Cleveland has had its share of celebrities in entertainment, business, sports, etc. Some went on to national fame like Harvey Pekar, Halle Berry or Paul Newman. But some stayed local.  One of those local celebrities died last week and was a part of my life as a pre-teen/teenager in the early 1980s.

 

"Uncle Vic" Blecman

https://chroniclet.com/news/184797/former-co-workers-friends-remember-uncle-vic-blecman/

 

I used to listen to Uncle Vic's radio show on G98 every Sunday night (8-12) starting in about 1980 for a couple more years until I got into new wave/punk/techno. You called into his show for different topics (favorite man/woman sexy hero, where would you take Uncle Vic for a night out, etc.). Some of the funniest callers were regulars like Vladimir Krokichkov, Howard The Belcher, Bagman and the girl with the super-sexy voice Heavenly. Always looked forward to Sunday nights on G98 in 1980-82. I called into his show a few times and even won an album (ELO's "Time" in 1981) from him when you had to give a sad story (I told him my sister Bette was in the hospital [she wasn't] and would have a relapse if she didn't hear this record).

 

 

Uncle Vic also performed and published original songs including this song which got a lot of airplay in Cleveland in the summer of 1980. I bought the 45 of this local hit. A couple of times in the early 90s, my friend Mark and I visited Uncle Vic's club in downtown Elyria where he DJ'd and would hold funny contests. He was a part of my life growing up. This is how I remember Uncle Vic, with the big hair. He kept this 70s style into the 1990s, although this photo is from 1985...

 

Edited December 29, 20195 yr by KJP

Yeah, I'm old enough to remember the old weather board that is pictured in the link! - seeing it brought back childhood memories.   Goddard was THE weatherman if you grew up in Cleveland - for many years. And there's something special about a hometown celebrity that made you feel like you knew him personally, even though you didn't.  Maybe because you often watched him 5 times a week.  I remember my Dad "shushing" me because his weather forecast "was on".  Can't help but to feel nostalgic this evening thinking about the familiar faces on Cleveland TV from those years.   Mr. Goddard was a class act with a career in Cleveland media that's unlikely to be surpassed by anyone.  Here's to the "Woollybears" and "mostly sunny" skies. 

https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2020/08/d*ck-goddard-1931-2020-a-legendary-life-in-cleveland-tv.html

Edited August 4, 20204 yr by CleveFan