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The Ghoul started on channel 61 in Cleveland (WKBF?), then later was syndicated on the Kaiser stations. Ron Sweed (no final e) was quite a greaser as a teenager, a biker and stuff. Then one day he found a gorilla suit, and showed up at a personal appearance of Ghoulardi, who enthusiastically conscripted him into his stage show. For years Sweed, in his gorilla suit, appeared in the intro to Houlihan and Big Chuck on WJW ch 8 in Cleveland, clambering around on the roof of the studio when it was still on Euclid.

The Ghoul borrowed heavily from Ghoulardi in his appearance, speech, mannerisms, and catch phrases ("hold on gang, there's a knock on the phone!" etc). Sweed added this horrible looking wig that looked like dirty beige shag carpeting, and a blue lab coat covered with buttons and badges. He was younger than Ghoulardi and related to his audience on more of a younger, rock and roll level. His expression "overdey" ostensibly meant "over there" but became a multi-purpose punctuation to everything he said.

One thing he did on 61 that didn't happen in syndication, was funny audio overdubs on his movies. On a family trip to Cleveland, my sister and I watched him in our motel room and were in stitches. I forget the film, but there was a sudden cut to a stuffed alligator and the accompanying soundtrack was the intro to "Papa Oom Mow Mow" - a-papa-papa-papa oom mow mow....

I really loved him, because as a rock and roller, he provided a reprobate counterpart to Sir Graves Ghastly on ch 2 in Detroit. Sir Graves was gothic, with a cape and coffin, and a skilled character actor. The Ghoul acted like if he wasn't doing a TV show, he'd be an arsonist or rapist. I interviewed him before a personal appearance in Flint, Michigan in 1976 and still have the tape. When I asked him how Ernie Anderson felt about his becoming The Ghoul, he said "Ernie was not happy" but did not sue because WJW owned the character. Plus by this time Ernie was in LA, his son Paul Thomas Anderson had just been born, and he was starting to make it big in voiceover doing Dial soap and Parkay spots. ("But the flavor says - " and Michael Bell would say "butter!")

THEN, to make the story come full circle, I met Ernie at the liquor store near ABC's Prospect Studio. I lived on the hill behind the studio. He came walking in wearing a fisherman bucket hat and loudly striped pullover, and he could see that I recognized him and I said "Ernie Anderson!" I was practically pissing my pants in hero worship, but he was very humble and nice when I complimeted his early stuff like the Dial soap, and we knew lots of mutual people. He was notoriously nasty and difficult when working, and got kicked out of Bell Sound on Citrus ave in Hollywood for calling this sweet little intern a c*nt.

Anyway - nice to see this thread. When I was 16 I wanted to BE The Ghoul. I just got DSL a few days ago and have been happily watching The Ghoul for the first time since the 70s, on YouTube. And to my astonishment there is a LOT of Ghoulardi, whom I had never seen before!