Frightfully Spook-tcular Horror Hosts

They would usually join us on a Friday or Saturday night after the late night news, keeping us company through the witching hour, and sometimes scaring the bejesus out of us.

Horror Hosts of the Past

Ah, what fond memories many of us have of the local TV horror movie show and the host. If he or she were a gifted host, you would wade through the B movie, just to see what they were going to say or do at the next break.

Horror show hosts are an American icon – dressing in costumes and presenting B-grade horror movies to TV audiences late at night was a mainstay in the late 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s. Every television station seemed to have a “Horror Host” at some point during these years. And it was easy to achieve...

On set

TV Control Room

Horror hosts were usually someone who worked at the TV station; the weatherman was a favorite, a booth announcer, film editor, or cast/crew from the late night news cast. This was low-budget television at its best.  

Vampira

All you needed was some grease paint, a costume, low lighting, and spooky music to set the mood.  The fact that the host wasn’t afraid of vamping it up was a definite plus.

The Shocking Idea:

It all began in 1957 when Screen Gems released some old Universal horror movies syndicated to television.  The name given to the show was “Shock” and local television stations were encouraged to use hosts dressed in a horror theme. It was a death-defying hit!

... And Spiders

Those Giant Bugs

Then in the 1960s and 70s, Creature Feature packages were released and included, not only horror films but science-fiction from the 50’s, British horror films of the 1960s, and those great
; ) Japanese monster movies. The tradition continued into the 1980s before dying a slow death with the onslaught of the cable and satellite channels.

The First Horror Host:

Vampira

Vampira on Her Skull Couch

She was the original glamour ghoul - The first acknowledged horror host, - Vampira - and she set the stage for what a horror host should be.  Vampira’s show aired in Los Angles on KABC from 1954 to 1955 for a total of 50 episodes.  Vampira, portrayed by Maila Nurmi (1922 –1985) had a pet spider, Rollo. Her spooky costumes were the basis for Morticia of the Addams Family TV show in the 1960’s, and her name was a feminized version of the word vampire.

Watch the open of Vampira’s Show from 1954

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs0ehPgyD3U

The 1950’s

Roland, The Cool Ghoul

Zacherley

In the late 50’s, Roland, “The Cool Ghoul” was the host of WCAU’s Shock Theatre in Philadelphia. (Local broadcaster Dick Clark reportedly named the horror host “The Cool Ghoul.”) Actor John Zacherle (1918 -) was hired for the part of Roland and hosted all 92 broadcasts, along with his wife, Joy, who portrayed Roland’s wife, “My Dear,” (whose face you never saw…)  Zacherle left Philly for New York City to host several shows including WPIX’s Chiller Theatre, where Roland became Zacherley and “My Dear” received a name - Isobel.

Zacherle continued appearing as a Monster of Ceremonies throughout the 1980’s and 90’s. But now, at the age of 94, he does limited ghoul appearances.

A show open featuring Zacherley “and fiends.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f7ad5QmGU0

Morgus the Magnificent

From 1959 to 1962, Dr. Morgus the Magnificent kept viewers in stitches on Morgus’ “House of Shock” in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr Morgus, portrayed by Sid Noel (1929 -) a local deejay, and his incompetent lab assistant, Chopsley, were always looking for ways to develop intelligence in the universe, with unintentional calamities.

In 1964, Noel went to Detroit to host a horror show there called Morgus Presents. When it went on the air on WJBK, the Doctor had a new sidekick, Armsby. When Noel returned to New Orleans the next year and so did Morgus, where he stayed until he left the show in 1971.

Morgus Presents

Another attempt at Morgus Presents was launched in 1986 and ran until 1989. In 2005, Morgus was again backing on the air in Louisiana. Sid Noel was inducted into the Horror Host Hall of Fame in 2011 as his character Dr. Morgus the Magnificent.

I could find no original Morgus the Magnificent segments.

Here is an opening bit for the 1980’s version of Morgus the Magnificent

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-tPQhbz5l4

The 1960’s

The 1960’s brought a slew of horror hosts to local and regional television. Among those best remembered:

Sir Graves Ghastly

In His Coffin

Sir Graves Ghastly made his home in Detroit beginning in 1967, when he found a local station had just lost their horror host, Morgus the Magnificent…  Sir Ghastly took a stab at it and continued to haunt audiences until 1982 – a total of 15 spooky seasons. Portrayed by Lawson Deming (1913 – 2007) a television personality, Sir Graves Ghastly was a vampire who worked the afternoon lineup on Saturdays at WJBK, introducing horror movies with his signature evil laugh while the cemetery undertaker Reel McCoy unearthed yet another movie reel from a fresh grave just for you…

