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288 entries on 1 page(s)
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Dr. Jitters' Homepage

288 

Date: 2007-09-08 03:21:48
Steve Bailey ( barbaraeberlyfan@excite.com / http://www.leaveemlaughing.com) wrote:

"Capt. Jinks" might be interested to know that he's the one who inspired my lifelong admiration for Laurel & Hardy after their short subjects were repeatedly aired on his Sat.-morning show! I now run a chapter of the International Laurel & Hardy Appreciation Society, thanks to my being introduced to them on his show!

287 

Date: 2007-08-31 17:09:50
Steven Jones ( Sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

The eye were part of a creature feature KCRG ran at 10:30. This CF started before the Acri Creature Feature debuted on KCRG sometime around October 30 in 1973. When the ACF debuted, KCRG ran its CF first, then ran the ACF afterwards, creating a double feature.

The KCRG CF had no host. All the station did was run an opening with a close-up of somebody's eye, the soundtrack of a heart beating, and I think some creepy narration.

If memory serves, the face was part of the KCRG CF. It could have been part of the ACF, but I really don't think so. What I remember is a title card appearing at the start and end of every commercial break. This title card was black except for a face (could have been a vampire but not sure) on the left and the title of the film being played on the right. The face and title appeared in yellow. I'm not sure where the face came from. Most likely swiped from some comic book, but if it was I don't recall seeing it in any of the horror comics I read.

I hope this helps, Jens! :-)

286 

Date: 2007-08-14 23:33:15
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Is this it, Jens?

285 

Date: 2007-08-14 23:23:43
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

I think I may have tried to help Jens (below) before, but couldn't. The Cedar Rapids opening isn't familiar to me. I definitely don't recall the eyeball bit.

The only thing that the vampire drawing/title card reminds me of is the opening you can see on this youtube video --

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NFT7qAhyr-o

If it's not that, it kind of sounds like the image of Lon Chaney as the LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT "vampire". There was a Creature Feature program out of Chicago that used that image for their main title card. There's even a Yahoo Group that's called Creature Feature(s) where you can see the old opening. That's all I've got.

284 

Date: 2007-08-14 17:15:44
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.captainerniesshowboat.com) wrote:

Checking to see if anyone has the answer to this -

hello there, im a long time fan of the acri creature feature, but i was also quite young in the early 70s, however i do have a great memory, i do remember it was on at 1030 pm right after the news on kcrg tv 9 also i do remember someone playing a piano to the tune of windmills of your mind (henry mancini) also there would be this strange eyeball that would get closer and closer to the screen and then it would show a tilted yellowish colored vampire face with fangs like maybe a drawing or something and they would show this face at commercial breaks, and thats what really puzzles me, i cant find a picture of that face not even on the acri creature feature site, i know that its been a very long time since its been on the air here in cedar rapids but if you would be able to help me in any way i would be greatfully happy, thanks a million, jens

283 

Date: 2007-08-04 02:00:08
Susan Looney ( sglooney@comcast.net / no homepage) wrote:

I was born,(Susan Alford),in peoria in 1955 and lived in the area till 1967. I watched the show and had the occasion to meet Salty Sam at my church and get a glossy 8x10 of both he and the captain along with his autogragh. I have always been proud of that. I love that they were a part of my youth I will never forget them. Susan Looney, Florence, Alabama

282 

Date: 2007-07-15 01:44:43
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.captainerniesshowboat.com) wrote:

Wasn't Gene Edwards, Dr. Igor in the early years?

Yes and if anyone has pictures or film of Chiller Theater, please let me know!

281 

Date: 2007-07-08 01:23:25
Dave Owens ( cnw100272@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

Wasn't Gene Edwards, Dr. Igor in the early years?

280 

Date: 2007-07-01 15:38:14
chuck ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Not that I'm suggesting anything, but I see that KLJB again has that 11:30 slot available Mr. Acri.
Thanks again to Heartland TV on You Tube for posting more segments.

279 

Date: 2007-06-07 04:28:25
Fred Fuller ( fmfuller@comcast.net / no homepage) wrote:

Always enjoyed cast of characters and looked forward to watching. I lived near George Sedlack who was painting Evel Kenievel's helmets, etc and several other customs - great artist.

278 

Date: 2007-05-29 02:45:17
Chuck ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

HeartlandTV just posted six more Acri segments on You Tube. Oh for his return.

277 

Date: 2007-05-08 08:32:58
Kris Ketz ( kketz@hearst.com / http://www.thekansascitychannel.com) wrote:

I happen to bump into this page and was sad to hear of Ken's passing. My father worked with Ken at WQAD-TV in Moline. I remember Ken's terrific work on the show and what a kind man he was. My best to his family.

Kris Ketz
KMBC-TV
Kansas City

276 

Date: 2007-05-08 03:35:46
Dwayne Paul ( bukeye@machlink.com / no homepage) wrote:

I remember Pywacket Presents, the movies werent quite as quirky. I still remember asking if we needed siding so the monster mobile would come to our house.
I miss those old movies, so much that now I look for the low grade B-movies just to see how bad they can be.

275 

Date: 2007-04-27 03:11:24
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Thinking back on horror hosts(esses), I recalled the show Hollywood Haunted Cinema that used to be on channel 69, KNLA, in southern California. It was hosted by a young brunette woman in braids named "Barby Braidy".

The set was a basement with stairs leading upwards and Barby's step-sisters would call down to her various mean things. They'd show the usual public domain horror movies. Does anyone else remember this show? Better yet, does anyone have a picture or video clips of it?

The spelling of her name above is correct, but may also come up Barbie Brady.

274 

Date: 2007-04-18 16:10:45
Steve Peterson ( Peterson@ghoulsburgillinois.com / no homepage) wrote:

I remember being at Sam's bowling alley when in walked the Creature Feature crew. They were in full costume and ready to tape. They had a camera man with them with a portable camera on his shoulder. They were hilarious. They were in character from the time they walked in the door. You could tell these guys were professional actors on a par with most any national television show. Not your common local wannabes. When they were set up and ready to film, they did all of the scenes in one take. They must have rehearsed before getting there. They all knew exactly what to do. It was fun to see this taping on the ACF show several weeks later. It is a fond memory from my high school days. Steve Peterson

273 

Date: 2007-04-18 05:01:40
CECIL FOUTS ( HOTROD2MAN39@YAHOO.COM / no homepage) wrote:

ACRI CREATURE FEATURE I LIKE TO HAVE THE MOVES OF THEM DO YOU GUYS SELL THEM IT WAS THE BEST SHOW ON WISH IT WAS BACK ON THINKS CECIL

272 

Date: 2007-04-17 16:39:20
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Our friend Phil from Dubuque contributed a fine tribute to the creators of the Acri Creature Feature, Bill Flannery and Don Raymond. Check out the new page here. Thanks, Phil!

271 

Date: 2007-04-15 02:29:34
chuck ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Yes, I'm all about finding a way to get Acri back on. At least I'm not alone.

270 

Date: 2007-04-13 20:28:28
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

SPJ!
Nice to see you here again. Friday the 13th brings out the ol' creeps, doesn't it? ;) Thanks as always for the good words...

While I'm at it, does anyone from the Peoria area remember a latenight TV horror movie program called Moonlight Theatre, or Midnight Theater or something like that? It aired in the late 70s/early 80s and did not have an on-air host -- just a voice-over and a graphic image featuring a crescent moon. I believe, if I remember correctly, it was on channel 31, WMBD. I recall seeing the all-time turkey, The Creeping Terror on that show. Any info appreciated!

269 

Date: 2007-04-13 17:04:19
Steven Philip Jones ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Wowzer! I didn't realize it had been so long since I've dropped by the board here! Time flies on little bat wings and it flies dang quick, eh?

I wanted to thank whoever posted the Acri material on Youtube! A kind fellow ACF fan actually mailed me a CD-ROM with some of the skits from the more recent ACF but it doesn't want to work in my DVD player, so this is the first time I've been able to actually watch anything of the ACF's brief return. It sure did bring back wonderful memories. Again, thanks!

It sent pleasant shivers up and down my spine to read the suggestions about how to bring back to the ACF again. If only ... ! We can wish though, eh? :-) It sounds like if any of us ever found oil in the backyard, we'd betempted to sponsor a comeback ourselves. It would have to have the same music and maybe Mr. Acri would let us "borrow" the characters of Vincent Hedges, Bernie, etc. Like I said, we can wish, can't we?

Sorry to ramble. Thanks again, Dr. J, for this great place to meet and exchange posts! Glad to have you back again!

Steve

268 

Date: 2007-04-10 15:24:18
Brad Ruggles ( creaturefeature@kljb.com / http://www.kljb.com) wrote:

Doc,
I think that "Pyewacket Presents" actually took the place of Creature Feature on WQAD (here in the Quad Cities)in the 1980's. It was just video of a black cat slinking around that they used for the open, close and in and out of commercial breaks. I don't remember the show actually being "hosted" by anyone.

Brad Ruggles
Creative Services Manager
KLJB-TV FOX 18

267 

Date: 2007-04-09 05:18:05
Michael ( bodrasound@aol.com / no homepage) wrote:

GREAT CLASSIC, LATE NIGHT HORROR SHOWS!
I grew up in Burlington, IA. During the 70's, as a youngster, there was nothing better than staying up late, and watching "Chuck Acri's Creature Feature!" In addition, there was another show, hosted by a black cat, called "Pywacket Presents." I tried finding something on YouTube, but nothing exists. Does anyone remember this show? Also, there was another program slated for late Saturday nights called "U.F.O." It was kind of late 60's early 70's take on sci-fi. There was a moon base, and a primary character named "Straker," that drove a car with doors that opened vertically.

266 

Date: 2007-04-09 04:07:35
witt ( shaddrack@earthlink.net / no homepage) wrote:

I remember our school being visited by the vampire and werewolf in thier hot-rod...In Aledo Il,The school name was apollo elementary...It was soooo cool to see these guys up close...me and my best friends watched the show every weekend...thanks for the good memories.

265 

Date: 2007-04-05 02:11:47
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Hi, Dawn. I don't think there was any cat on the old Acri Creature Feature. Do you mean the more recent version of Acri CF?

I also have read about an old horror hosted movie program from the Quad Cities area called "Pyewacket Presents", or something like that. Anyone know more about that show?

264 

Date: 2007-03-28 18:40:16
Dawn ( shadowofyourbach@hotmail.com / no homepage) wrote:

Hi, Does anyone know the name of the cat on Acri Creature Feature. thanks!

263 

Date: 2007-03-19 22:45:00
Chuck ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Thanks Mr. Ruggles. Then we convince Acri to buy his spot back. A bit easier said than done, but what the heck, we can try. Was there any truth to the rumor that the old Universal classics were not available to Acri? As I recall that was his reason for giving it up.

Thanks again.

262 

Date: 2007-03-18 22:11:39
George Sedlak (The Missing Link) ( airbrusher@hotmail.com / no homepage) wrote:

Ken was a great guy to know and work with on the set of the Creature Feature.
Very talented and kind hearted.
We had some fun times together at the live remotes and charity events.
I'll miss him!

261 

Date: 2007-03-18 22:08:15
Greg ( greg.peak@insightbb.com / no homepage) wrote:

My best memories are of waiting up for my Dad to get home from work on Fridays. He was working second shift at Cat in East Peoria, and he would get home just after Midnight. I remember Creature Feature coming on and my Dad would stay up and watch with me.

260 

Date: 2007-03-16 21:12:01
BBR ( creaturefeature@kljb.com / http://www.kljb.com) wrote:

It's great to see all the coments about the Acri Creature Feature.
To tell you the painful truth...Zomboo was cancelled due to poor ratings...plain and simple. In the world of commercial television, ratings translate into advertising revenue...no ratings translate into cancelation. We were sorry to see it go as well, but we had no choice.
If Acri has any plans of returning, they have not discussed them with KLJB. KLJB did not cancel the Acri Creature Feature...the decision to discontinue the production of that program was made by Acri.
Good idea Doc J had about someone producing it for public access, unfortunatly, if it is sponsored, public access cable won't air it.
Mediacom does have an unsponsored public domain horror movies on weekends here in the Quad Cities.
I found some clips of the Creature Feature from KLJB on youtube posted by heartlandtv.
Keep up the good work Doc Jitters!

Brad Ruggles
Creative Services Manager
KLJB-TV FOX 18

259 

Date: 2007-03-08 02:00:45
chuck ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Thanks Doc. You are probably right about a return. Not being satisfied with contacting Mr. Bain (who seems truly to be a nice man), we also called the Acri Company. At that time the person on the phone said Chuck was still considering a return (early 2006). I can only hope. There's nothing like trying to recapture youth through Creature Feature unless, of course, Dr., you have access to the fountain of youth.

Anyway, I enjoy the correspondence and the board. Please keep up the fine work.

258 

Date: 2007-03-08 01:38:59
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Hi, chuck!

First of all, to you and our other visitors, I have changed the guestbook via their new "laboratory" feature (fitting). Now all future notes left here will have to be approved by yours truly.

It's not an ideal option, but innocent eyes won't be sullied here anymore. Please allow me a day or two to mark your entry as "public".

On the topic of bringing back Chuck Acri, I have a feeling that he personally won't be doing shows anymore and unfortunately I don't have any sway with him. I DO, however, have an idea for an industrious, creative person in that area. If your local cable company provides Leased Access or Public Access channels, a new group of Creeps could create their own show -- the usual public domain monster movies -- and perhaps Acri and Co would sponsor it. The cost would be significantly less than producing a show from the local Fox studio. Just a thought. There are other horror hosts who bicycle shows through Public Access stations throughout the country. You should be able to find them by searching 'horror hosts'.

Your fiend,
-j

257 

Date: 2007-03-07 20:48:55
chuck ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Dr., I remember when I first heard that Acri was canceled on KLJB. I accosted John Bain, the station manager, to ask what happened. He was a very nice man (to listen to a psychotic like me) and told me that Acri just gave it up. I can only hope he changes his mind now that Zomboo appears to be out of the picture.

Good luck with all the spam Dr. You have your work cut out for you. And please, to the extent you have powers of persuasion, convince Acri to come back.

256 

Date: 2007-03-07 00:44:10
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Thanks for writing, Chuck. I appreciate your comments and you're very welcome. This site was created to first pay homage to those ol' Creatures we all love. The most challenging part is maintaining the guestbook! If anyone else has written in a simple comment and has seen it deleted, I apologize but I am trying to get things cleaned up around here. Bear with us and we'll have some updates eventually.

Beast wishes to all...
-j

255 

Date: 2007-03-06 02:00:26
chuck ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Welcome back Dr. Call me hooked, but I still say take up a collection to get Acri on again. Being the harsh parent I am, when he returned I had my kids send in drawings. They were hooked, and it was good family fun. And thank you for creating a forum for all to share their stories.

254 

Date: 2007-03-06 00:52:18
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Friends! Do not forsake me! :)

After a long time locked away in the dungeon, I'm finally back online. My apologies again for the glut of spammy notes left here in the guest book. I will be keeping a close eye here once again.

Thank you to the good people who have dropped in and left meaningful messages.

Your pal,
Jitters

253 

Date: 2007-03-04 01:30:08
chuck ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Zomboo got canceled by KLJB. Please tell me it's because Acri is coming back.

252 

Date: 2007-02-19 05:21:53
Randy ( randy_pugh@sbcglobal.net / no homepage) wrote:

My first visit to a tv station occured when I was in grade school.I was one of the matties visiting The Captain Jinx and Salty Sam show.The station personel were very nice and allowed me to ask questions about the camera,s and other things.I am a retired tv engineer now.

251 

Date: 2007-02-14 22:06:48
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Greetings my fiends!

I apologize for some of the lousy spam that was here for a while. I've been out of the electronic loop and hope to get back into the fray before long.

Thank you to those who have added interesting notes to this guest book! A happy Valentine's day to you all!

250 

Date: 2007-01-25 22:14:36
chuck ( updadilute@hotmail.com / no homepage) wrote:

I'm wondering if we could take up a collection and convince Chuck Acri to take another shot. I was so elated when I found out he was going to give it another try, and I was equally depressed when he decided not to continue with KLJB. Anybody heard if it's over for sure, or is there a chance he'll come back?

249 

Date: 2007-01-21 02:33:40
Ken Severson ( Kseve14032@aol.com / no homepage) wrote:

I can't believe there's a page on the old "Acri Creature Feature." Unbelieveable! I loved it as a kid growing up in the Quad Cities.

I live in Los Angeles now and it's still better than Elvira. Not as sexy, but still better.

I'm just sorry I read that Vincent Hedges died. I remember meeting him and the Wolfman at a Creature Feature meet and greet at a haunted house.

Big thrill for a 12-year-old.

