Tarantula Ghoul

Last updated

Suzanne Waldron (July 23, 1931 - June 1982), better known by her alias "Tarantula Ghoul", was an American actress, television hostess, and musician. Between 1957 and 1959, she hosted the cult favorite program House of Horror on the Portland-based television station KPTV. With her backing band the Gravediggers, Tarantula Ghoul recorded "King Kong" and "Graveyard Rock", the latter of which became associated and popularized with Halloween-themed music. Following her role as Tarantula Ghoul, Waldron continued to act in the 1960s and 1970s.

Biography

Suzanne Waldron was born in Portland, Oregon, in July 1931. Her studies at the New Mexico Highlands University in the early 1950s first excited her interests in stage acting and radio commentary. By 1952, Waldron began performing at the Portland Civic Auditorium and earning voice roles in radio commercials; a year later, Waldron joined the Magic Ring Repertory Company, receiving local acclaim for her roles in comedy and drama. [1] [2]

Waldron's appearance as a witch in a staging of Macbeth caught the attention of producers from the television station KPTV. Their management hired Waldron as the late-night personality "Tarantula Ghoul" for their upcoming variety show House of Horror. [1] The concept of the Tarantula Ghoul character—a slick raven-haired hostess that had a striking resemblance to the fictional matriarch Morticia Addams—was based on Vampira, played by actress Maila Nurmi. [2] [3] Nurmi's series The Vampira Show , which briefly aired in 1954 and 1955, was highly successful in Los Angeles before its cancellation, encouraging television stations across the United States to recreate the show's premise as well as its ghoulish hostess. [3]

House of Horror premiered on October 9, 1957, airing at 10:30 pm on Wednesdays. The program adapted characteristics from the format of The Vampira Show: Like her predecessor, Tarantula Ghoul introduced campy B-rated horror films and acted in various satirical comedic segments. Other cast members included the grave robber-turned-gardener Milton (John Hillsbury); Baby, a boa constrictor and Sir Galahad the pet tarantula. [4] Waldron promoted House of Horror by appearing at public events in character, customarily making a grand entrance by emerging from a coffin. [1] In 1958, Tarantula Ghoul and her backing band the Gravediggers recorded and released the "King Kong" single on Meadows Records with "Graveyard Rock" as its B-side. The latter track's appealing melody made it a popular song to incorporate in Halloween-themed setlists. [4] [5]

Despite its popularity, House of Horror was canceled in 1959 when it was discovered Waldron was pregnant out of wedlock; she married KPTV employee John Petty a year later. No known footage of the show currently exists. Waldron occasionally revived her Tarantula Ghoul persona in the early 1960s and was offered opportunities to host television again but she decided to focus on stage acting and voiceover work. In June 1982, she died in Omaha, Nebraska of colon cancer; Waldron was 50 years old. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Amazing Criswell</span> American psychic (1907–1982)

Jeron Criswell King, known by his stage-name The Amazing Criswell, was an American psychic known for wildly inaccurate predictions. In person, he went by Charles Criswell King, and was sometimes credited as Jeron King Criswell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Wood</span> American screenwriter, director, producer, actor, author, and film editor

Edward Davis Wood Jr. was an American filmmaker, actor, screenwriter, and pulp novel author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassandra Peterson</span> American actress

Cassandra Gay Peterson is an American actress best known for her portrayal of the horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Peterson gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ-TV in her stage persona as Elvira, hosting Elvira's Movie Macabre, a weekly B movie presentation. A member of the Los Angeles-based improvisational and sketch comedy troupe The Groundlings, Peterson based her Elvira persona in part on a "Valley girl"-type character she created while a member of the troupe.

KATU is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside La Grande–licensed Univision affiliate KUNP. Both stations share studios on NE Sandy Boulevard in Portland, while KATU's transmitter is located in the Sylvan-Highlands section of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Zacherle</span> American TV host, voice actor, and recording artist (1918–2016)

John Zacherle was an American television host, radio personality, singer, and voice actor. He was best known for his long career as a television horror host, often broadcasting horror films in Philadelphia and New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. Best known for his character of "Roland/Zacherley", he also did voice work for films, and recorded the top ten novelty rock and roll song "Dinner With Drac" in 1958. He also edited two collections of horror stories, Zacherley's Vulture Stew and Zacherley's Midnight Snacks.

