tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post4531715670234583189..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Elvira and other horror hostsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24891066801380708402016-09-21T20:30:44.127-07:002016-09-21T20:30:44.127-07:00Louisville KY has tried it seriously only once, &q...Louisville KY has tried it seriously only once, "Fright Night" featuring The Fearmonger, Saturday nights from 7 - 10, from 1971-'75. We didn't get an independent UHF station,until 1971,WDRB. <br /><br />Sadly,not a single episode was taped, as WDRB was a low budget operation in it's early years,and very little else was saved as well.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04878250919181128708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69937555344671227862011-07-12T11:25:18.963-07:002011-07-12T11:25:18.963-07:00As a native NorthCoaster, I was blessed to have be...As a native NorthCoaster, I was blessed to have been able to watch....<br /><br />GHOULARDI<br />HOOLIHAN and BIG CHUCK<br />SUPER-HOST<br />SIR GRAVES GHASTLY<br />THE GHOUL<br />ELVIRA <br />FRANK and DRAC<br />SON OF GHOUL<br />IVONNA CADAVER<br /> And, even though I never saw his program, thanks to "Famous Monsters of Filmland" and "The Monster Times", I was a Fringie in the Seymour Fan Club, back in the 70's....wish I still had that orange and black Membership Card.-Alan D Hopewellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05588625423455924651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-34277884764816207762009-07-05T17:07:58.193-07:002009-07-05T17:07:58.193-07:00Seattle's KIRO TV had "Nightmare Theatre&...Seattle's KIRO TV had "Nightmare Theatre" hosted by "The Count." The Count was played by Joe Towey, who directed the J.P. Patches kids' show. <br /><br />Scott Aaron Stine has a nice tribute site about the show at http://thetrashcollector.com/nightmaretheatrenw/index.htmlWeisenheimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12164484147169721745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-19864199516113175082009-07-01T15:02:34.341-07:002009-07-01T15:02:34.341-07:00D. McEwan:
Believe me, if there was a way to h...D. McEwan:<br /> Believe me, if there was a way to have included more hosts than we did, we would have - I've had lots of emails and comments (some nasty, most reasonable) about the omission of certain hosts...<br /> However, once we made the decision to go without a narrator for the film, and base it solely on the responses from our interviewees, we were constrained by what they said on-camera - if no one mentioned Seymour (and I can't recall now if anyone did), it's kind of hard to bring him up in the format that we went with... :)<br /><br />We never intended "American Scary" to be the end-all, be-all of horror host documentaries, though... I never had a horror host growing up, so I went into this without any preconceived notions about which one of these guys/gals/ghouls was better or worse than the others. If anything, I tried to be fair, and present a good cross-section of what was out there. <br /><br />But now, at least, people are taking our lead and others have come along to fill in the gaps, so there are individual docs out there now about Vampira, Count Gore de Vol, and Bob Wilkins... I hope somebody does one on Zacherley while he's still with us - we had a LOT of material from him we didn't get to use...John Hudgenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03203753931643807838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66412628152944211392009-06-29T07:31:56.847-07:002009-06-29T07:31:56.847-07:00I grew up in London, Ontario and we watched Sir Gr...I grew up in London, Ontario and we watched Sir Graves Ghastly. I loved him and credit him with my lifelong love of horror. Probably one of the reasons I work at a haunted attraction in October every year. <br /><br />Kids these days are missing out!rmsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23762577661046165212009-06-28T15:43:27.638-07:002009-06-28T15:43:27.638-07:00Ivonna Cadaver is working on new episodes of Macab...Ivonna Cadaver is working on new episodes of Macabre Theatre (formerly on KDOC). She's also set for her second year headlining Knott's Scary Farm in October. http://Macabretheatre.comMichael Hagertyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10854329436921975104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88030715911414113482009-06-28T15:24:51.598-07:002009-06-28T15:24:51.598-07:00John Hudgens,
