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WBNX TV-55 – The Ghoul's Presentation of 1940's "The Devil Bat" (January 28, 2000)
A promise fulfilled!
Remember a bit over a month ago, when I babbled about my super cool budget Bela Lugosi DVD collection? You dont?! Well, that hurts me deep. Anyway, in that article, I mentioned my desire to review some locally-hosted Bela Lugosi, my attempt at a post regarding Invisible Ghost on The Ghoul, and my eventual termination of the whole project. I also mentioned my initial choice of Invisible Ghost over The Ghoul's presentation The Devil Bat, which I soon came to regret. (The Invisible Ghost episode just didn't give me enough to work with, y'see.)
Well, it's rectification time! I dug out the VHS recording I made of The Devil Bat via WBNX TV-55's revived The Ghoul Show way back in January of 2000, and needless to say, that's our subject for today.
Even better, this is our first real episode of The Ghoul seen here at the blog! Oh sure, we saw 1982's Poltergeist on the program, but that wasn't really a Ghoul show, not the way it was meant to be, anyway. And yes, we did take a brief look at his 1998 Santa Claus episode, but that article wasn't dedicated solely to him. Nope, this is our first real foray into the show that made up many, many of my Friday nights.
And no kidding, as soon as that opening montage above popped up on-screen ("IT'S THE GHOUL SHOWWWOW," as performed by local band Destination), I was right back to almost-14-year-old me, relaxing on the couch on a Friday night at 11:30 PM. Powerful nostalgia, this one is.
Unlike Invisible Ghost, which had a lot of content but not much I could adequately write about, this episode is an example of The Ghoul Show as I prefer to remember it. There's a few skits, but most of the host segments are just studio-based screwing around, which, in my opinion, was when The Ghoul was at his best. This is laid-back, fun, Friday-night entertainment, courtesy of Ron Sweed's legendary horror host.
You know what's funny? I recall watching this episode as it aired (and as this recorded, obviously), but prior to pulling this tape out, I couldn't remember nearly anything about it. And to be frank, I am 99.999% positive I never watched it again afterwards. This means that when I sat down to finally convert my VHS recording to DVD for posterity (a conversion that came out beautifully, thanks to my cute lil' 6-head VCR), all of it was essentially new to me. This is about as close to recreating those Friday nights of my teen years as I can manage in this day and age.
I'm serious. That sense of anticipation for the weekly dose of Ghoul Power, it all came flooding back as I watched this, a feeling I wasn't expecting to be nearly as powerful as it was. Everything just clicked this episode, making it a terrific example of just what I loved so much about those Friday nights over a decade ago. This isn't high-art, nor was it supposed to be; this was (is) legit kick-off-the-weekend entertainment, Cleveland-style!
One thing I really liked right off the bat: there was a proper introductory host segment. Y'see, for many episodes, there'd be the opening montage, and then typically, a silly skit, apropos of nothing in particular but fun nonetheless. Why are there streamers and confetti all over The Ghoul in the screenshot above? Because it was his birthday weekend! Needless to say, that sets the tone for the rest of the episode. The show was always fun (well, maybe not always, when you take the "Sunday era" into account), but there's a real "party" mood permeating this one, for obvious reasons.
We'll get to all of that in due time, but first, the movie…
1940's The Devil Bat, one from Bela Lugosi's poverty row output, in which he produces giant killer bats to attack his enemies. Less than a decade removed from the release of Dracula, and Bela was (mostly) relegated to doing films like this. On paper, it sounds downright insulting. And yes, it's the kind of movie that should be so far beneath Bela, the script wouldn't have been offered to him in the first place. Things didn't work out that way though; Bela was typecast as Dracula somethin' awful, and his heavy Hungarian accent didn't help matters, either. So, as the 1940s dawned, he was increasingly forced to take projects like this one. Befitting a man of his stature? Not really. But, films like this kept his name visible to the public and money in his pockets.
Saying all of that kinda does a disservice to the film and Bela's acting, however. No, it's not the most highly-regarded thing he ever put out, but it IS immensely entertaining, and to Bela's credit, he gave the role his all (he always did, no matter how weak the material). I can't say this movie wouldn't have been fun without him, but with him, it is undeniably a blast. But then, anything with Lugosi is worth at least a cursory glance, just because it's Bela.
This exact broadcast was without a doubt my first time seeing The Devil Bat. The Ghoul had a wide-range of horror and sci-fi films during the "Friday era" of the show. Stuff as old (or older) as this or as recent as the 1990s could and would be shown. Because I was always a "classic movie" buff, flicks like this one were the most up my alley. And yet, as I've mentioned a few times on this blog, The Devil Bat didn't really do it for me then. As a result, it left a sour taste in my mouth that lasted for years; it's only in more recent times that I've fallen in love with it. Maybe it just didn't hit me in the right mood that night. Or maybe it had to do with a couple factors regarding the version aired during this broadcast, which I'll explain momentarily. I don't know, but the fact is I didn't care much about the film then. Luckily, I do now. Better late than never!
Bela plays Dr. Paul Carruthers (given Bela's accent, he doesn't seem like much of a "Carruthers," but whatever), who is not only the town doctor, but also a chemist for the local cosmetics company ("Heath Cosmetics"). Sounds like a plush gig? Not for Carruthers. Turns out the cosmetic company has made a fortune from Carruthers' products, and Carruthers, uh, hasn't. Carruthers himself is really to blame for the situation; when the company was first getting started, he asked for money up front for his concoction(s), rather than a buying a share of stock. This, needless to say, turned out to be a huge mistake, and he's been salty ever since.
(However, while Carruthers is at fault for the initial decision, the company owners, Heath and Morton, tend to needlessly rub it in – even when they give him a $5000 bonus, it's a pittance compared to what the company is actually earning.)
Just like any rational person with a grievance against their employers would do, Carruthers has decided the best course of action is revenge, and since he doesn't seem like the witty-limerick-on-the-bathroom-wall kinda guy, that means the only logical choice left is to create giant killer bats to carry out his revenge. I mean, duh!
Using electronic impulses or something like that, he enlarges one to big honkin' size, which is in addition to training it to attack upon smelling a certain aftershave lotion, of Carruthers' own design naturally. A killer bat prepared to tear you up is one thing, but it's so much worse when it's the size of a large dog.
You see where this is going, don't you? Carruthers tricks members of the Heath and Morton families into wearing his special aftershave lotion (ostensibly as a test before marketing), and then releases the titular creature from his own personal belfry (every mad scientist should have one), which then exacts Carruthers revenge for him.
Naturally, you can't have a big giant bat flying around killing people for very long before the press starts nosing around. And sure enough, two big city reporters soon waltz in for a scoop, and eventually put a stop to the whole thing. Well, one of them does; the other is basically comic relief.
Before the ordeal is over, you'll be treated to shots of a rubber bat attacking people, a silly fake photo shoot, a couple of prerequisite love interests, a wildly ineffective (but surprisingly friendly towards the press) police chief, a stereotypically-grumbly newspaper editor, and enough outdated 1940s jargon to make you feel better about life. Plus, you know, Bela Lugosi.
With only a bit over an hour in running time, there's not much time to screw around, and thus, The Devil Bat moves at a pretty brisk pace. It's fast, it's fun, it's charmingly cheap, and it comes highly recommended by your Northeast Ohio Video Hunter. And as we all know, my recommendation is of tantamount importance.
"W-w-what am I lookin' at?!"
The Ghoul did not have access to the greatest print of The Devil Bat in the world. Not so hard to understand; nowadays we've got a couple really fantastic "official" versions on DVD/Blu-ray, but back then, you were limited to whatever had been making the rounds for decades. The Devil Bat is in the public domain, which means I could project it on the side of my garage while figuratively (literally?) thumbing my nose at Hollywood cause there ain't no copyright on the film no more.
Beyond the expected scratchy, splicey nature of the print, the picture-quality was also pretty fuzzy – it almost looks like it was sourced from VHS. Which, fine, whatever, public domain and all that. More distressingly, however, is the fact that the picture is often incomprehensibly dark. (See: above.) No joke, there are long stretches of the film that, had I not already been familiar with it, would have left me utterly lost upon this latest viewing. Back in January 2000, this was perhaps one of the reasons the film didn't endear itself to me.
Also, editing. You didn't really tune into The Ghoul to watch a movie; the movie was just kinda fodder for humorous sound effects and whatnot. The Ghoul would pack so much into his host segments, that the film often felt like an afterthought, and the editing to make it fit into the timeslot sometimes made that abundantly clear. More often than not, a movie would be so chopped up, following it was all but impossible. The longer the movie, the less it would make sense on the show. Mind you, that's not a complaint either; that was actually part of the fun.
At only about 68 minutes, The Devil Bat should have fit into the 2-hour timeslot allotted to this episode fairly unscathed. As it turned out, it's easier to follow than a lot of movies shown by The Ghoul, but there are noticeable chunks missing, and some of them are pretty important. That fake photo shoot I mentioned a bit ago? Yeah, that's not actually present in this broadcast, which thus renders some of the later actions (that are present in this broadcast) as pretty head-scratching to a first-time viewer. This probably didn't help endear the film to me back then, either. Or maybe I just didn't like it, I don't remember.
What I don't get is why there needed to be any movie-editing at all. Y'see, this episode runs just under 1 hour 50 minutes (not so unusual; The Ghoul always started on time, but when an episode ended wasn't always set in stone). They couldn't have filled out that unused 10 minutes with the rest, or at least more, of the movie? I don't get it.
But like I said, when watching The Ghoul, the movie was usually there strictly as fodder. That is, the various video audio drop-ins, the stuff Ghoulardi was doing way back in 1963 basically.
For The Devil Bat, there's some funny audio bits; the Froggy "hi ya gang! Hi ya hi ya!" used whenever a close-up of a real bat is shown is great, as are the expected burps whenever someone takes a drink, incessant groaning whenever someone is killed, etc. On the video front, during a typical newspaper-headlines montage, clips of Cleveland Browns-related articles are inserted.
My favorite bit of movie-mockery here is something that The Ghoul was fond of using during his WBNX run: the fake-factoid bubbles. Remember Pop-Up Video? It was like that. Two examples of the phenomenon are, needless to say, pictured above. I loved these things back then, and I love them even more now; I had no idea who Dick Feagler was back in 2000, but I sure do now, which of course helps me actually get the gag. These bubbles aren't as rampant during The Devil Bat as they were in other movies shown on the program, but I did love what was here.
So, back to the show as a whole. (Well, the bits I feel like pointing out.) As previously mentioned, it was The Ghoul's birthday weekend, and even though it wasn't stated during the episode itself, Ron "The Ghoul" Sweed was turning 50 51. The big 5-0 5-1! Of course there was celebration afoot!
This was demonstrated at the end of the introductory host segment; the crew threw The Ghoul a surprise birthday party! (Hence, the streamers and whatnot all over him throughout the show.) I have no idea if this was a real surprise party, or just something cooked up for the cameras, and there's not a whole lot to the bit other general frivolity. But again, it sets the tone for the rest of the episode.
(I want that 60th anniversary King Kong poster in the background above, by the way.)
A very funny segment in which, as response to a viewer email stating "Big Chuck sucks," The Ghoul claims he and Big Chuck are tight, and then pays "tribute" by showing the same two pictures of Chuck over and over while "Wind Beneath My Wings" plays and shots of The Ghoul sobbing uncontrollably are inserted between it all. This all goes on for just a bit too long.
On paper, it's a bit that may confuse first-time or otherwise not-in-the-know viewers, especially if they happened to tune in while it was already in progress. Some may even claim it to be "stupid." There's no doubt it's of only the thinnest premise. So why can't I stop laughing at it?
(It's important to note that The Ghoul and The Big Chuck & Lil' John Show were scheduled against each other at that time. In the hype leading up to his television return in the Summer of 1998, I recall The Ghoul stating he hoped people would use their VCRs to watch both shows.)
A "Soul of Ghoul" skit. The premise of these, and there were quite a few of them, was that the Soul of Ghoul, a black guy, was the polar opposite of The Ghoul in every way ("Yo Yo Yo" instead of "Hey Hey Hey," white beard and mustache, black wig, etc.), and would constantly harass him in a Froggy-like style. In this installment, it's the classic "shoe polish" trick, in which Soul of Ghoul places the substance on a telephone receiver (remember those?), and gets The Ghoul to answer it, with the expected results.
Somehow, I *think* the real meaning behind these skits went RIGHT over my head back then, though I of course get it now: these were a shot at Son of Ghoul. If the initials didn't make it clear, The Ghoul's declaration at the start of each sketch of "Now the brothers are rippin' me off!" makes the message doubly-obvious. (Nowadays, he'd probably have to word that differently, too.)
At the time, I don't think I knew about the legal troubles between the two in the years prior. At least, I don't remember knowing about them then. I'd catch little shots from one against the other on their respective shows, but as I recall it, I never took those as anything more than a friendly rivalry kind of thing. I'd learn the truth later.
My stance on the matter? I grew up as a fan of both hosts, I liked the different comedic styles both brought to the table, and I remain a fan of both today. I wish things had played out differently between them, but that's all I'm going to (or really, can) say about the situation. At the end of the day, it wasn't and isn't my battle to jump into.
Not so much a segment as a returning-from-commercials bumper, but nevertheless, with Groundhog Day right around the corner, this is a very funny, holiday-appropriate goof on Big Chuck & Lil' John. Hey, let the screenshot above speak for itself…
For this host segment, before heading into the real purpose behind it, a quick demonstration of the then-new Ghoul travel mug and Turn Blue Ghoul Brew is given. See, it can hold liquid! (And if it don't make you burp, "You got a bad one!")
Turn Blue Ghoul Brew hasn't been around since, I guess, the early-2000s? Mid-2000s? I sure miss it though. It was blue root beer that turned your tongue the appropriate color upon imbibing. (There was a green, lemon-lime variant called "Froggy Squeezin's" as well.)
