Start of P Listings

Patient Creatures, The

(see Carpathian)

Patrick, Butch

(see BUTCH PATRICK and IVONNA CADAVER)

Paul Bearer *

(see DR. PAUL BEARER)

Payne, Cherry

(see THE DEBASER and CHERRY PAYNE)

PEACHES CHRIST

(Joshua Grannell)

Visit Peaches Christ, the official Website.

See Peaches Christ's profile page at HORRORHOSTS.com, the official site for the Horror Host Underground (HHU).

See details on the Midnight Mass film series hosted by Peaches Christ.

See "Total Media Whore," a feature article about Peaches Christ posted on the Horror Host Underground Website.

Canned Peaches

The fourth Thursday of every month at 10:30 pm

CityVisions, Cable Channel.29 (San Francisco, California)

Summer 1998 - 200?

NOTES:

• Information adapted from Peaches' website:

  Peaches Christ was born in a small boating town just outside of "charm city," Baltimore, Maryland. As a wee girl Peaches would dream of becoming rich and famous. She aspired to bring celebrity and controversy back to her well-known family name.

  Surviving many years of Catholic schooling, where poor Peaches was often teased and ridiculed for being different from other girls, she vowed to turn her dreams into realities. Since the east coast had nothing left to offer her, Peaches and her friend Martiny flew directly to San Francisco where they've been ever since. Peaches soon found solace and friendship on the "underground" cabaret stage at Trannyshack where she's been allowed to work through some of her painful memories and make a bit of her name for herself as a Drag Superstar. Martiny became known as the most flawed and tragic drag queen in all of SF. She's also Peaches' official sidekick.

  Peaches is a huge film buff who has written magazine columns and reviews, though she is best known for her Midnight Mass film series at the Bridge Theatre. Playing hostess to a cavalcade of midnight movies, each with its own special pre-show entertainment, Peaches has won the hearts of sick and twisted San Franciscans far and wide.

  Peaches' award winning cable access television show Canned Peaches is no longer on the air but a compilation tape, "Too Hot For Cable TV: The Best of Canned Peaches" (available from the Gift Shop on Peaches' Website), documents the misadventures of Peaches, Martiny, and their dear friend Squeaky Blonde.

  Peaches' alter ego, Joshua Grannell, continues to make films in and around the San Francisco Bay area. His recent short films, Season of the Troll, and A Nightmare On Castro Street have enjoyed international festival appearances. Ms. Christ and Mr. Grannell are featured in a short documentary, Peaches Christ Superstar, that's also cruising the festival circuit. Look for her new film, Grindhouse, coming soon!

  Remember, Peaches loves you!

PENNY DREADFUL (I)

(Rose Marie Earp)

See Penny Dreadful pictures and information at Spooky's Nightmare Mansion, courtesy of "Spooky Tom" Winegar.

Son of Shock

Day? Time?

KMBC-TV, Channel 9 (Kansas City, Missouri)

19?? - 19??

NOTES:

• Had relatives with names like Pretty Dreadful, Awful Dreadful, etc.

PENNY DREADFUL (II), aka PENNY DREADFUL THE 13TH

(Danielle Gelehrter)

Visit Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers, the official website of "New England's Most HEXellent Horror-Host Program."

See Penny Dreadful's profile page at HORRORHOSTS.com, the official site for the Host Underground.

Check out Penny Dreadful's blog at MySpace.com!

Watch video clips from show episodes, interviews and live events on the Shilling Shockers website, on YouTube and on Weird Cinema TV!

Tune in the Horror Host Radio Network (scheduled times to be announced) to hear live webcasts of shows hosted by Penny Dreadful and other horror hosts, brought to you by the audacious folks at Cult Radio A Go-Go!

Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers

The show can now be seen on cable TV in over 100 cities and towns throughout Haunted New England!
Here's the SHOW SCHEDULE as of February, 2008:

Connecticut:

1. New Haven, West Haven, Hamden: Citizens Television Channel 27,
   Wednesday and Friday late-night at 1:00 am
2. New London, Waterford, Montville, East Lyme, Sterling, Griswold, Killingly, Plainfield, Putnam, Niantic, Jewett City, Danielson: MetroCast Community TV Channel 24, Friday at 11:00 pm
3. Norwalk, Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, New Canaan, Wilton, Weston, Westport, Easton, Redding: Cablevision Channel 77, Friday late-night at 12:30 am

Maine:

1. Gorham: GOCAT Channel 2, every night at 11:00 pm
2. Hollis, Buxton, Limerick, Limington, Standish, Waterboro: SRC-TV Channel 2,
   Every night at 11:30 pm
3. Portland: Channel 2; Monday at 11:00 am, 4:00 pm, 9:00 pm, and late-night 2:00 am
4. Washington County (Eastport, Machias, Lubec and numerous smaller towns):
   Washington County TV Channel 58, Friday at 9:00 pm

Massachusetts:

1. Andover: Comcast Channel 8, Friday at 11:00 pm
2. Athol, Orange: AOTV Channel 13, Sunday at Midnight
3. Attleboro: Comcast AACS Channel 15, Saturday and Sunday at Midnight.
4. Boston (BNN): Comcast BNN Channel 23 / RCN Channel 83, Tuesday late-night at 12:30 am
5. Brookline: BATV Channel 3, Saturday at Midnight
6. Cambridge: CCTV Channel 10, Tuesday and Thursday at Midnight
7. East Bridgewater: EBCTV Channel 9, Schedule varies (see website)
8. Easton: Comcast Channel 9, Friday at 11:00 pm
9. Fairhaven / Acushnet: Comcast Channel 95, Friday and Saturday at 11:00 pm
10. Fall River: FRCTV Channel 95, Thursday at 10:00 pm
11. Freetown/Lakeville/Middleboro: Comcast Channels 9 and 95, Thursday and Friday at 10:00 pm
12. Mattapoisett, Marion, Rochester: ORCTV Channel 9, Thursday & Saturday at 9:00 pm
13. New Bedford: NBTV Channel 95, Friday at 10:00 pm
14. North Adams, Adams, Clarksburg and Cheshire: NBCTV Channel 15, Saturday at 10:30 pm
15. North Dartmouth: Comcast Channel 95, Friday at 10:00 pm
16. Peabody: PAT Channel 10, Tuesday at 11:00 pm
17. Quincy: QATV Channel 8; Friday at 10:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday at 10:00 pm
18. Raynham: Comcast Channel 9, Friday at 11:00 pm
19. Salem: SATV Channel 3, Saturday at 11:00 pm
20. Seekonk: Channel 9, Tuesday at 11:00 pm
21. Somerset: TV9 Channel 9; Saturday at 9:00 pm, Sunday mornings at 7:00 am
22. Swansea: Channel 98, Tuesday at 9:30 am and 10:00 pm
23. Taunton: Comcast Channel 15, Tuesday at Midnight
24. Wareham: WCTV Comcast Channel 9, Friday at 11:00 pm
25. Westford: CAT Channel 8, Wednesday at 11:00 pm
26. Westport: Charter Channel 17, Friday at 11:00 pm
27. Winthrop: WCAT Channel 3, Friday at 11:00 pm (double feature!)
28. Woburn: Comcast Channel 9, Verizon Channel 42 & RCN Channel 3;
    Friday and Saturday at Midnight, Monday at 9:00 pm, Thursday at 1:00 pm
29. Worcester: WCCA-TV Channel 13, Tuesday at Midnight, Thursday late-night at 1 am
30. Wrentham: Channel 8, schedule varies.

