Happy Halloween 2024!

 

And just like that...HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I feel the need to apologize: due to some goings-on in my personal life (job hunt, other stuff), I'm afraid my Countdown output was not as robust as I had planned this year. It wasn't due for lack of content, but time was just too little in supply this year. Be that as it may, I hope you enjoyed what I did share this year. We had a fair bit of Dracula than expected and a fair bit of comedy than expected, which was totally coincidental, but fun nonetheless.

Once again, I thank Dex of AEIOU...and Sometimes Why for running this year's Countdown, and completely solo at that. Thank you very much, Dex!

Have a great rest of the year, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

And next up on our annual holiday cavalcade:

The Carol Burnett Show, "My Husband is Dracula"

 

We're approaching the frightening finish line of the season! Don't lose steam now!

Today I offer a clip from The Carol Burnett Show, titled on YouTube as "My Husband is Dracula," although the title of the sketch in the clip says "The Bat and the Beautiful." Either one works!

In this skit, Carol is indeed married to the famous bloodlusting count, but marriage to a vampire isn't all it's cracked up to be. Poor Carol!

Enjoy!

Two Classic Cartoons: Spooks (1932) and Skeleton Frolic (1937)

 

I'ts early Friday evening, but it's still Friday, and here is my last post for the last full week of this year's Countdown.

Today I feature two very old cartoon shorts from the 1930s, Spooks by MGM (1932) and Skeleton Frolic from Columbia (1937). These rare cartoons are very reminiscent of classic Disney shorts such as The Haunted House and Skeleton Dance. I love seeing this old school animation. They truly don't make them like they used to.

Enjoy! Have a great last weekend before Halloween!

The Saw 20th Anniversary Jewelry Collection by Gnoce

 

Welcome back! I hope you’re enjoying your Halloween season!

Today at the blog, we’re doing something a bit different than we normally do.

I was recently contacted by Gnoce, the jewelry company that offers beautiful, timeless jewelry that is festive, fun, and affordable. They offer jewelry for a variety of occasions and holidays; Halloween is no exception. And in that Halloween spirit, they reached out to me because they are excited about their latest line of spooky bling, honoring the 20^th anniversary of the Saw film franchise. Thanks to Gnoce for providing me with these complementary pieces. I can’t wait to show them to you!

Billy the Puppet has been placing his victims in the most precarious of situations for two decades, and you can now literally wear your adoration for the rascal on your sleeve. Case in point, this awesome bracelet, letting you know that, for his latest victim, it’s truly “Game Over.”

A great thing about the bracelet is that you can add charms to it, such as this one featuring Billy on a tricycle (see above on the bracelet and below by itself). You know, when he’s on his downtime.

Moving from the wrist to the finger—Saw is all about body parts, after all—Gnoce also offers this Saw ring, featuring the face of our favorite little maniac. Choose your size and he can be yours!

Finally, we have this beautiful necklace, complete with Billy’s face and a favorite weapon of choice. Add this to the other pieces shown above, and you will be the number one Saw fan in your ‘hood!

To show off these pieces “in the field,” my daughter Megan has graciously agreed to model these pieces to show how great they look (thanks Megan!). Complete your spooky, goth look with the Gnoce Saw collection today!

If you like what you see, Gnoce has other great pieces for Halloween available. Check out their Halloween Sale: buy two pieces, get two free, plus get a free bracelet worth $49 with every order. Take advantage of this great offer today!

Thanks!

Starsky & Hutch, "The Vampire"

 

Welcome to the weekend! I'm rounding out this week of the Countdown with a vampire story starring the late David Soul--no, not THAT story!

This is an episode of Soul's most famous claim to fame, the '70s police series Starsky & Hutch, costarring Paul Michael Glazer. In this episode, a perp wholeheartedly believes himself to be a vampire. Which of course can't be true--or CAN it?

See for yourself. Enjoy the episode embedded below or watch directly on YouTube here.

Have a great weekend!

The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo, "Doctor Frankenstein" (1965)

 

Today I present my first cartoon of the season, and it's long overdue. This is an episode of the 1960s TV cartoon series The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo.

This series was a follow up to the original Mr. Magoo series. In this series, Magoo would play a famous story from literature, similar to Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. This episode, which aired March 13, 1965, features an adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Unlike the fun, wholesome silliness of the original series, this episode was quite dark and serious, and it is a bit more faithful to the original novel than one would expect.

Please enjoy this episode embedded below or directly on YouTube here. Thanks!

Remembering Joe Flaherty: SCTV Monster Chiller Horror Theater

 

Last year I posted a segment of "Monster Chiller Horror Theater" from SCTV starring comedy legend Joe Flaherty. Little did I know at the time that we would lose Flaherty just a few months later. When he died, I knew I had to feature him as Count Floyd once again.

Here he is in two SCTV skits as that Halloween-ish character: the first skit with costars John Candy and Eugene Levy, and the other with actresses Catherine O'Hara and Andrea Martin. Everyone is great in their respective roles in these sketches, but I send this out in Flaherty's memory. He was such a great actor!

Thanks!