In remembrance/homor of Memorial Day:A Memorial Day post from the author/writer of “Silver Screen Reflections” to honor & remember our brave servicepeople who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. –C.H.
Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be dancing and jumping for joy upcoming big broadcast of a cult classic mammoth sci-fi creature masterpiece production.
“All that was left after.. ‘The Killer Shrews’!” Original 1959 Gordon McLendon tinted publicity photo/lobby card for “The Killer Shrews” with James Best, Ingrid Goude, Gordon McLendon and Baruch Lumet.
The legendary & iconic Berwyn/Chicago-based classic mammoth sci-fi/creature feature film masterpiece host will present his big broadcast of “The Killer Shrews” (1959), this Sat., May 27 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.
“The Killer Shrews” (1959) was directed by veteran visual effects/matte artist-turned second-unit director Ray Kellogg.
The screenplay for Kellogg’s production of “The Killer Shrews” (1959) was written by veteran film and TV screenwriter Jay Simms. Simms also co-wrote the screenplay with John Morton for Ray Milland’s classic mammoth sci-fi/thriller/horror masterpiece production for Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson’s American-International Pictures, titled “Panic In Year Zero” (1962) with Milland, Jean Hagen and singer Frankie Avalon (in one of his pre-“Beach Party” feature films during his film career at Arkoff and Nicholson’s American-International).
“After receiving latest Chicago ‘Pulse’ Ratings Report!” Original 1963 advertising leaflet for Gordon McLendon’s group of radio stations, this is one for WYNR/Chicago, known today as WGRB.
He was noted as one of the many pioneers of the top-40 music format on most of his radio stations with the addition/introduction of station jingles by local Dallas-based singing groups and several pioneering jingle production companies. He also specialized in pioneering all-news and easy-listening music formats on his line of radio stations. He even dubbed one of his music formats in March 1960 on one of his radio stations as the “McLendon Sound of the Sixties,” according to Broadcasting (Broadcasting & Cable).
Some of the radio stations that McLendon owned throughout the years included Dallas’ KLIF, Chicago’s WYNR/WNUS, today’s WGRB;, Los Angeles’ KOST and Louisville’s WAKY. It was also noted alongside his pioneering radio station formats on the stations that he owned throughout his years in broadcasting, McLendon was also responsible for his radio stations’ pioneering promotional tie-ins and contest giveaways, including “money balloons” and $50,000 “treasure hunt” giveaways to local listeners within his stations’ target market. McLendon also owned numerous movie theaters and drive-in theaters in his entertainment career; according to Cornell R. Miller’s Sept. 2019 retrospective article on McLendon’s foray into motion pictures for Dallas (D) Magazine, titled “The Time a Radio Legend Brought a Taste of Hollywood to Town.”
It was also noted that Kellogg’s “The Killer Shrews” was filmed on location at McLendon’s Cielo Ranch in Lake Dallas, Texas; according to additional details from IMDB, additional details from Cornell R. Miller’s Sept. 2019 article for D (Dallas) Magazine, “The Time a Radio Legend brought a Taste of Hollywood to Town” and Ronald Garay’s 1992 retrospective book on McLendon’s life and career, “Gordon McLendon: The Maverick of Radio,” The broadcast veteran mogul invited the entire cast and the entire production crew to come to his ranch for his interest into motion picture productions and managed to keep everyone in his productions happy throughout the entire filming schedule of his own productions. McLendon’s original intention for filming his own feature film productions at his Lake Dallas, Texas Ranch complex was done as a cost-saving method instead of allocating funds to film at another ranch within the immediate Dallas/Ft. Worth region and/or traveling to one of the major studio “movie ranch” locations/studio lots within Los Angeles/Burbank/Hollywood, California.
Who was in the Kellogg-Curtis-McLendon production of “The Killer Shrews” (1959)?
The players who appeared in the cult classic mammoth Kellogg-Curtis-McLendon sci-fi/creature masterpiece production of “The Killer Shrews” (1959) were James Best (as Thorne Sherman), Ken Curtis (as Jerry Farrell), Ingrid Goude (as Ann Craigis), Judge Henry Dupree (as “Rook” Griswold), a cameo by Gordon McLendon (as Dr. Radford Baines), Baruch Lumet (as Dr. Marlowe Craigis) and Alfredo de Soto (credited under the name of Alfred deSoto, as Mario).
Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be dancing & jumping for joy for his big coast-to-coast premiere of a classic mammoth American-International sci-fi masterpiece.
“They transplanted a white bigot’s head onto a soul brother’s body!” Original 1972 American-International theatrical poster art for “The Thing with Two Heads,” featuring Rosey Grier and Ray Milland.
The legendary and iconic Berwyn/Chicago-based classic sci-fi/fantasy feature film masterpiece host will present his big coast-to-coast broadcast premiere of “The Thing with Two Heads” (1972), this Sat., May 20 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.
