the explanation, they just kept on screaming…so, maybe some of you will do the same when we show “Tarantula” tonight!
Let us enter the feedback zone- stuff that you faithful Svenamaniacs have sent to me at svengoolie@wciu.com… questions abound regarding the Me-TV 3 am weeknight Sven show airings…unfortunately, it looks like they will be coming to an end when Me-TV starts its new schedule on September 24 …so, watch ‘em before they’re history!
UncleRit saw “Night of the Living Dead” on the Me-TV late night shift, and swears that, about an hour and a half into the show- there’s a clip of the newsman on the scene doing a report, and, as the camera pans the group around him- we see Mike Nesmith of the Monkees in a cowboy hat in the background. Personally, I don’t think it’s him- there is a resemblance, certainly, but I don’t think it’s Mike- he would have been too busy in the throes of Monkeemania at the time, anyway…besides, wouldn’t we have heard about his cameo by now, if it WAS him?!
Bill asked if we had a movie called “Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla” which he read that Martin Landau, when researching his role as Bela in “Ed Wood”, saw said flick and said it made any of Ed Wood’s films look like “Gone with the Wind.” Bill, I think I just mentioned it recently- the title we have it under is “Boys from Brooklyn” featuring Bela and a couple Martin and Lewis imitators. I don’t think it makes a Wood film look like “GWTW”- but it might make it look like…uh… “Daddy Day Camp”…
In a recent blog, I mentioned the Geico cavemen and their upcoming sitcom- and brought up the old 60s sitcom “It’s About Time” where astronauts went back to the Stone Age and met caveman Joe E. Ross (Toody of “Car 54”.)Greg mentioned a very Sven-friendly episode of “the Phil Silvers Show” on Me-TV, where Sgt. Bilko convinces Private Ritzik (played by Joe E. Ross!) who was hooked on vampire movies on TV, that he had become a vampire! I remember the episode (I’m a big Bilko fan)-just don’t mention it too loud, Greg, or Geico will start having commercials with vampires…
Ted asked how much longer we’ll have the “It Came from Berwyn” t-shirts, since he has some Berwyn pals he wants to order some for…Ted, the supply was just re-upped, due to the incredible popularity of this design, so it should last for a few months – BUT- we feel this was the FINAL re-order for this design- so, I’d order while they’re still around. We’ll be working on the next design soon! (Glow-in-the-dark? Smart money says “you betcha!”)
More feedback very soon! So, keep those e-mails and letters coming!
UncleRit saw “Night of the Living Dead” on the Me-TV late night shift, and swears that, about an hour and a half into the show- there’s a clip of the newsman on the scene doing a report, and, as the camera pans the group around him- we see Mike Nesmith of the Monkees in a cowboy hat in the background. Personally, I don’t think it’s him- there is a resemblance, certainly, but I don’t think it’s Mike- he would have been too busy in the throes of Monkeemania at the time, anyway…besides, wouldn’t we have heard about his cameo by now, if it WAS him?!
Bill asked if we had a movie called “Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla” which he read that Martin Landau, when researching his role as Bela in “Ed Wood”, saw said flick and said it made any of Ed Wood’s films look like “Gone with the Wind.” Bill, I think I just mentioned it recently- the title we have it under is “Boys from Brooklyn” featuring Bela and a couple Martin and Lewis imitators. I don’t think it makes a Wood film look like “GWTW”- but it might make it look like…uh… “Daddy Day Camp”…
In a recent blog, I mentioned the Geico cavemen and their upcoming sitcom- and brought up the old 60s sitcom “It’s About Time” where astronauts went back to the Stone Age and met caveman Joe E. Ross (Toody of “Car 54”.)Greg mentioned a very Sven-friendly episode of “the Phil Silvers Show” on Me-TV, where Sgt. Bilko convinces Private Ritzik (played by Joe E. Ross!) who was hooked on vampire movies on TV, that he had become a vampire! I remember the episode (I’m a big Bilko fan)-just don’t mention it too loud, Greg, or Geico will start having commercials with vampires…
Ted asked how much longer we’ll have the “It Came from Berwyn” t-shirts, since he has some Berwyn pals he wants to order some for…Ted, the supply was just re-upped, due to the incredible popularity of this design, so it should last for a few months – BUT- we feel this was the FINAL re-order for this design- so, I’d order while they’re still around. We’ll be working on the next design soon! (Glow-in-the-dark? Smart money says “you betcha!”)
