Granny Creech’s Radio Spot Crypt

Hello, Children…Granny Creech here…

The other day I was stirring up a pot of brew when I received a phone call from my grandson, Big Abner, and he asked, “Granny, you have more radio spots than there are bodies in Witchwood Cemetery. Which one is your favorite?”

Hmmmm….interesting question. I have been collecting spots for longer than I can remember and his question caused a lot of internal retrospection. I love them all, some more than others – kind of like my relatives (heh heh). Which is my favorite and why? And what makes a great radio spot anyway?  Well, it’s kind of like my brew: a lot of good things need to go into the pot to make a satisfying result.
For starters, a good radio spot has to have a quality announcer(s).  He has to embrace the overall mood of the movie, whether it be excitement, fear, or humor. If he can elicit the proper emotion through his voice and colorful words, I can usually get excited to see the movie.

Second, a spot should tell the story of the movie somewhat, and include music and/or sound effects.

Lastly, it should appeal to the mind’s eye as well as to the ears. You should be able to visualize what you are hearing. You should be able to “see it on the radio.”

I thought and thought and eventually came up with two or three titles that would rank as my favorites. I finally came up with a winner. My favorite radio spots of all time (so far) are for the 1963 US release of…..King Kong vs Godzilla! …

King Kong vs Godzilla Radio SpotsRead More »

The Land Unknown T-Rex

Before he died, my Uncle Edgar used to say, “Life has a funny way of working things out.” He was a smart man. When he died, we saved his brain. It’s floating in a big jar of formaldehyde. I keep it in the dining room where he can be a part of the goings-on. We usually sit it out on a table on Halloween night so all the neighborhood monsters can come up and touch it if they like. Uncle Edgar likes being a part of the festivities.

Anyway, I was just sitting here in my old creaky rocking chair, watching the fire, and pondering which radio spots I should upload next when I suddenly received a batmail from sister Elviney, asking if I had seen the latest posting on Zombos Closet. I looked and, well, Old Zombos, clever fellow that he is, decided to highlight The Land Unknown’s excellent pressbook on his website. He must have known what all I was thinking, and I immediately knew what my weekly selection would be: The Land Unknown! Uncle Edgar was right.

The Land Unknown was a favorite movie of mine when I was a kid. I loved the dinosaurs and, even though they weren’t the best looking, they still fired my imagination. The use of miniatures, matte paintings and the combining of live-action into the miniature sets were pretty spectacular for 1957. The poster art was pretty good, too.

The 7” radio spot record I have only contains three spots, so I suspect it’s for the 1964 re-release. I’ve featured them all here.

So, enjoy these radio spots from one of Universal’s 1950’s thrillers! Uncle Edgar and I will be listening, too.

The Land Unknown (15)

The Land Unknown (30)

The Land Unknown (60)

Good old Granny lifted up her nephew, turned him upside down, and shook real hard to loosen up some more radio spots from The Pit and the Pendulum from his pockets. Here are a few 60, and one 90, minute spots for your time to be well spent. Bet you won’t be able to watch the movie ever again without hearing these ominous jingles playing in your head. Again and again. Like that blade that keeps on coming. Swoosh…swoosh…swoosh…

Pit and the Pendulum (60)b

Pit and the Pendulum (60)c

Pit and the Pendulum (60)d

Pit and the Pendulum (60)e

Pit and the Pendulum (60)f

Pit and the Pendulum (60)g

Pit and the Pendulum (90)

Flash…from Granny Creech…

I just received batmail from Uncle Oscar (he’s a caretaker at the Witchwood Cemetery in Arkansas), saying he just dug up two lobby spots from Psycho! He sent them to me, and I believe they are from the original release in 1960.

They are pretty entertaining. That Alfred Hitchcock is such a character! Anyway, I thought I’d include them here. They could have been used in 1960 as well as for the re-release in 1969 and would have entertained the patrons waiting to be seated for the next showing of the movie. Enjoy! Yours truly, Granny C. (P.S. Just blow the graveyard dirt off and give them a spin.)

