Billy Van and Vincent Price, The Horror Hall of Fame (1974)

 

 

Billy Van was the guy who created the weirdest show on 70s Canadian television - The Hilarious House of Frightenstein. Yeh but it wasn't all that hilarious but I admit it was hypnotic to watch as a kid and even as an adult I found it hard to look away when the show was on SPACE a few years ago.

 

 

If you don't know the show it centered around Vincent Price who provided readings of scary poems or stories and his segments where combined with acted comedy bits that were the genius of one man, Billy Van. He might not have always hit the mark, in fact he rarely did but I have to give him credit for all the effort he put into making this program as varied as this variety show was. They stuffed a lot into 20 minutes and even tried to educate us with a scientist guy who actually taught real science. Like a said, a weird combination for a kid's show.

 

"Another lovely day begins for ghosts and ghouls with greenish skin; So close your eyes and you will find that you've arrived in Frightenstein…" - Host Vincent Price, from the opening of the show. The Hilarious House of Frightenstein was a Canadian children's show that combined campy horror with humour and educational segments. The show was filmed at CHCH-TV, Hamilton, Ontario in 1971.

 

 

 

The main characters were all played by super talented acted Billy Van: Bwana Clyde Batty, The Gorilla, Grizelda, The Ghastly Gourmet, The Librarian, The Maharishi, The Oracle, Dr. Pet Vet, The Singing Soldier and the best character in the show, The Wolfman. Other actors in the series were Fishka Rais, who played the loveable Igor. Julius Sumner Miller who played a zany Professor who liked to teach the kids about science; in real life he worked with Albert Einstein! Guy Big played the Midget Count. The show also featured horror master Vincent Price, who hosted as himself."