Lawson J. Deming
Encyclopedia
Lawson J. Deming was a radio and TV character actor best known in Detroit, Cleveland, Washington, D.C.
and parts of Canada
as the Saturday afternoon television
horror movie host "Sir Graves Ghastly
."
The new medium of television greatly interested Deming, and he broke in via Cleveland NBC
affiliate KYW-TV as an afternoon movie host in 1949. The show, called One O'Clock Playhouse, ran until 1956. In the early 1960s, Lawson became a regular on the Cleveland children's show Woodrow the Woodsman
, starring fellow Cleveland actor J. Clayton Conroy. Deming's face never appeared on the air, but he was the puppeteer
and supplied multiple voices for the animal characters on the show. It was here that he finally got a chance on television to use his talents (honed on radio) for doing accents. It was stated that he could do 27 ethnic dialects.
, TV2 in Detroit, late in 1966. As fate would have it, WJBK had lost their popular horror movie host "Morgus the Magnificent" (Sid Noel) a year earlier. Shortly after Woodrow began taping, TV2 approached Lawson about filling a Saturday afternoon horror movie slot, and Sir Graves Big Show (as it was originally called) was born.
Brainstorming with his long-time wife, Mary Rita, Deming eventually came up with a tongue-in-cheek vampire
character "Sir Graves Ghastly
" to be the lead on the show. The character was most widely recognized for his dark (and fake) moustache and goatee, plus a cackling, nasally laugh ("Nyaaa-aaaaaaah"). Sir Graves wasn't the only character on the show. Deming also developed a sidekick named Baruba (dressed in a monk's outfit and hood, so you couldn't see the face), who did his bidding. Perhaps the most beloved character was The Glob, whose face appeared (via early special effects) in the moon above the cemetery set. (The face was actually Sir Graves', upside-down, with eyes and nose painted on the chin.) The Glob's main role was to lip sync
silly parody songs, such as "I Wanna Bite Your Hand" and "Ghoul Days."
Other characters included Reel McCoy (a diminutive caretaker who would dig up the movie reels at the beginning of the show), Tilly Trollhouse (a castle maid with a deep Bela Lugosi
accent, played by Deming in drag) and Sir Graves' German-accented cousin, Baron Boogaloff. While billed as a kids' show, Deming's sly sense of humor often flew over the heads of children, which might explain why a TV2 ratings poll
in 1971 showed that about one-third of his audience were adults.
In all, Sir Graves Ghastly ran for 15 seasons in Detroit. Due to the show's popularity (it was topping all other programs in its time slot other than live sporting events), WJBK added the occasional after-school or prime time Sir Graves special and, of course, several Halloween
specials. The explosion of televised sports in the early 1980s, particularly college football, caused Sir Graves to go into hiatus after airing a show in November 1982. A management change during this time led to the program being "officially" cancelled in 1983 before any other shows were produced. As he did while his show was running, Deming continued to do speaking engagements and personal appearances well into the 1990s.
In the 1970s, Deming marketed the Sir Graves character to Cleveland and Washington, D.C., where it also became a big hit. But his popularity in those markets never quite reached that of the Detroit audience (and many in neighboring Canada that could pick up the WJBK signal), where his "evil" laugh and catch phrases like "Happy Haunting" are remembered by an entire generation of both kids and adults.
Lawson Deming died on April 24, 2007 at the age of 94.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and parts of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
as the Saturday afternoon television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
horror movie host "Sir Graves Ghastly
Sir Graves Ghastly
Sir Graves Ghastly was a character created by Cleveland-born actor Lawson J. Deming for the popular television show of the same name....
."
Early years
Deming was born and grew up near Cleveland, OH. He attended Western Reserve University's Cleveland College, where he studied speech, dramatic arts and radio production. As part of a college radio play production class, he first appeared on the airwaves of WHK radio in the autumn of 1932. After college, Deming freelanced for a number of area stations and also landed an announcing job in West Palm Beach, FL before returning to his native Cleveland in the 1940s.The new medium of television greatly interested Deming, and he broke in via Cleveland NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate KYW-TV as an afternoon movie host in 1949. The show, called One O'Clock Playhouse, ran until 1956. In the early 1960s, Lawson became a regular on the Cleveland children's show Woodrow the Woodsman
Woodrow the Woodsman
Woodrow the Woodsman was a local children's television program host in Cleveland and Detroit from 1961 to 1972, and again in 1997-2000. Lead actor J. Clayton "Clay" Conroy attended the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, and later the New England Conservatory of Music, where his instrument...
