John Zacherle 1097253 212845825 2008-05-16T15:09:23Z Kbdankbot 6505923 Robot - remove category per [[WP:CFD|CFD]] [[Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2008 May 10|2008 May 10]] {{Infobox Radio Presenter |name = John Zacherle |image = ZachPicture.jpg |imagesize = 150px |caption = Zacherle in the 2004 documentary ''[[American Scary]]''. |birthname = |birthdate = {{birth date and age|1918|9|26}} |birthplace = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]]<br/>[[Image:Flag of Pennsylvania.svg|border|25px]] |deathdate = |deathplace = |show = |station = |timeslot = |show2 = |station2 = |timeslot2 = |style = |country = |prevshow = |spouse = |web = }} '''John Zacherle''' (born [[September 26]], [[1918]], he is sometimes credited as '''John Zacherley''') is a [[United States|U.S.]] [[television]] host and [[voice acting|voice actor]] known for his long career as a television [[horror host]] broadcasting [[horror film|horror]] movies in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] and [[New York City]] in the 1950s and 1960s. Best known for his character "Roland/Zacherley," he also did voice work for movies, and recorded the top ten song novelty [[rock and roll]] song "Dinner With Drac" in 1958.<ref name=watsonbook> {{cite book | last =Watson | first =Elena M. | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Television Horror Movie Hosts: 68 Vampires, Mad Scientists and Other Denizens of the Late Night Airwaves Examined and Interviewed | publisher =McFarland & Company | date =2000 | location =Jefferson, North Carolina, United States | pages =265 | url =http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-0940-2 | doi = | id = | isbn =0786409401}}</ref> He also edited two collections of horror stories, ''Zacherley's Vulture Stew'' and ''Zacherley's Midnight Snacks''. ==Biography== John K. Zacherle was born in Philadelphia, the youngest of four children of a bank clerk and his wife. He grew up in Philadelphia's [[Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Germantown]] neighborhood, where he went to high school. He received a bachelors degree in [[English literature]] from the [[University of Pennsylvania]]. In [[World War II]] he enlisted in the [[U.S. Army]] and served in [[North Africa]] and [[Europe]]. After the war, he returned to Philadelphia and joined a local [[repertory|repertory theatre]] company. [[Image:Zacherley.jpg|thumb|right|150px|John Zacherle as "Zacherley" - promotional photo]]In 1954 he gained his first television role at [[WCAU-TV]] in Philadelphia, where he was hired as an actor playing several roles (one was an undertaker) in ''[[Action in the Afternoon]]'', a [[Western (genre)|Western]] produced by the station and aired in the New York City market. Three years later, he was hired as the host of WCAU's ''Shock Theater'', which debuted on [[October 7]], [[1957]]. As the host, Zacherle appeared wearing a long black [[undertaker]]'s coat as the character "Roland," who lived in a [[crypt]] with his wife "My Dear" and his lab assistant Igor. The hosting of the [[black-and-white]] show involved numerous stylized [[horror-comedy]] gags that have become standard on television. In the opening sequence, Zacherle as Roland would descend a long round staircase to the crypt. The producers erred on the side of goriness, showing fake severed heads with blood simulated with [[Hershey's]] [[chocolate]] syrup. The show sometimes featured live "cut-ins" during the movie in which the soundtrack continued to play on the air, while the visual feed switched briefly to a shot of Zacherle as Roland in the middle of a humorous stunt, such as riding a [[tombstone]]. The show ran for 92 broadcasts through 1958. He was a close colleague of Philadelphia broadcaster [[Dick Clark (entertainer)|Dick Clark]], and sometimes filled in for Clark on road touring shows of Clark's ''[[American Bandstand]]'' in the 1960s. Clark reportedly gave Zacherle his nickname of "The Cool [[Ghoul]]." In 1958, partly with the assistance and backing of Clark, Zacherle cut "Dinner with Drac" for [[Cameo Records]], backed by [[Dave Appell]]. At first, Clark thought the recording was too gory to play on Bandstand and made Zacherle return to the studio to cut a second tamer version. Eventually both versions were released simultaneously as backsides on the same 45, and the record broke the top ten nationally. Zacherle