New Hampshire:

1. Bedford: BCTV Channel 16, Thursday late-night at 12:30 am
2. Charlestown: SAPA-TV Channel 8, Saturday night at 11:30 pm
3. Chester: CTV Channel 21; Friday at 6 am, Saturday at 2:30 pm and Sunday at 11:30 pm
4. Claremont: CCTV Channel 8, Friday at 11:30 pm
5. Derry: CTV Channel 17, generally airs weekends at 11:00 pm (varies)
6. Manchester: MCAM Channel 23, Sunday at 10 pm (at least once a month)

Rhode Island:

1. Providence, North Providence, Warwick, West Warwick, Coventry & East Greenwich:
   Cox Channel 18, Tuesday at 11:30 pm
2. Barrington, Bristol, Warren: Full Channel Cable Channel 9, Thursday and Friday at Midnight
3. Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton, Little Compton:
   Cox Channel 18, Saturday at 1:00 am

Vermont:

1. Burlington: VCAM Channel 15;
   Tuesday late-night at 2:30 am, Wednesday late-night at 3:00 am, Thursday at 2:00 pm
2. Hyde Park, Johnson, Morristown: GMATV Channel 15, every night at Midnight
3. Ludlow, Plymouth, Cavendish, and Mount Holly: LPCTV Channel 8;
   Wednesday at 10 pm, Saturday and Sunday at Noon and Midnight
4. Springfield, Chester, Weathersfield & Reading: SAPA-TV Channel 8,
   Saturday night at 11:30 pm

Horror Host Underground Network:

1. Live and pre-recorded guest appearances on other hosted shows all over the country.
2. Live appearances at monstrous film festivals and other shows and events throughout the year.

January 2006 (debut) - present

Magazine references:

• Review with two photos, "Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers (2005)" by David Alexander Nahmod, in issue #59 (July 2006) of Scary Monsters.
  
  
• Review with two photos, "Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers: Season One and Season Two" by David Alexander Nahmod, in issue #63 (June 2007) of Scary Monsters.

NOTES:

• Penny Dreadful's co-hosts are her snarling-darling lycanthrope husband Garou (Magoo Gelehrter) and their arch-enemy and next door neighbor, the retired monster hunter Manfred Von Bulow (Ivan Bernier). Other special guests appear throughout the course of the series. Multi-talented Rebecca Paiva directs and edits the shows, plays supporting roles as needed, maintains the official website, and generally lends an air of class to the proceedings.
  
  
• Penny Dreadful's show is based in Southeastern Massachusetts and airs throughout the New England area -- and is also seen nationwide via the Horror Host Underground network. Episodes have included visits to Salem, to Lovecraft territory, to the Collinwood mansion from Dark Shadows, to Lizzie Borden's house, to the Monster Bash convention in Pittsburgh, to abandoned amusement parks, and to many other fun & freaky places.
  
  
• The selection of films shown on Shilling Shockers is intelligent and eclectic, to say the least! Here's what they've shown so far.
  Season One: M (pilot episode), Horror Hotel, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Werewolf vs. Vampire Woman, The Terror and Count Dracula and His Vampire Brides.
  Season Two: The Brain That Wouldn't Die, The Beast of Yucca Flats, The Werewolf of Pawtucket, Dementia 13, Teenagers from Outer Space, The Indestructible Man and White Zombie.
  Season Three: Black Sunday, At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul, House on Haunted Hill, Carry On Screaming, Moon of the Wolf, Dracul -- Prisoner of Frankenstein and the German silent classic The Golem.
  Season Four: Horror Rises From the Tomb, Attack of the Monsters, Black Sabbath, Bride of the Monster, Carnival of Souls, A Bucket of Blood and Ingmar Bergman's arthouse classic The Seventh Seal.
  
  
• I, E-gor, initiated this entry after receiving this flattering note from Penny Dreadful herself in January 2006:

  Your website is amazing. I am a frequent visitor!
  I am just writing to let you know that I am a new horror hostess in the Southern New England area.... We are currently airing on NBTV 95 in New Bedford, MA on Saturdays at 10 pm, as well as BNN in Boston .... We are also about to air in Providence Rhode Island, New Haven Connecticut, and several markets throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. We are also members of the Horror Host Underground and will be sending some of our shows over to A. Ghastlee Ghoul for distribution.
  
  Could you find it in your heart to give us a wee listing on your fantastic site? Our website is at http://www.shillingshockers.com -- You can watch a couple of clips there (with more coming soon). There are also episode synopses, pics and character bios.

  When I replied with a couple of requests and queries, she wrote again:

  Originally I was just Penny Dreadful (I was in a band, and DJ'd a radio show under that name), but when I went into horror hosting I discovered through your website that there had been an earlier Penny Dreadful, so I added 'the thirteenth' part. On the show they usually just call me Penny Dreadful. Occasionally we'll add the 13th part on TV (like in the episode when Penny was put on trial for witchcraft).
  
  I'd be more than happy to send you an autographed photo. In fact, I'm blushing thirteen shades of green over the fact that you asked for one!
  
  Fangs again!
  Sin......cerely,
  Penny Dreadful the 13th

  Penny came through with a FAN-tastic package of autographs and other show goodies -- see one of the signed photos linked to her sidebar portrait!
  
  
• Penny Dreadful and Shilling Shockers have been taking the country by storm since the show debuted in January 2006, as their current list of cable venues clearly shows. Another indication of their success and popularity is their nomination, early in 2008, in two different categories of the fan-based annual Rondo Awards for hexellent accomplishments in 2007: "Best (active) Horror Host" and "Best Independent Production on DVD" (for the box set of Season Four shows).
  
  Any classic horror fan can vote in the Rondos -- go to the official Rondo Award website, www.rondoaward.com, to read the rules, get a copy of the ballot, and see lists of nominees and winners from previous years.
  
  Winners, nominations for future awards, and other aspects of the Rondos are discussed all year long in a dedicated forum of the Classic Horror Film Board.
  
  Penny Dreadful is well-equipped to sweep the Rondos!

Peter Gorey

(see PETER GORY)

PETER GORY

(Claude Wayne Fulkerson, died December 2, 2006) )

See Claude Fulkerson's Internet Movie Database entry.

See more about Claude Fulkerson's work in William Girdler's films, including pictures, on William Girdler.com.

Shock!

Friday night around 11:30

WHAS-TV, Channel 11 (Louisville, Kentucky)

January 6, 1967 - 1968

NOTES:

• Initial information about this host provided by E-gorespondent (and Day/Night Programming Coordinator for the great WonderFest movie and model-making expo in Louisville, KY), Dave Conover.
  
