THE PROFESSOR'S SF & HORROR HOST TOME

SHOCK THEATRE
SON OF SHOCK

BOB DREWS - "SIR RODGER"

The above posters are AI generated, based on real photographs of Sr Rodger below.

"Shock Theatre" was a hosted horror movie show with Bob Drews as "Sir Rodger" presenting movies on WTAE-TV Channel 4 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 17 September 1958 ending on Wednesdays 13 May 1959. The Saturday show was called "Son of Shock" beginning 20 December 1958 and ending 16 May 1959. To liven up the movies, Sir Rodger would insert studio shots of himself into the actual movie that he was screening.

During the shows run, moved around, screening on Wednesdays, Fridays, or Saturdays; on WTAE-TV Channel 4 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA). To liven up the movies, Sir Rodger would insert studio shots of himself into the actual movie that he was screening.

BOB DREWS

Bob Drews was a Pittsburgh-area radio personality who became the host of “Shock Theatre” on WTAE-TV Channel 4 when the station launched in September 1958. He presented the films under the character name “Sir Rodger”. Drews was an experienced radio personality rather than an actor who happened to get a horror-host job. A 1958 Broadcasting magazine item records: Bob Drews, formerly with KOIL Omaha, joins WAMP Pittsburgh as morning man. His radio career had actually begun considerably earlier. A biographical account of his career says he started in 1950 as a puppeteer, gag man and voice performer on the Lucky Pup program. He subsequently worked as a disc jockey in Chicago, San Antonio, Omaha, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. In 1955 he was working at WAAF in Chicago, and he subsequently moved to WRIT in Milwaukee in March 1956. One fascinating aspect of Drews' career is that he was more than just a local radio announcer. In 1958, Billboard reported that Bob Drews of WAMP, Pittsburgh, had signed to write articles for Think magazine, described as a gag publication similar to Mad.

Portrait of "Sir Rodger" by Dave Dunlap.

Portrait of "Sir Rodger" by Bradley Beard.
"Gruesome Graves" - biography (taken from his Bradley Beard's Facebook page)"
Sir Rodger was played by Bob Drews. Interestingly enough, Drews had a regular feature in a 1950's humor publication called THIMK, one of many Mad Magazine knock-off publications from that era. The February 1959 issue featured a photo of Rodger in his full make-up, somewhat resembling Henry Hull from the Werewolf of London in mid-transformation.

As with many local hosted shows, Sir Rodger had a fan club.

In 2023, Bob Drews as "Sir Rodger", was a nominee in the "The Official Horror Host Hall of Fame".

Below is a trailer for "Before I Hang" that was shown on "Shock Theatre".