248 

Date: 2007-01-15 23:15:49
Phil from Dubuque ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Dr. Jitters has been out of his laboratory for a few weeks and has not been able to update the site or clean the spam off his bulletin board. He asked me to tell you that he is inventing sorts of scary updates for the site and he thanked you for your continued patience.

He also asked that for all of you who are not selling stock tips or Viagra: keep the cards and letters coming in.

Nervously yours, Phil from Dubuque

247 

Date: 2006-12-17 00:04:00
Patrick Riordan ( riordant@swbell.net / no homepage) wrote:

Re: Captain Kinks & Salty Sam

I was born in Ottawa in '56, about half way between Chicago and Peoria. I wanted to be on Bozo's Circus for my 5th bithday. Unfortunatly, the "big league" had a 10 year waiting list, so my mother took me to the "minor leagues" to see the Captain. I sat with the other birthday kids eagerly awaiting my recognition from the Captain, nervous, sweating. Finally, my time came and the Captain said, "And how old are you?" Quickly I stammered, "4, no 5!" and that horrible old SOB laughed and said. "Oh, you don't know how old you are?" Then he chuckled again and moved on.

What kind of a schumck does that to a 5 year-old on television! Now, I am 50 years old residing in a cell in Huntsville, TX. With good behavior I will be out in 2 years, 3 months and 23 days, but who's counting?

246 

Date: 2006-11-05 18:45:55
rich ( no email / http://captainerniesshowboat.com) wrote:

Hey daddadhull, if you could post that picture, it would be great to see it! If you need any help getting it up, just let me know and I will be glad to help. If you have any memories to share of your appearances with the creeps, please share them too. Even better if you have exact dates & the places you were at, perhaps they could be found in advertisements in the microfilm of the local newspapers at the library.

245 

Date: 2006-11-03 15:31:57
A Friend of ACF ( no email / http://www.youtube.com/user/HeartlandTV) wrote:

...or follow the link below to where all the ACF show segments will eventually be posted.
There are 3 there already.

http://www.youtube.com/user/HeartlandTV

244 

Date: 2006-11-02 22:03:09
A Friend of ACF ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Creature Feature Fans...follow the link below...this is just the beginning...more to come as time permits.

Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2KyTcq4QUw

243 

Date: 2006-11-02 20:31:44
john hullinger ( daddadhull@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

Hello i was a creep in the group in its latter years i met ken at the events. i have a pic of Vincent giveing the peace sign while laying in a graveyard with an evil Ginni ill try and post it

242 

Date: 2006-11-01 03:34:06
John Battles ( chicagobattles@comcast.net / no homepage) wrote:

To the Gibson family , my deepest sympathy. I still think a great deal of Ken , and was shocked and saddened by his recent passing. Ken's son , Joe , was a childhood friend of mine in Kewanee , and Ken , needless to say , was the coolest grownup in town. His professionality in hosting a fantastic Haunted House for The March of Dimes inspired me to work with the same organization in the same capacity (Even playing a Vampire in a real coffin) for two seasons in High School.He had an all - monster baseball team for the same good cause , and ,of course , was beloved by the kids for his portrayal of Vincent on TV. BUT!!!!!! My most vivid memory was when he opened a teen and preteen club called "Vinnie's Hideaway". It contained the usual 70's trappings , black light posters , pinball , air hockey , and something new called "Pong". Best of all , patrons were informed to throw their coats in a coffin!Gibson would talk to the kids and serve cokes . He never talked down to us , and always showed a lot of enthusiasm for working with the kids. He was , of course , doing a community service. Did the other parents appreciate it , HELL , NO! THEY CHASED HIM OUT LIKE AN ANGRY VILLAGE MOB IN PURSUIT OF THE FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER! It was fun while it lasted , having something that we felt was ours...Later , he opened a family restaurant under the same name. I don't think it lasted long either. It's been over 30 years , but , I remember Ken as a nice man , as being genuine and very , very funny. A REAL RAY OF SUNSHINE IN AN OFTEN DRAB COMMUNITY (mAKE NO MISTAKE , i HAVE GOOD MEMORIES OF THE TOWN). Joe , if you see this , please accept my condolences. Your Dad meant a lot to so many of us kids . If you'd like to contact me , I'd love to hear from you , when you're up to it. With Love ,John Battles. Chicago. chicagobattles@comcast.net.

241 

Date: 2006-10-31 16:21:14
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Just wanted to wish all my favorite fiends out there a safe yet insane Halloween!

A couple of weeks ago my lovely pet, Nurse Titters and I were strolling along and found ourselves before a costume shop. Who was looking back at me through the storefront window but Bernie the skull! Well, it looked like it could be Bernie's cousin anyway. I just had to take him home with us.

I haven't done much "horror hosting" yet, but Dr. Jitters will be making his annual Halloween appearance in our hometown and this year I will be projecting a few old super 8 horror films (The Beast with Five Fingers, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Mummy's Hand and others) in the driveway.

Remembering Ken "Vincent Hedges" Gibson and saying hello to our new pal, Acri Creature Feature co-creator Don Raymond (below) -- Hello, Don! -- I bid you all a Happy Halloween and a great evening!

240 

Date: 2006-10-30 15:30:32
Don Raymond ( donwelch202@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

As one of the originating forces behind the Acri Creature Feature, I am amazed at the "legs" the program continues to have. I can tell you it was great fun putting together the concept and the skits on a weekly basis. I am deeply moved that so many still remember. Thanks for keeping the memory alive. Don Raymond

239 

Date: 2006-10-29 03:34:31
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.captainerniesshowboat.com) wrote:

While surfing the internet, I ran across this one. It is from the Kewanee Star Courier. It had one of those "on this date in history". I was amazed to see that Acri's Creeps coming to town was one of the headlines. If anyone is in the Kewanee area, the Star Courier is on microfilm in the library. If you get a chance and have time to do this, it would be cool if you could look up 09/19/81 and in particular 09/26/06 and 09/27/06 to see if there is an article and possibly a picture of this event. Finding things on microfilm is like a needle in a haystack so when the date is actually given, it is a huge bonus!


Saturday, Sept. 19, 1981



- The Chris Greicius Make-A-Wish Foundation has been set up in memory of a 7-year-old former Kewanee boy who died in April of last year in Arizona after losing a three-year battle with leukemia.

- Benson Hedges (a.k.a. Ken Gibson of Kewanee) and the Acri Creature Feature "Creeps" from WQAD-TV will face the Kewanee-Galva-Bishop Hill All-Stars in a charity softball game in Bishop Hill on Saturday, Sept. 26.

238 

Date: 2006-10-18 06:03:54
John "Jitters" ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Thank you, Phil, and Genny. We'd love to read some stories when you feel like it. Take care.

237 

Date: 2006-10-13 22:37:35
phil ( p.mitro@mchsi.com / no homepage) wrote:

Dr. Jitter your memoral page of Ken Gibson is awsome, Knowing him as i did he would be impress with the way your web site keep the Acri Creature Feature alive. Not just you but all the people who write and leave messages how much they thought of him, I see my niece Genny wrote a nice little message. He will be greatly miss because he was so much part of our lives, Now as are family heals from our lost and we will we will be able to sit down and tell story about Ken and Vincent Hedges and maybe pass a few on to your readers as time goes on. But again thank you and all your reader for keeping him alive in print

phil

236 

Date: 2006-10-13 22:37:20
phil ( p.mitro@mchsi.com / no homepage) wrote:

Dr. Jitter your memoral page of Ken Gibson is awsome, Knowing him as i did he would be impress with the way your web site keep the Acri Creature Feature alive. Not just you but all the people who write and leave messages how much they thought of him, I see my niece Genny wrote a nice little message. He will be greatly miss because he was so much part of our lives, Now as are family heals from our lost and we will we will be able to sit down and tell story about Ken and Vincent Hedges and maybe pass a few on to your readers as time goes on. But again thank you and all your reader for keeping him alive in print

phil

235 

Date: 2006-10-07 22:51:42
Phil from Dubuque ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Thirty five years after the fact, I still vividly remember meeting Ken Gibson when my buddy Dave and I appeared on the ACF. Even sans his costume, we instantly recognized Ken when he greeted us outside the WQAD studio that Thursday evening in September 1971. He was so down-to-earth, so friendly, so attentive, and so complimentary. We instantly felt comfortable with him. He personally escorted us around the studio and introduced us to the other actors and the production crew. He then arranged for us to see operations in the control booth, and most memorable, he let us watch him don his Vincent Hedges costume. He explained every step of the process from applying foundation to the spirit gum for the sideburns and eyebrows. When the time came to tape our segment, he coached us on what to say and helped us enter the set on cue�although I still managed to botch the lines he gave me. He was really large and in charge of the entire creative process. Throughout the evening I did not sense one whiff of ego on his part. He was a total gentleman through and through. When it came time to leave, he stood at the door, sitll in costume, and waved goodbye as we walked to the parking lot. I never saw him again, but as my buddy Dave said on air that night: "We will never forget you." I think that pretty much says it all.

234 

Date: 2006-10-03 16:22:03
Genny Gibson ( glgibso@ilstu.edu / no homepage) wrote:

I never saw the show back in the day when it was still on the air, but from the stories that I have heard, it was quite the show to see. I am Ken Gibson's granddaughter and I can tell you from personal experience that he enjoyed making so many people smile. I just want to thank all of you for your support and shared memories of my grandpa. Please continue to share these memories as they are very comforting and bring smiles to our faces.

233 

Date: 2006-10-02 17:48:08
Steven Philip Jones ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

I received your email with the news a couple of days ago, John, but it is still hard to believe. The world is a little sadder without "Vincent" around, and especially without a lovely man like Ken Gibson in it. He will be sorely missed.

232 

Date: 2006-10-01 03:38:00
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Dear friends,

I am sorry to have to share this information with you. Yesterday evening I received an email from the family of Ken Gibson. Ken Gibson is known to us by way of his character Vincent "the vampire" Hedges he created for The Acri Creature Feature. The email follows:

"My name Is Phil Mitro. My father-in-law is Ken Gibson, a.k.a., Vincent Hedges. [He passed] away this morning at 12:40am, September 28, 2006, at the VA center in Iowa City. He could not believe how much you kept Acri Creation Feature alive, and, Vincent Hedges. I wanted to let you know before it hit the paper because you kept him alive through your web page. TV was much different back in the early 70s, relatively new, so he brought laughter in the world, or just our part of the world. So please let Phil from Dubuque and Steven Jones know. I just recently found your web page and have been following it for the last few months. I did show this to Ken and he couldn't believe the following your web page had. So thank you from the Gibson Family for keeping the greatest Creep alive in print and in your heart. And [thanks to] Phil from Dubuque and Steven Jones and the rest of the creeps who sign your web guest book. So for right now I will let you go and again want to thank you from our hearts and help us remember Vincent Hedges and the man who played him, Ken Gibson.
-- The Gibson Family"

Our condolences go out to his family and friends. Ken Gibson's creative energy, talent and love of music were evident in every show. He will be missed. Rest in Peace, Ken.

We will share more information as it comes available.

Sincerely,
John

*****

Our memorial page for Ken Gibson is below:
http://www.houseofjitters.com/gibson.htm

An obituary for Kenneth Gibson in two parts:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/drjitters/KGObit12.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/drjitters/KGObit23.jpg

Kenneth Gibson memorial at Powell Funeral Homes:
http://www.powellfuneralhomes.com/obit-display.jhtml?DB=update/obits/dbase&DO=display&ID=1159476716_32510

231 

Date: 2006-09-13 16:10:00
Steven Philip Jones ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Wicked, Dave! Thanks for sharing!

230 

Date: 2006-08-31 17:44:28
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Remember this?
(click link below)

http://www.houseofjitters.com/images/acrihouse.jpg

Our friend Dave France wrote this (in part) about the photo:

"Thought you might get a kick out of this�it's the haunted house used by Channel 8 (Moline, IL) for 'Chuck Acri's Creature Feature' [intro] back in the VERY early 70's (note the date on the photo: Jun 72). I asked my dad (Don France) more about it. He made it from some scrap masonite. It's layered 2 or 3 pieces thick for a 3D effect and painted. According to my dad (now 70) the model was taken to school (he seems to remember it being my brother) for show and tell, and it either getting broken or lost soon after.

The whiteish-yellow at the bottom is most likely a tablecloth. The pic appears to have been taken at table-level�I believe that's my brother's sleeve on the right.

My dad is the one who made the haunted house. He was friends with a man named Ron Olsen (Olson?) who was somehow involved (and whom Don Molander also knew) - possibly a cameraman. My dad made it as a favor for Ron, who then provided it for use in the show."


Thanks Dave!

229 

Date: 2006-08-29 22:32:54
Thomas Hart ( crackerhorn@liveontape.tv / http://www.liveontape.tv) wrote:

As a kid I used to love Acri Creature Feature--- I spent a lotta nights sleeping with the lights on when I was a tyke. In the late 80's I had a sketch comedy show on KLJB called "Live on Tape" that some of which was inspired by what I saw on Creature Features.

Check out the website for more info on the show... ah, a shameless plug in the guest book. ;-)

228 

Date: 2006-07-23 06:08:08
Mike of Fort Madison ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I grew up on Acri Creature Feature and WGN Creature Features. I never won creep of the week, but I did get a autographed pic of the gang. I was so thrilled to read that Acri Creature Feature was coming back to TV in 2005 - unfortunately I no longer live where I could receive it. I was even more bummed when I discovered that the show is no longer on the air and there are no plans to return it. What a shame. I hope Acri reconsiders and finds a station to carry it. There are so many of those PAID ADVERSTIMENT 'shows' on these days pushing cooking implements, vitamins, and all sorts of other stuff. Why not Home Improvement, but with a twist - show a horror movie and hock your siding at the same time. C'mon Chuck - it would work.

227 

Date: 2006-06-15 16:38:55
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Bosun Joe! Thank you so much for signing the guest book (below) and your kind words. Glad you liked it. Your contribution to The Captain Jinks Show was a welcome addition -- you're a talented cartoonist.

Thanks for everything, Joe!

226 

Date: 2006-06-12 20:49:54
Joe McGuire ( jmcguire@pjstar.com / no homepage) wrote:

I just tripped upon your site searching for something else. You have done an excellent job with the Captain Jinks site. Very well written and researched. I have fond memories being associated with the Captain Jinks Show. Still several times a month, people recognize me and remember the show. I don't know about me "taking over the show", Stan and George were the stars, but I appreciate the kind words.

I was also a big, big fan of the ACF. Always a classic.

Joe McGuire
(Bosun Joe)

225 

Date: 2006-05-17 03:42:01
R Hawks ( links2links56@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

I was very excited when the Acri Creature Feature came back in 2005. I had grown up watching the show back in the 70's and now I was getting my grandchildren interested.

It broke my heart when it didn't return in 2006 (like Chuck said it would). I was never a big fan of "The Count" but it seemed to be getting better and it looked like it might have potential.
I was the last person to win the "Creep of the Week" award and I won it with a drawing of Vincent and Emmett!
I'll cherish the T-Shirt and DVD forever.

224 

Date: 2006-05-12 18:22:46
Rick Sheese ( rsheese@mchsi.com / no homepage) wrote:

I grew up in Monmouth, IL watching Acri Creature Feature. It was probably the best time I had on Saturday nights at 12. But before Acri there use to be a creature feature starring Egor. I remember him scarring me where I couldn't sleep. Can you tell me if they will be back in syndication. Or is there a way to get DVD'd of the old shows?
Thank you

223 

Date: 2006-04-25 15:47:04
Steven Philip Jones ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Phil and Dr. J, if you have any audiotapes of the ACF that I don't have -- which are two programs from late May and early June 1974 --
is there any way I could get a copy of them? I'd be happy to send any cassettes or CD-ROMs needed. I have been searching for audio copies for years, but gave up when those searches came to naught.

While video copies would be fantastic, and I for one do hope those old 2" tapes reappear some day -- though I fear they likely were destroyed in that fire at Mr. Acri's house, but my fears are more often wrong than right -- and would love to get a copy of those, the audio tapes would be just as wonderful for me. Like I said, I used to listen to audio tapes I made of the ACF while writing as a kid. To this day, when I get a bit of writer's block, I pull out my one ACF tape, put it in while at the keyboard, and the writer's block melts away.

Could you guys please let me know one way or the other? :-)

And I think we were submitting an entry at the same time yesteday, Dr. J! I submitted mine, went to read it for mistakes, and there was your entry!

Very quickly, let me just say that when ACF premiered on KCRG, I do believe the vignettes were in B&W. Beauregard was included, I'm pretty sure, and the man playing Vincent Hedges was a taller, thinner man than the one who played him in the color video tape vignettes that came later. The first few ACFs on KCRG featured Chuck alone, and I don't think it was long before the "cellar" set was added. I'm also pretty sure that Bernie the Skull appeared in late 1973 but defintely no later than early in 1974.