  
• Kentucky gentleman Rick Pruitt supplied some more great details (cobbled together below from a couple of his e-mails), corrected my spelling (I originally had this host listed as "Peter GOREY"), and supplied a picture of Peter Gory for the sidebar! --

  Just visited your Horror Hosts site for the first time after seeing it mentioned on the Classic Horror Film Board.... I have a bit of info for you. This concerns Peter Gory of Louisville, Kentucky .... That, by the way, seems to be the correct spelling. G-O-R-Y. Makes sense, and the three printed sources I found -- two contemporary with the show and one from about 15 years later -- all spell it that way. ....
  
  Peter Gory was played by local Louisville actor Claude Fulkerson. He also appeared in one or more of William Girdler's movies. I know he was in Asylum of Satan.
  
  Peter Gory had wild hair, a bad Peter Lorre accent, a white labcoat and a mad lab. .... I am including a photo of him with this e-mail. It's just an old, grainy newspaper photo from the sixties, but it's all I've got.
  
  I can't remember much of his shtick.... I seem to remember that he made almost no use of his set or props. The bad Lorre delivering bad jokes was about the extent of it.
  
  He was on Friday nights, probably 11:30 on WHAS-TV, Channel 11. His first broadcast was January 6, 1967 and he showed Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman. The last Peter Gory show I can absolutely document was Indestructible Man on May 12, 1967. There are a couple of other possibilities in September of '67 which may or may not have been Peter Gory-hosted. Back in those days I kept a running list of all the horror and s-f movies I saw, with the dates I saw them. I still have that list but...two problems -- I only listed movies when I saw them the first time, and quite a few of Peter Gory's flicks I had already seen. Also, for most or all of his run, another local station, Channel 32, was running their own series. They showed double features every Friday night, starting exactly when PG's show started. (No host, no nothing on Ch. 32). So when I look at my old list, I can see some movies that came from those Friday nights but I don't know when they started or when the run ended, and I can't even remember which movies were Peter's and which were on Ch. 32.
  
  I can piece together the list of almost all of PG's movies from January to May, but nothing thereafter. Early in 1967 I got my driver's license, started acting, and discovered the fair sex. So my record-keeping and, indeed, my viewing habits, took a big hit right at that time. So Peter Gory may have been on for the rest of '67, maybe even longer, but I was otherwise engaged. I dunno.
  
  One of the clippings I found, from the very day his first show aired, reads:

  The movie will be introduced and closed with a locally-produced bit featuring WHAS staffer Claude Fulkerson in the role of "Peter Gory" with a mocked-up monster as his partner.

  Couple of things about that. First, Gory may very well have had a monster partner, but I have absolutely no memory of such a thing, so...no help here. Secondly, Fulkerson may have worked on the WHAS staff, but I'm pretty sure he was not on-air staff. I was a big TV watcher in those days and I knew everybody who worked on the local stations. I had never heard of Fulkerson before Peter Gory and, apart from his Girdler movies, never heard of him since. And that is all I have of Peter Gory.

  (NOTE: another Louisville horror host was prominently featured in Girdler's films: Charles Kissinger, aka THE FEARMONGER — E-gor.)
  
  
• David Cotner supplied more specific details (always welcome) in March 2008:

  As I was accessing the Social Security database -- so that I might provide you with more precise birth/death information on various horror hosts -- I found this.
  
  Peter Gory (born Claude Wayne Fulkerson, 1967-1968 on WHAS-TV 11 in Louisville; January 19, 1937 - December 2, 2006)
  
  Girdler referred to his middle name as being Wayne, and these are the dates of birth and death for Claude W. Fulkerson in Louisville, so regrettably I believe Peter Gory has indeed left the building.

PETER HARDT

(Peter Hardt)

Find lots more information about this host and his show on the Fantastic Theater page and in the guestbook archive on the Tulsa TV Memories website. This site also has great information about other TV horror hosts in that area, including DR. MAZEPPA POMPAZOIDI (The Uncanny Film Festival and Camp Meeting ) and original 50's host IGOR (Shock Theater)!

Fantastic Theater

Day? Time?

KVOO-TV (now KJRH), Channel 2 (Tulsa, Oklahoma)

Mid to late 60's

NOTE:

• Initial information provided by Stevo Wolfson and his older brother.

PETER LORRE JR.

(Eugene Weingand)

See the Internet Movie Database credits and mini-biography for "Peter Lorre Jr.," a.k.a. "Peter Lorie Jr."

Read about Eugene Weingand's original petition to change his name to "Peter Lorie" — In re Weingand (1964) 231 Cal.App.2d 289, 290.

The Night Creatures Show

Day? Time?

KTVV, Channel 36 (Austin, Texas)

1976-77

NOTES:

• The following is extracted from a July 2004 posting by Austin horror host PROFESSOR GRIFFIN to the Creature Features Yahoo discussion group:

  Re: Horror Hosts in TEXAS
  
  In Austin, in the mid-70s, there was someone who billed himself as Peter Lorre, Jr. I don't believe he was actually Lorre's son, but with his shaved head, he looked a lot like Lorre in Mad Love. He also did a national commercial for TV dinners around that time. He also showed up at a Proctor-Bergman concert, wearing a gold lamé jacket like Elvis wore on the cover of the "50 Million Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong" album.
  
  For a time, when I myself started hosting in Austin I was billed as Austin's FIRST and ONLY horror host. I've dropped that claim since I have received many e-mails from folks who recall Peter Lorre Jr. No station in Austin has any recollections, promotional materials, footage etc. of the mysterious Peter Lorre Jr. and only one program director (from the Austin ABC affiliate) from long ago even remembers him.

• In February, 2007, shortly after I updated this entry and added photos of Eugene Weingand to it, I received a personal follow-up from Professor Griffin, forwarding great new information about this host from the man who directed his show! —

  Speaking of Peter Lorre Jr... I have made a rather unique connection. The DIRECTOR of Peter Lorre Jr.'s shows in Austin. He contacted me through my MYSPACE page, and here is the correspondence as written. Feel free to use it on the site if you like! His name is Danny Alcocer, and he wrote:

  I used to direct The Night Creatures Show with Peter Lorre Jr. in Austin in 1976-77. We used to tape the show Saturday mornings at channel 36. The producer of the show was a man named Bob Smith who was a good friend of Peter and used to produce the Lawrence Welk Show in it's early days. The last time I saw Peter was in 1980 when he came to Laredo, Texas to visit me. Does anybody know what happened to him? I know in 1980 he was living in Houston. If you know anything about his recent activities, please let me know. thanks,
  Danny Alcocer

  I responded .... Danny wrote back with this:

  I was 18 years old at the time and I think everyone in Austin thought he was the son of Peter Lorre. The station back then was KTVV Channel 36, an NBC affiliate. I was the weekend director and would direct newscasts and Public Affairs shows.... Peter bought airtime at the station and was allowed to contract the crew from channel 36 to produce and put the show together. That's the reason we would tape the show on Saturday mornings because we were really busy all week long.
  
