Son of Svengoolie and the Past
“The monster's loose…
And now you know the truth.
Tell me can you feel it;
As you hit the wall.
The monster’s loose…
And now you have to choose.
And prove you can take it;
To the top before you fall.”
--Meatloaf, “The Monster Is Loose,” 2006.
I just picked up and started reading this unique book by Ted Okuda and Mak Yurkiw called From Shock Theatre to Svengoolie which I recommend for anyone who was a kid in the 1970s growing up in the Chicago Television channels zone.
This classic book covers my favorite shows as a kid—Creature Features from WGN, Screaming Yellow Theatre from WFLD, and Monster Rally on Channel 44. I always wondered how they obtained these cheesy movies and this book explains the marketing and package deals that the TV Stations had. They could buy the films, create a “host” of horror, and interject comedy bits. I mean, even as a kid, I wondered how they grabbed these lousy horror movies from Paraguay or someplace like that.
Chicago had some unique hosts with Jerry G. Bishop as the original Svengoolie on Screaming Yellow Theater; followed by Ron Sweed as The Ghoul, followed by Rich Koz as Son of Svengoolie (which frankly is the one I best remember).
Channel 44 did not have a host they just showed the cheapest of these movies and would throw in some Santos or Mil Mascaras movie from the 1960s.
All channels had some weird films, but Creature Features had the Universal Horror films (usually sectioned off for two hours with bits, gags, and if I remember correctly—lots and lots of commercials). When I went to ISU, the local NBC channel would show Monster Mash Saturdays at Midnight. No host, just a classic horror film with lots and lots of commercials in which the song “Monster Mash” would intersect into the film.
One of the great things about this book is that there are lists of the movies the various channels showed. For example Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein (honestly that movie scared me to death as a kid); The Alligator People; Attack of the Crab People; Attack of the Puppet People (also scared the crap out of me); all of the Hammer Dracula movies; All of the Universal (Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff) movies, all of the Toho (Godzilla, Mothra and the like) horror films; The Black Cat; Incredible Shrinking Man; It Came From Outer Space; I Married A Monster From Outer Space (insert favorite ironic joke here); I was a Teenage (Werewolf, Frankenstein) Whatever; Night of the Living Dead; Samson vs. The Vampire Women (a Santos Wrestling movie); Starman; White Zombie (still in my opinion among the best horror films ever); and so many more.
This book also contains references to the films, magazines and books about the films, and tons of internet sites for the readers to visit.
I have included a few YouTubes for the fans of the shows. Enjoy. I forgot how corny and yet hilarious the stuff was.
--Meatloaf, “The Monster Is Loose,” 2006.
I just picked up and started reading this unique book by Ted Okuda and Mak Yurkiw called From Shock Theatre to Svengoolie which I recommend for anyone who was a kid in the 1970s growing up in the Chicago Television channels zone.
This classic book covers my favorite shows as a kid—Creature Features from WGN, Screaming Yellow Theatre from WFLD, and Monster Rally on Channel 44. I always wondered how they obtained these cheesy movies and this book explains the marketing and package deals that the TV Stations had. They could buy the films, create a “host” of horror, and interject comedy bits. I mean, even as a kid, I wondered how they grabbed these lousy horror movies from Paraguay or someplace like that.
Chicago had some unique hosts with Jerry G. Bishop as the original Svengoolie on Screaming Yellow Theater; followed by Ron Sweed as The Ghoul, followed by Rich Koz as Son of Svengoolie (which frankly is the one I best remember).
Channel 44 did not have a host they just showed the cheapest of these movies and would throw in some Santos or Mil Mascaras movie from the 1960s.
All channels had some weird films, but Creature Features had the Universal Horror films (usually sectioned off for two hours with bits, gags, and if I remember correctly—lots and lots of commercials). When I went to ISU, the local NBC channel would show Monster Mash Saturdays at Midnight. No host, just a classic horror film with lots and lots of commercials in which the song “Monster Mash” would intersect into the film.
One of the great things about this book is that there are lists of the movies the various channels showed. For example Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein (honestly that movie scared me to death as a kid); The Alligator People; Attack of the Crab People; Attack of the Puppet People (also scared the crap out of me); all of the Hammer Dracula movies; All of the Universal (Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff) movies, all of the Toho (Godzilla, Mothra and the like) horror films; The Black Cat; Incredible Shrinking Man; It Came From Outer Space; I Married A Monster From Outer Space (insert favorite ironic joke here); I was a Teenage (Werewolf, Frankenstein) Whatever; Night of the Living Dead; Samson vs. The Vampire Women (a Santos Wrestling movie); Starman; White Zombie (still in my opinion among the best horror films ever); and so many more.
This book also contains references to the films, magazines and books about the films, and tons of internet sites for the readers to visit.
I have included a few YouTubes for the fans of the shows. Enjoy. I forgot how corny and yet hilarious the stuff was.
posted by Eric Sweetwood at 1:37 PM
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