More feedback very soon! So, keep those e-mails and letters coming!
Have I given a Spindle update lately? The Spindle, of course, is that big spike with the multiple cars on it that stands proudly in the parking lot near Harlem and Cermak in Berwyn! As most of you know- the Spindle is scheduled to be taken down, so that a freestanding Walgreen’s, with convenient drive-through, can be built on that very spot. Many Berwyn residents don’t want to see the Spindle go, and have voiced their opposition. An important arts organization in Berwyn has been trying to raise enough money to have the Spindle re-located elsewhere, to preserve it as a tourist “must- see” in the suburb.
Well, the last I’d heard, the project is not going well- so far, the organization has not been able to raise the big money amount that it would take to save the Spindle. Adding to the problem is that any pleas for help from the actual artist who designed the Spindle have fallen on deaf ears (maybe he stood too close to all the car horns that the skewered vehicles contained.) I have yet to see an actual deadline by which the dismantling of the “car-kabob” will begin, but maybe we can come up with some idea to save it.
After this weekend, could we stand another telethon? Then why not have the “Spindle-thon?!” hosted on cable access by Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey as Wayne and Garth from “Wayne’s World” (the movie where the Spindle was “transplanted” to their Aurora neighborhood)- but only if they were to bring their other movie cast member, Tia Carrere, along (I had such a crush on her!)…callers could donate to save and relocate this piece of Berwyn culture and notoriety. Maybe they could auction off former Berwynite Judy Baar Topinka’s old cigarette –scented office furniture that is being replaced.
I’m guessing this whole scheme is just a dream, since any feelers to Mike Meyers regarding helping to save the Spindle have not be acknowleged. Maybe he and the Spindle artist/creator have been conferring?
How about a new “scratch and win” state lottery ticket, with funds going to the Spindle relocation fund? It could be a game called ‘Scratch and Spindle’- with a stack of cars on a spike- you scratch off three of the cars, and, if the symbols underneath (say, a mushroom in honor of the upcoming Houby Parade –in honor of mushrooms) all match- you’re a winner! But, the REAL winner will be the educational system (no, sorry, that’s the regular lottery)- I mean, the Spindle, as it looks with pride from its new location, reserved by all the purchases of those fun game tickets.
Have you got an idea? Send it here- svengoolie@wciu.com …
Well, the last I’d heard, the project is not going well- so far, the organization has not been able to raise the big money amount that it would take to save the Spindle. Adding to the problem is that any pleas for help from the actual artist who designed the Spindle have fallen on deaf ears (maybe he stood too close to all the car horns that the skewered vehicles contained.) I have yet to see an actual deadline by which the dismantling of the “car-kabob” will begin, but maybe we can come up with some idea to save it.
After this weekend, could we stand another telethon? Then why not have the “Spindle-thon?!” hosted on cable access by Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey as Wayne and Garth from “Wayne’s World” (the movie where the Spindle was “transplanted” to their Aurora neighborhood)- but only if they were to bring their other movie cast member, Tia Carrere, along (I had such a crush on her!)…callers could donate to save and relocate this piece of Berwyn culture and notoriety. Maybe they could auction off former Berwynite Judy Baar Topinka’s old cigarette –scented office furniture that is being replaced.
I’m guessing this whole scheme is just a dream, since any feelers to Mike Meyers regarding helping to save the Spindle have not be acknowleged. Maybe he and the Spindle artist/creator have been conferring?