  When I first met Peter I thought to myself this guy is weird. He was there with his producer, Bob Smith, and I was asked to direct the show. Peter had the perfect accent and what I remember the most about him were his devilish and sneaky eyes. He had a sneaky laugh too.
  
  I was also the set designer and would do the lighting for the show. At times I would also help with the writing. I remember Peter saying that he wanted me to incorporate a huge wicker chair into his set. That was his top concern. He always wanted to come out sitting in that wicker chair and it usually was at the beginning and end of the show. The idea was simple: incorporate local skits to complement the horror movie of the night. Then at some point we would introduce a local band to do one or two numbers.
  
  I remember the show was popular because we used to go to local clubs and be recognized. We used to go to Geminis on the drag and watch the belly dancers.... Peter even sponsored a girls softball team called "The Night Creatures" there in Austin. I certainly enjoyed the benefits of sponsoring a girls softball team...
  
  The most important thing I remember about Peter was that he was smart at marketing himself and was very protective of his material. He kept all copies of the show and would not even let me make a copy for my portfolio. No one other than Peter would have anything relating to his show. I'm not sure if Channel 36 saved any of the promos we made for the show.
  
  I also remember the night he picked me up in his new hearse that he bought from a funeral parlor. We used to cruise the drag in that thing and get a great response.
  
  We taped the show on 2-inch videotape, which at that time was the best, but not so easy to edit and manipulate. The station was just barely getting into 3/4 inch tape and ENG. We would still shoot alot of stuff on 16mm film back then and used hot splicers to edit the films.
  
  Here are the names of the best video crew in Austin in 1976-77: Danny Alcocer, Director, Laredo; Rick Herrman, Sound and Music, Houston; John K. White, Camera, San Francisco; Michael Emery, Camera, Austin; Scott Henderson, Camera, Austin; Jeff Silverman, Writer, New York; Jeff Lemon, Audio, Austin; Terry Cobb, Videotape Engineer, Austin; JoDale Crunk, Videotape Engineer, Austin.
  
  Our schedule on Saturday mornings would start with a pre-production meeting, then we would rehearse for a couple of hours and then tape and edit the show.... This was over 30 years ago. It's nice to remember something that at that time was fresh, exciting and very challenging. It used to take about three to four 2-inch videotape machines just to do simple special effects like make him dissappear and such. I'm glad you're doing and bringing back to life local production in Austin and continuing the legacy that little ol' Peter started way back then.
  Danny

  Rest In Peace,
  Prof. Griffin
  The Midnight Shadow Show

• On March 1, 2005, another current horror host, SETH LAZARUS, posted this birthday remembrance to the Horrorhosts Yahoo discussion group:

  Tomorrow is Peter Lorre Jr.'s seventy-first birthday! He was a TV horror host here in Austin, Texas, for a brief time in the mid-seventies. He was also a friend of my father's. I haven't heard anything about him in thirty years, but he was a big influence on my becoming a horror host. I just recently found out he was still alive, and now I'm on a quest to find him! If anyone has any information or a photo,I would be extremely grateful.

• Shortly after Seth posted the note above, I had the pleasure of exchanging e-mail with him about various classic horror hosts he remembered, and he gave me some more great info on this one. He adapted his first paragraph from the Internet Movie Database mini-biography cited above (which contains an error as noted):

  Peter Lorre Jr. was born Eugene Weingand on April 1st,1934 in Karlsruhe,Germany. He emigrated to the U.S.at the age of 20. Because of his passing resemblance to Peter Lorre he began calling himself Peter Lorie Jr. In 1963 he applied to have his name legally changed to Peter Lorie Jr. [sic: should be "Peter Lorie" — E-gor], but the famous actor objected, as did American International Pictures, which had Lorre under contract. The judge denied Weingand's petition, deciding he was just trying to cash in on a famous name. He was barred from using the name Peter Lorie Jr. without Lorre's permission. Unfortunately Peter Lorre died a few months later and Weingand began calling himself Peter Lorre Jr., even claiming to be the son of the famous actor. Under this name he made a handful of film and television appearances in the 60's and 70's and subsequently dropped out of sight.
  
  His credits include the ABC Movie of the Week The Cat Creature in 1973. He played a taxi driver in Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain in 1966. He played "Kadi" in "The Slave" parts 1 and 2 on the TV show Mission Impossible in October 1967.
  
  [He also appeared in a 1965 episode of Mel Brooks' TV spy spoof Get Smart — E-gor.]
  
  That is his bio up to the early 70's, but after that he moved to Austin, Texas. He owned a hobby shop in the Village shopping center, a small local mall. He did a horror host show on local TV for a short time in the mid 70's. He was also a friend of my father's, so we all knew him. He was a nice and kind man. He was a bald headed round little man with a frighteningly scary face. He wore no makeup and sometimes wore a gold lamé jacket. He was an excellent horror host and loved the limelight.
  
  Exact details about the show, i.e. channel, time, year, are something I don't know. When I've researched it they usually refer me back to myself! Let me explain, once again he dropped out of sight and it has been my mission to find him, so as it turns out I'm the local expert on him. Austin television of 30 years ago was basically written on the wind, so finding anything out is next to impossible.
  
  One undeniable fact: Peter Lorre Jr. was an Austin, Texas horror host in the mid 70's, and I honestly believe he deserves inclusion on your gallery.

• Eugene Weingand's activities as "Peter Lorre Jr." and "Peter Lorie Jr." are discussed occasionally by members of the Peter Lorre Yahoo discussion group. In their posts I first learned of various details about his court case, and such esoterica as Weingand providing the Lorre impression for the "Boo Berry" character in TV cereal commercials.
  
  A breakthrough lead to a great source of additional information about Eugene Weingand — a critically-acclaimed biography of Peter Lorre published in 2005 — came via e-mail from Cheryl Morris:

  I read with interest your biographical sketch of "Peter Lorre Jr." on your TV Horror Hosts website. On a recent installment of the overnight radio show, "Coast to Coast AM," a caller from Austin, TX, phoned in during the open lines segment about his neighbor, "Peter Lorre Jr." He didn't give the year, but from your website, it looks like it was in the mid-1970s. I posted a message about the call on the Weingand message board on IMDB.com.
  
  I'm afraid I can't help you with your questions about his stint as horror show host, but I can direct you to the authorized biography of Peter Lorre -- "The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre" by Stephen D. Youngkin -- which will give you further information about Weingand's background. Amazon has the "Search Inside" feature for this book, and a search on "Weingand" will take you to pages 440-443 (his background), 451 (his Get Smart! appearance), and 453 (voice of Booberry) [sic]:

  Read about this Peter Lorre biography at Amazon.com

  According to "The Films of Peter Lorre" (Citadel Press, 1982), co-written by Stephen Youngkin, James Bigwood and Ray Cabana Jr.: "Eugene Weingand even got in on the act as a ghost called Booberry [sic] in a cereal commercial, until Andrew Lorre [Peter Lorre's younger brother] persuaded General Mills to drop the ad." (Page 60, in the Lorre biography section.)
  
