Shock Theater

Last updated
Shock Theater
No. of episodes52
Production
Production company Screen Gems
Original release
Release1957 (1957)

Shock Theater (marketed as Shock!) is a package of 52 pre-1948 classic horror films from Universal Studios released for television syndication in October 1957 by Screen Gems, the television subsidiary of Columbia Pictures. The Shock Theater package included Dracula , Frankenstein , The Mummy , The Invisible Man and The Wolf Man as well as a few non-horror spy and mystery films. A second package, Son of Shock, was released for television by Screen Gems in 1958, with 20 horror films from both Universal and Columbia.

Contents

Horror hosts

Shock Theater usually aired on late night television on weekends, and in many markets was introduced by a costumed horror host; [1] a well-known example was Zacherley (John Zacherle) on Philadelphia's WCAU-TV (as 'Roland') in 1957-58, [2] and New York's WABC-TV in 1958-59. Prior to Zacherely's arrival at WABC-TV, Shock Theater was hosted off-camera by ABC Staff Announcer Scott Vincent and three other ABC staff announcers who worked in rotation. Shock Theater continued the American tradition of horror film television shows that originated with Vampira (Maila Nurmi) at Los Angeles KABC-TV in 1954-55. Shock Theater programs in major cities were often introduced by local hosts in the style of Zacherley or Vampira such as Terry Bennett's Marvin on Chicago's WBKB-TV. [3] With the varying lengths of the features ranging from the 58 minutes of The Cat Creeps to the 99 minute Son of Frankenstein , the host's sequences could pad out the broadcast to a standard time slot.

Screen Gems acquired a 10-year lease of the television rights to 550 Universal Pictures features in June 1957, with the intention of packaging them by formats and stars, including horror, crime, and comedy. [4] The first Shock package was an instant success nationwide. Viewership measurements in five key television markets (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, San Antonio) showed the program boosting ratings anywhere from 38 percent to 1,125 percent. [5]

Films

Shock Theater

Films sourced from the book Universal Horrors. [6] [7]

Son of Shock

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein</i> 1948 American horror comedy film directed by Charles Barton

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is a 1948 American horror comedy film directed by Charles Barton. The film features Count Dracula who has become partners with Dr Sandra Mornay, in order to find a brain to reactivate Frankenstein's monster ; the ideal brain they find belonging to Wilbur Grey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lon Chaney Jr.</span> American actor (1906–1974)

Creighton Tull Chaney, known by his stage name Lon Chaney Jr., was an American actor known for playing Larry Talbot in the film The Wolf Man (1941) and its various crossovers, Count Alucard in Son of Dracula, Frankenstein's monster in The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), the Mummy in three pictures, and various other roles in many Universal horror films, including six films in their 1940s Inner Sanctum series, making him a horror icon. He also portrayed Lennie Small in Of Mice and Men (1939) and supporting parts in dozens of mainstream movies, including High Noon (1952), The Defiant Ones (1958), and numerous Westerns, musicals, comedies and dramas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terence Fisher</span> British film director and film editor

Terence Fisher was a British film director best known for his work for Hammer Films.

<i>Son of Frankenstein</i> 1939 film by Rowland V. Lee

Son of Frankenstein is a 1939 American horror film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The film is the third in Universal Pictures' Frankenstein series and is the follow-up to the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein. Son of Frankenstein stars Rathbone as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein who, with his wife Elsa and son Peter, returns to his late father's estate. Near the castle lives Ygor, a crazed blacksmith whose neck was broken in an unsuccessful hanging attempt. Among the castle's remains, Frankenstein discovers the remains of the Monster and decides to try to save his family name by resurrecting the creature to prove his father was correct. He finds, however, the Monster only responds to Ygor's commands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Carradine filmography</span>

This is a list of John Carradine's hundreds of theatrical films. Television appearances and television movies are not included.

<i>Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man</i> 1943 US horror film directed by Roy William Neill

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is a 1943 American horror film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster. The script, written by Curt Siodmak, follows The Ghost of Frankenstein and The Wolf Man, though with a number of retcons. Most significantly, Talbot only transforms into werewolf form during a full moon, which became a standard part of werewolf lore. The film involves Larry Talbot, who is brought back to life when his tomb is disturbed. His search for a way to end his seeming immortality leads to his befriending Frankenstein's monster.

<i>Son of Dracula</i> (1943 film) 1943 film by Robert Siodmak

Son of Dracula is a 1943 American horror film directed by Robert Siodmak with a screenplay based on an original story by his brother Curt Siodmak. The film stars Lon Chaney Jr., Louise Allbritton, Robert Paige, Evelyn Ankers, and Frank Craven. The film is set in the United States, where Count Alucard has just taken up residence. Katherine Caldwell (Allbritton), a student of the occult, becomes fascinated by Alucard and eventually marries him. Katherine begins to look and act strangely, leading her former romantic partner Frank Stanley (Paige) to suspect that something has happened to her. He gets help from Dr. Brewster (Craven) and psychologist Laszlo who come to the conclusion that Alucard is a vampire.

