Ghoulda

What we know of Ghoulda, right now, principally comes from Mr. Richard Webb and is confirmed by L. Lee Davis.  Here is the original email from Richard, the primary source of information at the moment.  (If you know more about this or ANY host, please contact us at info@horsearcherproductions.com).

A bit of background to go w/ enclosures: Shock! came to WRVA ch12, on Feb 1, 1958, w/ usual showing of Dracula and Frankenstein. They double-billed movies each Saturday night until almost the end of that year, then went into single showings. In Oct59, while continuing the Sat night shows, they introduced a second version of Shock! running for an hour at 1pm Sat afternoons. Don't remember how long this lasted, and can't confirm because my research of the Richmond Times Dispatch listings has so far only carried me up through Feb60, but am pretty sure it went well into 61, as memory serves, possibly longer than its late night counterpart.

A bit of background to go w/ enclosures: Shock! came to WRVA ch12, on Feb 1, 1958, w/ usual showing of Dracula and Frankenstein. They double-billed movies each Saturday night until almost the end of that year, then went into single showings. In Oct 59, while continuing the Sat night shows, they introduced a second version of Shock! running for an hour at 1pm Sat afternoons. Don't remember how long this lasted, and can't confirm because my research of the Richmond Times Dispatch listings has so far only carried me up through Feb60, but am pretty sure it went well into 61, as memory serves, possibly longer than its late night counterpart.

Anyway, getting to Ghoulda: She must have appeared during late-summer or early fall 58. I suspect the News Leader will tell us exactly when, as, unlike the Times Dispatch, the NL greensheet TV listings for the week carried the titles of that Saturday’s movies along with Ghoulda's picture. My first audio taping of her was Oct 11, hosting Dracula's Daughter and Invisible Man. Also have tape of her Nov 29, for She Wolf of London and Mummy's Ghost, and the following week, Dec 6, for House of Frankenstein and Mummy's Curse. Horror Island (Dec 20) once followed, but the tape was lost. The last I have of her is for an unknown date (I suspect it's June 20 or 27, 1959.) showing The Devil Commands.

Anyway, shortly thereafter, as I told you, the newsman came on at 11, and said that Ghoulda would not be on again, as she had gotten married, gave her name (which I promptly forgot), and said that she was a graduate student in theater at RPI, and that the show would that night be in the hands of "Destiny," who was quite underwhelming and equally recognizable under the makeup as the host of the ch12 equivalent of American Bandstand.

Anyway, the material I'm sending here is what my sister and I got from Ghoulda in Dec 58. What the SPEVA Badge represents or what those letters stood for, I can't recall, but seem to remember that it had something to do with the Society to Preserve Vampires, or something of the sort. By the way, when I was growing up, I used the nickname Shep, from my middle name, Shepherd. So Ghoulda's not referring to our family dog, but me. Also, since this represents the possible end to a fifty year search for this woman, I would really appreciate it if you would fill me in on whatever info you now have about her, like her name, which I missed when you told me yesterday at the library.

It's remotely possible that Witch Hazel and Ghoulda are two different people, but if there was a Witch Hazel hosting horror flix on ch12 in 1959 and I missed knowing it, I would be amazed. How did you come to find that there was a Witch Hazel on 12? How much of this info came from her and how much from other sources?

Please fill me in; after five decades, I'm dying to find out all of this. To my knowledge channel 12 only had two horror hosts ever: Ghoulda and Destiny (who, incidentally, only lasted three weeks). The next Richmond area host was not for another decade, when Bowman Body came to WXEX. When I find it, I'll send more info from the newspapers I kept clips from, and from sketches I made of Ghoulda and her "family: Uncle David, Darling, Lucifer, and Empress. As I can't get them to attach from iPhoto where they live, I'll send the enclosures that were to be here in a separate email. Enjoy, and let me know whether you get these ok. Take good care.

NEW INFO:  Well, thanks to Bryant Sherron who worked at WRVA in the late 1950s (and beyond) for some brand new information.  The woman in this picture is Gerry Kronowitz and we would be very interested in finding out more about her.  She was Ghoulda and right now, we think she was the first true horror movie host in the state of Virginia.

If you have more on Gerry or any other host, please, email me at info@horsearcherproductions.com.  

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