The classic mammoth 1972 American-International sci-fi/fantasy masterpiece production was directed by feature film director Lee Frost, who usually specialized in productions in the grindhouse and exploitation film genres throughout his brief directorial career. One year before directing “The Thing with Two Heads” (1972), Frost previously directed his classic mammoth American-International action-drama masterpiece production of “Chrome and Hot Leather” (1971) with legendary singer Marvin Gaye, legendary pioneering cowboy film singer Herb Jeffries, legendary singer Bobby “Boris” Pickett of “The Monster Mash” fame, young Cheryl Ladd, young Erik Estrada (later of TV’s “CHiPS” fame), William Smith, Tony Young, Peter Brown and Susan Hart, who in real life was married to James H. Nicholson, the co-founder of American-International Pictures.
The screenplay and story treatment for the classic mammoth American-International sci-fi masterpiece production of “The Thing with Two Heads” (1972) was written by Frost, along with veteran screenwriters Wes Bishop and James Gordon White. Both Bishop and Frost co-collaborated on the screenplay and original story treatments for Frost’s series of grindhouse-themed film productions. Three years after “The Thing with Two Heads,” the two wrote the screenplay for Jack Starret’s classic mammoth Twentieth Century Fox (Twentieth Century Studios) action-adventure-horror masterpiece production of “Race with the Devil” (1975) with Peter Fonda, Loretta Swit (of TV’s “M*A*S*H” fame) and Warren Oates. During his brief screenwriting career, White also co-wrote the screenplay for Anthony M. Lanza’s American-International drama production of “The Glory Stompers” (1967) with Dennis Hopper, Jody McCrea (the real-life son of actor Joel McCrea) and young Casey Kasem, the legendary radio disc jockey before he hosted his classic mammoth long-running syndicated weekly top 40 musicradio masterpiece review series, “America’s Top 40” and of interest to fellow Super Tooners/Super SvenPals of Toony & Bill’s “Toon In With Me;” Kasem was the original voice of Norville “Shaggy” Roggers in the classic mammoth 1969-70 Hanna–Barbera animated TV cartoon masterpiece series, “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?” and various Hanna-Barbera “Scooby-Doo” animated follow-up productions.
By 1972, Nicholson had left American-International. The veteran producer/distributor had numerous personal and professional disagreements with co-founder Samuel Z. Arkoff during his final years with the company that he had co-founded, according to Eamon Harrington and John Watkin’s retrospective documentary on American-International Pictures; titled “It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures” (2001). Nicholson then worked for a brief while for rival studio Twentieth Century Fox (today’s Twentieth Century Studios), but was short-lived, as Nicholson’s health declined due to a brain tumor. Aside from their disagreements, Arkoff mentioned that in Nicholson’s last days that he was the only person outside of Nicholson’s family that kept in touch with him. Nicholson died on Dec. 10, 1972; according to IMDB.
In Sven’s home area of Berwyn/Chicago, he previously showcased Frost’s classic mammoth 1972 American-International sci-fi/fantasy masterpiece production of “The Thing with Two Heads” as a big Berwyn/Chicago broadcast premiere on his hometown TV station in the Berwyn/Chicago area, WCIU-TV 26 back in Oct. 2009; according to IMDB. The Oct. 2009 Sven/WCIU Berwyn-Chicago big broadcast premiere of “The Thing with Two Heads” was one of many MGM-owned feature films (from MGM’s ownership of the American-International/Filmways/Orion library holdings) that was shown locally on Sven’s Berwyn/Chicago big broadcast showcase at the time, as WCIU & Me-TV’s owner, Weigel Broadcasting Co. had an early coast-to-coast digital subchannel joint venture at the time with MGM that was launched in Oct. 2008, titled “This TV,” which showcased many of the classic mammoth American-International feature film masterpieces; according to Michael Malone’s Oct. 2008 Broadcasting & Cable article. Weigel gave up its ownership in This TV in Late 2013 to focus on the coast-to-coast expansion/distribution of Me-TV and sister channel Movies! TV Network, according to Michael Malone’s May 2013 Broadcasting & Cable article.
Who was in Lee Frost’s “The Thing with Two Heads” (1972)?
Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for his upcoming big broadcast of a classic mammoth Universal Studios spook comedy masterpiece.
“Meet the World’s Bravest Coward!” Original 1966 Universal Studios theatrical poster art for “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” featuring Don Knotts.
The legendary and iconic Berwyn/Chicago-based classic mammoth comedy feature film masterpiece host will present his big broadcast of the classic mammoth Universal ghoul comedy masterpiece, “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” (1966); this Sat., May 13 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.