How about a new “scratch and win” state lottery ticket, with funds going to the Spindle relocation fund? It could be a game called ‘Scratch and Spindle’- with a stack of cars on a spike- you scratch off three of the cars, and, if the symbols underneath (say, a mushroom in honor of the upcoming Houby Parade –in honor of mushrooms) all match- you’re a winner! But, the REAL winner will be the educational system (no, sorry, that’s the regular lottery)- I mean, the Spindle, as it looks with pride from its new location, reserved by all the purchases of those fun game tickets.
Have you got an idea? Send it here- svengoolie@wciu.com …
I often get e-mails and letters regarding things we “used to have.” Most often, it’s about movies that we ran at one point or another on our show, that people would like to see again. Sometimes, if you haven’t seen a certain movie on the show in a while, the reason is obvious- we no longer have the broadcast rights to show it! As I’ve mentioned before, we often get a “package” (group) of movies from a distributor- along with the rights to broadcast that movie either a certain number of times, or, as many times as we like over a certain length of time. Example: we had “Beginning of the End”- with the giant grasshoppers invading 1950s Chicago- for a year, with the rights to show it as many times as possible during that time. Same sort of thing with the “Full Moon” feature that most recently ran on Me-TV at 3 am during the week- we had rights to run them as many times as we wanted to, over about a three year span of time.
We sometimes will get a special “barter” movie- an example of that would be the recent showing of the movie “Ray” on “the U.” The movie is provided to the station for a one-time showing, with some commercials “built in” by the distributor- and we then can plug in our local ads for the rest of the available commercial time. Among the barter flicks we’ve shown on Sven were the original “Halloween” and, one of the “Nightmare on Elm Street” movies.
Anyway, when someone asks why we don’t show “Hell Come to Frog Town” or “Ghoulies II” or even “the Long Long Trailer” with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz (yes, we showed that one- you never saw it- with me as Lucy? For shame!)- the reason is that, our contracts for those movies are expired, and a TV station cannot run stuff for which they do not have broadcast rights. So, as much as I’d love to run those movies again- we cannot legally do it.
The other “old stuff” that I get asked about- are the older Sven shirts- the previous designs that we have sold here. People will occasionally ask me where they can get a design that we are no longer selling. Well, bad news- if we are no longer selling the shirt, that means that we sold out all of the ones with that design, and have moved on to the current design. There is no stockpile here of the various earlier designs. Your best bet, sadly, if you MUST have one of those shirts, would be to keep an eye on eBay- every once in a while, a Sven shirt will show up there.
Or- the next time your neighbor is washing his car- carefully inspect that old t-shirt that he's using to soap up the fender...
We sometimes will get a special “barter” movie- an example of that would be the recent showing of the movie “Ray” on “the U.” The movie is provided to the station for a one-time showing, with some commercials “built in” by the distributor- and we then can plug in our local ads for the rest of the available commercial time. Among the barter flicks we’ve shown on Sven were the original “Halloween” and, one of the “Nightmare on Elm Street” movies.
Anyway, when someone asks why we don’t show “Hell Come to Frog Town” or “Ghoulies II” or even “the Long Long Trailer” with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz (yes, we showed that one- you never saw it- with me as Lucy? For shame!)- the reason is that, our contracts for those movies are expired, and a TV station cannot run stuff for which they do not have broadcast rights. So, as much as I’d love to run those movies again- we cannot legally do it.
The other “old stuff” that I get asked about- are the older Sven shirts- the previous designs that we have sold here. People will occasionally ask me where they can get a design that we are no longer selling. Well, bad news- if we are no longer selling the shirt, that means that we sold out all of the ones with that design, and have moved on to the current design. There is no stockpile here of the various earlier designs. Your best bet, sadly, if you MUST have one of those shirts, would be to keep an eye on eBay- every once in a while, a Sven shirt will show up there.
Or- the next time your neighbor is washing his car- carefully inspect that old t-shirt that he's using to soap up the fender...
