ALL NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
M.T. GRAVES CLASSICS
M.T. GRAVES PRESENTS
THE DUNGEON

CHARLIE BAXTER - "M.T. GRAVES"
CHARLIE FOLDS - "COUNT DOWN"
TIM BAXTER - "GORE THE GUARD"
? - "REGINALD"

Charlie Baxter was the horror host "M.T. Graves". He hosted three different horror movie shows. "THE DUNGEON" Baxter started his horror hosting career with "The Dungeon", with Baxter as "M.T. Graves" presenting movies on Sunday afternoon around 4:00pm -5:00p.m on WCKT-TV, Channel 7 Miami, Florida from the late 1950's to early 1960's. From E-gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts web page: "M.T. interacted with a puppet head named Reginald. REGINALD The gimmick of the show was that M.T., a prisoner in a dungeon who slept in a coffin, was tortured by being forced to watch the (unseen) Warden's home movies". Charlie Folds played "Count Down". "M.T. GRAVES PRESENTS" Baxter reprised is character "M.T. Graves" in the show "M.T. Graves Presents"; presenting movies on WKID-TV, Channel 51 Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the late 1960's till the early 1970's. Baxter's son, Tim, played "Gore The Guard". ALL NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT" "M.T. Graves" would return once more as the host of "All Night Entertainment", presenting movies on a few Saturday nights in May 1974, from midnight - 5:00am on WKID-TV, Channel 51 Fort Lauderdale, Florida. From E-gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts web page: "In 1974 Rick Reiff, Jim Austin and Ed Sutton started all night television in South Florida. They approached the general manager of WKID and asked him if they could go on the air all night (as an experiment) on Saturday nights. They hired M.T. Graves. We paid M.T. $200. In May of 1974 they went on the air with two movies and live skits with host M.T. Graves. M.T. did a few dungeon bits but they also put M.T. in "bed" with a young girl. Nothing sleezy...M.T. could make anything funny. They went on the air the following week with different sponsors and M.T. They produced five shows, but not sure if all were shown". There was also a fan club! M.T. GRAVES CLASSICS In April 2007, Charlie Baxter suggested to G.G./Garnette to draw M.T. Graves in a comic strip, which they did. In 2012, it was announced that a new M.T. Graves Classics comic was to be released. Below is a video on how it came about. "M T Graves Classics" - who it began. from The Professor's Scary Clips on Vimeo. Baxter was also the horror host "Captain M.T. Space" on "Otherworlds". For more information on "Otherworlds", click on the below link. Charlie Baxter appeared in many television shows, as numerous characters. From E-gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts: "LAFF LAB" Charlie Baxter's character Professor Klinker introduced cartoons on this show early on Sunday mornings. Years later, Charlie Baxter used this character (with his name changed to "Professor Jupiter") to educate kids about astronomy in his live shows at Buehler Planetarium. Below is a clip from the show. "Laff Lab" with Professor Klinger from The Professor's Scary Clips on Vimeo. "BOZO'S BUDDIES!" / "WILLIE THE MOOSE AND CHARLIE" There was another kid show on Channel 7, "Mary Jane and Melvin", that starred a young woman and a talking giraffe. When she and the giraffe left the show, she told the viewers that a very nice man named Charlie Baxter and a talking moose named Willie would soon be appearing on Channel 7 on week-day afternoons - "Bozo's Buddies!", starring "Willie The Famous Talking Moose" and Charlie Baxter, was on Channel 7 Monday through Friday at 4 or 4:30 pm. Willie the Moose was a big puppet operated by Herb Hirsch. What a wonderful puppeteer he was! Willie and Charlie had the best conversations anyone could have, and at the end of every show, Charlie ended up with a pie in his face from Willie. "Felix The Cat", "Bozo the Clown", "Clutch Cargo" and other cartoons were featured. Later the name of the show was changed to Willie The Moose and Charlie - most likely because they no longer showed Bozo The clown cartoons! Below is a clip from the show. "Willie The Moose and Charlie" - clip from The Professor's Scary Clips on Vimeo. "SATURDAY MORNING FUN CLUB" / "THE ROYAL FUN CLUB" / "BURGER KING FUN CLUB" This show started on WCKT after Charlie and Willie were established. Boys and girls visited the set and joined in the fun. Cartoons were shown between Charlie & Willie's adventures just like on Bozo's Buddies. "Orville & Wilber the Singing Worms," who lived in a nearby well, were also featured. The Humane Society brought pets to show to the kids. There was a Fun Club membership kit too. Later they renamed the show The Royal Castle Fun Club and advertised Royal Castle hamburgers and root beer from a Royal Castle counter set - later yet they changed sponsors again and the show became the Burger King Fun Club. Of course, whatever the title of the show was, Willie always had a pie to throw into Charlie's face! "BOWERY THEATRE" This showcase for movies starring "The Bowery Boys" came on Channel 7 on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, with both Charlie Baxter and Herb Hirsch entertaining on the set during the breaks in the films. Herb and Charlie clowned around and had great chemistry in their comedy routines just like Charlie & Willie. Herb wore an old-fashioned newsboy cap and a pullover sweater and was