CAPTAIN FLASHBACK A fanzine composed for the 417th distribution of the Turbo-Charged Party-Animal Amateur Press Horror Hosts of the Month: Association, from the joint membership of Andy Monsters of the Monongahela Hooper and Carrie Root, residing at 11032 30th Ave. NE Seattle, WA 98125. E-mail Andy at Pittsburgh is Monstertown USA [email protected], and you may reach Carrie at [email protected]. This is a Drag Bunt Press For this month’s class in pop culture minutiae, Production, completed on 3/21/2021. we are asked to identify a metaphorical “capitol city” of the Monster Culture in the U.S. CAPTAIN FLASHBACK is devoted to old fanzines, (Claims of International supremacy will be monster movie hosts, 1960s sleaze and other taken up at a later date.) When the Monster fascinating phenomena of the 20th Century. All Culture was coalescing in the 1950s, there material by Andy Hooper unless indicated. was no question that Hollywood was where Contents of Issue #28: horror movies and their lore came from. Page 1: Horror Hosts of the Month: Monsters of the Monongahela The epicenter of World Monster Fandom was Page 2: A Key to Interlineations in Issue #27 the Los Angeles home of Forrest J Ackerman Page 9: Comments on Turbo-Apa #416 (1916 - 2008), editor of FAMOUS MONSTERS Page 14: Fanmail From Some Flounder Dept: OF FILMLAND magazine and even more Letters to CAPTAIN FLASHBACK. exalted among monster fans then he was by Page 15: I Remember Entropy Department: his peers in science fiction fandom. His home, EGO #9 by Bill Meyers dubbed “The Ackermansion,” held the world’s Consisting of the memoir “Clod” most famous collection of monster Published February 25th, 1964 memorabilia, including gems like the 1928 “Maschinenmensch” costume worn by Brigitte Helm in Metropolis and the Time Machine used by Rod Taylor in George Pal’s production. Forry left us 13 years ago and the contents of the Ackermansion were auctioned off. I believe some of Paul Allen’s minions were there, acquiring objects for his Science Fiction Museum. And Hollywood had long since lost its grip on monster-making – in this century, as much or more horror has been shot in Vancouver, Toronto and Mexico than in Southern California. For a while, when vampire stories were at a peak of popularity, New Orleans felt like it was the capitol of the Monster Culture. Everyone everywhere seemed to want a plate of red Bill Cardille reports from the zombie apocalypse, beans and Anne Rice. But vampires gave way Night of the Living Dead (1968). [Continued on Page 2] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Issue #28, March 2021 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Key to Interlineations published in February in CAPTAIN FLASHBACK #27: Page 3: “It’s bad luck to be superstitious.” Interlineation by Tom Perry in QUESTYNG PARTY #1, August 1988, and attributed to Dean A Grennell Page 4: “Now I have to go apologize to the Tummler. He’s an innocent in this.” Abe Weisman (Tony Shaloub) The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel S2 Ep. 7 “Face the Music and Dance” Page 5: “In my business a man sweats and stinks, till he dies!” Moshe Maisel (Kevin Pollak), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Page 6: “They’re businessmen before they’re educators. They won’t support a den of scandal and terror.” Trustee Stanley Mayther (Carlyle Mitchell) points out drawbacks of vampirism in Blood of Dracula (1957). Page 7: “No one told smallpox it’s Sunday.” Treasury Agent Johnson (Barry Kelley) grasps the chaos of epidemic, The Killer That Stalked New York (1950). Page 8: “Who is gonna mug two black fellas, holding pistols, sat in a car that’s worth less than your shirt?” Aspiring stick-up man Sol (Lenny James) in Guy Ritchie’s feature Snatch (2000). Page 9: “I vaguely remember killing a guy named Bloch once or twice.” Interlineation by Tom Perry in QUARK #7, 1964 Page 10: “Slander has slain more men than the sword.” & Page 10: “Talk less, smile more.” & Page 11: “The rule of my life is to make business a pleasure and pleasure my business.” Three statements attributed to American Vice-President and adventurer Aaron Burr (1756-1836) Page 12: “A man that gives away twenty-six thousand dollars you can’t talk to.” Nick Venko (Rod Steiger) is confounded by charity, The Harder They Fall (1956) Page 13: “John W. Campbell can go for 40 days without food, but not one without psi.” Interlineation published by Bill Meyers in SPECTRE #4, February 1959. Page 15: “Hang a License Plate on me Mother, I’m a Stanley Steamer Tonight.” Interlineation published by Lars Bourne in BRILLIG #7 ½, April 1957. Page 16: “The serial version of Starship Troopers was cut by 51%, not 26%.” & Page 17: “But still there isn’t much plot.” Norm Metcalf, writing in IDLE HANDS #3, a SHADOW FAPA fanzine of 1961 Page 18: “A Pregnant Man is an Awful Sight.” Attributed to Clint Keller in PESFAzine #7, January 1982 Page 18: “There are no Bad Movies, only Bad Audiences.” Habitual utternce, or if you will, a catchphrase, much favored by modern Horror Movie Host Dr. Sarcofiguy. Page 19: “What about those U.S. Senators you were throwing tomatoes at?” Interlineation by Tom Perry in QUARK #7, 1964 and attributed to F. M. Busby. Page 19: “Is there any milk in the house?” & Page 20: “There wasn’t any milk, only beer.” Interlineations by Tom Perry in QUARK #7, 1964 attributed to John F. Kusske. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monsters of the Monongahela Pittsburgh’s claim could be made solely on the Continued from Page 1 strength of its association with director George A. Romero and his Night of the Living Dead, briefly to werewolves, then the Zombie which is the “most-hosted” movie in horror Apocalypse was on us. The dead continue to broadcast history. Romero shot major parts of walk in 2021, but it feels like monster fans both its sequels in Pittsburgh; extras paid are definitely ready for something else. The $1.00 for their work still proudly wear their “I attention paid to H. P. Lovecraft in 2020, good Was a Zombie on Day of the Dead” caps to and bad, makes his hometown of Providence, conventions today. Rhode Island an up-and-coming monster hub. Purists will always ague for Salem, Romero’s work is a major high point in Massachusetts. Pittsburgh monster history, but the area had many other Monster celebrities before and But for me, the latter-day Capitol of the after the Living Dead films. In addition to a Monster Culture is Pittsburgh and the particularly rich selection of televised horror surrounding area in Western Pennsylvania. shows hosted by creatively costumed spooks, 2 the area is home to professionally curated ought to create a costumed alter-ego to host Halloween Houses of Horror, the annual the late-night Saturday horror show. His conference and movie festival known as hosting persona was a more playful – and “Monster Bash” and even a Haunted sometimes slightly unhinged -- version of his Museum! Add attractions like the “Robot Hall regular on-air demeanor, punctuated by the of Fame” at the Carnegie Science Center and adoption of a truly inspired nickname: “Chilly Pittsburgh seems like an ideal destination for Billy” Cardille. (His last name was pronounced the Monster Fan. with a short terminal e, like “Car-dill.” Unless it was just more fun to say “Cardilly,” which it The story of how Pittsburgh became often was.) Monstertown, USA is probably best told by looking at the people who founded the Cardille had a lighter touch on Chiller Theater Monster Culture there and carried it into this than many of his contemporaries, whose century – Pittsburgh’s many televised horror emphasis on puns and slapstick sometimes hosts! The following list contains the best- recalled vaudeville or at least Abbot and known characters and the actors behind them Costello. His humor was often focused on but should not be considered complete in any mystic and paranormal topics and didn’t regard. Hosts in West Virginia, Cleveland, Ohio necessarily have that much to do with the and Buffalo also had viewers in Western PA, movie. He would read purported horoscopes and Pittsburgh hosts occasionally had periods and hawk his own line of signature tuxedos. of regional or even national distribution on Cardille hosted Chiller Theater from 1964 to networks including Retro TV. 1983. The program began as a Saturday William “Chilly Billy” Cardille: It’s a happy afternoon show and a natural transition from accident that an alphabetical list of the area’s Cardille’s previous role as the host of the kid’s horror hosts also starts with the longest- program Tip Top Time. When the show moved serving and most influential of the group. to an 11:30 pm slot a few years later, Cardille William R. Cardille (1928 - 2016) was born in really came into his own as a kind of late-night Farrell, a Pennsylvania border town near Dick Clark guided by unseen voices. He would Youngstown, Ohio. He attended school at the adopt variant characters with appropriate Indiana Teacher’s College in Indiana, accoutrements for individual skits, such as Pennsylvania where he majored in English and “Maurice the Matchmaker” or the simpering Speech and played tennis and basketball. By “Captain Nice.” But would be back in his 1951, he had the first of several jobs playing tuxedo for the end of the show. records and announcing on radio stations in Chilly Billy was surrounded by an unusually Sharon and Erie. In 1957, he joined the new large cast of sidekicks and supporting NBC TV affiliate in Pittsburgh, WIIC (known characters.