I really don't think KCRG ever played any ACFs with video tape vignettes. The show went off the air before then. I've seen some of these vignettes on the "Best of ACF" DVD, and, being an adolescent at the time, I'm sure I would have remembered the girls in those vignettes. (Where did the show find so many cute girls?!) I also have no recollection of the Vincent Hedges hunchbacked sidekick.

Sorry to ramble. Just in a chatty mood these days.

OH!, I do have to add one quick thing. The Acri influence continues in my writing. I am writing the first book in a new YA novel series for a line called Actionopolis (www.actionopolis.com). The series is called HENRIETTA HEX, PARANORMAL INVESTIGATOR, and I have Henrietta living on Acri Street, while the town's police station is on Hedges Street. More tribute names are sure to follow... ;-)

222 

Date: 2006-04-25 02:57:12
Phil from Dubuque ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Hi All:

I never saw the WEEK-TV version of the show, but if they used B&W footage, I bet they recycled those original WQAD tapes from 1970 and early 1971. From the pictures Dr. Jitters posted of the WEEK era, it appears that they used different actors to play the various roles. Those doubtless were shot in color.

Of interest, the medium on which they shot the vignettes reflects a bit of television history in itself. When the program started on WQAD, the commercial segments with Chuck et. al. were shot in color on videotape. They taped every Thursday evening. The early vignettes were shot using WQAD's old B&W cameras in the studio at a different time. In the spring of 1971, the crew started going on location and shooting in 16mm color film (unless someone trashed them, these films should have survived somewhere � film, unlike VT, is very durable).

By the time Beauregard showed up, the vignettes were shot on location in color. At some point after I quit watching in early 1973 (during the KCRG iteration), I think the vignettes were shot on location using portable video cameras and color VT. The last batch � the ones Acri featured this past year � were from this era. Although I did not see this last iteration of the show, I have seen these vignettes and it appears that Ken Gibson again was playing Vincent Hedges. I cannot be sure of this, because that KG appears a few pounds lighter than the person I met, plus he is wearing less elaborate makeup. But the actor looks like KG and he is a southpaw like KG -- a champion bowler, who had trouble on the pro tour because he was a lefty (he told me that).

If there is any hopeful news related to all this rambling, it relates to the fact that when stations shifted away from 2-inch videotape in the early 1970s, they stopped erasing over the tapes. Sometimes the station ditched the tapes, other times the tapes were stashed away somewhere. Occasionally, they resurface. Wow, wouldn't that be great? Anyway, since the 2-inch tapes appeared to be in Acri's possession as he moved the show around, perhaps they were squirreled away and forgotten about. On the other hand, I do know that Chuck Acri lost a lot of his possessions in a house fire in the 1990s, so that could have been the fate of the tapes � or not????

Another plus is that my old cohort from Dubuque audiotaped most all of the early programs. I THINK he still has all the tapes.

Anyway, keep digging fellow creeps!

221 

Date: 2006-04-24 19:22:05
Dr. Jitters ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Wow, Steven! We must've been writing entries at the same time. I do have your audiotape as well as another audio cassette sent in by another fan. I'm going to be adding a media page with audio excerpts and video files, eventually. :)

I really appreciate all the efforts you and other fans have passed along. This site wouldn't be the same without your participation.

220 

Date: 2006-04-24 19:13:54
Steven Philip Jones ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Phil, I wish you luck in trying to dig up some of those original sketches. I know I'd love to see them.

FWIW, regarding KCRG, I can't recall the exact date the ACF launched, but Halloween 1972 sounds about right. I can guarantee the first movie was DRACULA with Bela Lugosi, because I can remember watching it with my brother, Tom. I assumed KCRG was just going to run it on their local CREATURE FEATURE, which had no host, just a goofy opening credit sequence and that's all. Tom and I were surprised when the ACF came on and Chuck started pitching siding!

As for tapes, I know exactly how you feel. I used to audio tape the ACF starting some time in 1973. I'd listen to them while I was writing, and they were great company. I only have two episodes left, and managed to hold on to them because those were the first two nights I won Creep of the Week awards. I would give a lot to locate more audio copies of the shows, just to listen to Chuck and Bernie. (FWIW, I made a copy of these episodes and sent them Dr. Jitters to listen to. It was the least I could do for the guy who's put together this great website!)

219 

Date: 2006-04-24 19:12:12
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Thanks for posting that, Phil.

You wrote, "It appears that the only surviving tapes were from the late 1970s, and those efforts lacked the magic of the originals."

True, as far as surviving tapes go, but my own memories of watching the show as it broadcast out of WEEK-TV from Peoria contain yet other elements. There must've been additional footage shot between those two bookends of Acri CF history. I recall some black & white scenes, but there were also shots of Acri in that dungeon setting you can see in the photo section. Vincent Hedges and Beauregard in particular would appear in that setting, and later Bernie the skull would be introduced. The dungeon setting made for a more provocative location that spurred the imagination of many youngsters. It would be a treasure to uncover remains of this footage as well.

218 

Date: 2006-04-24 05:50:15
Phil from Dubuque ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Kudos to Rich for digging up that old advertisement. He definitely is becoming a go-to guy when it comes to resurrecting eastern Iowa's lost broadcast history. His splendid tribute sites to both Captain Ernie and Sandys drive-ins exemplify his skill and tenacity in this regard.

As I posted elsewhere on Dr. Jitters' site, I was on the ACF in September 1971 and, at the time, asked Ken Gibson directly about the show's premier. Ken said it all started on Halloween night 1970 � I remember that distinctly. Although the Acri website dates the show to 1968 or 1969, I think those dates reflect faulty memories. Rich's discovery seems to validate my recollections.

Of note, when the ACF premeired on KCRG in Cedar Rapids in late 1972, I noted that it used the original B&W videotaped Vincent and Emmett vignettes dating to October 1970. Those classics were shot in the WQAD studio on 2-inch B&W VT, I believe. Since then, I have wished that, since those original tapes survived at least two years, someone squirrel them away somewhere. Unfortunately, though, I haven't seen any evidence that this was not the case. It appears that the only surviving tapes were from the late 1970s, and those efforts lacked the magic of the originals.

217 

Date: 2006-04-19 15:36:12
Steven Philip Joens ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Wow! Thanks for posting that proof, Dr. J! And thanks thanks thanks for digging it up, Rich!

216 

Date: 2006-04-15 17:31:36
Douglas Horsberg ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I miss the Acri Creature Feature too. I grew up watching the show in the 70's, but loved what the new characters were doing when they brought them in. Zomboo is fun at times, but don't like him as much as Creature Feature.

215 

Date: 2006-04-14 22:29:09
Melinda Hagerty ( mhagerty52632@yahoo.com / http://my.yahoo.com) wrote:

I MISS THOSE NIGHTS WATCHING THE ACRI CREATURE FEATURE SHOW.I TELL MY DAUGHTER ABOUT HOW COOL IT WAS AND WISH IT WERE STILL ON THE AIR.LOTS OF PEOPLE FEEL THE SAME WAY.

214 

Date: 2006-04-13 19:50:37
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

The date of the newsclipping below is October of 1970.

213 

Date: 2006-04-13 19:47:03
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Our friend and fellow horror host historian, Rich, was doing some digging on the old Acri Creature Feature and found what appears to be proof of the premiere of the show. A huge thanks to Rich for the leg work. I'll place this within the cobwebsite before long.

212 

Date: 2006-04-11 02:48:00
Cousin It ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Zomboo sucks.

211 

Date: 2006-03-31 17:11:56
Steven Philip Jones ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

As a fellow KCRG-ACF fan, I couldn't agree with you more, Mr. Baker!

210 

Date: 2006-03-28 02:05:12
Scott Baker ( zeno@telecomwest.net / http://www.myspace.com/visualconfections) wrote:

If you lived in eastern Iowa,in the early to mid 70's,who can ever forget those Friday nights, after the late news on KCRG TV.

We'd all anxiously wait for 10:30 to roll around after a long week in school. After the popcorn was popped and the sodas iced, we'd plop down in front of the TV to the heartbeat and the eye appearing on the screen before our
eyes.
The Creature Feature was one of the few times that we were allowed to stay up late.

It became quite a deal for us in the age before VCRs.

We often had friends over and the Creature Feature soon became one of the focal points of our week for family & neighborhood friends to get together and spent some quality time together. Those evenings are amongst some of happiest memories of my youth.

My earliest memories of classic B&W Horror were on the Acri Creature Feature and
even to this day, I'll set aside all else to
to watch the movies that were 1st encountered on those late Friday nights of long ago.

Thanks for the Memories & for allowing me to share.

Yours Truly

Scott Baker
willyzeno@yahoo.com

209 

Date: 2006-03-16 21:04:28
Buck Waddell ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Thanks for a neat website on Captian Jinks and Salty Sam!! It brought back so many memories of living in Glasford & coming home from school and running in to watch the fun on WEEK! I sure wish I could get copies of the show for my kids! Thanks for the memories!!

208 

Date: 2006-03-16 00:29:52
candy horn ( candyinfm@mchsi.com / no homepage) wrote:

can i purchase dvds of the best of the acri creature feature?

207 

Date: 2006-03-12 19:23:19
Ed Young ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Hey, Zomboo was pretty fun... sort of like Mystery Science Theater with Zomboo throwing comments into the movie every so often. The 3 minute movie is a neat idea, and "rack girl" is very easy on the eyes. Look forward to next weeks show.

206 

Date: 2006-03-12 15:10:14
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

A new late-night horror show creeps in to Fox 18 By By David Burke |

Miss Transylvania has a unique relationship with Zomboo, star of "Zomboo's House of Horrors," a syndicated television show a la the "Creature Feature" series that recently ran on KLJB Fox Ch. 18. KLJB will pick up the "Zomboo" show and begin airing it tonight at 11 p.m.

It's not exactly of the magnitude of Isabel Blooms being made in China, but KLJB-TV 18 is outsourcing its late-night Saturday horror show, beginning tonight.

"Zomboo's House of Horrors," premiering at 11 p.m., is made in Reno, Nev., and Fox 18 is the first station in the country to pick it up in syndication.

It fills the gap left by the revival of the "Acri Creature Feature," which ran from May until December last year. The Milan, Ill.-based Acri Company, a windows-siding-doors-sunrooms dealer, brought back the show that was a Quad-City staple on WQAD-TV8 from 1968-80 � first with repeats of the classic shows, then with a new troupe.

But Acri decided not to renew its contract past New Year's Eve, said KLJB program manager John Bain. Bain said Fox 18 wanted to keep the audience it had built up in those seven months.

"We already had ratings that proved this was a popular genre," Bain said. "I went on a hunt to find something that would work."

He found it in "Zomboo's House of Horrors," which has been on the air at the ABC station in Reno since 1999. Zomboo (the second "o" is silent) is the creation of Frank Leto, creative services director at the TV station.

"Reno's in a time warp, fortunately, and there's a lot of people here who grew up with 'Creature Features' in the (San Francisco) bay area," Leto said. "It's something where people remember this show, because it's kind of a lost art now."

Tonight's first episode includes the movie "Devil Girl From Mars."

Leto studied local TV horror shows from the past and found it took "certain elements that would make it successful � bad movies, pretty women, audience participation, cheesy set � everything that would make it humorous."

The bad movies come from everything that he could find in public domain, he said. The pretty women include a former Bud Girl (who plays "Bianca the rack girl") and a costume shop worker (who plays "Miss Transylvania"). Other characters include Quasi the Hunchback, the Head Nurse (because she carries around a head), Officer Not-So-Friendly and Wolfie the wolfman.

And the humor, Leto said, came from inspirations including Soupy Sales, the Three Stooges and the Marx Brothers.

He said the secret was rapid-fire jokes.

"You run into trouble if you have a couple of good jokes in the middle of a lot of bad jokes," he said.

Bain said he was impressed with the humor of the sample episodes.

"I showed it to the staff, and everybody was in stitches watching it," Bain said. "He just has fun with them. If you're really into those old movies, he doesn't hurt the spirit of the movie. Yet, he breathes new life into it."

Leto said he "sanitized" the episodes, taking out any Reno-centric jokes and making questionable punchlines a little more universal.

He called "Zomboo" a "labor of love," with the emphasis on labor.

"They don't realize how much work this really is," he said. "I spend every extra hour of my day writing, editing and putting the show together."

A former aerospace engineer, Leto said he's used Zomboo as the "spooksperson" for the local blood bank, and brings special-needs children to the set each year for a Halloween party.

"At my age," the 53-year-old said, "You want to give back to society after a point, and do something good rather than take, take, take."

David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com.

205 

Date: 2006-03-06 23:02:54
John Battles ( chicagobattles@comcast.net / no homepage) wrote:

Vincent Hedges was a big part of my life , and that of my friends , when we were kids in the early 70's , because Ken Gibson was a resident in Kewanee , Illinois , the town that I lived in at the time. This was , of course , when '

204 

Date: 2006-02-28 20:10:06
Steven Philip Jones ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Thanks for the nice words on Mr. McGavin, Dr. J.

Like you, my fonest memories of him come from the NIGHT STALKER films and program, and then from A CHRISTMAS STORY. (That film bombed when it came out, but my friend Dennis Stick and I saw it FIVE times in the two weeks it was in theaters in 1984. What a great film, and he was wonderful in it.)

It's always nice to watch a film and have McGavin show up in it. I remember he was in the first film Jerry Lewis made sans Dean Martin, and in THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM, THE NATURAL, and numerous television programs. Stephen King once said that no one in the second half of the 20th century could play a private eye like McGavin could, and I agree. And he is one of the few actors I can think of who could go toe-to-toe in a tough guy competition with Jack Palance.

God's rest,Mr. McG. You will be missed but never forgotten.

203 

Date: 2006-02-27 18:56:43
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Rest in Peace, Darren McGavin.

Darren McGavin is probably best known by his role as the Old Man in A Christmas Story. My dearest held memory of him goes back to his role as Carl Kolchak in Kolchak: the Night Stalker. (A show, by the way, that Chris Carter credits as the inspiration for The X-Files.) Alongside the Acri Creature Feature and its cast, Darren McGavin's Kolchak character was the TV presence that helped shape my young self, for better or worse. :) His forceful, charismatic personality and sense of humor made him beloved by many devoted fans. He was one of our greatest character actors. Goodbye, Darren McGavin. Thanks for all the wonderful work you gave us.

http://www.darrenmcgavin.net

202 

Date: 2006-02-18 14:27:00
yvonne ( yvonne2711@msn.com / no homepage) wrote:

Ha! found ya! M

201 

Date: 2006-02-14 06:08:49
les Whisler ( les@bonewhistlegraphics.com / no homepage) wrote:

Fantastic, really loved the tribute to Capt Jinks. I remember Hobo Kelly too, dint know she moved to CA. so that was very interesting too. Keep up the great work, ohh, btw, the pic
on the filmstrip of DrJitters and Nurse Titters should link to a mpeg of your show,, hint hint.

200 

Date: 2006-02-14 01:02:54
Mike Isenberg ( isenbergmichael@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

I was on the Captain Jinks Show in I believe 1960 or 61 with my cub scout pack. Our den mother drove us there and I remember saying that she was going the wrong way because we were driving away from the river. I actually thought the show was done on a boat! When we got there, it was a big fairly empty studio room with cinder block walls, a couple of cameras and a cardboard stage set. There were bleachers off to the side where the kids sat and a TV moniter to watch the show and cartoons on. Salty ( George ) was the one that talked to me, I could see the glue holding on his moustache, which really upset me. When he went on to some kids on the other side of the bleachers, I said to my friend next to me "I bet he's not even a real sailor." Well, I was eight years old. As I grew up, I saw George and Stan all the time because I lived around Peoria. What a great part of my youth they were. Early on, Superman was a part of the afternoon festivities, as well as The Three Stooges. My how kids have been robbed these days. Small wonder they see things the way they do. God rest Stan and George, or should I say the Captain and Salty.

199 

Date: 2006-02-13 23:24:34
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Ahoy mates! The first thing I wanted to do with this website was to create tributes to a couple of shows that meant a lot to me when I was a kid (and still mean a lot to me now).

The Acri Creature Feature was the first and The Captain Jinks Show was the second. If you grew up watching WEEK-TV out of Peoria, Illinois, you know who Captain Jinks and Salty Sam were.

There's a surprise waiting for you on the new Captain Jinks page. Look in the upper right corner when you get there. Check out the filmstrip on www.houseofjitters.com for directions.

