"October the 31st" is an episode of the American television series The Fall Guy , starring Lee Majors. This episode first appeared on October 31, 1984. The episode features two guest stars: veteran horror movie actor John Carradine and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. [1] Carradine's sons Keith, Robert, and David Carradine [1] make a cameo appearance in a scene with their father.
The Fall Guy was an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981, to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas as Hollywood stunt performers who moonlight as bounty hunters.
Lee Majors is an American film, television and voice actor. Majors is best known for portraying the characters of Heath Barkley in the American television Western series The Big Valley (1965–1969), Colonel Steve Austin in the American television science fiction action series The Six Million Dollar Man (1973–1978), and Colt Seavers in American television action series The Fall Guy (1981–1986).
John Carradine was an American actor, best known for his roles in horror films, Westerns, and Shakespearean theatre. A member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later John Ford's company, he was one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood history. He was married four times, had five children, and was the patriarch of the Carradine family, including four of his sons and four of his grandchildren who are or were also actors.
In this episode, Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) is preparing to guest star in a Halloween television special with stunt man Colt Seavers (Lee Majors). The cast and crew of the special become aware that the producers have arranged to film the project in a mansion that is supposedly haunted. The crew arrive at the mansion and beginning setting up their equipment, when it becomes apparent that the owner of the mansion, Preston Deauville (John Carradine), is outraged that his wife Katherine (Signe Hasso) arranged for the filming to occur there without his knowledge. As Deauville opposes the arrangement, he is so vexed that he fires his staff which include a chef, a gardener, and a caretaker (played by John Carradine's sons Keith, Robert, and David Carradine, respectively). The staff plead with the old man to reconsider. At one point, David's character blurts out "You're insane!" The elder Carradine's character responds, "And with a little diligence, the same can be said of you!"
Cassandra Peterson is an American actress best known for her portrayal of the horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. She gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ-TV wearing a revealing, black, gothic, cleavage-enhancing gown as host of Elvira's Movie Macabre, a weekly horror movie presentation. Her wickedly vampish appearance is offset by her comical character, quirky and quick-witted personality, and Valley girl-type speech.
Halloween or Hallowe'en, also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve, is a celebration observed in several countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day. It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.
A television special is a stand-alone television show which temporarily interrupts episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Specials have been produced which provide a full range of entertainment and informational value available via the television medium, in various formats, and in any viewing lengths.
As the episode progresses, Preston Deauville dies of an apparent heart attack and is buried in the backyard. However, Deauville remains present in the house, menacing the actors and crew who are trying to film their show. It is eventually discovered that Deauville was murdered by his evil twin brother (also played by John Carradine) in a plot with his wife.
The evil twin is an antagonist found in many different fictional genres. They are physical copies of protagonists, but with radically inverted moralities. In filmed entertainment, they can have obvious physical differences with the protagonist—such as facial hair, eyepatches, scars or distinctive clothing—that make it easy for the audience to visually identify the two characters. Sometimes, however, the physical differences between the characters will be minimized, so as to confuse the audience. Both roles are almost always played by either the same actor or the actor's actual twin.
The episode aired the same night that Elvira's six-hour Halloween special aired on MTV as well as an appearance by her on The Tonight Show . [2] John Carradine also appeared on her special that evening. [2]
MTV is an American pay television channel owned by Viacom Media Networks and headquartered in New York City. The channel was launched on August 1, 1981, and originally aired music videos as guided by television personalities known as "video jockeys"(VJs). At first, MTV's main target demographic was young adults, but today it is primarily teenagers, particularly high school and college students.
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show currently broadcast from the NBC Studios in Rockefeller Center in New York City, the show's original location and airing on NBC since 1954. The series has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and Jimmy Fallon, and had several recurring guest hosts including Ernie Kovacs during the Steve Allen era and Joan Rivers, Garry Shandling and Jay Leno during Johnny Carson's stewardship, although the practice has been abandoned since Carson's departure, with hosts preferring reruns to showcasing potential rivals. The Tonight Show is the world's longest-running talk show, and the longest-running, regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States. It is the third-longest-running show on NBC, after the news-and-talk shows Today and Meet the Press.
The episode was built around the Elvira character. [3] The actress said she was very pleased with The Fall Guy script. "You know, when I was on CHiPs , they toned my character down for network TV. That's why I was so happy with the script for The Fall Guy, where they not only wrote the whole story around me, but they kept my risque humor. I think it came out really cute." [2]
CHiPs is an American crime drama television series that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977 to May 1, 1983. It followed the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The series ran for 139 episodes over six seasons, plus one reunion TV movie in October 1998.
While filming the episode on location at a convent, Elvira was actually "mobbed" by a group of nuns clamoring for her autograph. [4]
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, monks or nuns; or the building used by the community, particularly in the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, and the Anglican Communion.
John Howard Carpenter is an American filmmaker, screenwriter and composer. Although Carpenter has worked with various movie genres, he is associated most commonly with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s.
Wesley Earl Craven was an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. He was known for his pioneering work in the genre of horror films, particularly slasher films, where his impact on the genre was considered prolific and influential. Due to the success and cultural impact of his works in the horror film genre, Craven has been called a "Master of Horror".
Halloween III: Season of the Witch is a 1982 American science fiction horror film and the third installment in the Halloween film series. It is the first film to be written and directed by Tommy Lee Wallace. John Carpenter and Debra Hill, the creators of Halloween, returned as producers. The film follows the story of Dr. Dan Challis as he tries to solve the mysterious murder of a patient in his hospital. He, along with the patient's daughter, Ellie Grimbridge, travels to the small town of Santa Mira, California, where Dan discovers that Silver Shamrock Novelties, a company run by Conal Cochran, is attempting to use the mystic powers of the Stonehenge rocks to resurrect the ancient aspects of the Celtic festival, Samhain, which Cochran connects to witchcraft. Cochran devises a plan to kill children using his popular Halloween masks to achieve his goal, which will be achieved when all the children wearing his masks watch the Silver Shamrock commercial airing Halloween night.
