July 2008 Archives

In case you haven’t heard or read it- there’s some major news
coming out of our beloved company. Our boss Neal Sabin has pulled off yet another amazing coup- and it ends up being “THIS!”
“What?” You ask…”No, This” I respond…and we run yet another Abbott and Costello style routine into the ground. Yes, from the people who brought you “U”- then “Me”-then “Me-Too”-comes “This”- a new channel that will be made available around the country, tied in with the MGM film and television show library.
You’ve been inundated with the information about that digital television conversion coming up next February. As you know, when that happens, each station will have not only its channel –like WCIU on channel 26- on its channel location, but also sub-channels- a 26.1, 26.2, etc…that can carry different channels- like Me-TV, Me-Too, etc…and This will be carried on one of these sub-channels. Many stations around the country will have these sub-channels available to them, but will not have the programming to put onto them. Now, they will be able to put This on one of their sub-channels- with lots of movies and programming. This national channel will be coming from right here-at our broadcasting company- which is pretty exciting. The name- like “U” and “Me” before it- lends itself to a lot of promotional uses- like “Watch This!”- “This is the place for movies”-“Have You Seen This?”- etc.
The amazing success of our stations, spearheaded by Mr. Sabin, has made big news and exceeded expectations here locally, and regionally, with our stations in Milwaukee and South Bend- and now, our company is moving up to a national level. At a time when other companies are down-sizing and cutting back- we’re expanding and doing new things. I’m really proud to have been here when it all started with “the U”- and to see the amazing growth and success that has come about since then.
The last that I heard, This may be on here locally as early as October- and, yes, you’ll need to have a digital conversion box on a TV that gets its signals broadcast over the air (not cable) to pick it up. I don’t know of any current plans for it to be available on cable, or, for that matter, satellite dishes, but- I guess we’ll see as it develops. Right now, it’s purpose will be to be added to broadcast sub-channels –here at the U and across the country. I think we’ll be proud here in Chicago when the whole country can get a load of This!

I’m sure everybody has seen at least a few moments of one of the seasons of the reality/entertainment series “Dancing with the Stars”…where semi-famous folks go through rigorous dance training and have to perform with seasoned professional dancers, doing a variety of types of dance- and are subsequently voted off the show as it proceeds. The last season I watched regularly featured the tall lovely Stacy Keibler, who once appeared on, of all things, WWE Wrestling, but failed to win anything other than the hearts of the viewers.
Everyone from Jerry Springer to George Hamilton to rapper Master P (who stomped around like Herman Munster- and that was doing the waltz!) has appeared on the show- but, I just thought of a way to do a seasonal version.
The season, of course, would be Halloween…and the show would be transformed into –“Dancing with the Scary Stars!” (Anyone who read the title of this blog is not surprised at all by that.) The celebrity contestants could be- one of the portrayers of “Jason” in a “Friday the 13th” movie- Linda Blair of “Exorcist” fame- “Freddy Krueger” himself, Robert Englund - Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (her outfit is already comparable to some of those professional dance costumes!)- Rob Zombie (I’m sure he’d do better than Master P)-for some nostalgia, Lisa Loring (Wednesday from the “Addams Family” series)-Kate Beckinsale, the fabulous babe vampire of the “Underworld” series- and –what the heck- the lead-footed loser, yours truly (I’d have gladly substituted either John Zacherly, famed horror host, or the original Sven, Jerry G. Bishop, but I know neither would feel they are limber enough to do all that training and dancing.)
Everyone taking part would have to do so in their character make-up (providing it IS make-up) and the various songs they would dance to could be horror oriented tunes- like that tango they would always play on the “Addams Family” show, or Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”-maybe even the cha-cha theme song from the original “Blob!”
The losers each week could be gotten rid of with whatever seemed appropriate- a stake, garlic, fire- and whoever won would be presented with a pumpkin-like disco ball.
I’m guessing that “Dancing with the Scary Stars” won’t make the schedule any Halloween soon- but, it could be a good switch on the premise for October…do you have a suggestion for a participant? Let me know- svengoolie@wciu.com  …