George "Salty Sam" Baseleon said it best:

"The children need a local show, not only for the entertainment but for something to take part in. It wasn't just the show that the children and adults liked. It was all the times we visited the hospitals or made a public appearance at a picnic or entertained for Christmas. I miss those children. They made up the best audience in the world."

So here's a little something back for them. Share your memories! :)

198 

Date: 2006-02-11 22:57:56
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

3 cheers for kljb!

197 

Date: 2006-02-10 23:10:25
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Hey! That's cool. I've heard of Zomboo before and if I remember correctly he started his show in the Reno, Nevada area. Somewhere around there... Congrats to Zomboo and the Quad Cities viewers! :)

196 

Date: 2006-02-10 19:50:09
mike coffey ( pingjockey691@excite.com / no homepage) wrote:

BRING THE SHOW BACK!!!!!!!!!!!

195 

Date: 2006-02-08 16:55:29
Steven Philip Jones ( Sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Wowzer! That's great news! Thanks for sharing the 4-1-1, Mr. Ruggles! I, for once, will be sure to check out Zomboo's website right away! (Hmm..sounds like a funky zombie to me. ;-) )

Thanks again!

194 

Date: 2006-02-08 16:51:37
Brad Ruggles ( creaturefeature@kljb.com / http://www.kljb.com) wrote:

Well, I promised I would post it here first as soon as any announcements were made, so here you go...
Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 11th at 11pm because that's when the Quad Cities gets it's first look at "Zomboo's House of Horrors" on KLJB-TV FOX 18! Same great movies you loved on Creature Feature with a new twist. Zomboo is unlike any horror movie host this area has ever seen.
What about Chuck Acri? Well, he could still show up as an advertiser...who knows.
That's all for now.
For more information on Zomboo, visit www.zomboo.com
For more information on great FOX 18 programming, visit www.kljb.com

Thanks-

Brad Ruggles
Production Manager
KLJB-TV FOX 18

193 

Date: 2006-02-01 19:32:59
Steven Philip Jones ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

That's too bad. I wonder why? You would think it would be great promotion for the Acri Company, but I suppose it is also expensive. I'll keep my fingers crossed that a substitute will be found, and that the Count, Max, Goth Girl, et al. will soon return to the airwaves.

And let me also add my own "Thanks for the memories!" to Chuck and all the folks involved with the original ACF and ACF 2.0. You'll always have a fond spot in my heart.

192 

Date: 2006-01-20 18:59:18
Carmen ( jeffandcarmen79@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

I have an update. The Acri Company has decided to NOT go forward with the project. FOX 18 realizes that there is a following for this type of programming & currently looking for an appropriate substitute. Once found they will promote the program aggressively. We'll miss you Chuck Acri & the Creature Feature. Thanks for the memories. Thanks for coming back for those 5 wonderful months. If there is ever a slight chance of coming back, please do.

191 

Date: 2006-01-20 09:51:40
Mike ( armoredyak@yahoo.com / http://www.salvationbygrace.org) wrote:

I have some of the fondest memories of this show, when I was a kid. It was magic. It had that feeling like you were a member of Chuck's family when you tuned in, and that he knew how silly the movies were, but everyone was having a good time with them.
I even remember sending in fan mail...(I was 8)

190 

Date: 2006-01-20 08:25:36
Carmen Hay-Kent ( jeffandcarmen79@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

It was wonderful to see that Creature Feature made a come back. WOW !!! What memories. I remember drawing a picture & sending it in to you a long time ago. Yes, it appeared on one of your shows. My Uncle, Angel Sierra was very good friends with Ken Williams who played the Werewolf. He(Angel) & my Mother, Hope Hay, had parts in Vincent Hedges vinagettes. I remember seeing this one. It was hilarious. It started off with a meeting, with Angel standing at the podium trying to get everyones attention to the meeting, all the while, those who were seated were having a paper fight. Later in one of the scenes, they have my mom running in slow motion, she played the heavy set lady. My mom passed on 3 years ago. It means alot to me to remember the fun she had while doing this & to tell my children about one of my dear memories of their Grandmother. Thanks Creature Feature for the Memories, Keep 'em coming. Carmen Hay- Kent in Sheldon Iowa p.s. Jeff & I just recently moved out here. We miss your show, but did have the chance to see your come back before we moved.

189 

Date: 2006-01-17 23:44:36
cindy ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I enjoyed the actors doing the breaks on the creature feature. The count and his gang were a riot! I wonder if the format could be continued with other local sponsors?

188 

Date: 2006-01-10 18:42:54
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Of interest to those who grew up in the Chicago area watching WGN -- Hardrock, Coco and Joe...

http://www.tinotopia.com/log/archive/2005/01/11/hardrock_coco_and_joe.htm

187 

Date: 2006-01-09 01:22:36
Ed Young ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

While it isn't exactly the "genuine Creature Feature", thought I should mention for fans of the genre that the UPN station in the Quad-Cities, WBQD shows 2 horror movies back to back starting at Midnight on Saturday.

186 

Date: 2006-01-04 17:52:25
Steven Philip Jones ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Hey, we had the ACF back for a little while. That's something. At this time last year, who would have thought that was going to happen?

Thanks to everyone who was involved with the new ACF. Though brief, it was appreciated! :-)

185 

Date: 2006-01-03 23:08:12
Brad Ruggles ( creaturefeature@kljb.com / http://www.kljb.com) wrote:

Leon-
I'm a huge fan of local TV myself.
As much as I would love to give you a definite "yes" or "no" answer about the return of the Acri Creature Feature, I'm just not in a position to do that at this point.
When and if there is a programming announcement made, I will make it a priority to post it here ASAP.

Thanks-

Brad Ruggles
Production Manager
KLJB-TV FOX 18

184 

Date: 2006-01-03 17:39:51
Leon ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Mr. Ruggles-

Any hope that the creature feature programming will return? I love the local touch and the CF caps my Saturday nights perfectly. Would love to see it back someday. Any plans for that?

183 

Date: 2006-01-03 05:26:00
Michael ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Guess that's our final answer. Creature Features is gone, finished, over, caput, gonzo, fin. Goodbye new creeps. My Little Emily from Macomb will be so hurt and disappointed. The fans are the biggest losers... Goodbye!

182 

Date: 2005-12-30 22:33:12
Brad Ruggles ( creaturefeature@kljb.com / http://www.kljb.com) wrote:

Just a note to let you die-hard Creature Feature fans know that the last scheduled airing of the Acri Creature Feature will be this Saturday night (new years eve) at 12:30am. The featured movie is "House on Haunted Hill."
Thanks for watching.

Sincerely-

Brad Ruggles
Production Manager
KLJB-TV FOX 18

181 

Date: 2005-12-28 02:04:57
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

the top right corner creep & the creep in the middle with the hat on both appear to be wearing creature feature tshirts with Hedges' face on them. wouldn't that be cool to un-earth one of those

180 

Date: 2005-12-28 01:16:36
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

fantastic scan... thanks so much! those guys are a riot! makes me wonder if i know someone & if any of the acri clan are in there.

in regards to king kong... yes, incredible movie, dont even get me started. go see it on the big screen while you have a chance. the special effects are insane incredible and naomi watts is worth the price of admission all by herself.

179 

Date: 2005-12-27 23:22:30
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Firstly, Michael, congrats on your eBay win and thanks for the clear pic!

Secondly, I just want to say how much my family & I loved the new KING KONG movie. Sure, it has its overblown and silly moments but on a whole it's a wonder to behold. :) Go see it!

178 

Date: 2005-12-27 01:31:01
Leon ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I really enjoyed the Creature Feature. I really wish they'd bring back Count Graves and the new creeps. They did a great job!

177 

Date: 2005-12-26 04:44:41
Michael ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Here is just the softball team, digitally remastered and compressed.

176 

Date: 2005-12-26 04:05:55
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

Actually, I was most interested in seeing just the section with the faces of the creeps on the Acri softball team. Taking a second look here, Jitter's picture does a pretty good job. Congrats on your ebay purchase, what a unique item, I cant imagine watching these guys running around on a field.

175 

Date: 2005-12-25 04:40:46
Michael ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Well, I just got the poster today, Christmas Eve. Not in too bad of shape and it scanned wonderfully. The posters actual size is 14.815" wide by 17.875" tall. Digitally scanned image comes out to 11237K of data at 16bit/channel. I guess I'm wondering if I give you a scanned copy I want to put Digitally Remastered in the corner to distinguish from the original. Secondly, I can send you the image but since it's almost 11MB how would you like me to send it? Or I can reduce the tif image to jpg but it would also reduce the quality somewhat. A jpg image comes out to 1467K (1.5MB) in 8bit/channel. Let me know!

174 

Date: 2005-12-24 02:43:25
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

Thanks for the posts & for contacting the seller Doc, what a great suprise! ... Those guys must have been absolutely hilarious to watch when they were playing ball. Michael, is there any chance that you could give a close up scan of the poster? Merry Christmas everyone!

173 

Date: 2005-12-23 19:43:09
steven philip jones ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

I just wanted to wish all my fellow ACF fans a warm, safe, and happy Christmas! Chanukah, too. (I've been known to attend synagogue every now and then m'self.) And best wishes for a great year in 2006! :-)

172 

Date: 2005-12-22 04:58:34
Michael (DakotaSurfer) ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I saw that poster mentioned... and I WON it! For my Little Emily from Macomb as a Christmas Gift. Not sure where Columbus Junction is but it's good memorabilia.

171 

Date: 2005-12-21 02:25:55
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Your Christmas Bonus!
(or insert your holiday here...)

About a page back on this guestbook, Rich alerted us to an eBay auction going on for a poster of the Acri Creature Feature softball team. I went ahead and asked the seller for more detailed photos and bid on it. Though I didn't win the auction, I did get some more pics!

The poster
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/drjitters/acrisoftball.jpg

Closer still...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/drjitters/acrisoftballtee.jpg

Close up of the team. Can that be Drew Carrey on the left (second in)?!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/drjitters/softballteam.jpg

Vincent (Ken Gibson) Hedges looking a little longer in the tooth, along with a slightly different looking Beauregard and a possibly different Emmett (?)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/drjitters/acritrio.jpg

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season! Merry Christmas!

170 

Date: 2005-12-20 19:07:56
steven philip jones ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

That sounds about right. I was thinking the last date was 1/6/06. There was talk of possibly bringing the show back after that, but since there's been no such news here at the site, I kind of doubt that is going to happen. Bummer!

169 

Date: 2005-12-18 16:38:08
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

someone mentioned how many weeks are left for acri... i thought that the first weekend in january was the last. anyone know? thanks.

168 

Date: 2005-12-17 14:17:06
Steven Philip Jones ( Sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

I just wanted to take a moment to wish all the ACF fans (and anybody else who visits this guestbook) a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We all got to see the ACF again this past year, albeit for a brief time, and for that I am very grateful. It was great.

Also, on a personal note, I just wanted to thank anyone who hopped over to the TALISMEN website from my own website and voted for us on the webcomics lists. Barb and I both really truly appreciate that. :-)

167 

Date: 2005-12-12 20:22:03
Steven Philip Jones ( Sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Wow, sounds like my kind of show! I'm sorry I missed it.

166 

Date: 2005-12-11 03:16:44
Bill Smith ( comic52@aol.com / no homepage) wrote:

I believe George's restaurant was the Heritage House Smorgasbord. One more thing on George-- my aunt knew him and she'd call him a few days before Christmas and get him to impersonate Santa Claus on the phone to myself and my sister. Heck, he made a believer out of me.

165 

Date: 2005-12-11 03:12:32
Bill Smith ( comic52@aol.com / no homepage) wrote:

Oh, my gosh, was that spooky guy with the flashlight under his chin really Milton Budd. God, I wish I had known that. I grew up terrified of him and loved the show. From 1974 to 1979 I worked at the Peoria Journal star with his wife, Jean Budd, and I still never knew that. Even stranger, Jean eventually became the obituary writer at the Journal Star. What a bizarre coincidence.

164 

Date: 2005-12-09 18:46:42
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Here's another memory -- this time about Peoria-area horror host Milton Budd! This was from a poster on a classic horror message board I visit:

I am from Peoria and have been a "monster movie" fan since about the age of 5 when I discovered "Nightmare" on Saturday nights at 10:30. This was way back in 1963.....we would always be at my cousin's house on Saturday night. The "grown-ups" would be playing cards and we kids, about 5 of us... would be huddled around the T.V. waiting for Milton Budd to come on and petrify us with greatest intro. any monster movie host ever did! This guy was genuinely scary with his deep laugh and "under the chin" lighting. Very, very creepy and very,very effective. Some years later, I did see the "Acri Creature Feature" and "Creature Feature" on WGN in Chicago where my family relocated in 1971.....but nobody ever topped Milton with his downright scary introduction to those classic old monster movies......all of the classic Universal monsters with a very occasional sci-fi flick thrown in. Great memories from long ago and far away!

Anyone else have memories of Milton Budd?

163 

Date: 2005-12-03 21:32:12
Max ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Hey, Jay. I remember that Igor person myself. Seem to recall he had a very scary beginning with a shot from his view of various signs as he walked down the street. Signs like "Go Back" etc. He also was Jungle Jay. I even seem to remember them meeting one time. He had a female named Vampira if I am not mistaken. Would love to see some old footage of them?

Well better get back to sharpening my teeth and horns. I don't seem to have anything else to do.

162 

Date: 2005-12-03 03:17:03
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

First off, Steven, you're more than welcome and thanks again for your immeasurable patience in getting that posted! Your page is a great bit of nostalgia for all of us.

Secondly, Acri fan Jay Bowman emailed about another local television character from the Quad Cities:

"Am I correct in my foggy memory that Dr. Igor (and his alter-ego Jungle Jay) had the first creature feature on Saturday nights and then a "Jungle Show (i.e., Tarzan, Jungle Jim, etc.) on Sunday mornings on WQAD-TV 8. My mother took me to a Dr. Igor "show" at some theatre in the Quad Cities when I was probably 8 or 9."

Does anyone else have memories of this show?

161 

Date: 2005-12-02 20:28:16
Steven Philip Jones ( Sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Thanks, Doc J! That's great to read! And thanks for this great website, too!

160 

Date: 2005-12-02 19:04:59
James ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I hope Tim's right and there's something afoot! I miss the creeps every Saturday night too. The show was a regular part of our weekend. But, after seeing the new creeps I simply cannot watch old tapes. Bring back Olaf and the gang!!!

159 

Date: 2005-12-02 05:20:01
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

I've begun updating the houseofjitters site, including a new fan memory page. Check out Steven Philip Jones' memories of the old Acri Creature Feature at ~

http://www.houseofjitters.com/memories_two.htm

158 

Date: 2005-12-01 22:13:16
Tim ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Hey, you know what, we never saw the counts face or any of the other creeps refer to the body as the counts. SO maybe it wasn't even the count. What say you all out there?

Missing the creeps already,
Tim

157 

Date: 2005-12-01 16:50:35
Steven Philip Jones ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Been busy promoting a new comic book, so I haven't been able to check out the guest book for a while. It was good to hear from Doc Jitters and from Max! And that poster is a hoot! Sad to say, it does appear to be the of the second-generation ACF, eh? At least we had a few wonderful weeks when it was back on, and that is better than nothing. Heck, it was fantastic, since I never thought it would return! Best of all, though, it will live on in our memories.

Merry Christmas, y'all! :-)

156 

Date: 2005-11-30 23:36:35
Michael ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Max, your message says a lot. Sounds like there are no plans for Creature Features coming back in 2006. They are probably fulfilling a contract thru 2005 and then adios. That's too bad. My wife, Little Emily from Macomb, loved that you guys even though we had to listen to Chuck's bad sales pitches. Guess the kids pulled the plug.

155 

Date: 2005-11-28 22:20:25
Max ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Sure is nice to hear we are missed on Saturday nights. I guess no one will ever know what happened to the Count.

154 

Date: 2005-11-27 03:19:07
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

HEY! check this one out on ebay... a vintage 1973 ACRI CREATURE FEATURE POSTER!!! Its on ebay right now as of 11/26/05. Click on the picture & it should take you to the auction

153 

Date: 2005-11-27 01:49:47
Annette ( akmc40@yahoo.com / http://www.emmagreenleaf.bravejournal.com/) wrote:

We love Acri Creature Feature! The older and cheesier the movies the better.I watched faithfully when I was a kid.
My 13 yr daughter Emily was Creep of the Week one week this last October and was thrilled to death(ha ha!!)
Unfortunately the t-shirt they sent was too small (I sent it back and the second one they sent was still little kid size)and she is really disappointed as she was planning on wearing the shirt to school. Does anyone know if I could buy her a Creep of the Week t- shirt anywhere?
The DVD they include in the prize pkg with all the old stuff is hilarious, I think you can buy copies of it also. We are having fun trying to figure out where the clips were filmed and how much everything has changed since then!
Thanks guys!

