Fear Frightens Saturday Night Live

40 years ago today On October 31st, 1981 the notorious L.A. hardcore band Fear was invited to play the Saturday Night Live Halloween show.  The episode was hosted by Donald Pleasence.

John Belushi had become a fan of the band and pulled the necessary strings required to make this happen. Belushi also planned to bus in 15 to 20 fans from DC for the performance. The bus made some extra stops in Baltimore and Philly and showed up with twice that many. Fear and their fans had a pretty bad reputation of wreaking havoc wherever they went and did not disappoint on this occasion. The set was destroyed and profanities uttered on live television. They got through two songs but were shut down before a third.

This led to Fear joining an elite club of performers to earn a lifetime ban from the show. This was nothing new to the band as they seemed to get banned from everywhere they performed.

Fear performance on SNL (YouTube video)

Elvis Costello performs the Wrong Song on SNL

John had previously collaborated on a song with Fear for his black comedy film Neighbors, also starring Dan Ackroyd. The song was axed by executives (big surprise there) and the SNL performance was Belushi’s way of making it up to the band. 

Also on this date:

Sally Kirkland was born in 1941

Related:

Saturday Night (Live)

War of the World Radio Broadcast

On October 30th, 1938 Orson Welles and his Mercury Theater company broadcast an audio version H.G. Wells’ 19th Century science fiction novel War of the Worlds on CBS radio. 

Unfortunately a lot of people missed the intro and disclaimer at the beginning of the show at 8pm on a Sunday because they were listening to a more popular show on NBC radio.  

They tuned in a little later to what sounded like an actual radio show with periodic news reports of strange happenings on the planet Mars, the small town of Grover Mills, New Jersey and subsequently across the country. 

Since we seem to believe everything we see in the media a reported 1.2 million Americans believed that what they were hearing was reality and panic ensued. 

Orson Welles and H.G. Wells

Also on this date:

Michael Chrichton’s Looker was released in 1981

Related:

Gene Roddenberry (and Jonathan Frakes)

Yvette Vickers

Dick Tracy

The Outer Limits

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Ed Wood

The Paul Lynde Halloween Special

 On October 29th, 1976 The Paul Lynde Halloween Special aired on ABC. 

One of the most 70’s thing to ever 70.

Donnie and Marie Osmond as devil children?

Billie Hayes, Margaret Hamilton and Betty White

Florence Henderson sing That ‘Ol Black Magic

Roz Kelly and Tim Conway (Truckin’ was cool in the 70’s)

KISS, Paul Lynde and Margaret Hamilton

Wilhelmena Witchiepoo and The Wicked Witch of the West

Also on this date:

Ben Chapman was born in 1928

Elsa Lanchester

Elsa Lanchester was born on October 28th, 1902.

Although her credits span 50 years of film and television, she is most well known for her role as the bride in The Bride of Frankenstein also starring Boris Karloff and Ernest Thesiger (dir. James Whale 1935).

Elsa Lanchester (1902-1986)

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) 
with
Colin Clive, Boris Karloff and Ernest Thesiger

Waxwork Records THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Music by Franz Waxman

Mary Poppins (1964)

Willard (1971) with Bruce Davison,
Ernest Borgnine and Sondra Locke

Also on this date:

Annie Potts was born in 1952

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

On October 27th, 1966 It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown premiered on CBS. 

Also on this date:

Ivan Reitman was born in 1946

Related:

A Boy Named Charlie Brown 

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving 

Jackie Coogan

On October 26th, 1914 Jackie Coogan was born. 

Jackie Coogan (1914-1984)

Coogan began acting at an early age and was discovered by Charlie Chaplin before his 5th birthday. 

At 21, Coogan sued his mother and stepfather for squandering his earnings. The ensuing court battle prompted a law protecting child actors entitled “Coogan’s Act”. 

After World War II, Coogan settled into a TV career and eventually into the role of Uncle Fester on the Addams Family television series.

Uncle Fester (1964-1966)

Coogan as Uncle Fester and Ted Cassidy as Lurch

John Astin, Coogan,
Ted Cassidy, Lisa Loring, 
Carolyn Jones and Ken Weatherwax
(1964-1966)

Also on this date:

Holly Woodlawn was born in 1946

Halloween (1978)

 On October 25th, 1978 Halloween premiered at AMC Empire Theater in Kansas City , Missouri.

