Retro interview: Svengoolie in 1983

The more things change, the more they stay the same!

Nowadays, you'd be hard-pressed to find a broadcast legend with more years under his belt than Svengoolie. For nearly half a century, Sven has been delighting his audience with a very specific brand of horror-tainted comedy. With his patented puns and rampant use of rubber chicken, Svengoolie has firmly cemented a place in the pantheon of television presenters. 

But that hasn't always been the case. Believe it or not, there was a time when Sven (aka Rich Koz) was the new kid on the block. Back in 1983, Svengoolie's studio still had that new coffin smell when he was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune.

The profile detailed how the Son of Svengoolie (as Koz was then known) rose from the dead as a drama student before winning the still-beating hearts of Chicagoland viewers. The Tribune noted that Sven dresses up "as a British undertaker and cavorts around an abjectly dismal set, dodging rubber chickens hurled at him by stagehands and delivering pronouncements in a Transylvanian accent so pointedly poor that it defies bad."

While the set has received some upgrades, Koz's philosophy has remained consistent over the years.

"He knows you know he's pretending," Koz said of his character. "In this day and age, you couldn't play something like this straight. It has to be a big in-joke with the viewers."

In the proceeding years, more and more people have become "in" on the joke, passing the joy of Svengoolie from one generation to the next, like some cherished, rotting heirloom (er, scare-loom). 

"You can't just pretend to be a vampire who comes out of the coffin once a week to show a film," said Koz. "It's got to work on a lot more levels than that, otherwise you're doing the same thing week after week and you get stale. That's why the other shows come and go so quickly."

Instead, Koz has spent decades scaring up sketches and satire that have thrilled audiences everywhere. What has perhaps separated him from his horror host kin is the obvious love that Rich Koz has for his viewing audience. It's hard work, but somebody has to do it.

As we celebrate Svengoolie's legendary legacy, it's fun to look back at different eras and benchmarks throughout his career. Old interviews reveal that, underneath the lights and makeup, it's still the same Rich Koz. 

"You know, I never expected this to be a full-time thing," Koz said way back in '83. At the time, he was preparing his 200th episode. When presented with  the prospect of 200 more, Koz said, "Eight years is a long time to have people throwing rubber chickens at you."

May those rubber chickens fly forever, Sven. 

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13 Comments

Tresix 14 days ago
Heck, I go back to the “Screaming Yellow Theatre” days with the original Svengoolie, the late Jerry G. Bishop. Koz has definitely kept the memories rolling along. Keep the jokes (and rubber chickens) flying, Sven!
WilliamJorns Tresix 14 days ago
Yes, I remember Screaming Yellow Theatre, too! Friday nights at 10:30 on Channel 32 (WFLD), my brothers and I would plunk down in front of the TV and watch whatever cheesy old horror movie they had on, as well as the silly sketches the original Sven put on during the commercial breaks. Today's Svengoolie (Rich Koz) has proven to be a worthy successor to Jerry G. Bishop.
FLETCH 15 days ago
I love watching Svengoolie! The show let's me forget about the world for awhile and brings me back to simpler times. I truly feel like a kid again when I watch Sven.
Runeshaper 15 days ago
May those rubber chickens fly forever, Sven (-:
mzcaligula 15 days ago
I 🖤 Svengoolie! ✨🥰 Hope to meet him someday.
sjbang88 16 days ago
Mr Koz has built a mini universe of cosmic characters, from Doug, (and now Mr Scharf's daughter Natalie as Anita X. Orcist), Gwengoolie and so on. I don't care how bad or how many times I've seen a movie, I never miss Svengoolie!
coffinman 16 days ago
Several years ago, I offered Rich to build him his new coffin. He politely declined, and when I saw his new coffin, I knew I couldn't have surpassed it.
leeroyprice 16 days ago
Rich has a great show. I've never heard any vulgar language or obscene jokes at all on the show which is really rare nowadays. I think he ought to be commended for producing a high quality show.
McGillahooala 16 days ago
I love Svengoolie. The best way to spend a Saturday night.
Stoney 16 days ago
Svengoolie is probably my favorite MeTV show, although The Twilight Zone and Batman are up there.
sjbang88 Stoney 16 days ago
Yeah, The Twilight Zone was so far ahead of its time.
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