Although it was too late to tape any interviews for the show, there was still plenty of time before Sven’s first official duty at Flashback Weekend, the fan Photo Ops. Don and I escorted MeTV‘s national horror host to his room to freshen up while the rest of the crew entered the main convention hall to gather B-roll footage.

I was amazed at how well-rested both Jim and Svengoolie looked, having returned from a rigorous appearance at the San Diego Comic Con just a few days prior. Appearing as his alter ego, Rich Koz, the TV legend greeted fans, participated in interviews, and had a panel alongside his “Svengoolie Squad” – Bill Leff (Nostalgiaferatoo), Sarah Palmer (Gwengoolie), and Scott Gryder (Imp).

Rich is a huge comic book nerd, and I loved that he was able to attend for the first time, even if he was too busy to get as much out of it as he probably would have liked. Jim showed up a little later, and they both shared fun stories from the event.

Jim Roche (also a fellow comic book geek) cohosted a panel as well at SDCC,  joining cartoonist Scott Shaw for “ODDBALL COMICS LIVE: MONSTERS!!! Although Jim spends the majority of his time behind the scenes, anyone who’s observed him at a Svengoolie appearance knows he’s an entertaining and often hilarious personality himself. I think it’s awesome that he had an opportunity to shine.

Getting back to this event, in addition to his solo Photo Op, Svengoolie would also be in a dual one with Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund.

Due to the Englund camp’s strict guidelines regarding what the crew could or could not film of him, I was allowed to be present during the photo sessions but advised not to take any pictures. It was unfortunate because there were some great moments I witnessed that I’d have liked to have shared with you.

When we stepped behind the curtain, Robert Englund was standing off to the side while his A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) costar, Amanda Wyss, was finishing her session. Wyss adores Svengoolie and gave him a big hug. Englund also gave a warm greeting and hung out patiently as Svengoolie took his solo photos with fans. I laughed when I saw Svengoolie super fan, Nanette Keir, walk in wearing a rubber chicken mask for her photo. Nanette later told me, “…I couldn’t really see anything except Rich laughing at me.”

When it was Englund’s time to join in, he went full Freddy. Wearing his iconic gloves, he interacted and hammed it up for every guest. Coupled with Svengoolie’s hysterical facial expressions, I have no doubt fans were pleased with the result regardless of the hefty price tag (nearly $300 a shot).

When the Sessions ended, we were brought to a nearby room awaiting Svengoolie’s main event, FRIDAY NIGHT FRIGHTS LIVE! Although this sold-out show was included for VIP attendees, it was an additional fee for everyone else. Set up like a late-night talk show, Svengoolie would sit at a desk while interviewing special guests.

While we waited in a nearby conference room, Nick Digilio from the Nick D podcast came to discuss plans for the next day (to be covered in my next blog). Digilio has been affiliated with Flashback Weekend from the very beginning and has a close relationship with Sven. The former WGN radio personality would be hosting his live podcasts and QA sessions throughout the weekend and would have assisted more with this one had it not been for those aforementioned preconditions set up by the Englund people. In this case, nobody but Svengoolie could share the stage with him at this event. Fate, however, would have Digilio playing a larger role nonetheless

Svengoolie’s only request was that Digilio talk to stage guests and ask them to make a point of mentioning his alleged retirement on stage. This would provide an opportunity to clear the air and state for the record that he is NOT planning to retire. The rise of the Svengoolie Squad has increased speculation that Rich Koz is stepping down while preparing the trio to take things over. It’s not true and, if it does happen, it won’t be anytime soon.

Before heading over to the ballroom, we were reminded that Robert Englund was on a rigid timetable and things needed to be kept tight and on schedule. Talk about a fool’s errand. I’ve met and been around Mr. Englund several times, and trying to keep his interactions compact is like trying to sell a drowning man a glass of water. It wasn’t Svengoolie that needed to be reminded of time constraints. Englund loves to chat, share stories, and go on amusing tangents, which is one of the many reasons he’s so beloved by his fans. It’s also the reason this stage show began with a hiccup.

We were whisked over to a large hall packed with a sold-out crowd. The crew spread out, and I stood off to the side, against the wall, to take pictures. After his introduction, Svengoolie took the stage to introduce Robert Englund. The room shook with thunderous applause…

But Englund was nowhere to be seen.

After several awkward moments,  Flashback Weekend organizer Mike Kurtz took the stage in an attempt to stall for time. He went on an impromptu promotional speech for Flashback Weekend with Sven still standing there in “greet the guest” mode. It was cringey, but under the circumstances, probably the best Mike could do.