I only tried the Froggy variety once (the nearby DeVitis Italian Foods carried Ghoul drinks), and it was good, but I loved the Ghoul Brew. Very tasty – and it really turned your tongue blue! I've still got an unopened bottle (maybe two) floating around here somewhere.
Immediately following that, it's time for "Frankenstein Online," later deemed "Frank-On-Line." I remember the character, but I had totally forgotten about the early iteration of him. Lemme explain…
The gag was that the Frankenstein monster was real, and his body had been located, reanimated, and kept at the "Brownberry Institute" in Maryland. The torso remained there, but the head was on loan to The Ghoul. Contrary to popular opinion, Frank didn't get a bad brain, he was just "nurtured badly." (The Ghoul muses that if political correctness had been around back then, it could have been a whole different scenario.) Turns out, Frank's very intelligent! And to prove that, viewers were invited to email him from the Ghoul's website and ask for his advice!
The version of the bit I remembered was Sick Eddie, in green face paint, bolts, the whole deal, his head sticking up out of a table, dispensing advice is a mock-Frankenstein voice that to this day I find gaspingly funny. What I had forgotten, however, is that the character started out as a fake plastic head, and The Ghoul 'voiced' him off-screen. As The Ghoul's intro makes clear, this was a very new addition to the show; it's funny, but I'm glad they fleshed (Get it? FLESHED! HAW HAW H…aw never mind) the concept out a bit more.
For this installment in the soon-to-be long running segment, a viewer asks what he's gotta do before asking a girl out on a date. Frank's response? A series of incomprehensible grunts and yells! It's not a segment that would have worked for very long doing the same thing every time, but here, it's very funny.
The Ghoul had a long-running, good natured "feud" with legendary local anchorwoman Denise Dufala. It was obviously all in jest, but hardly a week went by where a shot (sometimes literally) at her then-recent CD (I've got a copy!) wasn't taken.
This bit was filmed during the holidays (hence the Santa Ghoul sleeves), and repeated endlessly, which was and is fine with me, because I love it. Simply put, The Ghoul was inside the WOIO offices (?), and as a final prank before leaving, he placed his fake beard and mustache on Dufala's official picture. The screen then froze on the image, while "She's a Bad Mama Jama" played longer than necessary. Good stuff!
A short, random segment (I guess a good many of Ghoul segments could be considered random!) in which Froggy shows up without being implored to "plunk his magic twanger." This clearly displeases The Ghoul, who then tosses some lady fingers at the amphibian, causing him to be duly carted off by some "paramedics."
When Froggy explains that it's been awhile since he's been by (hence the showing up unprovoked), The Ghoul's almost nonchalant response of "I don't care!" cracks me up.
For me, one of the biggest highlights in any episode was "The Ghoul's Vault of Golden Garbage," in which a vintage Ghoul skit would be presented. The chance to see material from the 1970s or 1980s, waaaaaaay before my time, it was fantastic.
That's not quite what this installment was, though. It was an older bit presented, but not a vintage one. Rather, it's a clip from 1999, and was actually the intro to one of my very favorite episodes (Attack of the Mushroom People). It's definitely fun, and funny, and a good example of those non sequitur, apropos of nothing intros I mentioned earlier, but still, it wasn't some new-to-me 1970s sketch, and that was (is) a little disappointing.
One of the crew must have found a busted "self-service" greeting card maker on the curb or something, gutted it, and brought it to the studio for a skit. Here, The Ghoul throws his money in the machine ("$3.95?!"), but when he attempts to make his own card, all he gets is a note stating "Wait a Second." He soon discovers Froggy is in the back of the machine, which then causes Ghoul to rock the machine back and forth, throw it to the ground, and then tie a chain around it and drag it, via truck, around the parking lot until it falls to pieces!
Random? For sure. But, you know, I really do love it. I guess I can overlook it being of a then-recent vintage…
Jungle Bob time! JB! My buddy!
Years before he began appearing on The Son of Ghoul Show, this was how I was introduced to Jung, by his appearances on The Ghoul Show.
I learned some great stuff from JB on those shows, including some facts I've managed to retain in my memory banks all these years. (At Monsterfestmania, JB confirmed my recollection that if I were to drop a tarantula, it's abdomen would straight-up 'splode!)
For his appearance here, JB brought some shrimp (one of which The Ghoul accidentally dropped – it was fine), one of those cool fighting fish PetsMart is always shilling (I taunted one once; it slammed a fist through the glass jar at me*), and some tadpoles, which naturally prompted a return visit by Froggy; The Ghoul proceeded to swing him around, which resulted in his arm accidentally ripping off! (Froggy's arm I mean, not The Ghoul's.)
And that was pretty much it for the episode. (There was an obligatory model car blown up; I didn't bother grabbing screenshots of that one. Besides, we all know what the best Ghoul blow-up ever** was!)
Before bouncing on out, The Ghoul presents a gift given to him by the crew: a talking Robbie the Robot doll! And then, after a final mention of it being his big birthday weekend (he won't be able to make the Saturday WNCX 98.5 FM radio show he co-hosted with Mr. Classic at the time because of it), that was it, the last Ghoul Power for a week. It was always bittersweet seeing him bounce out of the studio at the end of each show, because it was over. Until next week, anyway.
I had a LOT of fun revisiting this episode. As I said before, this was basically all new stuff to me; I hadn't seen this since it initially aired, so not only was it full of constant surprises, but it was just an all-around funny, entertaining show, to boot. Plus, it definitely gave me much more to work with than Invisible Ghost did.
Commercials! Commercials? Yes, commercials! 2000 is still just a bit too new for there to be a whole lot of vested interest in them for me. I mean, they're a huge nostalgia boost personally when seeing them in action, but as far as writing about them goes, well, I'm not so sure.
Nevertheless, here's a few (but just a few) I can kinda sorta babble about…
WBNX TV-55 The Lost World Promo
WBNX excelled in hour-long, syndicated shows. It was like a constant stream of lazy Saturday afternoon fare, but almost all the time ('cept prime time, that is; that was the WB's turf). The Lost World was one such series, and despite loving the 1925 silent film, I don't think I ever took more than a cursory glance at the syndicated series. Good? Bad? The hell if I know. I assume it was about people stuck in a dinosaur-inhabited territory. (Gee, what a guess!)
In all seriousness, nowadays, I probably would give this one more of a shot – maybe.
WBNX TV-55 Total Recall 2070 Promo
Take everything I said about The Lost World above, ignore the dinosaur reference, and think of Arnold Schwarzenegger but not really. Do that…and you probably still wouldn't have a clue about Total Recall 2070. I probably watched less of this show than I did The Lost World – and that's saying something!
You know, I referenced the "Sunday era" of The Ghoul earlier. Some of these shows (Total Recall 2070 and The Lost World) were run after The Ghoul at certain points during that period. In fact, because I let my tapes keep recording loooong after The Ghoul was supposed to be over, I've captured examples of both, and probably more. I suppose if I were feeling adventurous enough, I could dig the tapes out and give 'em a try, but, meh.
Ody's Tailors & Clothiers Ad
ODY'S! Now this one, I just love it.
Ody's Tailors was located very, very close to me at the time. Indeed, it was thanks to his commercials during The Ghoul that when it came time for my 8th grade graduation, I insisted, insisted that I get my suit from Ody. And I did, too.
This ad is ostensibly for Ody's retirement sale, 25% off everything in the store, etc. But truthfully, these "retirement" ads ran for quite awhile; I'm pretty sure I recently saw one on an old tape of mine from 2002 or 2003. That was actually a good thing, since I didn't graduate until the Spring of 2001 – I'm glad Ody was still around. He was ridiculously friendly. I'm glad we could throw some bidness his way, even if it was just that one time.
The WB Zoe…Promo
I think I can count on one hand the number of WB shows I regularly watched. I'm not sure there were any, to be honest with you. Well, maybe one or two, tops.
And yet, thanks to promos aired during The Ghoul, I can certainly remember a good number of them. Zoe… is a good example of that. This promo is for the second season premiere of what was originally titled Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane. Obviously, they shortened the name to, officially, Zoe… (It's pronounced, literally, Zoe Dot Dot Dot in the promo). I never watched either iteration, though for whatever reason, the original title made the show strike me as a 'unique' sitcom.
Lex Luthor from Smallville was in it, as was Selma Blair. That's her in the left screenshot above, and it's only now that I truly realize she was cute as a button.
WBNX TV-55 Unhappily Ever After Promo
I realize this promo is from after the show ended and was thus in syndicated reruns by that point. Even so, it still counts as a WB series, and one that, even though I didn't watch it very often, I actually kinda liked whenever I did happen to tune in. I don't know if it holds up for me; it tends to be compared or related in some way or something to Married…With Children, which I know hasn't held up for me. Nevertheless, I had more experience with Unhappily than I did poor Zoe… above.
The actual episode this promo is for? Something about each family member having fantasies or living out their dreams or something like that. Look, I'm at over 5000 words for this article now, I'm tired.
What a huge, huge shot of nostalgia this recording is! It's like a nearly-perfect summation of just what I loved staying up late Friday nights to watch The Ghoul. Almost everything about it clicks, from the skits to the movie to even the commercials (yeah, I kinda gave those short-shrift here, I know; they're fun in action, but there weren't all that many writable ones – 'cept Ody, anyway).
The Ghoul wouldn't remain like this a whole lot longer; that coming fall, he'd be moved to Sunday nights, his movie selections ruined, his skits, host segments and movie drop-ins scaled waaaaay back. The entire show that had been building up since the Summer of 1998 would more or less be totally destroyed in one fell swoop. 'Course, I didn't know any of that was ahead. I'd suspect neither The Ghoul nor his crew knew, either.
I can't really say this Devil Bat episode is my favorite, though I do think I'd put it in my top 10, if I were ever bored enough to make a list such as that (and rest assured, I taped so many Ghoul shows over the years, I could if I wanted). Even though I hadn't watched it since the initial airing over 16 years ago, boy, I enjoyed nearly every second of it. Consistently entertaining, and a hugely nostalgic presentation; I wish every old recording of mine met those criteria!
*Aw, you know it didn't, I was just kidding, chill out.
**In my humble yet-totally-biased opinion, of course!
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 1940, 2000, ad, advertisement, akron, article, bela lugosi, big chuck & lil' john, bumper, channel, channel 55, cleveland, cleveland horror host, commercial, devil bat review, film, ghoulardi, horror host, horror host devil bat, horror hosted movie, independent, indie, jungle bob, jungle bob tuma, late night, late night movie, local, movie, national, network, northeast ohio, Ohio, old, post, program, promo, review, ron sweed, series, show, son of ghoul, station, teaser, television, the devil bat, the ghoul, the ghoul show, the ghoul wbnx, the wb, trailer, tv, vintage, wb, wbnx, wbnx 55, wbnx tv-55, wjw, wuab on August 31, 2016 by neovideohunter.
Monsterfestmania 2016!
This past weekend, July 29 & 30, 2016, marked the first Monsterfestmania convention, with hopefully many more to come. Held at Quaker Square in downtown Akron, this was practically a hop, skip and jump away from me. I mean, if I was feeling particularly adventurous, I could have walked there, had the mood struck me. I didn't go that far, but I did make it to the show for both days.
"Oh boy, a big ol' convention recap post! I love these!"
I naively believe everyone is saying those exact words right at this very moment. And indeed, there's a precedence for these here at the blog; we've visited the annual Ghoulardifest convention not once, not twice, but three times at this point, and yes, there's plans for a fourth one come October.
This post, however, is not just another Ghoulardifest recap under a different name. Oh sure, there are the pictures with celebrities, and I got some cool loot I'll show off with so much bravado, but this time around, it was all accompanied by a level of nervousness on my part that, quite frankly, is unprecedented. I don't really get nervous in anticipation of meeting big-time famous people and whatnot anymore, but I sure did this time.
Why's that? Because this time, I was actually a part of the show.
Yep, I was a panel presenter! That's me to the far-left above, doing my thing in my best Sonny Crockett jacket and stubble. Hey, if I'm gonna be in front of people, I'm gonna look like I just rolled off the set of Miami Vice, by golly!
But why get nervous? I don't really have a problem with being in front of large groups of people; on the contrary, I relish it. No, any anxiety on my part was due solely to the fact that, frankly, I had just never done anything like this before. This was an entirely new experience for me. And furthermore, at any other convention, I skip the panels; I prefer to meet celebrities face-to-face, and besides, I'm usually too busy blowing my frighteningly limited funds on things I probably don't need. So, I had descriptive accounts of what would take place, but I had no first-hand knowledge of how all this would play out.
Also, even though I don't mind being in front of a crowd, I was concerned about what I would say. I've seen enough thousand-year-old broadcasts to know that stumbling over words, or worse yet, falling into silence, can be the kiss of death for this sort of thing. There's no better way to look like a total amateur and lose a crowd right quick. Now, I did have notes with me as a guide, and in most cases I had enough knowledge about the subjects to where I didn't really need them. Still, with this being my first foray into the world of panels, I neither wanted to appear too unprepared, nor appear too cocky.
Everyone I talked to told me I was just fine, and I was generally pretty happy with my performance (which is actually a telling statement, since I tend to be my own worst critic), though my sense of humor didn't really fly with the audience (more on that in due time). If I am fortunate enough to be asked back next year, now that I've got a little experience under my belt, I feel I'd do even better.
You know what's really cool about being asked to introduce the panels? It's basically all because of this blog. Okay, I've known two of the guys behind the show itself for years (we'll see them in a bit) via Time Traveler Records, but it took more than just acquaintances to be invited to do something like this. My high-level of interest in Northeast Ohio horror movie hosts, and my ability to babble about them online, has paid off yet again!
Hey, dig this: I made the official website! Cool winnins! Stuff like this makes me feel like a big man. I sure hoped I lived up to the promises made in that first paragraph! I did a short intro and outro to each panel, but they really sort of ran themselves; these were all pros I was dealing with here, so there wasn't much actual 'moderation' needed on my part, aside from making sure one panel ended in time for the following panel to begin.
We'll get to the panel aspects in just a moment, but for now, first things first: Monsterfestmania as a whole.