Woo Hoo! Back after a holiday weekend! It’s only a four day week…in which I have to cram 5 days of work…hmmm…
Let’s tie up some loose ends:
In a blog last week, I mentioned a comment from a viewer that Vincent Price was also in Alice Cooper’s “Welcome to My Nightmare”- well, Dave, a big Alice fan, begs to differ- he wrote to tell me Vinnie was NOT in that one, but did work with Alice Cooper on a song called Black Widow. In the song, he seems to be giving a tour of oddities, and does what Dave calls an AWESOME rant about the black widow spider. Dave also brought up Vincent and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”-saying that supposedly, MJ screwed Vincent out of royalties for his part of that tune, and that Vincent went to his grave (or DID HE?! Mwahahaaa…) bad-mouthing the gloved one (who doesn’t, these days?!) Does anybody know more about this?
Let me know- svengoolie@wciu.com
I’m very pleased to let you know that we are already working on some big plans for October- Halloween month! This could mean that yours truly could be appearing somewhere near YOU!!! As I mentioned before- just check this space for further information!
I do want to thank our sponsor, Horrorbles, for providing with some very cool stuff for an upcoming show, relating to a certain amphibian menace who may have once made my life miserable in 3-D…you’ll see the great stuff in just a couple weeks!
Here’s an FAQ that keeps coming in- so I thought I’d again give you the facts…people keep asking what the name of our theme song is, and who composed it? The answer- the theme is called “Son’s Theme” (dating back to when I was “Son of Svengoolie”- which, actually, some people still call me…come on, folks! I’ve been just plain “Svengoolie” now since 1995… but, I know, old habits die hard…) and –you see its composer every week on the show! (No, not Tombstone…) My long-time pal and musical director Doug Graves, alias Doug Scharf, composed and recorded the song. And, no, no recording of it is available- there was a recording of it that Doug used to sell on a cassette tape back in the early 80s, so, if you’re lucky enough to find one of those- and lucky enough to still have a functioning cassette player- you’ll have a rare recording! But- it is NOT available currently.
Okay- let the short work week begin! (Does that read as falsely enthusiastically as I think it does? Yow…)
Let’s tie up some loose ends:
In a blog last week, I mentioned a comment from a viewer that Vincent Price was also in Alice Cooper’s “Welcome to My Nightmare”- well, Dave, a big Alice fan, begs to differ- he wrote to tell me Vinnie was NOT in that one, but did work with Alice Cooper on a song called Black Widow. In the song, he seems to be giving a tour of oddities, and does what Dave calls an AWESOME rant about the black widow spider. Dave also brought up Vincent and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”-saying that supposedly, MJ screwed Vincent out of royalties for his part of that tune, and that Vincent went to his grave (or DID HE?! Mwahahaaa…) bad-mouthing the gloved one (who doesn’t, these days?!) Does anybody know more about this?
Let me know- svengoolie@wciu.com
I’m very pleased to let you know that we are already working on some big plans for October- Halloween month! This could mean that yours truly could be appearing somewhere near YOU!!! As I mentioned before- just check this space for further information!
I do want to thank our sponsor, Horrorbles, for providing with some very cool stuff for an upcoming show, relating to a certain amphibian menace who may have once made my life miserable in 3-D…you’ll see the great stuff in just a couple weeks!
Here’s an FAQ that keeps coming in- so I thought I’d again give you the facts…people keep asking what the name of our theme song is, and who composed it? The answer- the theme is called “Son’s Theme” (dating back to when I was “Son of Svengoolie”- which, actually, some people still call me…come on, folks! I’ve been just plain “Svengoolie” now since 1995… but, I know, old habits die hard…) and –you see its composer every week on the show! (No, not Tombstone…) My long-time pal and musical director Doug Graves, alias Doug Scharf, composed and recorded the song. And, no, no recording of it is available- there was a recording of it that Doug used to sell on a cassette tape back in the early 80s, so, if you’re lucky enough to find one of those- and lucky enough to still have a functioning cassette player- you’ll have a rare recording! But- it is NOT available currently.
Okay- let the short work week begin! (Does that read as falsely enthusiastically as I think it does? Yow…)
Okay- this is it- the day off that signifies “no summer for you!” to anybody who didn’t already decide that due to the start of a new school year. It’s also the day we’re supposed to honor the working people of our country- the people who REALLY keep this nation going (no offense, George.)
