"Shock Theatre" was a hosted horror show with Terry Bennett as "Marvin" presenting movies on Saturdays at 10:00 pm on WBKB-TV Channel 7 Chicago, Illinois from 7 December 1957 - August 1959.

Bennett's new character Marvin the Near-Sighted Madman. Donning thick glasses and a black turtle neck sweater, Bennett found the role difficult to portray, needing three days just to get into the mood.
In describing Marvin, Bennett called him confused.

"Doesn't everyone get a boot out of hacking off somebody's fingers?"


"Marvin had an assistant - "Dear" played by his spouse Joy Bennett. Through ths shows run, "Dear" would never show her face - the faceless victim of Marvin's macabre sense of humor.


The show became a great success, spawning a fan club, The Marvin Fan Club, and with phone calls to the Bennett's home in Schiller Park at 4:00am from fans of the show. Letters and presents began to pour in.
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A young Donald F. Glut and some friends went to Bennett's home to meet him; with Bennett and the boys having their photograph taken together.
Glut now is a respected and well known writer, director, paleontologist and musician.

For more information on Donald F. Glut use the below link:


This popularity would lead to the show being extended. After each movie was screened the new segment, called "The Shocktale Party" would start; with "Marvin" and "Dear"

being joined by "Shorty", who resembled the Frankenstein Monster played by Bruce Newton; and Orville, a grotesque character created and portrayed by Ronny Born.

The show even had a studio "Shocktale" band called "The Deadbeats". The band performed "lullabies to die for", "cremation concertos" and "music for murder".
The Deadbeat band members were:
Clay Campbell - drums
Russ Crandall - harp
Lenny Druss - flute, clarinet & alto saxophone
Patrick Ferrari - guitar
Sam Porfirio - accordion
Harold Siegel - bass


Sadly, after a two year illness, Terry Bennett passed away on 12 October 1977. Joy passed away on 15 December 2005 in Tampa, Florida.