From deep within the Sven blogosphere, here are a few random thoughts (well, actually, not THAT deep-my brain is, at best, a sizeable puddle…)
No doubt you heard about that offer last week to Steve Bartman, the now-notorious Cubs fan who “interfered” with a fly ball and thusly has been entered into baseball history forever. An autograph show in town was willing to give him $25,000 just to show up at an appointed time at their event- and sign one picture. While some people have stated that he’d have to be crazy to turn that down- I have to say that I’m actually willing to give this guy credit. He has NEVER used this incident for personal gain, though many others have. He has not tried to benefit in any way from it- which makes me think he’s a decent guy. Hopefully, Cubs fans will realize that, and cut him some slack.
Okay- I’m going through an old publication- not THAT old, maybe from six-eight months ago…and spot an ad with a grinning Ed MacMahon touting some product. All right- that’s IT! Just months later, his guy is crying about how he’s broke, and may lose his house, etc.- but I’m about out of sympathy.
I’ve mentioned this before- he made HUGE money from the Tonight Show, commercial endorsements, “Star Search,” and on and on- and because he was too stupid to live within his means and save money wisely, we’re all supposed to feel sorry for him. For those of you who will write and say “but- he had an injury, and health problems”- indeed he did- but the astronomic amount of money he’s made should have been more than enough to carry him through that. As someone who has had health problems plague his own family (and himself)-while earning decent money, or less at times of his life, I still
Managed to pay my bills. And-seeing an endorsement he was being paid for just a few months before he was crying poor kind of set me off. Okay- I’m done. That’s the last time I’ll mention him (…unless he cheeses me off again. Hey-oh!)
I did want to thank everybody who came out for our “digital TV information” appearances last week, both at Daley Center and Friday night at the Best Buy right off the Dan Ryan. It’s really a pleasure to get to talk with fans of the show, and hear which things you guys especially like…not to mention seeing the multiple generations of Sven viewers we now have. I especially enjoy people telling me “I’ve been watching you since I was (fill in the number-often below ten!) years old!” The fact that they’re STILL watching, as I’ve said before, is so cool! (Which I was NOT, temperature-wise…summer is a great time to do appearances, but it gets way too warm!)   

I know that a lot of you really enjoy the parody songs that we do on the show, and even think that the songs are your favorite feature of the program. I enjoy doing them as well, and think that our musical accompanist of all these years, Doug,
continually produces some of the best music tracks ever. I can only hope that the words I come up with match his brilliant arrangements. I always like when the words to our songs correspond well to the original lyrics-which is often a difficult task- to make the words match up while still referring to something from the movie.
Recently, on the radio, we were discussing how many songs I’ve come up with. If we were able to determine how many I’ve done in my entire life, it’d be quite a number, since I actually started doing parody songs in grade school! I’m not quite sure how witty those would be, if I could remember them…
Making up parody lyrics is something that my younger brothers and I did on a regular basis- songs on the radio, commercial jingles, and songs from music class in school all were fodder for our alterations. I will still laugh uncontrollably when one of them brings up certain parodies of toy commercial songs (also, when they bring out an old Flintstones coloring book that they made certain additions to many years ago, but that’s a whole other story- but, believe me, that leaves me laughing so hard that I’m in tears!)
Making up parody lyrics is not just a part of my job- oh, no- it’s a part of my life. I will come up with some spontaneous lyrics at any given moment, listening to the radio in the car,
hearing the Muzak in a store, hearing a commercial on the TV.
This is all much to the dismay of my family. Recently, when commercials come on for the movie “Mama Mia”-I have a tendency to spout some new lyrics for that, which usually prompts my daughter to give the stern reminder- “Dad- the windows are open!”(Yes, summer time is embarrassment time-I’m sure she thanks providence for when the temperature rises enough to put on the air and shut the windows, thereby depriving the neighbors of my singing.) Can I help it that “Mama Mia” rhymes so conveniently with “diarrhea?” (Yes, I am SO juvenile…)
Imagine- my family being embarrassed by this unique habit I have to create a parody out of nowhere! And many of them are not even obscene- they’re just…stupid. Be grateful that the ones I do for our shows are pretty much the cream of the crop
that germinates in my feeble brain…

As I said yesterday, last night’s showing of “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” was the final feature in our ground-breaking deal with Universal that brought many of the classic horror films back to broadcast TV for the first time in over a decade. Many of you were wondering what I meant at the end of yesterday’s blog, when I said we’d have more Universal stuff. Well- wonder no longer!
Here’s the deal- Universal has agreed to let us keep a handful of the features we’ve run-no, none of the biggest titles, like last night’s flick, or the Frankenstein series, or the Wolf Man, Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc. You will, most likely see, those films someplace on cable like AMC- and only rarely, most likely in October, and they’ll keep them on the shelf most of the rest of the year. Universal has left us with the other “Abbott and Costello Meet…” films we’ve shown, plus “Tarantula” and “Deadly Mantis” (in both regular and Svensurround versions)-along with “the Car”-“I Saw What You Did”- “Brides of Dracula” (the British flick that so many of you had been waiting years to see until we finally brought it to you)-“People Under the Stairs” –“the Black Cat”- and “the Raven.”
Will we ever get the big creature features back? Will we see Boris as Frankenstein, and Bela as Dracula? Well- it’s possible. Our boss Neal Sabin, who made that original deal, will be trying to get them back at some point- as well as working on other notable groups of movies. Proof of his hard work is our upcoming group of flicks that will start in the new season this September- featuring some great Sony/Columbia properties. I’m excited that we’ll have the original “Blob” with Steve McQueen in the new year, plus great stop-motion action flicks by the incredible Ray Harryhausen- some William Castle flicks, including the gimmick master’s great Vincent Price film “the Tingler”-pre-historic hits like “Dinosaurus” and “Creatures the World Forgot”-and “Swamp Thing”- “Village of the Giants”-and more! We’ll also have some special one-time only flicks like “the Howling” and “John Carpenter’s Vampires.”
The Universal movies added to our total audience, by bringing in people who loved and missed those movies, and maybe didn’t realize what we do…and , with more movies to come, it seems like the Svengoolie dynasty will continue to flourish, and rubber chickens will continue to roam the countryside unabated…