152 

Date: 2005-11-21 21:31:14
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Hey gang,

Glad this simple website has proved such a useful and handy place to get together. Living out here beyond the broadcast range of the new Acri CF I'm feeling like I'm missing out on something, but it's good to hear that the new Creeps were being so well received. I'm very glad that they popped in here too to share their scary wits. Hopefully they'll reappear in the new year.

By the way, I hope everyone had a gruesome Halloween! We had a truly creepy one! And I am finally back online for the time being with a tempermental connection so we're crossing our fingers & eyes to be more present witch ya.

As far as the movies shown on C.F., I for one love them all! Of those movies due to repeat, I own all but one on old vhs tapes and I can tell you that there are many twisted folks like myself who really adore these kind of films, and all thanks to the original Acri Creature Feature! You're to blame!

Those films are in the public domain and are free to broadcast obviously; there are plenty more great old movies in the public domain to choose from. Who needs Turner? Look up Alpha video which is at oldies.com I believe. All but one recent adaptation of Jeckyll & Hyde are public domain titles.

Further down in this guestbook Jan asked about the restaurant that Salty Sam hosted at. Was it the Heritage House? Going from memory of what I've read...

All the best to everyone.

151 

Date: 2005-11-21 18:33:57
Ellen Crispen ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I'm on the second week without my creature feature Saturday Night. Can't watch Emmitt and Vince after seeing how funny the new guys are. Does anyone know what we have to do to get them back? I also happened to see a murder mystery at The Lodge in Bettendorf and the guy in the show played Count Graves.

150 

Date: 2005-11-19 23:41:29
Cousin It ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I'm as cranky as Frank Sinatra with an empty booze bottle that the show is in reruns. Are you guys as upset as I am that they're back to the silent movie clips? What gives? Bring back the funny new stuff!!!

149 

Date: 2005-11-15 00:05:11
Ellen Crispen ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Really miss Count Graves and his gags with Max and that fortune teller. I used to watch Saturday Night Live every weekend, but clicked over to CF. Lately I'd been watching CF, and clicking over to SNL! Bring back those creeps!

148 

Date: 2005-11-14 19:13:07
Neil ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I'm with Rob on the watch party thing. A couple of the bars I've been at have had Acri on, but didn't have the volume up until breaks came on. Bartenders were fans of the show, so we all watched. Was pretty fun. Making a big deal out of it would be better.

147 

Date: 2005-11-14 15:33:20
Vicki Carlson ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I just read several pages of the writings. Wow, this is a great site for fans. I wish there were more pictures of the new creeps. I can't seem to find them anywhere. Not even at 11:00 on Saturday where they belong! Does anyone have any news on when they live shows will return?

146 

Date: 2005-11-13 21:04:02
Carl ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Boy, the old creeps sure aren't as fun to watch as the new creeps. I remember being into them years ago, but they're hard to sit through now. Please PLEASE bring back Count Graves, Max, and the gang!

145 

Date: 2005-11-13 05:32:15
Janet Wys ( janetwys@hotmail.com / no homepage) wrote:

Salty Sam - Was a Host at local Eatery on Knoxville Ave... What was the name of that establishment? Jan

144 

Date: 2005-11-11 23:18:28
Steven Jones ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

All the way, Emily! :-)

143 

Date: 2005-11-11 22:34:32
Little Emily from Macomb ( Corpseaspondent@cemetery.tv / no homepage) wrote:

Well, I'm still as upset as Joan Crawford in a closet full of wire hangers. I hadn't been so excited since they brought back Thingmakers and Volkswagen Beetles as when ACF returned to TV. I even thought I could finagle a "Creep of the Week" t-shirt after 30 years. I liked the B movies, I got to like the new Creeps, and I even liked Chuck. Cripes, who cares if he says the same thing every week? He's not Lionel Barrymore, sure, he's more like my uncle who told the same stories all the time but we listened anyway. I don't care who sponsors the show, just bring back the movies, the Creeps, and let Chuck host the doggone thing and chat during the breaks. Who's with me?

Little Emily from Macomb

142 

Date: 2005-11-11 22:10:45
Michael ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I've been watching all the posts on here since ACF came back. My wife is an old fan of the show as she watched it when she was younger. Because of that we had the Acri people here for a proposal to put new vinyl siding on our home. As a businessman myself I might know why Acri won't come back. Much to the disappointment of my wife.

First, the salesperson spent most of 3½ hours telling about his different careers. Secondly, when he quoted us a price it was shocking. About 200 squares of siding & installation for about $17,000. We got just as good of siding from a local contractor but with a few more seams for only $8,000. Same dbl lifetime warranty and quality and R4 factor.

I don't mind watching the characters and my wife enjoys seeing the old show back. But poor old Chuck or I guess his kids are pricing themselves out of business especially in today's economy. Money matters!

I do understand about the Ted Turner issue. He owns a lot of movie rights. I have a lot of the old movies on DVD and they are all owned by AMC, TNT, ACM, Universal or Sci-FI. Too many royality issues.

141 nbsp;

Date: 2005-11-10 19:22:14
Steven Jones ( maxandbuddy@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Thanks for the prompt reply, Mr. Ruggles. I'll keep my fingers crossed things work out in the ACF's favor. Even if it doesn't, I'm sure I'm not the only person here who appretiates KLJB bringing the show back even for a little while.

140 

Date: 2005-11-10 18:42:29
Brad Ruggles ( creaturefeature@kljb.com / http://www.kljb.com) wrote:

Steven-

The Acri Creature Feature will be in re-runs through the end of 2005.
The movies will be as follows:

11/12/05 - Night of the Living Dead
11/19/05 - Carnival of Souls
11/26/05 - Devil Bat
12/03/05 - Dead Men Walk
12/10/05 - The Crawling Hand
12/17/05 - The Terror
12/24/05 - Vampire Bat
12/31/05 - House on Haunted Hill

All of these shows will feature the original Vincent and Emmett sketches that aired earlier this year.

At this time, KLJB is not at liberty to discuss the status of the shows return in 2006, or what form it would take should it return at that time.

IF an announcement is made concerning the shows status, I will post it here so you all will be the first to know.

Thanks for your interest.

Sincerely-

Brad Ruggles
Production Manager
KLJB-TV FOX 18

139 

Date: 2005-11-10 15:29:50
Steven Jones ( Sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

I was wondering if someone from the Acri Company or the television station might be able to fill us in on the official status of the show. I noticed that the Acri website only lists movies up until Nov. 5, so I was wondering if the plan was only to run the ACF up until this date and no longer. Or is the show truly on hiatus with reruns but will return with original episodes after the first of the year. (In which case, would the Count's death only be a cliffhanger?)

If the second incarnation of the ACF has run its course, it would be nice to know. If it will be back, that would be nice to know, too.

138 

Date: 2005-11-09 03:23:41
Cousin It ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I'm enjoying all your posts guys. I love the show and especially like that the characters are in here too.

Hey, Rob! I'd go to a party to watch the show. That seems like a fun idea. Creep drinks and eats . I think the count and max would be interested in showing up to boost the interest, don't you?

137 

Date: 2005-11-08 21:40:29
Secretary Teri ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

The funeral arrangements have been announced today. The body (what's left of it) was taken to Dave's Discount House of Death. (there was a 15% off coupon in the River Cities Bleeder). Right now the services are scheduled for Midnight at the mortuary. No public viewing is planned. Memorials may be made to the KLJB TV in Davenport.

136 

Date: 2005-11-08 15:54:22
Rob ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I bet the "Remain Nameless" guy from earlier post is right about this being about money, not the movies. Who would really complain?! The Creature shows have always been about the campy creeps and little comedy breaks, not the film. Sometimes the bad movies even make for a better Creature Feature !

Could it be that Acri isn't selling enough siding to pay for the show? Is it possible that because Chuck doesn't even own the company anymore, that he has lost some of his barganing power with his kids that run the company?

I am glad the show came back. I was a fan before, and am a BIG fan of the new creeps. Would love to know the truth about why Creature Feature will not be a part of my Saturday night for the rest of the year! Will they really be back in January?!

135 

Date: 2005-11-08 04:01:20
Little Emily from Macomb ( Corpseaspondent@cemetery.tv / no homepage) wrote:

Well, I'm madder than Liz Taylor in a pair of polyester purple stretch pants that someone off'd the Count. Just when the pointy toothed pest was creeping under my skin and all too. Shoot dang!

Now I have it on good authority that if a vampire gets staked, he turns to dust, kind of like Pigpen. And we've all seen Dracula turn up again in millions of sequels. I think that those ornery camera operatin' trolls piled on each other's shoulders under a coat to look like a menacing figure. I think it's like the "Bobby's Dead" dream episode on Dallas.

As for the movies, THESE ARE CAMPY AND FUN! MST3000 had a good run making fun of bad movies, for crying out loud. Face it, middle aged people staying up late to watch TV aren't expecting Academy Award winning films. My husband and I are up late to laugh and be entertained and add to the collection of wrinkles on our faces.

Geez, stop my rambling already... Max, if you need a new job, I could get you a job hustlin' bed pans where I work.

Little Emily from Macomb

134 

Date: 2005-11-07 21:50:42
Steven Jones ( Sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Interesting. I was going to tell Count Graves that I would love to get more information about dropping by the mansion, but it seems I'm a tad tardy. I do hope the show will return after the first of the year. It sure seems to have drummed up quite a bit of interest.

Regarding the movies, I have read the playlist on the television station's website, and I'm not sure what the problem is. Many of these same movies have been playing on a local cable access program from Kirkwood Community College for a couple of years now, and though the program is not a creature feature, its host and his antics have become popular in C.R. And while it's nice to watch the A-level films, part of the joy of watching a creature features is seeing some out and out turkeys, too. Hey, these movies are fun! I wish Chuck wasn't taking the complaints so seriously. If the ratings are good, isn't that all that matters.

Just my two-cents worth. :-)

133 

Date: 2005-11-07 20:37:34
Rob ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Hey Fellow Creeps. Is anyone doing a get together to watch the Creature Feature? I'm thinking of starting a party at a bar/restaurant to watch the show. Maybe the cast would stop buy and hang out too? I think it could turn into a cool thing!

132 

Date: 2005-11-07 18:42:59
Secretary Teri ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Dear Ed Young-

I'm Count Graves Secretary Teri. I schedule all his personal appearances and keep his schedule. I can confirm that the Count was NOT in the Moline parade, but receiving electrolysis widow's peak hair sculpting treatments that day. I spoke with Max and he said it was really him in that parade.

ALSO, please send along your thoughts and prayers for Max's well being. With the Count's murder over the weekend, you can imagine the tough times he's going through.

131 

Date: 2005-11-07 17:22:58
Leon ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Yeah, I can't believe they offed Count Graves!!! What's going on?! Are they bringing him back? This show is getting better every week and now they kill him and go into reruns? AAAAAHHH! Maybe we'll have to turn to our corpseaspondent from Macomb to figure it out!

130 

Date: 2005-11-07 16:56:57
remain nameless ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

in response to this statement:

"Chuck announced on last night's Creature Feature that the show was going into 'Rerun mode' until after the first of the year, showing the best of the Creature Feature until then. He mentioned he has had complaints regarding the movies and blamed availability on Turner Broadcasting having all the good movies tied up! "

It has nothing to do with Turner Broadcasting or any complaints....or anything or anyone...it has to do with money.

129 

Date: 2005-11-07 14:49:53
jason ( none@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

Hello did anyone notice that the count got wacked...on this weekends show.

128 

Date: 2005-11-07 00:31:33
Ed Young ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Sure looked like Count Graves and Max to me... but maybe I need new glasses.

How about it Count? Was it you and Max in the Moline parade or was it a couple of stand ins?

127 

Date: 2005-11-07 00:01:13
Nick ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

That was not THE count in the Moline parade. Count Graves was fantastic in the Bettendorf Halloween parade, but the guy in the Moline parade was someone else. I loved seeing Chuck and Max in Bettendorf too, but wondered where the rest of the gang was! What's really going on with the show?

126 

Date: 2005-11-06 16:20:12
Ed Young ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Chuck announced on last night's Creature Feature that the show was going into 'Rerun mode' until after the first of the year, showing the best of the Creature Feature until then. He mentioned he has had complaints regarding the movies and blamed availability on Turner Broadcasting having all the good movies tied up!

I'll also add that when I was giving blood Thursday, I was wearing an old Creature Feature t-shirt. The cookie lady, who had to be at least 80 saw the shirt and commented how she used to love watching the show! Not sure if she watched it now though.

Regarding the Count's formula, I guess it's a good thing for him it was a cloudy, rainy day when Moline had it's Halloween parade!

125 

Date: 2005-11-06 00:12:59
Little Emily from Macomb ( Corpseaspondent@cemetery.tv / no homepage) wrote:

Now Count, what made you think I rejected your invitation. I would love to visit you and Max at the mansion. My husband would love to meet Hot Tottie. It's just very hard for me to get away. This coming week just wouldn't work either so I'll have to keep my eye out for the right date. Sooner or later I'll have a Wednesday free, I'm just so busy in Macomb.

Might I suggest some SPF300 for your daylight problem. Have Max run out and get 20 bottles of SPF15 that should add up.

Cross your fingers Count, someday I'll stop by Graves Mansion.

Little Emily from Macomb

124 

Date: 2005-11-04 19:50:20
COUNT GRAVES ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Greetings again Creepies! Yes, Mr. Jones, I'm serious about you visiting. I think that's what will make our program tastier...visits from the real Creepazoids! I also need to finish my formula so I can venture out into the light without becoming a crispy critter. The time has come to take the show to the next level!!!

COUNT GRAVES

P.S. Are you related to Madame Esmerelda Jones?

123 

Date: 2005-11-04 19:20:48
Steven Jones ( Sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Dear Count,

If you're serious, just tell me when and where. I'd be honored.

And, Ed, if you miss my email, I received your surprise...and all I can say is I hope Doc Jitters enjoys it as much as I am. It is wonderful! :-)

122 

Date: 2005-11-02 22:29:16
Dave ( none@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

See you in about an hour in half count...
HA HA HA HA HA HA...

121 

Date: 2005-11-02 21:09:00
COUNT GRAVES ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Dear Mr. Jones-

Welcome back, my friend. I would be glad to have you visit the Graves Mansion too. I think having guests on the show would be a great addition, don't you? And, who better to start with that Little Emily from Macomb. Sadly, she's rejected the Counts request.

Count Graves

120 

Date: 2005-11-02 19:58:22
Little Emily from Macomb ( Corpseaspondent@cemetery.tv / no homepage) wrote:

Count... Here's one for you. Your bloodline is tainted.

http://landing.ancestry.com/famoustree/dracula/

And Steve... it could get worse. Dave could actually make sense.

119 

Date: 2005-11-02 18:17:42
Steve Jones ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Oooooooookay.

Things be getting weird 'round here.

118 

Date: 2005-11-02 15:36:49
Dave ( none@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

Oh count, you never said if i can visit the graves mansion.. it could be fun you never know what might happen... HA HA

117 

Date: 2005-11-02 01:35:52
Max ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Oh, Emily, The Count may not be your type but you should check out my cell. Your picture has my little horns a twitching.
I would show you my etchings but the only etchings I have are on my back from when the Count was going through his Renaissance stage.

Yours,
Max

116 

Date: 2005-11-01 19:41:04
COUNT GRAVES ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Dearest Little Emily from Macomb-

Oh, how you disappoint me. I had something special planned for you too! Couldn't you at least stop by for a drink?

Count

115 

Date: 2005-11-01 18:52:36
Little Emily from Macomb ( Corpseaspondent@cemetery.tv / no homepage) wrote:

Well Count, not sure I'm your type, I'm AB+. Thought I'd send a recent photo someone snapped when I wasn't expecting it.

Recent Photo

114 

Date: 2005-11-01 18:45:26
Dave ( none@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

I will meet you at the graves mansion for a bite count.. lets say wed at 6ish

113 

Date: 2005-10-31 17:25:46
COUNT GRAVES ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Dearest Little Emily from Macomb-

Want visit me in the Graves Mansion? I'd love to have you for a bite this Wednesday night at 6:00pm.

Count

112 

Date: 2005-10-29 16:23:05
Little Emily from Macomb ( Corpseaspondent@cemetery.tv / no homepage) wrote:

oooohhhhh looky looky..... the gangs all here! I'm so excited to find you all here. Count Graves ,I see you liked my photo expose' of the creep of California last week. Hope you got over the fright. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for other accidents of nature but there are so many out there. Keep up the great show!

