Announcement: "Chilly Billy" Cardille Has Died

"Chilly Billy" Cardille

R.I.P. (1928 - 2016)

Sad news as another Pittsburgh legend has passed away. “Chilly Billy’ Cardille left us last Thursday at the age of 87 due to complications from pneumonia. In the weeks before, his daughter Lori Cardille (of Dawn of the Dead fame) stated that her father had just been diagnosed with liver cancer and could use some cheering up in the form of cards and letters.

Chiller Theater Theme Song Tribute
(Al Caiola's Version of Henry Mancini's Experiment in Terror)

'Chilly Billy' Cardille / Chiller Theater

As usual, Pittsburgher’s responded in droves as thousands of letters and cards poured in. His son, also named Bill stated, “we opened a couple thousand and we still have 2,000 cards left to open. Pittsburghers are beautiful.”

Bill Cardille will always be remembered for hosting ‘Chiller Theater’ and ‘Studio Wrestling’ on WIIC, later WPXI. Saturday night (and reruns on Sundays) of Chiller Theater were a ‘must watch’ for Pittsburghers growing up between 1964 and 1984. Mr. Cardille was a constant joy to watch as he played his version of the campy horror host, introducing new generations of viewers to scares and screams that to this day fill our hearts with nostalgia and charm.

"Chilly Billy" Cardille / American Scary (the Complete Interview)

Bill Cardille / Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Mr. Cardille was instrumental in helping raise money for fledgling film maker, George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (which he also appeared in as his daytime role as news reporter narrating the zombie plague to locals). “We were upstarts trying to make a little horror film and he basically plugged us almost ever week”, stated Mr. Romero. “ He was an incredible supporter. I really give Bill a large part of the credit for me being here at all”.

Bill Cardille interviews Bruno Sammartino / Studio Wrestling 1969

The gang here at Pittsburgh Underground will miss seeing our hero ‘Chilly Billy’ at our local horror conventions and his ‘Horror Halloween Cruises’ on the Gateway Clipper with his old crew from Chiller Theater. He was a joy to watch on screen and off - always so engaged with his fans and a true gentleman. Goodspeed Mr. Cardille - you will never be forgotten here in Pittsburgh.

We'll Miss You 'Chilly Billy" Cadille

Movies That Have Everything: Star Trek Beyond STARTS TODAY!

Happy Friday! Today Star Trek Beyond ushers in the celebration for the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek. The plot this time involves the USS Enterprise's five year mission as it takes them into uncharted territory. There the Enterprise is nearly destroyed and strands Kirk and his crew on a remote planet with no means of communication. Kirk must then work with the elements to reunite his crew and get back to Earth. Check out the trailer below:

Star Trek Beyond (2016 Trailer / Paramount Pictures)

The entire gang is back - Chris Pine (James T. Kirk), local actor Zachary Quinto (Commander Spock), Karl Urban (Dr. ‘Bones’ McCoy), Zoe Sladana (Lt. Uhura), Simon Peg (Montgomery “Scotty’ Scott), John Cho (Sulu), and the late Anton Yelchin (Chekov) who sadly died in a freak auto accident last month.

It has been a bit of a bitter sweet celebration, not only with the loss of Anton Yelchin, but also with the passing of Leonard Nimoy who left us at the beginning of the Beyond’s filming. In a recent interview with Postmedia Network, J.J. Abrams said that Yelchin’s Chekov would not be replaced by another actor. “I can’t possibly imagine that and I think Anton deserves better”. There has been no word on how he’ll go about addressing Yelchin’s death within the films.

R.I.P. Anton Yelchin

(1989 - 2016)

27 year old Yelchin died on June 19th within one minute of a freak accident involving his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee (part of a massive recall) after it rolled down the steep driveway in his L.A. home. He was found pressed in between his brick mailbox and security fence only to be discovered by friends who grew worried about him when he didn’t show up for a planned rehearsal.

John Cho and George Takei (the Sulu's)

In other news, Sulu, played by John Cho, will reveal his on screen character as a gay man in this newest incarnation of the Trek timeline or as it’s now ‘officially’ been named the Kelvin Timeline (named after the U.S.S. Kelvin - the starship piloted by the father of James Kirk, George Kirk (portrayed by Chris Hemsworth). Some have lauded the new spin on Sulu, and others, most notably George Takei  (the original Sulu) has had mixed feelings, first stating to the Hollywood Reporter that he was ‘disappointed’, but then explaining his reaction in a lengthy Facebook post stating that he is "delighted" that the LGBTQ community will be represented in the Star Trek universe, further adding to the franchise's diversity.

His mixed feelings about the decision began as John Cho who plays Sulu in the latest version of the franchise called Takei to gauge his reaction stating that, “this is to honor you”.

Takei, who came out as gay in 2005, stated that when the original show was on the air in the '60s, he and show creator Gene Roddenberry, with whom he had a close friendship, had discussed the possibility of introducing a gay character. Roddenberry ultimately decided against it, fearing the inclusion of a gay character on the already progressive show (Star Trek famously featured the first televised interracial kiss) would destroy ratings beyond repair.

Takei then told John Cho, 'Well I'm very flattered, I'm really delighted that the issue of LGBT is being finally addressed on Stark Trek, but because I respect and admire Gene as a bold and strong producer of television shows and I love him as a friend, I want to honor him." Takei had suggested to the director that they introduce a new character into the franchise.

Ultimately, the decision was made with Takei humbly stating, “Ultimately, We should be honoring Gene ... We should be paying tribute to him rather than to me because it's not really about me. Yes I am gay, and I am an active advocate for LGBT equality, but don't pay tribute to me. It's not about me, or Sulu. It's about Gene and what he did."

Chris Hemsworth as George Kirk (Star Trek: Into Darkness / 2013)

And finally, more on the next installment of the Star Trek motion picture franchise as the yet to be titled fourth film will reunite Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pine as father and son. Although Chris Hemsworth’s character, George Kirk, sacrifices himself at the beginning of the second movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness, we will see the two cross paths in a yet to be determined plot line.

Whew! That’s a whole lot of Trekin’! For more, check out your local theater this weekend as Star Trek Beyond soars into theaters!

Pod People: The Jim and Zope Cast / Episodes 52 and 53

Welcome one and all to another Pod People! We're back with the Jim and Zope Cast from locals Jim Backus and Bobby Zoppelt, the guys too ugly for YouTube. Expect awesome stuff like Top 5's, News, Tech Suggestions, Celebrity Guests, and Opinions that you might not want to hear.

Jim and Zope can always be listened to LIVE, Monday nights at 7PM at the Official Jim and Zope Cast Mixlr Page with a repeat broadcast here at Pittsburgh Underground!

Remember - if you check them out during their live broadcast, you can chime in as well with the guys and their guests by logging onto their page!

Chapter 52: Stanley Cup Champions
6/13/16 - This chapter we talk about the Pens big win as the Stanley Cup Champs plus Gadgets and games.

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Chapter 53:  4th of Julie and Jimmy the Producer
7/04/16 - Zope is crazy tired and Jim is forced to take over for pretty much everything.

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Don’t forget to check out the Jim and Zope all over the web at Facebook, Twitter, Podcast Garden, Youtube, and of course the Official Jim and Zope Website!

Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and conclusions expressed by independent podcast creators are those of the authors or organizations and not necessarily those of Pittsburgh Underground or their affiliates. The content of the podcasts will be reviewed or approved at the discretion of Pittsburgh Underground . The authors or organizations are solely responsible for the content of their podcasts. Pittsburgh Underground reserves the right to reject or remove any podcast from it's website without notice.