Pro Wrestling: The Comic, Part 4

Art by Frank Salinas

A Geekademia Christmas Special, or why I don't write for TV

May your Christmas Day be free of worry and want.

Having spent the last few days watching various Christmas specials, I can't help but notice a few things. Most of them tend to be variations on a Christmas Carol, the origin of a tradition, or Santa has a problem.

When they started showing Leprechauns and Santa fighting wizards, they might have tapped out the ideas. But there are other holiday characters, so with the smooth tones of Bruce Campbell as your humble narrator, let's sit back and watch what will sure to be a holiday standard...

Pro Wrestling: The Comic, Part 3

Art by Frank Salinas

Pro Wrestling: The Comic, part 2

Art by Frank Salinas

Pro Wrestling: The Comic

As some of readers may be aware, I'm a fan of pro wrestling. So, having a brief windfall one day I figured why not celebrate that with a short story?

Words by me, art by Frank Salinas. His website

Star Trek: The Next Generation, or why I don't write for TV

Been watching some of the old Star Trek shows. Pretty good, but after binging a bunch of TNG episodes, I just found some issues. So, going back to the what if machine, what if I had Gene Roddenberry's ear back in the late 80's?

Re-Write the Book: The Invasion, part 2

Ok, so what's the endgame?

Re-write the book: The Invasion

Ah, the Invasion. Easily the most anticipated angles in recent memory and the most rage inducing when it finished. So, how would I handle it?

Animation Block: Fist of the North Star 2

Like I said earlier, if Toei had stopped with the first five stories, I would have been fine with Fist of the North Star but they didn't.

Part 2 opens up some time later. Ken became savior of the century's end, reunited with Yuria and defeated Raoh. So, everything's going to work out, right?

Stan Lee, 1922-2018

So much has been said, but I figure I'd add my .02 cents.

Stan Lee's impact has been discussed, for good and ill elsewhere. I'm just a weirdo flinging words out into the void, so I'll keep this brief. Marvel Comics under Lee's leadership helped shape our popular culture. For that, and for helping create some of the most  memorable characters in popular literature, hats off to him.

Lee's style of writing was a huge inspiration to me. I've come back over the old Marvel Essentials and so many of the stories stay with you. From the bickering of the Thing and Johnny Storm to such villains as Doctor Doom and the Green Goblin, plus all the nifty guys and gals of the long underwear set, Lee's prose would set the standard.

The world is all the poorer for his passing, but the work he left behind has and will continue to inspire many more. Just because something is escapist doesn't mean it has to be dumb.

Flash Gordon 2: Or Why I Don't Write for a Living

1980's Flash Gordon was a disappointment, but what if it wasn't?

Updates and the rest of the year

Ok, hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween. Going to be taking a slight break, but there will be some more content through to the end of the year. More reviews though and maybe even some wrestling.

Horror Countdown 2018: Creepshow (1982)

Creepshow (1982) dir. George Romero, Laurel Entertainment

And we end this Halloween with an anthology from Stephan King and George Romero. Not sure if I can elaborate more on that.

Horror Countdown 2018: The Dead Zone (1983)

The Dead Zone (1983) dir. David Cronenberg, Dino De Laurentiis Company

Back to Stephan King, who had his first rise of popularity in the late 70's. With a nice string of hits to his name, it made sense to strike while the iron was hot. Add in the aforementioned habit of bringing in independent horror directors and you've got a pretty decent recipe for horror.

Horror Countdown 2018: Lifeforce (1985)

Lifeforce (1985) dir. Tobe Hooper, Cannon Films

Going back to the works of Hooper now, and this might be the second most uneven film he made until this point. Other reviewers have pointed out that Hooper's career never really lived up to the promise of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and this film does little but point that out.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Lazarus Loveitt

Real name: Hugh Turley
Years active: 1974-1975

Almost forgot this one. Working out of Orlando for WSWB TV Channel 35, Lazarus was an old man who seemed amused by everything. He also hosted Uncle Hubie's Penthouse Barnyard on weekday afternoons for the kids.

