Here is a place to talk about your favorite horror movie hosts. Which ones did you grow up with? Who do you watch now?
For my part, I watch Svengoolie and have without fail for several years thanks to the fact that he is nationally syndicated.
(http://zombiehamster.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Svengoolie.jpg)
I didn't grow up with a horror host, but, man, I wish I had! I remember catching an episode or two of Elvira's program when I was a kid, but that was when I was visiting my grandparents in a different state, so it's not like I had anyone to watch locally (that I was aware of).
However, I've definitely made up for lost time, and I thank the internet for that. Over the years, I've been devouring and watching whatever I can get my hands on. Dr. Gangrene. Midnite Mausoleum (RIP). Count Gore De Vol. Zacherley. Bob Wilkins. All the different shows and hosts on the Kreepy Kastle (I spend a LOT of time at http://kreepykastle.com/ (http://kreepykastle.com/) . . . !) I watch The Weirdness Really Bad Movie and Mr. Lobo on my Roku. And, of course I have my DVR set to record Svengoolie every Saturday night!
I suppose there are worse addictions to have!
In the '60s when I was a wee Monsterbrat I watched Bestoink Dooley when we lived in Athens, Ga. In the '70s I watched Dr. Shock and Dingbat out of Chattanooga, Tn. In the '80s I watched Elvira's Movie Macabre when it was in syndication. And, currently, I spend far too much time watching Kreepy Kastle on these here interwebs. I especially enjoy Atomic Age Cinema with Baron Mardi, Dr. Calamari, and those other foul-mouthed reprobates. :laugh:
Oh yeah, and I loved the hell outta MST3K when it originally ran on The Comedy Channel/Comedy Central.
My favourite and earliest Cool Ghoul was Zacherle ...
That's Brooklyn Nostalgia: 'Zacherley At Large-2' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjVrw01VRIk#)
I'm also a long time fan of Morgus the Magnificent
Morgus The Magnificent (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-tPQhbz5l4#)
Growing up in New York City we only had Zacherley, but with Zach we didn't need anyone else.
Sven is my favorite horror host. I caught a couple of his shows in the early 80s and he made a lasting impression on me. As a teen in the 80s I watched Commander USA and Elvira and loved Zacherley's Horrible Horror VHS tape. In recent years I have become very fond of newer hosts Mr Lobo, Marlena Midnight, Penny Dreadful and WolfMan Mac.
Quote from: RedKing on July 01, 2014, 06:33:24 PM
Sven is my favorite horror host. I caught a couple of his shows in the early 80s and he made a lasting impression on me. As a teen in the 80s I watched Commander USA and Elvira and loved Zacherley's Horrible Horror VHS tape. In recent years I have become very fond of newer hosts Mr Lobo, Marlena Midnight, Penny Dreadful and WolfMan Mac.
RK, you're a dude after my own heart. I love all of those hosts as well. I have seasons 2-8 of Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers on DVD (season 1 has been OOP forever but you can buy those episodes singly), and I'm a fan club member being a properly loyal Dreary One. So sorry to hear about Magoo's passing. I also love Zach's Horrible Horror and wore out my VHS copy long ago. I was stoked when it was rereleased on DVD with all that extra content. Anyone who likes Zacherley needs this DVD.
(http://oldies.s3.amazonaws.com/i/boxart/zoom/a-z/x/xleg611d.jpg)
Quote from: BrotherD on July 01, 2014, 12:37:24 PM
I didn't grow up with a horror host, but, man, I wish I had! I remember catching an episode or two of Elvira's program when I was a kid, but that was when I was visiting my grandparents in a different state, so it's not like I had anyone to watch locally (that I was aware of).
However, I've definitely made up for lost time, and I thank the internet for that. Over the years, I've been devouring and watching whatever I can get my hands on. Dr. Gangrene. Midnite Mausoleum (RIP). Count Gore De Vol. Zacherley. Bob Wilkins. All the different shows and hosts on the Kreepy Kastle (I spend a LOT of time at http://kreepykastle.com/ (http://kreepykastle.com/) . . . !) I watch The Weirdness Really Bad Movie and Mr. Lobo on my Roku. And, of course I have my DVR set to record Svengoolie every Saturday night!
I suppose there are worse addictions to have!
Thank you so much for that URL!
The first host I ever had a chance to see was "Seymour" in the LA market, the next one I really enjoyed was Elvira. Of those that are current, I like Penny Dreadful and Sven Goolie alot.
Quote from: Haunted hearse on July 01, 2014, 10:44:32 PM
The first host I ever had a chance to see was "Seymour" in the LA market, the next one I really enjoyed was Elvira. Of those that are current, I like Penny Dreadful and Sven Goolie alot.