later related several [[LP (format)|LPs]] mixing horror [[sound effect]]s with novelty songs. The purchase of WCAU by [[CBS]] in 1958 prompted Zacherle to leave Philadelphia for [[WABC-TV]] in New York, where the station added a "y" to the end of his name in the credits. He continued the format of the "Shock Theater," after March 1959 titled "Zacherley at Large," with "Roland" becoming "Zacherley" and his wife "My Dear" becoming "Isobel." He also began appearing in motion pictures, including ''[[Key to Murder]]'' alongside several of his former ''Action in the Afternoon'' colleagues. In a 1960 promotional stunt for his move to [[WOR-TV]], Zacherley staged a Presidential campaign. His "platform" recording can be found on the album ''Spook Along with Zacherley'', which originally included a ''Zacherley for President'' book and poster set which is highly collectible today. In 1963 he hosted [[animated cartoon]]s on [[WPIX-TV]] in New York. He also hosted the TV show ''[[Chiller Theatre#New York|Chiller Theatre in New York]]'' on WPIX. In 1964 he hosted a [[teenager|teenage]] dance show at [http://wnjutv47.com/ WNJU-TV] in [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] called [http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/Discoteen/ Disc-O-Teen], hosting the show in full costume and using the teenage show participants in his skits. The show ran for three years until 1967, when he became a morning [[radio]] host for [[WNEW-FM]]. Two years later in 1969, he became the station night broadcaster (10 PM&ndash;2 AM) for a [[progressive rock (radio format)|progressive rock]] format. The success of the show led to the use of the same format in Philadelphia. In 1971 he switched his show to [[WPLJ-FM]], where he stayed for ten years. Recent on-air appearances include a two-hour show at [[WCBS-FM]] on Halloween, 2007. On [[February 14]], [[1970]] he appeared at [[Fillmore East]] music hall in [[New York City]] to introduce rock act the [[Grateful Dead]]. His introduction of the band can be heard on the [[Grateful Dead]] album [[Dick's Picks Volume 4]]. In the early 1980s he played a [[Wizard (fantasy)|wizard]] on ''[[Captain Kangaroo]]'', appearing without his trademark Roland costume and make-up. He continued to perform in character at [[Halloween]] broadcasts in New York and Philadelphia in the 1980s and 1990s, once narrating [[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s "[[The Raven]]" while backed up by the [[Philadelphia Orchestra]]. In 1988 he struck up a friendship with b-movie horror director [[Frank Henenlotter]], voicing the puppet "Aylmer," a [[slug]]-like drug-dealing and [[brain]]-eating [[parasite]], one of the lead characters in Henenlotter's 1988 horror-comedy film ''[[Brain Damage (movie)|Brain Damage]]'', and cameo's in his 1990 comedy ''[[Frankenhooker]]'', appropriately playing a TV [[weatherman]] who specializes in forecasts for [[mad scientists]]. Zacherle continues to make appearances at conventions, and to this day, Zacherle collectibles are still selling, including model kits, T-shirts, and posters. The book ''Goodnight, Whatever You Are'' by Richard Scrivani, chronicling the life and times of The Cool Ghoul, debuted at the [[Chiller Theatre Expo]] in Secaucus, New Jersey, in October 2006. A picture of Zacherley alongside fellow horror host [[Dr. Gangrene]] appeared in the October 30, 2007 issue of [[USA Today]] in an article about [[Horror Host]] entitled Halloween horror hosts rise again on radio, TV, film written by [[David Colton]]. ==Awards== Inducted to the Monster Kid Hall Of Fame at [[The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards]] ==References== <references/> http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-10-29-horror-hosts_N.htm ==See also== *[[Maila Nurmi|Vampira]] *[[Elvira]] *[[Dr. Gangrene]] ==External links== *[http://www.zacherley.com/ Welcome to the Home of Zacherley: The Cool Ghoul] *{{imdb name|id=0951650|name=John Zacherle}} *[http://www.geocities.com/broadcastpioneers/zacherle.html John Zacherle, Broadcast Pioneer] *[http://www.horrorhosts.com HorrorHosts.com] {{DEFAULTSORT:Zacherle, John}} [[Category:1918 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Philadelphia]] [[Category:American television personalities]] [[Category:Horror hosts]] [[Category:WCAU]] [[Category:American military personnel of World War II]]