Horror Countdown 2018: Invitation to Hell (1984)

Invitation to Hell (1984) dir. Wes Craven, Moonlight Productions

The world of TV movies may not have had the pedigree as theatrical releases, but by the 80's that world had slowed down, mostly being reserved for biographical or historical dramas. There were still a few horror films being released in this format, and Wes Craven got selected for this ABC flick.

Horror Countdown 2018: Christine (1983)

Christine (1983) dir. John Carpenter, Columbia Pictures/Delphi Premier Productions/Polar Film

By now Carpenter had made of the best horror films of the 1970's, and what would be later regarded as one of the best of the 1980's. There was also a trend of this point of having major studios hiring the low budget guys and having them work with the studio money. Pair him up with Stephan King, and surely the results would be perfect, right?

Horror Countdown 2018: Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) dir. Joe Dante, Amblin Entertainment

How do you follow up a black comedy that helped create the PG-13 rating? Dante tried to answer that. Uneven but decent.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: M.T. Graves/M.T. Space

Real name: Charlie Baxter
Years active: Late 1950's to 1974

And we end our 2018 look back at horror hosts with a duel. Same guy and a similar gimmick, but playing two hosts.

In the late 50's viewers of WCKT-TV Channel 7 in Miami could tune in and check out the Dungeon, where M.T. Graves was a prisoner in a sinister dungeon and forced to watch cheap horror films with his puppet Reginald and all at the whims of the unseen warden.

He moved to Ft. Lauderdale sometime in the late 60s and to WKID-TV Channel 51, but for a brief period Baxter slapped on a crash helmet and became Captain M.T. Space, the host of Otherworlds on WCKT-TV Channel 7. I've not seen a lot of Space, but it seemed he was more kid show host than horror host, but he still used all the same props.

And that's it for 2018. A lot of lost hosts, true, but we've seen some hidden gems across our trek of the diode diorama.

Horror Countdown 2018: Sorority Girl (1957)

Sorority Girl (1957) dir. Roger Corman, Sunset Productions

A Roger Corman film with Susan Cabot and Dick Miller? How could I ignore it?

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: The Outsider

Real name: John Burke
Years active: Late 50's

Another lost host. The Outsider presided over Nightmare Theatre on WSUN-TV Channel 38 in Tampa/St. Petersburg sometime in the late 50's. The only articles I could find were published in 1962, so he was on the air around that point but that seems to be all I can find.

Horror Countdown 2018: Mr. Sardonicus (1961)

Mr. Sardonicus (1961) dir. William Castle, William Castle Productions

William Castle did place a lot of emphasis on gimmicks, and this one was different. The viewer was given a choice to participate in the 'punishment poll'. And who would be the lucky participant?

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Shock Armstrong, All-American Ghoul

Real name: Paul Reynolds
Years active: 1964 to 1968

Shock Armstrong, the All-American Ghoul, was the regional host of Shock Theatre on WTVT Channel 13 in Tampa and St. Petersburg, although the show continued to 1974 without a host.

He was actually the second host, picking up where Ed and Peg Scott left off in 1961. In stepped Paul Reynolds, Channel 13's go to ghoul and groovy guy and soon the All-American Ghoul was a hit, at least until 1967 when they decided that the Joey Bishop Show was more entertaining. A fan protest brought him back, but Reynolds left in 1968 for the Atlanta market.

Reynolds passed away in 1996.

Horror Countdown 2018: The Lady Vanishes (1938)

The Lady Vanishes (1938) dir. Alfred Hitchcock, Gainsborough Pictures/Gaumont British

Moving in the directors section, we take a took at one Alfred Hitchcock's last British films.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Professor IC Bloodenguts

Real name: Unknown
Years active: 1988 to 1990


Another lost host, but oddly enough we have an actual photo of this one. Hosting the Human Kennel Horror Highway on WTMV Channel 32 out in Lakeland/Tampa.

