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Joe's parents were Joseph Zawislak and Anna Kappe . They married in November 1936.
Joe attended St. Mary's Grade School.
In 1950, Joe wanted to learn the accordion. His father purchased a beautiful accordion; with Joe taking lessons. One of Joe's favorite songs was "Our Lady of Fatima."
Joe loved to imitate people, especially Hollywood stars.
After his father died, Joe joined the Navy along with his accordion in 1955. Joe was discharged from the Navy on December 12, 1957.
After his return from the Navy, Joe became interested in learning magic tricks. He developed an act with Sylvia Harriet DeNardo, and they performed as Dr. Alky and Sylvia and then later as The Fabulous Mister Joseph and Sylvia. Joe and Harriet (Sylvia) married in 1958.
Joe loved to watch late-night television and was a huge fan of Roland, a ghoul played by John Zacherley, who introduced horror movies. One day, Joe decided to make up his face like Roland, went outside, with all the kids in the neighborhood following him around. Joe realized that he became an instant celebrity and decided to dress up like Roland at family gatherings.
During the early 1960s, Joe and Harriet owned a steak shop. Later, Joe became an insurance salesman. He still performed his magic act whenever and wherever he could. Between 1959 and 1970, Joe and Harriet had five children. Early in 1970, Joe was at the barbershop, when he overheard a conversation that would change his life. The man in the chair ahead of him was an executive for Channel 17. He was complaining to the barber that the station was planning to show horror movies on Saturday nights beginning in March, but they could not find a host.
Joe instantly approached the man, went into his Roland routine, and was hired on the spot. He contacted John Zacherley and explained that he wanted to be like Roland but would add magic to the act. Mr. Zacherley gave Joe his permission, and Dr. Shock was born. Joe hired his younger brother Charlie to play his sidekick, a hunchback named Igor.
Airing at 10:00 pm on Saturday nights, Channel 17 called the show Creature Features. Dr. Shock's first show was on March 7, 1970. He presented the movie "Diary of A Madman" starring Vincent Price.
On April 25, 1970, the name of the show was changed to Scream-In. After 13 shows, Channel 17 decided to drop Dr. Shock as host and just run the movies. They had no idea as to how popular he had become in three short months. The station received thousands of angry letters and calls, so they soon reversed their decision and brought Dr. Shock back.
In September 1970, the show was moved to 7 pm as a double feature. Charlie's Igor character was axed from the show, and in November of 1970, Dr. Shock added his youngest daughter, Doreen, to the cast as Bubbles. In January 1972, the show was moved to 9 pm on Sunday nights, but on March 11, 1972, it was switched back to 7 pm on Saturdays.
On December 2, 1972, the name of the show was changed to Dr. Shock Presents: Mad Theater (at 1:30 pm) and Horror Theater (at 3 pm). In September of 1973, Dr. Shock was given a new time slot, 2 pm to 5 pm, where he remained for the next six years.
The opening theme song of the show was Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, which played as a portrait of Satan's face morphed into Dr. Shock (who laughed diabolically). Bubbles would go over to Shock's coffin and knock on the lid to let him know that it was time to start the show. After a brief comedy bit, he would then introduce a movie.
While he did show all of the classics like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, and The Wolfman, more often than not they were low budget films such as Terror From the Year 5000, Invasion of the Star Creatures and The Curse of the Aztec Mummy. Dr. Shock would interrupt the movies with more comedy and would sometimes perform magic.
Dr. Shock appealed to people of all ages. He was in high demand for personal appearances and would perform at fairs, store openings, high schools, and parades, always arriving in a hearse.
