• TV horror-host John Zacherley Halloween Dance Party featuring The BOX TOPS • The Letter TWICE •
 When Creatures of the Night appear, rest assured that Zacherley is near!Enter his world for some fun and a thrill, but do so carefully and of your own free will! |
Happy Birthday, Zacherley!!
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Many of the "Disc-O-Teen" kids went on to lead interesting lives. According to Semon-Krauss, one manages ex-Beatle Pete Best and another married a member of the British rock band Procol Harum. Richard Scrivani of Bergenfield wrote a memoir titled "Good Night, Whatever You Are! My Journey With Zacherley, the Cool Ghoul," which was published by Dynoship in 2006.
In 1970, Domaniecki won the regional "Miss American Vampire" contest held at Palisades Amusement Park to promote "House of Dark Shadows" (the first of two movies based on the Gothic soap opera "Dark Shadows"). All regional winners were flown to Los Angeles for the final competition on Regis Philbin's show there.
According to Domaniecki, she and a fellow finalist, Sacheen Littlefeather, were paired up as hotel roommates during the "Miss American Vampire" finals. Littlefeather won the contest; three years later, she made headlines for rejecting an Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando over a standoff between authorities and activists at Wounded Knee, S.D.Show canceled
According to Joe LoRe, former cameraman for "Disc-O-Teen," the show was canceled when Channel 47 switched to a Spanish-language format.
As for the time Jim Morrison stumbled around the "Disc-O-Teen" dance floor, many former dancers recall that Zacherle conducted a bizarre interview with the Doors singer (who died at age 27 in 1971).
One witness was Marsha Silvestri of Jersey City."We assumed they (The Doors) were stoned," Silvestri says. "They were very spaced-out, especially Jim Morrison. Zach tried to interview him, and he hardly said a word. A lot of the kids thought it was strange."
"I don't remember that," Zacherle says with a laugh, "but everybody who was there tells me it happened that way, so it must be true. I just remember Jim Morrison walking by me in the middle of a dance. He said to me, "This is the damned-est show I ever saw in my life.' "
Zacherley Remembers 'Disc-o-Teen'!
"It was three of the happiest years of my life," says John Zacherle who, for three years appeared on a New Jersey television station as the host of an afternoon dance show called Disc-o-Teen. "Everyday I drove out to Newark to work at Channel 47. It was a UHF station which meant that back then hardly anyone got to see it." "I didn't know what I was going to do next. I'd finished my contract at Channel 11, and no renewal was coming."
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During my father's term as Program Director for WPLJ-FM (1974–1988) I was privileged to spend time in the halls and studios of what for much of that time was New York's #1 album rock station. It was a young music freak's fantasy: I got promo LPs, attended concerts for free, and sat in on live broadcasts. My favorite DJs to hang with were always Carol Miller and John Zacherle.
Zacherle (aka Zacherley) had been a TV horror-film host in ghoul makeup for most of the 1950s and early 60s (there are several clips on YouTube), and in the early days of FM's popularity he was an innovator of free-form radio, when WPLJ was called WABC-FM. Though PLJ's programming was fairly structured by the late 1970s, the form was still much freer than the computerized formats seen on the commercial FM band today.
Every Halloween, WPLJ would let Zach become a ghoul again and program his own show (he would also occasionally don his makeup and entertain at staff parties.) One year, I'm guessing '77 or '78, I sat in the cramped studio on Halloween watching Zacherle make radio magic. My love of horror films and rock music reached critical mass that night. At the age of 60, Zacherle was super cool and probably more up on things than many of his younger colleagues. I remember that he played something from the Dead Boys' first LP and also held up a copy of Pink Floyd's Ummagumma and said, "Billy, have you heard this one?"
During that time, Zach also presented me with copies of his two 1960 novelty singles, "Dinner With Drac" and "Coolest Little Monster"—below are all four sides as mp3s. (Except for the comic masterpiece "Hurry Bury Baby," these songs are available on CD and are presented here just for fun, in-browser listening.)
As the 70s became the 80s, radio formats tightened, mic styles became zippier and much of the old guard at WPLJ were being replaced or moving to less-commercial stations. In the post-disco era, FM had become the dominant force of music delivery, with a narrower presentation. I know that it was one of the saddest days of my Dad's life when he had to let John Zacherle go. Zach, now 90, still does Halloween radio (most recently on WCBS-FM) and continues to be an inveterate hipster and a cool ghoul.
Awesome. The Doors made their first TV appearance on Disco-Teen. Of course, the tape is erased. Nice goin' 47. Erase history to save a little money.
No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express over the weekend. :)
Wow! This brings back memories! I was the drummer in "The Coachmen." We won a band contest on Disco Teen. The prize: We opened for The Rolling Stones at Symphony Hall in Newark, NJ! I was like 15 years old!! The kids in the audience knew us from the show and screamed and asked for autographs! I remember Zacherley back stage as a consummate gentleman. Thanks, Zacherley, for the thrill of a lifetime!
Supposedly there is ONE MORE disco-teen that was preserved, but no one has posted it yet!What an incredible find -- and the tape is in such great shape after 41 years! "The Letter" was The Box Tops' first of ten hits and reached #1 in the fall of 1967. Amazingly, after it, the group members were not allowed by their label to play on their hits! On disc, they were replaced in the studio by session musicians! Only lead singer Alex Chilton actually performed on "Cry Like A Baby," "Soul Deep" or the other Box Tops classics. As for Zach, his "Dinner With Drac" reached #6 in 1958.
And of course, after "Disc-O-Teen" ended, WNJU moved more towards becoming a Spanish-language outlet. As to the cameras used on the program, they were RCA TK-60's.
Disc-O-Teen "Last Show"Disc-O-Teen was a daily live teen dance show hosted by the famous, "Cool Ghoul" Zacherley. Only two programs remain of the over 700 that aired in the New York City metro area from 1965 to 1967. This black and white, one hour show, was billed as the "Two and a Half Year Anniversary Show" but was actually the last Disc-O-Teen program aired on New York City's first commercial UHF television station, WNJU-TV Channel 47. Guests on the show included recording artists "EMS" (Come On Down To My Boat Baby). As a very young staff engineer and camera operator I was able to salvage the last two programs that were recorded on two inch video tape. After 40 years I have been successful in re mastering this program in its entirety to DVD.
- I remember my two years on the show. In-fact, the night The Doors where there Jim Morrison was sitting in a low narrow tall chair. That night John had me squishing jello........ while Morrison sat across from me in that spooky chair.
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