Man, I was just about to mention Seymour. I'm glad I'm not the only one in L.A. that remembers him. He made a personal appearance at a theater 2 blocks from our house in South Gate (the Allen Theater). I think it was a Hammer or Amicus film or two (or maybe even "Die, Monster, Die"). Fond memories! All the kids spread a rumor that he had his cheekbones surgically removed to look like John Carradine's mutant brother.
Great topic. That's how I became a monster kid. I was prob 4,5,6 yrs old watching "Sir Graves Ghastly." He would show a lot of the classic Universal monster movies. My parents were rather young and would let me stay up and watch the "Ghoul" too. Maybe they shouldn't have (lol) but that was my exposure to late 50s and 1960s horror/sci-fi flicks.
I was already obsessed with my dad's alice cooper, black sabbath and kiss records, so Sir Graves Ghastly and the Ghoul made perfect sense to me.
Anyhow, in some ways I feel bad for today's kids. Without gnarly album covers and local horror hosts, not sure if I would have discovered the awesomeness of monster movies/culture.
Quote from: geezer butler on July 01, 2014, 11:54:32 PM
I was already obsessed with my dad's alice cooper, black sabbath and kiss records, so Sir Graves Ghastly and the Ghoul made perfect sense to me.
Anyhow, in some ways I feel bad for today's kids. Without gnarly album covers and local horror hosts, not sure if I would have discovered the awesomeness of monster movies/culture.
Great point about the rock connection with horror. Who else but Alice Cooper could do a song like "The Ballad of Dwight Frye"? Modern horror has had a very strong link with rock, punk & metal. Hip hop songs just don't seem to fit well in horror movies. That's just a jaded, old rocker's opinion, of course.
Quote from: Mord on July 02, 2014, 01:04:25 AM
Great point about the rock connection with horror. Who else but Alice Cooper could do a song like "The Ballad of Dwight Frye"? Modern horror has had a very strong link with rock, punk & metal. Hip hop songs just don't seem to fit well in horror movies. That's just a jaded, old rocker's opinion, of course.
Alice is freakin' awesome. Even when he went partly metal he still did tunes like Teenage Frankenstein. I love his early work best. I think Love It To Death is just about the best album ever created.
I love Seymour, too. He may have been on the other side of the country but I got to keep up with his antics in the pages of the late, great, Monster Times newspaper.
Quote from: horrorhunter on July 02, 2014, 01:56:17 PM
Alice is freakin' awesome. Even when he went partly metal he still did tunes like Teenage Frankenstein. I love his early work best. I think Love It To Death is just about the best album ever created.
I love Seymour, too. He may have been on the other side of the country but I got to keep up with his antics in the pages of the late, great, Monster Times newspaper.
Amazing! "Love it to Death" was always my favorite Alice album, too. I think you may be the brother mom gave up for adoption.
Quote from: Mord on July 02, 2014, 03:01:45 PM
Amazing! "Love it to Death" was always my favorite Alice album, too. I think you may be the brother mom gave up for adoption.
I think we may both be spawn that came from the same alien abduction horndog. What a couple o' weirdos. :laugh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZJpKYfZZpc&feature=player_detailpage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZJpKYfZZpc&feature=player_detailpage)
Cool! Hey, it's the censored version of the album cover. I remember his thumb was sticking out in the middle & parents complained thinking it was his penis so Warner Bros blacked it out.
Quote from: Mord on July 02, 2014, 11:41:01 PM
Cool! Hey, it's the censored version of the album cover. I remember his thumb was sticking out in the middle & parents complained thinking it was his penis so Warner Bros blacked it out.
;D ;D
Hell yeah! Alice is my favorite singer ever! Has been since I was about 6 years old thanks to my uncle who is only 8 years older than me. I wish Warners would release the feature length special The Nightmare on dvd oe brd. This was basically the entire Welcome to my Nightmare album plus Ballad of Dwight Frye with Vincent Price as the master of the nightmare tormenting ALice throughout.
My local host as Dr. Igor, who, with his hunchback pal, Plasma, hosted CHILLER THEATER on WQAD, the ABC affiliate out of Moline IL. Early-md 1960s. No footage exists....
Quote from: horrorhunter on July 01, 2014, 07:15:46 PM
RK, you're a dude after my own heart. I love all of those hosts as well. I have seasons 2-8 of Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers on DVD (season 1 has been OOP forever but you can buy those episodes singly), and I'm a fan club member being a properly loyal Dreary One. So sorry to hear about Magoo's passing. I also love Zach's Horrible Horror and wore out my VHS copy long ago. I was stoked when it was rereleased on DVD with all that extra content. Anyone who likes Zacherley needs this DVD.
