HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLIN CLIVE!

Born on January 20th, 1900, Colin Clive had a relatively short acting career, due to his death at the age of 37. Colin starred on both stage and film, and although only 3 of his films were actual horror films, we will always remember him as Dr. Henry Frankenstein in James Whale's Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein. Who could forget his wonderful performances in both films as Dr. Frankenstein, the man who made monsters! His performance as the Dr. Frankenstein set the stage for future portrayals of crazed scientists for years, much in the same way Bela Lugosi set the standard for Dracula. I would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to my favorite mad scientist!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDGAR ALLAN POE!

Born January 19, 1809, Edgar Allan Poe is one of America's greatest mystery writers and is credited with creating the detective-fiction genre, and he has inspired many authors and filmmakers throughout the years. Poe is by far my favorite writer, having read all of his work, several times. Check out these videos from Vincent Price's television special "An Evening Of Edgar Allan Poe", a one-man performance of some of Poe's best stories, performed by Vincent Price. In these videos he performs my favorite Poe story, "The Tell-Tale Heart"!






And to read more about Edgar Allan Poe's life, check out his Wikipedia page. Happy Birthday to the original Goth!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN CARPENTER!

Born January 16, 1948, John Carpenter went on to be one of horror's favorite sons. The man who brought us such contemporary classics as The Thing, Christine, The Fog, Escape From New York, and the ultimate classic, the one and only original Halloween! John is truly a master or horror, and I personally want to thank him for bringing us such wonderfully frightening films! I had the honor of hosting the John Carpenter Q&A session at last year's Spooky Empire's Ulitmate Horror Weekend Convention, and he was just a great guy (check out the videos in the clips below). Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a John Carpenter movie marathon in honor of his birthday! Happy Birthday to the Horror Meister!

JOHN CARPENTER Q&A part one

JOHN CARPENTER Q&A part two

JOHN CARPENTER Q&A part three

JOHN CARPENTER Q&A part four

JOHN CARPENTER Q&A part five

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERNEST THESIGER!

Ernest Frederic Graham Thesiger was born January 15th, 1879, and although his career spanned over 5 decades, we will always remember him as the flamboyantly quirky Doctor Pretorius in James Whale's masterpiece The Bride Of Frankenstein. Ernest took on many roles during his career, but horror fans will always cherish the characters he played in the horror films, such as Dr. Pretorius, Horace Femm in another James Whale classic, The Old Dark House, Laing in The Ghoul, starring Boris Karloff, and his small but memorable role as the undertaker in the 1951 classic Scrooge, starring Alastair Sim (considered the best version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and definitely my favorite version!) Read all about Ernest's film work on his Wikipedia page. Happy birthday you mad scientist!

R.I.P. ANNE FRANCIS

pictured here with Robby the Robot in press shots for "The Forbidden Planet"



Anne Francis, who was the love interest in the 1950s science-fiction classic "Forbidden Planet" and later was sexy private eye in "Honey West" on TV, has died at age 80. Francis died Sunday at a Santa Barbara nursing home, said Bill Guntle, a funeral director McDermott-Crockett & Associates Mortuary in Santa Barbara. Francis, who had surgery and chemotherapy after being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007, died of complications of pancreatic cancer, her daughter, Jane Uemura, told the Los Angeles Times.

Francis, a stunningly beautiful blonde with a prominent beauty mark, appeared opposite such stars as Spencer Tracy, Paul Newman, Robert Taylor and Glenn Ford in some of the most popular films of the 1950s. But "Forbidden Planet" and "Honey West" made her reputation.

"Forbidden Planet" was hailed in Leonard Maltin's "2006 Movie Guide" as "one of the most ambitious and intelligent films of its genre." A science-fiction retelling of Shakespeare's "The Tempest," the 1956 film had Leslie Nielsen and other space travelers visiting a planet where expatriate scientist Walter Pidgeon, his daughter (Francis) and their helper, Robby the Robot, built a settlement.

In "Honey West," which aired from 1965 to 1966, Francis' private detective character — who kept a pet ocelot, a wildcat — was a female James Bond: sexy, stylish and as good with martial arts as she was with a gun. She was nominated for an Emmy for the role, which lasted 30 episodes.

Among her other films: "Bad Day at Black Rock" with Tracy and Robert Ryan, "Rogue Cop" with Taylor, "The Rack" with Newman, "A Lion Is in the Streets" with James Cagney, and "Hook, Line and Sinker" opposite Jerry Lewis.

When her movie career declined, Francis became active in television, appearing in dozens of series, including "Mission Impossible," "The Virginian," "My Three Sons," "Ironside," "Gunsmoke," "The Twilight Zone," "Charlie's Angels," "The Golden Girls," "Home Improvement" and "Nash Bridges."

Rest In Peace Anne Francis.

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO No.32, 2011 FEARSHOW! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hell-o there boils and ghouls!

Welcome to the

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO FEARSHOW 2011!

