AWEFUL MOVIES WITH DEADLY EARNEST
SHANE PORTEOUS - "DEADLY EARNEST"
The Deadly Earnest character was originated in Western Australia's TVW-7. Porteous played Deadly Earnest in "Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest" that was aired between 14 March 1967 until 13 February 1968 on TVQ-0 Brisbane; presenting some 49 episodes.
Porteous' first television appearance was as Deadly Ernest. Soon after he appeared as Meano The Magician
Within a short time, he left the show and journeyed to Sydney to continue his career. He appeared in many shows including "Contrabandits", "Number 96", "Catch Kandy", "Homicide"; with his most notable show being "A Country Practice" as Doctor Terrence Elliot; starring in over 900 hundred episodes.
Porteous was born on 17 August 1942, in Coleraine, Victoria (Australia). He is married to Jenny, with three children Fiona, Ben and Polly.
No known footage is available of his Deadly Earnest character, only a few stills; including one where his replacement "Professor Macabre", is pictured killing him off.
For more information on "Professor Macabre" - "Frightful Movies", click on the link below:
The below article appeared in "New Idea" June 1989 - pages 8 & 9.
In 2011 Nigel Honeybone, host of Schlocky Horror Picture Show, interviewed Shane Porteous. Deadly Earnest - Shane Porteous from The Professor on Vimeo.
A rare audio of Shane Porteous as Deadly Earnest
The third known Australian television horror host was Shane Porteous. He was one of the five different actors to play Deadly Earnest in Australia.
in a children's pantomime one Christmas.
Porteous' last appearance was in the 2011 movie "Codgers".
"Deadly Earnest" - biography (taken from Bradley Beard's Facebook page)"
It's another deadly day on our Australian horror host excursion. Today I present Deadly Earnest, host of Deadly Earnest's Aweful Movies on TVQ-0 in Brisbane, Australia. Since the show was not networked back in the mid 1960's, each capital city had their own version of Deadly Earnest, each independent from the others. The show in Brisbane started in 1968 and only lasted about 4 months. In an interview, Shane Porteous, who played the Brisbane Earnest, said that the studio couldn't afford to let him screen the movies he was showing. Shane recalled that his only set was the coffin from which he emerged. Porteous' Earnest was part vampire and part zombie and walked like Frankenstein's monster. When he left for Sydney, Porteous was "killed" and replaced by Professor MacAbre. There's no known existing footage of Shane as Deadly Earnest and only two images are known to exist.
Play Clip
LINKS
Internet Movie Data Base
"Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest"
Internet Movie Data Base
"Shane Porteous"
E-gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts
"Deadly Earnest (IV) Brisbane Australia"
Wikipedia
"Deadly Earnest"
Horror News Net
"Four Faces Of Deadly Earnest"
Rocket's Retro TV Tribute Site
"Deadly Earnest: Queensland - Shane Porteous"
Facebook: Bradley Beard - Horror Host Artist
"Deadly Earnest"
Facebook: Dunlap Art
"Horror Host Artwork"
