You see him every Saturday night on MeTV. The top hat, the face paint, the rubber chickens flying from off-screen like feathered missiles. Rich Koz is an institution. But here is the thing: he wasn't the first.
Before the national syndication and the shiny studio sets, there was a guy named Jerry Ghan. You probably know him as Jerry G Bishop, the man who basically willed the character into existence using little more than a "Transylvanian-Yiddish" accent and a casket he found in a Chicago TV station basement.
Honestly, it’s wild how many people think Svengoolie just "happened" or that Koz invented the bit. He didn't. He’s the brilliant successor, sure, but the DNA of the show—the bad puns, the sound effects, the irreverence—belongs to Bishop.
The Birth of Jerry G Bishop Svengoolie (on a Popcorn Budget)
It was 1970. Chicago’s WFLD (Channel 32) was a scrappy UHF station trying to fill time. Bishop was already a local legend on the radio side at WCFL, but at the TV station, he was mostly doing staff announcing and hosting Dialing for Dollars.
The station decided to run a Friday night horror block called Screaming Yellow Theater. The name? It was a blatant riff on "Screaming Yellow Zonkers," a popular glazed popcorn snack at the time. Very 70s.
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At first, Bishop was just the voice-over guy. He’d talk over slides between commercial breaks. But he started playing around. He adopted this voice—a mix of Bela Lugosi and a Jewish uncle from the North Side. People loved it. Eventually, he put on the wig and the makeup and stepped in front of the camera.
Svengoolie was born.
The name itself is a portmanteau: Svengali + Ghoul. It’s a bit high-brow for a guy who got hit with rubber chickens, but that was the charm. He wasn't a "scary" host; he was a "hip" host. He poked fun at the movies because, let's be real, a lot of those B-movies were terrible.
Why the Original Sven Mattered
If you grew up in Chicago in the early 70s, Friday night wasn't complete without Jerry G Bishop. He didn't just play a character; he created a culture. He brought in a talking skull named Zelda. He sang parody songs.
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He also did something most hosts didn't do: he invited a fan into the inner circle.
That fan was a Northwestern student named Rich Koz. Koz started mailing in scripts and jokes. Bishop didn't just ignore them or toss them in the bin. He saw the talent. He hired Koz as a writer, and that partnership is why the show is still on the air 50 years later.
A Quick Reality Check on the Timeline
- 1970: Screaming Yellow Theater debuts with Bishop as the off-camera voice.
- 1971: Bishop officially appears on-camera as Svengoolie.
- 1973: Kaiser Broadcasting buys the station and axes the show in favor of a Cleveland host called "The Ghoul." (Spoiler: He didn't last).
- 1979: Bishop gives Koz his blessing to revive the character as "Son of Svengoolie."
Life After the Coffin
A lot of folks forget that Jerry G Bishop had a massive career outside of the makeup. He toured with the Beatles as a reporter in 1964 and 1965. Think about that. The guy who got hit with chickens was the same guy interviewing John Lennon on a plane.
When the original run of the show ended in '73, he didn't just vanish. He moved to San Diego and became a powerhouse there, too. He hosted Sun-Up San Diego for over a decade and picked up three Emmy Awards. He wasn't just a "horror host"; he was a world-class broadcaster who happened to have a weird hobby with a casket.
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He even opened a Chicago-style pizza joint in San Diego called Asaggio because he missed the food back home. He remained a Chicago kid at heart until he passed away in 2013.
What You Should Know If You're a Fan Today
If you want to truly appreciate what Jerry G Bishop built, you have to look at the "rules" of the show.
- The Berwyn Gag: That iconic "BERWYN?!" groan every time the suburb is mentioned? That was Bishop.
- The Chickens: The rubber chicken tradition started under his watch as a way to signal that a joke was particularly "fowl."
- The Blessing: When Koz wanted to drop the "Son of" from his name in 1994, he called Bishop. Bishop told him he was "all grown up" and gave him the name.
Basically, the show you see on MeTV today is a living tribute. It’s one of the few things in television history that has maintained its soul for half a century without being "reimagined" into something unrecognizable by a corporate board.
How to Explore the Legacy
If you're a new fan or a nostalgic one, here is how you can actually engage with the history of Jerry G Bishop Svengoolie:
- Visit the Museum of Broadcast Communications: They actually have the original casket used by both Bishop and Koz in Chicago. It's a piece of TV history sitting right there.
- Hunt for "She's Gone": Before he was Sven, Bishop had a local hit song in 1966. You can still find clips of it on YouTube if you dig deep enough.
- Watch the "Oldies" Clips: Occasionally, MeTV will air "Vintage Vault" segments or photos of Bishop. Pay attention to the hair—his original look featured a green wig that was much "shaggier" than the modern version.
The next time a rubber chicken flies across your screen, remember the guy in the Marina City building who thought it would be funny to mock a bad movie in a weird accent. Without Jerry G Bishop, Saturday night would be a lot quieter—and a lot less fun.
Actionable Step for Fans: Check out the Museum of Classic Chicago Television (FuzzyMemories.tv). They have archived clips of Bishop’s radio and TV work that aren't on mainstream streaming sites. It’s the best way to see the "Transylvanian-Yiddish" master in his prime.