Gailard Sartain
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Career
A successful illustrator, Sartain's artistic credits range from record cover designs such as Leon Russell's "Will O' the Wisp" to illustrations for nationally published magazines.Sartain's entry into entertainment was launched with his creation and hosting of Tulsa's first late night off-the-wall comedy program "Dr. Mazeppa Pompazoidi's Uncanny Film Festival and Camp Meeting". The program was broadcast on KOTV and later, KTUL, both in Tulsa. Guest stars included Gary Busey and Jim Millaway.
Sartain as Dr. Mazeppa Pompazoidi hosted a late night weekend film festival of old movies, dressed as a wizard, wearing a dark blue robe and pointed wizard's cap. The local late-night program featured B-movies, with Sartain and Busey writing and performing skits between the movie segments. Featuring characters such as Yahooudi Men-you-in (a nameplay on the famous violinist, played by Sartain), Coach Chuck, the Reverend Doctor Menlo Park (always seeking "witnesses to my ministry" and Lecil Bevis (of Jerry Ralph R.B. "Bob" Bevis' "Furniture Warehouse Liquidators Showroom Revolution (all Sartain)). Also featured was a pre-Hollywood Gary Busey character, Teddy Jack Eddie.....with the third member of the troupe, Millaway, playing "Sherman Oaks",wearing a receding-hairlined half-mask.
The Uncanny Film Festival and Camp Meeting met Saturday nights at 10:30pm after the local newscasts. There were other incidental characters, played by his then girlfriend such as "Little Dar-Leen". Local personalities instantly gained even more local fame when appearing on his program, some like the rock band "Bread", headed by Tulsan David Gates, also a Will Rogers High School alumni.
Following his stint as Mazeppa, Sartain maintained a successful acting career in television as a regular on the network then syndicated program Hee Haw and on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour as well as many others. He has appeared in more than forty motion pictures, most notably as The Big Bopper in The Buddy Holly Story, The Hollywood Knights, Fried Green Tomatoes and most recently, Elizabethtown. He is also known for his role as Chuck in three of the Ernest movies starring Jim Varney, and also had a memorable but uncredited role in the 1994 comedy Wagons East starring John Candy, and Richard Lewis
After Sartain's Uncanny Film Festival and Camp Meeting ended on local TV, he had a brief radio incarnation of the show on KAKC in Tulsa (The Unfilmy Can Festival), again featuring the talents of Sartain, Busey, and others.
External links
- [}}}] at the Internet Movie Database
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