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pinkfloyd95209,

I grew up in Los Angeles during the 1960s. I missed the Vampira era, and during my formative years the only horror show host (that I remember) was Jeepers Creepers on KCOP-TV (Channel 13). As I recall, JC showed horror films from the 1940s and 1950s, e.g., Catman of Paris (which I haven't seen since in ages), The Black Sleep, and Bride of the Monster.

KTLA-TV (Channel 5) had Weird World, which did not have a horror host. Its musical theme was the same music used in the title sequence for Theatre of Death. You're correct, Weird World's library was the classic Universal horror films.

On KHJ-TV (Channel 9), Strange Tales also did not have a horror host. Its musical theme was the Kenyon Hopkins-Creed Taylor spacey arrangement of Out of This World. Strange Tales offered '50s and '60s science-fiction gems such as Gog (which I haven't seen since grade school), The Crawling Eye, and It! The Terror from Beyond Space.

Finally, KTTV-TV (Channel 11) had Chiller. Again, no host. Chiller's presentations included Allied Artists fare such as The Cyclops (which I haven't seen since The Johnson Administration, and I eagerly look forward to the Turner Classic Movie broadcast next month), Not of This Earth, and From Hell It Came.

Because I grew up pretty much without horror show hosts, I don't really have the warm, fuzzy nostalgia for them that others have. Au contraire, I find the breed, by and large, annoying, intrusive, and unfunny. That said, during my teen years, I faithfully tuned into cadaverous Larry "Seymour" Vincent -- whose sardonic manner and dry delivery of his bad gags and jokes gave him a unique cool hipness (or hip coolness) -- and especially the curvilinear Elvira whom I devotedly ogle . . . watched primarily because of her (Ahem!) outstanding qualities (both of them and her legs weren't bad either!) as a comedienne.