Just found out that MeTV (which stands for Memorable Entertainment Television), a syndicated carrier of old television programming, films, etc., has returned to the fine tradition of horror hosts with their addition of SvenGoolie to their Saturday night lineup. Suddenly I have memories of the late, great Bestoink Dooley, as well as Dr. Shock, Dead Ernest, and other fine and foolish horror hosts from late-night television in the bygone days.When Universal Studios made a large selection of films from their horror library available as a syndicated package to local television stations, they became a staple of late-night TV... and along with the flood of horror films came a wide array of whimsical horror hosts. Here in Atlanta, Channel 5's Bestoink Dooley was the host of Big Movie Shocker. In Chattanooga, it was Doctor Shock and his Shock Theater on Channel 9. I lived in Rome, located midway between the two cities, so we got both horror shows on our local television.
I figured that horror hosts were a part of the past, since today's viewers can watch horror films whenever they want on DVD, Netflix, etc. Apparently, though, the tradition survived in Chicago, where a host named SvenGoolie has continued to do his bit on late night television. And now MeTV has picked up SvenGoolie, adding him to their Saturday night lineup. Tonight, he's doing his schtick during a showing of The Invisible Woman. I'll watch it, just for the sake of nostalgia, even though it's not a very good film... one doesn't watch these things for the sake of the film, but for the overall experience.
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