  I'm a long-time friend of Stephen Youngkin's, helped him with research on both "The Lost One" and "The Films of Peter Lorre," did the proofreading and copy-editing. I also compiled Peter Lorre's radio and TV credits for "The Lost One"'s Appendix. If there are any other questions about Eugene Weingand I could answer for you, please let me know.

• Checking out the pages noted by Cheryl Morris in Amazon's searchable text for the "The Lost One," I found some new and divergent information about Eugene Weingand, including —
  
  

  Biographical data (p. 440):

  "Allegedly born April 1, 1934, in Karlsruhe, Germany.... In 1954 he immigrated to New York and four years later made his way to southern California, where he worked as a real estate salesman and attended the Loretta Young Acting School, performing in small theaters on the side."
  
  

  Details and clarification of his efforts to get his name changed legally (pp. 440-443):

  The name change he originally petititioned for was "Peter Lorie" (not "Peter Lorie Jr." as reported in the IMDb and elsewhere). He claimed that people called him that because they thought he looked like the actor, so he "adopted the name, introducing himself as 'Peter Lorie' or 'Peter Lorie, Jr'." He applied to change his name legally to Peter Lorie in July, 1963. "The real Peter Lorre objected in the press and in the courtroom." ,,,, "The Superior Court of Los Angeles County considered Weingand's petition on October 3, 1963." .... "Judge [Burnett] Wolfson denied the petition and permanently restrained him from using the name 'Peter Lorie' spelled in any fashion, without the written consent of the actor." ....
  [The actor Peter Lorre died March 23, 1964 in Los Angeles. — E-gor]
  "In December 1964, eight months after Lorre's death, Weingand appealed the judgment of the Superior Court on the grounds that Judge Wolfson had exceeded his jurisdiction" .... "He won his point and the Second District Court of Appeals modified the judment, dropping the permanent injunction." .... He then "began passing himself off as Lorre's son" .... "His driver's license and social security card even bore the name 'Peter Lorre, Jr.'" ....
  "In November 1971, claiming that he was 'the sole surviving son of Peter Lorre, who married my mother in Germany in 1932,' Weingand filed a petition for a change of name to 'Peter Lorre, Jr." .... but "On December 15, two weeks before the scheduled hearing .... Weingand's attorney suddenly filed for dismissal." ....
  "In the coming years Weingand eventually landed several small roles in television productions and appeared under the name Peter Lorre Jr."

  
  
• I asked my actor/director friend Conrad Brooks (best known as one of Ed Wood's stock company players) if he knew anything about Peter Lorre Jr. Conrad knows lots of amazing things about old Hollywood and its denizens, so of course he did. He told me he first heard of him about 12-15 years ago at Pink's Hot Dogs on La Brea and Melrose in Hollywood. He was enjoying one of their world-famous hot dogs and looking at all the signed celebrity photos hanging on the walls when he spotted one that resembled Peter Lorre — a guy with a shaved head and pop eyes, sitting in a "bamboo chair." When he looked closer, it was signed "Peter Lorre JR." — he was surprised that Peter Lorre had a son! So I told him the interesting saga of Eugene Weingand. It sounds like that photo might have been a promo portrait from the Night Creatures Show — I wonder if it's still there?!
  
  (Incidentally, Conrad Brooks has never been a real TV horror host [so far] but he did play one in a movie: see CONRAD),

PETER VINCENT *

(Roddy McDowall)

(Fictional horror host in films Fright Night (1985) and Fright Night II (1989)

See Roddy McDowall's Internet Movie Database entry.

Fright Night

Day? Time?

STATION?, Channel ? (City?, State?)

1985, 1989

Elena Watson's Television Horror Movie Hosts reference:
mention and picture in Ch. 25, "Son of Invasion of the Ghost Hosts," p. 175.

Phantom of the Opry, The *

(see SIR CECIL CREAPE)

Pompazoidi, Dr. Mazeppa

(see DR. MAZEPPA POMPAZOIDI)

PROFESSOR CERBERUS *

(Greg Bransom)

See a picture of Professor Cerberus (32k JPEG).

Museum of Horrors

Saturday, 10:30 p.m.; later followed Saturday Night Live from midnight - 2 a.m.; finally Saturday afternoon

KXAS-TV, Channel 5 (Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas)

April 1973 - 1975

Elena Watson's Television Horror Movie Hosts reference:
whole chapter and four pictures -- Ch. 18, "Professor Cerberus and the Museum of Horrors," pp. 118-127.

Magazine references:

• Mentioned, with picture, in feature "The Horror of Them All!" in issue #13 (December 1988) of Filmfax, pp. 28-32.
• "T.V. Horror Host Gallery" portrait photo on inside back cover of issue #4 (Spring 1997) of Monsters from the Vault.

NOTE:

• Show cast included hunchbacked assistant Ygor (Kerry Gammill), the Frankenstein Monster (Jody Dean or Jess Sherman), Uncle Creepy (Mike Davis), and the Wolf Man (?).

PROFESSOR EMCEE SQUARE

(Mark Menold)

Visit The It's Alive Show website, with downloadable clips, outtakes and music, lots of pictures, and a message board.

The It's Alive Show

Saturday nights at 11:00

WBGN-TV, (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

Premieres July 30, 2005

NOTES:

• The show's website home page says:

  Chiller Theater fans rejoice! Late night horror films have returned to Pittsburgh television! It's Alive! Scary movies, comedy, live music and more... hosted by Professor Emcee Square and the Banana Peel Coffin Jockeys. Make Up and Costumes by Spotlight Costume, Pittsburgh; Movies by Incredibly Strange Video, Dormont, PA.

• Cast descriptions (with pix) from the website:
  
  

  Professor Emcee Square

  The show's host calls himself a "professor" but an extensive background check showed he has only a GED and few pottery classes. Emcee Square has serious anger management issues and will lash out with that chicken at the drop of a hat. He also claims to be dead... or is he just not aging very well?
  

  Pointy

  He's an opinionated demon with a bad habit of correcting people, especially the Professor. The show's resident "Mr. Know It All" and critic on everything from movies to personal attire, Pointy holds nothing back. Triviamaster. Virtuoso. Genius. Pain in the ass.
  

  Fritz

  The product of one of the Professor's early 80s cloning experiments gone awry, Fritz can see into the future with his extra eye and is great at opening cans with his teeth. Mildly retarded with low-level Tourette's Syndrome, Fritz lives in a tree outside the studio
  

  Stiffy the Dead Clown

  Once a happy clown, Stiffy met his fate at a seven year old's birthday party. The children turned into an angry mob when it was realized that he was not invited or hired to perform as a clown. Highly excitable because he has never had a human girlfriend, Stiffy "disappears" a lot.
  

  Jeaux-Jeaux the Wolf Boy

  After years of wandering the frozen tundra of Canada, Jeaux-Jeaux (pronounced: joe joe) was found in our dumpster looking for scraps. Born with nine rectums and not yet housebroken, Jeaux will spend hours chasing his tail. Note: Werewolves with combovers are extremely rare.
  