That seems to be all I can find, although he did have a sidekick called Mouseboy, and wow. Enjoy the nightmares on this one kids.

Horror Countdown 2018: The Invisible Menace (1938)

The Invisible Menace (1938) dir. John Farrow, Warner Brothers

And we end the look back at Boris Karloff with one of his more obscure films. By now Karloff was firmly a character actor, but horror was never far away.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospectve: The Man from Ghost

Years active: Classified
Years active: REDACTED

The Man from Global Headquarters for the Organization to Sustain Terror is another lost host. Apparently airing the Man from Ghost somewhere in Palm Beach, that's all I could get.

Horror Countdown 2018: Night Key (1937)

Night Key (1937) dir. Lloyd Corrigan, Universal Pictures

By the mid-1930s, things had changed over at Universal.  The old family and their dependence on horror were out. The new owners, however, still saw Karloff as a marquee draw. The catch they insisted was that the next film he did for them could not be horror.

So they did 'science fiction thriller' instead

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Mr. Drac/Lon Midnight

Real name: Mike Acord
Years active: 1992 to present


One of the few hosts who changed identities. In 1992, viewers turned in to Time Warner Cable Channel 98 to see Darc of the Night with host Mr. Darc. The show came to an end, as many do, but Mr. Drac's doesn't end there.

Some time after that, Mr. Drac died but was reborn as Lon Midnight, a ghoulish clown in a tux. The difference here is that instead of being on the television screen, Lon Midnight was live and in person, doing something that has largely fallen by the wayside in terms of pop culture. I'm talking about spook shows, live theater events with skits, scary movies, and usually some term of giveaway. He shopped the character around, but as of yet I've not seen him anywhere else.

Horror Countdown 2018: The Walking Dead (1936)

The Walking Dead (1936) dir. Michael Curtiz, Warner Bros./First National

Karloff's star was still rising throughout the 30's, even going across town to work with the Warner Brothers. Nowadays when one hears Warner Bros., one might think of the Loony Toons, but while Universal had the horror and Paramount had the sex appeal, Warner Brothers had the gangsters. So what kind of film would attract Karloff?

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: The Gravemaster

Real name: Tim Kincaide
Years active: Early 90's

Another host that doesn't have much of an imprint, but the makeup looks top notch. Friday Night with the Gravemaster aired WKCF-TV Channel 18 in Orlando for about six months.

No idea what films he hosted, although I'd guess whatever public domain offerings they could get.

Horror Countdown 2018: The Black Room (1935)

The Black Room (1935) dir. Roy William Neil, Columbia Pictures Corporation

By 1935, Karloff's career was on the upswing. His work at Universal had cemented him as the king of horror, playing both the Frankenstein Monster and the Mummy by this point, but he also did work across town for other studios.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Ed and Peg Scott

Real names: Ed and Peg Scott
Years active: 1959 to 1961

Many hosts are married, but it's rare to see to both hosts to be married on the air. Hosting the Witching Hour on WTVT Channel 13, they both played a sort of proto Addams Family.

I'm told the show actually had budget, with a elaborate haunted house set. When Ed wasn't setting up spooky movies, he also played the afternoon kid show host 3-D Danny . There seemed to be a fan site, but it has gone dark.

Horror Countdown 2018: The Ghoul (1933)

The Ghoul (1933) dir. T. Hayes Hunter, Gaumont British

British horror really didn't take off until the 1950's. Prior to that, the British Board of Film Censors ruled with an iron fist. Basically anything of the supernatural was a huge red flag, so monsters wouldn't be a thing until the rise of Hammer a few decades later.

With Karloff earning rave reviews and box office gold, even the British film industry took notice and managed to lure their native born son back for his first British film.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Dr. X

Real name: Robin Shurtz
Years active: 1989 to 1992


I wasn't sure if Dr. X would be considered a Florida host or a basic cable host, as Dr. X's Cinemondo aired on Time Warner Cable Channel 98 in Orlando. All the articles I could find called him a local host, so I'm considering him part of Florida.