I first discovered Zacherley through that VHS tape! It was given to me as a gift one Christmas, and I had no idea what it was or who the guy in the make-up was supposed to be. As soon as I put it in the VCR, though, I was enchanted! I watched it MANY times over the years, and was quick to snatch it up on DVD when it was released on disc!
Quote from: BrotherD on July 03, 2014, 12:31:55 PM
I first discovered Zacherley through that VHS tape! It was given to me as a gift one Christmas, and I had no idea what it was or who the guy in the make-up was supposed to be. As soon as I put it in the VCR, though, I was enchanted! I watched it MANY times over the years, and was quick to snatch it up on DVD when it was released on disc!
A few years ago I traded some horror host DVDs with another collector and obtained a good DVD burn of the old Horrible Horror VHS. And, I of course jumped on the expanded DVD when it came out. It turns out there are still bits on the old original that never made it into the new expanded DVD. So, if you want every iota of Zach Horrible Horror goodness you actually need both. It's only a couple of short bits that didn't make it into the new one, and I don't even remember exactly what they were without re-watching, but I saw the original so much back in the day I memorized parts of it and noticed their absence when I watched the new version.
I didn't have a host on TV when I was growing up on Long Island in the 1970s and early 1980s. We had Chiller Theatre, that had the six fingered clay animated hand reaching up from a swamp, but no host. My Mother was a fan of Zacherley when he arrived in New York in the late 1950s, and I grew up hearing stories about him and listening to her "Spook Along With Zacherley" LP. I finally got to see him in action in the early 1980s when Channel 9 aired him hosting Gorilla At Large in 3D. Then Good Times Home Video came out with his Horrible Horror VHS, and I wore it out watching it (had to buy two backups). He was my inspiration to become a horror host myself. I met him a few times at the Chiller Theatre Expo, and he's a wonderful man.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-K-DRqYXNR6M/U7YPlveep5I/AAAAAAAAADk/qWVFlSLD55M/w600-h558-no/zachandormsby.jpg)
Around the same time (around 1983) a UHF station out of Connecticut started airing Elvira's Movie Macabre on Saturday nights, with repeats (usually of the previous week's movie) on Sunday. I watch religiously every weekend until the station took the show off. Luckily, the video rental store in town had the series of VHS tapes she did the intros for (usually episodes of Hammer's House of Horror). I met her at Chiller too.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cDWf-ShYbeA/U7YPlqaigaI/AAAAAAAAADc/oO8a44rxAn0/w557-h748-no/elviraandormsby.jpg)
Today, Svengoolie from Chicago is on MeTV in my area and I watch every Saturday evening. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting him yet, but I did a photo shoot dressed as him (with Clone #13 from my show as Sven's piano player Doug) to wish him a happy anniversary last month.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-g62g2X3jhe4/U7YSkhuAiiI/AAAAAAAAAEs/Rd8lKF3ofBI/w622-h415-no/IMG_8677-Edit.jpg)
Just learned that John Zacherley took a bit of a tumble in his apartment and had to go to the emergency room yesterday. No reports on anything being broken, and Chiller Theatre's Kevin Clement has passed along the word that the ER nurse said "John is doing good." Must be all those formaldehyde cocktails he's drank over the years!
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk
There was no horror host on CFPL our local station in London when I was in grade school. With cable TV or a good quality roof top antenna, Shock Theatre with host Ghoulardi could be picked up on WJW from Cleveland:
Ghoulardi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e52cXCrmauc#)
cl:)
I don't remember any horror hosts on tv in my area other than Joe Bob Briggs. I used to crave Monstervision all week until it came on, if I remember right, Saturday nights. I grabbed my pop and usually had some pizzza and chips as I watch all the great movies all night. I can't remember the times he was on, but I want to say 10pm-3am. Just good memories of a time when the world didn't move so fast and my only responsibility was cleaning up my toys.
Quote from: BigShadow on July 05, 2014, 01:17:21 PM
I don't remember any horror hosts on tv in my area other than Joe Bob Briggs. I used to crave Monstervision all week until it came on, if I remember right, Saturday nights. I grabbed my pop and usually had some pizzza and chips as I watch all the great movies all night. I can't remember the times he was on, but I want to say 10pm-3am. Just good memories of a time when the world didn't move so fast and my only responsibility was cleaning up my toys.
Joe Bob is great! I enjoy all of his shtick, especially the Drive-In Totals and Honey The Mail Girl. He also did some fun DVD commentary tracks a few years back, The Double-D Avenger and I Spit On Your Grave (original) are classics. This guy is not only witty, he is exceptionally knowledgeable about monster and exploitation flicks. The all-nighter he did with the first few Friday The 13th movies is big fun.
