“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of William Castle’s “13 Ghosts” (1960), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for a classic Columbia Pictures gimmick ghost thriller masterpiece from one of cinema’s legendary macabre directors.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of William Castle’s “13 Ghosts” (1960)

Original 1960 Columbia Pictures television teaser spot ad for the theatrical release of “13 Ghosts,” with Charles Herbert promoting the “Illusion-O” ghost viewer.

“Watch ghosts go.. go.. go!” Original 1960 Columbia Pictures exhibitors’ ad for the release of William Castle‘s “13 Ghosts.”

The legendary Chicago/Berwyn-based thriller film host will present his big broadcast of “13 Ghosts” (1960); this Sat., Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The 1960 Columbia ghost thriller feature was directed by legendary macabre horror-thriller feature film director William Castle.  Some of Castle’s famous macabre screen thrillers include “House on Haunted Hill” (1959, with Vincent Price),  “The Tingler” (1959, w/ Price), “Homicidal” (1961, with Glenn Corbett), “Strait-Jacket” (1964, with Joan Crawford), “The Night Walker” (1964, with Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor) and “I Saw What You Did” (1965, with Crawford).

The screenplay for Castle’s 1960 Columbia ghost thriller production of “13 Ghosts” was written by veteran Castle screenwriter Robb White; who also wrote the screenplay for Castle’s “House on Haunted Hill” (1959), “The Tingler” (1959) and “Homicidal” (1961).

William Castle’s ghost thriller was remade by director Steve Beck as a co-production between Columbia and rival studio Warner Bros. under the title of “Thir13een Ghosts” (2001).  Beck’s re-make was a modern-day adaptation of Robb White’s screenplay with Tony Shalhoub (of TV’s “Wings” and “Monk”), Shannon Elizabeth, Embeth Davidtz, F. Murray Abraham and Matthew Lillard.

This will mark Sven’s second big broadcast of Castle’s classic 1960 Columbia ghost thriller masterpiece on Me-TV.  He premiered “13 Ghosts” from coast-to-coast back in Oct. 2018.  In his home area of Berwyn/Chicago, Sven previously aired “13 Ghosts” on his hometown television station, WCIU-TV (“The U”)* back in Nov. 2009; according to details from IMDB.  According to fellow super SvenPal David Fuentes and his official “Terror From Beyond the Dave” YouTube site, when WCIU’s sister station, Me-TV was a local classic television station seen on Weigel Broadcasting’s Chicago and Milwaukee TV stations around 2010 (shortly before Weigel expanded Me-TV across the country to local TV stations from coast-to-coast).  Sven also had a 2011 re-broadcast of “13 Ghosts” on WCIU-TV (according to Fuentes).

Who was in the Castle-Columbia production of “13 Ghosts” (1960)?

The players who appeared in the Castle-Columbia thriller production of “13 Ghosts” (1960) were Charles Herbert (as Buck Zorba, Herbert also played the role of David Barker in several episodes of “The Donna Reed Show” from 1958-60), Martin Milner (as Benjamen Rush, Milner played  the role of Tod Stiles with George Maharis from 1960-63 and Glenn Corbett from 1963 to the end of the series in 1964 in the Stirling Silliphant/Herbert B. Leonard/Columbia-Screen Gems TV road adventure/drama series, “Route 66;” Milner was also known for his role of Officer Pete Malloy in the 1965-75 Jack Webb/Universal/NBC crime drama series with Kent McCord, “Adam-12” ), Jo Morrow (as Medea Zorba), Margaret Hamilton (as Elaine Zacharides, Hamilton was known for her roles of Miss Gulch/the Wicked Witch of the West in the mammoth 1939 MGM–Victor Fleming musical film adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz;” she also appeared in the role of Mrs. Jackson in  A. Edward Sutherland’s 1940 Universal “Invisible” monster franchise film entry, “The Invisible Woman”), Donald Woods (as Cyrus Zorba), John Van Dreelen (as Van Allen),  Jeanne Baker, John Burnside and Roy Jenson (in uncredited roles as the “ghosts”), David Hoffman (in an uncredited role as a messenger; Hoffman was known for his role of the “Spirit of the Inner Sanctum” head at the beginning of the majority of Universal’s “Inner Sanctum” thriller film adaptations).

Advertisements

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “4D Man” (1959), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for his big broadcast of a classic sci-fi special effects thriller.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “4D Man” (1959)

“Man’s first adventure into the incredible 4th dimension!” Original 1959 Jack H. Harris/Universal Studios theatrical lobby card artwork for “4D Man.”

“It will add a new dimension to your boxoffice- money in depth!” Original 1959 Jack H. Harris/Universal Studios theatrical exhibitors’ ad for “4D Man” with a $1 million promotional “gimmick.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based sci-fi/thriller film host will present his big coast-to-coast broadcast showcase of “4D Man” (1959), this Sat.; Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The 1959 sci-fi thriller was directed by veteran director Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. and veteran producer Jack H. Harris.  Harris and the junior Yeaworth were known for their theatrical productions, including their first sci-fi masterpiece classic feature; “The Blob” (1958, with young Steve McQueen and Aneta Corsaut) and their creature classic, “Dinosaurus!” (1960, with Kristina Hanson, Gregg Martell and Ward Ramsey).

The screenplay for the Harris-Yeaworth production of “4D Man” (1959) was written by veteran screenwriters Cy Chermak (who also produced numerous episodes of “The Virginian” from 1964–67, “Ironside” from 1967–74 and “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” from 1974–75) and Theodore Simonson (who also wrote the screenplay for “The Blob” in 1958).  The Harris-Yeaworth production of “4D Man” was originally released theatrically by Universal Studios throughout the United States and Canada in 1959 (Universal also handled the theatrical release of Harris & Yeaworth’s “Dinosaurus!” in 1960).

Jack H. Harris Enterprises (successor to Harris’ Fairview Productions) re-issued “4D Man” under the title of “Master of Terror” in 1965 as a double-feature presentation with Harris’ re-dubbed feature-length edition of the Argentinean television adaptations of select Edgar Allen Poe horror tales under the title of “Master of Horror,” a.k.a. “Obras maestras del terror” (1965); according to IMDB.

This will mark Sven’s second big broadcast of “4D Man” (1959) on Me-TV.  He previously showcased the 1959 Harris-Yeaworth-Universal sci-fi thriller classic back in March 2019.

Who was in the Harris-Yeaworth-Universal production of “4D Man” (1959)?

The players who appeared in the 1959 Harris-Yeaworth-Universal sci-fi thriller production of “4D Man” were Robert Lansing (as Dr. Scott Nelson; Lansing later played the role of Brig. Gen. Frank Savage in the Quinn Martin–Twentieth Century Fox TV adaptation of “12 O’clock High” from 1964-65), Lee Meriwether (as Linda Davis; Meriwether won the 1955 Miss America pageant before she went into her acting career; she later appeared in the dual roles of Catwoman/Kitka in the 1966 feature-length Twentieth Century Fox film adaptation of the live-action “Batman” TV series with Adam West and Burt Ward, “Batman: The Movie;” Meriweather also appeared in the role of Lisa Carson in two episodes of the “Batman” TV series with West and Ward in 1967, “Batman’s Waterloo” and “King Tut’s Coup”), Patty Duke (as Marjorie Sutherland, Duke went onto greater fame for her Academy Award-winning role of young Helen Keller in Arthur Penn’s 1962 critically-acclaimed film adaptation of William Gibson’s play, “The Miracle Worker” alongside Anne Bancroft; Duke also had her own successful TV sitcom where she played the dual roles of identical cousins Cathy Lane and Patty Lane from 1963-66, “The Patty Duke Show”), James Congdon (as Dr. Tony Nelson)*, Edgar Stehli (as Dr. Theodore W. Carson), Chic James (as a “B-Girl”),  Robert Strauss (as Roy Parker), Jasper Deeter (as Mr. Welles), Elbert Smith (as Capt. Rogers), George Karas (as Sgt. Todaman, Karas received screen credit under the name of “George Kara” in the film; Karas previously appeared in the role of Officer Ritchie in the 1958 Harris-Yeaworth production of “The Blob”) and Guy Raymond (as Fred).

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “The Werewolf” (1956), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for his upcoming big broadcast of a Columbia Pictures cult classic monster feature.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “The Werewolf” (1956)

“The horror of all mankind terrifies the screen!” “Scientists turn men into beasts!” “You see it happen!” Original Columbia Pictures theatrical lobby card artwork for “The Werewolf” (1956).

Columbia Pictures box art (ca. 1960s) for the super 8mm “digest” home movie reissue of “The Werewolf” (1956).

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based monster/horror film host will be presenting his big broadcast of “The Werewolf” (1956), this Sat.; Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The classic 1956 monster feature was directed by veteran Columbia actor-turned director Fred F. Sears and was produced by longtime studio production official Sam Katzman.  Katzman and Sears’ many Columbia features include  “Rock Around the Clock” (1956); with The Platters, Bill Haley’s Comets and disc jockey Alan Freed, the Ray Harryhausen–Dynamation production of “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers” (1956); with Joan Taylor and Hugh Marlowe, “Don’t Knock the Rock” (1956); with Little Richard, Bill Haley’s Comets and Alan Freed, “Calypso Heat Wave” (1957); with Maya Angelou, Joel Grey and Johnny Desmond, “The Giant Claw” (1957); with Jeff Morrow and Mara Corday and “The Night the World Exploded” (1957); with Kathryn Grant and William Leslie.

