We had a late night weekend television show when I was a kid, locally produced by an ABC affiliate, that only showed old horror movies. The host was done up somewhere between a zombie and a vampire, he made quips about the ongoing movie at times sort of like the much later MST 3000. His name was Deadly Ernest.
“His name was Deadly Ernest.”
The format kind of sounds like “Morgus the Magnificent” on a local New Orleans channel in the late 50s. ;-)
We had something similar in the Bay Area, but the host was an ex weather forecaster (Bob Wilkins), and he was dressed normally, but always had a cigar going and a candleholder made from a human skull next to his chair.
That reminds me of a pro wrestling manager who died last year, Paul Bearer was his show name. A natural clown.