THE HILARIOUS HOUSE OF FRIGHTENSTEIN (1971-1974) – Balladeer’s Blog’s recent review of Countdown Canada (1970) generated so much excitement that I decided to go to the Canada Well once again with this classic children’s series which combined kid-friendly monsters with educational programming and the always welcome Vincent Price.
Picture The Groovy Goolies crossed with The Electric Company and you’ll grasp the vibe of The Hilarious House of Frightenstein, created by Ted Barris. Vincent Price not only introduced each sketch during the show, but also did the program’s beloved opening in which – long before his spoken word bit in Thriller – he recited the campy introductory poem.
That poem went “Another lovely day begins, for ghosts and ghouls with greenish skin. So close your eyes and you will find, that you’ve arrived in Frightenstein. Perhaps the Count will find a way, to make his monster work today. For if he solves this monster-mania, he can return to Transylvania! So welcome where the sun won’t shine, to the castle of Count Frightenstein!” And then Price did his patented sinister laugh, again like he would go on to do for Thriller more than a decade later.
As that intro indicated, the premise to this show was that Count Frightenstein and the others at his castle in Frankenstone were living in exile from Transylvania until he could bring Brucie J. Monster (basically the Frankenstein Monster) back to life. That backstory was really just the excuse for the ensuing madness in the form of kid-friendly comedy sketches and educational material, all presented with monsters as the characters. Continue reading
Institution: YAVAPAI COLLEGE 
Halloween Month continues with this review of one of the zombie movies of French Director Jean Rollin. Balladeer’s Blog’s reviews of Rollin’s films always point out that his works range from brilliant and artistic to just plain awful. 
COUNTDOWN CANADA (1970) – Here at Balladeer’s Blog I am amazed that this vintage Canadian Television work of speculative fiction hasn’t received renewed fame in 2026. And not one IMDb review as of this writing. 
MADD FRANK – This ghoulish character was played by Kent Kamron, whose real name is Delray K. Dvoracek (but everyone knew him as Nancy). He hosted Madd Frank Presents on KVRR in Fargo, North Dakota from May 1985 to an unknown date in 1995. 
THE GALLERY OF MADAME LIU-TSONG aka MADAME LIU-TSONG (1951) – The great Anna May Wong starred in this Dumont Network program, which was THE FIRST U.S. TELEVISION SERIES WITH AN ASIAN-AMERICAN STAR. Wong had worked in Silent Films like Peter Pan and The Thief of Bagdad, then as Fu Manchu’s daughter in a few talkies. 
CANON ALBERIC’S SCRAPBOOK – Written by Montague Rhodes James, and I’m shocked that I still encounter people today who are not familiar with him and his works. Anyway, that made me decide to examine his first supernatural horror story. 
The story features Dennistoun, a Cambridge Scholar who takes a vacation on the Continent so he can tour, photograph and sketch old cathedrals in France. Dennistoun bicycles to the town of St.-Bertrand-de-Comminges near Toulouse to cover its cathedral. 
KNOCKING OFF NUMBER SIX – In NCAA Division 3 the MARYVILLE COLLEGE SCOTS paid a visit to the number 6 team in the nation – the TRINITY (TX) TIGERS. The Tigers were on top 9-6 at Halftime, but Maryville College went up 13-9 by the end of the 3rd Quarter. In the 4th, the Scots held on for a 16-12 Upset. 
WELCOME TO THE OAK BOWL – Up in the NAIA, the PERU STATE BOBCATS defended their Oak Bowl home field against the MOUNT MERCY UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS. The Bobcats parlayed their 10-3 1st Quarter edge into a 38-3 advantage by the Half. After the break, Peru State coasted to a 59-10 triumph. 
RABID GRANNIES (1988) – This review of Rabid Grannies applies ONLY to the original uncut edition, NOT the edited version distributed by the Troma Team. The uncut version is well worth watching but the cut version is awful.
AVENGERS Vol 1 #57 (Oct 1968) 
The Vision initially helps Ultron, but his logical android mind lets him reject his creator’s commands. He turns against Ultron, saves the Avengers and seemingly destroys Ultron, but obviously he’ll return as Ultron-6. 