You know, I don't think I've been to Quaker Square since, man, probably 2000. That was the last time the Frightvision convention was held there. I had my memories of the place, but I had forgotten just how nice it is inside. Lots and lots of room for vendors, and the two "side rooms" were big enough to fit plenty of people, but not so large that people in the back would be lost. (One room was used for panels, the other for screening films.)
The above picture (as well as the next two) was taken early on the first day, and right from the start, it was obvious a LOT of people had gotten tables. There was stuff for sale as far as the eye could see! And of course, there were the celebrity tables, too; look close and you'll see Felix "Cousin Itt" Silla (we'll see more of him in a bit) was captured in the shot above! This was by accident, but it was a happy accident; Felix is a cool guy!
Another shot of the main convention area, obviously. This was to the far-left when viewed coming from the main entrance. To the left of the picture you can see Dale Kay, and towards the right, internet horror hosts Tarr & Fether. Jungle Bob, with his back unknowingly to the camera, is in the middle. We'll see more of all of them in a bit, too.
Odd side note: approximately three people are going to get this reference, but the carpeting absolutely reminds me of the floor in the last section of Double Dragon II. Look here if you don't believe me. I kept looking around for a Big Boss Willy to pummel, but he never showed.
My mind works in really, really weird ways, doesn't it?
A shot more towards the back, in the middle of the main space. CW was the sponsor for the show, and not only were they running a swanky commercial for it in the weeks leading up to the big day(s), but they also had displays for CW programming (Supergirl, above) and a cool spinny wheel that yielded sweet, sweet free prizes. My brother, who was also helping out both days, won a copy of Goosebumps on DVD/Blu-ray the first day and a pack of King of Queens playing cards the second. Not realizing I was eligible, I only spun on the second day. I got a see-through tote bag.
So anyway, my panel presentations. That's where I spent about 75% of my time at Monsterfestmania. And you know, the fact that I got to hobnob with some genuinely big names in the field in such a 'close' way, it still blows my mind. Sure, I already knew Mike & Jan Olszewski, Jungle Bob and Keven "Son of Ghoul" Scarpino, but I had never interacted with them like this. It's a great honor to be up in front of a crowd with people like that. Just like the official website announcement, it makes me feel like a big man.
Above is the first panel of the first day, and my first panel of any kind in any sort of capacity. And it featured big-time author and horror host-expert Michael Monahan! What a way to start!
When it comes to horror hosts, Monahan is basically the final word on the subject; he's a legitimate font of information on the genre. Ever read the American Scary book, or see the American Scary documentary? Then you're familiar with Michael Monahan's expertise. Indeed, I *love* my copy of American Scary; if it's not the end-all, be-all of horror host books, it's certainly in the running. Don't have it? Pick up a copy today!
(Michael Monahan is a prolific author, and he's certainly written more than just that – check his work out on Amazon!)
Monahan's panel consisted of his relating the early years of horror hosting, how it came to be a 'thing,' and how it played out over the decades. It was a fascinating talk, and about mid-way through the presentation, he brought out David Ivey, who did artwork and cartoons for The Ghoul Show back in the day – how cool is that?! Ivey related stories of working on the show, which were also fascinating.
(Above, Michael Monahan is the one seated on the right, David Ivey standing on the left.)
Next up: Jungle Bob's animal show! Jung! My buddy!
It's funny; I basically grew up watching Jungle Bob present animals on The Ghoul Show, and then later The Son of Ghoul Show, but I had never actually seen him "in action," putting on one of his animal presentations. Man, he has it down. I mean, he's been doing this sort of thing for nearly 30 years, so of course he does. It goes without saying that his animal shows are immensely entertaining; really, they're a lot of fun. If you've been looking for a special guest for that birthday party, JB is a great choice! (Check out his official website here. Buy his terrific book while you're at it.)
There were a lot of kids in attendance for JB's show, and boy, is he great with them. I guess you don't do this sort of thing for 30 years without being good with kids though, huh? He kept them engaged, he was funny, he was informative, he told stories. In short, vintage classic Jungle Bob.
These panels only had about 50 minute allotments, give or take, so JB didn't have time for a ton of animals, but he did bring a couple cockroaches (including one that hissed), a ball python, and my favorite, a young alligator snapping turtle that kept his mouth menacingly open most of the time. Good stuff!
My last panel of the first day was "Horror Hosts Reborn," with Dale Kay of Eerie House (formerly of Kreepy Kastle) heading up a group of online hosts, discussing what opportunities, detriments, and so on that the internet brings the genre. That's Kay to the far right. Next to him are hosts Tarr & Fether, Fritz the Nite Owl and his producer, and at the end, Mike Mace of The Weirdness Really Bad Movie. The other host of Weirdness, Dave Binkley, was actually at the other end of the table, next to Kay. You saw him earlier in that other shot I used from this panel, and you'll see him again in a bit, but it looks like I goofed and accidentally cut him out of this shot. I'm sorry Dave!
It was a pretty neat discussion, and since this was the last panel of the day, I let it run well beyond the allotted 50 minutes – it had gained so much momentum by that point that cutting in and ending it would have been incredibly awkward, and besides, I was into it. Internet hosts don't always get the props they deserve, but there's a lot that goes into those shows; it was nice to hear all about them from the people that regularly make them happen.
The next day. You'll notice I am now wearing my official Monsterfestmania shirt under my Sonny Crockett jacket. Update your diaries accordingly.
Mike Olszewski kicked off the day with a talk on the early days of local television, which, if you're familiar with him, you know he's pretty much the authority on the subject, and the stories he tells are nothing short of enthralling. That's not an exaggeration on my part, either; if you have an interest in this sort of thing, you owe it to yourself to pick up something, anything, written by him.
Mike spent nearly as much time in the panel room as I did Saturday. There were four panels that day, and he was there for four of them. For this first one, his wife Jan (who is also just the greatest) did a funny bit where she stood in the crowd and said she'd only interject to correct Mike!
Speaking of humor, yeah, my jokes didn't really fly with the crowd. Not that I went up there and did stand-up or anything, but I did want to keep things light, you know? For this panel, I mentioned the two books Mike & Jan wrote (Cleveland TV Tales, volumes 1 & 2), and quickly noted that a piece of my Superhost interview was included in the second book. According to me, I said this "puts it up there with Tom Sawyer as the greatest literary work of mankind" or something along those lines. It got like one laugh – from my brother.
The day prior, as I was introducing Michael Monahan, I briefly stated who I was and why I was up there, and when talking about the blog here, I said something like "Google me, check me out, and you'll come away feeling better about your life!" Yeah, zero reaction. Okay, the crowd ain't gonna get my humor, gotcha!
(I wasn't really embarrassed by my failure to elicit Johnny Carson-style laughs during my intros; if anything, *I* found it really, really funny! Though, my planned rip-off of Carnac for next year, should I be invited back, is now effectively nixed.)
Next up: The Ghoulardi Tribute panel, with Michael Monahan, Son of Ghoul, Mike Olszewski, and comics legend Tony Isabella. I wish I actually had a working knowledge of comic books so that I could have had a conversation with Tony, but aside from liking Batman and Superman, I, uh, don't.
It was a fun panel, talking about the influence Ghoulardi had on anything and everything ever. Much of it was familiar to me already, but hearing it from the authorities on the subject, that's awesome.
And so, that brought me to the panel I was perhaps most nervous about: The Addams Family presentation, hosted by Ivonna Cadaver (of Youtoo America's Macabre Theater). You see, I had more than a passing knowledge on everything up to this point, and while I was familiar with Ivonna and her show, my knowledge on The Addams Family is relatively lacking. No knock on the show whatsoever, but I was always, uh, sorta in the Grampa camp.
I needn't have worried; as I had discovered already, these panels basically run themselves. Those are pros up there onstage, after all. And boy, this one was a LOT of fun, not only because of who was involved, but because this time around, I was really learning things I hadn't known prior.
And listen to this power line-up: Ivonna Cadaver herself, leading a discussion with Lisa Loring ("Wednesday Addams") and Felix Silla ("Cousin Itt"). It was funny, entertaining, informative, just a fantastic presentation all around. This one ran a bit shorter than the others, but you know what? The pacing turned out to be perfect. They covered a lot of ground and even got to audience questions, and it never felt rushed or forced or anything other than natural reminiscing. It was great.
One thing about Monsterfestmania that was heavily promoted in the lead-up to the actual show was Son of Ghoul's 30th anniversary. Certainly you'll recall my contribution to the celebration back in June. Well, much of Monsterfestmania was focused on that. Indeed, the fourth panel on the last day (and the last real panel; there was a costume contest held in the room afterwards, but that, needless to say, wasn't quite the same thing) was a "grand finale" of sorts, focusing entirely on Son of Ghoul's 30 continuous years as a horror host.
This panel was, man, it was just perfect. It was a wonderful summation of just why SOG is so beloved by Northeast Ohioans. And, if it turns out to be the last real "30th anniversary bang," what a terrific capper it was. Headed up by Michael Monahan (who told a few jokes as he kicked the panel off following my intro – of course everyone laughed at him) and Mike Olszewski, with the man himself as guest of honor, it was just a wonderful 1+ hour presentation.
For the most part, it didn't stray too far from the format of the other panels: some video clips, a discussion on SOG's achievement, some reminiscing, even some great stories about Fidge. It was all very entertaining and a worthy tribute to SOG.
But, it was the 'climax' of the panel that just put it over the top, taking it from great and putting it solidly into unforgettable territory. Michael Savene, one of the guys behind Monsterfestmania as a whole, joined the panel and, along with Monahan and Olszewski, presented SOG with some truly remarkable gifts: 1) A letter of congratulations, on White House stationary, signed by the President. 2) A letter from Senator Sherrod Brown. 3) A proclamation from Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan proclaiming June 30, 2016 "Son of Ghoul Day." 4) A classy lifetime achievement plaque from Monsterfestmania. How great is that?!
I think SOG was genuinely touched to be honored in such a way. How could someone not be? It was just a fantastic, momentous, once-in-a-lifetime event, perfectly commemorating a 30-years-and-counting run that, in all likelihood, will never be equaled – or topped. And to be a part of this tribute in some way, it's something I am extremely proud of. Even if I had done nothing else this past weekend, this moment alone was worth any anxiety on my part.
(The panel culminated in a special SOG 30th cake, which I stupidly didn't think to get a picture of.)
So, that was basically how my weekend was spent, hobnobbing with people that actually know what they're talking about. Truth be told, I didn't have a whole lot of time to spend on the floor, for the most part. I made some rounds before the doors opened on Friday, and for a bit after my last panel that night, and a few points in-between. But, I didn't really get to go around, meet people, and take pictures with the 'lebrities until after my last panel on Saturday. Who'd I meet? Read on!
This picture was taken Friday night, a decision that proved to be extremely fortunate. I'll explain further when I get to the "my stuff" section of this post.
I met Fritz the Nite Owl! When the guests were being announced for Monsterfestmania, this was one of the major draws for me. Longtime readers (or at least longer time readers) will recall I've talked about Fritz a bit before here (more on that momentarily). Even though I didn't grow up watching him (he hails from the Columbus, Ohio market, and I, uh, don't), I've loved everything I've seen regarding him. He's a legitimate horror hosting legend, so if nothing else, I was going to meet him!
And boy oh boy, he was just great! Extremely giving with his time, free with signing autographs, and he told absolutely wonderful stories. Not just quick brush-off stories, either; nope, these were detailed, entertaining stories. And he was the nicest guy during all of it.
As if I couldn't be any more impressed by him, something he did that I thought was ridiculously cool was his showing up to panels, and then just sitting in the audience, taking it all in. Even though he would eventually be pointed out (and given a round of applause – deservedly so), he wasn't there for that; he was there to see the presentations. Fritz was just the coolest.
He's still going, too. Check out his official website for more details!
Also taken Friday night, here I am with the Weirdness Really Bad Movie guys: Dave Binkley on the left, Mike Mace on the right. Really great, super friendly guys. Their talks during the "Horror Hosts Reborn" panel were beyond enlightening.
My doing the panel presentations wasn't a new development; Michael Savene came to me about a year and a half ago, asking me if I'd like to be involved with the show. Of course I instantly said yes. I had plenty of time to prepare, at least mentally, for that. However, something I was asked to do the first day came out of the blue: make announcements for the charity auctions, panels and movie showings over the loudspeaker. I had no problem with that, but just like the panel presentations, this was all entirely new to me. Mike Mace gave me some pointers, showed me how to use the most ear-grabbing techniques, excellent things to know. Mike's a good egg.
Check out the official Weirdness Really Bad Movie website here.
Jungle Bob was only there the first day, and in a stunningly goofballed oversight on my part, I neglected to get a picture with him. I mean, sure, I've got pictures of myself hangin' with JB before, but this was Monsterfestmania #1! And I messed up!
So, to make up for that blunder, here's a zoomed, cropped, overly- blurry shot of the man himself holding a really angry snapping turtle. It was a young alligator snapper, and boy did it act like it!
If you ever have the chance to talk, I mean really talk with JB, he has some absolutely fantastic stories of his years in the business. I won't divulge his Rock Hall tale here, that's his turf, but it's just great. JB is, without a doubt, "the dude."
The Yess Man!
Jesse Vance was/is not only one of the masterminds behind Monsterfestmania, but also a very good friend of mine. Popularly known as "The Yess Man" (he's got the juice), Jesse is largely to thank for this this post and this post, as well as tons of great material that hasn't even been hinted at on this blog yet. Seriously, he's always helping me out with the cool winnins, and even if he didn't, he'd still be one of the best friends I've got. One of the funniest, coolest guys I've ever known. He was also a huge help to me in the time leading up to the show, and even during the show itself. Thanks, Yess Man!
Look who I did done runned into! My buddy Steve from high school!
Let me be frank, there's really only a handful of people I'd care to run into from high school, and make no mistake, Steve is one of them. He was one of the coolest guys then, and he's one of the coolest guys now. Even back then, we could sit and discuss movies, especially horror & sci-fi movies, for great lengths of time. Also, I refuse to believe anyone knows more about Batman than Steve. Dude's even got a legit Adam West Batman costume!