Another year begins, and with that I want to wish you all a Happy New Year, let's hope 2011
will bring us frightfully good things. So let's kick off 2011 with a brand new installment of
MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO!

This FearShow's fangtastic rockers are:

RIGOR MORTIS ROCK - Bloodsucking Zombies From Outer Space
MOBILE COFFIN - Messer Chups
TEENAGE WEREWOLF - The Monsters
DR. JEKYLL AND MRS. HYDE - The Crystalairs
ZOMBIE - Johnny Fever
NIGHT OF THE VAMPIRE - Hola Ghost
THE ROCKIN' GHOST - Steve Allen & Ira Lee
CREEPIN' IN THE DARK - Rock City Morgue
BLOODLETTING (the Vampire Song) - The Family Ghouls
HAUNTED HOUSE POLKA - The Cavaliers
ZOMBIE PROSTITUTE - Voltaire
JANIE MADE A MONSTER - The Fabulous Five
FEAR (Theme from One Step Beyond) - The Ventures
BE TRUE TO YOUR GHOUL - The Ghouls
CREEPY MOON - Electromatic Swamp Trash
MONSTERS A GO GO - Billy Gholston
DO THE FREDDY - The Elm Street Group
WHEN THE MOON IS FULL - The Mummys and The Puppies
THE NEW FRANKENSTEIN AND JOHN - Gene Moss and The Monsters
GRAVEYARD GROOVE - The Revillos
CREEPY - The Hel-Gators

Just click on the image above to get the latest installment of

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO FEARSHOW 2011!

Enjoy......Happy Haunting!

George Van Orsdel

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

I would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas, may you get everything you asked for and deserve!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VAMPIRA!

Born Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi (later changing her name to Maila Nurmi), on December 11th, 1922, Vampira went on to become one of the most famous and most recognizable horror hosts in the history of television. Maila also ventured into film, most prominently featured in Ed Wood Jr.'s Plan 9 From Outer Space. Vampira's signature look, often imitated, especially by the scream queen herself Elvira, was actally borrowed from Charles Addams' famous cartoon The Addams Family's main matriarch Morticia Addams. Vampira went on to become a major horror icon, even becoming the subject of many songs, the most famous being Vampira by horrorpunk legends The Misfits.
Read all about Vampira's career on her Wikipedia page. Happy Birthday to the original Queen of Halloween!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICK BAKER!

I would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to Academy Award winning make-up artist extraordinaire Rick Baker, born December 8, 1950. Inspired by legendary Hollywood make-up artist Jack Pierce, Rick's first major professional make-up work was assisting the famous Dick Smith with the make-up work on The Exorcist. From there, Rick quickly established himself as one of the best horror and special effects make-up artists in the film industry. In 1981, Rick received an Academy Award for his work on An American Werewolf In London, the first ever Award given in this category. In fact, the category for Best Make-up Effects was actually created because of Rick's work on An American Werewolf In London. Read all about Rick's amazing career on his Wikipedia page. Happy Birthday to one of Hollywood's greatest monster makers, Rick Baker!

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO No.31, "CRYPTMAS" SPECIAL 2010!

Hell-o there boils and ghouls!

Seasons Bleedings and Welcome to the

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO "Cryptmas" Special!

That's right kiddies, the Holiday Season is now upon us, time to dust off the Cryptmas ornaments
and carefully hang them on the tree, make sure the stockings are hung by the chimney with care
(be sure to remove the rotting foot!).

This month's spooky little tidbits from Santa Claws are:

CHRISTMAS GHOST - Manic Street Preachers
SANTA AND THE PURPLE PEOPLE EATER - Sheb Wooley
THERE AIN'T NO SANITY CLAUSE - The Damned
IT'S A MONSTER'S HOLIDAY - Buck Owens
YOU'RE A MEAN ONE, MR. GRINCH - Thurl Ravenscroft
NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS MEDLEY - Haunted Mansion Holiday
AWAY IN A MADHOUSE - Matt Fahey
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS - The Cryptkeeper
MONSTER HOLIDAY - Lon Chaney Jr.
CHRISTMAS WITH THE DEVIL - Spinal Tap
THE BITE BEFORE XMAS - The Cool Ghoul
REGGAE CHRISTMAS EVE IN TRANSYLVANIA - Count Floyd
IT'S THE MOST HORRIBLE TIME OF THE YEAR - J.D. Titan
SHOULDN'T HAVE GIVEN HIM A GUN FOR CHRISTMAS - Wall Of Voodoo
R2-D2 WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS - Meco
SWEENEY TODD THE BARBER - Stanley Hollloway
SPOOK'S HOLIDAY - Joe Liggins
THEME FROM SCROOGED - Danny Elfman
SANTA MEETS THE VAMPIRE - Len Maxwell
WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS - Haunted Mansion Holiday


Just click on the image above to get

Monster Spookshow Radio's "Cryptmas" Special 2010!

Enjoy......Season's Bleedings, Happy Holidays and Happy Haunting!

George Van Orsdel