Funny enough we also run into Fred Olan Ray again, as the director helped out the show in various ways, including supplying some of the films shown, which is a first as far as I can tell.

Horror Countdown 2018: The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932)

The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) dir. Charles Brabin, Cosmopolitan Pictures

Like last year, we'll take a small break between the slashers and the directors to focus on one notable actor/character. This time out we'll take a look at Boris Karloff.

Often dubbed the king of horror, Karloff had worked for quite a few years in Hollywood before he got his big break in 1931's Frankenstein. After Whale cast him as the titular monster the English born actor (often billed as just 'Karloff') found himself cast as a variety of characters, usually sinister.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Dr. Speculo

Real name: Ben Armstrong
Years active: 1992 to 1993

Dr. Ignatius Speculo, host of Dr. Speculo's Tales from Six Feet Under, was a mad scientist broadcasting out of WCTV Channel 6 out of Tallahassee (and also Gainesville, Georgia).


Clearly taking more than some inspiration from Peter Lorre, the good doctor hosted public domain horror classics for twenty-nine weeks. He did have a decent amount of sidekicks

Horror Countdown 2018: Silent Night (2012)

Silent Night (2012) dir. Steven C. Miller, Buffalo Gal Pictures/Media House Capital

And we close out our look at slashers with the final film in the Silent Night, Deadly Night series.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Dr. Cadaver and Igor

Real names: John Melillo and Dave Rogers
Years active: 1998 to 1999

Hosting Dr. Cadaver's Monster Horror Theatre on WTWN Channel 19 in Pompano Beach for roughly eleven episodes, the good doctor hosted only the finest in public domain film until the station decided to stop airing.

Some stories are long and others aren't.

Horror Countdown 2018: The Howling VI: The Freaks (1991)

The Howling VI: The Freaks (1991) dir. Hope Perello, Allied Entertainments Group PLC/Allied Vision

While I've mentioned the law of diminishing returns in other reviews, the Howling series might just be exempt from that, since they started at the top and rocketed to the bottom. Kind of hard to be terrible when you're already bad.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Count Warlock

Real name: Bob Goldberg
Years active: Late 1960's


Well, if you can't trust the director of Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, who can you trust?

Seriously, the only evidence I can find of this host is Fred Olan Ray, who mentioned him in Scary Monster#8.

Horror Countdown 2018: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Begining (2006)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006) dir. Jonathan Liebesman, Next Entertainment/Platinum Dunes

I have never seen the point in most prequels. Horror prequels especially, as you know from the start who lives and who doesn't, but it was decided that we desperately needed to know the origin of Leatherface.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: The Count/Count Borloff

Real name: Robert Goback
Years active: 1970 to 1974



Hosting the Purple Grotto on WAJA-TV Channel 23 in Miami, the Count, or Count Borloff (as my sources seem a bit confused as to his actual name) was a vampire of the Grotto, often arguing with an unseen warden.

Can't seem to find anything else.

Horror Countdown 2018: Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) dir. Joe Chappelle, Miramax Films/Nightfall Productions/Trancas International

I suppose the theme of this year could be "and this is when the wheels fall off". Picking up when part 5 ended, Michael Myers escaped police custody after slaughtering all the cops in Haddonfield with the help of a Man in Black, making sure to take his niece Jamie Lloyd with him.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Alec Gibson and Chuck Zink

Real names: Alec Gibson/Charles Zink
Years active: 1950s

Another lost host, although in this case two. Alec Gibson apparently hosted a show, name unknown, on WTVJ Channel 4 in Miami sometime in the 1950's. He apparently left after a while and was replaced by Chuck Zink.

Zink has a bit more background, albeit not much. He was also the host Popeye's Playhouse as Skipper Chuck, although that seems to be all I find. The only article I could even find was a brief mention from 1988, so things are a bit spotty.

