Whatever Happened To Local Horror Movie Hosts?

[FilmCritic3K]

Characters like Ghoulardi (director Paul Thomas Anderson's father; Anderson named his film production company after his father's TV character) and others are no longer present on local TV stations these days, as I guess paid programming for Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer, Chef Tony's knives, and Ron Popeil's Showtime Rotissere are more lucrative. As a 25 year old, I'd love for these things to make a comeback but conventional wisdom tells me otherwise.

So folks I implore you, if you can, to regale this "youngster" with any tales of horror hosts from the past that you grew up with and loved. I know there are some still out there but the ranks are slowly dwindling, as I understand it, due to station management or the aforementioned allure of paid programming. The only one I remember watching avidly is Commander USA's Groovie Movies that ran on USA Network in the mid 1980s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commander_USA's_Groovie_Movies

I sincerely hope that NBC Universal's soon-to-launch horror channel Chiller will eventually have hosted movies in the "Creature Feature" vein.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Try this link:

http://myweb.wvnet.edu/e-gor/tvhorrorhosts/

And while there, be sure to look up "kindly, lovable Dr. Scar"
(KGUN-TV Tucson, 1960s).

 

[Tim L]

The successor to Ghoulardi..Houlihan and Big Chuck/Big Chuck and Little John..Just celebrated 40 years on the air in December 2006 on WJW-TV 8 in Cleveland. It has just been announced that Chuck Schodowski, who was Director on Ghoulardi before taking over the show as host after Ernie Anderson left in 1966, will retire in June 2007..The show will basically end at that time..a nearly 44 year run of Horror-Hosts on one station. Big Chuck and Little John Fans have their own website and forums, which discusses plans for the last shows and plans beyond next June. Also talks about other hosts and Horror Movies in general..


http://www.bigchuckandliljohn.com

 

[Ultimajock]

...Chicago's long-time horror host and institution (or should he just be institutionalised?), Rich "Svengoolie" Koz, has a nifty little web site up at http://www.svengoolieweb.com/. I haven't seen any references yet to Koz's late '90s incarnation as the "Channel 32 Video Pirate" (a character inspired by the WTTW/WGN "Max Headroom Pirate" incident -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5mzkt4N77s&mode=related&search=), but there are references to Jerry G. Bishop, who had been the original Sven back when he jocked at WCFL, WMAQ and WIND. Bishop is seen as Sven in a clip with Roller Derby stars Joan Weston and Sherri Erich at http://retrojunk.com/details_commercial/3592/...