10.30.2010

GHOUL POWER STAY SICK TURN BLUE SCRATCH GLASS!



The Ghoul Show was the brain-child of Cleveland-born actor Ron Sweed. The late-night horror movie and comedy sketch show ran for various blocks of seasons from 1971 through 2004, primarily in Detroit and Cleveland.


In 1970, Sweed approached fellow Cleveland actor Ernie Anderson with a proposal to revive Anderson's 1960's character, "Ghoulardi." Anderson was not interested, but gave Sweed his blessing to revive the character on his own. With that blessing, Sweed took "The Ghoul" to Cleveland's Kaiser Broadcasting station WKBF-TV in 1971. Though it started as a tribute to Ghoulardi, Sweed soon developed his own unique, energetic style and original eye-catching gags. 


A few years later, Kaiser's Detroit-based station WKBD also picked up The Ghoul Show. Known for Sweed's zany, intentionally-adolescent humor (particularly surrounding his abuse of a rubber frog named "Froggy," a penchant for blowing up things with firecrackers, and catch phrases like "zingy-zingy," "Overdey!" and "stay sick, turn blue"), late night monster movies were a unique experience for Cleveland and Detroit viewers in the 1970s. 


"Shooting from no-budget studio sets, the Ghoul inserted his own dialogue and sound effects over insufferably bad B movies, blew up food, model cars and figurines with firecrackers, and produced strangely compelling, culturally relevant skits and parodies. 

The show was destructive and childish enough for little kids, subversive and timely enough for young adults." Later in the 1970s, Kaiser Broadcasting syndicated The Ghoul Show to Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles, but the program never reached the popularity and viewership it enjoyed in Detroit and Cleveland. Sweed has since been on and off the air in Cleveland and Detroit for over three decades, at times even branching out into radio and the internet. 

stay sick, turn blue, climb walls, scratch glass...but most importantly of all, do it while you can, but don't get caught.....BYE!

6 comments:

Ray Cooke said...

"Zingy, zingy, zingy!!! Pluck your magic twanger, froggy!!"

Retro Kimmer said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dee Gilbert said...

Happy Halloween Kim! The Bride Of Frankenstein looks like my cousin Marge! :) I remember The Ghoul and Count Scary .One year Marc Gilbert and Adrenalin did an appearance with a song or two on the Ghoul show at Halloween.Have a good one!. ~ dee

sdiener912 said...

I loved the Ghoul...last weekend Doug Podell did a party with him but we had to be at marios so we didnt go...

Susie Forkin said...

Love the Ghoul...he was just @ a Party in SCS where The Look played last weekend....

Dave Edwards said...

Hi Susie, Hi Kim, Yes he was @ The Jefferson Yacht Club Halloween Party...What a nice guy...What a good time...Happy Halloween Ladies!!!

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