Listen to Psycho Lobby Spot (30)

Listen to Psycho Lobby Spot (60)

How do you do. This is the ghost of Alfred Hitchcock and I am delighted to be here at Granny Creech’s Radio Spot Crypt. It seems that our dear old Granny has decided to feature the radio spots for my movie Psycho, a feat of which must have been a serious undertaking for her.  

Actually, there are two sets of spots that will be presented here. The first set is for the original release of Psycho in 1960; the second set is for its re-release in 1969. Those will be featured next week. I think you will find both sets equally charming.

For whatever reason, Granny Creech gets a kick out of my vocal delivery, calling it droll and dry, and somewhat humorous.  I can assure you these spots were delivered in all seriousness with the goal of attracting as many patrons to the theatre as possible.

And so, I will leave it up to you, the discerning listener, to determine the effectiveness of the spots.  I trust they will leave you with the most pleasant memories and the most chilling nightmares. Thank you.”

Listen to Psycho (10 seconds)

Listen to Psycho (20 seconds)

Listen to Psycho (30 seconds)a

Listen to Psycho (30 seconds)b

Listen to Psycho (30 seconds)c

Listen to Psycho (30 seconds)d

Listen to Psycho (60 seconds)a

Listen to Psycho (60 seconds)b

Listen to Psycho (60 seconds)c

Listen to Psycho (60 seconds)d

Alfred Hitchcock Psycho Theater Standee

Alfred Hitchcock on Psycho movie set

William Castle Seated In Director's Chair

Your old Granny Creech has been thinking a lot lately about William Castle, Mr. Showmanship himself.

…

William Castle’s Movies Through Audio ThrillsRead More »

This article was sent by bmail (that's batmail) from Granny Creech. A note that said Read it or Else was attached to it by a rusty paper clip. So…

What is a radio spot?

Well, back in the day when Granny Creech was just a young little thing, movie studios used to offer to movie theaters a vinyl record containing advertisements for the movie they were exhibiting. They first were issued on 10” 78 rpm records, then later 12” 33 1/3 rpm records or 7” 45 rpm records. The advertisements, or “spots”, usually varied in length, from 10 seconds up to one minute, leaving time at the end for a local announcer to “tag” the spot: “Now showing at the Rialto Theater.” Some records contained multiples of each time length.

When the theater manager received the record, they contacted their sales representative at the local radio station. The rep then designed a “package” of airplay. For example, they might sell the theater a package of 50 time slots over the course of a few days or a week for “x” amount of dollars.  The spots would be played throughout the days, in between songs and other commercials, on a predetermined schedule, with emphasis placed on “drive time” (when motorists were in their car going to and from work), and weekends.  The number of spots played per day usually increased as the start date of the movie drew near.

Spots produced for the movie varied greatly in terms of production value and complexity.  Often, as was the case in the city where your Granny grew up, the local radio station produced original spots based on info provided by the theater manager.  In some instances, the locally-produced spots were better than the studio-issued spots. Locally produced spots were the norm for drive-ins that showed three or more features per night.

Sadly, most spot records were discarded after the movie left the area. There was no longer any need for them.  Some were saved by disc jockeys or theater personnel, but for the most part, that unique segment of movie promotion history was lost forever. However, some Monsterkids had the foresight to use their reel-to-reel tape recorders to record the spots live off the air.

The spots presented here in Granny Creech’s Radio Spot Crypt are some of my favorites. Some are better than others, but they all take me back to a simpler time, a time when listening to your favorite Top 40 radio station allowed you to hear of an exciting movie coming to your favorite theater. I’ve collected them from many places over many years.  The names of the sites and the contributors have long-since been forgotten, but my thanks go out to those who shared my interest in them and preserved them for us to enjoy today.

Listen…