(http://liberaldead.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/JOEBOB11.jpg)
Count Gore de Vol.
I grew up watching him in the DC area, met him and still catch his show online.
I love Sven weekly, the Bone Jangler, Elvira, a Penny a Dreadful, Dr. Destruction among others.
I have about 75 DVDs with various hosts and movies. If anyone is interested in a trade I can email you my list. I'm always looking to add more to my collection.
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I used to run "Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In" and "Joe Bob's Advice to the Hopeless" in my college newspaper. For years, it was the only newspaper in New Jersey that carried Joe Bob (this was a decade before MonsterVision, mind you). Then, some South Jersey weekly started carrying it. Hard to believe no syndicate will carry the column anymore. I have all of his books, personally autographed.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk
Growing up in the 60s, WSYR out of Syracuse, NY had "Monster Movie Matinee" every Saturday at 1.....
the host was Dr. E. Nick Witty, who was never seen, except for a his hand...his assistant, Epow, was usually on screen, and was the typical mad scientist's assistant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iM-jVQ_EnI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iM-jVQ_EnI)
Here is the original Horrible Horror hosted by Zacherley from the VHS put out by Goodtimes Video in 1986.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=uad3vZqcg20 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=uad3vZqcg20)
Dr. Shock (Tommy Reynolds) and Dingbat (Dan East). I used to watch these guys in the '70s out of Chattanooga, TN. Shock played everything under the moon including Equinox, AIP Vincent Price flicks, and Brides Of Blood (uncut). Shock and Dingbat often talked about local personalities in the Chattanooga area like Redbank Reena, Black Jack Blalock, and Mean Uncle Floyd. It was always a great show and gave us lots to talk about at school on Mondays.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AG0NMLjCoX4/SQpibgfQ58I/AAAAAAAAC8U/s7fJyXT71NA/s400/Dr.+Shock.jpg)
Quote from: horrorhunter on July 22, 2014, 01:48:16 PMIt was always a great show and gave us lots to talk about at school on Mondays.
Oh man, I'll bet it did!
;D
The local stations in my area (western Kentucky) didn't have a horror host or even a Shock Theatre type program in the 60's. However when I would visit my relatives in north Mississippi I got to see Sivad on Memphis' channel 13. He was scarier than some of the movies he hosted!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QgwgDvq3t4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QgwgDvq3t4)
Here is Dr. Shock (Tommy Reynolds) and Nurse Badbody. Some fans remember her as Nurse Goodbody but I think it was Badbody as a monstrous play on the Nurse Goodbody character on HeeHaw that Archie Campbell enjoyed ogling.
(http://www.drwebman.com/img/drshock/dr_shock_and_nurse_goodbody_003.jpg)
This is a spoof video of Dr. Shock and Dingbat. The Dingbat voice sounds exactly like the real Dingbat and could be Dan East. I wish some footage from the real show would turn up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkuFRWrM58s&feature=player_embedded (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkuFRWrM58s&feature=player_embedded)
It was great growing up in during the 70's in Cleveland. We had three shows to choose from. My favorite (as seen by my avatar) was The Ghoul with Ron Sweed taking the reins from Ernie Anderson. We blew up many a model car with fire crackers back in the day because of that show >:D.
I also loved and watched Big Chuck and Hoolihan which later became Big Chuck and Little John. That show had some great skits like; The Kielbasa Kid, Mary Hartski, Certain Ethnic Six Million Dollar Man, and the pizza eating contests with MushMouth Marioana Pacetti, I'll never forget the moment that Mushmouth lost his crown to a dog. Most of those skits can still be found on YouTube.
Finally, every Saturday afternoon we would catch Marty Feldman's SuperHost. That's where I developed my love for Godzilla and Gamera flicks.
Very good times to be a kid!!
Cleveland? What about Ghoulardi then? Why was he not among your favourites?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7TcPI-vCDI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7TcPI-vCDI)
???
[img][https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/522x371q90/540/jnFyjR.jpg/img]
Don't know why I can't get it to show. It is Sammy Terry from Indianapolis Indiana.
You've got the [ bracket in the wrong spot. Put it before the /img].
:laugh:
Quote from: Hepcat on September 22, 2014, 03:12:38 PM
Cleveland? What about Ghoulardi then? Why was he not among your favourites?
???
I was a bit to young for Ghoulardi. He left the air a little before I started watching.
That said, I will be attending Ghoulardifest, this year, on Halloween. I can't wait!