I rented and watched your document...John Hudgens, <br /><br />I rented and watched your documentary a few months ago, and enjoyed it very much. I was, of course, devastated that Seymour, The Greatest Horror Host of All, was NOT EVEN MENTIONED! (If you'd had decent coverage of Seymour, Jeepers, and Ghoulita, I'd have bought it, instead of just Netflixing)<br /><br />I understand (BELIEVE ME, I understand) that there is no surviving footage of Larry as Seymour, all taped over by the station owners. Not even his famliy have any. (There is footage of Larry in movies and TV shows), so I know you couldn't show him in action, but NO MENTION?<br /><br />And of course there do exist audio tapes of his shows. I have a few myself (some sent me by fans decades after they'd taped them off of their TVs in 1974), and plenty of stills (I have some great ones, shot by a friend at my invitation, on the set) so a stills-plus-soundtrack segment could have been put together.<br /><br />But I sure learned at lot about the horror hosts of Cleveland, of which there were a hell of a lot. And it was a joy to finally see clips of hosts I'd only read about, like John Stanley, Bob Wilkins, and Zacherle (Roland), particularly in the late Elena Watson's book on TV Horror Hosts. Some looked like a gas I would have loved, and some looked tiresome in the extreme. (A truly bad horror host is really a sad thing.)<br /><br />Michael of Louisiana, Wow, your story is a classic! Underpaid, exploited, and then fired on air. A young man's dream turned to nightmare. Horrible experience; great story.<br /><br />I was lucky; Larry Vincent was a prince. I was due to be promoted to producer when the show instead went off the air, owning to Larry's illness. The only "surprise" I ever got from him was when my paycheck for the Knott's Berry Farm Halloween Haunt show I'd written and supervised came, and was for double the amount I was expecting, and Gary Blair, our executive producer, told me Larry had personally insisted on doubling my stipend for doing a great job. There, in a nutshell, is the difference between a schmuck and a mensch.<br /><br />And Larry was every bit the pro your Dr. Shock was not. We rehearsed, and while Larry didn't memorize the scripts, owing to a little invention we liked to call a TelePrompTer, the shows were still performed, word-for-word, as written, with the occasional ad-lib tossed in when appropriate.<br /><br />WV: consoap:<br />1. A grifter's cleaner that convinces you your clothes are clean even though they are still filthy.<br /><br />2. What you don't want to drop in the prison shower.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60379284997536618972009-06-28T11:49:06.765-07:002009-06-28T11:49:06.765-07:00I doubled-checked my Ghoulardi biography (yes, the...I doubled-checked my Ghoulardi biography (yes, there is such a thing) and you're right, John, it was Ernie's Place Tim Conway appeared on. Although he didn't appear on Ghoulardi proper, whenever Conway was in town, he did play in the Ghoulardi All Stars, a baseball and basketball team made up of Cleveland TV personalities that played for charity.<br /><br />Alan, Ron Sweed also makes personal appearances right here in the Cleveland area (especially at the annual Ghoulardifest--yes, there is such a thing). He's also been a disc jocky over the years. The guy must put a lot of miles on his car.Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70359122947722586062009-06-28T01:43:37.502-07:002009-06-28T01:43:37.502-07:00Kirk Jusko:
I don't think Tim Conway every app...Kirk Jusko:<br />I don't think Tim Conway every appeared on the Ghoulardi show - but Tim and Ernie had a show called "Ernie's Place" together that predates Ghoulardi - perhaps that's what you were remembering... we've got some footage from that in "American Scary"...<br /><br />Thanks to Trey and Tim (is that one of Baron Daemon's Bloody Buddies?) for the plugs - although I'm just about horror-hosted out, we had a ball making the film - I just wish we could have included more hosts than we did in the film, as I'm constantly hearing about hosts that we didn't know about during production - or being yelled at for not including this guy or that guy... :)<br /><br />If anyone's interested, here's a few clips and teasers:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrDYu97nnT4" rel="nofollow">from the Ghoulardi section</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfvXzrWGt6Y" rel="nofollow">from the Vampira section</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2FD0uCzOdU" rel="nofollow">from the Zacherley section</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emy1iWIrSTA" rel="nofollow">from