Good Fright,
Little Emily from Macomb

111 

Date: 2005-10-28 03:31:59
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

Goth Girl.. hilarious! Max... would you happen to have two tens for a five? The least that you could do is give me the ten that you owe me! :-))

110 

Date: 2005-10-28 00:52:05
Goth Girl ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

...

109 

Date: 2005-10-28 00:24:06
Max Moiderer ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Hello everyone it is me lovable old Max. It is so touching that you are all so interested in me. In correspondence to come I will fill you in as fully as I can remember. But first 2 things:

1. In response to Michele Concannon inquiry the actors in "The Boys from Brooklyn" were Sammy Petrillo as the Jerry Lewis type and Duke Mitchell as the Dean Martin character and of course Bela Lugosi as the Doctor. This movie can be found on DVD under the title "Bela Lugosi meets a Brooklyn Gorilla." and can be purchased at stores like Borders for about 8.00 dollars.

2.Master, may I have a raise?

I really like the cereal idea and might have to try it.

Lovable,
Max

108 

Date: 2005-10-27 23:46:13
COUNT GRAVES ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Too much time, Dave? You might even say...an eternity.

107 

Date: 2005-10-27 17:11:02
Steven Jones ( Sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Hey, Doc Jitters! This guestbook is turning into quite the meeting place! This site might be needing a forum if this keeps up! :-)

106 

Date: 2005-10-27 14:40:15
Gary Chenoweth ( gchenoweth@kljb.com / http://www.kljb.com) wrote:

Dave i am the floor director for the ACF, and I just want to say. Please chill out. Alot of people work very hard to get this show on the air, and it is all in good fun. that is all I have to say,until next time
SWEET SCREAMS.

105 

Date: 2005-10-27 14:24:48
Dave ( none@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

Someone has way to much time...

104 

Date: 2005-10-27 00:55:43
COUNT GRAVES ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Yes, but that was before the accident! Max was touring the cereal factory and something went terribly wrong. Some hot goo tumbled from a lofty bin and left Max as the poor, disfigured man (?) you now see. Sure, there was a nice settlement, but his days of cover boy stardom took a serious blow.

103 

Date: 2005-10-27 00:01:04
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

I was under the impression that you were at one time his agent and brokered a deal with a major cereal company.

102 

Date: 2005-10-26 17:58:46
COUNT GRAVES ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Good Evening Creepies! I want to thank Rich for all his efforts here and, of course, for the questions about Max. I also have many questions about Max. I don't remember where I met him exactly. It may have been in a dark airport terminal in Philly, if I'm not mistaken. The details are a little sketchy, but I believe he had a bag of type O Negative (my favorite) and he shared it as we passed the time. I didn't know at the time he'd prove so useful...or to be such a pain in the neck. Still, he mixes a wicked bloody Mary, so what the heck.

101 

Date: 2005-10-25 04:34:37
John Gumbrell ( horizoncards@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

Sometimes we get lost in the present, it's more than nostalgia, that brings us back home. Thanks for the Acri-Creature Feature.

100 

Date: 2005-10-25 02:51:04
Michele Concannon ( bnmconcannon@aol.com / no homepage) wrote:

I enjoy the creaturefeature and wanted to know the name of the actors in the movie of Oct.1st,The Brooklyn Boys. I would like to buy the movie eventually. Thank you for your talent and entertainment. Sincerely, Michele Concannon

99 

Date: 2005-10-24 02:19:05
Ed Young ( no email / http://lotusracer.home.mchsi.com/) wrote:

Chuck and the creeps made the scene at the Moline Halloween parade down 23rd Avenue today. I yelled out to Chuck: "Thanks for bringing back the show, we love it". He smiled. Sadly, it was a rainy day so I didn't have my camera with me!

98 

Date: 2005-10-22 22:27:59
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

Count Graves ... what an honor to have you here! I have a few questions for you! Is Max your best friend or your worst nightmare? How when and where did you meet him? He seems one minute to have your back and the next to bite your back!

For all of you creepazoid wanna-bees, that is Goth Girl on the Left and Max on the right. Our fearless leader is in the middle in one of his best poses. It is really great to see that you and Max both made it out of the lawn bags. You had me concerned there that the city might require a sticker for pickup if you stayed in them too long.

97 

Date: 2005-10-22 21:37:46
Count Graves ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Greetings Creepazoids! Rich contacted me on my spell phone asking me to stop by the House of Jitter's to say hello. Looking forward to our visits every Saturday night! Feel free to ask any questions about characters...looks like there's a ton of information already!

96 

Date: 2005-10-22 19:28:22
Gary ( gchenoweth@kljb.com / http://www.kljb.com) wrote:

just some info from your friendly floor director....

to whome ask about the creeps.

Max is the count servant.
Goth Girl, just came over one day to see who moved in, and she has never left.
Lani is the count's neice
Madam e is a fortune teller that the count uses when he needs help.
and hot tottie is the one that keeps all of them in line. which is also a play on the classic line from chuck.

I hope that helps a little.
Thanks Gary

95 

Date: 2005-10-22 01:10:57
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

oops.. one more step. when you click the picture... then you are on acri's site. click on creature feature (the words... top left) then click the picture and wait for the download.

94 

Date: 2005-10-22 00:31:03
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

Click on the picture. It will take you to Acri's website. Click on the same picture (left hand side) when you get there. I sure hope you have a high speed connection, it took me 5 minutes at high speed to get it moving. Its worth the wait... You will get the beginning of the show with Vincent, followed by a Chuck sales pitch on his kokomo bar. Then Vincent & Emmett come back on with a "bury the hatch skit".

93 

Date: 2005-10-22 00:13:52
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

To everyone at KLJB. It would be great to see some pictures of the new creeps on this message board. I am actually suprised that the creeps haven't come in here once a week to tell us about each character.

92 

Date: 2005-10-21 19:00:21
Gary ( gchenoweth@kljb.com / http://www.kljb.com) wrote:

Hello all my name is gary chenoweth and i am the floor director for the ACF. just wanted to say keep all the great comments coming. and thanks for watching. until next time, Sweet Screams...........

91 

Date: 2005-10-21 18:47:31
StevenJones ( Sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

S-w-e-e-e-e-e-t!

Talk about "Ask and ye shall receive"! Thank you very much, Rich. I ran a Google on the ACF a few days ago hoping some newspaper or other media might have been a story on the program that featured pictures. Appears I was a tad impatient! :-) These new creeps sound like a talented bunch!

Thanks again for posting the 4-1-1, Rich! You've made this ol' Acri fan very happy. :-)

90 

Date: 2005-10-21 11:05:11
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2005/09/04/features/weekend/doc43193fcdbcce8015300051.txt

89 

Date: 2005-10-21 05:04:42
Donna ( smockamama@hotmail.com / no homepage) wrote:

The "It's a Mystery" website is www.itsamysteryqc.com The creeps have shows scheduled for Oct. 28, Nov. 18, Dec. 9, and Jan. 20 at the Lodge Hotel in Bettendorf. The number they give for tickets and info is 563-355-6100. This sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks for bringing these talented people to our attention.

88 

Date: 2005-10-20 20:01:38
Rob ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I think the idea with the counts name is...Count all of the graves. Or, Olaf D. Graves when put into name form. But, you're right about how funny the bits are when able to focus on them. They are getting better each week as they learn to do television. Most of us, other than Paris Hilton, don't have much experience making videos. They probably haven't done much on camera until Acri.

87 

Date: 2005-10-20 15:02:58
Steven Jones ( Sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Thanks, Rich and Ed. (Great website, BTW, Rich! Captain Ernie brought back memories of Dr. Max and Mombo here in Cedar Rapids.)

The shows sounds like a lot of fun, though I was surprised by the "Count Olaf" name. (Any connection to any popular books out right now? Hmmm?) It sounds like the new creeps are very active within the framework of the show, and I always thought the ACF worked best when Chuck had Berni the Skull on with him doing much the same thing. (Although, maybe it was me, but there were times I got the feeling Chuck and the actor voicing Berni may not have always been on the best of terms. At times, though, they really played off each other wonderfully.)

Thanks again, guys, and I'll keep an eye out for any other information from other fans. One of these days I might just have to see if I can talk the wife and daughter into checking into some hotel in Davenport on a Saturday night just so we can watch the ACF! I'm not sure how else I'll ever get to see it. :-/

86 

Date: 2005-10-20 02:59:28
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

As one of the long-time ACF fans outside the KLJB viewing area, I was wondering if anyone visiting the guest book could pass along some information about the new creeps. Descriptions? Names? A little about a sketch or two? Heck, it'd be nice to know if the ACF is even still using "Windmills" for their theme.

yes, they have the same theme song. Scott Naumann is Count Olaf D. Graves. Max Moiderer is played by Jim Seward. both are from a local interactive acting troupe called "its a mystery". They have a few other creeps with them. Max plays another cartoonish character who stopped by a couple of weeks ago and Stephanie Seward plays Goth Girl who has popped in a couple of times.

The skits are funny if you pay attention closely. They do tend to talk a little fast with their false teeth and accents to catch what they are saying at all times which kills a few of their jokes.

One skit had goth girl with a super human strength practically breaking the arm off of max. funny stuff. max is really cartoony, he looks like a devil werewolf druid type guy. olaf is a bit more serious .. he is a vampire, of course, and is occasionally on edge nerve wise due to max's hyjinks.

the breakdown on the show is something like this:

acri comes on to introduce the movie

the count breaks into acri who is unaware of the intrusion and introduces the movie instead

20 minutes or so into the movie the creeps come on and do a skit

then we see chuck followed by a movie

creeps come back with knock knock jokes sent in

back to chuck and the movie

creeps come back and finish the skit

back to chuck and the movie

another character that appears occasionally is a woman named Hot Toddie which is a play on chuck and his yearning for hot toddys every sat night on his deluxe kokomo bar

at one point they have promised the be on location and have local celebs on. i have not seen an episode like this yet but they are still developing characters. it would be fantastic if they showed up somewhere like the old creeps. northpark mall is prime for the picking. so is john o'donnell. i will be amazed if they did not have the vision to make a grand entrance somewhere on halloween. bare minimum they should have a huge show on that saturday night. kljb should have them on with 15 second ad cut-ins all day & night friday and sat halloween weekend.

barb engstrom plays hot toddie

chuck is actually the glue to the show. he is the bridge from the 70's to today. actually the show rises and falls with his presence which is amazing since he is giving the commercial end.

around the 2nd break he has what he calls his sleepy next door neigbor friend over and they go thru any kids drawings that have been sent in and give away tshirts.

did i miss anything?

85 

Date: 2005-10-18 21:51:07
Ed Young ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Several weeks ago, information on the 'group' the new creeps come from was shown on the program. I made a note of their website url, but misplaced it! They do other acting things besides what they do for the show. If it's shown again, I'll try to remember to pass it on here. IIRC they do still use the "Windmill" song at the very beginning... I'll have to pay more attention to that too. Guess this old man has trouble being alert at 11pm!

84 

Date: 2005-10-17 18:35:53
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Hey everyone!

Thanks for keeping things interesting here. If you have a suggestion for the Acri CF show, please just remember to be respectful. That's all.

My internet connection has been down for a long while and I'm writing from work at the moment. I would've liked to have an update to the website by Halloween but I don't think I can do it. Steve Jones has been incredibly patient and I apologize for my lack of discipline! :)

I hope everybody has a fun Halloween!

83 

Date: 2005-10-17 18:14:31
Steven Jones ( Sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

As one of the long-time ACF fans outside the KLJB viewing area, I was wondering if anyone visiting the guest book could pass along some information about the new creeps. Descriptions? Names? A little about a sketch or two? Heck, it'd be nice to know if the ACF is even still using "Windmills" for their theme.

82 

Date: 2005-10-17 16:31:35
Rob ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Thank God for the new creeps! Watched for a few nights when show came on in summer. Time has not been kind to the old creeps. I sure remember liking them back in the day, but glad they are updated to new guys. Can't wait to see them out and about in the community like the old days!

81 

Date: 2005-10-16 06:49:48
Donna ( smockamama@hotmail.com / no homepage) wrote:

I love the local personalities! Remember "Live On Tape" with Arnie Upshoe and his exploding burrito and E.J. Crackerhorn who was in love with the Barbie doll? These new creeps are a hit!! Great show Chuck! We love ya!!!

80 

Date: 2005-10-11 23:53:24
Ellen Crispen ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I have fond memories of watching the creature feature growing up. Chuck isn't the same, but is a familiar like Jim said. I'm glad its back. I really do like the new style creeps more than the old silent movie format. It was fine back then, but was hard to watch during the return. People will have the fond memories of these creeps like I do of the past shows.

79 

Date: 2005-10-11 14:57:41
Brad Ruggles ( creaturefeature@kljb.com / http://www.kljb.com) wrote:

Hi all,

I wanted to stop by to say that yes, KLJB does check this message board quite regularly.
We read and appreciate everyones comments...even Dave's.
We welcome any and all input from our viewers, good, bad or indifferent.
So thank you to everyone who has an opinion to voice and for excercising your right to do so, and thank you to Dr. Jitters for creating this forum.

Sincerely,

Brad Ruggles
Production Manager
KLJB-TV FOX 18
creaturefeature@kljb.com

78 

Date: 2005-10-10 16:04:31
Steven Jones ( Sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

For Lisa McGraw, I am so sorry to hear about Rita hitting your home. I hope things have improved enough that you have been able to return home, and please know that you and all the victims of Rita and Katrina haven been in my family's prayers.

Regarding Dave, I agree with Dr. Jitters. Chuck IS the show, in many ways. Watch SNL if don't like it.

If the folks at KLJB are reading, THANK YOU for bringing back the program and taking a chance on local programming at a time when such shows have been relegated to public access.

77 

Date: 2005-10-08 19:12:00
jim ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Hey...Chuck is the familiar friendly face that gives the show its anchor and its down-home warmth! Keep in mind that no one is FORCING you to buy windows or ciding...it's purely your choice but ease up on Chuck! For us "old timers" who grew up watching this TV classic, it wouldn't be the Creature Feature without him! Nuff said!

76 

Date: 2005-10-07 03:29:56
Nick ( Nick@msn.com / no homepage) wrote:

Yeah, it's nice to see Chuck still at it after all these years. It brings back lots of great memories doesn't it? I think Chuck is an important part of the show, but wouldn't mind more entertaining segments with him. He seems like he'd be fun if he loosed up. I have loved the creature feature forever no matter what!

75 

Date: 2005-10-07 00:34:56
Robert ( no email / http://www.hawkeyesports.com) wrote:

Dear Dave (below),
You wrote that whoever's in charge of the show should lose the old man. Let me see...the name of the show is the Acri Creature Feature...the old man's name is Chuck Acri...hmmm, I wonder who's in charge and who's paying to put the show on the air...
Think before you write. Moron.

74 

Date: 2005-10-06 21:58:12
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Dear Dave, [below]

We get it. You've made your point. Please give it a rest.

-jitters

73 

Date: 2005-10-06 20:35:36
Dave ( none@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

Well i see that the part with chuck is still on the air. I like the creeps but someone please get rid of the salesman begging me or should i say B.S.n me into trying to buy some stupid windows.. my thought to who ever is in charge of the show lose the old man....

72 

Date: 2005-10-05 21:59:49
Cousin It ( dontwannasay@msn.com / no homepage) wrote:

I'm so glad there are new creeps doing the break parts on Creature Feature. Those old ones were impossible to sit through. They needed to go back to the cellar where they came from.

71 

Date: 2005-10-03 14:41:57
Brad ( creaturefeature@kljb.com / http://www.kljb.com) wrote:

Rich, (and everyone else)

Thanks for all of your comments and for watching creature feature.
I just wanted to point out that we do list our upcoming movie schedule on kljb.com, however, the (incorrect)creep of the week ad you posted is found on the acri company website (acricompany.com), and KLJB has no control over the content the acri company posts on their own site.

Again, thanks for watching!

70 

Date: 2005-10-03 00:59:31
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat) wrote:

kljb has done a great job in promoting the show.. especially on their site. i really like that fact that they are showing what movies are coming up. tip of the day to kljb... look at your ad for the creep of the week.. it still reads sat night at midnight. i believe that the starting time is now 11pm. i cant wait for the creeps to show up in the community like they did in the early 70's

Upcomming Movies

8/27 Werewolf in a Girls Dormitory

9/3 Godzilla vs. Megalon

9/10 Last Man on Earth

9/17 Satanic Rites of Dracula

9/24 Hercules in the Haunted World

10/1 Boys From Brooklyn

10/8 Killer Klowns From Outer Space

10/15 Wolfman

10/22 Vampires Coffin

10/29 Tales From The Dark Side

11/5 Scream of the Wolf

69 

Date: 2005-10-02 05:28:55
Lisa McGraw ( mgr27390@wmconnect.com / no homepage) wrote:

I grew up here in the quad's,but moved to texas 15 years ago.I evacuated from rita to the only state i would feel at home in and as i sit in the motel your show came on. as a child i watched your show every time it aired,at this difficult time in my life thank you for still airing your show and making my night full of happy childhood memories and keeping my thoughts off of the hurricane disaster if it is only for a few short hours.

