Haunted Pittsburgh LLC

𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐬𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐡:
𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑯𝑨𝑼𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑫 𝑷𝑰𝑬𝑹𝑶𝑮𝑰

October 17 -- Kelly Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

TICKETS NOW ON SALE: https://kelly-strayhorn.org/events/the-haunted-pierogi/

Pittsburgh has a North Side and a South Side. On October 17th, the Haunted Pittsburgh Players take you to 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒. It’s 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙋𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙞—a twisted, raucous mash-up of Pittsburgh’s greatest tales of the unexplained.

𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟓
𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒔 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏--𝑶𝑹𝑫𝑬𝑹 𝑵𝑶𝑾
http://www.hauntedpittsburghtours.com/

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝟖𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐀. 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐨 — 𝐜𝐨-𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐳𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐞

Today we celebrate a card-carrying member of the horror hall of fame, a Pittsburgh original who is still going strong. In 1968, George A. Romero, John Russo, and Russ Streiner — with help from a small circle of friends at The Latent Image and Image Ten — made Night of the Living Dead. Nobody else was doing this. Not Hollywood. Not the old voodoo pictures. They invented the modern zombie: the recently dead, risen, eating human flesh.

Russo’s part of that invention? It would not have happened without him. The opening credits tell the story:

"Screenplay by
John Russo
George Romero"

But Russo didn't just co-write the screenplay, he originated the idea that the attackers were dead people who eat the living. The modern zombie that we all know was John Russo's brainchild. Oh, he also worked the clap stick, loaded magazines, and played ghouls on camera — including the tire-iron zombie who comes after Barbara in the farmhouse. Romero directed it. The great Russ Streiner produced it and walked into that cemetery as Johnny--it would not have happened without Russ Streiner, either.

After 1968 Mr. Russo stayed here. Clairton. Glassport. Novels, films, classrooms, conventions. He's one of us, and he deserves our attention and thanks. If you’ve walked past 247 Fort Pitt Boulevard downtown, that's not only where the infamous basement scene where the little zombie girl eats her parents was filmed, it's also where the modern zombie was born, thanks to John Russo, Russ Streiner, and George Romero.

Happy birthday, John.
https://www.facebook.com/john.russo.1485537

𝟓𝟓 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏, 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟏.

Three Rivers Stadium. Phillies in town. 11,278 in the seats. Both Pittsburgh papers on strike. Almost nobody wrote it down.

Danny Murtaugh’s card:
Rennie Stennett, 2B
Gene Clines, CF
Roberto Clemente, RF
Willie Stargell, LF
Manny Sanguillén, C
Dave Cash, 3B
Al Oliver, 1B
Jackie Hernández, SS
Dock Ellis, P

Five Black Americans. Four Latinos. From Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the United States.

The first six hitters were batting over .300.

It was not a ceremony. Hebner was sick. Alley and Robertson were hurt. Murtaugh was trying to win. A batboy looked at the lineup and said the Homestead Grays were in town. In the early innings Cash turned to Oliver: “Man, we got all brothers out there.” They laughed. Clemente told Sanguillén he never thought he’d live to see it.They won 10–7.

Six weeks later they won the World Series. Clemente was MVP.

Jackie Robinson broke the line in 1947. On this night in Pittsburgh, the whole lineup crossed it.