TV SHOW WILL FEATURE CAIRO MAN'S ANTICS

While watching "America's Funniest Home Videos," David McNeely fell asleep in his recliner, giving his family the perfect opportunity to record his nap-time antics.

That videotape won the family a shot at $10,000 on the television show. David McNeely of Cairo and his "Godzilla Sleeper" video clip will air on "America's Funniest Home Videos" Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on WSIL-TV.

The family can't say if they won until after the program airs.

When David is sleeping and someone disturbs him, he gets angry, roars, reaches out with his hands in a manner resembling Godzilla. He is sound asleep and doesn't remember a thing.

In fact, he didn't believe he performed such antics. So David's son, Jim McNeely of Jackson, and his fiance, Debbie Koerber of Gordonville, decided to tape his sleep patterns so David could see proof.

Koerber said, "When he falls asleep, whatever he is dreaming about or thinking about, he acts it out."

"He does that all the time," Jim McNeely said. "He didn't believe it. We were video-taping to show him he actually does it."

David McNeely recalled the night when the video was made.

"My son and his fiance had come visiting and they brought this camera down with them without letting me know, hopeful that I would fall asleep just to prove that I talk in my sleep."

He dozed off during the funniest videos.

"When I awoke they let me see the video," he said. "We were all sitting around laughing, and they said we ought to send this in to 'America's Funniest Home Videos.' I kind of laughed and said go ahead."

He never dreamed the show would be interested in his growling video clip.

They were.

"The next thing I knew it had been selected to be shown on the air and they needed my signature," David McNeely said. "I'm a good sport, so I said OK."

A few days later they learned it was one of the top videos and they were invited to Los Angeles for taping of the show and a chance to win $10,000. David McNeely thought he might not take time off his job as editor of the Cairo Citizen newspaper. But his employer insisted.

David McNeely and his wife, Lucita, Jim McNeely and Koerber all flew out for the taping the first weekend in February. The production company picked up the tab.

"It was really an interesting process," David McNeely said. "They kept us separated from the audience during most of everything so they were not influenced by our presence."

Bob Saget, the show's host, is even funnier behind-the-scenes than on the show, David McNeely said.

"Bob will keep you rolling in the aisles between shots," he said. "And you don't see the things where maybe he says something that is not exactly the same as the script and there is an argument about whether to keep it."

Koerber agreed. "He's a lot funnier in person than on the actual show. He wants to add in so many things the company won't let him."

David McNeely hopes to remain a good sport about the video, but he is a little worried about returning to work Monday morning. "I'll probably get a lot of teasing," he said. "But it was a lot of fun."