wednes | Happy Haunting, Sir Graves!

When I was just a wee little Wednes, there was but one place I wanted to find myself on Saturday afternoons. Yep, in front of the TV, waiting to see what horrible (though at the time, they were great) old scary movie Sir Graves Ghastly was going to show me this week. I'd also be watching to hear him say people's birthdays, show pictures they drew, and even open fan mail on the air. When I was five or so, my mom and I sent Sir Graves a big skull that was also a coin bank. He opened it on the air, which was something they'd never do today.

The first time I ever saw the original King Kong it was on Sir Graves, ditto Dracula, the Wolf Man, and that movie about the lady who turns into a snake. And in between commercials, he would have his ghoulish friends sing and dance with cheese, awful special effects that kids would only laugh at now. You can see them here if you're so disposed. Sir Graves taught me to love horror, and we all loved him. Lawson Deming, the man who played Sir Graves, and indeed answered fan mail up to and including two years ago, died yesterday. I can only assume of natural causes, he lived a long, full life after all.

One of the funniest things I ever saw on his show was a lady in a sequined dress singing this song, which it turns out, is by Little Jimmy Dickens:

May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose

One fine day as I was a-walkin' down the street
Spied a beggar man with rags upon his feet
Took a penny from my pocket
In his tin cup I did drop it
I heard him say as I made my retreat

CHORUS
"May the bird of paradise fly up your nose"
"May an elephant caress you with his toes"
"May your wife be plagued with runners in her hose"
"May the bird of paradise fly up your nose"

The laundry man is really on his toes
Found a hundred-dollar bill among my clothes
When he called me I came a-runnin'
Gave him back his dime for phonin'
I heard him sayin' as I turned to go

CHORUS

I was way behind one day to catch the train
Taxi driver said "We'll make it just the same"
The speed cop made it with us
And as he wrote out the ticket
I stood by politely a-waitin' for my change

See, I told you it was funny.

So Thank You, Mr Deming, for making my childhood that much more wonderful and for teaching me that scary movies are the greatest thing in the history of all mankind. And for that laugh: Nyahahahahahahaaa!

Happy Haunting, Sir Graves!

no subject