Tonight, the Svengoolie program marks the end of a true milestone- as we present, for the final time (possibly?)-
“Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein!”
This marks the official end point of our great contract for the Universal classics that began back in October of 2006-and what a perfect ending! This classic horror comedy- what many consider the BEST horror comedy ever made- features the impressive line-up of Bela Lugosi in the role that made him famous –Dracula- plus, Lon Chaney Jr. in HIS greatest role-
Larry Talbot, who becomes the legendary Wolf Man-and- the greatest monster of them all, the Frankenstein Monster- portrayed by Glenn Strange. Abbott and Costello end up caught in a war between Dracula and Talbot- as the Count
Has retrieved the body of the Monster, and plans to revive him- and give him a simple brain, so the Monster’s awesome power will be easily manipulated by the vampire. Talbot has gotten wind of the scheme, and, knowing how powerful the Monster is, realizes that Dracula’s plan must be stopped-even with such semi-useless allies as Bud and Lou.
This movie was a huge success, was the second-highest grossing film from Universal studios for the year 1948,and revived the fading movie careers of Bud and Lou- and also lead to all the other “Abbott and Costello Meet (a monster)” flicks. Boris Karloff had declined to be involved in this film (although he would later appear in two other A & C flicks- “Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff” and “Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”)-but did pose for a couple publicity photographs to support the film- him standing in line to buy a ticket to the film, and him gazing at a poster for it. Imagine if he had portrayed the Monster, alongside Bela’s Dracula!
I’ve mentioned before that, another person who didn’t want to be involved with the film was- Lou Costello! He felt the script was absolute garbage-he actually said he thought his little daughter could write a better script! His feelings were smoothed over, thanks to the hiring of his friend, director Charles Barton, to work on the film- that, and a $50,000 advance in salary! I would think he’d have agreed to make “Abbott and Costello Meet a Vacuum Cleaner” for that much…
Please tune in tonight for the final run of this classic-as we say goodbye to the Universal biggies…but-we WILL have more Universal stuff- which I’ll explain in tomorrow’s blog.   

First off, thanks to all the people who lined up in Daley Plaza yesterday to met me and check out the DTV Trekker, and get their questions answered regarding the digital TV conversion that will happen next February. The only bad part was breathing the bus fumes coming off the nearby street! Tonight, from 7-8 pm, you can find me and the Trekker at the Best Buy store at 87th and the Dan Ryan. See me on the South Side!!!
Meanwhile, back on the near west side- Cicero, to be precise- there’s been some good news- you might recall me writing about the problems Cicero was having getting the Mexican city of Guanajuato to make good on a promise to send them some of their legendary mummies to display in anew cultural facility. They were worried that the exhibit would not draw a big enough audience for the mummies- which are actually former residents of the town, turned to mummies by some strange properties of the ground in which they were buried.
Many of these bodies were removed from their crypts in the mid-1800s thru mid 1900s when their ancestors couldn’t keep up with grave-tax payments- and it was then that the amazing mummification process was discovered-thanks to the central Mexican heat!
I guess the Mexican town’s officials were hoping for more exposure in some place bigger, like Chicago. Their main hope was to get people interested enough in the mummies that they’d make a trip to Guanajuato, making it a greater tourist destination, and the recipient of those big tourist bucks- or pesos, or whatever they are…You see, the town is in the center of Mexico, with no beaches, so the mummies are the big draw. What, they couldn’t build a couple theme parks, like Orlando?
However, everything has been worked out- and Cicero will indeed be able to display the mummies, maybe not this summer as originally planned, but later this year or early next year. The folks in Cicero are hoping that both local residents of Mexican heritage and the curious will come to see the mummies, and be impressed by “the new Cicero.” The last time Cicero had something comparable to a mummy was when they had a Goolie on display-I visited their American Fest last June! Local residents and people from surrounding communities as well came to see me- so, imagine how well actual mummies will do…though the adults who said they started watching me when they were kids DID say I was remarkably well-preserved…

Confused about the big switch to digital TV signals coming up in February of 2009? Well, the answers are nearby, both today and tomorrow- and you just might find yours truly Svengoolie helping spread the word!

Today, the DTV Trekker- a huge truck that looks like a TV set!- will be right in the heart of the city at Daley Plaza, where the Farmer’s Market is going on. Accompanying it will be experts who can answer any questions you may have about the digital TV conversion- the converter boxes- whether you will need one or not-the exact date the switch will occur-and anything else related to the issue. The Trekker will be there from 10 am to 3 pm, and I will be there from noon to 1 pm. My broadcast colleague George Blaise will also be making an appearance along the way. I know this will be very convenient for the folks who work downtown and can spend a few minutes out of their lunch hour dropping by to say hello!

