SHOCK THEATRE
THE WITCHING HOUR

ED SCOTT
PEG SCOTT

The above posters are AI generated, based on real photographs of Ed Scott and Peg Scott. "The Witching Hour" and "Shock Theatre" were hosted horror movie show with Ed Scott and Peg Scott for WTVT Channel 13, Tampa, Florida. It is likely that the show was originally "The Witching Hour", but changed name to "Shock Theatre" to take advantage of the Shock package from Universal. The premise: a creepy duo living in a spooky mansion - who would present horror movies. Their haunted house was fairly elaborate at that time and a chore for the crew to put up each week. Realistic cobwebs were created by diluting rubber cement and applying the webs out of a makeshift paint sprayer powered by a vacuum cleaner. It was a technique similar to that used by "The Munsters" a few years later. ED SCOTT Ed Scott was an American television announcer, actor, artist and local television personality who became one of the best-known early performers at WTVT Channel 13 in Tampa, Florida. Scott joined WTVT as a booth announcer and brought a background in live theater to his television work. He subsequently became the star of the station's locally produced children's science-fiction program, The Adventures of 3-D Danny, which premiered in 1957. Scott portrayed 3-D Danny, a space-faring hero who battled villains and defended the forces of good. The program was produced and directed by WTVT production manager Ken Smith and combined live adventure sequences with Warner Bros. cartoons. Scott's principal costar was Lyle "Red" Koch, who portrayed the robot Ruffnik. The character's name was selected through a viewer contest and was a play on the Soviet satellite Sputnik. 3-D Danny was broadcast live five days a week, with Scott and Koch frequently improvising their performances. The series remained on WTVT for almost three years. Scott was also prominent in WTVT's early horror programming. Together with his wife, Peg Scott, he hosted the station's late-night horror movie presentations during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Sources differ over whether the Scott-hosted program was titled The Witching Hour or Shock Theatre; the historical record indicates that the husband-and-wife team presented horror films from a haunted-house setting, introducing the movies and appearing during commercial breaks. The Scotts' presentation preceded the later and better-known Shock Armstrong incarnation of Shock Theatre, hosted by WTVT announcer Paul Reynolds. Beyond broadcasting, Scott was described as a talented artist and musician and had previously tried his hand at Hollywood as a bit player. After leaving his television performing career, he and Peg established Edward's Pipe and Tobacco Shop in Tampa. The business grew into a successful chain, with additional locations and its own pipe-manufacturing operation. Scott became closely identified with the business and eventually retired from it with Peg. Scott's career at WTVT makes him an important figure in the early history of Tampa television, particularly for his work in children's science fiction and locally hosted horror programming. WTVT's historical archive remembers him as both an announcer and "3-D Danny." PEG SCOTT Peg Scott was an American television personality and horror movie host who became known for her work at WTVT Channel 13 in Tampa, Florida, during the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is particularly remembered as one of the earliest female television horror hosts in the Tampa Bay area. Scott worked alongside her husband, Ed Scott, as co-host of WTVT's locally presented horror-movie program. On The Witching Hour, the Scotts portrayed an eccentric, spooky husband-and-wife couple living in a haunted-house setting. They introduced the horror films and appeared during the commercial breaks. The production featured an elaborate haunted-house set, including specially created cobwebs and other atmospheric effects. Peg Scott's television work formed part of WTVT's pioneering tradition of locally produced programming. Her husband, Ed, was a WTVT booth announcer and later portrayed 3-D Danny on The Adventures of 3-D Danny. Peg and Ed's horror-hosting work took place during the same period that Scott was becoming an established television personality at Channel 13. Before her television career, Peg Scott had worked as a USO showgirl. She was also described by family friend Jackie Walker as a forward-thinking businesswoman. After the Scotts' television careers, Peg was instrumental in establishing Edward's Pipe and Tobacco Shop with Ed. The business, located near WTVT's studios on Henderson Boulevard, eventually expanded into several locations and included a pipe-manufacturing operation. Walker described Peg as the business's organizational force, while Ed was the public-facing entertainer. The Scotts remained together for many years and eventually retired from the tobacco business in the late 1980s. They subsequently moved to the Deltona, Florida, area. Portraits of "Ed Scott" and "Peg Scott" by Dave Dunlap. Ed Scott was also well known as "3-D Danny", in the Channel 13 series "The Adventures of 3-D Danny" Click on the below photograph of "3-D Danny" to visit our "3-D Danny" page. Below is a trailer for "The Return of Doctor X" that was shown on "Shock Theatre".

LINKS

Internet Movie Data Base "The Witching Hour"	Internet Movie Data Base "Shock Theatre"	Internet Movie Data Base "Peg Scott"
Internet Movie Data Base "Ed Scott"	E-gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts "Ed and Peg Scott"	Big 13 "The Scary Tale of Shock Theatre Continues"
	Facebook: Dunlap Art "Horror Host Artwork"

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