Mazeppa's death made the national news.

[SteveSS]

Gailard Sartain's death has made national news. I discovered Mr. Sartain when he had a late night movie program in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was called Mazeppa Pompazoid's Uncanny Film Festival And Camp Meeting. He had skits inbetween the movie breaks. My friend and I thought he was the funniest guy ever. My friend's dad was a show business agent and he arranged to go to Tulsa and meet with Gailard and his wife for dinner then go to a Sonny and Cher concert. Mazeppa had a couple of walkie-talkies and my friend and I asked to speak to all of Mazeppa's characters while we were traveling to and from the concert. He was signed and my friend's dad owned most of the folks on Hee Haw, that's how Mazeppa ended up there. I loved everything thing he did. He was also a talented artist. He did Leon Russell's Willow the Wisp album cover.

I had a poster of his that was really just a contact sheet of photos of Mazeppa. He had different ones circled with little notes. One I remember he wrote instead of suitable for framing, it said suitable for farming. Something about that just made me laugh.

 

[guy gadbois]

G. Ailard S. Artain WAS the funniest guy ever, no "thought" about it. {well, except for Robert Beaver in the 8th grade, but thats another story...}
Inventive and creative as well as just plain funny, Mr Sartain was so far ahead of his time that many missed it. His television show set the tone for many others to follow, including saturday night live when it was funny. Countless others followed in his path, many to much acclaim, but all just imitations.
His characters were mostly memorable, and those who were around at that time remember them well. Many of us have adopted some of their sayings into out everyday lexicon. Those of you not familiar may recognise one of the alumni of the Uncanny Film Festival even; you may know him as Gary Busey, but we all just call him Teddy Jack Eddy.
After Mazeppa got canned at Channel 6 - for something that wasnt his fault btw - he went to channel 8 for a short while, but quickly moved to radio at KAKC, High above Club Tiki Nook". I personally thought his show was even funnier on the wireless - theatre of the mind and such you know. Of course, it was renamed the UnFilmy Can Festival for the non-lobotomy box version...
I think the hardest I ever laughed in my life was late late one Saturday night / early early Sunday morning at one of his schticks on the radio; I shant bore you with trying to give background or explain it here, but a one liner from 'Clarence Doylefuddleston' got me laughing so hard that I literally fell out of bed and rolled against the wall. Must have been traveling a fair amount because me thumping the wall awoke my dad in the other end of the house. Dad came rushing in my bedroom to see me on the floor in a half fetal position gasping for air and started to become, shall we say, a bit concerned. I finally eeked out something about Mazeppa before he called an ambulance...
I could go on for hours.

The world is a much poorer and sadder place now with the exit of Mazeppa. The absence of Mazeppa and Brian Wilson leaves such a hole in Western Civ that the lighthearted part of same may never recover. They aint makin em like that no more.
God bless and Godspeed Mr Sartain, and a big ol steamin LAWZEE....

 

[toolmanmike]

Those 2 clowns were in Ernest Saves Christmas as well as other Ernest films. . What a great movie staring Jim Varney as Ernest P Worrell.

 

[SteveSS]

It was pronounced Teddy Jakeddy as the above video shows. Leon Russell was a popular guest star.

 

[guy gadbois]

Yeah, but if you kept mispronouncing it as jackeddy, Teddy Jack would eventually open a big ol steamin can o whoopass on ya!

 

[guy gadbois]

 

[guy gadbois]

Regrettably, my Mazeppa Tulsa State fair poster did not make the move from Tulsa somehow; what I wouldnt give for another...

BUT! I DO still have my 7Up Uncola card! Still good for 10% off at Rebel Jeans [RA-bell, theyre swell!] a free 7Up at Der Weinerschnitzel with a minimum of 2 Der Mustard Dogs [my fave] and a dollar off at Greer's records and Tapes [fourteen seventeen East eleventeen...]

 

[SteveSS]

Cool! I wish I had those. Gailard's early art style was like Peter Max. Crazy story. Gailard did kind of a pop art Christmas card for his agent, my friend's dad. I thought it was cool but some show biz associate was very offended and he had to make peace with him.

 

[SteveSS]

Guy were you a T Town boy yourself? Did you go to Leon concerts? I have a tamborine with the old Shetler recording label on it. The upside down Superman he shared with Joe Cocker.