The next stop for the Trekker will be Friday afternoon and evening at the Best Buy store at 87^th and the Dan Ryan. The truck and the experts will be there from 2pm to 9 pm…and I’ll be there that evening from 7 to 8 pm. Mr. Blaise will also be visiting with fans there.

Both places will also have representatives from WCIU and the Me TV stations on hand, and, seriously, if you have worries about how your TV will work after the broadcast signal changes from analog (the way its been for years) to digital, this is a perfect chance to get the facts. The standard rule is- if you have a satellite or cable box attached to your TV- you will be fine- the cable box will convert the signal. If you have an HD TV- you’re fine- the tuner will accept the signal. If you have a regular old TV, and get broadcast signals via an antenna- then you will need a converter box. Those are the ones that you can get up to two coupons for (from the government) that will knock forty dollars off the cost- which, at some stores, is about 49 dollars. The folks at the Trekker will have the information on how you can send for those coupons- which actually look like credit cards or gift cards!

(FYI- the Trekker will also be at a Wal-Mart on west North Avenue in the city on Saturday- but neither George nor I, nor any of the WCIU/Me staff will be on hand.)

So- come out and meet me and get the facts on the digital TV revolution today and tomorrow! I’ll be the one with the top hat

and the digitally-converted rubber chicken… #   #    #

Sad to see that Richard Roeper and Roger Ebert have decided to leave their long-running “Ebert and Roeper at The Movies” show…although, from the sound of it, they are exiting what might very well end up being a sinking ship! The story is that Buena Vista is going to go in a “different direction”- which is being interpreted as a “dumbing down” of the show. The original premise- created by Roger and the late Gene Siskel- was for two informed critics to discuss the movies, give their opinions, and argue whatever viewpoints they disagreed on.
I recall the last time they left a show- the original “Sneak Previews” –and the company decided to keep making the program, plugging in other people. Needless to say- didn’t work. How many bets we see that happen again? Will the “new direction” be more flash, and more quick segments for those with the typical short attention span? I would just hate to see another cookie cutter show, like all the gossip/paparazzi shows on the air…just like all the insipid locally produced “here’s stuff to do in Chicago!” shows that executives seem to think we need more of…
 Meanwhile, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rich and Roger end up together on another show. Hopefully, Roger will recover well enough to regain his voice and join Rich on camera.
I always cringe when I happen upon the Today Show, and there’s walrus-moustached Gene Shalit doing another weak review, mainly written to seem to say “listen to how clever I am!”-when, quite honestly- he’s not. There are some local TV guys who do movie reviews. I love to see someone who has never been anything more than a glorified gossip columnist, and has no right to be reviewing movies, pontificating on a film, and telling people what to see or avoid. In the words of Ralph Kramden-“who died and left HIM boss?!”
I tend to respect the opinions of, say, a Roger Ebert- but still reserve the right to see a film and make up my own mind about it. I honestly have never changed my mind about seeing a movie that I intended to see, just because a critic said he didn’t like it. There are a few times that I ended up agreeing with the criticism, but I think Roger, Roeper, and a few others would agree that a film should be a personal experience- and that not everyone likes (or dislikes) the same things. They’re just stating their opinions- and expect you to make your own.
Granted, there are some that are so putrid, they might state that it’s not worth your money- but it’s STILL just their opinion…and the final verdict is still left up to you.  

I’ve received a lot of e-mails, all asking the same question- “what happened to last Saturday night’s ‘Stooge-a-palooza?’”
For those who didn’t tune in- the show started with –not the open- but a later segment, with no introduction- the short didn’t plat all the way through- there were commercials- there were long stretches of nothing on the air, the final segment ran about an hour and twenty minutes early- got cut off- more commercials, more nothing…well, you get the idea. To answer your questions, there were problems co-ordinating our all-digital system (we no longer run shows off tape-they are fed directly into a giant computer server and run from there.) It was very unfortunate, in that it was not  just a new show, but a show entitled “Why Don’t You Ever Show THAT One?!”
(prophetic words indeed!)…since we didn’t end up showing a couple of the shorts in the show. We will try to reschedule this show for the fall, and apologize for the electronic mayhem (not to be confused with that band on the Muppet Show- “Electric Mayhem.”) As I said, it was truly a shame that the shorts so many of you have been asking to see were the victims of technical difficulties.
Add to that my kind of wishing we HAD been able to come up with enough production time to do “Tarantula” (which ran last Saturday night after airing only 6 weeks previous) in total Svensurround, much like we did with “Deadly Mantis.” The problem is- it does take a LOT of work to put together that kind of show. However, please don’t worry- Svensurround will be coming up in some future shows, since it is now a mainstay of the Svengoolie program and /or legend!
I have to apologize to the Sven fans around the country (and beyond-that includes the fighting men and women we hear from!) for something that completely slipped my mind. When I made my appearance with Steve and Johnnie on WGN radio, I did mention that its powerful signal carries all over the country and beyond- but, it had gone completely blank on the fact that WGN streams on the Internet- so you out-of-town Sven fans could have jumped on your computers and gotten in on the fun! I’ll keep that in mind for future appearances…
Speaking of which, you’ll have two chances to meet me at live appearances at the end of the week- Thursday and Friday- with Thursday being right at mid-day in the Chicago Loop!
You can catch some of the details on WCIU, and in my past blogs- and I’ll repeat the info later this week!

