SPECIAL BLOG POST: THE ELMER AWARDS FROM SPOOKS HOTEL

Balladeer’s Blog’s love of Movie Host Shows is no secret. Recently I thanked Mike Pieper from Spooks Hotel (1985-1993, 1999-2000) for providing corrections and clarifications on that neglected Bad Movie Show hosted by Joan Kelley-Cordt as Angie LaBanshee and later as Mrs. Spooks. Mike also provided the details about Spooks Hotel‘s Elmer Awards episodes, shown once annually in 1991, 1992 and 1993.

The awards were named after one of the show’s supporting characters, Elmer the Mummy Bellboy, played by Pieper for the first three years of this program. The Elmer Awards let the Spooks Hotel team “honor” various categories from that season’s Bad Movies.

*** THE 1991 ELMER AWARDS – The awards were presented as the episode’s Host Segments. The Golden Turkey being shown was Bela Lugosi’s anti-classic The Corpse Vanishes.  Hosting the Elmer Awards were Joan as Mrs. Spooks, owner of Spooks Hotel, and her seldom-seen husband, mad scientist Dr. Spooks (at left). Elmer himself accepted on behalf of each winner. 

MOST RIDICULOUS LOOKING CREATURE: Nominees – The Sea Creature in The Creature from the Haunted Sea … Zontar in Zontar, the Thing from Venus … The Giant Gumby Rock Creatures from Missile to the Moon … The Giant Brain in The Brain from Planet Arous. WINNER: The Sea Creature.

BEST SCREAM: Presenters – Aunt Hagatha and Uncle Charlie (sort of a proto-Seth Rogan type). Nominees – Bubbles Cash in Mars Needs Women … Lenita Lane in The Bat … Margie Dean in The Quatermass Experiment … Peggy Webber in The Screaming Skull … Candace Hilligoss in Carnival of Souls. WINNER: Peggy Webber.   

Tommy Kirk’s Greatest Moment

WORST SPECIAL EFFECTS: Presenter – Chef James. Nominees – The Spaceships from Battle of the Worlds … The Spaceships in Plan 9 from Outer Space … The Laser Gun from Zontar, the Thing from Venus. WINNER: The Spaceships from Plan 9.

WORST ACTOR OR ACTRESS: Presenter – Lumberjack Leclerc. Nominees – Bela Lugosi in Bride of the Monster … Joanna Lee in Plan 9 from Outer Space … John Agar in The Brain from Planet Arous … Patricia DeLaney in Zontar, the Thing from Venus … Anthony Houston in Zontar. WINNER: Patricia DeLaney from Zontar.

WORST MOVIE: Presenters – Mrs. and Dr. Spooks. Nominees: Mars Needs Women … Plan 9 from Outer Space … Zontar, the Thing from Venus … The Brain from Planet Arous. WINNER: Mars Needs Women.

*** THE 1992 ELMER AWARDS – Mrs. Spooks hosted the awards solo this time. Most of the presenters were the same, with new addition Harry while Bambi the Bimbette appeared again to hand off the Elmers. This year the awards were rolls of toilet paper. Last year they were mini-corpses in mummy wrappings. Joan Cordt did double-duty this year, appearing as her original Hostess character ANGIE LABANSHEE (above) as well as Mrs. Spooks.      

BEST MONSTER: Nominees – The Sun Demon from The Hideous Sun Demon … The Wasp Woman from The Wasp Woman … The Giant Shrews from The Killer Shrews … The Mutated Test Pilot from First Man into Space … The Gigantic Wasps in Monster from Green Hell. WINNER: The Wasp Woman.

BEST SCREAM: Nominees – Barbara Morris in The Wasp Woman … Patricia Manning in The Hideous Sun Demon … Nan Peterson from The Hideous Sun Demon … Lugene Sanders from Tormented. WINNER: Patricia Manning.   

WORST SONG: Nominees – Hooray for Santa Claus from Santa Claus Conquers the Martians … Daddy Bird from Frankenstein’s Daughter … Laugh, Children, Laugh from The Giant Gila Monster … Strange Pursuit from The Hideous Sun Demon. WINNER: Daddy Bird. 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FUTURE T.V. STAR: Nominees – James Best in The Killer Shrews … Joe Flynn from The Indestructible Man … Jim Davis in Monster from Green Hell … DeForest Kelley from Fear in the Night. WINNER: DeForest Kelley.

BEST PICTURE: Nominees – The Hideous Sun Demon … The Wasp Woman … Tormented … Fear in the Night. WINNER: Tormented.

THE 1993 ELMER AWARDS – Third and final Elmer Awards, Dr. and Mrs. Spooks hosted, aided by Bimbette Candy. This year’s statuettes were like miniature Oscars with toilet paper rolls on their heads. The movie shown during this episode was Zontar, the Thing from Venus.

BEST MONSTER: Nominees – The Creatures from Island of Terror … The Alien Monster from The Atomic Submarine … The Thing in the Closet from The Brain That Wouldn’t Die … The Prehistoric Monster from Sound of Horror … The Pterodactyl from Planeta Burg. WINNER: The Sound of Horror monster. Accepting the award was Elmer’s “niece” Elmette (Kelley Cordt), Joan’s daughter in mummy wrappings.     

BEST SCREAM: Nominees – Sirry Stefan from The Crawling Hand … Carolyn Craig in House on Haunted Hill … Joline Brand in Giant from the Unknown … Rod Lauren from The Crawling Hand … Carol Ohmart in House on Haunted Hill. WINNER: Carolyn Craig. Elmette accepted the award again. (Mrs. Spooks joked about the family resemblance to her Uncle Elmer.)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A HORROR MOVIE: Presenters were Dr. Spooks and Aunt Hagatha. Nominees – Florence Marly in Planet of Blood … Linda Lawson from Night Tide … Hazel Court from Dr. Blood’s Coffin … Virginia Leith in The Brain that Wouldn’t Die. WINNER: Hazel Court. Elmette accepted.  

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS: Nominees – Transparent Man from The Amazing Transparent Man … The Flying Saucer from The Atomic Submarine … The Robot’s Disintegrating Ray in Devil Girl from Mars. WINNER: The Robot’s Disintegrating Ray. Elmette accepted.

BEST MENACING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR: Dr. & Mrs. Spooks and Aunt Hagatha presented. Nominees – Vincent Price from House on Haunted Hill (Mrs. Spooks joked about dating Vincent Price) … Kieron Moore in Dr. Blood’s Coffin … Basil Rathbone from The Magic Sword … Ed Nelson in The Devil’s Partner … Herb Evers from The Brain That Wouldn’t Die. WINNER: Vincent Price. Elmette accepted.

BEST MOVIE: Nominees – Night Tide … House on Haunted Hill … Devil Girl from Mars … The Crawling Hand. WINNER: The Crawling Hand. Elmette accepted.