Customer Reviews

Big Chuck: My Favorite Stories from 47 Years on Cleveland TV

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Big Chuck Schodowski tells this story in his own words. At 74 years old, he's had a tremendous career, and made countless friends. Tom Feran, who co-wrote the book, does a great job of letting the Conversational style of Big Chuck come through in the narrative. To read this book, is to hear Big Chuck talking like he's standing right next to you sharing a beer.

From his late-night Friday start on Cleveland, Ohio, television by writing bits for Ernie "Ghoulardi" Anderson, to the improbable (for him) co-hosting stints with Bob "Hoolihan" Wells and "Lil'" John Rinaldi, Chuck Schodowski had an amazing 47-year run delighting viewers on the North Coast through his creative humor that was spiced up with local flavor.

His recollections - co-written by Tom Feran - are a wonderful romp through an era of Cleveland television (Channel 8, WJW) when a premium was placed on original programing. Schodowski was a station engineer who dabbled in creating skits for the popular Ghoulardi show; which featured Anderson as the incredibly outrageous host of a B-movie, typically in the horror or Sci-Fi genres.

Anderson left WJW in 1966 and Wells - a station weatherman - successfully auditioned to take the late-night slot for a new show. Schodowski, who had assisted "Hoolihan" with his pitch to station management, had hoped to continue writing for the program. But management wanted a co-host, so the Hoolihan and Big Chuck Show was launched. Schodowski thought he would have a co-hosting run of around 13 weeks. Was he ever wrong.

Recurring sketches like "Guitarzan," "Ben Crazy," "Rowdy the Wonder Dog" and "Readings By Robert" - with a B-movie also in the mix - made the show a hit, which continued after Hoolihan left in 1979 and was replaced by Rinaldi, a Cleveland businessman who had appeared in some of the sketches on Hoolihan and Big Chuck.

Schodowski has hilarious tidbits on how Rinaldi initially got involved with the show - one key element was "Lil'" John's height (4-foot, 3-inches) - and the unique "map" used by the station's celebrity softball team to find the locations for the summertime charity events.

In 1993 the show moved from the traditional 11:30 p.m. Friday slot to midnight on Saturday and then bounced between the two evenings - along with the addition of a Saturday morning show - until Schodowski announced his retirement in December 2006, with the final programs airing in June 2007.

The book puts a special coda on the amazing comedic career of a Cleveland original.

It took me less than 30 seconds into this book to start recalling, out loud, all of my favorite Hoolihan & Big Chuck sketches - not to mention singing "Here we go, again...". My wife, who grew up in Pennsylvania and never saw the show, was thinking I "went 'round the bend!"

This is a fun book to read - brings back a lot of memories. I'm really glad he wrote this - there is some special stuff here. Couple this with Linn Sheldon's "Barnaby and Me," and you cover a huge block of childhood.

The fact that I discovered an autograph on the inside only made this book that much more special.

I am a Cleveland native, so I watched this show every Friday When I was a youngster.
It was great to be reminded of some of the skits and stories from "Big Chuck" himself.
If you remember the show, get the book, you won't be disappointed!

I could have read Big Chuck in 2 days, but it was so much fun just reading a segment and remembering those olden days, dredging up long forgotten memories in my own life from back then. Reading this book was like talking face to face with Big Chuck. The writing is conversational and casual. Big Chuck shows how hard work leads to opportunities, how to enjoy life, how things don't always come easily, but you just keep on doing your best.

The editing might have been a bit better, but overall the biography was fun, witty, and a real joy to read. For those who enjoyed Big Chuck and Hoolie and Ghoulardi and Lil John, this book is the tops. For those who never had the pleasure to experience the shows in real time, this book will make you wish you lived in Cleveland, at least on Friday nights!

I thought this book was an easy read - it's a collection of remembrances and adventures from Big Chuck's long history in Cleveland television. I felt as if I was in a living room listening to Big Chuck, Ernie Anderson, Tim Conway, Hoolihan, and Lil John drinking beers and telling stories. I was totally unaware that Big Chuck was responsible for writing, directing, and producing as much as he did. Naturally, this book wouldn't mean much to someone who did not grow up watching Cleveland television, especially in the 1960's.

Big Chuck is a great anecdotal history of the early years of television. It is also a great account of how much you could get done if you weren't some dopey hippy or Beatnik. There are great windows into the amateur sports teams of the 1950s and 1960s, and stories about covering the Browns games in the 1960s.

I admit that I was never a big fan of this show. It may have to do with the fact that I was born in 1973, so the humor was a bit over my head in the 80s while I lived in the Cleveland area. However, I did think of "Big Chuck and Lil' John" as a Cleveland institution. My stepbrother insisted that I read this book and I'm glad that he did.

After reading this book I wish that I had spent more time with this show when I was in high school. I read it on an airplane and several times had to stifle laughs lest I annoy my fellow travelers. It is rare that I read a book that makes me laugh out loud, but this one did.

I would give it five stars if it had gone through more editing. The writing style could use some work and there is some repetition in it. Plus, I think that there were a few typos. These are small flaws, but they do detract a bit from what is otherwise an excellent read.

Anyone who grew up in central to northern Ohio will remember Channel 8 out of Cleveland and their cast of characters: The Ghoul, Hoolihan, Big Chuck, and Lil' John. I remember watching them for over 20 years and cannot think of a better way to grow up (born 1953) or enjoy time but by watching these funny guys. Big Chuck's story is a personal one that any northern Buckeye can relate to fondly. It is well-written with a funny story on every page (a couple sad ones as well) which takes you along on Chuck's journey from intern to big time Cleveland celebrity who is recognized by everyone, everywhere. He is a good and normal guy who worked his butt of and made good and can now tell how it happened. Anyone interested in the history of television, especially in Northern Ohio, or looking to take a time trip from the 50's to the 90's will love this book. I smiled the whole way through and you will too.

A long career in television often results in countless entertaining stories. "Big Chuck!: My Favorite Stories from 47 Years on Cleveland TV" is the story of Cleveland television icon Buck Schodowski as he places out a book of his countless stories of his never-boring life throughout his time on the "Ghoulardi" show. He discusses the characters of the show, and what went on behind the scenes, like how he once almost challenged for the undisputed heavyweight boxing championship of the world. "Big Chuck!" is a vivid picture of an honest man in the insane world of television, highly recommended.