Okay- let’s see how well you did with my TV/music quiz questions for yesterday’s blog…but first- a couple questions I couldn’t fit in yesterday:

-         What member of “Mama’s Family” had a hit record about a crime down south (the crime was NOT that person’s portrayal of the “family” character!)

-         Which of these “Happy Days” cast member did NOT record an album to try to cash in on the show?

a)    Anson Williams

b)   Donny Most

c)    Tom Bosley

 And now- all the answers:

-Sally Field recorded “Felicidad”- a “happiness word” according to the lyrics.

-The hit singer Sweathog was , of course, John Travolta- the song? “Let Her In”…

_The group that the “Welcome Back Kotter” theme song singer, John Sebastian, belonged to was the Lovin’ Spoonful…

-Dickie Goodman’s comedy single was about –“Batman’s Grandmother”- I’m surprised nobody has dug that up, with all the Batmania in progress…

Now, your bonus answers-

-That was “Mama Harper” herself, Vicki Lawrence with “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia!”

-The “Happy Days” actor who did NOT cash in with an album was Tom Bosley- although he was well equipped to do so, having appeared in Broadway musicals like “Fiorello!” I know Donny Most recorded a lame effort, because I once found it in a $1.99 record bin and bought it as a birthday gift for as friend (hey, big spender…)

Now, the scoring- if you got-

0-1        correct- what, you don’t get Me-TV?!

2-3         correct- pretty good memory!

4        Correct-

(and /or any bonus question answers)-

                       you must be as old a TV addict as me!!!

If you enjoyed this little quiz, let me know- we can try it again sometime. It seems like a ready-made feature for our Me-TV and Me-Too stations, in fact. Let me know what you think at the usual address- it’s  svengoolie@wciu.com  !    #    #   #

Early warning- this is the week that both my broadcast colleague George Blaise and I will be out helping inform the general public about the switchover to digital television broadcasting set for next February! We will be doing appearances tied in with our stations and the DTV Trekker- a huge truck, designed to look like a TV set- that is crossing the country to spread the word- and the facts- about how the digital transition will affect your TV!

On Thursday the 24^th- the Trekker will be at the Farmer’s Market at the Daley Center in downtown Chicago. Though it will be there for a longer period of time, yours truly is scheduled to be there from noon to 1 pm- signing autographs

as  the experts from our station  answer your DTV questions. Then, on Friday, the Trekker will be at the Best Buy at 87^th and the Dan Ryan- with me scheduled to appear from 7-8 pm.

Check the WCIU website and watch on-air this week for more information!

Okay- the other night on WGN, visiting with Steve and Johnnie, they bought up a trivia question-what hit record was master vice talent Mel Blanc on? The answer- Pat Boone’s “Speedy Gonzales!” This reminded me of a few other trivia questions I could ask that might amuse you. No fair using the Internet- use your memory to answer these questions:

-“Flying Nun” Sally Field had a hit record between flights in the 60s- what was its name?

-Robert Hegyes- “Epstein” on “Welcome Back Kotter”  kept thinking he and the Sweathogs were “the Beatles of Comedy”-

but, alas, only one Sweathog actually had a hit record, just like the Mop Tops- who was it- and what was its name?

-Speaking of “Kotter”- its theme itself became a hit song-

so, tell me –what hit-making group  was its singer a major part of, in the mid 60s?

-Dickie Goodman made a lot of goofy comedy records- that used actual clips of popular songs to tell silly stories. One of his last ones was called “Mr. Jaws”- a spoof of the terrorizing flick. In the mid 60s- he made a record about a relative of what character in a major hit show?

Okay- as I said, just use your memory, not your computer’s search engine, to see if you know the answers. DO NOT send the answers to me…this is just for fun. I’ll post the answers in tomorrow’s blog- along with a couple “bonus questions” I didn’t have room to post today!   #   #   #

Have you reached your saturation point with bats by now?

(As great as the “Dark Knight” is…) can we get back to a past great thing- the spider? No, not puny Peter Parker- it’s time again for a look at the 1950s massive eight-legged menace with the lush fur coat! Tonight at 9 on Svengoolie (1 am on Me-TV)- it’s –“Tarantula!”

Back for an encore performance, we have the movie that gave us a brief glimpse of young Clint Eastwood, behind an oxygen mask in a fighter plane! The movie that gives us ravishing Playboy Playmate Mara Corday in enough clothing to choke a tarantula! The movie that made Leo G. Carroll resemble a basset hound EVEN MORE when he’s affected by a strange serum! The movie that again brings us John Agar, a man who was married to Shirley temple, and whose said marriage was no ride on the Good Ship Lollypop!