<i>House of Frankenstein</i> (film) 1944 film

House of Frankenstein is a 1944 American horror film starring Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine. It was directed by Erle C. Kenton and produced by Universal Pictures. Based on Curt Siodmak's story "The Devil's Brood", the film is about Dr. Gustav Niemann, who escapes from prison and promises to create a new body for his assistant Daniel. Over the course of the film, they encounter Count Dracula, the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's monster. The film is a sequel to Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943).

<i>House of Dracula</i> 1945 film by Erle C. Kenton

House of Dracula is a 1945 American horror film released and distributed by Universal Pictures. Directed by Erle C. Kenton, the film features several Universal Horror properties meeting as they had done in the 1944 film House of Frankenstein. The film is set at the castle home of Dr. Franz Edelmann, who is visited first by Count Dracula and later by Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man, who are trying to cure their vampirism and lycanthropy, respectively. Talbot is eventually cured, which leads him to discover the body of Frankenstein's monster in a cave below the base of the castle. Edelemann takes the monster's body back to his laboratory but finds Count Dracula has awakened and by attacking his assistants, he captures Edelmann and forces a reverse blood transfusion, which gives Edelmann a split personality and makes him a killer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Van Sloan</span> American actor

Edward Van Sloan was an American character actor best remembered for his roles in the Universal Studios horror films such as Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), and The Mummy (1932).

Hans J. Salter was an Austrian-American film composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Classic Monsters</span> Horror and science fiction films made by Universal Studios (1930s–1950s)

Universal Classic Monsters is a media franchise based on a series of horror films primarily produced by Universal Pictures from the 1930s to the 1950s.

<i>The Brute Man</i> 1946 film

The Brute Man is a 1946 American horror thriller film starring Rondo Hatton as the Creeper, a murderer seeking revenge against the people he holds responsible for the disfigurement of his face. Directed by Jean Yarbrough, the film features Tom Neal and Jan Wiley as a married pair of friends the Creeper blames for his deformities. Jane Adams also stars as a blind pianist for whom the Creeper tries to raise money for an operation to restore her vision. The film is a prequel to House of Horrors (1946).

<i>Coming Soon</i> (1982 film) 1982 American film

Coming Soon is a 1982 American direct-to-video documentary film directed by John Landis for Universal Pictures. Landis used trailers of old Universal horror and thriller films to create his own contribution to his favorite film genres. The film is narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis.

<i>Frankenstein</i> (Universal film series) American horror film series

Frankenstein is a film series of horror films from Universal Pictures based on the play version by Peggy Webling and the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. The series follow the story of a monster created by Henry Frankenstein who is made from body parts of corpses and brought back to life. The rest of the series generally follows the monster continuously being revived and eventually focuses on a series of cross overs with other Universal horror film characters such as The Wolf Man. The series consists of the following films: Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), House of Dracula (1945) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).

Dracula is a film series of horror films from Universal Pictures based on the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker and its 1927 play adaptation. Film historians had various interpretations of what constitutes being in the film series, with Ken Hanke finding that only Dracula (1931), Dracula's Daughter (1936), and Son of Dracula (1943) could be considered a part of any series while Gary D. Rhodes included House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945), stating these films would require an audience to be familiar with Count Dracula portrayed by Bela Lugosi and the various character traits the actor established in the original 1931 film.

<i>The Invisible Man</i> (film series) American film series

The Invisible Man is a film series by Universal Pictures. The series consists of The Invisible Man, The Invisible Man Returns, The Invisible Woman, Invisible Agent, The Invisible Man's Revenge and Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man. The film series borrows elements from H. G. Wells's novel The Invisible Man, but it focuses primarily on the idea of a serum that causes someone to go invisible and its side-effects.

Vera West was an American fashion designer and film costume designer. From 1928 to 1947, she was the chief costume designer for Universal Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Robinson (cinematographer)</span> American cinematographer

George Hiram Robinson (1890-1958) was an American cinematographer from Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of horror films</span>

The history of horror films was described by author Siegbert Solomon Prawer as difficult to read as a linear historical path, with the genre changing throughout the decades, based on the state of cinema, audience tastes and contemporary world events.

References

  1. "Night Harbingers of Horror", Life, May 26, 1958, p. 63.
  2. William Grimes (October 28, 2016). "John Zacherle, Host With a Ghoulish Perspective, Dies at 98". The New York Times .
  3. Okuda, Ted & Yurkiw, Mark ''Chicago TV Horror Movie Shows from Shock Theatre to Svengoolie Lake Claremont Press 2007
  4. "SG to 'Program' Universal's 550", Billboard, June 17, 1957, p. 18.
  5. "Huge Ratings Jumps Show Dialers Flocking to 'Shock!'", Billboard, Oct. 14, 1957, p. 8.
  6. Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 585.
  7. Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 586.

Sources