68 

Date: 2005-09-30 17:29:22
Steven Philip Jones ( sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

I haven't posted in the guestbook for a long time, but I just wanted to say that it is great to know that the Acri Creature Feature is back on! It's also heartbreaking, since I live in Cedar Rapids, and, in the words of Bernie the Skull, "I can't see it, Mr. A! I can't see it!"

It is good to hear that the show has a set now, and that a new cast of creeps for a new generation of fans has been added. As for the hard-sell...well, gang, that was ALWAYS a part of the program, and I've got the audio tape to prove it. But the pitches were usually softened by the interplay between Chuck and Bernie, and hopefully that will happen again with one or more of the new creeps.

The popularity of local programming isn't what it once was, but hopefully the ACF will prove popular enough that Chuck will decide to expand out like he did in the Seventies. Perhaps one day one of our local channels will run the show here and I can join in the on the fun. Until then, have a glass of lutin on me, and "God Bless You All!"

67 

Date: 2005-09-28 17:20:13
Mike Hamric ( hamricm@hotmail.com / no homepage) wrote:

I look forward to every Sat Night Thanks for the memories.

66 

Date: 2005-09-28 00:30:31
Emily ( annette1m@netscape.net / http://emmasplace.bravehost.com) wrote:

Great site.

65 

Date: 2005-09-27 18:34:58
Nick ( Nick@msn.com / no homepage) wrote:

What is Acri thinking with his hard sell every week? Less Chuck selling, more creepy bits with the characters. I can only stand so much of Chuck begging us to call Acri Company. There is a good way to get a message across and a poor way. Acri doesn't understand how to sell effectively. Many of my friends that enjoy these creature type old movies agree with me!

64 

Date: 2005-09-23 04:45:56
Jeff Colwell ( jcolwell@mtco.com / no homepage) wrote:

I remember Capt. Jinks and Salty sam very well. As a child growing up in Chillicothe(Central Il) some of my fondest memories are from those two.Always clowning around. I can remember some very cold mid-west winters where I set covered up keeping warm by the cartoons and The Capt. and Salty's Hi-Jinx.

63 

Date: 2005-09-12 20:12:39
Cousin It ( dontwannasay@msn.com / no homepage) wrote:

Chuck was not drunk, but had certainly been drugged by one of the vampire zombies in the Vincent Price movie. The pills were, of course, washed down with vodka to speed the absorption. I thought the aimless rambling added to the illusion that he was under the vampire's power!

62 

Date: 2005-09-12 15:04:11
dave ( none@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

I mean no disrespect to the creature feature but was it just me or was chuck drunk on this last show? just my thoughts other than that i thought the new creeps are great.

61 

Date: 2005-09-10 01:44:58
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Being out of the area I haven't seen the new Creeps yet, but I can't wait to now after reading some of the more recent comments.

I agree with Ed below about getting the cameras out of the studio and shooting in local spots. A lot of the fond memories of the old show, really the whole MAGIC of local productions, comes from the viewers being able to identify ourselves with the people on the screen, and when they're goofing around in the store where we buy OUR groceries, etc., it's just FUN!

60 

Date: 2005-09-09 20:02:20
Nick ( nick@msn.com / no homepage) wrote:

The best part of the show is the creeps. Why else would anyone watch these movies? You don't really think that I'm tuning in to learn about energy loss or see a crappy movie do you? When I'm in the market for siding, I'll call Acri because I think of them first. But, when Chuck starts the heavy sales pitch, I'm on my way to the fridge!

59 

Date: 2005-09-09 18:51:11
dave ( none@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

just would like to know what the over all thought is about the show. is the best part, the creeps or chuck or the movie? or all three.

58 

Date: 2005-09-08 21:15:19
Cousin It ( dontwannasay@msn.com / no homepage) wrote:

Like what I see from the new Creeps. I hope they add stuff to the mansion walls as this goes along. They have a great look! I prefer them staying in the mansion over going to cheesy restaurants or whatever. Keeps the creepy mood going better in the house from what I've seen.

57 

Date: 2005-09-06 18:08:11
Vicki ( soldoncr@msn.com / no homepage) wrote:

Love the new creeps! Glad to see Acri back on the air. Watched it as a kid when my parents would let me stay up. Some of my fond memories include watching it with my Dad when my Mom was sick.

Keep up the good work!

56 

Date: 2005-09-04 21:20:05
Joseph ( Lemon@gmail.com / no homepage) wrote:

The show being on at 11:00 really helps! I usually tape it just in case I fall asleep, but that hasn't happened as often as the 12:00am start . I'm also going to give the new creeps a chance. I like them more than the old creeps, but they need to keep working on developing the characters. Would like to see them use Goth Girl and the other people in more effective ways.

55 

Date: 2005-09-04 17:21:18
Ed Young ( no email / http://lotusracer.home.mchsi.com/) wrote:

Was a little worried this week as the Creature Feature was not listed as being on, but it was!
The new creeps are growing on me a bit. Found the Frankenseinfeld "bit" amusing.

One thing I always enjoyed about the original creeps was seeing them out and about in the real world... at Tri-Cities in East Moline, or at the bowling alley over in Davenport. That just made watching them even more fun.

54 

Date: 2005-09-02 21:01:58
Doug Benson ( Benson@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

I think the new creeps are much better to watch than the tired old gags with Vincent and Emmitt. I remember them as a kid, but cannot see what exactly I liked about them. The aren't funny or scary. But, maybe as a kid my standards weren't very high! Regardless, these new guys will grow into the roles.

Doug

53 

Date: 2005-08-29 18:52:53
jim ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

...maybe the new "creeps" should also stick to the silent movie format! I'm willing to give them a chance, tho'. Who knows? In 20 years, the kids will be remembering these new creeps the same way we remember Vincent and Co. They are a theatre group, after all. Like the man said, "You can't re-heat a souflee'"...

52 

Date: 2005-08-28 22:20:41
Emily ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

There is "cheesy" that's fun and then there is cheesy that just plain stinks. I saw the new creeps last night and they don't hold a candle to Vincent, Emmett, Beauregard, and my old favorites. You gotta love a lovelorn vampire in a movie usher's tux wearing a black wig the likes of which I've only seen on Norman Bates' mother. My husband makes a better monster than that guy last night and all he has to do is roll out of bed to do it. I sure hope it gets better.

51 

Date: 2005-08-27 04:24:45
Rob ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I'm glad to see there are a few other fans out there--I hope the show lasts. When the show was on originally, my parents wouldn't let me stay up that late. Now that it's back on the air, my wife doesn't want me to stay up that late. Unlike my parents, I can tell her off and stay up anyway. Thanks, Chuck.

50 

Date: 2005-08-26 22:55:48
Alex Whisler ( melvinatehisbigtoe@yahoo.com / http://www.neopets.com/randomfriend.phtml?user=_kr3w_) wrote:

Howdy Dad Its your sun =D
Just droping by to say hi

49 

Date: 2005-08-21 23:19:50
rich ( sandyshamburgers@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/sandyshamburgers) wrote:

hey brad.. thanks for posting on here. i have really enjoyed acri's creature feature and faithfully watch it every saturday night. by the way, chuck announced that creature feature will be at 11pm instead of midnight for now on so dont forget to tune in early. acri's creature feature brings back something that has long been missing ... great local programming. thanks so much... i am sad that the old clips are done with but am looking forward to the new creeps. this past saturday, vincent finally got his girl. it would be interesting to know the context as to why he got the girl. did emmett leave at this point? did the girl (martha, i believe) leave? was this the last creature feature (i doubt it) in the original run? in any case, thanks for all of the fun and i hope it keeps going.. the episode at tri-city food stores was by far the best!

48 

Date: 2005-08-18 23:18:42
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Support your local Drive-In Theater!

Hey Creeps,

Just writing to direct you to Justin West's new Drive-In, The Galva Autovue in Galva, Illinois!

http://www.galvaautovue.com

Since he's an old Acri Creature Feature fan, I'm sure you'd like to visit and support his business. Check it out! :)

47 

Date: 2005-08-17 16:46:58
Brad Ruggles ( bruggles@kljb.com / http://www.kljb.com) wrote:

Hey Creature Feature Fans...thanks for sticking with us. I wanted to let all of you know that with this weekends show comes the last of the Vincent and Emmett skits that we have. (08-20-05) Next weekend, (08-27-05) Chuck will be introducing you to an all new cast of creeps that will be appearing weekly with all new skits.
Hope you like what you see...stay tuned.
We'd love to hear from you at creaturefeature@kljb.com

Sincerely-

Brad Ruggles
Production Manager
KLJB-TV FOX 18

46 

Date: 2005-08-10 17:43:27
Katie Jones ( Maxandbuddy@aol.com / no homepage) wrote:

I've never seen the show, but my dad has told me all about. He has heard the show is back on, but we don't get. :-( My dad is disappointed. He knows a ton about show, and what I've heard from him, it sounds like a great show. I've seen the best of tape though.

45 

Date: 2005-07-24 15:39:43
Terry ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I found the Creature Feature website from a link on the Captain Ernie website. Now, if we could only bring back Captain Ernie! Here is the link to the Captain Ernie's Showboat website. It brings back memories too: http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat/

44 

Date: 2005-07-24 07:51:14
John T. Cullen ( publishers@cox.net / http://www.invasionofthebodysnatchers.com/) wrote:

Thank you for posting a great website. I think Invasion of the Mushroom People will be a great movie in the tradition of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Read sample chapters at the website. Due to be released in 2006.

43 

Date: 2005-07-18 21:17:25
Martie ( Cocacolanut@mchsi.com / no homepage) wrote:

As a young teen I was a devoted fan of Creature Feature. Even today the theme music gives me the willys! Sometimes I watched at home with my family, and sometimes with friends at our Youth Director's home. The campy movies were great, but we really tuned in for Vincent and Emmett! So I was thrilled when I was asked to be in some of the sketches. What fun! If they decide to include some new stuff with the old, I am ready to join in. Thanks, Chuck, for bringing back Creature Feature!

42 

Date: 2005-07-09 00:24:54
guy acri ( guyacri@yahoo.ca / no homepage) wrote:

Very Acriish!!!

41 

Date: 2005-07-05 14:43:34
Donna ( smockamama@hotmail.com / no homepage) wrote:

When we needed siding for an addition to our house this past year, I thought of the Acri Company. We had enjoyed the Acri Creature Feature and one of our sons had won the honor of "creep of the week." He still has the T-shirt!! The salesman came to our home and we had a wonderful time reminiscing about the show. I asked him questions about chuck and the cast. Was I ever surprised to hear the show was coming back!! The siding job the Acri Company did and Chuck's reappearance on the show are both class acts!! Keep the shows coming!

40 

Date: 2005-06-23 13:52:30
Angie ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

My husband and I both have strong memories of watching "Creature Feature" every weekend. It was a staple of every sleepover or slumber party. Since we became parents 7 years ago of twin boys, we have often talked about the good ol' days of The Acri Company Creature Feature and how we would like to introduce our children to the old horror flicks. When I saw the TV advertisement that it was going to return, I couldn't believe it! We are thrilled that it has returned! Today's horror movies are too graphic and we missed the harmless frightening experience of watching "Creature Feature." While the program airs too late for our children to stay up to watch, we are taping the shows each week and then have our own family "Creature Feature Night." Thank you so much for bringing it back!

39 

Date: 2005-06-12 14:57:59
rich ( no email / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat/) wrote:

my mistake.. vincent and emmett were under the tree

38 

Date: 2005-06-12 14:55:08
rich ( no email / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat/) wrote:

on the show last night, vincent and hedges were under a tree. if i remember right, vincent was going to cut the tree down but hedges stopped him and showed him what looked like a badge.

does anyone know exactly what this badge was? i am guessing that emmett was a leaf officer?

after he flashed this badge, the text said "if you love your hump, dont leave a stump, save the trees!"

they were obviously playing off the nature craze of the 60's/early 70's but is this a badge & if so was it common?

37 

Date: 2005-06-12 08:36:38
Kevin Gibson ( kurios007@gmail.com / no homepage) wrote:

Greetings,
I was watching Fox 18 this Saturday night and I was surprised to see that Acri Creature Feature has been restored to Saturday nights after 25 years. I have many fond memories, as others have also shared, of staying up way too late and hoping to get creeped out by some monsters. I really enjoyed the old Acri Creature Feature and hope you may be planning on returning some of our old friends back to the new show. I also grew up with Captain Ernie and miss the cartoons of old.Yu Gi Oh is not for me. Any how, I really like your websight and can't wait to see what you may have instore for us Creature Feature fans in the future. From the few guest letters I read I think that there is a "cult" following of Acri Creature Features. God bless you all at the Acri Company and say hey to Chuck !

36 

Date: 2005-06-08 23:38:39
jim ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Hey everyone! It's good to know my suggestions are being read and appreciated. I am certainly passing the word to everyone that the Creature Feature is back and doing everything I can to get horror fans old and new to watch! I don't mean to be harsh or criticize the show (I love it regardless!)...I just thought it would be nice to share some ideas with other fans in hopes that we can make it more fun for everybody and try to get more people to tune in. Thanks KLJB for your feedback...you, too Dr. Jitters! Is there any more information on the "new talent search" to replace Vincent and company? (There really is no relacing them...just succeeding them!) Maybe I'll audition...ha ha! Stay spooked, everyone!

35 

Date: 2005-06-06 22:02:13
Brad Ruggles ( bruggles@kljb.com / http://www.kljb.com) wrote:

Firstly, thanks for watching and I just wanted to let you all know that you're comments on the Acri Creature Feature (on this site and KLJB's) aren't falling on deaf ears. All of your comments are passed along to everyone who has anything to do with the show. And Jim (below), you are correct, because of copyright laws, some of the original music on the old bits had to be changed. Please make sure you pass the word that the show is back. Obviously, the more response and sales Acri gets from the show, the longer it will hang around.
Keep watching, we truly do appreciate your support.
Sincerely-
Brad Ruggles
Production Manager
KLJB-TV FOX 18

34 

Date: 2005-06-06 21:09:36
Doc Jitters ( drjitters@mad.scientist.com / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Hey there! First off, thanks for commenting here in the guest book and for the emails I've received! The feedback is appreciated! Let me just remind you that there are additional pages in this guest book you can look back on. Brad Ruggles, the production manager of KLJB-TV, noted a page back that since the new Acri Creature Feature is out of the normal time frame for tracking ratings numbers, that your feedback to KLJB is important to gauge the viewer interest. Go to http://www.kljb.com and click on the "Contact Us" button to fill out a form with your comments included. That page contains additional contact information including the station address and phone number. Secondly, even though I'm on the west coast and I'm living vicariously through your messages, I agree with Jim (below). The STONE DUNGEON set added SO much atmosphere and created a sense of place for the Acri CF. Perhaps a highschool art student could recreate the old set for free! I'm sure Acri has some spare plywood laying around. I'd also agree that making comments about the lameness of the movies presented isn't necessary. :) Sure there's going to be a heavy cheese factor with these old films, but we still love 'em! Some of us, anyway. ;)

33 

Date: 2005-06-06 17:50:48
jim ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

After seeing Episode #2 Saturday night, I realized that they've changed the "incidental music" that accompanies the Vincent/Emmett sketches! I have the "Best Of Acri.." VHS and during the "grocery shopping spree" sketch, the songs that are playing are "Hey Good Lookin'" and "Wolves In the Kitchen" by Johnny Cash! Must be for copyright purposes.
Just a couple of quick suggestions:
1.) Bring back the "stone dungeon" set to add to the spooky atmosphere!
2.) Chuck needs to loosen up a bit! I know it's been years since he's done the show but it's not exactly encouraging when he introduces next week's movie and then says," If you've got something else to do then you'd better do it because this movie doesn't look very good." The idea here is to DRAW IN the viewers, not to drive them away! Just a thought!
Other than that, I'm thrilled to be watching the ol' Creature Feature again! Regardless of any shortcomings it currently may have, I'll tune in faithfully every Saturday night!!! Stay spooked, everyone!

32 

Date: 2005-06-06 00:05:18
rich ( captainerniesshowboat@yahoo.com / http://www.geocities.com/captainerniesshowboat/) wrote:

Episode #2 of Creature Feature. The Ghouls went to Tri-City Food Store in downtown East Moline. What a riot! What a blast from the past! If you saw this episode and are not in the area, Tri-City was a busy grocery store through the 1970's. Everyone bought from their meat department (which you can see in the episode)(the frozen cows you saw last night were visible through the meat counter window). The building that they were in does not exist any more (and neither does Tri-City)!