Written, directed and scored by John Carpenter for a mere $10,000 / 10% profit. Co-written by producer and frequent collaborator Debra Hill. Edited by Tommy Lee Wallace.

Starring Donald Pleasence, P.J. Soles, Nancy Loomis and Jamie Lee Curtis in her debut role. 

Will Sandin plays a young, unmasked Michael at the beginning of the movie. Nick Castle stars as The Shape (or masked Michael Myers) and Tony Moran (Erin Moran’s brother) as unmasked Michael at the end of the movie. Tommy Lee Wallace also appears as Michael in the closet scene. 

Will Sandin

Nick Castle

Tony Moran 

Tommy Lee Wallace

Also on this date:

Billy Barty was born in 1924

Relevant:

John Carpenter

Jamie Lee Curtis

P.J. Soles

Donald Pleasence

Nancy Loomis

Debra Hill

Tommy Lee Wallace

Tony Moran

Will Sandin 

John Kassir

John Kassir was born on October 24th, 1957.

The stand up comedian and actor is known for his voicing of the Cryptkeeper on Tales from the Crypt (1989-2002)

Also on this date:

Kevin Connor’s Motel Hell starring Rory Calhoun and Nancy Parsons was released in 1980 

Related:

Cassandra Peterson

Sid Vicious Suicide Attempt

October 23rd, 1978

Less than two weeks after his arrest for the murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen, Sid Vicious attempted suicide at Rikers Detention Center in New York City.

He sliced his wrists with a smashed light bulb and was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he reportedly tried to jump out a window.

Sex Pistols Timeline:

8/27/1956 - Glen Matlock Born

5/9/1957 - Sid Vicious Born

10/8/1976 - Sex Pistols Sign with EMI

12/1/1976 - Sex Pistols and the Filth and the Fury

1/6/1977 - Sex Pistols Dropped by EMI 

3/10/1977 - Sex Pistols Sign to A&M

3/16/1977 - Sex Pistols Dropped by A&M

4/3/1977 - Sid Vicious First Gig

5/27/1977 - Sex Pistols Release God Save the Queen

6/7/1977 - Sex Pistols Boat Party

1/5/1978 - Sex Pistols 1978 Tour Begins

1/14/1978 - Sex Pistols Last Stand

1/17/1978 - Sex Pistols Call It Quits

10/12/1978 - Sid Vicious Arrested for Murder

10/23/1978 - Sid Vicious Suicide Attempt

12/9/1978 - Sid Vicious Arrested for Assault

1/2/1979 -  Sid Vicious Murder Trial Begins

2/2/1979 - Sid Vicious Dies

11/7/1986 - Sid and Nancy

 

Curly Howard

 Jerome Lester Horwitz, 

affectionately referred to as “Babe” by older brothers Moe and Shemp.

Born on October 22nd, 1903. 

Jerome Lester Horowitz (1903-1952)

Ted Healy and his Stooges

With Larry Fine, Christine McIntyre
and Moe Howard

Disorder in the Court (1936)

Curly rescued dogs
wherever he went

Also on this date:

Catherine Deneuve was born in 1943

Stooge Related:

Joe Besser

Joe DeRita

Carrie Fisher

 Carrie Fisher was born on October 21st, 1956.

Rest In Peace 

Carrie Fisher (1956-2016)

Under the Rainbow (1981)
with Billy Barty

Rik Mayall and Carrie Fisher 
in Drop Dead Fred (1991)

Also on this date:

The Dead Zone premiered in 1983

Bela Lugosi

Bela Lugosi was born on October 20th, 1882 in Lugoj, Romania. 

Bela Lugosi (1882-1956)

Bela as Jesus in a 1916 Debrecen,
Hungary theater production. 

Dracula (1931)

With Helen Chandler in Dracula (1931)

Island of Lost Souls (1932)
with Charles Laughton 
and Kathleen Burke

White Zombie (1932)
with Madge Bellamy and Robert Frazer

The Corpse Vanishes (1942) 
with Angelo Rossitto

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)
Directed by Ed Wood

Also on this date:

Play Misty For Me (Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut) premiered in 1971

Relative:

7 (technically 9) Pretty Good Vampire Movies

Son of Dracula

Salem’s Lot 

Ed Wood

Boris Karloff 

Max Schreck

Gloria Holden

Amanda Bearse

Susan Sarandon