a little chubby and comical; Charlie wore his signature hat that he wore on Bozo's Buddies and was zany and charming as always - slap-stick comedy like an Abbott & Costello routine. "THE BATMAN SHOW" Reruns of the Batman television series were featured on this WCKT show, hosted by Charlie Baxter and his sidekick (Charlie Folds), sharing adventures in their very own Bat Cave Headquarters, a la Laff Lab Routines. "SUPER HEROES" This was a Saturday morning adventure show (with cartoons) starring "Commander Baxter" and "Toby The Robot" (Charlie Folds). Commander Baxter wore brown sweater and kid cap. He got a uniform later. "7'S CIRCUS" This show came on Channel 7 early Sunday mornings. Ringmaster Charlie Baxter and "Duffo The Clown" hosted the show in a circus ring set, featuring a variety of performing acts by children. A young woman called "Miss Nancy" assisted them. "CHARLIE & TOBY" Who else? - Charlie Baxter and Toby the Robot (Charlie Folds, of course)! The zany pair hosted this Channel 7 cartoon show at 4:00 or 4:30 pm on weekdays. Charlie & Toby shared a very special bond that the young viewers shared too! Charlie kept his famous robot in good working order and put a sparkle in Toby's shine, and Toby kept Charlie busy with his robot antics and put a sparkle in Charlie's smile! Toby had a habit of getting himself tangled up in all kinds of schemes and things, but the kids knew that Charlie would always come to their favorite robot's rescue! "CHARLIE READS THE COMICS" Charlie Baxter and Toby the Robot (Baxter & Folds - together again!), hosted this great WCKT-TV Sunday morning children's show from their Charlie & Toby set. Toby produced the sound effects as Charlie read the Miami Herald Sunday comics with visiting children on the set. The kids joined in reading each comic character's comments in the funnies. Charlie was very good at bringing out giggles and smiles from the kids with his kind and entertaining way. And their favorite robot's beep beeps and funny sound effects added to the fun. The show around 1970. Below is a clip from the show. "Charlie Reads The Comics" - clips from The Professor's Scary Clips on Vimeo. "KAPTAIN KID" After Charlie Baxter left WCKT, he joined WKID, Channel 51 in Hollywood, Florida. Along with a new horror movie showcase for M.T. Graves, Charlie Baxter started a new children's program on Channel 51 as Kaptain Kid. Boys and girls were invited to visit with the Kaptain and his sidekick on a pirate ship set. Kaptain Kid wore a bright red coat, black boots, a dignified large captain's hat, and his usual charming Charlie Baxter smile. Special guests would visit and share information and fun with the Kaptain and his crew. After watching Charlie Baxter all those years on Channel 7, this fan was very glad to see Charlie Baxter back on TV again! Charles Morrision Baxter was born on 29 March 1925 in Toledo, Ohio, USA; and passed away on 3 October 2007 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. From Legacy: Baxter was a celebrity in the Miami and South Florida area in the 1950's through the 1970's and was beloved to many fans. He was born in Toledo, Ohio and served in the United States Marine Corps as a young man. He had an admirable singing and speaking voice and began his career as an announcer for the Toledo Mud Hens baseball team. He relocated to Florida and was a television personality for WCKT-Channel 7 then later with WKID-Channel 51. He created and portrayed such well- known characters as M.T. Graves, Captain M.T. Space, Professor Klinker, and Captain Kid, among others. He was known for his kindness to his numerous fans. After leaving the public eye in the 1970's, he worked at Broward Community College in Davie, Florida where he wrote, narrated, and produced shows for school children visiting Buehler Planetarium. In the mid-1980's Mr. Baxter relocated to the Nashville, Tennessee area and enjoyed a retirement which included a passion for movies, music, and books, and enjoyed corresponding with old friends and fans. Baxter generously donated his body to Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. Portrait of "M.T. Graves" by Dave Dunlap.

Portrait of "M.T. Graves" by Bradley Beard.
"M.T. Graves" - biography (taken from Bradley Beard's Facebook page)"

Get it? You shouldn't have to guess what this host did for a living. Today I present M.T. Graves, who got his start as host of The Dungeon on WCKT-TV Channel 7 in Miami, Florida, which ran from the late 1950's into the 1960's. He also hosted M.T. Graves Presents on WKID-TV Channel 51 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which ran from late 1960's into the 1970's. M.T. Graves was a hook-handed grave robber who was held prisoner in a dungeon and had a coffin for a bed. M.T. received punishment in the form of being force fed the Warden's home movies. His personality was bold and in your face; his show was well executed (forgive the pun) and extremely funny. M.T. was featured in issue #6 of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine as well. If you think it's possible that "M.T." stood for “maniacal tendencies”, then empty your mind and think again. In 2011, Charlie Baxter - "M.T. Graves" for "The Dungeon", was inducted into "The Official Horror Host Hall of Fame". The following are some clips from the show: "M. T. Graves" - clips from The Professor's Scary Clips on Vimeo.

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