Vampira may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maila Nurmi</span> Finnish-American actress and television personality

Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi, known professionally as Maila Nurmi, was an American actress who created the campy 1950s character Vampira.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lars Larson</span> American conservative talk radio show host (born 1959)

Lars Kristopher Larson is an American conservative talk radio show host based in Portland, Oregon. Larson worked in television and radio news from the 1970s to 1990s and has hosted The Lars Larson Show from flagship station KXL in Portland since 1997. Two versions of the show exist: the Northwest show airs from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. (Pacific) and discussing Pacific Northwest issues. The Northwest show is syndicated on the Radio Northwest Network which is owned and operated by Alpha Media. The nationally syndicated program airs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (Pacific) and discusses national issues. The national show is syndicated by Compass Media Networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KPTV</span> Fox affiliate in Portland, Oregon

KPTV is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Vancouver, Washington–licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate KPDX. Both stations share studios on NW Greenbrier Parkway in Beaverton, while KPTV's transmitter is located in the Sylvan-Highlands section of Portland.

KPDX is a television station licensed to Vancouver, Washington, United States, serving the Portland, Oregon, area as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is the only major commercial station in Portland that is licensed to the Washington side of the market.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Northwest Wrestling</span> Professional wrestling promotion

Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925. It was the Northwest territory of the National Wrestling Alliance from the Alliance's inception in 1948 until 1992. The area was brought to its prime by Herb's son, Don Owen, and this version of Pacific Northwest Wrestling saw many of the top names in pro wrestling come through on a regular basis. The Pacific Northwest was considered one of the main pro wrestling territories from the 1960s to the 1980s.

<i>Truth or Scare</i> American TV series or program

Truth or Scare is an American television series on the Discovery Kids network. The show aired from October 25, 2001, to January 1, 2003. It was hosted by Michelle Trachtenberg in a style similar to Maila Nurmi as horror host "Vampira" and Cassandra Peterson as horror host "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark." The series first aired on Discovery Kids as a part of the network's Scary Saturday Night Sleepover lineup. After the series ended, reruns of the show aired on The Hub until October 29, 2012.

<i>Creature Features</i> Genre of TV format shows

Creature Features is a generic title for a genre of horror TV format shows broadcast on local American television stations throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The movies broadcast on these shows were generally classic and cult horror movies of the 1930s to 1950s, the horror and science-fiction films of the 1950s, British horror films of the 1960s, and the Japanese kaiju "giant monster" movies of the 1950s to 1970s.

The Vampira Show was an American television show that broadcast vintage horror films presented by horror host Vampira. The series aired on the Los Angeles ABC television affiliate KABC-TV from April 30, 1954, through April 2, 1955. The weekly series was produced and created by Hunt Stromberg, Jr., and featured the Vampira character created by Maila Nurmi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Creep</span>

Barry Lee Hobart was a local television personality widely known to fans as Dr. Creep. He was a horror movie host on WKEF Television in Dayton, Ohio.

<i>Plan 9 from Outer Space</i> 1957 US film by Ed Wood

Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1957 American independent science fiction-horror film produced, written, directed, and edited by Ed Wood. The film was shot in black-and-white in November 1956 and premiered on March 15, 1957 at the Carlton Theatre in Los Angeles. Retitled Plan 9 from Outer Space, it went into general release in April 1959 in Texas and several other Southern states before being sold to television in 1961.

Shock Theater 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.

<i>Elviras Movie Macabre</i> American hosted horror movie television program

Elvira's Movie Macabre, or simply Movie Macabre, is an American hosted horror movie television program that originally aired locally from 1981 to 1986. The show features B movies, particularly those in the horror and science fiction genres, and is hosted by Elvira, a character with a black dress and heaven bump hairstyle, played by Cassandra Peterson. Elvira occasionally interrupts the films with comments and jokes, and in some episodes receives phone calls from a character called "the Breather".

Chiller Theatre was a Saturday night television series broadcast by Channel 11 WPIX in New York City that showed classic horror movies.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Bickel, Christopher (2015). Tarantula Ghoul. The Oregonian.
  2. 1 2 "TV's Nightmares: Tarantula Ghoul". TV Star Parade. 1959. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Bickel, Christopher. "TARANTULA GHOUL: THE 1950S VAMPIRA-ESQUE ROCK N ROLL SINGING HORROR HOSTESS". Dangerous Minds. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Williams, Lee. "Pity the Ghoul Whose Never Seen Tarantula Ghoul". OregonLive.com . Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  5. ↑ Suddath, Claire. "Beyond The Monster Mash: What To Play At Your Halloween Party". Time . Retrieved June 26, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.