I won't divulge too much, but chances are we'll be seeing Steve again on the blog; we've already come up with some great ideas for post-collaboratin'!
I wonder if it was deflating for Son of Ghoul to get a letter from the president and a plaque and a big ol' cake, and then almost immediately afterwards have to take pictures like this with me?
I had a lot of fun and some great conversations with SOG both days. Because of my white jacket, and because he knows me, he liked to shout "Waiter! Water!" whenever I walked by. I got a kick out of it, and eventually I decided it would be pretty funny if I actually brought him some water. I had this big long comedy routine worked out in my head for when I did, too. When I gave him the cup though, he seemed a little confused and admitted he "was just joking!" That, of course, kind of put an end to any ostensibly-hilarious bit I had planned before it even got started.
My sense of humor was really batting zippo with the masses…
(Remember that time I interviewed SOG? It happened, and it was earth-shattering.)
Hanging with the guys from the last panel of the first day on, uh, the last day. On the left: internet hosts Tarr & Fether. On the right: Dale Kay. In the middle: my really cool official Monsterfestmania t-shirt. (They let us keep 'em, too!)
Had some great talks with Dale; when all was said and done, panel-wise, we chatted a bit outside on Saturday (finally had time to get some food!). I admit it took me a second to recognize him without the hat (I was pretty beat by that point, y'see). Dale mentioned the old Ghoul skit where a stuffed Gamera was sent zooming across the studio – anyone who loves that bit as much as I do is automatically my friend.
On the left, Michael Monahan. On the right, Dave Ivey. It was awesome meeting Dave; so much of his work was familiar to me, except I didn't know it was his. A great artist and a great guy.
Had some terrific conversations with Michael Monahan. We both agreed Dr. Paul Bearer was one of the absolute greats, and we discussed our obtaining of various horror host material. I even showed him the clip of Renfield on my phone; it was a new one on him, so the mystery of the show continues – if it's unfamiliar to Michael Monahan, it must be mega-obscure!
I met Ivonna Cadaver!
Ivonna Cadaver hosts Macabre Theater on Youtoo America every Saturday night at 10 PM. It's tough for any host to make it on local TV, never mind national TV, and to be doing it since 2002? That's beyond impressive. I told her myself how awesome an achievement it was to make it on national TV, too.
And boy, she was just absolutely the nicest. She even told me a couple of times how well I did presenting her panel. She even stopped in to watch the SOG 30th presentation from the audience, completely unannounced, just taking it all in. I think that's such a cool thing for a fellow host to do. I'm extremely glad I had a chance to talk with her and get a photo.
Hangin' with my Facebook pal, Dr. Dark aka Justin Thomas Ord! Great, great guy – very friendly and a lot of fun to talk to. He was there the first day, and I was looking for him – but being out of costume, I completely missed him! That was obviously rectified the second day, and I'm glad it was; I would have been bummed otherwise.
Also, is it just me or does his costume recall The Shroud? That alone makes him "the man!"
I had, had, to get a picture with, I'm convinced, two of the nicest people in the whole wide world: Mike & Jan Olszewski! Who's that curly-headed guy? That's my brother Luke! No, I don't think we look alike, but tis true nevertheless. Also, that's a lot of Monsterfestmania shirts in one picture.
Mike paid me a wildly high compliment early on the first day: he told me I was like a 60-year-old in the body of a 20-year-old, because of what I generally write about. Could've knocked me over with a feather!
The reason I found that especially complimentary? Doing what I do, and being as old (or young) as I am, I've naturally run into some people that, right off the bat, don't take me seriously, or worse yet, don't think I actually know what I'm talking about. I'm generally an easygoing guy, but that mindset can and does irritate me really, really fast, because it's based on a preconceived notion without any evidence on their part to back it up. So, to hear such a compliment from someone that knows more about TV than, well, pretty much anyone, it's both insanely flattering and a kind of validation.
Mike & Jan really are just wonderful. Y'all should go and buy both volumes of their Cleveland TV Tales, if you haven't done so yet. I'm not just saying that because I'm so fond of the authors, either; these are genuine must-reads! Plus, if you think about it, the bits from my Superhost interview in Volume 2 really do elevate the book to Tom Sawyer-status, whether the audience recognizes it or not. [Insert winky emoticon here.]
And finally, things wouldn't be complete without a picture of myself with fearless leader, Michael Savene! Michael is one of the main-brains behind not only Monsterfestmania but also Akron Comicon, and make no mistake, he and the other folks behind these shows know how to run a convention. They did a phenomenal job; the first-ever Monsterfestmania was a total blast. I can't thank him enough for allowing me to be a part of all this!
Also, eagle-eyes will notice we were photobombed by The Yess Man!
Just for fun:
The Yess Man and I messing around with some zombie-thing. I'm not sure why, but I was pretty tired and probably fairly slap-happy by that point. Looks like we're helping him get up off the ground or something.
More just for fun:
Son of Ghoul at his most Batman-ish. It looks like he just rolled in off the set of Batman Returns. I'm not sure why my mind heads towards Batman Returns and not, say, the '89 Batman, but whatever. In his hand, SOG holds a plastic cup of punch. I capture all of the special little moments in life, don't I?
Last just for fun:
A wildly blurry and off-center photo of me with Fritz the Nite Owl. I'm not sure why my brother snapped this, but to tell you the truth, I kinda like it. It's avant garde or artsy or something like that.
I usually wrap these convention recap posts up with a look at my loot, my booty, my haul. That is, the cool stuff I picked up at the show. I actually didn't buy much there, mainly because I didn't have a whole lot of time. Well, that's not quite true; I didn't buy anything. That doesn't mean I didn't come home with some cool stuff though. Besides the everlastingly-awesome convention t-shirt, check these goods out…
Because I used my bean and got a picture with Fritz at the end of the first night, that meant I had time to get an 8×10 glossy of the occurrence printed out and subsequently signed the next day! A pic with Fritz and his autograph? It doesn't get much cooler than that! Also, a post, the one I alluded to earlier, featured an image from his run on WBNS TV-10, spotlighting Taxi and his Double Chiller Nite Owl Theater program. I've got several Fritz promos, but this was the only one specifically horror-related. So, I figured why not get a glossy print-out of that sceencap, too. Fritz was gracious enough to sign it as well (and he told me quite a bit about some of his other station duties around that time period).
In the same arena, a couple of SOG screencaps from promos I've found, printed out as glossies and graciously signed by the man himself. The one on top is a clip from his 7th anniversary special promo (WOAC TV-67, 1993), and the one below is a shot from his 2015 promo announcing his timeslot change (as far as I know, this is the newest promo he has). We actually saw that one here before, when I was trying to spread the word of the change.
I like getting these sorts of things signed because, frankly, I've already got much of the 'normal' stuff; I like to have something unique added to my collection, something not everyone else has. Methinks these fit the bill.
Last but certainly not least: a Son of Ghoul commemorative 30th anniversary Monsterfestmania mug! Still new in the plastic! This was a complimentary gift, given to me when I got my t-shirt before the doors opened on the first day. (My brother got a mug and shirt to call his own as well.) I THIS LOVE MUG. It's an exclusive thing, celebrating both SOG's 30th and the convention I was proud to be a part of. It will probably stay new in the plastic, because if I were ever to try using it, I know I'd be freaking out over it, worried I'd break it or chip it or what have you.
I LOVE THIS MUG!
I do believe that about wraps this recap up. I had a fantastic two days at Monsterfestmania #1. Not only was it a learning experience, but it was a fun learning experience. I met some great people, got some awesome pictures, brought home some cool memorabilia, and helped get my silly little blog out there a bit more (some guy even asked me for my card; never thinking anyone would care enough to want a card, I instead wrote down the web address on a sad piece of notepad paper).
My sincerest thanks again to Michael Savene, Jesse Vance and everyone else that helped make this happen. It was and is a honor and pleasure to be a part of the show, and should you want me back for the next one, hey, I'm there!
(Here is the official Monsterfestmania website. Check it out, and if you didn't make it to the show this year, try to come out next year!)
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged akron, akron comicon, article, celebrities, cleveland, columbus, comicon, convention, convention review, downtown akron, felix silla, fritz the night owl, fritz the nite owl, ghoulardi, horror host, horror hosts, horror show review, ivonna cadaver, july 2016, lisa loring, local, macabre theater, monster fest mania, monsterfestmania, monsterfestmania 2016, monsterfestmania akron, monsterfestmania review, northeast ohio, Ohio, overview, panel, panel presentation, post, presentation, quaker square, recap, review, show, son of ghoul, son of ghoul 30, the addams family on August 3, 2016 by neovideohunter.
Ghoulardifest 2015!
Yes, it's that time of year again: Ghoulardifest! It's hard for me to adequately portray in words just how much I love going to this convention every fall season. I really do anticipate it the whole year round. Seriously, the very next day, I'm already jonesing for the next show. I've been to some conventions in my time, but because it's so tailored to my tastes and my hometown (well, roughly; I'm an Akronite), I can say without exaggeration that Ghoulardifest is my favorite. There's a reason I've made it a point to make it there every year since 2011. It's like the Bruce Springsteen concert of horror/sci-fi conventions; one ain't enough, I needs me more!
Besides, after sitting around going through thousand-year old videotape after thousand-year old videotape, it's nice to get out once in awhile, y'know?
Ghoulardifest is, of course, the annual celebration of any and all things Ernie "Ghoulardi" Anderson. Not only is his pioneering character and show represented (gee, no kidding!), but also his successors, as well as Cleveland TV in general. Beyond that, a lot of it has more to do with the spirit of Ghoulardi, the era he came from, the music, the movies, that sort of thing. Of course, there's also a lot of stuff that has no real connection to Ghoulardi, but instead would fit in at any typical horror convention. That's not a complaint on my part; it all adds up to a lot of fun with something for everybody, except it's all with a heavy Cleveland theme. That's why I love it so much!
For the third year in a row, the show was held at the plush LaVilla Banquet Center, which is an absolutely terrific venue for the convention. Driving to the LaVilla to see Ghoulardifest around the same time every year (always on a Sunday; November 1 this year), it has really come to symbolize Fall and the end of the Halloween season and the start of the holiday season for me (even on those years where the show falls before or on Halloween). Some people get up early to shop the day after Thanksgiving, I plan around Ghoulardifest. Considering it's less hectic and I find things I actually want, I dare say I come out on the winning end every year, but that's just me.
And lest you forget, Ghoulardifest was almost certainly the reason for that Big Chuck & Lil' John Ghoulardi Special I babbled about in mid-October (unless it wasn't, in which case never mind). They ran it several times after that as well, and better promotion for Ghoulardifest I cannot think of.
(Also, should the mood strike you, check out my recaps for the 2013 and 2014 conventions, though I fear some redundancy among those two posts and this one.)
(Click on any of the pictures to, how do you say, enlarge them.)
I was told there was going to be fewer vendors this year, and maybe there weren't quite as many as previous shows, but there was still a lot going on. Indeed, it took several walks around the entire place to take it all in, and frankly, I seriously doubt I did take it all in. If anything, and this is just me talking, but less vendors gave the entire show this year a more balanced feel. Not that I'm promoting "less stuff," but everything I look for at Ghoulardifest was well-represented, but not in an overwhelming way (unlike earlier years, where I was struggling to take it all in and afraid I'd miss "somethin' good.").
The heart and soul of the place is really the Cleveland stuff: Ghoulardi, of course, and Big Chuck & Lil' John (don't forget, the official title is Big Chuck & LIl' John's Ghoulardifest), Son of Ghoul (that's him doin' his thing above), and some of Cleveland's newer horror hosts, plus lotsa Cleveland TV (and even some radio) memorabilia in general. For obvious reasons, it's a very Cleveland-centric convention, as one would expect.
That said, if someone from out-of-state were to waltz in without knowing what this was all about (just play along with the scenario, okay?), they'd probably be confused by all this Ghoulardi-hoopla, but they'd also still be able to find some stuff they'd want. There's a lot of 'general' stuff there; that is, things that wouldn't be out-of-place at any horror/sci-fi convention. Posters, lobby cards, toys, Star Wars, Star Trek, DVDs, music (lotsa CDs and vinyl). Heck, one guy even had a ton of Laserdiscs, and his box of Godzilla LDs was enough to elicit an "oh MAN!" reaction from me, though I was burning money so frighteningly fast that I unfortunately wasn't able to partake of said Laserdiscs. I just know I'm going to regret not buying that Japanese King Kong Vs. Godzilla LD sometime down the road.
What I'm saying is that even if you're not into Ghoulardi or the whole Northeast Ohio horror hosting thing, if you like vintage horror or science fiction films, odds are you'll still find plenty to peak your interest anyway.
There's even some newer, "craft-y" type stuff, for those so inclined. Since I'm rarely hip to that sort of thing, my brother tells me the product seen in this picture is "pixel art," which is as it sounds: artwork, keychains and so on, made up pixel-by-pixel, just like the character sprites in 8-bit and 16-bit video games. I generally only buy video game stuff when it's vintage-from-the-period, but no doubt this new-fangled pixel art thing is cool. I mean, pixelated Mario Kart artwork? Heck yeah!
See, my brother and I always hit up Ghoulardifest on Sunday, the last day of the show. It just works easiest for us that way. The downside is that we often miss some of the special guests and events they have going. Readings By Robert and stage shows like that, we don't always get to see those. This year though, they had some good stuff going on the whole time we were there.
Up above is Caesare Belvano, who does a phenomenal Elvis performance. I don't always go for the fan-tribute thing, but Elvis is one of the few exceptions. Not only because Elvis is dead and thus my chances of seeing him live are, well, nil, but also because Elvis tribute acts have become an art unto themselves. Rest assured, Caesare does a fantastic Elvis. His voice is unbelievable; he was on-stage when we first went in, and before I even actually saw him up there, I heard him, and his singing blew me away. His rendition of "My Way" was just incredible. I've seen and heard a lot of Elvis over the years, and Caesare gets my full approval (not that my approval really amounts to all that much, but whatever).
