Now, I'll let everyone know about my recollections of TOM LaBRIE'S NIGHT COMFORT THEATRE on KTXL-TV 40. My earliest I can remember is probably around 1975 when I was 13 years old. Looking through my TV GUIDES, It looks like ALL NIGHT MOVIES didn't start until 1974. Anyway, I remember looking through the TV Guides and finding an interesting movie listed around 3:30-4:AM. And since this was before VCR's, You either had to be an INSOMNIAC, working late or like me, going to bed early and hope you wake up early. I didn't even have an Alarm Clock. I usually went to bed at 8:PM, usually drinking lots of water and then conveniently wake up early :) Back in the 1970's, KTXL showed mostly B-Grade Movies, occasionally even Z-Grade but never the A-Grade ones. Those were usually shown during the earlier better hours. A lot of them were made between 1930 and 1965. An example of some movies, I woke up to included some of the Monogram CHARLIE CHAN films like THE CHINESE CAT & DOCKS OF NEW ORLEANS and a few Poverty Row Horror Films like THE APE MAN & BLACK DRAGONS and that occasional THREE STOOGES feature films like HAVE ROCKET WILL TRAVEL. By the 1980's, Newer movies were added but they were still of the B Grade. Surprisingly, DAVID CRONENBERG'S "THEY CAME FROM WITHIN" was shown around 1983. Even episodes of THE OUTER LIMITS and BORIS KARLOFF'S THRILLER were shown. As for TOM LaBRIE, I think he owned the LaBRIES WATERBED store that sponsored the show. On Tom's show, he didn't discuss the movies he showed. He had a few guests but not many. Tom had that mellow, soothing voice. I think, NIGHT COMFORT THEATRE was phased out around 1989 or 1990. Today, KTXL shows mostly Sitcom Reruns or that Dreaded INFOMERCIAL but at least they aren't SOLID INFOMERCIALS like KICU-TV 36. In fact, It is the INFOMERCIALs that pretty much killed off the ALL NIGHT MOVIES nationwide. A picture of me as a Teen is posted above.
I always adored Bob Wilkins and his dry wit. I saw "Peter Vincent" and his tongue in cheek portrayal of a late night TV horror host in "Fright Night" to be a tribute to the lasting style impression that was left by Bob.
ReplyDeleteLove you Bob, I'll raise a glass of absinthe to you every Halloween.
Cheers.
I was just discussing Tom LaBrie with my grandson. I recall he had like a nervous tic, and wondered, if the segment they aired still featured his nervous tic, how bad must his other takes have been?
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed the "Creature Feature" intro: "Now the stragnest thing, 'bout this show on Two, is its host, Bob Wilkins, and he brings it to you..."
Tom LaBrie would come in where I worked & was always wasted & sloppy drunk. He acted like he was every womans gift & expected all of us to kiss his feet. He expected to get free drinks & food. No one wanted to serve him.
ReplyDeleteThe few times he left a tip it wasn't even 10%.
My boyfriend put a bed on lay away at his store to hold it because he was told it was the last one. When he went back & paid it off there was no bed. Worst of all they would not give him his money back. The girl at the counter said it happened all of the time. His store was like a used car lot.