Svengoolie’s Halloween BOOnanza event began October 1 on MeTV, and runs throughout the month. Svengoolie is a top hat-clad, coffin-dwelling host, portrayed by Rich Koz, with a taste for horror movies — both campy and classic. BOOnanza features a primetime special, a weekly movie showcase, a new season of spinoff Sventoonie, and Sunday mini-marathons of classic sitcoms’ most frightful episodes.
Before and after the Saturday movie showcase’s commercial breaks, Svengoolie aims a few quips at the horror flick and shares details about the cast and directors.
Svengoolie was initially played by Jerry G. Bishop on WFLD Chicago, starting in 1970, with Svengoolie writer Koz debuting as host of spinoff Son of Svengoolie in 1979. It was cancelled in 1986, and came back, as Svengoolie, on Weigel’s WCIU Chicago in 1994.
Svengoolie went national on Weigel’s MeTV in 2011. The show is now looking for a Svengoolie sidekick with the campaign “Spawn of Svengoolie."