After Caesare, The ReBeats took the stage. Beatles tribute acts are another exception for me; I love them and the time period of music they generally cover (aside from Springsteen, 1950s & 1960s Rock & Roll is my preference). In the case of The ReBeats, they of course do The Beatles, but not just The Beatles. While we were there, they were busting into The Dave Clark Five (they do a great "Catch Us If You Can"), and though we were on our way out by that point, according to their website they also cover Paul Revere & The Raiders, which automatically grabs my admiration.
I imagine Friday and almost certainly Saturday were busier, but there was a pretty good turnout for what was the last day of the show, too. Indeed, Big Chuck, Lil' John and Hoolihan had a pretty steady line the entire time we were there; getting to Hoolie in particular looked like quite a wait!
Speaking of meeting the celebrities, here I am with my pal Jungle Bob! I've been a JB fan ever since he started featuring his animals on The Ghoul waaaay back in, what, 1999? 2000? Jungle Bob is one of the coolest guys you could hope to talk to, and he always has some creatures at Ghoulardifest. I forget what he said the thing was in his hand when this picture was taken, but it had a blue tongue and a little goatee. Turn blue, goatee, sounds pretty Ghoulardi-appropriate to me! Later on, he was walking around with a chinchilla, surefire proof of how cool JB is.
Jungle Bob's official website.
Me with Mike & Jan Olszewski, where I was able to pick up their fantastic new book, Cleveland TV Tales Volume 2. As of this writing, it's not yet available on Amazon, but when it is, y'all should buy it. And if you haven't got the first one yet, buy that, too. There's an added incentive to buying Volume 2, but I'll get to that a bit later in the post.
Lemme tell you my Mike Olszewski story: I first met him in 1999 at a signing for the book he and Ron "The Ghoul" Sweed wrote together. He was very personable then. But, it was when I met him over a year later that he just knocked me out (no, not literally!). The Ghoul was making a personal appearance at B-Ware Video in Lakewood. It's long gone, but at the time, B-Ware was a haven for all of the hard-to-find, obscure movies that you couldn't easily locate anywhere else. Anyway, The Ghoul was filming bits for his show, and when the cameras came out, I kinda sorta retreated further back into the store. Mike saw this, and despite not actually knowing me, he came up and implored me to get on camera. Thanks to him, The Ghoul episode that aired with this footage featured me near the front, loafing about and occasionally cheering. I always thought it was amazing that Mike would take the time to do that for a total stranger. 'Course, I was a goofy lookin' 14 year old, but I won't hold that against him.
Nowadays, Mike occasionally pops into Time Traveler Records, and every meeting I've had with him since that day in 2000 has only reinforced my opinion that he's one of the nicest guys in the world.
Hanging with Cleveland weather legend Dick Goddard. No kidding, Dick Goddard is weather in Northeast Ohio. I've met him before, but this is my first picture with him (I would have had one a few years back, but the camera decided it didn't want to take the shot, which I didn't realize until well after we had left). Every time I've met him, Dick has been very friendly.
What am I holding in my hand? Why, that's my now-autographed Dick Goddard CD! How, what, when, where? I'll explain later.
My buddy, Son of Ghoul! Every single year, if I'm going to buy anything, it's going to be at SOG's table. I actually make it a point to buy from him. He gets more of my money than anybody. Considering I usually have so little of it, I hope that says something.
Longtime readers will know what a fan I am of SOG; I've been watching him since Halloween '97, I still write into the show, and, you know, there was that time I interviewed the man himself. He even recognizes me when I walk up to him, which always makes me feel like a big man.
There was some sad news in regards to the show this year that SOG and I talked about: longtime supporter of all this, Jim "The Colonel" Klink passed away a week before Ghoulardifest '15. Klink was well-known to SOG fans for his rabid support and many packages sent to the show. Before SOG, he was a big Superhost guy (in fact, I *think* some of his Supe artwork can be seen in this old post of mine). I saw him walking around at least once at previous shows, and we were friends on Facebook, but it's much to my regret that I never actually met him in person. The show of grief for Jim's passing on Facebook was overwhelming; he touched a lot of people and became a well-known Northeast Ohio personality simply by indulging in his fandom and being a nice guy.
Besides being his Facebook friend, my limited contact with Klink included this very nice comment he left for my SOG interview. I think it shows what a good-hearted, upbeat guy he was, and thus I'd like to present here as a small tribute to him:
R.I.P, Colonel.
Is it corny and/or cliche to say that Fox 8 news anchor Tracy McCool was the coolest? Yeah, I bet she hasn't heard that enough! Well, she was. Seriously, she was about as nice as it gets. Because WJW Fox 8 was sponsoring the show this year (as opposed to WBNX TV-55 in preceding years), a lot of talent from the station made appearances over the three days. I had brushed up a bit on who was going to be there via the official Ghoulardifest website, though by Sunday afternoon I had promptly forgotten most of it. So, it was a bit of a surprise to see Tracy McCool walk in. She was absolutely great.
You know what really impressed me about her? It wasn't just that she'd take the time to pose for a picture with a goofball like me. No, rather it was what she was telling a young girl ahead of us: she was explaining good starting places to begin a career in broadcasting, and she wasn't rattling off facts or anything like that, she was actually talking to her. One thing I admire about a celebrity is their ability to genuinely talk and listen to their fans; not that I expected anything less from Tracy McCool, that's just a general observation, and fortunately, it applies to many, many of these Cleveland TV personalities (frankly, everyone in this post). Tracy McCool was just awesome.
I met Bill Ward previously, at the 2013 convention. For years he was the voice of WJW, and make no mistake, that voice is instantly recognizable to many Northeast Ohioans. Just like Tracy McCool (and when I met him in '13), Ward really takes the time to talk with you, and you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone friendlier (I know, I know, I'm repeating the whole "they were nice" thing a lot in this post; hey, everybody was ridiculously nice!). We actually had a conversation about a commercial he did not too long ago for a retirement company, in which he played "Stu," and he told me some very funny anecdotes related to that ad.
If you ever have the chance to speak with Bill Ward, trust me, you'll walk away the better for it. An extremely kind and incredibly funny guy.
Ah, the customary picture with Big Chuck & Lil' John. I can't ever leave without one, because even though I've got plenty of pictures with them, accumulating more makes me feel important. I wanted to get a picture with Chuck, John and Hoolihan, but Hoolie was so incredibly busy at his end of the table that I wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to break away for it. Not that I'm complaining, because a picture with Big Chuck & Lil' John is one of the coolest things anyone could hope to achieve.
This year, they were selling brand new Big Chuck & Lil' John wine glasses, and Lil' John had one in front of him complete with some actual wine in it. Every few minutes he'd take a sip and proclaim "work, work, work!" and it just got funnier each time.
I finally got to talk to Chuck about something that's been on mind for quite awhile: several years ago, I found a locally-released vinyl record by one Scott Read, appropriately titled The Scott Read Show. According to the liner notes, it was a program on WJW produced by Chuck. So, I asked him about it, and Chuck told me it was many one of many shows that he produced, and it didn't last very long, only about 6 months on the air. I'm thinking next time they're making an appearance somewhere, I just might bring that LP along to get signed.
Surprisingly, John seemed to remember us from past years; he actually asked if we always came on Sundays (yep). How cool is that? Although, it's also a little distressing; I had been relying on the idea that if I accidentally did or said something totally stupid in front of Chuck and/or John (and really, it's only a matter of time), they meet so many people in a year that they'd quickly forget my face and then we could start anew next time. But now, I just don't know. Oh the agony it is to be me!
I met Caesare after his set. There were a number of people waiting to get pictures with him, some acting like he was the real Elvis. Of course, he played the part up and was extremely nice to everyone. He was very gracious when I told him what a fantastic show he put on. Great guy!
Another dream realized! I met The Midnight Movie guys last year, but I missed Dave from the show. As luck would have it, just as we were on our way out, he was in the lobby taking a break, and he was cool enough to take a picture with me. Even better, he told me that they were filming a lot of footage there for a show that should air within the next month or so. I noticed they were filming when I was waiting to take a picture with Chuck & John; indeed, I'm in the background as they were interviewing Tracy McCool. Me? Surprise Midnight Movie cameo? Maybe!
And so, that ended the annual visit to Ghoulardifest. But wait! Before heading home for another year, we had one last stop to make…
No trip to Ghoulardifest would be complete without the customary visit to the Big Boy restaurant down the street from the LaVilla. A Ghoulardifest excursion just doesn't feel right without it. In fact, we did skip the Big Boy one year, and by the time we got home, we felt like we had missed out on an essential element of the trip (or at least, I certainly did). And it's not just because of the whole Manners Big Boy-Ghoulardi connection, either; rather, Big Boy restaurants are rare animals, and there are none near us anymore. So after reveling in all of this once-a-year fandom, it's only fitting that we revel in some once-a-year food, too.
I have to give a big shout out to my brother Luke. It's thanks to him that I'm able to make it to Ghoulardifest every year. He always drives, because if it were up to me to commandeer the car, I'd probably wind up driving it into a ditch or something. Carnage such as that would probably put a real damper on the event.
Luke likes going to these, he digs all this stuff, and he was jazzed for the trip, but he doesn't get into it all quite as much as I do; I watched a lot of this stuff growing up, but he usually had other interests. Without me, I doubt he'd make the trip, so for him to haul my goofy self up there each and every year is a testament to what a nice guy he is. Luke is a good mang. Plus he paid for lunch.
I tried looking at the menu to see if there was something different I wanted this year. No go, the Super Big Boy is just too good to pass up. Seriously, it's one of my favorite burgers on this planet. It's that good. Look at that beauty! Two patties, cheese, and special sauce. They taste as good as they look. If you ever find yourself in a Big Boy, this is the option on the menu that I heartily endorse.
Okay, that was the show (and lunch), but what about the goods, the loot, the booty I picked up during the trip? I always come home with some good stuff, and this just may be one of my best hauls ever. And even if it's not, I still feel perfectly justified in blowing through my money at an alarming rate.
I have the previously-released clear glass "Certain Ethnic Last Supper" mug (you can see it in this post), but when I saw these new white mug versions, I had to get one. Two, actually; my good friend Pete G. helped me out big time by providing me with tickets to the show, allowing me to save some extra precious bucks, so I got him one of these as a thank you. You're a good man, Pete!
It's a cool mug, showcasing much of the Northeast Ohio TV talent that has infiltrated the airwaves over the years. There are a lot of mugs/cups/whatever featuring these guys, but this one is easily one of my favorites of the bunch.
I got this from Son of Ghoul, and man is it cool. It is what it looks like: a picture of Superhost in a wooden frame. Sure, technically I could print out my own Supe picture, get an old frame and make my own, but there was something about this that made me have to buy it as soon as I saw it. It just felt so right.
Yeah, I bought another. If you go back to my Ghoulardifest post from last year, you'll see how jazzed I was to get a Superhost shirt from Son of Ghoul. In my weird little world, I decided I needed another one that I could wear around without fear of wearing it out or accidentally staining it. I'm normally a size-large wearer, but I can get away with a medium, which is fortunate, because there were no more larges left. SOG jokingly explaining the sizes sans-large: "You can get an extra-large and throw it in the dryer to shrink it, or you can get a medium and lay off the Whoppers!" I was cracking up!
Like I said before, Son of Ghoul got more of my money than anybody this year. Truth be told, he usually gets more of my money than anyone else every year. I'm fine with that!
This was a longtime coming, and I'm a little ashamed to admit that it took me this long to get Jungle Bob's excellent book, BobTails. Naturally he autographed it to me. You'd be well advised to pick one up, it's good stuff!
My copy of Mike & Janice Olszewski's brand new Cleveland TV Tales Volume 2 book. They even autographed it for me! I haven't had time to read much of it yet (I just got it yesterday!), but the content is directly up my alley. Indeed, it's already on track to becoming one of my very favorite books of this nature. Why? Because I'm in it, that's why!
Well, a piece of my interview with Marty "Superhost" Sullivan is, anyway.
A few months back, Mike contacted me asking for my permission to use the bit in the interview where Marty talks about his feelings following the filming of his final episode. Well heck yeah Mike, use away! What a thrill!
When I went up to Mike's table, he had sample copies of all of his books on display, and I quickly began searching myself out in this newest one. I didn't have time to find the exact quote (I did when I got home though; this site is mentioned in the body of the section!), but I did find myself listed right at the top of the bibliography. I considered stomping around and shrieking "I is published, I is published!" I decided against it though; having security cart me out for being too obnoxious probably would have put a dark cloud over the day.
But seriously, what a monumental honor for me. This really does feel like some kind of validation, like I'm actually contributing something to something. I mean, okay, most of the time on this blog, I'm just screwing around and posting things that I know only select people are gonna care about. That's fine, that's why I do what I do. But, when I do something actually important, and I'd certainly like to think my Superhost interview qualifies, it's nice to know that the big names (and make no mistake, Mike & Janice Olszewski's work is VERY well known) take notice. Mike even thanked me again for letting him use the piece and told me what a great interview it was. Hey, if I'm getting Mike Olszewski's approval, I must be doing something right!
So, thanks again Mike! (And thanks again also to Marty Sullivan for taking the time to speak with me in the first place!)
Some decidedly cool postcard reproductions of classic Cleveland TV artwork. At a buck apiece, I couldn't resist. Included: Batguy & Rinaldi, Superhost, The Kielbasy Kid, and Hoolihan & Big Chuck's good night bumper.
No, I didn't buy this CD there, but I was fortunate enough to find it at a thrift store early last week. No kidding, I almost flipped out. The first time I thumbed through the CDs I didn't even notice it. It wasn't until my usual second run-through that I saw it. It was placed in backwards, so I was reading the spine upside down, and I thought to myself "wait, am I reading that right?" Obviously I was, and from that moment on it was coming home with me. Quite a few people I told about it thought it was extremely cool as well, and everyone agreed I should get it signed at Ghoulardifest.
