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"An incredible find--and the tape is in such great shape after 41 years!"-
DISC-O-TEEN VIEWER
"I
remember Jim Morrison walking by me in the middle of a dance. He said
to me, 'This is the damnedest show I ever saw in my life.'"-
John ZACHERLEY
ABOUT THIS CLIP:
John
Zacherle* (aka Zacherley), TV horror-host of "Disc-O-Teen,**" hosts
this 1967 'Halloween Dance Party' episode, featuring, The BOX TOPS--The
Letter.
ABOUT ALEX CHILTON AND THE BOX TOPS APPEARANCE:
"Alex
Chilton and the band don't perform, but their hit single, "The Letter"
is played twice during the show. The band endures Zach's jibes,
including lessons on how to flirt with teenage girls from New
Jersey...The Box Tops chat it up with the horror-host while they plug
their album, an upcoming European tour, and a show at the Cheetah Club
in NYC! "The Letter", The Box Tops' first of ten hits reached #1 in the
fall of 1967.
**ABOUT DISC-O-TEEN'S FORMAT:
Only
two programs remain of over 700 daily Disc-O-Teen episodes aired in the
New York City/New Jersey metro area between 1965 and 1967 on WNJU-TV,
Channel 47.
ABOUT ZACHERLEY:
What
really made JOHN take the job as host was being able to host the show
as Zacherley--and that he loved rock and roll. He brought along
"Gasport" and "My Dear" as well.
ZACHERLEY says about the show:
"It
was really experimental. The producers gave me a lot of flexibility.
We'd try something. If it didn't work we wouldn't do it again. Fridays
were theme days when the visitors (student dancers) would dress up
depending on what the theme was. One Friday was gangster day, another
was Roman toga day. It was a wonderful three years, but then all good
things have to end."
AFTER THE DISC-O:
Zach became a DJ. A listener whose father hired Zacherey says, "I remember that he played something from the Dead Boys' first LP and also held up a copy of Pink Floyd's Ummagumma."
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DISC-O-TEENIEBOPPERS?
Many
of the "Disc-O-Teen" kids went on to lead interesting lives: A Miss
Littlefeather won the "Miss American Vampire" contest, AND three years
later, made headlines for rejecting an Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando
over a standoff between authorities and activists at Wounded Knee, S.D.
Another 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," published in 2006.
ZACHERLEY AND THE DOORS:
The
Doors made their first TV appearance on Disco-Teen. Jim Morrison
stumbled around the "Disc-O-Teen" dance floor, and many former dancers
recall Zacherley conducting a bizarre interview with the Doors' singer.
"We
assumed they (The Doors) were stoned," a dancer 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." At
a recent Chiller Theatre Expo Zach had a real treat. Ray Manzarek of
the Doors stopped by his table for a chat. He remembered being on
Disc-o-Teen and wanted to thank Zach for the great time that he and the
other Doors members had had.
***(THANKS
TO ALL THE VIEWERS, FANS, WRITERS, YOUTUBERS AND COMMENTERS WHO
CONTRIBUTED TO THIS READER'S DIGEST VERSION OF JOHN ZACHERLEY AND
DISC-O-TEEN, AND ESPECIALLY TO THE ORIGINAL POSTER OF THIS
CLIP--NICHOPOULOOZA)
ALEX CHLITON, THE BOXTOPS PERFORM THE LETTER ON DISC-O-TEEN AFTER THE JUMP VIDEO IN PART II
ALEX CHLITON - THE BOX TOPS - THE LETTER - DISC-O-TEEN
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