Get ready for a Ghastly Intro -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6MFP_LCdkE

Ghoulardi

Ghoulardi Later

Ghoulardi was the host of Shock Theatre on WJW-TV in Cleveland, Ohio. Portrayed by Ernie Anderson, (1923 –1997) local disc jockey and Channel 8’s booth announcer. Ghoulardi was an irreverent host who enjoyed improvising his lines and poking fun at other Ohio towns (Parma and Oxnard,) along with the unhip, local TV personalities. It was said that station brass lived in fear of what he would say or do on the live late night show. With a fake Van Dyke beard and long lab coat, Ghoulardi, whose name was a pun on the word Ghoul, never failed to entertain his audience. (Comedian Tim Conway was a writer at the station at this time and assisted on the show.)

A clip of Ghoulardi from 1964. (A little Johnny Carson and

Johnny Fever ; )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U41MxzxvPNA

Sammy Terry

Sammy Terry in His Dungeon

Horror Host Ghoul Sammy Terry, his name was a play on the word cemetery, introduced horror films on WTTV in Indianapolis on Shock Theatre in the 1960’s and Nightmare Theatre in the 70’s – 90’s. Portrayed by Bob Carter (1929 – 2013), a local television personality, Terry’s campy antics with the audience and his pet spider, George, endeared him to generations of Hoosier horror fans. Carter’s son, Mark took over the role of Sammy Terry and continues to make frequent guest appearances across Indiana. (Robert Carter, the inspiration for this post, died June 30, 2013.)

A classic Sammy Terry intro…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRhTH3M576U

Deadly Earnest

Ian Bannerman as Deadly Earnest

Australian’s had their own horror host icon in the sixties, Deadly Earnest appeared on TVW-7. Deadly Earnest’s Awful Movies were a weekly event and audiences loved the zombie undertaker’s black humor, especially when taking liberties with local commercials. In all, five men portrayed Deadly Earnest; Ralph Baker, Ian Bannerman, Max Bostock, Hedley Cullen, and Shane Porteous with Ian Bannerman being the most popular.

A Deadly Earnest Montage with Hedley Cullen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmS7vo5vV80

Next week we’ll take a look at the famous and infamous horror hosts from the 1970’s and 80’s. Till then “Happy Hauntings and Pleasant Dreams!”

~ Joy

Remembering Big Band & Jazz Legend - Harry James

Harry James

He was the best trumpet player during the Big Band Era. Harry James

was known for his technical proficiency, amazing high register, and swinging style.

Harry Haag James was born in Albany, Georgia on March 15, 1916 to Everett R. James, a circus bandleader, and Maybelle Stewart Clark James, a trapeze artist. Both performed with the Mighty Haag Circus. By the age of 8, his father was teaching him how to play the trumpet, and at 12, Harry was playing his trumpet and leading the second band in the Christy Brothers Circus.

Ben Pollack Orchestra

Benny Goodman Orchestra

His first gig was with the Ben Pollack Orchestra, a nationally known band. In 1936, James joined one of the nation’s most popular Swing Bands, The Benny Goodman Orchestra, and performed on the hit recordings of Sing, Sing, Sing and One O’Clock Jump.

Frank Sinatra

Harry James & His Music Makers

Three years later he was ready to go out with his own band; Harry James and His Music Makers. They took to the stage in Philadelphia and swung the crowd. Shortly thereafter he hired then unknown Frank Sinatra as a vocalist for the group. James also helped launch the career of female Big Band singer, Helen Forrest

Harry James

Playing for the Crowds

In 1941, James changed the sound of the band from the fast-paced Swing music to Sweet music, which had strings and was more in the style of ballads.  The results were immediate; in April 1941 his self-written instrumental Music Makers was in the Top 10, followed by Lament to Love in August. The week of December 7, 1941, You Made Me Love You was in the Top 5, the record that would make him a star. 

You Made Me Love You  - Harry James and His Music Makers with Helen Forrest on vocals.

Opening from the movie “Private Buckaroo” 1942

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMaCoxOGXPM

By 1942, his band was second to Glenn Miller’s as the most successful recording artist of the year. When Miller went into the Armed Forces, he handed over the reigns to the popular Chesterfield Time Radio Program to James and his Band. 

Harry James & His Trumpet

Harry James and His Music Makers had 40 hit singles including Ain’t She Sweet, Cry Me a River, Flight of the Bumblebee, and (Up a) Lazy River. James was one of the most popular Big Band leaders during the early 40’s, but disbanded the group at the end of 1946 due to a lack of income and the waning interest in Big Band music.  But he continued to perform and appeared in numerous Hollywood movies.

