Haven Theatre

Right on, George !

Is Zacherle still performing for the public ?

Thanks, Lost Memory. No hurry. I already have one in my head.

Thanks, George Tobor, for all the Zacherle data. I will indulge you ANY time. I learned about ABC’s Shock Theater from “BrooklynJim”. It was a bit before my time. I first saw Zacherle hosting a Hercules cartoon (the one with the centaur named Newton) fall 1963. I’m not sure which TV station had it. I last saw Zacherle hosting “Chiller Theater” on WPIX 11 about January 1970, hosting “Killers From Space”, with Peter Graves, and those Marty Feldman-esque cumberbunded zombies in black, sealing Graves' chest with what looked like electric soldering irons. When the outer space zombies showed Graves their equations, there was a cut to Zacherle’s hand holding a slip of paper on which was written “2 + 2 = 5”. Sort of a MST 3000 predecessor.

I also remember Zacherle showing his bare feet on camera, introducing a commercial for the “Bop The Beetle” game, and using a head of cauliflower as a human brain in his lab. As I recall, his appearance was somewhat reminiscent of Lon Chaney in “Phantom Of The Opera”.

Thanks, Lost Memory, but I would be more interested in a list of what was shown on Chiller Theatre from 1961 to 1970. I’m probably remembering most of them correctly, but I’d like to check.

The clips from “Plan 9” (Vampira and Ed Wood’s chiropractor with the cape up around his nose) were scarier in that “Chiller Theater” intro than they were in “Plan 9”, probably because the background music was scarier.

I think you would be welcome there, Panzer65 !

The prize is upped to photos of the inside of what’s left of the RKO Madison Theatre !

Sorry Peter,
Cant name any more.
Wonder what Warren is wearing for Halloween?
I would like a Wrigley’s spearmint before I go to the balcony.

“Attack of the 50 ft. Woman?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asO97gdn2oo

Thanks for your consolation, Lost Memory. That means Chiller Theater ended on WPIX in 1983 or before.

I associate “Tarantula” more with The Big Show (I almost typed “Bug Show”, but that would have been ironically appropriate !) sci fi monster day, 4:30 PM weekdays, WABC Channel 7, fall 1963, than I do with WPIX Chiller Theater.

Viewers can decide what is more horrible, the giant tarantula crawling down Main Street, USA, or Leo G. Carroll’s acromegaly-distorted face.

This film may have been Clint Eastwood’s movie debut, as a jet fighter pilot, assigned to frying the giant bug, or did he debut in TV’s “Rawhide” before “Tarantula” was released ?

No. What TV channel was it on, and at what time ?

I remember that six-fingered hand coming up out of the swamp next to that awful-looking dead tree, picking up the letters in “Chiller” one at a time. I also remember the previous, early 1960’s “Chiller Theatre” opening sequence with that god-awful scary music, and the montage of clips from about eight of the films they showed.

Indeed it was. The scene was reminiscent of the end of “Carrie”, when Carrie’s hand suddenly shot out of the ground to grab Sue Snell (Amy Irving).

That was a good scene, too, Panzer65. I think you meant “calm”, not “clam”, lake. I think that was Adrienne King, the heroine and one surviving teenager, in the rowboat, when Jason came up out of the water and tried to drag her down.

Yes, good thing no one near you had a jumbo tub of popcorn when Jason popped up.

Thanks, Adrian. I’m no kid, so I know what those double-features were like. I saw “Friday The 13th” in the balcony of the Ridgewood on Tuesday June 17th 1980, four days after it opened on Friday June 13th 1980. Bucket of popcorn got tossed up in the air when Jason’s mother’s head went flying !