, starring fellow Cleveland actor J. Clayton Conroy. Deming's face never appeared on the air, but he was the puppeteer
Puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
and supplied multiple voices for the animal characters on the show. It was here that he finally got a chance on television to use his talents (honed on radio) for doing accents. It was stated that he could do 27 ethnic dialects.
Sir Graves Ghastly
In 1965, KYW-TV was sold and the new ownership decided they did not want any locally-produced children's shows. Woodrow the Woodsman eventually got picked up by WJBKWJBK
WJBK is the Fox–owned and operated television station in Detroit, Michigan broadcasting on digital channel 7...
, TV2 in Detroit, late in 1966. As fate would have it, WJBK had lost their popular horror movie host "Morgus the Magnificent" (Sid Noel) a year earlier. Shortly after Woodrow began taping, TV2 approached Lawson about filling a Saturday afternoon horror movie slot, and Sir Graves Big Show (as it was originally called) was born.
Brainstorming with his long-time wife, Mary Rita, Deming eventually came up with a tongue-in-cheek vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
character "Sir Graves Ghastly
Sir Graves Ghastly
Sir Graves Ghastly was a character created by Cleveland-born actor Lawson J. Deming for the popular television show of the same name....
" to be the lead on the show. The character was most widely recognized for his dark (and fake) moustache and goatee, plus a cackling, nasally laugh ("Nyaaa-aaaaaaah"). Sir Graves wasn't the only character on the show. Deming also developed a sidekick named Baruba (dressed in a monk's outfit and hood, so you couldn't see the face), who did his bidding. Perhaps the most beloved character was The Glob, whose face appeared (via early special effects) in the moon above the cemetery set. (The face was actually Sir Graves', upside-down, with eyes and nose painted on the chin.) The Glob's main role was to lip sync
Lip sync
Lip sync, lip-sync, lip-synch is a technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals...
silly parody songs, such as "I Wanna Bite Your Hand" and "Ghoul Days."
Other characters included Reel McCoy (a diminutive caretaker who would dig up the movie reels at the beginning of the show), Tilly Trollhouse (a castle maid with a deep Bela Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
accent, played by Deming in drag) and Sir Graves' German-accented cousin, Baron Boogaloff. While billed as a kids' show, Deming's sly sense of humor often flew over the heads of children, which might explain why a TV2 ratings poll
Audience measurement
Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
in 1971 showed that about one-third of his audience were adults.
In all, Sir Graves Ghastly ran for 15 seasons in Detroit. Due to the show's popularity (it was topping all other programs in its time slot other than live sporting events), WJBK added the occasional after-school or prime time Sir Graves special and, of course, several Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
specials. The explosion of televised sports in the early 1980s, particularly college football, caused Sir Graves to go into hiatus after airing a show in November 1982. A management change during this time led to the program being "officially" cancelled in 1983 before any other shows were produced. As he did while his show was running, Deming continued to do speaking engagements and personal appearances well into the 1990s.
In the 1970s, Deming marketed the Sir Graves character to Cleveland and Washington, D.C., where it also became a big hit. But his popularity in those markets never quite reached that of the Detroit audience (and many in neighboring Canada that could pick up the WJBK signal), where his "evil" laugh and catch phrases like "Happy Haunting" are remembered by an entire generation of both kids and adults.
Lawson Deming died on April 24, 2007 at the age of 94.
Awards and recognition
- 1998 "Silver Circle" inductee, National Academy of Television Arts and SciencesNational Academy of Television Arts and SciencesThe National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences or NATAS was created in 1955 to advance the arts and sciences of television. Headquartered in New York, NATAS's membership is national and the organization has local chapters around the country....
(NATAS)