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Runaway Radio Screenings
WATCH: Mike McGuff's "Runaway Radio" 101 KLOL documentary - now streaming on Tubi!

Thursday, February 10, 2022

KTRK 13's "WEIRD" 1960s


"WEIRD" was a show on channel 13 KTRK way back in the early 1960s that served as the station's late-night horror show on weekends.

Commenters on the above video remember seeing another KTRK staple in "WEIRD'S" open - the spaceship Cadet Don's sidekick Seymour flew. In fact, one person said the flying saucer flew "through the eye socket in the burned skull or face."

The song you hear in the above video was WEIRD's theme and it was "Frozen Neptune" by Russ Garcia on the album Fantastica - Music From Outer Space which was released in 1958.  

According to YouTuber Michael Fletcher, who posted the above video, KTRK host Charles Harrison provided the WEIRD voice over. 

According to a 1957 edition of Billboard, Harrison also hosted MOVIETIME U.S.A which aired at 10:10pm Monday through Saturday and 10pm Sundays. KITIRIK's Party is also mentioned in the article. 

Houston memorabilia dealer Earl Blair, who passed away in 2020, wrote on Facebook that Shock Theatre, hosted by Manning Williams, aired on KHOU 11 (then KGUL) a few years before WEIRD.

UPDATE

From my Facebook comments on this post, channel 13 viewers from back then remember movies like 13 Ghosts, House on Haunted Hill, Space Chief and many other bad ghost and sci-fi movies airing on WEIRD

While Charlie Harrison was the voice, he was actually the second announcer.  Apparently Ted Bennett was the first announcer.  The style of announcing was in a dramatically long way as "Weeeeeeiiiiiirrrrrrddd!”  

In the late 1960s, there was Weird, followed by Late Weird on Friday nights.

Also, after this post was written, Richard Linklater's "Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood" was released on Netflix and features WEIRD.