Horror Countdown 2018: Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), dir. Rachel Talalay, New Line Cinema/Nicholas Entertainment

Well, I can think of two things wrong with that tagline. Moving into the slashers, we see the bastard son of a 100 maniacs is up to his old tricks, but will this time really be the last?

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Baron Mondo and El Sapo

Real name: Mike Ensley/Chip Chism
Years active: 2000 to present

Bit of an odd duo here. Based in Pensacola on Cox Communications Channel 39, the hosts of Nightmare Theatre were a demon and luchador. Hosting only the finest of public domain shlock, they seemed to have moved from hosting to producing, namely the Pensacola based convention Pensacon.

Taken from twitter, artist unknown

Twitter

Horror Countdown 2018: Crescendo (1970)

Crescendo (1970) dir. Alan Gibson, Hammer Film Productions

And we end our look at Hammer this year with an odd little thriller.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Dr. Paul Bearer II

Real name: Richard Koon
Years active: 2004 to present

You can't keep a good host down, and in 2004 WTOG resurrected Creature Features as Tombstone Tales, only this time with doctor's never before mentioned nephew...or clone. Seem to be a bit muddled on that point.

Bearer is one of the few hosts who has passed on the title, although this time seems to be more tribute than original take.

Website

Horror Countdown 2018: Kiss of the Vampire (1963)

Kiss of the Vampire (1963) dir. Don Sharp, Hammer Film Productions

An obscure vampire thriller from Hammer, and one of the few that has no mention of Dracula, but this might be one of the better fang flicks the studio ever made.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Dr. Paul Bearer

Real name: Dick Bennick
Years active: 1973 to 1995

Now, here we have one of the bigger hosts in Florida, Dr. Paul Bearer. Staring out as Dr. Shockula in North Carolina (we'll get to him later), Mr. Bennick relocated to St. Petersburg and became the host of Creature Feature on WTOG Channel 44.


Floridians took to the mad doctor, who delighted the audience with not just bad movies (such as Attack of the Mushroom People or Death Curse of Tartu) but also music. The gravelly voiced mad doctor even earned his own day of recognition in Tampa. Sadly the show ended with Bennick's passing in 1995.

That isn't the end of the story though...

Horror Countdown 2018: The Abominable Snowman (1957)

The Abominable Snowman (1957), dir. Val Guest, Hammer Film Productions.

Moving back to Hammer's glory days, this is actually the second version of the same story, having been made as a miniseries for the BBC in 1953 called the Creature.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospctive: The Ghostly Host

Real name: Unknown
Years active: 1960's

Moving into the Sunshine State, and this entry is a bit disappointing. Like other states, Florida is no stranger to missing hosts . The only info I could get on this one is that he hosted Nightmare Theatre on WPLG Channel 10 in Miami. He seemed to have been a disembodied head with a spinning wheel behind him.

Horror Countdown 2018: The Horror of Frankenstein (1970)

The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) dir. Jimmy Sangster, Hammer Film Productions

While Scars of Dracula managed to pump some fresh blood (pun intended) into the moribund Dracula series, the same couldn't be said for the Frankenstein franchise. With Peter Cushing bowing out, the idea had been to reboot/remake the series with rising Hammer star Ralph Bates in the lead.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Benedictine the Mad Monk

Real name: Phil Valentine
Year active: 1989

This one was a total surprise, and I wouldn't even had known about him if Dr. Gangrene hadn't posted about him this past January.

Benedictine the Mad Monk was on the air for about three weeks in 1989 on WZTV Channel 17 in Nashville. Go check out the doc's blog to see a better profile.

Horror Countdown 2018: Scars of Dracula (1970)

Scars of Dracula (1970) dir. Roy Ward Baker, Hammer Film Productions

The wheels were still on by this point, but they were getting wobbly. Christopher Lee returned as the count, begrudgingly as usual, but honestly one of the better performances in the later films.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: The Great Zucchini

Real name: Bill Miller
Years active: 1968



And here's the last of our nation's capital hosts. The Great Zucchini was defiantly interesting. He wasn't your typical mad scientist or vampire, and even had a back story.

