Somewhere on the CHFB is thread that I’m pretty sure has some info about this program, but I could not find it. Anyway . . .
From about April 1953 to March 1954, WTVN-TV Channel 6 (now WSYX-TV) in Columbus, Ohio broadcasted a local movie showcase of murder mysteries and horror films called DOORWAY TO MURDER. The show was broadcast usually each weekday night and was hosted by two men. Here’s an ad for the show.
In the photo there is a standing fellow holding a noose and a seated man who looks perhaps a little ghoulish. He even has bangs similar to Barnabas Collins. In front of them is a bat on the wing. Make no mistake, most of the films shown were detective and murder mysteries. Only one newspaper provided the film titles on a fairly regular basis, the Springfield News-Sun in Ohio, but many titles are unknown. I count nine horror and horrorish titles:
Horror
DEAD MEN WALK
REVOLT OF THE ZOMBIES
THE MONSTER MAKER
THE VAMPIRE BAT
semi-horror
SHRIEK IN THE NIGHT
THE INVISIBLE KILLER
THE BLACK RAVEN
TORTURE SHIP
FACE IN THE FOG
That comes to about 20% of the known titles. If the two emcees are horror hosts they would precede Vampira. DOORWAY TO MURDER ended its run the month before THE VAMPIRA SHOW started. I suppose it comes down to how you define a “horror host.” Is it someone who takes on a persona associated with horror and shows horror films? What about Bob Wilkins and John Stanley of Creature Features in San Francisco who presented horror films as normies. They’re certainly horror hosts. What about Vampira? Vampira took on a decidedly macabre persona but only about 26% of the films she presented were horror or horrorish. Nobody will argue Vampira isn’t a horror host.
So what about the two gentlemen who hosted DOORWAY TO MURDER. I think in a lot of ways they’re a lot like The Black Spider, another early mysterious movie host that dabbled in horror. Hard to say. We have one guy who looks kinda spooky and another who looks like a worse-for-wear gumshoe. And they sometimes showed horror films. I think the jury is out on the hosts of DOORWAY TO MURDER. One publicity photo just isn’t enough to go on.
From about April 1953 to March 1954, WTVN-TV Channel 6 (now WSYX-TV) in Columbus, Ohio broadcasted a local movie showcase of murder mysteries and horror films called DOORWAY TO MURDER. The show was broadcast usually each weekday night and was hosted by two men. Here’s an ad for the show.
In the photo there is a standing fellow holding a noose and a seated man who looks perhaps a little ghoulish. He even has bangs similar to Barnabas Collins. In front of them is a bat on the wing. Make no mistake, most of the films shown were detective and murder mysteries. Only one newspaper provided the film titles on a fairly regular basis, the Springfield News-Sun in Ohio, but many titles are unknown. I count nine horror and horrorish titles:
Horror
DEAD MEN WALK
REVOLT OF THE ZOMBIES
THE MONSTER MAKER
THE VAMPIRE BAT
semi-horror
SHRIEK IN THE NIGHT
THE INVISIBLE KILLER
THE BLACK RAVEN
TORTURE SHIP
FACE IN THE FOG
That comes to about 20% of the known titles. If the two emcees are horror hosts they would precede Vampira. DOORWAY TO MURDER ended its run the month before THE VAMPIRA SHOW started. I suppose it comes down to how you define a “horror host.” Is it someone who takes on a persona associated with horror and shows horror films? What about Bob Wilkins and John Stanley of Creature Features in San Francisco who presented horror films as normies. They’re certainly horror hosts. What about Vampira? Vampira took on a decidedly macabre persona but only about 26% of the films she presented were horror or horrorish. Nobody will argue Vampira isn’t a horror host.
So what about the two gentlemen who hosted DOORWAY TO MURDER. I think in a lot of ways they’re a lot like The Black Spider, another early mysterious movie host that dabbled in horror. Hard to say. We have one guy who looks kinda spooky and another who looks like a worse-for-wear gumshoe. And they sometimes showed horror films. I think the jury is out on the hosts of DOORWAY TO MURDER. One publicity photo just isn’t enough to go on.
statistics: Posted by GaryP11111 — 1:50 AM - 1 day ago — Replies 0 — Views 210