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Friday, October 28, 2016

R.I.P. John Zacherle, "The Cool Ghoul"


The great John Zacherle, known to generations of horror fans as Zacherley, "The Cool Ghoul," has passed away at 98. The news came tonight as author Tom Weaver, a close friend of the Zacherle family, began informing colleagues of the the sad news, and an outpouring of tributes has already begun across the internet. 

A veteran of World War II, Zacherle started working at WCAU in Philadelphia in 1954, and in 1957, he got the job of being Philly's first late night horror movie host on Shock Theater, creating the character of Roland (pronounced Ro-LAND), who talked to his dead wife in her coffin. An association with Dick Clark, whose American Bandstand was based in Philadelphia, led to the recording of "Dinner With Drac" in 1958. He moved to New York's WABC in '59, became known as Zacherley and his show was renamed Zacherley At Large. He later hosted the Newark teenage dance show Disc-O-Teen, and was a DJ on WNEW and then WPLJ, where he stayed for ten years. 

Considered by many to be the greatest TV horror host of all-time, Zacherele has spent the last several decades appearing on TV, radio, and film and making personal appearances at conventions and special events. 

His horror-themed novelty records have remained perennial Halloween favorites, and you will surely hear them played on WFMU and elsewhere over the course of the next week. So, instead of posting those, I've decided to share the REAL DEAL, actual episodes of Shock Theater and Zacherley at Large as they were originally broadcast in the late 1950s. What we have here are three classic poverty row horrors: two Bela Lugosi features - The Devil Bat and Bowery At Midnight, and Rondo Hatton as The Creeper in The Brute Man. This is how original Monster Kids in the Northeast first saw these movies, and I'd recommend taking them all in for a great Halloween triple feature this weekend, just make sure you raise a glass of blood in honor of the Cool Ghoul himself before you're done.  He gave his all! 

Shock Theater: The Devil Bat



Zacherley At Large: Bowery At Midnight



Zacherley At Large: The Brute Man






Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Zacherley For President!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Broadcast Pioneers Hall Of Fame


Zacherle For President



John Zackerley - Zacherle For President

Thanks Postman Tom!

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Zacherley Month

Goodnight, whatever you are


Via Postman Tom.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Shock Theater

via Postman Tom

Become A Ghoul Scout!


via Zombo

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Our Hero With The Box Tops

Zacherley hosts Disc-O- Teen 1967.

Monday, October 1, 2012

October is Zacherley Month!

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