Farewell Salute to Big Chuck Schodowski

I was very saddened this week to hear about the passing of legendary horror host Chuck Schodowski. “Big Chuck” as he’s known affectionately to fans, rose to fame in the Cleveland market and hosted films on television for an incredible 47 years on station WJW. He originally worked with the great Ghoulardi, crewing on that show as well as appearing in skits. When Ghoulardi left to pursue work in LA the station encouraged Chuck to take over the hosting duties. He was at first reluctant to do so, which is easy to understand since Ghoulardi’s show was incredibly popular and was a hard act to follow. But he eventually agreed, co-hosting the show with local weatherman Bob Hoolihan Wells beginning in 1966. 

The Hoolihan and Big Chuck show quickly became popular in its own right, largely because they didn’t try to do the same schtick that Ghoulardi did, instead creating their own unique brand of entertainment. Their show consisted largely of short comedic sketches filmed in and around Cleveland. That show ran for 13 years on WJW, until Hoolihan left and moved to Florida. He was replaced by Lil’ John Rinaldi, and the Big Chuck and Lil’ John Show became even more popular, running for another 28 years on WJW.

Big Chuck is a legend in the horror host field, and arguably the longest-running horror host of all time. Their host bits for their show were filmed live-to-tape in front of a studio audience and the show is fondly remembered by Clevendars to this day. Chuck published an autobiography that recounts his favorite stories over his 47 years of television work. It’s a great book and a fun read, I highly recommend it. 

We here at Shackle Island want to give a big salute to Big Chuck -  I’ve been able to see his show through recordings from fans and have loved the humor, warmth, and positivity of the show. Here’s to ya Chuck, thanks for all the entertainment and inspiration. You’re a one-of-a-kind!