According to IMDB, the Katzman-Sears-Columbia production of “The Werewolf” (1956) was originally released as a studio double-feature presentation in cinema venues from coast-to-coast with the Harryhausen-Katzman-Sears-Columbia production of “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers” (1956).

The screenplay for Katzman and Sears’ 1956 Columbia monster production was written by Robert E. Kent; who was also credited under the pseudonym of James B. Gordon; according to additional details from IMDB.

This will mark Sven’s second big coast-to-coast broadcast of the classic Katzman-Sears-Columbia feature production of “The Werewolf” (1956) on Me-TV.  He previously showcased the 1956 classic Columbia monster feature as a big coast-to-coast broadcast premiere back in Jan. 2019.

Who was in the 1956 Katzman-Sears-Columbia monster production of “The Werewolf?”

The players who appeared in the 1956 Katzman-Sears-Columbia monster feature production were Steven Ritch (as Duncan Marsh/the “Werewolf,” before going into acting and screenwriting; Ritch fought in the Battle at Guadalcanal during World War II, according to Jeff Stafford’s Turner Classic Movies article on “The Werewolf”), Joyce Holden (as Amy Standish, Holden previously appeared in the fourth Universal “Ma and Pa Kettle” screen comedy with Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride; 1951’s “Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm”), Don Megowan (as Sheriff Jack Haines; Megowan previously appeared in the 1956 installment in Universal’s “Creature” film franchise series, “Revenge of the Creature” in an uncredited role the Creature for land-based scenes), Kim Charney (as Chris Marsh), George Cisar (as Hoxie; Cisar later appeared in the 1957 Katzman-Sears-Columbia production of “The Giant Claw”), Eleanore Tanin (as Mrs. Helen Marsh), Harry Lauter (as Deputy Ben Clovey), Larry J. Blake (as Hank Durgis), Ken Christy (as Dr. Jonas Gilcrist), James Gavin (as Mack Fanning), S. John Launer(as Dr. Emery Forrest), an uncredited cameo vocal appearance by Fred F. Sears (as the narrator) and George Lynn (as Dr. Morgan Chambers).

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “The Giant Claw” (1957), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals from coast-to-coast will be jumping for joy for his big broadcast of a Columbia Pictures cult sci-fi creature feature classic.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “The Giant Claw” (1957)

“Big as a battleship!” “Flies four times the speed of sound!” “Atomic weapons can’t hurt it!” Original 1957 Columbia Pictures lobby card/concept artwork for “The Giant Claw.”

Original 1957 Columbia Pictures poster artwork element for “The Giant Claw.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based sci-fi/creature film host will present his big broadcast of “The Giant Claw” (1957), this Sat.; Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The 1957 Columbia sci-fi creature production was directed by veteran studio actor-turned-director Fred F. Sears and was produced by veteran studio production executive Sam Katzman.

Both Katzman and Sears were known for their Columbia productions throughout the 1950s, including “The Werewolf” (1956); with Steven Ritch, Joyce Holden and Don Megowan, “Rock Around the Clock” (1956); with The Platters, Bill Haley’s Comets and disc jockey Alan Freed, the Ray Harryhausen–Dynamation production of “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers” (1956); with Joan Taylor and Hugh Marlowe, “Don’t Knock the Rock” (1956); with Little Richard, Alan Freed and Bill Haley’s Comets, “Calypso Heat Wave” (1957); with Maya Angelou, Joel Grey and Johnny Desmond and  “The Night the World Exploded” (1957); with Kathryn Grant and William Leslie.

“The Giant Claw” was originally released as a double-feature presentation in most theatrical venues with the additional 1957 Columbia sci-fi production from Katzman and Sears, “The Night the World Exploded;” according to the original 1957 Columbia Pictures exhibitors’ trade ad that was featured in BoxOffice Magazine.

This will mark Sven’s second big coast-to-coast broadcast of “The Giant Claw” (1957) on Me-TV.  He previously showcased the 1957 Sears-Katzman-Columbia sci-fi creature as a big coast-to-coast broadcast premiere back in Feb. 2019.

Who was in the 1957 Sears-Katzman-Columbia sci-fi creature feature classic?