The Great Zucchini was the world's greatest actor, but only the world didn't know it. When he brought down the house, literally, the now twisted and deformed ham sought refuge in the only place that would house such a twisted freak, namely the basement of WDCA Channel 20. Bringing the wonder of Supernatural Theatre to the masses every week, the Great Zucchini showed chills and thrills aplenty (when he wasn't hosting the afternoon dance show Wing Ding).

Horror Countdown 2018: Abbot and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)

Abbot and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) dir. Charles Lamont, Universal-International Pictures.

And here we end our look back at the Universal films. This is also the last picture Abbot and Costello did for Universal. Since our boys already meet Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolf Man, Boris Karloff, the Invisible Man; and the Gill-Man too, but on a TV show, the only monster left was the Mummy.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: The Black Cat

Real name: Bob Dalton
Years active: 1953

Moving to Washington D.C. now, and we have an odd one. Technically Dalton wasn't the Black Cat. On WTOP Channel 9, Dalton slipped into a black leotard and let a real black cat sit on his lap between films.

There were problems, of course, thus proving the real about working with live animals. Dalton was later quoted as being rather proud that he outlived the cat.

Horror Countdown 2018: Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)

Abbot and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951) dir. Charles Lamont, Universal-International Pictures

Moving into the end of our look back at the Universal Monsters, and the last Invisible Man picture made under the studio. Comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello found their careers revitalized by their staring in the 1948 comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and the 1949 follow up Abbot and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, so why not use another monster costar?

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Peter Gory

Real name: Claude Wayne Fulkerson
Years active: 1967-1968


Hosting Shock! on WHAS-TV Channel 11 in Louisville, Fulkerson portrayed a mad scientist, although I was unable to find much more. Much like the Fearmonger, he too appeared in movies, some of them directed by William Girdler.

And this ends our look back at the Bluegrass State's horror hosts, but we're not done with the hosting duties yet.

Horror Countdown 2018: Pillow of Death (1945)

Pillow of Death (1945) dir. Wallace Fox, Universal Pictures

By the mid 40s, Universal was firmly regulating their horror films to the B reel. The Inner Sanctum series had been an interesting experiment, but by this entry they had decided to end the series. 

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: The Fearmonger

Real name: Charles Kissinger
Years active: 1971-1976



The Fearmonger was an interesting host. Charles Kissinger was, besides working at WDRB Channel 41, was also an actor having stared in such drive-in classics as Three on a Meathook, Grizzly, and Sheba Baby.

The effect of his face wasn't done with make up, but a flashlight under his chin. Low budget but effective.

Horror Countdown 2018: House of Frankenstein (1944)

House of Frankenstein (1944), dir. Erle C. Kenton, Universal Pictures

Well, if Frankenstein could meet the Wolf Man, why not add more monsters to the mix?

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: Baron Bloode

Real name: Glen Fisher
Years active: 1962 to ?


Moving back to the 1960s, we take a look at one of the many local hosts of Shock Theater. Baron Bloode hosted the show for many years on WLTV Channel 13, although I was unable to find any footage of the man or the show.

Horror Countdown 2018: Man-Made Monster (1941)

Man-Made Monster (1941) dir. George Waggner, Universal Studios

Moving into the Universal section, we take a look at 1941's Man-Made Monster, which was the first pairing of Lon Chaney, Jr. and director George Waggner.

Horror Host 2018 Retrospective: I.Zombie

Real name: Hayden Milligan
Years active: 2002 to unknown


Hailing from Lexington's cable access channel 14, the Witching Hour was hosted by I.Zombie. Milligan was a man of many hats, going from Elvis impersonator, musician, even running his own video company.

Sadly Milligan passed away in 2007

The Witching Hour

Horror Countdown 2018: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) dir. Victor Fleming, Metro-Golden-Mayer

Welcome back boils and ghouls. We have another horror countdown this year, and we're kicking things off with the familiar tale of man's inner struggle.