CREATURE FEATURE
SHOCK IT TO ME
SCREAM-IN

DICK VON HOENE
- "ANNOUNCER"
- "THE COOL GHOUL"
- "AUNT GERTIE"
LARRY SMITH - "HATTIE THE WITCH"
BILL ENGASSER - "MR. WHOPPER (BUBALA)"
ALICE DAVIDSON - "POOPSIE"

A hosted horror movie show with Dick Von Hoene as "The Cool Ghoul" and as "Aunt Gertie" presenting movies on Saturday nights on WXIX Channel 19 Cincinnati, Ohio. The show ran from 7 December 1968 until 28 October 1972. The show commenced on 7 December 1968 without a host, then from 11 January 1969 the show was hosted by Bill Engesser as "Mr. Whopper" and Alice Davidson Engesser was 7 feet (plus) tall (who had played the towering werewolf in the 1962 nudie "House on Bare Mountain") as "Mr. Whopper" and WXIX staffer Alice Davidson as his Morticia-like foil and companion. It's said that Engesser presented himself with no makeup, but merely bent over like a hunchback and contorted his face as he bantered with his co-star, the two of them addressing each other as "Bubala" and "Poopsie." From 10 May 1969 Dick Von Hoene as "The Cool Ghoul" and Larry Smith voicing and puppeteer for "Hattie the Witch"; replaced Engesser and Davidson. Von Hoene would continue until 2 September 1972. From 9 September until 28 October 1972, the show continued without a host. Dick Von Hoene also was the unseen announcer of the horror movie shows: "Creature Feature" and "Shock It to Me" "SHOCK IT TO ME": A horror movie show with Dick Von Hoene announcing movies on on Saturday nights 7:00 - 11:00pm on WXIX Channel 19 Cincinnati, Ohio from August 1970 until about 1971. The show would later come back as Creature Feature. Von Hoene announced the movies using the Karloffian voice he created for the Ghoul's off-screen companion, whom he always addressed as "my friend". "CREATURE FEATURE": A horror movie show with Dick Von Hoene announcing movies on on Saturday nights 7:00 - 11:00pm on WXIX Channel 19 Cincinnati, Ohio from 1971 until about 1972. Von Hoene announced the movies using the Karloffian voice he created for the Ghoul's off-screen companion, whom he always addressed as "my friend". From Find A Grave website: "Dick Von Hoene graduated from the University of Cincinnati, where he earned a bachelor's degree in history and a master's degree in theater; and while attending the University of Cincinnati, he acted in college productions, as well as summer stock and community theater productions; and Dick Von Hoene's professional career began as a copywriter for WCPO radio; he was employed by WXIX-TV, and he was most widely acclaimed as the creator of the very popular "Cool Ghoul" character that became a regular weekend feature hosting horror movies from the fall of 1969 until the spring of 1972; he became a reporter for WUBE 105 in 1973, and in 1979, he became a disc jockey; and in 1983, he became a news announcer for WFKB in Florence. In 1987, Dick Von Hoene was hired by Insight Communications, first as a News Director, and for the last 12 years as host of Northern Kentucky Magazine, a daily talk-variety program, where he promoted the community by welcoming representatives of counties, cities, schools, and charitable organizations to discuss their missions and activities; and he also welcomed authors and celebrities to Northern Kentucky Magazine, such as singers Chubby Checker and Judy Collins, Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, and stage stars Cloris Leachman and Dean Jones were among those guests visiting Northern Kentucky to appear on his program; and he and Northern Kentucky Magazine received numerous awards from tri-state organizations recognizing service in enhancing coverage of the region; and In 1999, Dick Von Hoene was inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Legends of Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame, along with other former standout deejays Steve Palmer, Shad O'Shea, and Steve Kirk". William Engesser Biography William Engesser was born on 21 February 1939 in Wayne, Pennsylvania, USA as William Leroy Engesser Jr. He was an actor, known for House on Bare Mountain (1962), Switch (1975) and Gator (1976). He was married to Marjorie Idell Gain. He died on 20 June 2002 in Alabama, USA. Larry Smith Biography Larry Smith was born on 23 June 1938 in Dayton, Ohio, USA as Lawrence M. Smith. He is known for his work on Scream-In (1969), The Uncle Al Show (1950) and Larry Smith Puppets (1968). He died on 19 February 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Dayton native started at age 14 on WHIO-TV in 1952. He came to Cincinnati in 1957 to work on the weekday morning "Uncle Al Show." By the time he retired in 2006, Smith had done puppet shows for Channels 9, 12, 19, 25, 48 and Northern Kentucky's old Storer Cable (now Spectrum). Portrait of "The Cool Ghoul" by Dave Dunlap. Portrait of "The Cool Ghoul" by Bradley Beard. "The Cool Ghoul" - biography (taken from Bradley's Facebook page)" The Cincinnati Reds honored him with a jersey hosting the "number zero". Tonight I present The Cool Ghoul, host of Scream-In on WXIX-TV Channel 19 in Cincinnati, OH, which ran from 1969 to 1972. The characters origins began in 1961 when Dick Von Hoene AKA The Cool Ghoul worked as a writer on the WCPO radio program called "Bob Smith's Monster Mash"; he wrote The Cool Ghoul into comedy routines for the show's star and puppeteer Larry Smith. Von Hoene made his move into television in 1969. It was at this time that he developed the look of the character, initially considered too scary for children, Von Hoene altered his appearance to become more of a parody. The Cool Ghoul was also known for his "Uncanny" Karloff impersonation; he was so convincing that he once fooled Karloff's secretary of 30 years. In 2011, Dick Von Hoene - "The Cool Ghoul", was inducted into "The Official Horror Host Hall of Fame". The following is a selection of clips featuring "Scream-In": Scream-In with The Cool Ghoul from The Professor on Vimeo.

LINKS

Internet Movie Data Base "Scream-In"	Facebook: Bradley Beard - Horror Host Artist "The Cool Ghoul"	Internet Movie Data Base "Creature Feature"
Internet Movie Data Base "Larry Smith"	Internet Movie Data Base "Alice Davidson"	Find A Grave "Richard A. Von Hoene"
Internet Movie Data Base "Shock It To Me"	Internet Movie Data Base "Dick Von Hoene"	Internet Movie Data Base "William Engesser"
E-gors Chamber of TV Horror Hosts "The Cool Ghoul"	Tim/Lucas/Video WatchBlog "Reconstructing Cool Ghoul"	Cincinnati Public Radio News "Larry Smith"
	Facebook: Dunlap Art "Horror Host Artwork"

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