It was released in 2002 as a 9/11 tribute, and features vocals by not only Dick Goddard but also fellow WJW 8 talent Tim Taylor and Wilma Smith, along with a few others. There are some standards on it, and some monologues. I like to think of it as Dick Goddard's attempt at his own The Rising. (How many superfluous Springsteen references in this post does that make? I'm up to three – so far.)
Goddard got a big kick out of it when I presented it to him to be signed. When asked where I got it, I couldn't lie, so I told him the thrift store. Then, how much did I pay? Well, that was prickly, because I didn't want to accidentally insult him by telling him the CD was only going for $1.50. I needn't have worried; he cracked up!
And finally, my mega-cool Ghoulardifest 2015 promotional poster. Like the Dick Goddard CD, I didn't get this at the show, but unlike the CD, I didn't bring it to be signed there. But, I feel I'd be remiss if I didn't thank my good friend Scott at Time Traveler Records for it. Every year he thinks of me when he gets the promotional Ghoulardifest stuff and gives me the poster after the event. Scott helps me out in so many ways, far beyond keeping me in mind when cool stuff likes this comes along, and I can't thank him enough. I'm proud to call him amigo.
And with that, my big giant Ghoulardifest 2015 recap comes to a close. From the people there, to the people I met, to the stuff I came home with, to the book with my gol'derned Superhost thing in it, I dare say this was one of the best ones ever. My brother and I had an absolute blast (and a fine, fine lunch). I've mentioned this before, but it's so great to know that Northeast Ohio memories are long; when personalities such as these have meant so much to so many, they never really go away, even if they're not on the air. Furthermore, the new personalities that come along to take up the torch are not only treated with respect, but also welcomed into the fold, as it were. Ghoulardifest is a celebration of all that, and as a lifelong Northeast Ohioan and TV fan, that's something I'm absolutely grateful for.
And yes, even though this all took place only yesterday, I'm already starting to itch for the next one!
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WJW TV-8 – The Big Chuck & Lil' John Ghoulardi Special (October 10, 2015)
I usually don't look at 'modern' television broadcasts, especially broadcasts as recent as this past weekend, but this was so unabashedly cool that I can't resist. Besides, it may be a new broadcast, but it's a new broadcast of older material which in turn featured even older material. There, wrap your mind around that!
'Course, the fall-back here is that this is my blog and I'll write about what I want. I could go in the backyard and describe all the neat-lookin' rocks I find if I so desire. You keep pushing me and I just might, too.
I was made aware of this special just the night before it aired: on Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 3:30 PM, WJW TV-8 would be airing the 30 minute Big Chuck & Lil' John Ghoulardi Special. I'm glad I only had to wait less than a day for this, because man, I was stoked. A Big Chuck & Lil' John special, airing (roughly) in their old Couch Potato Theater time slot, and focusing solely on Ernie "Ghoulardi" Anderson, the man who set this whole thing in motion waaay back in 1963? I was so there.
This is what I love so much about Northeast Ohio TV: for all of the changes it has gone through over the years, the steady erosion of locally-grown programming in favor of syndicated content and whatnot, there's still a sense of history here; there's a reason Big Chuck & Lil' John have been forever in the public eye, Son of Ghoul is still plugging away, and no one bats an eye when a special regarding a character that hasn't been on Cleveland airwaves since 1966 is allotted a 30 minute time slot. Doesn't hurt that Ghoulardi had (and continues to have) an incalculable impact on so much of the populace, either.
The announcement I saw didn't elaborate, and I automatically assumed this was going to be a half hour edition of their regular skits-only show, tailored solely to Ghoulardi material. As it turned out, this wasn't actually a new special; as the above screencap attests, this was instead a re-broadcast of Big Chuck & Lil' John's tribute to Ernie Anderson following his 1997 death. It's actually not too far off from what I envisioned, just 18 years older. I guess it makes sense to simply re-run the earlier special; a new version would just cover the same ground and take time to film.
Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Anything that gives Big Chuck & Lil' John and Ghoulardi airtime is absolutely fine with me. Always. Besides, seeing Chuck & John on that old set with the studio audience gets the nostalgia fired up somethin' fierce.
(By the way: why the slightly fuzzy reception in this day and age of ultra-clear digital everything? Meh, for old times' sake I recorded this onto DVD on my downstairs CRT TV, which apparently doesn't play by the same rules as my cute HDTV upstairs does. I also DVR'd the special upstairs, but what the heck, this DVD is already made and handy for screencaps, so here we are.)
Being a tribute to Ernie Anderson, in addition to actual Ghoulardi footage there's also a lot of reminiscing, as you would expect. In addition to a short bio of Anderson and how he wound up as Ghoulardi, among other stories Chuck recounts the famous tale of his stealing a Ghoulardi poster off a bus while Anderson kept the driver distracted. Funny stuff!
Keep in mind, this originally aired some time before the phenomenal Ghoulardi: Inside Cleveland TV's Wildest Ride book was released, and waaaay before Big Chuck's terrific autobiography (head on back to that BC & LJ store link for that one), so a lot of the information here hadn't been widely recounted and available to the masses yet.
(For the record, both of those books are absolutely essential reads, not only for Northeast Ohioans or fans of Horror Hosts, but for television lovers in general; both offer an indelible snapshot of TV history, an era that won't be repeated, and are ridiculously entertaining to boot.)
Much of the tribute also consists of Chuck's one-on-one interview with Anderson himself, obviously conducted some years prior. As I recall it, this interview provided the basis for a previous BC & LJ special show, though integrating the segments into this tribute show makes all the sense in the world, given the circumstances.
After giving up Ghoulardi in 1966, Anderson went to Hollywood and made the mighty dollars doing voiceover work. I have countless commercials/promos featuring his voice, and on a nationwide scale that's what he's really known for. At one point during this show, Chuck mentions that when Ernie went to Hollywood and became a millionaire, it didn't change him a bit; he was still the same guy he was back in Cleveland. You get a real sense of that during these interview segments. There's no showing off, no posturing or anything like that. It's just two friends talking about the old times.
As far as actual Ghoulardi material goes, with only 30 minutes and so much ground to cover, well, you're only going to see so much. However, the official Ghoulardifest website sells a phenomenal DVD of much (all?) of the remaining footage from Ghoulardi's show, the only official place to get this stuff. I have it in my collection, and you should have it in yours too.
As for this special though, I personally would have liked to see a few more bits with Ghoulardi on his set doing his thing. As it stands, there are two brief clips, and the skit you're seeing above, The Pitching Coach.
Y'see, Chuck got his behind-the-camera and, as in this case, his in-front-of-the-camera start on the show, performing in skits and even providing the basis for running gags such as the whole "PARMA?!" thing. In this skit, he plays the new pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians, who proves to be fairly incompetent. My favorite moment comes when Ghoulardi tosses a ball back to him, and it lightly hits Chuck's arm; Chuck holds his arm in pain and pouts in the corner while Ghoulardi tries to apologize!
More Chuck, this time in one of the legendary skits from Ghoulardi's show: Parma Place.
Parma Place was a take-off on the soap opera Peyton Place, and the line of skits basically existed to poke fun at the Cleveland suburb of Parma. The loose idea was that Chuck's character was always trying to make time with Anderson's wife behind his back (and often right in front of him), but the more notable aspect of the skits were the stereotypes of Parma they perpetuated: white socks, polka music, and so on.
And this was all in addition to the jokes Anderson would make about the suburb when in character as Ghoulardi. Naturally, some residents of Parma didn't take too kindly to all this, but it's all still funny, and the genesis of a running joke that continued (and continues) on through The Ghoul and Hoolihan & Big Chuck (& Lil' John).
A few different Parma Place entries are spotlighted during the special, and this screencap comes from a moment when Chuck's character "Jerry" gifts Anderson with a pair of white socks, to which he and his wife marvel at endlessly.
Also, you have no idea how funny I find Chuck's PARMA shirt.
A fun bit where Ernie Anderson interviews, well, himself. Using a split screen and some handy pre-filming, Ernie Anderson as Ernie Anderson interviews Ernie Anderson as Ghoulardi (who insists he be called "King"). It actually works pretty well; in fact, for the time period it's fairly seamless.
My favorite line: "I first got my start as Ghoulardi when they fired me from channel 3 and 5 wouldn't hire me!"
The whole open-wounds-shock of Anderson's passing may not be as hard to take today as it was in '97, which is understandable; it has been nearly 20 years, after all (20 years? I refuse to believe this all happened that long ago!). That's not to say it isn't still sad, because of course it is. I don't mean to downplay anything here, it's just that after 18 years, (most?) Northeast Ohioans have learned to live with Ghoulardi being gone, really gone.
All that said, there is a moment that still packs an emotional wallop in this tribute: the final scene returns to Chuck interviewing Anderson, and Anderson recounts that he met a lot of great people in Cleveland, and then jokingly says to Chuck "You're not one of them," to which they both crack up. After they calm down a bit, he then adds "You are, you're great," and then the scene freezes as the copyright info pops up. It stays there a bit before fading out, and in that little moment, the deeper meaning of all this is hammered home: it's not just about what Anderson accomplished as Ghoulardi and what he meant (means) to Clevelanders, it's also about the genuine friendship between him and Chuck that was there up until the very end of Ernie's life. It's a terrific, honest scene, and an absolute perfect way to end the special.
You know, maybe it's for the best that they didn't film an all-new Ghoulardi tribute episode; it would be nearly impossible to improve upon this one. From the recollections to the clips, it's as concise a definition of the character and what he represented to Clevelanders as you're likely to get in half an hour.
But wait! In a for-modern-day rarity of rarities (for me), there were some great commercials during this broadcast. 'Course, they all had to with Ghoulardi and/or Big Chuck & Lil' John, but frankly, that's how I prefer things. Behold:
Big Chuck For Empire Windows
Chuck has been pitching Empire Windows for quite awhile now, often in print ads that come nearly every week in one of those circulars. I haven't seen a whole lot of TV advertising with him for the company, so I was glad to see this and add it to my collection (y'see, through my massive collection of old videotapes, I have amassed a large "archive" of commercials, promos and whatnot featuring horror hosts, and not just our horror hosts, either; it spans the entire nation).
Chuck gives really a pretty standard pitch, though the commercial is so short (15 seconds) there isn't a whole lot of time for much else. Chuck says he's been plugging the company for 29 years at this point; that's as long as I've been alive!
If I ever need new windows, I'll go to Empire. Why? Big Chuck told me to.
Empire Windows' official website is here.
WJW TV-8 Big Chuck & Lil' John Ghoulardi Special Promo
A mega-quick (5 seconds!) promo for the special itself, which aired less than a minute before the show began. I was really, really happy to capture this one; not only does it give me fond memories of this, but also because I just wasn't sure if there even was a promo for this special. I don't care how short it is, either; it's another one for the collection!
The voiceover: "The Big Chuck & Lil' John Ghoulardi Special, today at 3:30!" Yeah, yeah, basically the same info that's printed on-screen.
Ghoulardifest 2015 Commercial
I'm thinking Ghoulardifest is the reason this special was run in the first place; what better promotion could there be? In prior years, the convention was sponsored by WBNX TV-55, but this year it's WJW, which means they've got carte blanche as far as Ghoulardi footage and whatnot goes. It's a more involved commercial than what has aired in recent years, which more or less usually amounted to basically Chuck & John standing in front of a green screen and giving their pitch. In this spot, however, lotsa Ghoulardi clips are interspersed with the pertinent information, though perhaps oddly, Chuck & John are nowhere to be seen.
WJW was pushing Ghoulardifest pretty hard during the special (as you'd expect). A full 30 second spot aired twice during the show, and a 15 second version right after it.
Needless to say, I am now even more jazzed for Ghoulardifest, which is saying something since I'm always jonesing for the convention. Yes, I will be attending again this year, and yes, there will be another write-up. In the mean time, check out my 2013 and 2014 reviews! And if you can attend, please do so! It's always a blast!
The Ghoulardifest website with all the info y'all need is here.
The Big Chuck & Lil' John Show Promos
And finally, promos for Big Chuck & Lil' John's current 30 minute Sunday night show proper were, for obvious reasons, ran twice during the special. On the left, a spot featuring a brief clip from their Nukey Shoes skit. On the right, the bit where, as part of the opening fanfare for a movie, John gears up to hit a gong but instead accidentally nails Chuck in his, erm, manhood. Yikes!
I love the fact that a special so undeniably Cleveland in every facet can still air on local TV here in 2015. The sad fact of the matter is that there's not always a place for this kind of thing on modern airwaves. Like I said at the start of this post, there's a very real sense of history in Northeast Ohio television, one that seemingly won't let people forget the accomplishments of its past.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 1963, 1966, 1997, 2015, ad, advertisement, airing, akron, big chuck, big chuck & lil' john, big little john, bob wells, broadcast, bumper, chuck schodowski, cleveland, commercial, ernie anderson, ernie anderson ghoulardi, ernie anderson tribute, film, friday, friday night, ghoulardi, ghoulardi fest, ghoulardifest, ghoulardifest convention, goulardi, hoolihan, hoolihan big chuck, horror host, horror movie, horror movie host, intro, john rinaldi, lil john, little john, monster movie, movie, new, northeast ohio, Ohio, old, outro, promo, Saturday, sci-fi, science fiction, shock theater, shock theatre, show, son of ghoul, special, superhost, teaser, the big chuck & lilk' john show, the ghoul, theater, theatre, tim conway, trailer, tribute, vintage on October 13, 2015 by neovideohunter.
CBS Late Show With David Letterman – Dave Reads MY Letter On The Air! (2002)
I'm not sure how much you can really see it here on this blog, but David Letterman has been a huge, huge influence on me. From my sense of humor to just how I look at comedy in general, Dave's contribution to me (that sounds weirder than I meant it to) has been nearly incalculable; only Mystery Science Theater 3000 and the various local horror hosted movie shows from my neck of the woods can claim a larger influence on your Northeast Ohio Video Hunter. I'm a pretty big Letterman fan is what I'm saying.