I was thinking of horror movies that involve the work force… obviously, there’s the old Svengoolie favorite “Killdozer”- where contact with some extra-terrestrial ore transfers a deadly conciousness to a bulldozer, which then begins to cause turmoil at a construction site on a far off island.
What’s the other one I was thinking of? Oh, yes- “the Mangler”- a laundry folding machine possessed by a hellish demon. Well, that explains the burn holes in my sport coat… that movie was based on a Stephen King short story, as was “Maximum Overdrive”- the one where trucks and machines of all types started killing workers and others. I never did figure out why there was a big face of the Spider-Man comics’ “Green Goblin” (the comic book version, not the recent movie version)on the front of a toy delivery truck.
For all the hard working cabbies, we once ran a fine movie on our show- “Blood and Donuts”- in which a cab driver befriends a somewhat benign vampire who’s fighting his vampirism, and searching for a lost love. Migrant carnival workers get a salute-though not very flatteringly- in “Funhouse”- a Tobe Hooper flick we have shown in recent months. We can salute exterminators with a look at John Goodman in the creepy “Arachnophobia.” Or- flash a smile at dentists with a quick (and cringe-inducing) look at the dental hi-jinks in “Little Shop of Horrors!”
I guess there’s even a movie that features my job- as a horror movie host. We’ve got Roddy McDowell as the host/vampire slayer in “Fright Night!” Uh…still haven’t found a horror movie about a guy who hosts programs about the 3 Stooges, however…
Doctors? Scientists? We’ve got that covered easily. Political jobs? What, you haven’t seen when we’ve shown “Werewolf of Washington?” Evil toymakers, check…heck, we even know about evil game show hosts- remember Richard Dawson in “the Running Man?” Let’s hope Drew Carey doesn’t pay a lot of attention to that one before he starts hosting ‘the Price is Right.”
Whatever job you do-even if there isn’t a movie about it- please enjoy this day off. Enjoy it now, because we’re about to head into fall, followed closely by…winter. And, just between you and me, I’M not gonna be out with the grill when the mercury drops to 13 degrees…
I was thinking of horror movies that involve the work force… obviously, there’s the old Svengoolie favorite “Killdozer”- where contact with some extra-terrestrial ore transfers a deadly conciousness to a bulldozer, which then begins to cause turmoil at a construction site on a far off island.
What’s the other one I was thinking of? Oh, yes- “the Mangler”- a laundry folding machine possessed by a hellish demon. Well, that explains the burn holes in my sport coat… that movie was based on a Stephen King short story, as was “Maximum Overdrive”- the one where trucks and machines of all types started killing workers and others. I never did figure out why there was a big face of the Spider-Man comics’ “Green Goblin” (the comic book version, not the recent movie version)on the front of a toy delivery truck.
For all the hard working cabbies, we once ran a fine movie on our show- “Blood and Donuts”- in which a cab driver befriends a somewhat benign vampire who’s fighting his vampirism, and searching for a lost love. Migrant carnival workers get a salute-though not very flatteringly- in “Funhouse”- a Tobe Hooper flick we have shown in recent months. We can salute exterminators with a look at John Goodman in the creepy “Arachnophobia.” Or- flash a smile at dentists with a quick (and cringe-inducing) look at the dental hi-jinks in “Little Shop of Horrors!”
I guess there’s even a movie that features my job- as a horror movie host. We’ve got Roddy McDowell as the host/vampire slayer in “Fright Night!” Uh…still haven’t found a horror movie about a guy who hosts programs about the 3 Stooges, however…
Doctors? Scientists? We’ve got that covered easily. Political jobs? What, you haven’t seen when we’ve shown “Werewolf of Washington?” Evil toymakers, check…heck, we even know about evil game show hosts- remember Richard Dawson in “the Running Man?” Let’s hope Drew Carey doesn’t pay a lot of attention to that one before he starts hosting ‘the Price is Right.”
