I HOME I GALLERY I THE SHOW & APPEARANCES I NO NAME  I THE SONG! I

It was the 1960s ... the early 60s to be a little more precise.  Famous Monsters of Filmland was a big seller with the kids, both little ones and teenagers. Television was still relatively new ... and programmers had discovered that kids loved MONSTERS! They had grown up with local kid show hosts - like Buckskin Bill, Pop Winkle, Lester and sop many more.  Now they were ready for something a little different ... a HORROR show host!  Enter Count Macabre, packing a skull named Erik, a castle full of cardboard creepiness, and a recently purchased package of old monster and sci-fi movies.  The time was right, the personality was right, and we were READY!  Every weekday afternoon, from 3:30 PM till 5:30 PM (when Huntley/Brinkley would invade and we would vacate the television to the world of parents) it was COUNT MACABRE - WBRZ-TV, Channel 2 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana!

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THE SITE
A lot of us kids (mostly guys but there were some girl viewers) were introduced to classic horror, mystery and science fiction movies through the Count Macabre's daily visits.  Some of us even decided upon our career paths through the films presented, the theatrical presence of the Count (local magician Jay Marlborough) and the  wonder that was local television in the 60s. Here I placed some images of memorabilia from the Count's television years, including ads from personal appearances, TV giveaways, and, soon, posters from his bizarre run for Governor in the 1964 Louisiana gubernatorial election!  If you have any stories, photos, "stuff" that you would like to share, please contact me at this e-mail address: countmacabre@dovetailstudio.com.  Now let's relive a little past, shall we?


THE OTHER SHOW
The other show on Baton Rouge television around the same time was titled "Amazing Tales" and aired on Saturdays on WAFB channel 9. It started a couple of years before Count Macabre and had no host. I remember being introduced to lots of AIP Bert I. Gordon cheese films like "The Cyclops," Roger Corman's "War of the Satellites," and the ever-awful "Frankenstein's Daughter" through that venue.


WHERE IS HE NOW?
Ken King sent this information:
"Jay Marlborough died about 5 years ago in Phoenix AZ. He was married for the last years of his life to my mother and his family, two sons, still live in the Phoenix area."


WHERE DO I FIND MORE INFORMATION ON LOCAL HORROR SHOW HOSTS?
Check out E-Gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts.


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