Seeing Svengoolie’s facial expressions cracked me up, and I had to turn my face towards the wall so nobody could see me laughing. It turns out those ‘hysterical’ facial expressions I mentioned come naturally. I’m 100% sure, however, that he found things far less amusing than I did.

Another situation I’m certain he and I disagreed about was the stage lighting. Those lights were so strong that Svengoolie practically glowed like one of his best-selling T-shirts. For me,  standing against a wall a hundred feet away and snapping photos with a telephoto lens, it was marvelous. But for Svengoolie trying to look out towards the audience and spot time cues, a veritable nightmare. I’m honestly surprised he wasn’t temporarily blinded after the show was over.

At this point, it was Nick Digilio to the rescue as he immediately took the stage and talked to Svengoolie about his upcoming guests. You could honestly say he was the Ed McMahon to Sven’s Johnny Carson, and seeing these two broadcasting pros flawlessly handle a curveball, while providing solid entertainment, was truly something to behold.

Robert Englund finally arrived and stepped up onstage (while Nick made a quick exit), holding a big glass of white wine. He explained that he was late due to signing for fans, which is understandable, yet also kind of funny since it was his people worried about things starting on time.

Englund began by giving props to Svengoolie for keeping the horror hosting profession alive. He explained how happy he was that one of his fans, whom he greeted at Flashback, sported a full arm tattoo of the very first horror host, Vampira. Englund noted that he grew up in the Los Angeles area and watched Vampira as a child and later Elvira, the Mistress of the Dark, as an adult.

He said that Svengoolie’s success on a national stage reminded America how woven horror hosting is in the fabric of our popular culture. It was an amazing observation and a wonderful compliment to share.

Svengoolie then showed old photos (chosen in advance by Mike Kurtz) showing Robert Englund, Mark Hamill, and Jan Fischer visiting George Lucas’s studio on Thanksgiving 1976. The photo shows Hamill showing his friends props during the production of STAR WARS (1977). Englund mentioned how impressed he was with the details of a model of the Millennium Falcon.

Englund said these pictures were his personal  “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” story, depicting young show business hopefuls who would one day become Luke Skywalker, Freddy Krueger, and write The Lost Boys (1987).

He also addressed the lore that his mentioning the casting of George Lucas’ opus to his friend Mark led to his getting the iconic role. Englund was aware of the project and mentioned seeing the name “Skywalker” and being intrigued that this meant they were planning a Science Fiction project featuring Native Americans in space. He came home where his pal, Hamill, was watching TV on his couch. He told him about the project, encouraging him to look into it, and the rest is cinematic history.

If anyone is interested in seeing this full discussion and other panels from Flashback Weekend,  you can watch them courtesy of  YouTuber Kenman81. I don’t know (or at least I don’t think I know) them personally, but I am so grateful they post these because I can see everything I missed while I was there. Incidentally,  this segment would go ten minutes over its allotted time, which had nothing to do with Sven, who was somehow able to see the cues but unable to rein in Englund.

Next up was Director Joe Dante with the beautiful and talented Barbara Crampton. 

Crampton didn’t even sit down before bringing up the retirement thing, so good job, Nick Digilio. Speaking of not leaving show business, Crampton has also had a resurgence of popularity with a plethora of current and upcoming projects. She also discussed her being labeled a “Scream Queen” and how she feels it’s reductive, not encompassing all a female heroine has to go through in a film.

Dante discussed his wanting to be a cartoonist before realizing how difficult it was to come up with something funny every single day. 

No late-night talk show would be complete without a musical performance, and this was no exception. Taking the stage was the charismatic Tuesday Knight, most notable for her role as Kristen from Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988). Knight performed a song she wrote called “Nightmare,” dedicated to Freddy Krueger. I was worried this would lead to another cringe moment, but by God, the woman could sing. 

After the show ended, we regrouped and headed back up to the private room. Here, the crew discussed the evening’s events while making plans for the next day. After a full night of activities, Svengoolie faced another long day on Saturday.  

We walked through the hotel to leave, and it was packed with sports fans from the neighboring convention. Many were sitting on the floor with rows of baseball cards lying face up before them. I presume this was to see if anyone wanted to make trades. Later, I went on YouTube to see what this event was like, and one influencer said he paid $45,000 on five cards (!!!). It sure made me feel better about the 250 bucks I’d just dropped here. 

We said our goodbyes, and I started walking back down River Road to my car. It had been a great day, overall, and I’d had a blast. Would tomorrow be the same? Tune in to my next post and find out. 

Next up…Svengoolie gets an unexpected award! 

Dave