  The Whispering Nantucket

  The self appointed manager has been hyping and duping the boys for many years. Whenever they question his management skills he replies: "Hey, you're on TV, aren't you?" (He had nothing to do with their television deal). He's a slimy agent and you can see right through him — because he's a ghost.
  

  Hellga Scheidenentzündung

  Nightmare groupie from the deepest depths of the netherworld, Hellga has a death grip on Pointy's manhood. She eats like a bird — a steady diet consisting mostly of bugs.
  

  Crew

  Mark Menold - Creator; Doug Appel - Technical Director; Alan Smithee - Director; Eric Forrester - Make Up; Shannon Norman - Stunts; Matt Menold - Best Boy; Jason Jeung - Ghost Writer; Angela Rocco and Kat Woodhall - Cinematography.

  
  
• The show's inhuman cast is ably supported by several puppets, including Mother (she's sweet as sugar but very high maintenance), Urnie (he can do a mean-assed Charleston), and a Cyst with teeth and hair (nothing can clear a room like Fritz' Little Cyster).
  
  
• The cast of It's Alive provides all the original music featured on the show. Although they are referred to as "Banana Peel Coffin Jockeys" on the air, the music they are playing is actually small excerpts from various projects past and present.
  Emcee Square and Pointy have collaborated in many bands over the years, their most recent being The Singularities. The theme song from the beginning of every show and the music over the final credits are both songs from their first CD. You can hear some of their music at the Garageband website.
  Fritz helps round out the band and is currently playing in two other Pittsburgh based bands. All three are multi-instrumentalists, giving the band six possible combinations and six distinct sounds.
  
  Emcee Square: Drums, Bass, or Guitar
  Pointy: Drums, Bass, or Guitar
  Fritz: Drums, Bass, or Guitar
  Stiffy: Vocals
  and Band's Best Friend.... Jeaux-Jeaux: Unbelievable Drum Grooves
  
  
• The following 13 horror classics (order to be determined) were scheduled to kick off the Spring 2005 season: Attack of the Crab Monsters, Attack of the Giant Leeches, Beast from the Haunted Cave, The Brain that Wouldn't Die, The Cyclops, The Giant Gila Monster, The Killer Shrews, Little Shop of Horrors (50's version), Night of the Blood Beast, Night of the Living Dead (original), Nosferatu (silent version), Teenagers from Outer Space, and The Wasp Woman (50's version).
  
  
• Professor Emcee Square himself wrote to tell us about his show:

  Yes, my show is a go! I have 13 shows in the can and will start airing them on WBGN Pittsburgh, Saturday nights at 11:30 this spring. I'm still rounding up sponsors, and that's not an easy task since I have to sell all the commercial time myself. I get a lot of doors slammed in my face — maybe I shouldn't try to do the sales part in full make up.
  The show has been under the radar until a few months ago but I'm starting to let the media in on what I'm doing. I've been in training for this for a while now with Bruce Lentz (Mr. Schlock) and Bill Cardille (Chilly Billy) coaching me. Pretty strong mentors!
  If you looked around on our website you probably noticed that the cast of the show also plays live original music into and out of the breaks. This is actually turning into a real band and the story arc of the second season will be the band's attempt at recording, club dates, and hopefully opening up an Ozzy or Rob Zombie type show in Pittsburgh.
  I appreciate your interest and will send you a better photo — we just wrapped up our first season with me getting a "make over" at the Tom Savini School of Make Up.
  Thanks,
  Mark Menold
  Professor Emcee Square

PROFESSOR FANTASTIC

(Jack McKenna)

Fantastic Theatre

Day? Time?

WDIO, Channel 10 (Duluth, Minnesota)

1966 - 196?

Magazine reference:

• Feature with two pictures (one of Jack McKenna out of makeup, one of a newspaper cartoon of the professor), "Professor Fantastic Was Fantastic!" by Richard Olson, in issue #14 (March 1995) of Scary Monsters, pp. 28-29.

NOTE:

• McKenna was a well-known local TV weatherman, and also played daytime kid's show host "Captain Q" on another Duluth station (WDSM?).
• Professor Fantastic spoke in a Karloff-like accent, wore a white lab coat, mustache, tousled hair and glasses, and performed a humorous experiment each week during the movie, assisted by his assistant Igor, unseen except for a shadow on the wall.

PROFESSOR GIDEON

(Jim Petersmith)

Shock Theatre

Friday night just after the 10 o'clock news

KGAN, Channel 2 (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

Circa 1979, for 13 weeks

NOTE:

• Dave Conover of Louisville, Kentucky (PrimaMater@aol.com) provided the details above by e-mail under very unusual circumstances -- here's most of his note: "...I've got a real (live...?) horror host sitting in my living room right now! He's an old friend of mine named Jim Petersmith who went by the name of Professor Gideon back around '79 or so in Cedar Rapids IA. It was at KGAN-2, the local CBS affil. and he lasted 13 weeks before being canned for putting a cat in a microwave! The show was called (what else) Shock Theatre and ran just after the 10 o'clock news on friday nites. They screened a lot of shlock including They Saved Hitler's Brain and they had a hunchback named Troy and a little boy experimental subject named Mikey. Jim's got about nine episodes worth of bits on 3/4 tape and we're working on transferring it. Just thought you'd like to know..."

PROFESSOR GRIFFIN

(Joseph Fotinos, professionally aka "Joseph Anthony")

Visit Professor Griffin's Midnight Shadow Show, the show's official Website.

See Professor Anton Griffin's profile page at HORRORHOSTS.com, the official site for the Horror Host Underground (HHU).

Read about the cast of Midnight Shadow Show at the HHU Website.

Visit the Auditorium, Professor Griffin's regular column of essays on horror subjects on Count Gore De Vol's Creature Feature, the Weekly Web Program!

The Midnight Shadow Show

Day? 3:00 pm

KVC-TV, UPN Channel 13 (Austin, Texas)

Halloween week, October, 1999

The Midnight Shadow Show

A week of Halloween movies (11 films)

KVC-TV, UPN Channel 13 (Austin, Texas)

Halloween week, October 25-31 2000

The Midnight Shadow Show

(hosting The Phantom of the Opera)

KTBC-TV (Fox), Channel 7 (Austin, Texas)

October 30, 2000

Professor Griffin's Midnight Shadow Show

Friday at 11:00 pm

Time Warner Cable, Channel 16 (Austin, Texas)

October 2001 - Present

Friday at Midnight

Austin Music Network, Time Warner Cable, Channel 15 (San Marcos, Texas)

March 5th - March 26, 2004

Moved to Sundays at 11:00 pm

April 4, 2004 - Present

Friday at Midnight

Austin Music Network, Time Warner Cable, Channel 24 (San Antonio, Texas)

March 5th - March 26, 2004

Moved to Sundays at 11:00 pm

April 4, 2004 - Present

Thursday at Midnight

Time Warner Cable, Channel 17 (Houston, Texas)

January 2003 - Present

and guest-host appearances on The Horror Host Underground Network coast to coast!