The players who appeared in “The Giant Claw” (1957) were Jeff Morrow (as Mitch MacAfee; Morrow also appeared in two Universal Studios sci-fi/monster/creature productions, including 1955’s “This Island Earth” and 1957’s “The Creature Walks Among Us”), Mara Corday (as Sally Caldwell; Corday previously appeared in the 1955 Universal production of “Tarantula” and in the 1957 Warner Bros. production of “The Black Scorpion”), Morris Ankrum (as Lt. Gen. Edward Considine, Ankrum also appeared in the 1957 Harryhausen-Katzman-Sears-Columbia production of “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers”), Robert Shayne (as Gen. Van Buskirk), Clark Howat (as Maj. Bergen), Louis Merrill (as Pierre Broussard), Edgar Barrier (as Dr. Karol Noymann),  Frank Griffin (as Pete, the actor was credited under the pseudonym name of Ruell Shayne in the film)*,  Morgan Jones (as a lieutenant) George Cisar (in an uncredited role as an airplane passenger, Cisar previously appeared in the 1956 Katzman-Sears Columbia production of “The Werewolf”), an uncredited cameo vocal appearance by Fred F. Sears (as the narrator) and Robert B. Williams (in an uncredited role as a state trooper).

“Svengoolie” to present his big broadcast of “Strait-Jacket” (1964), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for his big broadcast of a Columbia Pictures thriller classic from one of cinema’s macabre legends.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “Strait-Jacket” (1964)

Original 1964 Columbia Pictures theatrical teaser trailer for William Castle’s “Strait-Jacket,” narrated by Joan Crawford (featuring a warning from Crawford).

Columbia Pictures/Screen Gems trade ad for the TV syndication package of a select group post-1960 Columbia features (ca. 1966), including William Castle’s “Strait-Jacket” (1964) with Joan Crawford.

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based thriller film host will present his big broadcast of “Strait-Jacket” (1964), this Sat.; Aug. 24 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

Strait-Jacket” (1964) was directed by legendary veteran macabre cinema thriller-horror director William Castle, some of Castle’s best-known classic macabre screen thrillers include “House on Haunted Hill” (1959, with Vincent Price),  “The Tingler” (1959, w/ Price), “13 Ghosts” (1960, with Charles Herbert), “Homicidal” (1961, with Glenn Corbett) and “The Night Walker” (1964, with Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor).

The screenplay treatment for “Strait-Jacket” (1964) was written by veteran author Robert Bloch, who was also famous for his thriller-mystery novel “Psycho,” which was adapted into a popular mystery-thriller film of the same name in 1960 by the “master of suspense;” Alfred Hitchcock (with Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins).

This will mark Svengoolie’s second big coast-to-coast broadcast of William Castle’s “Strait-Jacket” (1964) on Me-TV.  He previously aired Castle’s classic 1964 Columbia-Joan Crawford screen thriller back in Feb. 2019.  Sven previously aired “Strait-Jacket” (1964) on his hometown television station in Berwyn/Chicago, Illinois; WCIU-TV 26/”The U” back in Nov. 2009 (according to IMDB).

Who was in William Castle’s 1964 Columbia thriller?

The players who appeared in William Castle’s “Strait-Jacket” (1964) were veteran silver screen legend Joan Crawford (as Lucy Harbin), Diane Baker (as Carol Cutler, she previously appeared in Hitchcock’s 1964 Universal suspense production of “Marnie” with Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery; Baker also previously appeared with Crawford in   Jean Negulesco’s 1959 drama, “The Best of Everything” and in Robert Gist’s 1964 drama, “Della”), young George Kennedy (as Leo Krause, Kennedy would go on to greater fame in 1967’s “The Dirty Dozen,” “Cool Hand Luke” with Paul Newman and in the role of Joe Patroni in Universal’s “Airport” series of action thrillers from 1970-79), young Lee Majors (in an uncredited role as Frank Harbin, this marked one of Majors’ earliest acting roles as he was recommended by veteran actor Rock Hudson, Majors went on to greater fame for his role of Col. Steve Austin in Harve Bennett ‘s Universal adventure-action TV series, “The Six Million Dollar Man” beginning with the made-for-TV movie pilot in 1973’ Majors’ series lasted from 1974-78), Leif Erickson (as Bill Cutler),  Rochelle Hudson (as Emily Cutler), Edith Atwater (as Mrs. Anderson Fields), Mitchell Cox (as Dr. Anderson, he was chosen for his only film role of Dr. Anderson due to Joan Crawford’s connection to Pepsi-Cola; according to the American Film Institute, Cox was vice-president of public relations for Pepsi at the time)*, Howard St. John (as Raymond Fields), Vicki Cos (in an uncredited role as young Carol Harbin), Patricia Crest (in an uncredited role as Stella Fulton), John Anthony Hayes (as Michael Fields),  Laura Hess and Patty Lee (in uncredited roles as young children); Lynn Lundgren (in an uncredited role as a beautician), Robert Ward (in an uncredited role as a shoe clerk) and Howard Hoffman (in an uncredited/unlisted role).

