Svengoolie

At one time I wasn't as crazy in love as I am now about the Svengoolie show but times have changed and in case you haven't notice it, there are not many Horror Hosts left on cable TV! I can tell you where to find many though on the internet and that's at OSI 74 (my favorite of those is Cinema Insomnia with HH, Mr. Lobo). If you compare them all Svengoolie has the biggest budget, the best budget films (his show can afford to pay for the airing rights vs. Public domain movies), and the best writers, he's at the top of the Horror Host game in 2022. BTW, I usually prefer shows like MST3K and Rifftrax but those are not (IMO) Horror Hosts, they are talking DURING the film making jokes (which I love), where as a Horror Host talks and does skits preceding the film and the commercial breaks, not during the film. Plus a horror host usually gives out some trivia which I also love, riffing shows generally do not. There are ALWAYS people on IMdb who rate shows with a host a 1 because all they want to do is watch the film. Case in point, there are many 1 star reviews for MeTVs morning cartoon show, "Tune In With Me", which has a humorous host and cast (I rate it a 10 as well!). Just filter those cranky crazies out and enjoy Svengoolie because once this show is done there isn't much left in the way of horror host shows to watch other then the riffing shows. 10 out of 10!

Takes me back to my childhood, watching Creature Feature and The Ghoul Show. Keep it going!

My family has a long history with this show. My older brothers used to watch it with my dad a long time ago, until we lost the MeTV channel from our TV. None of us had looked at this for years after that, but recently, when we were able to bring it back. Now, every Saturday night, we watch an episode of the show, and it's nice to have something to look forward to after a long week.

"Svengoolie" is basically a show that resurrects old horror, sci-fi, and mystery films from the thirties, forties, fifties, and so on. The host, 'Sven', credited as the "Man in Hat" on the credits (played by Rich Koz), is conceptually creepy but in execution is portrayed as no more than a laughable, pun-loving persona who presents facts about the films, makes ridiculous jokes, and sings absolutely hilarious songs during the intermissions. The movies are about an hour and a half each; the rest of the two-hours is taken up on commercials and Sven's brief commentaries.

The movies, I would say, are quite good for their time period despite the negativity surrounding how bad some of them are. Personally, I quite enjoy them for what they are and despite poor effects and maybe slower pacing, most of them work very well today. I especially enjoy Sven's ridiculous songs that play upon events from the movies - if you like this kind of humor, the show is for you. Of course, this kind of thing is getting harder and harder for most people to appreciate these days, due to the plethora of more fancy, special-effects-based horror movies audiences indulge in now. But this show has an audience, and I'm all for it.

I was really surprised at the # of negative comments. Is this a great show that shows shows - no but I give it a 10 anyway because it's the kinda of thing I like.

At its core, it's not much different than TCM intro'ing and closing out a movie or MS3K which I also enjoy, but it's uniqueness is what is special.

Are the jokes generally bad - yes, but so bad they're good for those that like that kind of humor. I'd prefer it to have more guests as it's guests are generally really interesting.

So will this appeal to everyone, definitely not. One thing that I think I can safely say is just try and watch one. If you like it, then you'll be generally hooked on the show, but if you don't like it don't try and watch more because you'll not like any others any better.

When Screaming Yellow Threatre was on the air in the early 70's, the identity of Svengoolie was a thinly veiled Secret. Many viewers knew that the part was played by WFLD's main announcer, Jerry G. Bishop. I enjoyed watching the segues into and out of the movies and the commercials. There were loads of cheesy props and rubber chickens and cries of Berwyn! (a Chicago suburb) Once a plywood coffin collapsed amidst the laughter of Svengoolie and stage hands alike and they cut right back to the movie. I ran into Mr. Bishop at a social gathering in the mid-70's, several years after Screaming Yellow Theatre was off the air. I expressed my admiration for his character Svengoolie. He responded, "He's dead, man! Let him Rest in Peace." Berwyn!