Nick '666' Perry dies

postgazette.com

[evets]

Coincidence: the lottery was rigged on 4/24.

Growing up in Pittsburgh, when playing poker, trip sixes was called a "nick perry".

It was a big organized crime scandal. word on the street that day was to play fours and sixes. It was the biggest lottery payout in history at the time.

[martin_fierro]

	It's a 'Burgh Thing.TM
Send FReepmail if you want on/off BPT list
Learn Pittsburghese!

[Willie Green]

Yep, Nick's escapade made Chilly Billy's wrestling at WIIC look legit.

[martin_fierro]

cHiLlY bIlLy!! WIIC!! Now THOSE bring back some memories.

(sing along now:)
"Chilly Billy is my name,
"Chiller Theater is my game..."

<|:)~

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

So what ever happened to "Terminal Stare"?

[Willie Green]

cHiLlY bIlLy!! WIIC!! Now THOSE bring back some memories.

Good grief. I'm reminded of Chilly Billy anytime I spot somebody with a bad toupee.

[chief911]

Remember staying up late every Saturday night as a kid to watch those old Vincent Price movies. There is something to be said for original (more or less) local programming. Want a flash back, watch the old Night of the Living Dead, has Chilly Billy as an on the scene reporter from WIIC (now WVIC).

[chief911]

Sorry, WPXI, and who could forget those old Godzilla movies. I forgot until I looked it up that Channel 11 didn't air SNL at 11:30 for a few years because Chiller Theater was so popular.

[PA Engineer]

I guess his number was up.

[smokeyb]

"best known as host of WTAE's "Bowling for Dollars,"

I remember the joke after the scandal was that he had a new show called "Bowling for Bail Bond"

[martin_fierro]

I guess his number was up.

YUNZ GET A SMACK ON THE DUPA AS YER PUNISHMENT!

[martin_fierro]

Awesome Chiller Theater page

[martin_fierro]

Here she is! (scroll down page)

[Willie Green]

Cool! I didn't know that Al Caiola did the Chilly Billy theme!
He isn't as good as Joe Negri, of course,
but he's still a pretty well respected guitarist!

[mountaineer]

Studio Wrestling was the best! Bruno Sammartino, Dr. Bill Miller, and the great Pie Traynor doing American Heating ads.

[chief911]

Since we are talking old 'Burgh shows, if Saturday night was Chiller Theater, Sunday morning was Paul Shannon. Great cartoon (Kimba, etc)

[Willie Green]

I don't remember Shannon doing Sunday cartoons, but he might have.
But he did do "Adventure Time" with the 3 Stooges on weekday afternoons (ch.4).
Captain Jim's Popeye Club was on ch. 11 at about the same time.
"Bwana Don" Riggs did "Safari" with Tarzan movies on Saturday mornings (kdka-2).

[Ciexyz]

Studio Wrestling, yes! It was a far superior show compared to today's WWF (or whatever it's calling itself nowadays).

[chief911]

Been so long you are probably right, but what I remenber most is the rocket full of letters to Santa every Christmas! Stinks that my kids can't find or watch anything even close to something like this today.

[Willie Green]

Been so long you are probably right,

My guess is that we're probably both right.
The stations operated on shoestring budgets back then,
and most of the local personalities wore a number of different hats to add up to a full time job.

I'd like to see more locally produced shows like that return.
But the economics are such that the only way I can see it happening is if the FCC (ugh!) mandated it.
Until then, we're likely to continue being cursed with nationally syndicated reruns. Local broadcasters are merely re-transmitters who occasionally show local news and weather.