Danielle Andrea Harris is an American actress, voice actress, and film director. She is known as a "scream queen" for her roles in multiple horror films, including four entries in the Halloween franchise: Halloween 4 and 5, as Jamie Lloyd (1988–89); and the Halloween remake and its sequel, as Annie Brackett (2007–09). Other such roles include Tosh in Urban Legend (1998), Belle in Stake Land (2010), and Marybeth Dunston in the Hatchet series (2010–17). In 2012, she was inducted into the Fangoria Hall of Fame.
David Carradine was an American actor, musician, painter and martial artist. He played the leading role of peace-loving Shaolin monk Kwai Chang Caine in the television series Kung Fu (1972–1975) and also portrayed Frankenstein in Death Race 2000 (1975) and Bill in both Kill Bill films (2003–2004).
Mark Borchardt is an American independent filmmaker. He is best known as the subject of the 1999 film American Movie: The Making of Northwestern, which documented three years he spent writing, shooting and editing his horror short, Coven (1997).
"Treehouse of Horror IV" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons' fifth season and the fourth episode in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween specials. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 28, 1993, and features three short stories called "The Devil and Homer Simpson", "Terror at 5 1⁄2 Feet", and "Bart Simpson's Dracula". The episode was directed by David Silverman and co-written by Conan O'Brien, Bill Oakley, Josh Weinstein, Greg Daniels, Dan McGrath, and Bill Canterbury.
"Treehouse of Horror XII" is the first episode of The Simpsons' thirteenth season. Because of Fox's contract with Major League Baseball's World Series, the episode first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 6, 2001, nearly one week after Halloween. It is the twelfth annual Treehouse of Horror episode, consisting of three self-contained segments. In the first segment, a gypsy puts a curse on Homer, which puts everybody he cares about in danger. In the second segment, which is a parody on both 2001: A Space Odyssey and Demon Seed, the Simpson family buys a new house, who falls in love with Marge and attempts to kill Homer. In the third and final segment, which lampoons the Harry Potter franchise, Lord Montymort attempts to capture Lisa, a skilled magician, in order to drain her magic powers.
Tom Atkins is an American television and film actor. He is primarily known for his work in the horror film and thriller film genres, having worked with writers and directors such as Shane Black, William Peter Blatty, John Carpenter, Fred Dekker, Richard Donner, Stephen King, and George A. Romero. He is also a familiar face to mainstream viewers, often playing police officers.
A horror host is a person who acts as the host or presenter of a program where horror films and low-budget B movies are shown on television or the internet. Usually the host assumes a horror-themed persona, often a campy or humorous one. Generally there are breaks in the film where the host comments on various aspects of the movie. Many horror host shows also include skits involving the hosts themselves, sometimes with a sidekick or other supporting characters. Some better-known horror hosts include Vampira, Zacherley, Ghoulardi, Sinister Seymour, Dr. Creep, The Ghoul, The Cool Ghoul, Svengoolie, and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by James Signorelli. Cassandra Peterson plays the role of horror hostess Elvira in the character's feature film debut. The screenplay was written by Peterson, John Paragon and Sam Egan.
Treehouse of Horror, also known as The Simpsons Halloween specials, are a series of Halloween-themed episodes of the animated series The Simpsons, each consisting of three separate, self-contained segments. These segments usually involve the Simpson family in some horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting. They take place outside the show's normal continuity and completely abandon any pretense of being realistic, being known for their far more violent and much darker nature than an average Simpsons episode. The first, entitled "Treehouse of Horror", aired on October 25, 1990, as part of the second season and was inspired by EC Comics horror tales. Since then, there have been 28 other Treehouse of Horror episodes, with one airing every year.
Doctor Madblood, was a horror host character who appeared in the following television shows:
Elvira's Movie Macabre is an American comedy television show that airs B-grade horror movies, occasionally interrupted by comments from the hostess, Elvira. In some episodes during intermission, Elvira would get an unexpected phone call from a character called "The Breather" who would only call and tell Elvira weird jokes. The title shown here is the title under which the film was shown on the show; many B-grade horror films were rereleased with different titles.
"Treehouse of Horror XXI" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons' twenty-second season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 7, 2010. This is the 21st Treehouse of Horror episode, and, like the other "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, consisted of three self-contained segments: In "War and Pieces", Bart and Milhouse discover a real-life board game that they must win to return home; in "Master and Cadaver", Marge and Homer go on a honeymoon on a sailboat, and rescue a mysterious castaway named Roger; and in "Tweenlight", Lisa falls in love with a vampire named Edmund.
"Treehouse of Horror XXII" is the third episode of the twenty-third season and the twenty-second Halloween episode of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 30, 2011. The episode is part of the Treehouse of Horror series, which is an episode divided into three separate stories and an opening that is a parody of scary or Halloween themed stories. This episode's stories were primarily spoofs of the French film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the television series Dexter, and the American film Avatar. The opening was a parody of the autobiographical film 127 Hours, in which the subject Aron Ralston loses an arm.
"Treehouse of Horror XXIV" is the second episode of the 25th season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons, and the 532nd episode of the series. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 6, 2013. The episode was written by Jeff Westbrook and directed by Rob Oliver.
David Simon Pumpkins is a fictional character played by American actor Tom Hanks. He first appeared in the October 22, 2016 episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL) in a sketch by SNL writers Mikey Day, Bobby Moynihan, and Streeter Seidell. Fans responded positively to the character and his catchphrase, "Any questions?"