A Look At The ‘Shock!’ Horror Library That Started A TV Craze!
“A fun read . . . answers a lot of the ‘frequently asked questions’ viewers usually ask of me!” – Rich Koz, “Svengoolie”
“The book gives the history of both hosted and unhosted shows that ran horror films – and lists many titles that ran on the shows,” Svengoolie says.
“It is especially relevant when it comes to the facts and history about the hosted programs – and undoubtedly the best source of information of these ‘creatures of the video night’ (or, daytime, depending on the time slot!).
“Now that we’re seen around the country, and we get so many questions about our show, this is the perfect way for our new fans to catch up on the histories of both the original Sven, Jerry G. Bishop, and myself – as well as Chicago’s first horror host, Marvin (some say there was an earlier host, some ‘Swami,’ but he did mostly thrillers, and didn’t fall under the umbrella of original horror hosts spawned by Universal’s release of its ‘Shock’ package of films to TV stations, which included so many of the Universal classic monsters.)”
“A REAL eye-opener.” – Terror Dave
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“Chicago TV Horror Movie Shows: From Shock Theatre to Svengoolie is the first comprehensive look at Chicago’s horror movie programs, from their inception in 1957 to the present,” according to Issue Forum.
“Through career profiles of the Horror Hosts who provided comedic interludes between commercial breaks, discover which creepy presenter was one of the 12 reporters to travel around the country with the Beatles during their 1965-66 U.S. tour, and learn about the politics behind Channel 32’s sudden (and outrageous) switch from Svengoolie to the Ghoul.
“Also included are broadcast histories of such ‘hostless’ programs as Creature Features, Thrillerama, The Big Show, The Early Show, The Science Fiction Theater, and Monster Rally, along with a guide to 100 fright films broadcast on Chicago television and a look at the ‘Shock!’ horror library that started a TV craze.”
Interview with the authors:
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Available from Southern Illinois University Press.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on August 15, 2016