Svengoolie’s Friday at C2E2 was all about the Fans!

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Svengoolie greets his fans at C2E2

Svengoolie’s executive producer, Jim Roche, reached out to me in early February regarding the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2). Anticipating his request to assist the crew, I’d already cleared my calendar and quickly agreed. As the conversation continued, he casually mentioned that this year’s event would also feature the Svengoolie Squad – Gwengoolie, Imp, and Nostalgiaferatoo. Even more exciting, unlike their appearance at last year’s San Diego Comic Con, they’d all be in costume. My excitement level reached a fever pitch, as did my dread. After all, keeping things moving in Svengoolie’s autograph line while photographing fans can be challenging enough when serving just him, let alone three other cast members. These concerns, however, were for Saturday. Friday at C2E2 would feature a solo Svengoolie, albeit with a heavier schedule – two signings and a photo op. And this experience is what I’ll be sharing today.

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Svengoolie’s Flashback Finale!

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Having finished up with his interviews, Svengoolie and crew headed just outside Flashback Weekend‘s main hall to his designated signing spot. It was finally time to greet his patient fans and, considering how long many of them had been standing out there, not a moment too soon. There were three lines (one for Flashback VIP badge carriers) and, despite some initial confusion, went smoothly overall. As with C2E2 a few months back, my job was to take photos of Sven with his fans; using their own cameras. Producer, Jim Roche, fired up the crowd while dispensing some of the ground rules for meeting MeTV’s Saturday night sensation.

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Svengoolie Saturday at Flashback Weekend!

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I apologize for the delay, my last post proved a deathblow to my old, slow-as-hell laptop computer. I have finally upgraded to a new one. Now where was I in this story?…

Day two of Flashback Weekend began better than the previous one as I didn’t have to stress out over parking. Since all of Saturday I’d be assisting the Svengoolie crew, Don Johnston arranged for me to park in the executive lot. Thank you, Don! I wasn’t staying at the hotel so it was great getting a good night sleep without having to drive out so early. I went straight to Sven’s private room on the Hyatt Regency’s third floor to prepare for his arrival. This consisted of opening the drapes and prepping some new paint markers for his autograph signing. When I’d entered the hotel, I noticed a group of fans already waiting despite it being hours from its scheduled time. 

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Robert Englund Toasts Svengoolie at Flashback Weekend!

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(Continued  from my last post) 

Don Johnston and I greeted the crew as they pulled into the hotel’s private parking lot. Accompanying Svengoolie were his Executive Producer, Jim Roche; Associate Producer, Ella Larschield; camera person, Korey McElligot; and social media specialist, Jennifer Vlad. After being stuck in near-standstill traffic for 90 minutes (due to the Lollapalooza Festival taking place in Chicago’s Grant Park),  they looked as if they were ready to kiss the ground upon exiting their cars.

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Flashback Weekend: Ozzy Rules…and so does Physical Media!

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This past Friday, I arrived in Rosemont, Illinois, at 11:30 am – just in time for a convention apocalypse. Sharing the dates of Flashback Weekend was another event -the National Sports Card Convention. This mammoth affair took place next door to Flashback’s Hyatt Regency at the Donald E. Stephens Center, ensuring all area hotels were booked and visitor parking critical. I ended up down the street in the CTA lot before hoofing it over. No worries, I had plenty of time to kill before the event opened and the arrival of national TV horror host, Svengoolie. As in previous years, I was asked to assist him and his crew, mostly on Saturday during his signing.

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Horror Host Tome, “American Scary,” Gets Even Scarier!

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This month marked the fifteenth anniversary of this site, and although it was never exclusively dedicated to horror hosts, there’s no question that it’s been a prevailing theme. This was due to both its creators meeting on a Svengoolie YAHOO forum (remember those?) with a mutual desire to learn about other classic television hosts. Further motivation came courtesy of a 2010 Vampira tribute at Horrorhound Weekend and the 2006 documentary, American Scary, by Michael Monahan and Sandy Clark. The latter featured commentary on the history of horror hosting, along with interviews from both fans and hosts, including the great Maila Nurmi, Vampira, herself.

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