I thought he died in the late 80's he gave me some great saturdays by the telly. 
The actor Lawson J. Deming who made WJBK-TV famous for his Sir Graves Ghastly weekend thriller passed away In April 2007. He died at a nursing home located in Cleveland, Ohio. Where he has been living since becoming ill after retirement. Lawson's son David Deming said that his father died from CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) which is common in older adults.
Lawson's career at WJBK-TV spanned sixteen long years. Each weekend his fans would pull the curtains shut, to darken the room. Get a popcorn or other snack food, then turn on the tube to catch the Show. Sir Graves would open up his squeaky coffin and appear before his fans. He would play up his character and then introduce the weekend movie thriller. Sometimes it would be Boris Karloff or Frankenstein. This is where the swamp monster become famous, or the mummy from the black lagoon.
Lawson J. Deming's career in broadcasting was the high light of his life. He preformed from 1967 to 1983. He was a life long Ohio resident that traveled twice each month to the Detroit, Michigan area to tape his WJBK-TV Show Sir Graves Ghastly. He was in broadcasting for half a century. Deming was a graduate of Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) where he studied speech, drama and mathematics. Lawson began his radio career at WHK in 1932
Lawson J. Deming was also known for his performance on the Cleveland Puppet Show "Woodrow The Woodsman." Before he began his career as "Sir Graves Ghastly." Ghastly was a scary looking Vampire Figure. He also played the other characters on the commercial breaks in between movie segments. The talking Chin was an all time favorite.
Deming was interviewed by the Detroit News in 1982. He told them that "people loved Sir Graves," and that he "loved people." His long time friend Spec's Howard said "Lawson had personality." also adding that Lawson was "a short man who took little steps, with a face you just had to love." Howard went on to open the Spec's Howard School of Broadcasting located in Southfield, Michigan. He was a long time colleague and fried of Lawson J. Deming. It is our pleasure to give a well deserved moment to honor our beloved "Sir Graves" as he leaves this world to entertain others in the great beyond.
Our deepest sympathy goes out to his son David Deming. Good-Bye Sir Graves we will catch you on the reruns. As you will always be a part of Saturday afternoon movie history.
The actor Lawson J. Deming who made WJBK-TV famous for his Sir Graves Ghastly weekend thriller passed away In April 2007. He died at a nursing home located in Cleveland, Ohio. Where he has been living since becoming ill after retirement. Lawson's son David Deming said that his father died from CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) which is common in older adults.
Lawson's career at WJBK-TV spanned sixteen long years. Each weekend his fans would pull the curtains shut, to darken the room. Get a popcorn or other snack food, then turn on the tube to catch the Show. Sir Graves would open up his squeaky coffin and appear before his fans. He would play up his character and then introduce the weekend movie thriller. Sometimes it would be Boris Karloff or Frankenstein. This is where the swamp monster become famous, or the mummy from the black lagoon.
Lawson J. Deming's career in broadcasting was the high light of his life. He preformed from 1967 to 1983. He was a life long Ohio resident that traveled twice each month to the Detroit, Michigan area to tape his WJBK-TV Show Sir Graves Ghastly. He was in broadcasting for half a century. Deming was a graduate of Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) where he studied speech, drama and mathematics. Lawson began his radio career at WHK in 1932
Lawson J. Deming was also known for his performance on the Cleveland Puppet Show "Woodrow The Woodsman." Before he began his career as "Sir Graves Ghastly." Ghastly was a scary looking Vampire Figure. He also played the other characters on the commercial breaks in between movie segments. The talking Chin was an all time favorite.
Deming was interviewed by the Detroit News in 1982. He told them that "people loved Sir Graves," and that he "loved people." His long time friend Spec's Howard said "Lawson had personality." also adding that Lawson was "a short man who took little steps, with a face you just had to love." Howard went on to open the Spec's Howard School of Broadcasting located in Southfield, Michigan. He was a long time colleague and fried of Lawson J. Deming. It is our pleasure to give a well deserved moment to honor our beloved "Sir Graves" as he leaves this world to entertain others in the great beyond.
Our deepest sympathy goes out to his son David Deming. Good-Bye Sir Graves we will catch you on the reruns. As you will always be a part of Saturday afternoon movie history.