RiffTrax Live: “The Giant Spider Invasion” to be shown in select theaters from coast-to-coast on Aug. 15 (with a pre-recorded encore on Aug. 20)

Fellow “RiffTrax” enthusiasts and fellow MSTies of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” will be interested in a live movie riffing event of a cult arachnid sci-fi film.

It’s time for “RiffTrax Live: The Giant Spider Invasion”

Poster artwork for the upcoming “RiffTrax Live!” edition of “The Giant Spider Invasion.”

RiffTrax, in conjunction with Fathom Events will be presenting the live coast-to-coast theatrical riffing broadcast of “RiffTrax Live: The Giant Spider Invasion” in participating cinema venues from coast-to-coast on Thurs., Aug. 15 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central (local time).  A pre-recorded theatrical encore broadcast of the RiffTrax edition of “The Giant Spider Invasion” will be shown in participating theaters from coast-to-coast on Tue., Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m. (local time, according to Fathom Events’ site).   This will be the 30th “RiffTrax Live!” performance, according to the official RiffTrax Twitter site.

Featuring “Mystery Science Theater 3000”/MST3K alums Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett; the RiffTrax crew’s live riffing edition of The Giant Spider Invasion” showcase will be broadcast live via satellite to participating theaters from coast-to-coast, direct from the historic Belcourt Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee.

The RiffTrax crew will be riffing the cult sci-fi arachnid creature feature, “The Giant Spider Invasion” (1975) with Barbara Hale (of “Perry Mason” fame), Alan Hale Jr. (of “Gilligan’s Island” fame), Steve Brodie (of “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” fame), Diane Lee Hart, Christiane Schmidtmer, Robert Easton, Leslie Parrish and Bill Williams.

“Svengoolie” to present his big coast-to-coast broadcast premiere of “Village of the Damned” (1960), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for his big coast-to-coast broadcast premiere of a classic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer sci-fi thriller feature.

“Svengoolie” presents his big coast-to-coast broadcast premiere of “Village of the Damned” (1960), this Sat. on Me-TV

Original 1960 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer theatrical trailer for “Village of the Damned.”

Original 1960 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer poster artwork for “Village of the Damned.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based sci-fi/thriller film host will present his big coast-to-coast broadcast premiere of “Village of the Damned” (1960), this Sat., Aug. 17 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The classic 1960 MGM sci-fi thriller production was directed by Wolf Rilla and was produced by Ronald Kinnoch.  Rilla and Kinnoch (under the pseudonym of George Barclay for Ronald Kinnoch’s screenwriting position) also co-wrote the screenplay for “Village of the Damned” with screenwriter Stirling Silliphant (Silliphant was best known as the creator of the 1958-62 Columbia/Screen Gems TV adaptation of “Naked City” from 1958-63 and the studio’s “Route 66” TV series from 1960-64).  Rilla, Kinnoch/Barclay and Silliphant’s screenplay treatment was adapted from the John Wyndham (a.k.a. John Harris) novel, “The Midwich Cuckoos.”  Exterior scenes of Rilla’s MGM sci-fi thriller were filmed on location in the village of Letchmore Heath, England; according to Jeff Stafford’s Turner Classic Movies article on “Village of the Damned” (1960).

In the Berwyn/Chicago area, Svengoolie previously showcased “Village of the Damned” (1960) on his hometown television station, WCIU-TV/”The U” back in Oct. 1995, according to IMDB.

Who was in “Village of the Damned” (1960)?

The players who appeared in “Village of the Damned” (1960) were George Sanders (as Gordon Zellaby), Barbara Shelley (as Anthea Zellaby), Michael Gwynn (as Maj. Alan Bernard), Laurence Naismith (as Dr. Willers), John Phillips (as Gen. Leighton)*, Richard Vernon (as Sir Edgar Hargraves), Jenny Laird (as Mrs. Harrington), Thomas Heathcote (as James Pawle), Martin Stephens (as David Zellaby), Charlotte Mitchell (as Janet Pawle), Richard Warner (as Harrington), Sarah Long (as Evelyn Harrington), Pamela Buck (as Milly Hughes), Rosamund Greenwood (as Ms. Ogle) and Susan Richards (as Mrs. Plumpton).