Television Horror Movie Hosts: 68 Vampires, Mad Scientists and Other Denizens of the Late-Nightairwaves Examined and Interviewed [Paperback]

Elena M. Watson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786409401 | ISBN-13: 978-0786409402 | Publication Date: October 2000 | Edition: New edition

Midnight, 1954. A striking woman in a torn black dress slinks down a cobwebbed, candelabra'd corridor. She stops, shrieks hysterically into the camera, then solemnly says, "Good evening, I am Vampira." Her real name is Maila Nurmi and she was the first in a long line of television horror movie hosts, commonly seen on independent stations' late-night "grade Z" offerings dressed as some zany ghoul or mad scientist. This book covers the major hosts in detail, along with styles and show themes. Merchandise tie-in and fan reactions are also chronicled. The appendices list film and record credits.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"well worth reading" -- Classic Images --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company; New edition edition (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786409401
• ISBN-13: 978-0786409402
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #612,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Television Horror Movie Hosts, November 26, 2000

By 

T. Brewer (Roanoke, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Television Horror Movie Hosts: 68 Vampires, Mad Scientists and Other Denizens of the Late-Nightairwaves Examined and Interviewed (Paperback)

Back in the days when there really was such a thing as local television, stations across the country used local personalities to host late night horror movies. Many times these assorted mad scientists, vampires and ghouls were much more entertaining than the movies they showed. The late Elena Watson's Television Horror Movie Hosts helps relive the days when local television had personality and wasn't just full of syndicated reruns. Even if you are too young to have experienced these days, you will enjoy this book. It chronicles the lives of the hosts and hostesses from the big names such as Elvira, Ghoulardi and Count Gore De Vol to the lesser known characters whose careers were short lived. All and all this throughly researched book is a fascinating read that shows the creativity behind some of the more interesting people and times in television.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dont Be Afraid: Television Horror Hosts Won't Hurt You!, May 27, 2001

By 

Book Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Television Horror Movie Hosts: 68 Vampires, Mad Scientists and Other Denizens of the Late-Nightairwaves Examined and Interviewed (Paperback)

During the late 1950's, and early 1960's, television was still in it's infancy. (Some people still think that it still hasn't grown up!) Through the magic of television, the major movie studios particularly Universal Studios, found a new life for their old movies, and a way to recycle them to the new generations that never had the opportunity to see them. Universal Studios packaged a large percentage of their pre-1948 horror films, and distributed this bundle as Shock Theatre. Along with this package, they encouraged the local television stations to have a macabre host in hopes that they would expand viewership, and increase their ratings. Movie hosting, which was once popular on radio, initially crossed over to television, (Remember "The Twilight Zone", and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents?" You do? Then you're old!) Some of these movies were good, some were bad, some were just plain awful, but they were very inexpensive, and they made for great padding on those hard to fill time slots particularly, late Friday and Saturday nights. The mating of movie, and host proved to be a huge success, with the host achieving local star status. This was all long before video games, VCR's, and all of the things we have clamoring for our attention span today. As a kid growing up in Los Angeles, I lived for those Friday, and Saturday evenings when the likes of "Jeepers Creepers", "Seymour," and later "Elvira," creeped me out, as they cracked me up. This same thing was happening all over the country to the local television stations that had this horror movie package, and the ones that didn't, soon did, when they saw the popularity that their rivals were achieving. Often imitated, always unique, and different, these local weird hosts provided a special place for many of us growing up in that era. Elena M. Watson, in her book, "Television Horror Movie Hosts," has chronicled a piece of television history, that may seem trivial on the surface, but has proven itself unforgettable to those of us who were a witness to it, and in thinking about it, you realize the long term influence that these hosts has had on television, and it's generations of viewers since then.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars WE NEED MORE BOOKS LIKE THESE, July 6, 2004

By 

"antonfurst" (El PASO TEXS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Television Horror Movie Hosts: 68 Vampires, Mad Scientists and Other Denizens of the Late-Nightairwaves Examined and Interviewed (Paperback)

It's hard to fathom a time when this was the best medium for innocent fun and Friday night entertainment. I had long sought a book that covered the lives of horror movie hosts but always turned up empty handed or given perplexed looks from book buyers,book merchants and the industry as a collective whole. It all began with the coming of age and fascination of these films and the people behind them that my interest grew. Overall, Elena M. Watson does a nice job putting together the brief histories of some of the genre's most notable figures however, there isn't so much about her as writer nor how she herself feels about them. It would have been nice to read some of her input as a fan because one cannot deny her passion after reading this. I really wish that more people jump on the bandwagon and write more books about this genre. This is a dying art thanks to video games and other useless forms of entertainment. I do indeed recommed this tasty book of who's who to anyone out there interested in the unsung heroes of horror movie hosting. I also recommed to read about them on line starting with the one and only Miss Vampira (Maila Nurmi)