The Ghoul was the best of them all. Father of the frog in the blender! And the best, Mr. Dentist kit Pluck that magic twanger!
Posted on 10/30/2021 6:31:31 AM PDT by dmam2011
Local market horror TV hosts have helped us through nights for decades, using their quirky personalities to introduce popular, creepy or plain old bad movies - in most instances these were the pre-cable days that lent themselves to captive audiences. The popular figure that embodied this genre was Elvira (Mistress of the Dark). Unknown to an unfortunately large number of people, her meteoric rise would not have happened without local horror tv hosts building their audiences.
A few of these horror hosts became icons and gained national attention for their characters. However, most of these hosts were only seen locally and rarely given the opportunity to promote their programs outside their local markets. That didn't diminish the effort, entertainment or memories of their programs for the people soaking in the shows week-after-week. With that in mind, let's take a look at a few of the older shows being rediscovered with through the benefits of the web.
(Excerpt) Read more at clarksvillian.com ...
Everyone is talking about TV. Why not go back into the radio days to the people that got it done without the advantage of props. And the term horror has changed throughout time.
A list could include:
Escape - (Adventure - Mystery - Horror)
Inner Sanctum - (Mystery - Horror)
Quiet Please - (Mystery - Horror)
Suspense - (Mystery - Horror)
Weird Circle - (Mystery - Horror)
The Whistler - (Mystery - Horror)
The Shadow - (Mystery - Horror)
And of course the great broadcast in October 1938 adapted from the book written by H G Wells, War of the World. The book was originally situating the story in England.
These are the fore runners that made TV, and the movies, into the genre they are today and gave people like the original horror works at Universal Studios in LA or Pinewood Studios in England (Hammer) their chance. True horror is great as it goes to the very core of human fears.
wy69
Chicken Heart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE0hHEtkkQA
Yeah, Cosby is a douche, but this is classic!
This memory lane thing got me thinkin’.
I remember coming home from Church every Sunday and watching “Bill Kennedy at the Movies”……….watched some great old movies when the acting was the best.
I used to love seeing Bob Wilkins on “Creature Features” on channel 2 out of Oakland.
The Ghoul was the best of them all. Father of the frog in the blender! And the best, Mr. Dentist kit Pluck that magic twanger!
I remember Ghoulardi:
“Ghoulardi was a fictional character created and portrayed by voice announcer, actor and disc jockey Ernie Anderson as the horror host of Shock Theater at WJW-TV, Channel 8 (a.k.a. “TV-8”) the CBS Affiliate station in Cleveland, Ohio, from January 13, 1963, through December 16, 1966. Shock Theater featured grade-”B” science fiction films and horror films, aired in a Friday late-night time slot.”
In Memphis, decades ago it was a local football player named Davis who presented the weekly horror movie as Sivad. Cheesy and funny.
I vaguely remember Dr demento
My memory is watching him staying home “sick” from school in the early afternoon. Yes. His program probably led to my love of old movies.
Now. To the Mich. v Mich. State Game.
LMAO!!
Very cool! The weirder he was the funnier.
I grew up watching Ghoulardi.
L
Truly a Cleveland icon.
As a kid in the DC Metro area, I remember watching Count Gore DeVol and Dr. Paul Bearer.
My brother and I listened to that album so much we could recite every line.
Miss you, bro.
L
True story:
My Mom was home taking care of us 3 kids (all under 5) when she heard the TV in the background say Kennedy had been shot, she tells this self-effacing story “I thought, why would anyone shoot Bill Kennedy?”
1990’s Dr Gruesome’s Movie Morgue in VA
Your site displays a lot of artists and shows that predated TV.
While I think these are great shows, and in many ways took a lot more talent to perform, the point on this post was about horror rather than drama and comedy. But you do display a real recognition of talent the current crop of citizens doesn’t recognize as they were not in that era or were not really offered the work in their lifetime. And the artists are almost all gone now. Pity.
wy69
I hate horror movies. When I want to be frightened, I read some of the history of the 20th Century.
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