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| What could it mean? Read to the bottom of the post and find out.* |
Friday's rapturous Thomas Dolby concert at Martyrs' Pub was followed by a cooking class at Whole Foods on Saturday with my good pal Jeanine. Saturday evening, dear husband and I moseyed over to the Portage Theater Halloween movie fest. The Portage is one of those great old theaters saved from the wrecking ball that shows old monster movies, silent films, and is occasionally used as a shooting location for films like Public Enemies. It's also available for private parties.
The bill featured a back-to-back Mummyfest: the original 1932 film The Mummy, followed by the 1999 remake - but the real treat was the pre-show appearance of Svengoolie - a Saturday-afternoon TV staple for kids in Chicagoland for generations. As he has done for many years, Sven showed up with his hearse, ghoul makeup, and rubber chickens, to sign autographs and shake hands with the long line of fans, including me. The shiny-red Wurlitzer organ belted out spooky tunes as he signed autographs on cards, chickens, and human body parts while we waited for the movie to begin.
Svengoolie figured prominently in my kid TV life, along with the wonderful Bill Jackson of Cartoon Town/Dirty Dragon fame, who was the subject of my very first blog post. Though I haven't watched Svengoolie in a while, I was tickled to hear things are going better than ever: his show is syndicated nationally on both MeTV and The U.
Reasons to like Svengoolie:
1. Consistently and unabashedly cheesy, from day one.
2. Was into Berwyn before Berwyn was cool (fans will know what I mean). Berwyn?!?
3. Prefigured the snarky/cheesy comments about B-movies before either Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, or Mystery Science Theater 3000 (though I like those too). And did it the honorable way, by working with the original Svengoolie until he came into his own.
4. He's a hometown boy: Maine East High School and then Northwestern. Started here, stayed here.
5. Mr. Koz knows his movies! I always learn something interesting when he talks about films, no matter how awful they are.
6. The pun-filled song parodies he occasionally does are truly awful in the best sense. Real groaners.
7. He has a lot of background in radio. I have a soft spot for people who have a soft spot for radio.
Reasons to like the Portage Theater:
1. It's a genuine old movie palace that didn't get knocked down.
2. It's a bit down-at-heel, not perfect, a bit shabby. I like that. Like a grande dame wearing her best clothes even if they are a bit tatty.
3. They serve wine and beer in addition to overpriced snacks. You can watch your monster movie with a $5.25 glass of pinot grigio or a beer in hand.
4. It strongly reminds me of the pre-multiplex movie experiences that were vanishing even in the '70s, as places like the Norridge Theatre sprung up and showed us the future of moviegoing. I'm talking about theaters like the Des Plaines and the Logan, unashamedly old-school. It's places like this we need to frequent, and bring our kids to, because someday they won't be here anymore.
5. It's a local business, and it's NOT a multiplex.
6. They show a variety of interesting films, not just at Halloween, but throughout the year. For instance, they're showing Raiders of the Lost Ark this Saturday night, for free. Can you beat a free old-school-style movie in an old-school place? No. You cannot.
7. Svengoolie shows up every year!
* Per the Svengoolie Wiki: A running gag throughout the series is the repeated utterance of the word "Berwyn", the name of a Chicago suburb. (This was a parody of the way "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" and Johnny Carson would jokingly refer to "Beautiful Downtown Burbank.") Another recurring gag involves rubber chickens being thrown at Svengoolie after a particularly corny joke, usually at the end of the closing sketch of each episode. Koz and the show have won numerous regional Emmy awards, and Koz was admitted to the Emmy "Silver Circle" in 2004 for "outstanding contributions to Chicago television."
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