The very first segment has the incredible signs on the entrance side of the building such as wonderbread which were as tall as the building itself. CLASSIC!!!!!!

If someone taped this and can provide a screen shot of the side of the building when they went in, please post it here!

Thank you so much Chuck Acri & KLJB for bringing this back. I was dying of laughter at the skits.

Hedges checked out in lane #3 with BOX OF COUNT CHOCULA!!!!! IM DYING!

At the beginning of the show Chuck told us that it was way past his bedtime and that the movie was too scary so he wasn't going to watch it! HA!

Who would ever guess that we would get to see Tri-City food store again, both inside and out!!!!

THIS IS MUST SEE TV IF YOU ARE FROM THE AREA!!! TAPE IT IF YOU CAN'T STAY UP!

31 

Date: 2005-06-04 16:47:55
Jim ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Thank you KLJB-TV for reviving Chuck Acri's Creature Feature! As a kid, my brother and I were forbidden to stay up that late to watch it but as soon as Mom and Dad went to sleep, we would sneak into the living room at midnight and watch it anyway! Despite our parents' warnings that it would "give us nightmares" we absolutely loved it! It was my first introduction to all the classic Universal monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and my favorite, The Wolf Man. I continued to watch the Creature Feature throughout the years until it finally went to the ol' TV vault in the sky...I never lost my passion for those old monsters or the silly ones like Vincent, Emmett, or Bernie the Skull! Now it's fantastic to re-live those memories again every Saturday night at Midnight and you can bet that I, along with many other Creature Feature fans will be there to cheer on our old heroes and welcome back THE MAN himself, Chuck Acri!!! Thanks again for bringing it back! See you Saturday at Midnight!!!!

30 

Date: 2005-05-31 14:28:38
Donna ( cuddles3@netins.net / no homepage) wrote:

I grew up watching Creature Feature - unfortunately, I missed the May 28th revival show. It was my birthday, & we were away on vacation, darnit! However, I have MANY fond memories of watching Creature Feature - I was in love with Vincent! The little skits were sometimes far better than the movies! I can remember sitting in my dad's recliner in the dark, watching films such as "The Creature from the Black Lagoon", & my brother would sneak up behind me during a scary part, & scare me half to death! Chuck Acri was the perfect host, & the cast of silly characters was all we could talk about at school come Monday.
Now, I'm grown with kids of my own, & for years, I've been telling them about Chuck Acri & Creature Feature! NOW... I can show them! Thanks for bringing it back, I'm going to watch it EVERY weekend, just like I did as a kid!
P.S. I can remember missing the show one weekend, but I got home before it was over, only to find my mother scared half to death by the film. She was pretty embarrassed, but she FINALLY understood the show's appeal! Also, I remember quite well Captain Ernie & the Tennessee Showboat! Ernie Mims was the best!

29 

Date: 2005-05-29 20:25:03
rich ( whitesox7@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

some more memories... i must have been about seven years old and Hedges, Emmett and the Beauregard we down on fifteenth street at the four way stop handing out 8x10 pictures. mom drove me thru so i could get a picture. this picture on your site is the picture they gave me Hedges was also at Tri-City Grocery downtown East Moline playing hi-jinx on the customers for about two hours one time in the parking lot. I also mentioned Captian Ernie and Sandy's. Here is a picture of Sandy's grand opening in Rock Island Creature Feature, Captain Ernie and Sandy's. Unreal.. those were the days! So glad Acri brought it back!!!

28 

Date: 2005-05-29 20:13:30
rich ( whitesox7@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

What great memories! Thank you so much for your excellent Acri Creature Feature site! I watched Creature Feature when I was a kid and was able to watch it for the first time in 25 years last night on KLJB-18 local here! Great show! It all immediately came back to me as soon as the opening began! Definitely must see tv if you grew up in the Quad City area. Three great memories from that time period would be Captain Ernie on WOC, eating at Sandy's Drive-In (found a website at www.geocities.com/sandyshamburgers) and Acri Creature Feature! Great great memories!!!! Thanks again! - Rich

27 

Date: 2005-05-29 17:52:28
Emily ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

OH MY GOD! Deja vu! My old buddies Vincent Hedges and Beauregard the Werewolf are back! I was a regular viewer of Creature Feature years ago, watching it on WQAD TV out of Moline. I remember lying on the couch with the lights and the tv volume on low watching The Mummy and Creature from the Black Lagoon and of course, the adventures of Vincent and his cronies. A lot of times, I wouldn't quite make it to the end of the movie, falling asleep on the couch, snoring away with Buster the dog until I would wake up with my mother stamping her foot and staring me in the eye saying "Emily Ann, get to bed right now, we have CHURCH in the morning." Those were the days.....I remember having to march in the Santa Claus parade in Peoria and who should be there but Vincent and his creepy car. I was so thrilled I almost dropped my flute. Glad to see him "resurrected" and I look forward to seeing Creature Feature each week.

26 

Date: 2005-05-29 14:35:48
Sue ( suzziequzzi@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

I was so glad to hear Creature Feature was coming back! I have fond memories staying up late and watching it with my brother! Now I can share those memories with my kids! I have a much harder time staying up now that I am OLD! ha ha ha

25 

Date: 2005-05-29 03:37:50
Dennis ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

I'm just sitting here reading about others who use to watch acri creature feature and remember how me and my brother would stay up to watch it every week ,I'm getting older and find it harder to stay up that late but I will be watching tonight and remembering the good old days

24 

Date: 2005-05-28 01:04:43
Terry ( radarlove40@aol.com / no homepage) wrote:

I was excited to see Creature Feature coming back. I enjoyed it when I was a kid and now I'm looking forward to watching it with my own kids.

23 

Date: 2005-05-23 21:14:53
JASON ( jp_watson@hotmail.com / no homepage) wrote:

i'm a long time fan of the creature feature and former creep of the week, i was wondering if any of that memorabilia is available, since mine disappeared with the passing of time i wore out my creep of the week t-shirt in high school

22 

Date: 2005-05-20 15:53:30
Brad Ruggles ( no email / http://www.kljb.com) wrote:

Greetings Creature Feature Fans!
I am the Production Manager at KLJB-TV FOX 18.
We just wrapped up shooting the first new Acri Creature Feature. It will air at Midnight on Saturday, May 28th on KLJB-TV FOX 18.
Look for an interview with Chuck Acri in the Quad City Times either on Sunday, May 22nd or early the following week.
Our FOX 18 9 o'clock news will be airing a story about Chuck and Creature Feature on Wednesday, May 25th.
Help us spread the word and stay tuned!
Since it will be airing outside of our ratings period, the only way to measure viewership is by viewer response, so if you like what you see, go to the phone or the internet and LET US KNOW!
Thanks-

21 

Date: 2005-05-15 19:44:41
Diane Clodfeletr ( ladydi@qconline.com / http://www.pogo.com) wrote:

i remember looking forward to the creature feature every week, even into adulthood, i loved being scared mindless.

20 

Date: 2005-05-15 16:25:15
Ed Young ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

Just saw an advert, where the Acri Creature Feature is returing to our airwaves. Fox 18 will be carrying it starting Saturday night at Midnight, May 28th. It sounded like they will be showing original Creature Feature bits!

19 

Date: 2005-05-03 23:13:29
Terry Voorhees ( tvoorhs59@mchsi.com / no homepage) wrote:

I first started watching the show wen I was 15 years old waiting up for my dad to get off work up at Gales OMC. The show was a big hit fo my dad and my self, mybe not the best bonding relation ship for the shrinks out there but my father was still alive and it let me go back to better days and a better economy. And yes we did end up buying siding and I remember sending in my sister,s doll head in to enter in the creep of the week. All it got me was my ass beat... Ha.Ha. Ha. Can,t wait to see the show.

18 

Date: 2005-04-28 21:56:19
Dr. Jitters ( no email / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Big news! No, I haven't updated the site yet. Sorry. ;>

I heard from my fiend Dr. Fright that the Acri Creature Feature is coming back to Quad Cities TV!

A glance at the official Acri Company website --
http://www.acricompany.com
confirms that Saturday, May 21st, 2005 at 11:00 pm, the Acri Creature Feature returns from the dead on the Fox18 channel!

Gasp! Who knows what form this present creation will take but all the best to them on this exciting rebirth! Anyone want to tape it for me? :)

17 

Date: 2005-04-26 21:07:40
Steven Reed ( fallchill@yahoo.com / http://www.kcstars.com) wrote:

WoW! I am so glad I found this site! I was a huge Creature Feature Fan! Each Saturday night as a youngster I would laugh my lungs out at the skits on the show between the movie segments! Chuck.......you rock! Welcome back to the show!

16 

Date: 2005-04-11 19:35:51
Todd Fosdick ( stfosdick@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

I remember watching the acri creature feature with my folks. My dad would most likely wake us up to watch it on weekends with the smell of his special frozen pizzas cooking as a treat. Back then (early 70's) we would also be drinking ice cold DAD'S root beer with this. I have started collecting all the old black and white "scary" movies that we saw back then, now on DVD. I think my dad would also remember how, on those nights, after watching those movies with him, we would be so scared that every light in the house had to be on. It was so much fun...no cable, no cell phones, no internet, just channels 4, 6 & 8 (remember Jim King??). The nice thing was that it was family time. Just the pizza, the root beer, brothers and sisters, mom & dad, the old zenith TV, the lights all turned off and shag carpet. If i ever have children of my own, rest assured, they will learn the Acri Creature Feature magic that was bestowed upon my family and I. Thanks for the finest of memories!

15 

Date: 2005-04-07 17:17:01
Steven Philip Jones ( Sphilipjones@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

To connourr@sstop.com:

I think the movie you are thinking of is BLACK SCORPION. Except it takes place in Mexico City, not in Tokyo. The special effects were by Willis O'Brien, the man responsible for teh sfx on KING KONG and the silent version of THE LOST WORLD.

14 

Date: 2005-03-17 22:40:58
Randy Connour ( connourr@sstop.com / no homepage) wrote:

To Jasen Fuller: I am taking you up on your offer of help! I am searching for a listing of the movies shown on the Acri Creature Feature. I am especially interested in a Japanese sci fi flick featuring a spider or scorpion that they lure into a stadium, route all the electrical power in Tokyo into a whaling harpoon, and the hero electrocutes the monster and saves Tokyo. Can anyone help?

13 

Date: 2004-12-08 20:13:25
Jim Hamann ( hamanncrosscreek@peoplepc.com / no homepage) wrote:

My first memory of the ACRI CREATURE FEATURE
was from 1970-71? I was making a midnight
trip to the bathroom and my parents were up watching FRANKENSTEIN. Of course I was
immediately sent back to bed.Within the next
year or so I was old enough to babysit my
younger siblings and could hardly wait for
friday night and the ACRI CREATURE FEATURE!
I received a cassette recorder/player one
christmas and taped all my favorite horror
films.(regretably I threw them away in 1986).
I sent in an entry for CREEP OF THE WEEK in
'72 or 3 but only got a form letter back.
(I still have it! ) In 1973 my former grade
school held a carnival with a haunted house
and VINCENT HEDGES,BEAUREGARD and THE MISSING
LINK were there! HOW COOL! When the show ended
in 1976 I was devastated! It had been a friday
night tradition to stay up late and watch
CREATURE FEATURE! I remember its brief return
in 1977-8? GARGOYLES (1972) was one of the movies
shown,but it only lasted a few weeks as I
remember.
Channel 19 had SANDMAN THEATRE around 77-78,
and showed the ROGER CORMAN/VINCENT PRICE/ POE films. Channel 31 had the 10:31 movie around
this time also and showed the HAMMER/DRACULA
movies, THE SHUTTERED ROOM,DIARY OF A MADMAN,
(remember those?) Thanks CHUCK for the great
memories!

12 

Date: 2004-12-01 22:34:34
Larry Gibson ( lpgibson@prairieinet.net / no homepage) wrote:

Hi all. Vincent Hedges is my father (a.k.a. Ken Gibson). Many thanks to all who remember the show and my father. Did you know.... My little brother Joe Gibson actually played a part in one of the vinnettes. He played a "mini-me" version of Emmett the Hunchback when an experiment went wrong (or did it). Larry Gibson Son of Vinnie.

11 

Date: 2004-11-28 02:02:38
Dan Jenkins ( jenkins2000@mchsi.com / no homepage) wrote:

I used to watch creature feature from Gridley Ill in the early 70`s.

10 

Date: 2004-11-06 06:18:03
M Andersen ( Michael.Andersen@utah.edu / http://lindablair.tk) wrote:

9 

Date: 2004-09-15 20:30:02
Barry ( lausmannish@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

Very spooky stuff. Please send me the drug Dr Jitters used to get a woman like Nurse Titters

8 

Date: 2004-09-15 04:09:35
Jasen Fuller ( jasen.fuller1@hotpop.com / no homepage) wrote:

I work at the acri company and was looking at our web site when I found a link to yours. I was looking at all the cool stuff you have on the creature feature. if I can be of any help to get more please let me know.

7 

Date: 2004-08-27 23:25:35
mike coffey ( pingjockey14@excite.com / no homepage) wrote:

i remember getting off second shift at keystone and picking up pizza and rushing home to catch the creature feature with my new bride. bring back the creature feature. it was good clean television!!!!!!!!!!

6 

Date: 2004-08-13 21:31:07
Randy ( connourr@sstop.com / no homepage) wrote:

Dr. Jitters: I am searching for a listing of the movies shown on the Acri Creature Feature. I am especially interested in a Japanese sci fi flick featuring a spider or scorpion that they lure into a stadium, route all the electrical power in Tokyo into a whaling harpoon, and the hero electrocutes the monster and saves Tokyo. Can anyone help?

5 

Date: 2004-07-23 18:44:59
JEAN A. GREENE ( no email / no homepage) wrote:

ACRI CREATURE FEATURE AND A $3.00 PIZZA WERE A REGULAR WEEKEND DATE FOR ME WITH MY BOYFRIEND WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL. HE GOT OFF REAL CHEAP BUT YOUR ALWAYS HAD A GOOD LAUGH & SOMETIMES YOU WERE EVEN SCARED

4 

Date: 2004-06-24 14:25:49
Sandy Blue ( trublu1990@yahoo.com / no homepage) wrote:

I won an ACRI CREATURE FEATURE creep of the week T-Shirt for submitting a drawing many many years ago and it was used on the air.

Wow what a blast from the past!

3 

Date: 2004-06-16 18:43:54
Steven Philip Jones ( Maxandbuddy@aol.com / http://www.stevenpjones.com) wrote:

Oh, my. What a wonderful site. "Thanks for the memories," as Chuck Acri himself might sing.

It would take too long to list all my memories of this wonderful show. I actually used to record each program on audio cassette each Friday night when it played on KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids. I use to have a healthy collection; today I only have two programs, from the first two times I won the Creep of the Week Award in 1974. What a thrill! (I eventually won five, all for plays I sent in.) A few years ago I wrote Mr. Acri to ask if there was any way I could get audio copies of some of the programs to replace the ones I had lost. He was nice enough to send me a video compilation of some of the show's skits. (If anybody happens to have any audio copies of the Creature Feature, let me know. I would love to have them to listen to again.)

Today I am 44 and am making headway as a writer. I have two novels coming out over the next few months, and since 1988 I have had over 50 comic books published. In 1993 Caliber Comics published two issues of an original series of mine called NIGHTLINGER. This fellow is a mysterious masked man who helps people with supernatural problems. NIGHTLINGER #2 featured a story about a creature feature host being plauged by the monsters from the films he showed. I dedicated the issue to Chuck Acri, Bernie the Skull, Vincent Hedges, and Beauregard.

The old classic horror films were and remain a great inspiration to me as a writer, and I am grateful for the Acri Creature Feature for bringing them to me back before the days of VCRs and DVDs. I am also grateful for your wonderful website that, for a few minutes, brought back the joy and wonder of being a boy watching a program that was more than just fun, but was (and is) very important to me. Thank you!

2 

Date: 2004-03-16 00:10:21
Kathy ( whisler@mtco.com / no homepage) wrote:

I always thought Chuck was kind of cute. :) I remember the show very well. As I recall, it was on Friday or Saturday nights & I could never get my husband to go anywhere because of that show!

1 

Date: 2004-03-15 05:25:17
Dr. Jitters ( drjitters@mad.scientist.com / http://www.houseofjitters.com) wrote:

Welcome to the guest book, creeps! Feel free to add anything that interests you. Long live the Classic Monsters, in glorious black and white!