Rich “Svengoolie” Koz
Nick Rosario – Growing up as a child here in Chicago holds great memories for me. Especially, when it came to local television programming. You see in those days we had no internet, or PS3, or cable for that matter. We simply had what was on the 6 or 7 channels your TV could get. One of the programs that really always entertained me and had me laughing was “The Son of Svengoolie.”
Rich Koz was the man who played the character. To me Rich was hilarious. He would show these awful science fiction and horror movies. He would do crazy sound effects and talk over the movies. He would do parody songs about the films and make corny jokes. Whenever he made one of those corny jokes, someone from behind camera would throw rubber chickens at him.
You see, it wasn’t just that Rich was funny; he peaked my interest in performing. I had always enjoyed dressing up in costumes, or playing different characters. I thought to myself, here’s a guy who dresses up for work, looks like he is having a great time, and he gets paid for it. I want to do that!
“The Son of Svengoolie” ended it’s run after 334 episodes. Luckily for me, Rich continued to entertain on local tv. He hosted the children’s programs “Fox Kid’s Club” and “The Koz Zone.” He returned to the character that made him a success in 1994; simply calling himself “Svengoolie.” Rich is also the host of Stooge-a-palooza; currently on WCIU Channel 26.
