Chiller Theatre
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Chiller Theatre was the name of at least two Saturday night science fiction and horror movie programs. Both programs began broadcast in the early 1960s and ended their runs in the early 1980s.
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[edit] Pittsburgh
Chiller Theatre [1] was a late-night horror and science fiction movie program on WIIC/WPXI-TV, Channel 11, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It aired from 1963 to December 31, 1983. It was hosted by Bill Cardille, known to fans as "Chilly Billy". It was a Saturday night tradition for two generations of Pittsburghers. Two films were shown, one starting at 11:30 p.m. and the second starting at about 1:00 a.m. In between films, and at random times during the films, breaks were taken for skits such as reports from the "PSS"; in these skits, Bill Cardille would go into another part of the WIIC studios and pretend he was broadcasting from the (nonexistent) Pittsburgh Subway System. Other characters (portrayed by Cardille) included Captain Bad, Maurice the Matchmaker, and Mr. Magnificent. Cardille and WIIC publicist Robert Willis wrote the skits and sometimes Channel 11 staffers were enlisted to play bit parts. At the end of the show, Cardille would sit on a stool and banter with the studio crew.
Chiller Theatre was so popular in Pittsburgh that it kept Saturday Night Live off of its NBC affiliate WIIC in Pittsburgh for four years. Finally giving in to pressure from NBC, Chiller Theater was forced to follow SNL at 1:00 a.m. where it was reduced to a single feature movie program.
The show was remembered for several unique features, one being its theme song, "Experiment In Terror" performed by Al Caiola, written by Henry Mancini. The original set was meant to be a laboratory. It was changed to a castle motif when a cast of supporting characters was added in later years. That cast included Terminal Stare (Donna Rae), Georgette the Fudgemaker (Bonnie Barney), Norman (Norman Elder), and Stefan the Castle Prankster (Steve Lucinski). During breaks in the movie, Cardille would perform several sketches, like reciting horoscopes, trivia, and telling a series of corny jokes to a giggling skull.
However, Chiller Theatre's successful run ended at the end of 1983. Precipitating its demise was a decision by WPXI-TV management to air the hour-long weekend edition of Entertainment Tonight immediately after Saturday Night Live, pushing Chiller Theatre's start time to 2:00 a.m. ... too late for even the most devoted fans to fight off sleep. The show ended December 31, 1983.
Chiller Theater was replaced by a new program called "The Saturday Late Show", which still featured the horror and sci-fi movies, but without the local element that made Chiller Theater what it was. The show was canceled less than a year later.
Despite the cancellation of Chiller Theater, Cardille did not disappear from WPXI-TV. He continued his duties as chief booth announcer and did the weather reports during the noon newscasts for many years until his retirement. Since then, Cardille has returned to his radio roots.
Cardille, Rae, and Lucinski continued to make annual Halloween appearances though 2005, including an annual Chiller Cruise on the Gateway Clipper. Lucinski still appears on Cardille's daily radio show on Pittsburgh's WJAS. Rae lives in the Pittsburgh area and still does some acting. Barney married a golf pro and moved to Florida. Elder, who was an independent filmmaker from Steubenville, Ohio, died several years ago.
The show continues to be popular thanks in part to Bill Cardille's official website Chiller Theater Memories.
[edit] New York
Chiller Theatre was also a Saturday night show on Channel 11 WPIX in New York City that showed classic horror movies. Chiller Theater actually began on WPIX during 1963 with Zacherley ("The Cool Ghoul") as the on-air host. However, by 1965, Zacherley left the show and a new opening was created using a montage of clips from various 1950s sci-fi films.
The montage opening served until 1971 when a claymation six-fingered hand was used combined with an animated swamp. The word "CHILLER" magically grows in clay out of the animated swamp. A six-fingered creature then swallows the letters and then it lets out a deep and roaring "CHILLLLLLLERRRRRRRRRRR!!!" This opening was used throughout the the remainder of the show's run. Combined with the eerie special effects, this was the most memorable intro among Chiller fans, many of whom recall that it was actually scarier than many of the movies themselves.
The program usually aired at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday nights, but for a time in 1974 it was aired at 11:30 p.m. It went off the air at the end of 1978 and returned in early 1980 at 2:00 a.m. Sunday mornings. It was finally cancelled in 1982. The WPIX program showed very much the same classic horror and science fiction movies as the Pittsburgh station did.
Since 1995 New Jersey has been the host of the Chiller Theater Convention, which has become one of the largest horror conventions in the eastern U.S.A.
[edit] References
- ^ Watson, Elena M. (2000). Television Horror Movie Hosts: 68 Vampires, Mad Scientists and Other Denizens of the Late Night Airwaves Examined and Interviewed. Jefferson, North Carolina, United States: McFarland & Company. ISBN 0786409401.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official Bill Cardille Website
- Chiller Theatre WIIC-TV Pittsburgh Opening
- Growing Up MonsterMad
- Goodbye, Chilly Billy
- Chilly Billy Fan Site
- TV Acres Horror Hosts Chilly Billy
- Chiller Theater Page - Scary Monsters Magazine
- Bill "Chilly Billy" Cardille at Internet Movie Database
- Interview with Chilly Billy
- Chiller Theater Memories Yahoo Group
- Chiller Theatre on WPIX Channel 11 in New York City website
- Original WPIX Channel 11 Chiller Theatre b&w montage intro
- Chiller Theater Convention
- The It's Alive Show