the Svengoolie section</a><br /><br />John Hudgens<br />www.americanscary.comJohn Hudgenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03203753931643807838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49953632947613089992009-06-27T20:33:49.640-07:002009-06-27T20:33:49.640-07:00Baton Rouge Louisiana had Shock Theatre with mad s...Baton Rouge Louisiana had Shock Theatre with mad scientist Dr Shock reading viewer letters during four breaks in a bad black an white horror film. In 1976 I convinced the star/producer to hire me as a writer. I traveled thirty miles once a week for the shooting at the TV station. I was paid one dollar a week which qualified me for WGA. Did not join because the fees cost more than I would make in several years. The star/producer refused to learn any lines so I wrote a short outline with jokes to guide him through improving the story. He wanted to rehearse, something I thought would kill the freshness of improv. I played Seegor the Doctor's invisible assistant. One night the story revolved around Seegor being taken by aliens but returned in the last act. I did not know at the time I was receiving fan mail (something I never got to see but was told about) requesting I replace the star/producer. At the end of the third act the star/producer disappeared into the director's booth. The fourth act the Doctor talked about how he would miss Seegor. Thinking the Doctor can't hear me I scream louder and louder that I am right there behind him. The show ends and I ask the star/producer what happened. He tells me I was not fired but to never come back. The next night the show aired and the Doctor's mike had picked up my screaming,"No Doctor, here I am right behind you." for five straight minutes.<br />There is no record of this show as it was before VCRs and the news department recorded over all the shows in a cost cutting effort to save money on video tape.michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42022291661084819782009-06-27T20:16:39.163-07:002009-06-27T20:16:39.163-07:00In Milwaukee we had Shock Theatre with Too-loose N...In Milwaukee we had Shock Theatre with Too-loose No-neck on Channel 18. Friday nights. Many a fun sleepovers were had watching Shock Theatre.Jaynenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69890543254067523062009-06-27T20:08:54.905-07:002009-06-27T20:08:54.905-07:00Kirk Jusko--Ron Sweed is still in the Detroit area...Kirk Jusko--Ron Sweed is still in the Detroit area, frequently making appearances at Motor City Comic-Con every May.Alan Coilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09049940361953267636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70792732419705792252009-06-27T20:07:02.580-07:002009-06-27T20:07:02.580-07:00There's a great documentary that just came out...There's a great documentary that just came out on DVD called "American Scary," profiling dozens of horror hosts from early TV to now. The producers have a website at www.americanscary.com.Tim Foxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33423097946679926652009-06-27T14:32:02.493-07:002009-06-27T14:32:02.493-07:00thanksthanksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66887067307103953192009-06-27T14:18:30.506-07:002009-06-27T14:18:30.506-07:00It's still going strong in Reno with "Zom...It's still going strong in Reno with "Zomboo's House of Horror Movies".<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JggFrQExdnMScott Schrantzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00270627046239316215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51428736724016682962009-06-27T13:00:50.806-07:002009-06-27T13:00:50.806-07:00The only horror host I remember was "The Fear...The only horror host I remember was "The Fearmonger" on WDRB-TV independent Channel 41 in Louisville, Kentucky, circa the early 70s. He was an actor named Charles Kissinger, and the station had such a paltry budget there was no set per se, just Kissinger standing in the dark holding a flashlight under his chin. Good 'n' creepy though. I think they also used prehistoric video f/x to move his head around the screen.jbryantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67850082023628694982009-06-27T12:44:15.304-07:002009-06-27T12:44:15.304-07:00I, too, grew up with Houlihan and Big Chuck, later...I, too, grew up with Houlihan and Big Chuck, later Big Chuck and Little John. Big Chuck retired two years ago after 44 years on the air, starting out as Ghoulardi's sidekick. <br /><br />Although he apparently was bigger in Detroit, the Ghoul got his start here in Cleveland. He was played by Ron Sweed, who got his start as a teenage gofer for Ghoulardi and appeared on the air in a gorilla suit. <br /><br />Tim Conway, originally Tom Conway from Cleveland, occasionally appeared on Ghoulardi. This was after he broke through the big time on MCHALE'S NAVY, but before Carol Burnett. Tim Conway and Ernie Anderson also made a couple of comedy albums together.Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24489205179113272782009-06-27T12:02:01.963-07:002009-06-27T12:02:01.963-07:00In my area, those time slots are still occupied by...In my area, those time slots are still occupied by "horror" personalities. We call it "local news."Jeff Tompkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00003374634980549204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68565545538237821282009-06-27T11:53:08.399-07:002009-06-27T11:53:08.399-07:00When I was growing up, the only thing close to Gho...When I was growing up, the only thing close to Ghoulardi here in Bakersfield was this guy named Jim who hosted a daily movie on TV. He wasn't scary. However, he was drunk most days.Mike Bellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13508782755861401362009-06-27T11:37:20.414-07:002009-06-27T11:37:20.414-07:00Ahhh....special love in the Chicago 'burbs for...Ahhh....special love in the Chicago 'burbs for Svengoolie. As long as the town of Berwyn ("BERWYN?") exists, he will live on.<br /><br />And let's not forget Count Floyd.JKChicagonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52892194187897379552009-06-27T11:15:53.320-07:002009-06-27T11:15:53.320-07:00We're keeping it real in Pittsburgh with "...We're keeping it real in Pittsburgh with "It's Alive"<br /><br />http://www.theitsaliveshow.com/Granthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10598679791761825577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51436553892505864122009-06-27T10:21:15.803-07:002009-06-27T10:21:15.803-07:00Ronald the Ghoul on Shock Theater from Norfolk, VA...Ronald the Ghoul on Shock Theater from Norfolk, VA, in 1960. He rose from a coffin at the start of each show and each week the squaking hinges seemed to go on longer and longer. This was my introduction to the Universal horror films of the 1930s and '40s. Scared the living bejeezus out of me.<br /><br />About 10 years later, as a young adult, I lived the California's Bay Area where Bob Wilkins hosted the horror flicks. Wilkins looked like a kid smoking his father's huge cigar, he dressed in a regular suit, and as another poster noted he had a wonderful dry wit. I did an interview with him once for a periodical called The Monster Times, but it folded before I could transcribe the tape. I believe Wilkins passed away last year. <br /><br />Are there any local horror/cartoon/movie hosts left in America?Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49787137685466506482009-06-27T10:01:28.544-07:002009-06-27T10:01:28.544-07:00Todd writes of Sir Graves Ghastly. Also in Detroit...Todd writes of Sir Graves Ghastly. Also in Detroit was The Ghoul, a protege of Ghoulardie.<br /><br />Count Scary's famous line was, "Oooh, that's scary." After which I usually said, "No, that's stupid." Hence we gave him the nickname, in my circle of friends, of Count Stupid. CS was not an entertainment character, but a gross grab for money character.<br /><br />And I was also fortunate to live close enough to pick up the occasional broadcast of Big Chuck and Little John.Alan Coilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09049940361953267636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51779328405467648642009-06-27T08:21:28.019-07:002009-06-27T08:21:28.019-07:00In Las Vegas, we had the Vegas Vampire, a guy name...In Las Vegas, we had the Vegas Vampire, a guy named Jim Parker, who came on in costume. Best horror movie we ever had on in the middle of the night was "Invasion of the B Girls," which happened to be soft porn. The station that showed it got well over a hundred phone calls, and I think all of them asked for a repeat.Michael Greennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39257644300062885982009-06-27T07:27:40.752-07:002009-06-27T07:27:40.752-07:00Ernie Anderson was our "Voice Guy" in Se...Ernie Anderson was our "Voice Guy" in Seattle. We would "direct" (you didn't really direct Ernie Anderson) over a phone patch, and then the tape of the session was overnighted to us. His outtakes were hilarious and profane. <br /><br />But to have Ernie Anderson say your name in "that" voice has been one of the biggest highlights of my radio "career."Mike Bellnoreply@blogger.com