Which is why today is such a bummer for me. For those that haven't heard (and really, if this is news you're just now getting from me, well, there's a serious disconnect somewhere there), tonight Letterman will air the final episode of his Late Show on CBS. All good things must come to an end and so on, I know. Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it.
I guess I can understand it, though. The late night TV climate has changed wildly over the last several years, and Dave has increasingly looked like the odd-man-out. Not to mention, and I say this as a longtime fan, he's more-or-less been on autopilot the last several years. Not that the show has been bad, it hasn't, but from my perspective, it (or rather Dave himself), has been operating at a level markedly below previous years.
At any rate, Dave has always been my favorite, always will be my favorite, and thus I'd be remiss if I didn't do some kind of post in regards to him on my silly blog. That's just what I'm doing now, with what was (and is) undoubtedly the most exciting moment for me in my time as a Letterman fan.
'Course, I'm particularly biased towards this particular moment, because this was the man himself, Mr. David Letterman, reading my letter on national television! As you can see above, that's him, gearing up to read a letter that, to him, was almost certainly just business as usual, but to me is one of my most legendary "achievements" (such as they are).
The practice became infrequent in later years (eventually they stopped doing it altogether), but at the time, Friday night was the dedicated viewer mail night on the show. Through an online submission page, you could send an email to the show in hopes of future usage during the "CBS Mailbag" portion of the program. Of course, the trick was to send something they could get a bit out of, because this was no serious question-and-answer deal.
I wound up bombarding them with questions. Most of them were, I thought, good fodder for the segment, though a few were, if I recall correctly, of a more "real question" nature (I don't know what I was thinking). You have to imagine more than a couple people were writing to the show, and undoubtedly some were doing exactly what I did. With only fours letters read per segment, obviously chances of yours making it on the show were fairly slim. BUT, somehow, someway, through brute strength and sheer endurance (aka: got lucky), one of mine made it on the air.
At the time, I was heavily into the TV ratings/renewals/cancellations game; these were stats I followed as closely as some did their favorite sports teams. In more recent years I've only really paid attention to my favorite 'new' shows (there's not many) in these regards, but at the time, this was an area of high interest to me. So, it being early in that fall television season, my question naturally was "What show do you think will be cancelled first this TV season?" Maybe not the most probing question ever posed to Dave, but hey, it got my mail on the air, so in yo' face.
That's me! Thanks for zooming in for that close up of my letter, Late Show!
Dave's reading of this wasn't a complete surprise, which is a good thing, because otherwise I probably wouldn't have been taping the show that night. I was able to know about the letter-reading beforehand thanks to the the Late Show's online Wahoo Gazette, which is still running (for now, anyway). Every Friday, they posted the mail questions that would be read that night, along with the names of the people that sent them. I can not overstate how much I flipped when I saw that one of my submissions had been selected to be on the show that week. In short order, a new blank VHS was obtained and earmarked for an SP mode recording; this was historic stuff, man! Needless to say, I still have it (duh!).
Also, I know I had at least one print-out of the Wahoo Gazette page featuring the revelation my question would be read on the air that night, but for the life of me I can't find it. And to make matters worse, for whatever reason I didn't notate the full date of the broadcast on the label of my VHS recording; this was definitely fall 2002, but I can't remember the exact date otherwise. The fact that I can't find my print-out irritates me mightily, but then, I really should have this date burnt into my memory. Still, Dave read my letter, so in yo' face, I guess.
Dave's immediate response? "You're lookin' at it, Larry!" That wacky guy! I need to make that line a ringtone of some sort. David Letterman: said my name not once, but twice. This, of course, was cool winnins before the term "cool winnins" had been coined by yours truly. Cool winnins!
Just like most of his answers during the mail segment, Dave pretty much ignored the actual question in favor of setting up the respective gag. In this case, he mentions that everyone is excited about the then-new CSI spin-off CSI: Miami, and CBS has another such spin-off in the works.
Behold:
60 Minutes: Miami. I love it. As per Dave, whenever there's a hit show, the network makes another one just like it, but set in a different location, which, well, you can't argue with him there. I mean, this aired nearly 13 years ago (as of this post) and networks still do this sort of thing, though it doesn't seem like it's as ubiquitous as it was back then.
What could a 60 Minutes: Miami possibly entail? Dave wasn't lying about the spin-offs being pretty much the same as the original shows. 60 Minutes: Miami is little more than regular 60 Minutes, with all of the same hosts, except they're wearing swimwear (and ostensibly in Miami).
Obviously, they just superimposed tropical attire over the actual hosts as they give their customary "I'm ______________" diatribe. For such a simple gag, this really is pretty funny, and there is a final pay-off to the bit…
It's the final shot of a shirtless Andy Rooney that is the punchline to the whole thing. The audience had been laughing steadily at the whole deal anyway, but the topless Andy Rooney (that sounds weirder than I meant it to) causes them to erupt in surprised laughter.
While I'm not sure this gag really qualifies as the best example, I think what attracts me to Letterman's humor so much is just how weird it is. Not that Andy Rooney without a shirt isn't supremely weird enough as it is, but I mean, just look at the whole bit in general: it's the cast of 60 Minutes in swimwear. That's pretty much it! Dave always had a real streak of non-sequitur in his humor, and that's right up my alley. I really do love random bits of humor that leave a viewer confused, and Dave's show has (well, had) it in spades. Admittedly, it's not for everyone, but personally, it always struck a chord with me (obviously).
And unless you're missing the big picture here, let me spell it out: I wrote David Letterman, and it gave the world a mocked-up picture of a shirtless Andy Rooney.
Dave's final thoughts on the matter? The combined age of everyone on 60 minutes must be "well over two or three thousand" and Mike Wallace alone is "at least a hundred." Funny stuff! It may come off a little dark to some people nowadays since both Mike Wallace and Andy Rooney have passed (RIP, fellas), but hey, they were still alive then. Anyone offended by that needs to chill out, man.
And so, that is the saga of my letter being read by David Letterman on national television. HOWEVER…
Now is as good a time as any to mention that in the summer of 2005, I had the good fortune to actually attend a taping of Late Show With David Letterman, with guests Jennifer Connelly and The Eels. It was a terrific show, and Dave really was "on" that night (and no, I'm not just saying that because I was there in person). For a trip that really only had, maybe, three days in advance planning, it went off without a hitch. I got to see Letterman in person, it was a great show, I got to walk around New York City (I'm not normally a sightseer, but NYC is an absolute exception), and to cap it all off, I got to meet two Letterman regulars in person: fan-favorite Rupert Gee of the Hello Deli (right next to the Ed Sullivan Theater) was working that day, and shortly thereafter, I ran into stagehand Pat Farmer taking a break around the side of the building. Both guys were extremely friendly and gracious enough to take pictures with me. I made a concerted effort to find those snapshots amongst the rest of the family photos to post here, but I have no idea where they are. The only thing I got out of the deal was some wasted time and depression from looking at old pictures of myself.
Anyway, those are my memories. It may not be much, but hopefully this is some kind of acceptable tribute to Letterman and what he's meant to me over the years.
And so, it is with that that I now wait in apprehension for Dave's swansong tonight. So long Dave, and thanks for all the laughs.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 2002, 60 minutes, affiliate, affiliation, airing, article, bit, broadcast, CBS, comedy, csi, csi: miami, dave, dave letterman, david letterman, david letterman series finale, fall premiere, fall tv, final episode, final show, gag, guest, guests, interview, last show, late night, late night with david letterman, Late Show, late show dave letterman, late show david letterman, late show final episode, late show last show, late show series finale, late show with david letterman, letterman, letterman final, letterman finale, letterman last, local, mail, mail bag, mail segment, mailbag, miami, national, NBC, old, overview, program, review, segment, series, series finale, show, sketch, skit, spin-off, spinoff, spoof, talk show, talkshow, television, the late show, tv, viewer mail, vintage on May 20, 2015 by neovideohunter.
It's that time of year again! Big Chuck & Lil' John's Ghoulardifest! 2014!
I've gone to this convention for several years in a row now, and I even wrote extensively about it last year. I always, always have a blast at these shows. Ostensibly, the convention is to celebrate all things Ernie "Ghoulardi" Anderson, and needless to say, you'll see more Ghoulardi stuff than anything else there. But, it's also a celebration of Northeast Ohio broadcasting, namely Hoolihan & Big Chuck & Lil' John, Son of Ghoul, Jungle Bob, and even beyond; this year, Dee Wallace Stone and Arch Hall Jr. were also in attendance. Ghoulardifest isn't just about Ghoulardi, it's also about the Ghoulardi ideals, the music and movies and ideas he represented. That is, lotsa horror films, music (you can't take two steps without running into some Beatles memorabilia – the way it should be), and the like. Trust me, it's awesome.
For the second year in a row, the show was held at the LaVilla Banquet Center. I really, really like this place. It's plush, and big enough to hold a lot of vendors, plus there's a big ol' stage for presentations, musical performances, etc. In short, it's perfect for events like Ghoulardifest. When we (my brother and I) first got there, Frank & Dean were performing, and even though I was currently trying to get my bearings straight and deciding just what to tackle first (there's a lot to take in!), I could tell they were putting on a heckuva show.
Every year, the show runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and this year those days were October 31 (HALLOWEEN), November 1st, and November 2nd. Also every year, the only feasible day for me to make it up is on Sunday. It's easiest for me that way, and while I'm always pleased, going there this Sunday did have a few drawbacks: Son of Ghoul played with Arch Hall Jr. and his band on Friday and Saturday only, which I missed out on, as I did meeting Janet Decay, The Daughter Of The Ghoul, who was apparently only there the first two days. Tim Conway was supposed to be there again this year, this time signing autographs on Saturday only, but he had to cancel. Since I wasn't going to make it up on Saturday anyway, I guess I broke even on that front.
Still, I was able to knock several items, be they meeting celebrities or items I've had a year to mull over purchasing, off my Ghoulardifest bucket list. Here now, are the highlights from said bucket list:
Hangin' with my pal Son Of Ghoul! I always make it a point to stop by SOG's table; a 'Fest hasn't gone by that I haven't bought something (sometimes a lot) from him. Every year, he has these awesome Superhost t-shirts. Last year, I was too late for a large size shirt, and like a dolt I didn't buy a medium. So, the gameplan was to definitely, absolutely get one this year. Luckily, he had one large size shirt left, which is now mine. I prefer large t-shirts, though mediums work too, and if he hadn't had a large, that's what I would have went with; one way or another, I was getting a Supe shirt!
A dream realized! I babbled last year about how I kept missing out on Bob "Hoolihan" Wells. It kept being either his line was too long or he was doing something on stage. Bottom line was I had never met him…until Ghoulardifest 2014. I had pretty much decided beforehand that this year I was going to meet Hoolihan. And as you can see, I, erm, did. Really cool guy! (Hoolihan, I mean.)
I met Arch Hall Jr.! I may have missed his band, but no way was I going to miss the man! The star of Eegah!, Wild Guitar and other 1960s flicks, this is a guy I had to meet. And no kidding, he's just about the nicest guy in the world. Incredibly personable and outgoing, I wish every celebrity out there was like Arch. Just the coolest.
Chillin' with Jungle Bob! My buddy! I first met JB waaay back in 2000 (at the long-gone B-Ware Video), and I still have a lot of fun talking with him nowadays. Great guy, and he gets props for always pickin' up them big damn spiders he has; I couldn't do it, man.
Jungle Bob's official website!
There I am with the cats from The Midnight Movie! The Midnight Movie is a newer discovery of mine. Technically, I've known about the show for quite awhile, but I could never find it. Until I did: in Northeast Ohio, if you have Time-Warner Digital Cable, it's channel 180, Saturdays at midnight. It's probably been there forever and I'm just a chucklehead. Anyway, I'm really diggin' the show; they play a lot of movies you don't see too often on the horror hosting-circuit. Really nice guys, too.
Finally: the obligatory photo with Big Chuck & Lil' John. I got one last year, I got one the year before two years before that, and I'll probably get one next year. Why? Cause it's Chuck & John, that's why! Their names are in the title of the whole show! I'll plaster my walls with photos of me with Big Chuck & Lil' John if I want to!
That pretty much brought us to the end of the show (just for us, I mean; there were a few hours left). However, there's one important thing associated with the show that we skipped last year but had to do this year:
There's a Big Boy very, very close to the LaVilla, and we almost always make it a point to stop by after leaving the 'Fest. If I recall correctly, we just ran out of money last year, and since I don't know of any other locations even remotely close to me, I've been jonesin' for one of their big ol' burgers, big time.
That's a thing of beauty! A big honkin' "Super Big Boy!" Big Boy after Ghoulardifest just seems so right, and man, their burgers are good.
Real quick: a closer look at my loot. This isn't quite everything I brought home, but it's some of the coolest.
There's my beloved Superhost shirt. I could put this on with some red shorts and go running around the neighborhood if I so desired. Maybe I'll just wear it while I read my interview with Supe himself over and over and over.
My autographed Arch Hall Jr. CD. When I heard he was going to be signing autographs all weekend, I hoped he'd have one of these CDs for purchase by the time I got there, and as luck would have it, this was the last one! Cool winnins! This is packed with Arch's music; well worth having! It's now a prized part of my collection.
Since I finally met Hoolihan, it stands to reason I couldn't leave without his autograph. I didn't feel like lugging my American Scary book back to Ghoulardifest for autographs this year, so I instead opted for one of these swanky Hoolihan pictures for autograph purposes.
So, that was Ghoulardifest 2014. My brother and I had a lot fun, as we always do when going to this show. Had a good time, got some cool stuff, and ate a delicious burger. I'd call that a successful trip.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged akron, american scary, annual, arch hall jr., big chuck & lil' john, big chuck schodowski, bob hoolihan wells, bob wells, channel, cleveland, convention, dee wallace stone, Ghoul, ghoulardi, ghoulardi fest, ghoulardifest, ghoulardifest 2014, history, hoolihan, hoolihan big chuck, horror host, horror movie host, independent, indie, journey, jungle bob tuma, late night, lavilla, lavilla banquest center, lavilla ghoulardifest, lavilla parma, legend, lil john rinaldi, local, network, northeast ohio, Ohio, overview, parma, personalities, personality, show, son of ghoul, station, superhost, television, the ghoul, trip, tv on November 3, 2014 by neovideohunter.
