Post by pakman on Feb 17, 2015 11:12:33 GMT -5
Who here remembers "The John Walsh Show?" It was a very short-lived syndicated talk show hosted by John Walsh. As expected, the show talked about crime-related stories, but it also featured other topics as well.
Some of the more memorable episodes I can remember:
Ashley Pond & Miranda Gaddis - Shortly after their bodies were discovered in Oregon, John Walsh dedicated an entire episode of his show to the missing girls who disappeared a month apart from the same apartment complex. I remember they talked about how the police assumed that Ashley Pond was a runaway when she first went missing, and that her mother didn't even know she was missing until the very end of the school day (she never showed up at school, but nobody at the school thought to try and make contact with her). Miranda Gaddis' mother appeared on the show, but Ashley's mother was too emotionally distraught to come to the taping.
Murderabelia - John Walsh featured people who collect what's known as "Murderabelia," which is essentially memorabilia that was created or owned by serial killers. I think one guy on the show collected John Wayne Gacy's paintings, but easily the most memorable moment was when John confronted one collector who was open about the fact that he had samples of Ottis Toole's hair. Let's just say it almost became the Jerry Springer Show for a minute.
South Carolina Hero - I've mentioned this in my 2002 guide, but this episode featured Kara, the South Carolina teen who led to the downfall of serial killer Richard Evonitz. After she had been kidnapped and raped by Evonitz, Kara somehow escaped and alerted police. They investigated and soon linked Evontiz to the unsolved murders of three girls from Virginia during the 1996-1997 time frame. Evonitz later killed himself as police closed in on him. This episode featured the families of Kristin & Kati Lisk and Sofia Silva meeting Kara and thanking her for all she'd done. I think the show also featured a letter from Evonitz's wife which was read by a family member; in it, his wife said she was so sorry for what her husband had done and she said if she had any clue about what he was doing, she would have turned him in.
Celebrities in Trouble - Aka, what introduced me to Nancy Grace. John invited Nancy to be the special guest on the show to discuss celebrities that had gotten in trouble. Among the people they talked about was a PR woman who ironically got bad PR after she drove her car into a crowd of people (I think she was drunk) and OJ Simpson (where John actually interviewed a juror about why she acquitted him; she claimed that she didn't necessarily think Simpson wasn't guilty, just that the prosecutors didn't prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt). Easily the most memorable part was at the end when John and Nancy went through several celebrity mugshots and made goofy comments about each one of them.
Talented Kids - I personally never saw this episode, but it's memorable for one reason, which I will get to in a moment. In this episode, John featured kids that had special talents. What made this episode memorable was because of what happened when John met a kid who was a semi-professional skateboarder. According to John's testimony on Larry King Live, he said he wanted to try standing on the skateboard. The boy told him something to the effect of, "Mr. Walsh, I don't think that's such a good idea." John ignored him, put one foot on the skateboard and lost his balance, falling and breaking his ankle. There were several AMW episodes following this incident where John did the shows sitting in a chair, and later just standing still without moving. If you've ever wondered why, it's because his ankle was broken. One of the more amusing John Walsh stories
Other episodes featured Leland Gregory (author of the Stupid Crook Book and What's the Number for 911?), Cole Bailey Sr. (who helped track down his son's killers in Arizona. AMW tips caught one of them, Cassandra Woods), and an episode dedicated to the murder of Gwen Araujo, a transgender woman killed in Newark, New Jersey who was killed because of her sexual identity.
The John Walsh Show didn't last very long; it got canceled in late 2003/early 2004 after debuting in September 2002. But does anybody else remember the show?
Some of the more memorable episodes I can remember:
Ashley Pond & Miranda Gaddis - Shortly after their bodies were discovered in Oregon, John Walsh dedicated an entire episode of his show to the missing girls who disappeared a month apart from the same apartment complex. I remember they talked about how the police assumed that Ashley Pond was a runaway when she first went missing, and that her mother didn't even know she was missing until the very end of the school day (she never showed up at school, but nobody at the school thought to try and make contact with her). Miranda Gaddis' mother appeared on the show, but Ashley's mother was too emotionally distraught to come to the taping.
Murderabelia - John Walsh featured people who collect what's known as "Murderabelia," which is essentially memorabilia that was created or owned by serial killers. I think one guy on the show collected John Wayne Gacy's paintings, but easily the most memorable moment was when John confronted one collector who was open about the fact that he had samples of Ottis Toole's hair. Let's just say it almost became the Jerry Springer Show for a minute.
South Carolina Hero - I've mentioned this in my 2002 guide, but this episode featured Kara, the South Carolina teen who led to the downfall of serial killer Richard Evonitz. After she had been kidnapped and raped by Evonitz, Kara somehow escaped and alerted police. They investigated and soon linked Evontiz to the unsolved murders of three girls from Virginia during the 1996-1997 time frame. Evonitz later killed himself as police closed in on him. This episode featured the families of Kristin & Kati Lisk and Sofia Silva meeting Kara and thanking her for all she'd done. I think the show also featured a letter from Evonitz's wife which was read by a family member; in it, his wife said she was so sorry for what her husband had done and she said if she had any clue about what he was doing, she would have turned him in.
Celebrities in Trouble - Aka, what introduced me to Nancy Grace. John invited Nancy to be the special guest on the show to discuss celebrities that had gotten in trouble. Among the people they talked about was a PR woman who ironically got bad PR after she drove her car into a crowd of people (I think she was drunk) and OJ Simpson (where John actually interviewed a juror about why she acquitted him; she claimed that she didn't necessarily think Simpson wasn't guilty, just that the prosecutors didn't prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt). Easily the most memorable part was at the end when John and Nancy went through several celebrity mugshots and made goofy comments about each one of them.
Talented Kids - I personally never saw this episode, but it's memorable for one reason, which I will get to in a moment. In this episode, John featured kids that had special talents. What made this episode memorable was because of what happened when John met a kid who was a semi-professional skateboarder. According to John's testimony on Larry King Live, he said he wanted to try standing on the skateboard. The boy told him something to the effect of, "Mr. Walsh, I don't think that's such a good idea." John ignored him, put one foot on the skateboard and lost his balance, falling and breaking his ankle. There were several AMW episodes following this incident where John did the shows sitting in a chair, and later just standing still without moving. If you've ever wondered why, it's because his ankle was broken. One of the more amusing John Walsh stories
Other episodes featured Leland Gregory (author of the Stupid Crook Book and What's the Number for 911?), Cole Bailey Sr. (who helped track down his son's killers in Arizona. AMW tips caught one of them, Cassandra Woods), and an episode dedicated to the murder of Gwen Araujo, a transgender woman killed in Newark, New Jersey who was killed because of her sexual identity.
The John Walsh Show didn't last very long; it got canceled in late 2003/early 2004 after debuting in September 2002. But does anybody else remember the show?