(http://i1170.photobucket.com/albums/r529/creepy1972/zacher_zps0f27f27b.jpg)
Tomorrow on the 26th the great Zacherle turns 96. HAPPY BIIRTHDAY ZACHERLE. Hope four years from now we can wish the cool ghoul a happy 100.
Quote from: Haunted hearse on July 01, 2014, 10:44:32 PM
The first host I ever had a chance to see was "Seymour" in the LA market, the next one I really enjoyed was Elvira. Of those that are current, I like Penny Dreadful and Sven Goolie alot.
Seymour was my guy too. Never missed an episode of his show. Got to meet him once . Damn, nice guy.
I've been watching Elvira since day one.
I my friends am a Native Oklahoman, and i can state catagoricaly that there are TWO men every Oklahoman knows of - Will Rogers and Count Gregore.
John Ferguson from Clinton Indiana was urged to leave Hollywood by an executive saying it was a clogged market in the 50s.
He ended up working at WKY, a joint Radio and TV station ( its now just Radio) in Oklahoma City, of the Sci-Fi series '3-D Danny' (only one full segment survives) he played the robot Bazark, Ubik - a pre 'Star Trek' Spock like character and the Evil Duke of Mukedom.
In 1958 he was gived the hosting job of Nightmare Theater. Around 1972 he gained an assistant named Mister Ape, he worked steadily at every station in the Oklahoma City market untill a Elvira Want To Be forced him out in the 1980s.
John is still active, but he was lamenting to me not long ago that he wished he could go to L.A. owing to his money troubles, i think of him as family and every time i get a lottery ticket i always alocate a percentage that would go to him.
Went to Sir Graves Ghastly tribute at Redford Theater in Detroit today. "The Wolf Man" was the feature film. Seeing it on the big screen was amazing. Sir Graves was on in the Michigan and Ohio market from the late 60s to early 80s. Unfortunately there's not much footage of his show available. I caught his show toward the end of his run, but I remember it well and he was huge part of my monster upbringing.
My favorite horror movie host was Joe Bob Briggs Joe Bob Briggs - Return Of The Living Dead - MonsterVision (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE6lsIsvPaE#)
Who's the blonde babe with Joe Bob? Was she an ongoing feature?
???
Quote from: Hepcat on November 07, 2014, 10:43:18 AM
Who's the blonde babe with Joe Bob? Was she an ongoing feature?
???
Joe Bob is interviewing Linnea Quigley, she's a Scream Queen who played the often-nekkid Trash in
Return Of The Living Dead (1985).
(http://celebritybottoms.com/glamour/l/ass-L-glam-ind-LinneaQuigley-10.JPG)
She would make the perfect coffee table like that (like something from A Clockwork Orange).
Quote from: Mord on November 07, 2014, 02:43:17 PM
She would make the perfect coffee table like that (like something fro A Clockwork Orange).
There's an idea!
Someone should create a line of life-size Horror Hottie coffee tables for sexist pig Monsterkids like you and I. Anatomical correctness would allow a small storage capability (...not so small with some of those Hotties!). BTW, anatomical correctness is way more fun than political correctness. >:D :laugh:
Quote from: horrorhunter on November 07, 2014, 03:18:40 PM
There's an idea!
Someone should create a line of life-size Horror Hottie coffee tables for sexist pig Monsterkids like you and I. Anatomical correctness would allow a small storage capability (...not so small with some of those Hotties!). BTW, anatomical correctness is way more fun than political correctness. >:D :laugh:
I'm in (so to speak)!
Quote from: Mord on November 07, 2014, 06:25:11 PM
I'm in (so to speak)!
That coffee table would be terribly distracting. I'm out.
...err...me droogie. ;D
(http://www.junkarchive.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/a-clockwork-orange-alex-at-the-korova-milk-bar1.jpg)
"A bit of the old in out."
I have a feeling that you and I are the only two sexist pig Monsterkids left on this block.
Quote from: Mord on November 08, 2014, 12:54:36 AM
I have a feeling that you and I are the only two sexist pig Monsterkids left on this block.
At least that will admit to it. ;)
To be honest I have great respect for all people regardless of gender, race, or planet of origin. I just like to joke around and have fun. :)
Quote from: horrorhunter on November 08, 2014, 10:36:19 AM
To be honest I have great respect for all people regardless of gender, race, or planet of origin. I just like to joke around and have fun. :)
Are you running for office or something?
Quote from: Mord on November 09, 2014, 12:27:02 AM
Are you running for office or something?
No, no. I said
to be honest.
Politics and honesty are mutually exclusive. ::)
Of course I could have lied in which case I might have a future in politics. :-\
Well, to be honest, most politicians say "to be honest" right before their biggest lies.