Yes, I know we didn’t show this movie that long ago- again, you can thank the scheduling of our friends at Universal. And- for the four of you who complained about the “Deadly Mantis” being immersed in total Svensurround- fear not. Our crew did not have the production time available to saturate this epic in the same fashion. (Rare is the blog where I get to use two forms of the word “saturate”!)Honestly, we would have loved to do so- and I know a majority of our fans would have enjoyed it, as well- but- with an all-new “Stooge-a-palooza” being put together for tonight at 7 pm (how’s that for sneaking in a plug?!)-along with various other tasks- it just wasn’t possible to devote all the time necessary to Svensurround this film. It shall run in the pristine form it did previously, a mere 6 weeks ago. And an enjoyable movie it is- as an earnest scientist develops a nutrient to help feed the rapidly overpopulating world- finding it causes amazing growth- but also, deadly mutation! Things get tense when a serum-morphed human attacks the lab, releasing one of the animal specimens- specifically, the tarantula who is the size of one of those rides you can have your kid enjoy for a quarter in front of the K-Mart.

The problem is- it just keeps growing- not to mention, getting hungrier- and, when herds of cattle are left a bones in the desert- eventually, the good guys put two and two together and get eight- legs, that is.

As I’ve said before, this film is even more impressive, just because a REAL, albeit magnified, tarantula is used for most of the shots. Cool off tonight by watching people run around the desert in search of –“Tarantula!” (In its final run for at least a while. Honest. I mean it.)   #    #   #

The entire nation is SO serious about experiencing the new “Dark Knight” movie! By now, I’m guessing everyone interested- and even the small minority that isn’t- has heard the glowing reviews of the movie. Some theaters are having round the clock marathon showings, on multiple screens. The IMAX at Navy Pier will have about 72 hours of non-stop “Knight”! Our pals Steve and Johnnie, who generously had us visit with them for a couple hours the other night on WGN radio, said that they actually have tickets for 6 am this morning- they’ll wind up their overnight airshift, and head directly to the Pier to see the movie!
I know that I won’t see the movie this weekend –not that it’ll be possible, since most advance ticket sales everywhere have been sold out…but, I agree with my friend superstar artist Alex Ross, who has created a lot of artwork of the Dark Knight in his career- I don’t think I want to be in the feverish crowds that will be taking in the movie this first week (see an earlier blog in which I mention my movie going preferences.)
It seems like I’ve been a Batman fan forever. I was trying to recall my very first exposure to Batman- and I think it was a summer day, in my pre-teen years. A group of my friends were gathered on one guy’s front stoop, reading a bunch of comic books. At that time, most of my comic book preferences were for the cool Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck stories done by the amazing Carl Barks- really clever stories that were more literate than they had to be! That day, though, nobody was reading about ducks- most of the books were Batman, and were the famous “80 Page Giant” annual issues that sold for only 25 cents back then, and would feature a whole load of past stories. I was intrigued by the gadgetry, the amazing array of villains, and especially the special technical graphics-like the one showing all the contents of Batman’s utility belt- how the stuff fit into these capsule shaped compartments, which is the way they were drawn back then, I could never understand- although they did indicate that his Batarang boomerangs actually were collapsible! There was also a big layout of the BatCave- complete with a giant penny, a huge robotic dinosaur (souvenirs of past cases whose origins I immediately hoped to learn), various costumes in glass display cases, the huge BatComputer…needless to say, I was hooked for life. We were still a few years away from the Batman TV show, and, it seems, centuries away from the more sophisticated Batman theatrical movies, and the great Warner Bros. Batman animated series.
I always think about how, as kids, we would have been deliriously happy if all this Batman stuff- not to mention all the other superhero movies, merchandise, etc.- had been around! At least it’s nice to know that it’s okay for an adult to be a fan of the superhero genre these days…although I know a few people who aren’t quite sure they’d classify me as an adult…

The picture is shocking- as they drove down I-88, past the Morton Arboretum, the couple saw- and couldn’t believe- huge ants standing on the surrounding hillside! Like a moment in the classic 50s horror movie “Them”- giant ants that dwarf men, that, at their size, would have such incredible strength that they could lift cars and trucks easily- and there they are, right next to a highway loaded with vehicles!

Am I making this up? No!!! It’s for real- uh- even the ants aren’t, as far as being alive. Our friends Angie and Ron have sent me pictures of these giant ants that are part of a current exhibit at the Arboretum- maybe you’ve seen the print ads with a huge praying mantis (no relation to the one who just starred in last week’s flick- or- is it?) The ants are visible from the highway near the sign for the Arboretum.

