16 January 2015

Svengoolie

Black and White TV...
Since it was the only thing available, my generation didn't feel shortchanged at all.
And... we had THREE CHANNELS! (Some of us had the "Dumont Network" and actually had FOUR.) With that fantastic diversity of entertainment there was ALWAYS something of interest to watch!
My generation grew up turning on the set in the morning, watching the "Test Pattern" and waiting for the regular programming to start.
I know... like trying to figure out how a rotary phone works, today's generations cannot imagine what that was like.
But I'm not at all sure today's situation is an improvement, overall. (TMI).

When I was about 10 or so, we were entertained by a locally produced program in Indy, hosted by a guy whose stage name was "Sammy Terry". Sammy wore makeup making him look somewhat like Bela Lugosi as "Dracula". He had a "schtick"... a way of speaking; campy jokes. But every Saturday night he would introduce some old 30's or 40's horror "B" movie.
I'd be stuck in front of the set, watching. Sometimes we'd have get-togethers and three or four friends would watch, making comments like later generations have heard on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". Dracula. The Abominable Snowman. Frankenstein's Monster. Werewolves. Some thing from another world.

It was a hoot and I remember those times fondly.

So fondly in fact that I was quietly overjoyed while we were in Destin to find "Svengoolie".
Svengoolie is a locally produced program from BERWYN!, IL that has proven to be popular enough with the audience that it's been syndicated and is shown in several areas across the country. I started watching Sven while we were still home in the Midwest. I was delighted to find him on a local station while we were in Destin.


Now I'm suffering from "Sven withdrawal".
He's nowhere to be found here in Phoenix.

Sad.
"Who ya gonna call"?

2 comments:

Greybeard said...

I had a "Summer Camp" at Camp Grayling, Michigan in 1982.
I was in the dayroom Saturday night and found a horror show similar to Sammy Terry's produced out of Traverse City.
I suspect there were many of these types of shows produced across our country.

A few years back I met a couple from Traverse City and mentioned this show. They lit up like 100-Watt light bulbs and we excitedly talked about how much we all LOVED this SCHLOCK.
I WANT my Svengoolie here!

CnC said...

The only time in my life I was star struck was when I met Sammy Terry! I couldn't get a word out and I was at least 21 years old.