VCI Home Video – The Creeping Terror (On Betamax, No Less)
I love this one. Love love love it. No matter how many times I type "love," I doubt you're going to understand just how happy I am to have this awful, awful movie on a format that's only slightly more obsolete than VHS. I'm jazzed, man.
Why? Because I'm a complete and total sucker for The Creeping Terror. I love this stupid terrible movie beyond what is probably considered acceptable limits of, erm, acceptability…? That kind of fell apart, but suffice it to say, I'm quite fond of the flick. It's one of the worst movies ever made, and it's gloriously entertaining because of that.
The Creeping Terror has it all: shoddy black & white footage, limited dialogue but plenty of awkward narration, a star that you won't buy for a minute as a legitimate star and who doesn't really do enough to warrant being called a star anyway (but being the director/producer/guy who made this movie happen, naturally he had first dibs on leading man-status), a scientist played by the original Marlboro Man (yes, really), a random lecture on bachelor-hood and married life, a very slow-moving monster that looks to be made of shag carpet, victims that not only lack the ability to run or even walk away from said monster but who also crawl into the damn thing, a rather rotund man and his grandson Bobby ("Bobbbby!"), and the most awkward, goes-on-for-far-too-long dance party that you've ever seen.
It's one "say what?" moment after another, and thus it's clearly one of the worst (greatest) things ever committed to film. Fittingly, it was given the Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment, but the movie is so, so out there that it's a trip by itself.
I first saw (and taped!) the film in 1998 on WAOH TV-29, years before I saw the MST3K version, and it was the recording of that broadcast that I was most familiar with for years (rarity of rarities: Unlike most of the stuff I taped, I actually wound up watching it!). My reasons for taping it were two-fold: 1) at that time, any old horror/sci-fi flicks were fair-game for my vicious recordin' tactics (that is, I'd tape anything and everything possible that fit my preferred criteria), and more importantly, 2) thanks to my beloved Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide, I knew the movie had been featured on the show, and even though it would be a few years before I became familiar with the actual episode, the mere fact that the movie was on the show was enough to make me want it.
That said, despite the extreme oddness of the film, it didn't really do much for me then. Sure, it was an uber-amateurish, grade-z sci-fi flick, but I had plenty of those in my collection already (albeit few, if any, as inept). And while the MST3K treatment has since become one of my favorites, my first viewing of that episode several years after first seeing The Creeping Terror left me a little cold as well.
It wasn't until almost 2 years ago, when I came across this thread at the Classic Horror Film Board, that my interest in the film rose to peaks I never thought it would. The thread started way back in 2006, and it's still going! There's so much interesting backstory regarding The Creeping Terror that the movie itself is almost (but not quite) overshadowed by it all. And since I stumbled across the thread after it was already well, well underway, it was simply amazing to watch as more and more info about the film was progressively revealed. The contributors to that thread are some of the most knowledgeable and downright cool people I've come across online, and the sheer amount of information I've learned from not only that thread but from that forum in general is something I'm certainly grateful for. If you don't know how The Creeping Terror came to be (and I sure didn't), you owe it to yourself to check the thread out. It's an absolutely fascinating read.
Indeed, that thread is how I learned of the VCI home video release in the first place. Prior to that, The Creeping Terror is a film I had figured as incredibly public domain. That is, there was endless VHS/DVD releases of it out there, be it standalone or in compilation sets, not unlike The Brain That Wouldn't Die. I'm not sure how I got that idea in my head, because while there were a few VHS releases, as well as a few DVD compilations nowadays, it turns out The Creeping Terror is not only not in the public domain, it also never had much of a life in the home video market, either. There was apparently a Rhino VHS release in the late-1980s/early-1990s, and of course the MST3K version on both VHS and DVD, but as far as I can ascertain, the VCI release under their "Le Bad Cinema" banner from the early-to-mid-1980s (there's no video release date anywhere on my copy) was the first. Maybe it wasn't, but as far as I can tell it was. Either way, in short order the VCI release became one of my "most wanted" videos.
I tend to operate under a "sooner or later I'll come across it" optimism. Not just with videos, but also with old broadcasts/commercials/etc., electronics, and so on. And time and time again, that optimism and patience has paid off. But, it's not fool-proof. For example, even though I've had a copy for years (two copies, actually), I still haven't come across the Vestron release of Giorgio Moroder's Metropolis in person; I had to resort to Ebay back in the day (luckily, it's out on DVD now). Considering VCI's The Creeping Terror is far, far more rare than that video ever was (Moroder's Metropolis used to go for big bucks on Ebay because it was, at the time, the best restoration of the film, but there were always multiple copies for sale; even though it was out of print, it was really more popular than outright rare), I knew my chances of finding a copy "in the wild" were slim, though certainly not impossible.
Still, when the opportunity to pick up the Beta version of the VCI release presented itself (and I had no idea there was a Beta release beforehand, though given the rough timeframe of release, it makes sense), I jumped at it. I paid more than I really would have liked; the final total was akin to what rarer tapes were going for back in the good ol' days (ha!) of late-1990s Ebay. I've spent less on (some) used blank Beta tape lots, but I had the money, so whatever. Needless to say, I was successful, as the picture above can attest.
I love the cover art. I mean, just look at it up there! It's 1980s in all the best ways. I dig the hand drawn artwork of the era, and the cover of this particular video fits in perfectly: It's simple, but perfect for this type of film. Though I'll admit the absence of "The" in the title irritates me. It's The Creeping Terror, not Creeping Terror! I got the same way with Goodtimes' 35th anniversary release of The Blob back in the day; the cover listed it simply as Blob, which is even more awkward than Creeping Terror.
It appears my copy has some staining to the box, mostly visible on the back. I pray it was only someones drink and not something more sinister. It doesn't smell like anything troubling, or anything at all really, which is always a good sign. Yeah, I smelled the thing. Could I be any weirder?
The description on the back is adequate enough, but not exactly spot-on. None of the film takes place in the Rocky Mountains; it's set in "Angel County," California. And while it's true that a '57 Ford (I guess it's a '57 Ford, anyway) does indeed kill one of the monsters (there are two of 'em), they are certainly not immune to grenades; immediately before the Ford takes the one monster out, the other one is killed by a hand grenade thrown by the illustrious "Colonel Caldwell."
Still, you can't fault them for a few mistakes. This is the kind of film where, without intense concentration, it would be easy to let your mind wander and your eyes glaze over. Besides, who would really want or need a deeper-than-necessary knowledge of the film (besides me, I mean)?
Also, the copyright date for the film is almost always listed as 1964, as demonstrated on the back of this box. It was made around that time, but another interesting thing I learned from that aforementioned thread is that it's almost positive that this film was never actually released theatrically! It seems the public never saw the film until it was licensed for TV showings sometime in the 1970s! And that's really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the wonderfully bizarre backstory of the film.
There were a number of movies in VCI's "Le Bad Cinema" line. It was probably a smart move to tag them as such, because at least as far as The Creeping Terror goes, you're almost certainly gonna irk a lot of people if you advertise it as a 'straight' sci-fi/horror movie. No one is going to buy this as a 'real' film, and if by some chance they did, those hopes and dreams would be crushed as soon as the alien craft landing on Earth is shown as (and I'm not kidding here) blurred car headlights and stock footage of a rocket blasting off ran in reverse. Rather than pretend this is something "legit," it was a wise choice to play up the real strengths of the flick (such as they are).
There's the tape itself, with a fairly cheap identification label affixed to it. So now you know. Really, what more can I say about it?
Since I have several Betamax VCRs, there's never an issue of playing Beta tapes (duh!), but I generally prefer VHS (due to convenience plus it being the format I grew up with and still predominantly use for this sorta thing). As fond as I am of the format, given the choice I probably would have went with a VHS copy over Beta. There is a major benefit to having this on Beta, however: higher quality video (yes, people still argue about this, but Betamax does look superior to my eyes). Granted, there's only so much that can be done with The Creeping Terror; even a pristine 1st generation film print is probably going to look shoddy to an extent, because it's just a shoddy film in general (that's why people love it!).
Even with the limited number of releases out there, there are worse looking versions. In fact, VCI's version looks pretty darn good, all things considered. Sure, there's plenty of film scratches and dust, some scenes are too dark, and some are too light, but the image itself is relatively sharp. I mean, I can actually read the copyright notice in the opening credits; a minor miracle? I really was able to pick out little details in this version that I couldn't in others, small victory that may be.
From my very first viewing, I remember being mildly surprised that they used what appears to be the design from the opening credits of The Blob for the credits of this movie. Or maybe they technically didn't and it just looks insanely close.
That's the title screen up above, by the way. You'll get a better idea of this momentarily, but the superior sharpness of this particular print was evident as soon as those wondrous words that make up the name of this movie popped on-screen.
You have no idea what a pain it was trying to get a decent screenshot of the titular character, and I still don't think I was all that successful. I wanted an all-encompassing shot that would give those unfamiliar with the film an idea of just how goofy the monster is, but the thing is always moving around whilst surrounded by trees and shrubbery and whatnot. Plus, the screen often being on the dark side only made things more difficult for your Northeast Ohio Video Idiot Hunter. Even the back of the video box had trouble with this (scroll back up and see if y'all don't believe me). Rest assured, it's a giant shaggy-carpet monster with hoses of some sort protruding from its head. It looks really bad (which of course means it's awesome). The mostly-obscured illustration on the front cover looks better than the actual in-movie monster (dull surprise, I know).
Much has been made of the "worst movie ever," and from the screencaps of the monster alone it's easy to see why The Creeping Terror frequently makes those lists, which I don't disagree with. It is without a doubt one of the most inept movies ever made; I mean, even Manos: The Hands of Fate was in color and had real continuous dialogue (even if it was dubbed in later, not unlike the small bits of actual speech found in this film), and as silly as Torgo was/is, he's infinitely more believable than the slow-moving title character of The Creeping Terror. And, hollow victory, The Creeping Terror is better than the similarly-narrated and similarly-hated The Beast Of Yucca Flats in my eyes. Kind of a wash, but whatever.
Actually, for as bad as it is, I've seen other movies that may technically be better but I've enjoyed far, far less. I've seen early-1970s European horror films that have actually left me depressed. The Creeping Terror, though? It's too goofy to take even remotely seriously.
Though even I'll admit that the goofiness can't carry the entire movie. Despite what VCI says on the box, this movie only runs some 76 minutes, and there are long stretches where the monster eats person after person and/or stretches where there is no speech or narration, only silly music, which for all intents and purposes turns this into a silent movie. What I'm saying is the wackiness only goes so far before things become a little tiresome. Still, there's obviously enough "huh?!" moments to save the whole thing (from a pure entertainment standpoint, at least). Otherwise, I wouldn't love the flick as much as I do.
Just for the fun of it, here's some comparison screenshots between my Betamax copy and the version I recorded off of WAOH TV-29 way back in 1998. Of course, since my Betamax copy is a commercially-released version recorded in the high-quality BII mode and the one I taped back in '98 was recorded some 16 years ago in low-quality SLP off an over-the-air broadcast on a low-power independent station and on a good-but-not-great blank tape, there's really no direct comparison between the two versions, but hey, let me do this. It brings me joy, and don't I deserve some of that in my life?
(For all of these, Beta's on the left, '98 recording's on the right. Got it? Good.)
Remember that time I provided a screencap of the title screen? Here it is again, only twice-over. As the comparison demonstrates, the WAOH broadcast is always much grayer than the Beta. Furthermore, the sharpness of the Beta version is particularly evident here.
This is our "hero," the "star" Vic Savage, aka A.J. Nelson, who is responsible for the film. Vic Savage is a pseudonym, y'see? Does our leading man inspire confidence in his Creeping Terror-stopping abilities? I'll let you be the judge.
This is from the infamous "Bobby!" scene, in which the grandfather you're seeing above goes searching for his grandson by stumbling about and constantly shouting "Bobby!" in the most annoying manner possible. Spoiler alert: They both get eated.
I'm not sure which is more infamous, the aforementioned "Bobby!" or this "Community Dance Hall" scene, in which we're shown several minutes worth of repetitive shots of people badly dancing while the same tune plays over and over and over. Spoiler alert: They all get eated.
Man, The Creeping Terror on Betamax. I can't quite place my finger on why, but it just seems so right. I'll venture a guess that this was the only release of the movie on the format. Quite a leap, huh?
In lieu of the film as-is, less adventurous souls may opt to hunt down the Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment on DVD, or VHS if one was so inclined. But even with Mike & The Bots, the film is pretty out there. 'Course, if you're feeling brave, the uncut version is also available on DVD, in a number of various multi-movie compilartions. As far as DVD goes though, your best option really is to hunt down the MST3K version, which, despite featuring the ever-annoying double-sided disc, has both their episode and the uncut movie.
As for me, I've got the MST3K version (on VHS and DVD), I've got the uncut version in a 12-movie DVD set, I've got my old WAOH recording, and now I've got this swanky VCI Betamax copy, which has immediately become a treasured part of my collection.
That's a lotta The Creeping Terror, far more than should be allowed.
Cool recommended readins:
The Classic Horror Film Board Thread
Jabootu's Bad Movie Dimension Review
The IMDb Page
Satellite News' Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episode Guide Page
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 1964, article, awful, bad, bad movie, beta, betamax, broadcast, Creeping Terror, creeping terror beta, creeping terror betamax, creeping terror dvd, creeping terror mst3k, creeping terror mystery science theater, creeping terror vci, creeping terror vhs, creeping terror video, DVD, episode, film, flick, home video, movie, mst3000, mst3k, mystery science theater, Mystery Science Theater 3000, old, overview, release, relerase, review, shlock, show, terrible, the creeping terror, vci, vci beta, vci home video, vci vhs, vci video, version, vhs, vintage, worst, worst movie ever, worst movie ever made on October 6, 2014 by neovideohunter.