Quote from: Mord on November 09, 2014, 02:23:14 PM
Well, to be honest, most politicians say "to be honest" right before their biggest lies.
I don't think I've ever heard a politician say "to be honest". I think they would cough up blood if they tried. ;D
Quote from: Mike Scott on November 09, 2014, 02:31:40 PM
I don't think I've ever heard a politician say "to be honest". I think they would cough up blood if they tried. ;D
In a perfect world they certainly should! :laugh:
Quote from: Mord on November 08, 2014, 12:54:36 AMI have a feeling that you and I are the only two sexist pig Monsterkids left on this block.
Not true!
>:D
Quote from: Flower on July 01, 2014, 02:26:20 PMI'm also a long time fan of Morgus the Magnificent
Morgus The Magnificent (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-tPQhbz5l4#)
Ahhhhh, from New Orleans!
(http://www.morgus.com/files/IMG_2.jpg)
Morgus the Magnificent - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgus_the_Magnificent)
cl:)
When I was a kid in Southern California Seymour was the guy. Every Saturday night I would stay up late and have a great time watching. He used to interrupt the movie with funny comments and during commercial breaks would do little skits. He also hosted the very first Knott's Scary Farm in Buena Park. Good memories of this guy. Here's a quote from Wikipedia:
QuoteLarry Vincent (June 14, 1924—March 9, 1975) was an American television horror host, famed for his character "Seymour," who presented—and heckled—low-budget horror and science fiction movies on Fright Night on KHJ-TV and Seymour's Monster Rally on KTLA, both local stations in Los Angeles between 1969 and 1974. He was noted for his style of criticizing the movies he presented in an offbeat and funny manner, usually appearing in a small window which would pop up in the corner, tossing a quip, then vanishing again. Sometimes he would, using blue-screen, appear in the middle of the movie, apparently interacting with the characters in the movie.
He used to call that wall behind him the "Slimy Wall"
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/SinisterSeymour1973.jpg/800px-SinisterSeymour1973.jpg)
http://www.houseofjitters.com/images/largecreature.jpg (http://www.houseofjitters.com/images/largecreature.jpg)
From The Monster Times issue 12 (1972).
(http://www.zomboscloset.com/.a/6a00d83451d04569e201b7c773a038970b-500wi)
TV Guide ad:
(http://home.earthlink.net/~mmariano/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/seymour_tvguide_closeup.jpg)
(http://www.houseofjitters.com/images/largecreature.jpg)
Chuck Acri, an aluminum siding & home improvement salesman from Moline, IL regaled us w/classic monster movies, & silent, comedic vignettes with vampire Vincent Hedges, werewolf Beauregard, & caveman Link. You could mail in letters, photos & artwork & possibly be awarded "Creep of the Week"! Monster kid magic from the early '70's!
(http://www.houseofjitters.com/images/familyalbum.jpeg)
Here's Chuck & the gang with Bernie the talking skull!
How did an aluminum siding salesman get to be a TV horror host? Those jobs usually went to someone working at the station, like the weatherman.
In 1969, Chuck Acri had previously been buying 10 second spots of air-time on the already existing Creature Feature, & asked to become the sponsor to promote his home improvement business, The Acri Company. Acri's ambitious marketing spread the program's reach to much of eastern Iowa & western Illinois. The rest as they say, is history.
So, he said - if I don't get to be the horror host I won't advertise on your station?
I believe it was all amicable & mutual. I've never come across anything to the contrary in the 40+ years I've been a fan, but who knows. Chuck Acri could've made them an offer they couldn't refuse. He did hobnob with vampires & werewolves after all (& the occasional hunchback--Emmett & caveman--Link).
Quote from: Mike Scott on May 01, 2016, 07:08:33 AM
How did an aluminum siding salesman get to be a TV horror host? Those jobs usually went to someone working at the station, like the weatherman.
Most of the time it was someone from the station, but occasionally it was just a friend or acquaintance of the station. Our local '70s horror host in Chattanooga was Tommy Reynolds as Dr. Shock (with Dingbat) from Shock Theater. Tommy was a local TV weatherman. But, Lil' John Rinaldi was a jeweler who teamed with Big Chuck in Cleveland Ohio from 1979-2007. There have been so many horror hosts throughout the country since the late '50s it stands to reason they would filter in from a variety of professions and circumstances.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Chuck_and_Lil%27_John (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Chuck_and_Lil%27_John)
(http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/81/c5/22/81c522cf7468341e98fe829427539575.jpg)
Quote from: LundyAfterMidnight on May 01, 2016, 02:22:57 PM
I believe it was all amicable & mutual.
I was just kiddin', but I forget to ad the smiley.
