I love that TCM shows a lot of horror movies in October for
Halloween, but I think they need another host for the horror movies. Robert
Osborne is great, but he doesn’t really know his horror movies very well. He’s
reading off cue cards, and he still gets stuff wrong. I’ve noticed a few times
before, although I forget the specific instances, but tonight he said the
second movie called The Black Cat that Bela Lugosi made was made in 1942.
Actually, it was made in 1941, and every book on the subject, as well as IMDB
will tell you that (as well as any classic horror movie fan). Probably not many people besides me care about that particular detail, but I think
it’s important to have people who really know the subject matter hosting when
you’re talking about something with such a fanatical following as horror
movies. And I’ve got a suggestion for just the people to do it, too.
For the classic horror movies, when there’s a block of them,
there are a number of expert writers to choose from, but I would suggest two,
just for starters. (Maybe they could use a different author every year, taken from the best books on the subject, just so
people could glean new information and a different type of enthusiasm each
time.) So first I would suggest Greg Mank, and then Tom Weaver. These guys have
written many books on the subject (although I think Greg Mank may be better for
Golden Age stuff, and Tom Weaver for 1950s sci-fi stuff), and they’re huge
fans. Plus, they have interviewed many of the players and movers and shakers
from these old movies, so they not only have unique insights into them, but
they also know inside stories nobody else may know. Then there are plenty of other authors who
they could use as well, and the more, the merrier! (And for 1960s movies, and
especially Mario Bava stuff, get Tim Lucas: he does the Video Watchdog magazine, and has written a colossal book on Bava
too that’s like the War and Peace
of movie books, but with great color pictures throughout!)
Plus, TCM is also all about movie nostalgia, so why not have
one of the surviving TV horror hosts from the old days be the host for Halloween
night? That would be great, if any of them are still alive. (And if not, then
interview their kids and fans!) Or else, the least they could do is have Robert Osborne wear
fangs and a cape, or maybe some bolts in his neck, or wear a Jack O’Lantern on
his head, or at least have him turn into a werewolf during the host segment. (I
heard he really is a werewolf! And I
heard that guy Ben Mankiewicz has silver bullets just in case! {You can never
be too careful with suspected werewolves!})
Here is the proof that The Black Cat was made in 1941:
And for God’s sake, they had Carole Lombard as “Star of the
Month” in October a couple of years ago, and they didn’t even show her horror
movie in the horror movie marathon: Supernatural, 1933! It even has one of the great posters of the period:
