Doctor Franken, NBC-TV, January 13, 1980

 

This Friday's long-form program is the 1980 TV-movie Doctor Franken.

In Doctor Franken (aka The Franken Project), the titular physician is a well-respected surgeon in a Manhattan hospital with a bit of a secret: he's been experimenting with the body of a presumed-dead man, replacing shattered parts of his body with new parts--from other patients.

Franken. Frankenstein. Get it?

When the patient surprisingly recovers, he realizes that his new parts retain the experiences of their former owners--including the eyes he received from a murder victim, making the patient a retroactive witness to the murder.

The movie, which stars Robert Vaughn as Franken and Teri Garr in a supporting role, acted as a pilot for a regular series that never materialized. That's not surprising--this is pretty grim stuff for an ongoing primetime TV series, especially in 1980.

Enjoy below or directly on YouTube here. Have a great weekend!

Halloween TV Commercials 2026 Edition

 

We're back for another haunt in the Countdown. Nest up: this year's batch of Halloween TV commercials!

Well, they're not all Halloween related specifically, but they do all have a spooky, scary, or creepy theme. That's Halloween enough for me!

First up, a fun commercial for Carvel Ice Cream's Halloween cakes. I've featured one before in the Countdown, but this is a different one with a different cake than the previous commercial. Ice cream cakes aren't my favorite type of cake, but Carvel made them seem so fun! Stay tuned for the funky bumper music that appears after the commercial!

Local commercials are often my favorite, because what they lack in production values they make up for in sincerity. I love this House of Bargains ad from 1985 featuring your favorite personality and mine, Discount Dracula! No offense to the actor, but the name suits him!

If you're still looking for a costume this year, look no further than either (or both?) of these Flo and Jamie costumes, courtesy of Progressive Insurance! Well, maybe not this year since this commercial is from 2016, but maybe you can get creative and make your own! Just put on a white shirt and overalls and you're golden!

I still have a working Atari 2600 video game system, so if I come across this Demon Attack game in my retro game shop, I'm picking it up!

Rounding out this year's crop of commercials, I have no less than five brand-new ones airing on TV right now. Xfinity is showcasing how reliable their services can be--even in the heart of a zombie apocalypse. Now THAT'S reliability!

Thanks!

M*A*S*H, "Trick or Treatment," CBS-TV, November 1st, 1982

 

We start off the first full week of the Countdown to Halloween with a Halloween-themed episode of the classic TV series M*A*S*H.

In "Trick or Treatment," the 4077 staff is getting ready for a big Halloween party, with everyone in full costume, when they get barraged by incoming wounded and rowdy Marines. Also, Father Mulcahey realizes a patient the staff thought was dead is in fact still alive! Guest starring George Wendt and, of all people, Andrew "Dice" Clay.

This episode aired November 1, 1982 (November 1st is All Hallows Day, so it's still in-season), and it aired with two other Halloween-themed episodes on CBS that night, one of which is Square Pegs, which I blogged back in 2022, and you can still see it here.

The other episode is one that I'll feature next week right here on the blog, so stay tuned!

For right now, enjoy M*A*S*H, recorded exactly as it aired that night, with commercials and all, embedded below or directly on YouTube here. Thanks!

Curse of the Black Widow, ABC TV, September 16, 1977

 

Hello again, and welcome back for the first full-fledged post of my 2026 Countdown to Halloween. As it's a Friday, I usually present a long-form program to watch, and to kick off the first October weekend, I present the 1977 made-for-TV horror film Curse Of The Black Widow!

As the movie opens, Los Angeles has been perplexed by a series of bizarre murders in which men are drained of their bodily fluids (yuck) through large wounds in their chests and in place is found spider venom. A police detective teams up with a private investigator to find out what's going on, which leads them to three unusual women, two of which are twins. Weird stuff ensues.

Made-for-TV horror movies are a mixed bag in quality, but I love coming across them because I'm always surprised they were even attempted due to the restrictions on what can be shown on broadcast TV back then--but they were attempted more often than I first realized! Several have even become horror classics (Trilogy of Terror, Dark Night of the Scarecrow, and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, for starters). Is this one a classic? I'll let you decide for yourself.

I will say this--look at that cast! Donna Mills, Patty Duke, Vic Morrow, June Lockhart, June Allyson, Max Gail (Wojo from Barney Miller!), Roz Kelly (Pinky Tuscadero!)--Sid Freakin' Caesar! A cavalcade of stars!

The movie is also produced and directed by Dan Curtis, the creator of Dark Shadows, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and several other made-for-TV horror films (Trilogy of Terror, Bram Stoker's Dracula, among others).

And do you SEE that TV Guide ad above? Look at it! LOOK AT IT!

Here it is, in all its webbed glory, in embedded form on directly on YouTube here. Enjoy! And thanks for being a part of the Countdown to Halloween! Let me know what you think of my posts in the comments!

Welcome to the 2026 Countdown to Halloween!

BOO!

Welcome, one and all, to the 2026 Countdown to Halloween! As I do every October 1st, I rise from the grave to present to you, the living, with the best and finest ghoulish fun possible. I give you movies! I give you TV shows! I give you cartoons! I give you flights of the murky and the macabre! I give until it hurts--ouch!

This opportunity would not be possible without the fastidious work of Dex from AEIOU...and Sometimes Why, the grand crypt keeper of the Countdown. Thank you for everything you do for us, Dex!

As I've done in recent years, I hope to have something new every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Please stay tuned to your blog feeder of choice for all of my posts. You have so many choices for entertainment this season--thank you for including me in the mix!

MAY THE 2026 COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN--BEGIN!!!

Svengoolie: Sven's Summer Special, Frankenstein, WFLD-TV, June 25, 1982

 

Happy Summer!

It's been far too long since I've shared anything with you, and I'm afraid I won't be able to connect with you as frequently as I'd like anytime soon, but I wanted to take a quick moment to shared this summery find.

Below is an installment of the Son of Svengoolie (now known simply as Svengoolie) presenting a special summer-themed airing of the horror classic Frankenstein. Along with the film, Sven shares his usual gags, songs, and skits, several with a summertime theme. This is the type of thing I usually post during the Countdown to Halloween, but hey, horror is great year round!

This was recorded Friday, June 25th, 1982 on WFLD-TV Channel 32, Chicago, and has many of the commercials that aired that night. The recording shuts off after the movie's end credits, so Sven's usual wrap-up bits are missing, but what is here is a great find nonetheless.

Enjoy! Have a great summer! Happy 4th of July! See you soon!

Happy Star Wars Day!

 

May the Fourth Be With You!