Magazine references:

• online feature article, Horror Host Seeks Post by Joseph Anthony (Professor Griffin), still viewable in the archives of Horror-Wood, "The Monthly Horror and Monster Movie Webzine."
  
  
• feature article, "Title?" by ??, in Scary Monsters magazine # 41 (December, 2001).
  
  
• feature article, "Professor Griffin Presents Universal Monster Kombat!," in Scary Monsters magazine # 51 (June, 2004), pp. 68-74.
  
  

NOTES:

• Professor Griffin introduced himself via e-mail when he was first getting his show together:

  I am Professor Griffin and I am the host of the Midnight Shadow Show, a new local horror program in Austin Texas. I have several stations currently developing the show and THEY ARE VERY INTERESTED! The question is,..which one? I am an actor in Austin, my name is Joseph Anthony and I have always been a fan of horror and the awesome horror hosts! I am a horror historian of sorts, I have an impressive collection of stuff, and a knowledge of the genre that, quite frankly, scares me. I pitched the idea to local TV stations and they were very interested, I am currently in discussions with several to bring this lost form of entertainment to the capitol of Texas! Just dropping a note to say, I LOVE your site and I am a big fan! Please cross your fingers for me and wish me luck! I will update you soon when I know for sure what the future holds for Professor Griffin and his Midnight Shadow Show!

• Professor Griffin subsequently posted this good news to Count Gore De Vol's (Horror Hosts mailing list (click to join):

  On the home front, Austin's UPN station has agreed to allow yours truly, Professor Griffin, to host the week of Halloween Movies! This is a minor hosting gig introducing the movies, and a series of 15 second TV spots promoting the showings. Also, since the event is sponsored by Goodwill Industries, I'll be making appearances at local Goodwill's to meet folks and promote the week long horror show! It's not my Midnight Shadow Show, but hey, it's a start! Exposure to the people is good, no? Anyway, wish me luck and I'll let you all know how it comes across.

• In a later note, Professor Griffin revealed his first name: Anton, a tribute to Vincent Price as "The Abominable Dr. Phibes."
  
  
• Success through hard work, talent and tenacity! A current status report from Professor Griffin's Horror Host Underground Website profile:

  "Rest in Peace, Night Creatures."
  Austin's first horror historian and only (current) horror host, Professor Griffin reigns as the undisputed King of Terror Showmen! He is the official Halloween spokesperson for Goodwill Industries, host of Prof. Griffin's Midnight Shadow Show weekly on Austin cable, hosted on three different local affiliate stations each October for three years (one year on all three simultaneously!), co-hosted the world premiere of The Independent Film Channel's documentary, The American Nightmare with Tobe Hooper, and has even taught a college course on monsters at the University of Texas.

• From the Meet the Cast information on the official Website:
  
  
  • The owner and exhibitor of The Midnight Shadow Show, Professor Griffin is a graduate of Dark Pillars University in Ingolstadt, and subsequently joined with Professor Lampini's Chamber of Horrors. After Lampini barely survived an attack by a psychopathic hunchback, he passed the reigns of the touring horror show to Griffin. Griffin continued to tour with his all new Circus of Horrors, until in a freak accident, a patron was trapped in the vampire exhibit during feeding time. Griffin was blamed for the tragedy and was run out of town by an angry torch-bearing mob. Settling in Griffin Manor, he continues to run his side-show of the macabe, but now only through the relative safety of televison. Professor Griffin is played by Joseph Fotinos.
    
    
  • Usher is Professor Griffin's number one assistant. She was sent to The Midnight Shadow Show by Griffin's boss, the legendary Professor Bruno Lampini. Pale, beautiful and mysterious, Usher is actually a decendent of the infamous Usher family (Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher"). She is stoic, melancholy, and humorless most of the time. She serves Professor Griffin loyaly and without question, and helps to keep Dan-Dan in line. Usher does have one major weakness... Usher has a huge schoolgirl crush on horror film icon CHRISTOPHER LEE. Her obsession borders on fanaticism and is often the cause of many of Usher's most moody and emotional moments. Usher is played by Kim Shafer, an amazing multi-talented actor, artist, fire-performer and costume designer.
    
    
  • Professor Griffin's second assistant is Daniel D. Daniels (Dan-Dan for short). Dan-Dan was the last inmate of Batview Asylum (upon the ruins of which Griffin Manor was built.) He was discovered living in the tunnels under the Manor, and brought up to the Shadow Show to join the Professor. Dan-Dan is dim-witted, erratic, manic, insanely strong, and is the cause of many of Prof. Griffin's problems during the show. He had only one companion in the tunnels for 12 years... Arnold, a severed head, usually with Dan-Dan wherever he goes. Dan-Dan is played by Gilbert Austin, a very talented actor, singer, comedian, and professional comic book artist.
    
    
  • Criswell, a television prophet who often appeared on The Tonight Show, was in Ed Wood's Night of the Ghouls and the infamous Plan 9 From Outer Space. Now, years after his death, the powerful all-knowing brain of Criswell has a new home in Professor Griffin's sideshow. Criswell still makes his bizarre and highly innacurate predictions from time to time for the enjoyment and befuddlement of all.
    
    
  • Professor Bruno Lampini is the owner and exhibitor of Lampini's Chamber of Horrors...and Professor Griffin's boss. He is THE ULTIMATE horror exhibitor, and he taught Griffin everything he knows. Lampini sends Griffin unique and interesting items from time to time and monitors the show from afar. His voice opens the show each and every week. Prof. Lampini is voiced by the one and only Forrest J Ackerman, editor of the classic magazine, Famous Monsters of Filmland in it's heyday, and the inspiration for a generation of filmmakers and writers. We are HONORED to have the Legendary Ackermonster as a part of the Midnight Shadow Show!
  
  
• Voiceover for the show's opening by FORREST J ACKERMAN!:

  Midnight looms before us, and the shadows begin to move. I, Professor Bruno Lampini, have entrusted one man to exhibit these shadows to night creatures everywhere — the Mad Master of the Macabre, your host, and my protégée, Professor Anton Griffin. Join him now as he parts the curtains and invites brave souls into... Professor Griffin's Midnight Shadow Show!

  True-grue monster fans will recognize the name "Professor Lampini" as a reference to George Zucco's ill-fated travelling horrorshow impressario in House of Frankenstein.
  
  
• Professor Griffin’s first book, "The Midnight Shadow Show: Professor Griffin Journals" was produced through PublishAmerica, and is now available.
  
  
• In 2003, Sideshow Toys began a relationship with Professor Griffin’s Midnight Shadow Show, sending their terrific monster toys for giveaways and monthly trivia contests on the show.
  
  
• Joseph Fotinos is class instructor every October at The University of Texas. As of summer 2005, he has taught "Monsters 101" and "Monsters 102" (a history of the horror movie) and "Halloween Unmasked," "Dracula- Man, Myth, Monster," and "Creating Life- Frankenstein on Film."
  (Things have certainly loosened up since E-gor was an undergrad!)
  
