Bill Jackson (BJ and Dirty Dragon Show) R.I.P

Cafe Society
1

Well this blows. Two of my TV crushes have died within a one month span.

First Nicholas Georgiade, and now Bill Jackson, known to Chicagoans as BJ.

Back in the Seventies and beyond, Bill Jackson was the host of The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show. He also did Gigglesnort Hotel and some other programs.

He had all sorts of puppet characters besides Dirty Dragon. The main one I remember is Weird, a short wild-haired teller of bad puns. There was also Blob, a lump of modeling clay that BJ would sculpt into various caricatures. Blob spoke in unintelligible grumbles and growls. BJ would interpret Blob’s comments as he shaped the clay.

Bill was hospitalized with Covid, but had been discharged. I’m guessing Covid had to do with his death. Bill Jackson was 86.

Sigh. My adolescent love life, dying away. OMG, if this sort of thing comes in threes, I wonder who’s next??? (pleasenotTomBaker, pleasenotTomBaker…)

So as Dirty Dragon would say, “FIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”

2

BJ was a huge part of my childhood. My brothers and I never missed “Cartoon Town.” We had the “Blast Off To Mars” book and a set of Weird and Wally puppets. Mom even took us to a live BJ and Dirty Dragon show at (I think) the Chicago Theater.

86 is a pretty good run, but this news still makes me sad.

3

I loved the “B.J. and Dirty Dragon Show” when I was a kid. Bill was funny and imaginative, and a big part of my childhood. Very sad news.

4

My favorite was “The Blob”.

Blabla bla blah blah.

5

Halloween episode on YouTube:

Dirty had a girlfriend?!

6

He lived around the corner from my junior high and I’d see him washing his Model A.