Harry James Show

Harry James

In 1947, James formed a jazz group also known as Harry James and His Music Makers. By 1951, he had his own television show, The Harry James Show.

The James Family

Betty Grable

James was married four times, most notably to WW II pin-up girl Betty Grable on July 5, 1943. Their marriage lasted for over 20 years and they had two children.

Harry James

James played his trumpet in the jazz style until the early 80’s. Diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 1983, he continued to perform.  He made his last appearance on stage nine days before his death.

Harry James died on July 5, 1983 while on tour in Las Vegas.  He was 67 years old. He is interred at Bunkers Eden Vale Cemetery in the Chapel of Eternal Peace in Las Vegas.

Harry Haag James

Regarding his eminent death, James said, "Let it just be said that I went up to do a one-nighter with Archangel Gabriel."

~ Joy

Amelia Earhart - The Search Continues

Amelia Earhart

She was known as the "Queen of the Air" and the most famous woman of her generation. Amelia Earhart was the first woman be flown across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, and then became the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic five years later, in 1932. But Earhart was not content if she couldn’t take on a challenge and spread her wings.  

Amelia Being Welcomed

In 1936, Amelia planned a trip where she would fly around the world. Her first attempt in March 1937 barely got off the ground, but on May 21, 1937 Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, set off to make history.

Fred Noonan & Amelia Earhart

The first 21 days of the flight went without too many hitches until Earhart became ill with dysentery, but the pair arrived safely in Lae, New Guinea on June 29^th.

Route from New Guinea to Howland Island

After a short break for repairs and rest, they set off on the next leg of the trip on the morning on July 2nd, heading for Howland Island, a tiny isle in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. This 18-hour flight would be the most difficult and longest section of the entire “Around the World Flight" consisting of 2,200 miles over the Pacific. 
They were never seen again.

U.S. Cutter Itasca

After almost 20 hours in the air, Earhart radioed the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Itasca, waiting for her off the coast of Howland Island, "KHAQQ calling Itasca. We must be on you but cannot see you...gas is running low..."

About an hour later Itasca received her final message, "We are in a line position of 157- 337. Will report on 6210 kilocycles. Wait, listen on 6210 kilocycles. We are running North and South."

U.S. Ships Search the Ocean

Once it was realized that the pair were missing, the U.S. Navy began a massive search across the ocean. After two weeks of intensive searching, the world received the grim news that Earhart, Noonan, and the Lockheed Electra had vanished.  They were never found.

President Roosevelt

Two theories have continually circulated over the years regarding Amelia Earhart’s disappearance. The first claimed that the “Around the World Flight" was actually a cover for Earhart who was a spy, commissioned by President Franklin Roosevelt to perform surveillance on the Japanese in the Pacific Ocean.  Theorists claimed that her plane had been brought down in the Pacific.

The second theory suggested that Earhart and Noonan survived the crash but were taken prisoners by the Japanese.  Evidence was never found to support either assumption.

Then in July 2012, the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) performed an underwater search with a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) off the Nikumaroro Island (formerly Gardner Island) coast. They identified a small man-made debris field at a depth of about 200 feet. 

TIGHAR has made over 10 expeditions for the Earhart Project since its inception 27 years ago. The group has recovered and verified several artifacts that suggest Earhart and Noonan may have ended up on the tiny uninhabited atoll known then as Gardner Island, about 350 miles southeast of their intended destination, Howland Island.

Items Found On Island

Other clues that they may have landed there include a woman’s shoe, a Benedictine bottle, 1930’s medicine bottles, an empty sextant box, and the remains of campfires, along with over a dozen human bones belonging to a white female approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall; all were discovered on the island in 1940.  The description of the remains profiles Earhart but the bones have since been lost.

TIGHAR Sonar Photo

In March, TIGHAR released sonar images off the island’s coast that shows a straight, unbroken anomaly about 22 feet in length that could be the fuselage of the Lockheed Electra, resting in about 600 feet of water. TIGHAR missed the area by only a few hundred feet when using the ROV last year.

Gardner Island

New Zealand Air Force

And just three days ago a set of 43 original photos taken in December 1938 were released from the New Zealand Air Force Museum that potentially show aircraft debris and places human activity had occurred on Gardner Island (now Nikumaroro Island) where it is believed the Lockheed plane crashed. Did Earhart and Noonan survive a crash and live as castaways on the island, waiting for a rescue that never came?  TIGHAR will travel to New Zealand next month to investigate the newly discovered photos. 

TIGHAR has projected that it will take $3,000,000 to put together another expedition that can begin to verify and answer the questions that continue to arise. Only time will tell what truly happened to Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan, but after 76 years it seems that the time has come to discover the truth.

~ Joy