• About Kathy Shaidle
  • Kathy Shaidle: Donate
  • Kathy Shaidle: Privacy policy

5 Feet of Fury

Kathy Shaidle's blog. Est. 2000

Joe Bob Briggs remembers his fellow ‘horror host,’ Zacherle

November 5, 2016 By Kathy Shaidle

Joe Bob Briggs writes:

The 98 years of John Zacherle’s life, which ended last week, were an exception in that he appeared to recall and treasure even the tiniest participant in the smallest show. I worked with him four times because we were members of what may be the world’s smallest acting fraternity—late-night TV horror hosts—and John was the czar, the founder, the pioneer of that oddest of postmodern vaudeville acts. (…)

On the day Zacherle was scheduled, an ex-Marine working as best boy came up to me at eight in the morning to find out when John would be there. When Zacherle arrived, about six of the toughest hombres I’ve ever worked with lined up to get his autograph. Zacherle cheerfully amused them with puns and old bits that he’d been doing for 30 years, then told me he was at my service.

And he was. He was a soldier. He was there to work and amuse. He didn’t care that we were working on a crappy insert stage because his whole life had been on a crappy insert stage, and he knew the journey was not about the stage, it was about the life and joy you created while you were standing on it.

Reminds me of that Vincent Price story…

More from my site

  • Hang on: if that was ‘real journalism’, Jack Shafer…Hang on: if that was ‘real journalism’, Jack Shafer…
  • “Go tinkle on the Washington Monument, you lice headed pinkos!”“Go tinkle on the Washington Monument, you lice headed pinkos!”
  • ESPN fires guy for questioning received liberal wisdom about Haiti on his Twitter feedESPN fires guy for questioning received liberal wisdom about Haiti on his Twitter feed
  • Trailers From Hell: ‘Mondo Cane’ (1963)

Filed Under: Kathy Shaidle

« #SpiritCooking: Black folks generally don’t go in for hoodoo voodoo shit like this
Blogging resumes Monday morning… »
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in