Do you remember the pre-internet days, when the only way to find cool, underground, amateur entertainment was either through college radio or public access TV? Yeah, nowadays it’s hard to think of a time before YouTube even existed, but I was recently reminded of one of the local pioneers of this non-wired scene, a low budget TV star whose crazy stunts and nutjob antics pre-dated the Jackass crew by probably a good 10 years.
Cap’n Video was a TV show that aired on Maclean Hunter cable 10 here in the Niagara Region, and it starred a wacky metalhead who played music videos, and in between he would air segments of himself doing gross or dangerous things like eating cat food, cutting his lawn with a blowtorch, or sledding off his roof. Everything was shot by himself from his house or his backyard (I don’t think there was even a camera man), and it was extremely raw and just about as unprofessional as you can get. Needless to say, he also served as a form of inspiration for people like Jay C., who busy shooting his own home-made movies at the time.
The Capn’s most famous moment came when he climbed a ladder high above his swimming pool in the winter and went to jump off, only to have the ladder bend in an unexpected way at the last minute, causing him to plummet and smack into the concrete beside the pool. I think this resulted in a broken arm and a cracked vertebrae or something (luckily his neighbour witnessed the fall) and yet I’m pretty sure the segment still aired on his show afterward. Years later, the clip turned up on America’s Funniest Home Videos. I don’t remember if he won anything, but it’s funny because that was pretty much the best you could hope for in those days with an amateur video… today, he could have been a massive internet celebrity!
Anyway, I’m glad to say the man’s still alive and kickin, and he’s on Facebook now (there’s a Cap’n Video Facebook group). I also found a bunch of old highlights on YouTube… many thanks to whoever uploaded them! Watch and learn kiddies. This is the original Jackass, the pride of St. Catharines!
Update: The bad news is the clips have disappeared from YouTube and the Cap’n is no longer on Facebook. The good news is, my good friend Jay Cheel is directing a documentary about him called Beauty Day!
one of the things I liked about the show was his sing songy attitude. He was this rocker guy but he has this Pee Wee Herman thing about him too, as he was about to do stunts he’d sing “Its going to be a beauty beauty day” and stuff. Just weird.
Do you also remember X Marks the Spot, the sketch show that came on after it?
Yep, totally remember X Marks The Spot. I wonder if any of that stuff’s on the web anywhere now.
I dont know, you’d have to dig up Mark Wikobrado somewhere/somehow, maybe even Facebook. Since I talked to him all the time (he worked at Battery Plus when it was at the pen centre where Gateway is now) my name was somehow in the ‘thanks’ credits of every ep of that show.
killer post web. I love the Captain
I was on X Mark’s the Spot! Mark is not on facebook anymore but still works with Cogeco. I was road kill girl, disco direction girl and so on. Susan Walters was my name then
Nicely Dun Sean!
A few things wrong though.
America’s Funniest offered me a T-Shirt and a “chance” at winning 10K cash, but with so many cute babies and pets… why take the chance? NO GO with them. Real TV saw my footage at a cop convention in NYC…. called Cogeco TV and got my # & Since then…I’ve sold it to 8 different shows to make 40 K off a broken neck….and today I’m Beauty, Beauty Beauty!!
I appreciate people digging my shyte and now your pal Jay Cheel has formed some kind of relationship with me to find out the actual history of how Cap’n Video came to be and may be documenting it for no-one to see.
I’m glad that my nuttiness made you type all the words you did but I type with my nose and must take a nap now.
yes, he sure is a major jerkoff.
I put up all those videos on youtube… there was an official group and ralph was on facebook but either left or got banned due to the rabbit video he posted. I talked to him about his videos and everything and he wanted to do so much with his facebook site then some jerks started giving him heck and he either blew his cool and got banned or left. Anyhow i still have the videos on a vhs tape.. contact me if you want to know what happened to ralph or know why he left the group
Ralph left facebook on his own so cest lavie
I also removed the video clips at his request so please respect his desicion
I grew up beside Cap’n. me and my buddies used to have beers and watch him shoot the videos
Joe Hamrin was my lover and,YES,he did majorly jerk me off (It was good for me, how about you Schmoe?).
Glen and his Pals came down to MuchMusic to watch me on “Ed’s Night Party” and almost got killed from flying toilet pieces during the Hallowe’en skit “Bobbing for Brown Bananas”. Luckily, Hamlin was there to lick up the drippings.
Man, Cap’n Video was awesome! I remember the good old days of watching him on local access channel 10; he was crazy!. He was the only thing on that channel worth watching. I even remember meeting him at the Niagara Square Mall in Niagara Falls. Too bad the lamos at channel 10 took him off the air over some stupid incident regarding feeding chocolate to puppies.
[...] Cap’n is Ralph Zavadil, a high-octane personality who directed, wrote, shot, edited, and starred in a St. Catharines [...]
[...] claim to fame was a low-budget public-access TV program which he starred in and created himself. Cap ‘n Video aired in the 90s in St. Catharine’s, Ontario, and is referred to by many as the precursor to [...]
Cap’n video just saw your show on tv the one where it is over an hour documentery. Man you rock out and seem to still be rockin out. I like your attitude but am not willin to try your stunts lol. you made me laugh and anyone with the abstract sense of humour get’s you!! keep on doing what your doing and stay out of the factories you don’t belong there your too good for that shit. keep makin video’s that is what you do best!!! keep on rockin to the end and make us all proud!!! ROCK ON lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BTcJTVUhoU
I have it on youtube, here you go guys, the ladder fall.
But i just found this one, which is better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kNMdGY2Pxo&feature=related
Looks like he took all the cideos off of youtube.
“This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Ralph Zavadil. ”
Not very smart as youtube is the only reason anyone knows about him today.
I tried to contact the guys that made his new video as I wanted to buy one but never heard back from them.
Looks like he took all the videos off of youtube.
“This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Ralph Zavadil. ”
Not very smart as youtube is the only reason anyone knows about him today.
I tried to contact the guys that made his new video as I wanted to buy one but never heard back from them
[...] unwieldy analog camcorder, delivered one of the greatest, rarest gifts humanity has ever recieved: a fun, unique and truly daring public access TV show.Calling himself (and the show) Cap’n Video, the shirtless, longhaired, goggle-wearing Zavadil [...]
I got a fucking warning from youtube for posting copyrighted material. I didn’t even know the guy was alive still, Cap’N video can jump off a cliff for all I care now. Asshole.