Quote from: Mike Scott on May 01, 2016, 04:32:49 PM
I was just kiddin', but I forget to ad the smiley.
No problem, fair question actually. Chuck IS a salesman after all (not that there's anything wrong with that!).
Quote from: horrorhunter on May 01, 2016, 02:57:49 PM
Most of the time it was someone from the station, but occasionally it was just a friend or acquaintance of the station.
That brings to mind Ray Adams Toyota when I lived in the Kansas City area. Ray used to host the Saturday night movie. Alien was the feature one week, & after his commercial spiel toward the end of the film, Ray cheerfully reminded the viewers, "Underwear scene, coming up!!"
Quote from: LundyAfterMidnight on May 01, 2016, 06:13:41 PM
That brings to mind Ray Adams Toyota when I lived in the Kansas City area. Ray used to host the Saturday night movie. Alien was the feature one week, & after his commercial spiel toward the end of the film, Ray cheerfully reminded the viewers, "Underwear scene, coming up!!"
;)
(http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/68/4d/a2/684da2606b9c1b160de1da20062e526f.jpg)
I didn't have a horror host growing up and I'm very jealous of you that did. I remember being a kid and knowing who Elvira was, but her show wasn't airing by then. The closest things I got were Elvira's 2010/11 run and Wolfman Mac's Nightmare Sinema/Chiller Drive-In. Elvira is Elvira, so I enjoyed that. I wasn't a massive fan of Wolfman Mac, on TV or otherwise.
My boss always tells me how he had The Ghoul to watch back in the day and rubs it in as often as he can.
Quote from: Mike...In 3-D! on May 01, 2016, 09:27:57 PM
I didn't have a horror host growing up and I'm very jealous of you that did. I remember being a kid and knowing who Elvira was, but her show wasn't airing by then. The closest things I got were Elvira's 2010/11 run and Wolfman Mac's Nightmare Sinema/Chiller Drive-In. Elvira is Elvira, so I enjoyed that. I wasn't a massive fan of Wolfman Mac, on TV or otherwise.
My boss always tells me how he had The Ghoul to watch back in the day and rubs it in as often as he can.
Local TV was a beautiful thing back in the day. In the '70s when Dr. Shock & Dingbat hosted Shock Theater in Chattanooga they would make recurring jokes about some of the local characters in town who were nicknamed real people like "Mean" Uncle Floyd, "Black Jack" Blalock, and "Redbank" Rena. Some of the humor was hilariously off-color and some of the movies they showed featured uncut nudity like
Brides Of Blood (1968) and
Mad Doctor Of Blood Island (1969). That show was a great escape from the boredom of the rules of life in general, in much the same way that monster comics and mags were. And, it gave us plenty to talk about at school.
Now, greed has squeezed the soul out of local TV. Instead of local creative programs we have a sea of dreck in the form of infomercials and padded beyond belief local news. TV was actually better with 3 or 4 local stations before we were inundated with hundreds of channels of mostly pablum and no local programming aside from the padded news I mentioned. I would go back to pre-cable days in a heartbeat if it were possible. And yeah, I know, we wouldn't have the internet and couldn't be typing about all of this right now, but I had rather live it than type about it. We won't see the like of the '50s-'70s ever again.
Quote from: horrorhunter on May 02, 2016, 01:36:34 PMNow, greed has squeezed the soul out of local TV. Instead of local creative programs we have a sea of dreck in the form of infomercials and padded beyond belief local news. TV was actually better with 3 or 4 local stations before we were inundated with hundreds of channels of mostly pablum and no local programming aside from the padded news I mentioned.
What's killed local TV programming is precisely the availability of hundreds of specialty channels from which to choose. Local shows can't draw the ratings/viewership to justify the investment it would take to produce local shows.
:(
.
Quote from: horrorhunter on May 02, 2016, 01:36:34 PM
... but I had rather live it than type about it. We won't see the like of the '50s-'70s ever again.
Here, here!!
Quote from: Hepcat on May 03, 2016, 09:50:14 AM
What's killed local TV programming is precisely the availability of hundreds of specialty channels from which to choose. Local shows can't draw the ratings/viewership to justify the investment it would take to produce local shows.
:(
Yes, that certainly has a lot to do with it.
Virtually none of the local movie hosted shows or kid's shows from back in the day had much investment moneywise, they were mostly put together on a shoestring with the most significant investments being time, work, and imagination. Now it's just too easy to run the infomercials and pad the local news by several hours a week. It's all about making a quick buck instead of providing real local entertainment.