  
• In 2003, Professor Griffin, Dan-Dan and Usher hosted at the World Premiere of New Line Cinema’s Freddy vs. Jason in Austin, Texas, sponsored by The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and Ain’t It Cool News.
  
  
• December 2004 update from the good Professor:

  Universal Home Video has been working with me to use the members of the Horror Host Underground to promote the home video releases of their horror and fantasy output. They have officially granted me the title of "Universal Monster Ambassador of Central Texas."
  In 2004 we promoted the release of the Legacy series Monster sets, Van Helsing, Van Helsing the London Assignment, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Abbott and Costello Collection (with A & C Meet Frankenstein), Dawn of the Dead, and Shaun of the Dead.

• Professor Griffin's Midnight Shadow Show was signed to appear on the eagerly-anticipated FANGORIA TV all-horror high-definition cable TV channel. Unfortunately, the project never materialized -- a sad, sad loss to hosted-horror movie fans...

PROFESSOR I.C. BLOODENGUTS and MOUSEY BOY

(Real names=?, ?)

Human Kennel Horror Highway

Day? Time?

WTMV-TV (later WWWB-TV, now WMOR-TV WB32), Channel 32 (Lakeland/Tampa, Florida)

c. 1988-1990

NOTES:

• A barebones entry was initiated when I, E-gor, spotted the host and show names on a list of hosted movie videos sent to me in 2002 by the distinguished horror hostorian Michael Monahan, who has further extinguished himself as horror host DOKTOR GOULFINGER.
  
  
• In March 2008, Goulfinger ("He's the Man... the Man with the Midas Touch...") sent some more information about these wacky guys -- including pictures! :

  I was just doing some general researching and found a little more information on these hosts. They were on station WTMV 32 in Florida. The station logo showed them out of Plant City, with additional cities Lakeland - Tampa - Orlando also listed. From the looks of the station's history, it would appear the show was on sometime between 1988 and 1990. And just to prove I wasn't dreaming the whole thing, here are vidcaps of the hosts.
  [See sidebar images -- E-gor].

PROFESSOR JASPER FARNDARK

(Station weatherman?)

Special feature: read a fan's memories of the show!

Peculiar Playhouse

Saturday late-night following Saturday Night Live

KTVB, Channel X (Boise, Idaho)

197?-198?

NOTE:

• Information supplied by a Jasper Farndark fan via e-mail. See special feature.

PROFESSOR KINEMA

(Jim Knusch)

Visit Professor Kinema's Lifelike Moving Shadow Plays and Ghost Poems, a website full of kinematic treasures, including photos, interviews, articles, and more.

See a listing of circulating Professor Kinema shows.

Read Jim Knusch's excellent article on Appearances of Horror Hosts and Hostesses in Magazines.

Click here for links to more great original articles by Jim Knusch.

Professor Kinema

Tuesday at 10:30 am, Wednesday at 3 pm, Friday at 7 pm. Saturday at 2:30 am

LTV, Public Access Channel 20 (Wainscott, Long Island, New York)

May 18, 1994 - present

Sunday morning at 1:30 am (biweekly)

Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Public Access Channels 34/107 (Manhattan, New York)

? ? - present

Thursday at 6:30 pm, Friday at 12:30 pm

Valley Access Channels, Public Access Channel 14 (Stillwater, Minnesota)

? ? - present

Friday from 7:30 to 9:30 pm

Cablevision of Monmouth, Public Access Channel 77 (Monmouth, New Jersey)

? ? - present

Wednesday at 6:00 pm; repeated Friday at noon

FATV, Public Access Channel 8 (Fitchburg, Massachusetts)

? ? - present

Regular showings on three cable access channels in the Dayton, Ohio area, thanks to the Horror Host Underground Network and A. GHASTLEE GHOUL.

? ? - Present

Live appearances at monstrous film festivals and other shows and events throughout the year (see website for information about forthcoming appearances).

NOTES:

• Although his half-hour cable access show is much more of a serious scholarly documentary than a purely-entertaining showcase for feature films, media historian / archivist / film fan Jim Knusch, aka "Professor Kinema," has earned his place on this website because of the monstrous spirit of his work. His subjects include many of great interest to classic horror fans:
  
  
  • interviews with important genre figures like Forrest J Ackerman, film scholar William K. Everson, monsterzine dealer Steve Dolnick, makeup artist Harry Thomas, directors Robert Parrish and Kenneth Anger, scream queens Debbie Rochon, Deanna Enoches, Tracy Mann and Barbara Leigh, cult-film actor Conrad Brooks, and cartoonist Gahan Wilson;
    
    
  • walking tours of the Ackermansion (II), the Monster Bash, Chiller Theatre, and Classic Film Fest conventions, movie palaces past and present, and scores of celebrity gravesites;
    
    
  • insightful explorations of "worst" film direction, casting choices, and plot devices, low-budget filmmaking, 3-D movies, and film gimmicks (including William Castle's);
    
    
  • career studies of pioneering fantasy filmmakers like George Melies, Frank Wysbar, Salvador Dali, Luis Bunuel, Jean Cocteau, Ray Harryhausen and Willis O'Brien;
    
    
  • random thoughts on movies like the original Night of the Living Dead, Carnival of Souls, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers;
    
    
  • an overview of TV horror hosts and hostesses, with many rare video clips!
  
  
• Jim Knusch is an authority on horror hosts, and is especially knowledgable about ZACHERLEY, a close friend for many years. He has published three terrific Zacherley fanzines which are shockful of incredible illustrations and rare reprints covering every aspect of Zach's career:
  
  
  • Zacher-Lore -- A Cool Ghoul Scrapbook (October 1988; 40 pages)
    
    
  • The Return of Zacher-Lore (April 1989; 36 pages)
    
    
  • Gasport? The Son of Zacher-Lore (Feb 1990; 44 pages)
  
  
• Jim Knusch was one of the primary consultants who helped the late, great Elena M. Watson write her book Television Horror Movie Hosts — 68 Vampires, Mad Scientists and Other Denizens of the Late-Night Airwaves Examined and Interviewed (McFarland & Company, Inc., 1991), and he is the first person mentioned on her acknowledgments page.
  
  Reading Elena's book inspired this website and literally turned yours gruely into a webmonster. Anyone interested in TV horror hosts or the '50's-'60's Monster Boom in general will have a great time with this tome, which is still in print from McFarland's website, www.McFarland.com (see ordering information).
  
  
• Jim Knusch's articles on film and TV history have appeared in numerous magazines including FilmFax, Scarlet Street, Psychotronic Video, Screem and Scary Monsters. He was also the co-editor (with Dennis Daniel) of a superb book called The Famous Monsters Chronicles, detailing the life and times of the legendary original monsterzine and its creators.
  
  
• As a serious archivist, Jim Knusch is always interested in dealing with other collectors to acquire rare material he doesn't have. See his list of Zacherley video footage and other horror host material available to fellow collectors for trade.
  
  For additional information, send e-mail to Jim Knusch.

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