The exhibit- David Rogers’ Big Bugs- includes various huge carved insects, many of which seem to be refugees from Sven horror flicks. The visitors center has that towering praying mantis I mentioned earlier. There is a spider, possibly subliminal promotion for this week’s encore performance of “Tarantula”-and a grasshopper sure to remind Chicagoans of the time in the 1950s when the giant locusts attacked the city of Chicago in “Beginning of the End!” Add in additional bees

(hmmm…there are giant bees in “Mysterious Island”-which just might BE a future Sven flick) along with ladybugs, “assassin bugs” (which, if they don’t appear in a movie- with that name, are a shoo-in for a future horror flick) and more, and you can shoot your own scary monster movie promo stills at the Arboretum!

Meanwhile, at the beloved Brookfield Zoo- you can enter a huge enclosure where lots of butterflies surround you, and might even land on you –no horror fodder here. Hopefully, after the recent mishap is corrected, you can visit the pool where you can face sting rays and – hit the “Jaws” music- sharks! And, you can always visit the part of the Australia house that has big fruit bats flying around loose. They may not be vampire bats, but they’re big enough to put a chill down your spine.

It’s pretty amazing how many reminders of horror flicks we can find in local Chicagoland attractions. Does anybody want to check if there’s any remains left of the Old Chicago indoor amusement park down in Bolingbrook that was used for a scene in “the Fury”? I thought not…   #    #    #

Yes, it’s another one of those blogs where I’m just going to throw out bits and pieces of things that have crossed my mind, my desk, or my computer lately…

First off- thanks to everyone who tuned into Steve and Johnnie for my on-air visit to the WGN airwaves last night…as I’ve said, it’s always a fun time for me, and reminds me how much I miss getting to “play radio,” as Steve and Johnnie put it.

For the record- the “nay” reactions to the Svensurrounded “Deadly Mantis” now stands at…three. Otherwise, it’s been overwhelming support- which has also been borne out by the ratings…

I’ve gotten a fair amount of feedback on my blog regarding the movie theater experience. John recounted how he had his viewing of “Revenge of the Sith” ruined by some airhead who had to send a text message very time some salient plot point occurred, and her phone screen shone brightly, like some sort of distracting beacon in the dark. John says he has created his own drive-in experience with a 12-foot inflatable screen and a video projector he got on sale. I’m guessing nobody text-messages during one of his film screenings!

Another John-loyal viewer John Doyle, who often sends us great artwork- tells us about the time some idiot was flinging popcorn in a movie theater he was in. The moron lobbed some into the head of the guy sitting in front of John, who proceeded to stand up, revealing his over 6 foot tall frame, and graciously offered to remove John’s teeth. John pointed out that he didn’t have any popcorn, so his dental work should remain where it was.

A very nice young woman recognized me in a store the other day, and asked me why we don’t have our Sven t-shirts in

“ladies’ sizes” (I kind of smart-cracked “well, that depends on the size of the ladies…”) or in the fitted style or crop tops. I had to explain to her that we don’t have really specific items like that, just like we don’t currently have kids’ sizes, which people often ask about, because we aren’t able to stock every conceivable size and style- they worry here about getting stuck with certain sizes, etc, that people wouldn’t order in the bulk that we’d have to purchase to provide them. I did suggest she or a friend with some sewing skills could convert any Sven t-shirt into the requested style or size. She then graciously offered to remove my teeth (NO! Not really- I just thought that would be a funny way to end this- playing off John’s experience above.) If you’ve done any custom sewing on YOUR Sven shirt- feel free to send us a picture at svengoolie@wciu.com- maybe we can do a fashion segment sometime!   #   #   #

Final reminder- I’m a guest tonight on WGN Radio (720 AM) at around 11:30 pm, as Steve and Johnnie graciously allow me to join them in their studio for a while. I’m sure a good time will be had by all, so tune in!(Steve was spending a few frustrating hours here and there trying to put a link to my WCIU web page, and having no luck with it…so, the least you can do to make up for his lost time is listen in…)I’m sure we’ll hit on all sorts of subjects and very possibly take some phone calls as well! For any of our management reading this, I may be coming in a little later after the late night appearance…

Well, the reaction to our Saturday night airing of the “Deadly Mantis” in total Svensurround appears to be a hit! I’ve gotten a lot of feedback, and only one complaint- from a South Bend viewer who likes the show, but felt it was just too much…I respectfully mentioned that the viewer should have tuned in two weeks ago, when it ran totally untouched by Sven sound effects.

Among the favorite moments cited were: Craig Stevens saying “how YOU doin’ ” ala Joey from “Friends”; the “Jaws” music when the mantis was approaching the military base; the enlisted men dancing together in the recreation room to “It’s Raining Men”; the approaching mantis crowing like a rooster;

the beloved traditional sound of gears grinding when cars pull up, and glass breaking as car doors were closed; and the huge explosive sound when flashbulbs went off. We have to acknowledge the hard work of our director and editor Chris and sound engineer and editor Kevin for helping pull off the massive project. This movie had the most Svensurround per square inch of any that we’ve done, to my knowledge. I’m happy that so many of you really enjoyed it- it also shows me that our viewers now “get it” regarding Svensurround- as I mentioned in an earlier blog, when we used to do a full segment a week in Svensurround back when we first came on “the U” I got many complaints and letters of confusion regarding what was happening. Now, with a much greater audience than we had back then, it’s gratifying to see that our viewers are pretty much on the same wavelength with us!