The classic 1966 mammoth Universal spook comedy masterpiece was directed by veteran feature film and television director Alan Rafkin. Rafkin directed 27 episodes of Andy Griffith’s classic mammoth CBS television comedy masterpiece, “The Andy Griffith Show” from 1964-67 and five episodes of the classic mammoth CBS television spin-off comedy masterpiece series of “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.” with Jim Nabors in 1965. The screenplay for “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” was written by veteran television writers Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum. The television writing duo of Fritzell and Greenbaum were both known for the majority of their screenwriting careers for writing numerous episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show” from 1961-64 and for writing numerous episodes of the classic mammoth critically-acclaimed Twentieth Century Fox (Twentieth Century Studios)/CBS television comedy-drama adaptation masterpiece, “M*A*S*H” from 1974-78 (adapted from Robert Altman’s classic mammoth critically acclaimed 1970 Twentieth Century Fox/Twentieth Century Studios comedy-drama feature film masterpiece of the same name, “M*A*S*H”) . “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” (1966) was produced by veteran MCA-Revue-Universal television and film producer Edward J. Mantagne, who served as producer and executive producer of the studio’s classic mammoth TV comedy masterpiece series, “McHale’s Navy” (1962-66) with Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway (in his pre-Carol Burnett Show days), Joe Flynn and Gavin MacLeod (in his pre-Mary Tyler Moore Show & pre-“The Love Boat” days).
The orchestral source music score for Rafkin’s classic mammoth Universal ghoul comedy masterpiece production of “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” (1966) was composed by veteran composer Vic Mizzy. Mizzy was known for his numerous TV and feature film source orchestral soundtrack score compositions; including the famous title theme song for the classic mammoth 1964-66 Filmways/ABC television live-action sitcom masterpiece adaptation of Charles Addams’ “The Addams Family” (1964-66) with John Astin, Carolyn Jones, Jackie Coogan, Ted Cassidy, Lisa Loring, Ken Weatherwax and Marie Blake. Mizzy also worked on the original source orchestral soundtrack score recording for William Castle’s classic mammoth Universal macabre thriller masterpiece “The Night Walker” (1964) with Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor.
This will mark Sven’s tenth big broadcast of Rafkin’s classic mammoth Universal ghoul/spook comedy masterpiece on the airlanes of Me-TV. He previously showcased of “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” (1966) back in Nov. 2011*, July 2012*, Nov. 2014*, April 2015*, Oct. 2017*, July 2018*, Feb. 2020,* May 2021* (as part of Me-TV’s May 2021 “Month of Mayberry” tribute festival in connection to “The Andy Griffith Show”) and July 2022.
Who was in Alan Rafkin’s classic mammoth Universal ghoul comedy masterpiece production of “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” (1966)?
Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be dancing & jumping for joy for his upcoming big coast-to-coast premiere of a classic mammoth American-International vampire masterpiece.
Original American-International Pictures theatrical release trailer for William Crain‘s classic mammoth vampire feature film masterpiece production of “Blacula” (1972), featuring William Marshall; narrated by veteran actor Adolph Caesar.
“Bloodsucker!” “His habits.. Unspeakable! His Lusts.. Insatiable! His Fate.. Unbearable!” Original 1972 American-International Pictures theatrical poster art for William Marshall in “Blacula.”
The legendary and iconic Berwyn/Chicago-based classic horror film host will present his big coast-to-coast broadcast premiere of “Blacula” (1972) this Sat., May 6 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.
The classic mammoth American-International vampire masterpiece production of “Blacula” (1972) marked William Crain’s first feature-length film production in his brief directorial career. Shortly after the production of “Blacula” (1972), Crain directed the cult classic monster-horror spoof production of “Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde” (1976) with Bernie Casey (of 1972’s “Gargoyles,” 1974’s “Boxcar Bertha” and 1984’s “Revenge of the Nerds” fame), Rosalind Cash and Milt Kogan.
During Nicholson’s finale at American-International, the veteran producer had numerous personal and professional disagreements with co-founder Samuel Z. Arkoff, according to Eamon Harrington and John Watkin’s retrospective documentary on American-International Pictures; titled “It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures” (2001). Nicholson then worked for a brief while for rival studio Twentieth Century Fox (today’s Twentieth Century Studios), but was short-lived, as Nicholson’s health declined due to a brain tumor. Arkoff mentioned that in Nicholson’s last days that he was the only person outside of Nicholson’s family that kept in touch with him. Nicholson died on Dec. 10, 1972; according to IMDB. Veteran producers Norman T. Herman, who also worked with Arkoff and Nicholson on the classic mammoth American-International sci-fi/supernatural masterpiece production of “Frogs” (1972); Joseph T. Naar and producer/exhibitor Mark L. Rosen also had a hand in producing Crain’s production of “Blacula” (1972).
In Sven’s home area of Berwyn/Chicago, Illinois; he previously showcased Crain’s classic mammoth American-International vampire masterpiece production of “Blacula” (1972) as a Berwyn/Chicago big broadcast premiere on his hometown television station, WCIU-TV 26; according to IMDB.
Who was in William Crain’s classic mammoth American-International vampire masterpiece production of “Blacula” (1972)?