For all of those specialty channels none of them fill the void left by the demise of the Horror Hosts. The few monster oriented channels feature newer films mostly and pretty much ignore classic monster movies. It's a shame that out of that plethora of TV pablum we can't get one channel for fans of classic monster movies and everything that Monsterkids enjoy, like genre TV reruns, shows for monster collectors that feature toys, comics, mags, trading cards, DVDs/BDs, etc., and cool theater intermission films and trailers combined with classic monster movies for that Drive-in experience. Monster fans would pay up for a channel like that if it was done well.
In response to the above comment(s) regarding 'pre-cable days'...I reckon we'll see those days again, perhaps sooner than you think. The growth of Netflix and Amazon's wave of cable-free show watching are evidence enough that the majority have had enough of their local providers. Lord knows I love just being able to power up my Xbox and flip on Netflix, Hulu or the MLB network and I'm set.
Netflix, Hulu or the MLB network?
:o
Well that certainly won't enable more local programming. If you don't support your local station by watching it, you might find that it just disappears and then you'll be watching the same programming in Bangor, Maine as you would in Amarillo, New Mexico. TV programming will then be like Wal-Mart, the same everywhere. Moreover I don't believe that any of these services you've mentioned are free over the air.
And that's what we're railing on against.
>:(
Now that Zacherley has passed away, can anyone contribute any more stores of their favourite local horror hosts to fill the void?
???
I remember Roland, (zacherly), Stella from Philly(Saturday nite Dead), Uncle Ted's Ghoul school.
Creatures of the Night That We Loved So Well: TV Horror Hosts of Southern California - Second Ed
Here is a 365 page book that I recommend to anyone interested in Horror Hosts in general. I have the 1st edition and it is chock full of detailed info:
https://www.amazon.com/Creatures-Night-That-Loved-Well/dp/1450758355/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1486842955&sr=1-2&keywords=Creatures+of+the+Night+That+We+Loved+So+Well (https://www.amazon.com/Creatures-Night-That-Loved-Well/dp/1450758355/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1486842955&sr=1-2&keywords=Creatures+of+the+Night+That+We+Loved+So+Well)
It has been updated and expanded in a 554 page 2nd edition. I guess I will be getting that soon.
https://www.amazon.com/Creatures-Night-That-Loved-Well/dp/1511859091/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1486842475&sr=1-1&keywords=Creatures+of+the+Night+That+We+Loved+So+Well (https://www.amazon.com/Creatures-Night-That-Loved-Well/dp/1511859091/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1486842475&sr=1-1&keywords=Creatures+of+the+Night+That+We+Loved+So+Well)
I corresponded with the author when he issued the 1st edition. He is a very likeable and knowledgeable guy with a real passion for the subject.
Quote from: Monsters For Sale on February 11, 2017, 03:06:09 PM
Creatures of the Night That We Loved So Well: TV Horror Hosts of Southern California - Second Ed
Here is a 365 page book that I recommend to anyone interested in Horror Hosts in general. I have the 1st edition and it is chock full of detailed info:
https://www.amazon.com/Creatures-Night-That-Loved-Well/dp/1450758355/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1486842955&sr=1-2&keywords=Creatures+of+the+Night+That+We+Loved+So+Well (https://www.amazon.com/Creatures-Night-That-Loved-Well/dp/1450758355/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1486842955&sr=1-2&keywords=Creatures+of+the+Night+That+We+Loved+So+Well)
It has been updated and expanded in a 554 page 2nd edition. I guess I will be getting that soon.
https://www.amazon.com/Creatures-Night-That-Loved-Well/dp/1511859091/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1486842475&sr=1-1&keywords=Creatures+of+the+Night+That+We+Loved+So+Well (https://www.amazon.com/Creatures-Night-That-Loved-Well/dp/1511859091/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1486842475&sr=1-1&keywords=Creatures+of+the+Night+That+We+Loved+So+Well)
I corresponded with the author when he issued the 1st edition. He is a very likeable and knowledgeable guy with a real passion for the subject.
The book is fun. I got Jim to sign mine. I'll probably get the 2nd edition as well.
Also, don't forget the card set. I got that from Jim Fetters too. This is info from monsterwax.com:
Another real oddball series is one I found on eBay called Horror Hosts Collector Cards (aka Creatures of the Night That We Loved So Well). It was a 43-card set with black and white photos/ publicity images of Southern California horror hosts. The green-bordered series was printed on flimsy stock and supposedly limited to just 50 sets (but not numbered). Be aware that the numbering sequence only goes up to 32, and the other eleven cards are bonus cards (usually with the letter "A" after the number). The series was issued to promote a self-published book by Jim Fetters on the same subject (Creatures of the Night That We Loved So Well).
(http://www.monsterwax.com/CreaturesOfNight.jpg)