Will we do another full-length Svensurround feature? Well, it depends on us having the time available- it is a VERY time-consuming endeavor. We do have a couple flicks coming up next month, that have a nice mix of Svensurround in them-

Watch for “Navy VS the Night Monsters” and “Phantom Planet”

Early in August- plus, I believe we added some stuff in “Monster from a Prehistoric Planet” which will air in late August. And, in some of the new batch of movies that start this fall, and proceed for the next couple of years- don’t be surprised if some Svensurround creeps in when it’s needed!

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Bat-hype will hit full throttle this week, with the release of the much-anticipated “Dark Knight”- sequel to “Batman Begins.”

I’ve heard from people whom I trust that the movie does indeed live up to the hype- and is tremendous!(I’m sure this is due to our editor/audio guy “Hit the Theme” Kevin having an extra part in the movie!)I’m looking forward to seeing it- but, not this first opening weekend. I’m not big on the opening week crowds.

Actually, that’s what cause problems for me. This past weekend, I actually had to SEARCH for a theater that was still playing “Incredible Hulk.”(For the record- I liked it!) Same thing happened when I wanted to see the Indiana Jones flick.

With my wacky professional and personal life schedules, most of the time, I don’t go to movies very often, although I love going. This summer is proving to be a real challenge, because there are so many movies that I want to see- and, many that I prefer to see on the big screen. By the time I can clear the time to go see them- they’re already on the downswing of their bookings, and, a movie that was just at a theater 5 minutes from my house is no longer there- I have to search the papers (which, I’ve discovered, don’t list ALL the theaters these days)

For a theater I don’t have to drive   for san hour to reach that still shows the film. Just a few on my list are “Get Smart” (no doubt about to get dropped from several screens) “Hellboy 2” (I

knew very little about the character when the first one came out, but when I saw it, thought it was a great fun movie-of course, “Dark Knight”- and, I kind of want to see “Wanted” (not just to look at Angelina Jolie, but because some of it was shot right at Berwyn’s Cermak Plaza, and rumor has it- we see the late great “Spindle” sculpture for a scant second in one shot!)

As I said, I really want to see some of these on the big screen, because I enjoy the whole movie theater experience. What I DON’T enjoy is- the never-ending supply of idiots with cell phones (when the lights go down, and I see all those screens lit up in the audience-I’m about ready to “hulk out”- can’t you live without that darn thing for a couple hours?!)-the conversationalists who ignore the fact that people want to hear what’s going on in the film- NOT what they’re babbling about-

the people who bring kids that are too young to understand what’s happening, and ask questions REALLY LOUD_ and the parents who are so stupid, they answer –REALLY LOUD-

instead of teaching the nipper to whisper. Add in the seat-kickers, the paper-rustlers, and the pop-spillers, and you’ll understand why I try to go a less-busy times to see movies…

and yet, I can be one of seven people in a theater, and Mr. “Explain the Movie Loudly to Your Friends as it Happens” will invariably park his sorry butt right behind me, and commence to orating….   #    #   #

Well, I’ll give you the final toll of the reaction to “Deadly Mantis” in Svensurround in a couple days, when all reports are in. From what I’ve heard so far, a lot of people thought it was a load of laughs! Anyway, we’ll have the full summary soon- and, for those of you who enjoyed it, there will be a couple classic Svensurround features coming up next month.

Meanwhile, this month-heck, this WEEK- it’s time for another Sven radio visit…okay, make that Sven AND Rich Koz. A couple weeks ago, I made a surprise call to the Steve and Johnnie program on WGN radio, just to give our pal superstar artist Alex Ross a laugh, when he was doing a guest shot on there. My longtime friends Steve and Johnnie brought up that it has been a while since we “played radio” together- so, we’ve set up a return visit for this Tuesday night! They go on the air at approximately 11:15, and I’ll probably come on around 11:30-and spend a fair amount of time with them at the WGN Radio Michigan Avenue complex. Chances are that we will discuss pretty much anything- including answering questions about many and varied Sven topics, our Sven horror movies, past, present, and future, the Three Stooges, the Me-TV programming, various “blasts from the past”, and even the upcoming digital television conversion, set for February ’09-and my public appearances later this month to promote it. I hope you’ll plan to stay up late Tuesday night and tune in- it’s WGN Radio (720 AM)- and it’s always a fun time, for us and for the listeners! One of the great things about guesting on WGN is that a lot of the out-of-town Sven fans can pick up the signal where they live! We’ll be heard throughout the United States, and even beyond, thanks to WGN’s powerful clear channel signal.

In other Sven –related news- some members of the Chicago Blackhawks organization