Whatever job you do-even if there isn’t a movie about it- please enjoy this day off. Enjoy it now, because we’re about to head into fall, followed closely by…winter. And, just between you and me, I’M not gonna be out with the grill when the mercury drops to 13 degrees…
The day before Labor Day Monday can only mean one thing- our yearly dosage of the “Jerry Lewis Telethon!” every year, certain friends and I would tune in just to see how off-the-wall good ol’ JL could get- and many years, we weren’t disappointed. You could always count on the stock Jerry shtick- putting the entire rim of a large drinking glass into his mouth, the cigarette lighter that would produce a massive flame, drinking water, and then talking, letting the water cascade all over his expensive tuxedo…not to mention the various cries of “gahoygenflaven!” and other Jerry nonsense words (at least that part is continued on “the Simpsons” by Professor Frink.)
After the various illnesses and tribulations Jerry has gone through- not to mention some mellowing with age- the telethons aren’t as much risky fun as they once were. The contributions that have helped fight muscular dystrophy continue, however, and more power to them. I know my pals at WGN like Dean Richards will be manning the camera and the phones for the many hours, and let’s hope for another big year…just don’t make me sit through hours of Tony Orlando any more…(I’m sure he’d say the same about me…)
As loyal viewers know, I’ve impersonated Jerry a few times on our shows-the “Judge Jerry” bit always seems to be a perennial favorite! Over at WGN, on their morning news show, my pal Jeff Hoover, who used to portray Jerry on Jonny Brandmeier’s radio show, calling unwitting celebrities and actually getting them to believe it was the REAL Jerry- will occasionally don the tuxedo and glasses and do his Jerry impression, which is SO good! I always enjoyed when Martin Short did his Jerry bits on my favorite old show- “SCTV”- especially one that was supposed to be a high art movie featuring Jerry- I think it was called “Scenes from an Idiot’s Marriage.”
Long time viewers might remember when we showed a Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis imitator duo’s wacky movie with Bela Lugosi, called “the Boys from Brooklyn” and/or “Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla.” The Dean clone, Duke Mitchell, wasn’t that good, but the faux Jerry- Sammy Petrillo - was actually pretty good! I know it’s been rerun on our Me-TV 3 am weeknight Sven showcase. Makes you wonder if, say, a Will Ferrell imitator could get away with doing his act in a movie these days…anyway, here’s hoping the real Jerry stays around, telethoning or not, for a long time to come- I know people either love him or hate him, but watching stuff like the original “Nutty Professor”- you have to give him his proper respect.
After the various illnesses and tribulations Jerry has gone through- not to mention some mellowing with age- the telethons aren’t as much risky fun as they once were. The contributions that have helped fight muscular dystrophy continue, however, and more power to them. I know my pals at WGN like Dean Richards will be manning the camera and the phones for the many hours, and let’s hope for another big year…just don’t make me sit through hours of Tony Orlando any more…(I’m sure he’d say the same about me…)
As loyal viewers know, I’ve impersonated Jerry a few times on our shows-the “Judge Jerry” bit always seems to be a perennial favorite! Over at WGN, on their morning news show, my pal Jeff Hoover, who used to portray Jerry on Jonny Brandmeier’s radio show, calling unwitting celebrities and actually getting them to believe it was the REAL Jerry- will occasionally don the tuxedo and glasses and do his Jerry impression, which is SO good! I always enjoyed when Martin Short did his Jerry bits on my favorite old show- “SCTV”- especially one that was supposed to be a high art movie featuring Jerry- I think it was called “Scenes from an Idiot’s Marriage.”
Long time viewers might remember when we showed a Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis imitator duo’s wacky movie with Bela Lugosi, called “the Boys from Brooklyn” and/or “Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla.” The Dean clone, Duke Mitchell, wasn’t that good, but the faux Jerry- Sammy Petrillo - was actually pretty good! I know it’s been rerun on our Me-TV 3 am weeknight Sven showcase. Makes you wonder if, say, a Will Ferrell imitator could get away with doing his act in a movie these days…anyway, here’s hoping the real Jerry stays around, telethoning or not, for a long time to come- I know people either love him or hate him, but watching stuff like the original “Nutty Professor”- you have to give him his proper respect.
