On February 18, 1995, the Tampa Bay area lost one of its most colorful and wonderful characters. On that day, 66-year-old Ernest "Dick" Bennick passed away. For those of you who don't know who Dick Bennick was, he portrayed WTOG TV's horror host "Dr. Paul Bearer" on that station's "Creature Feature" from September 15, 1973 until February 1995. Bennick earned the distinction of being the longest-running horror host in American history.

Fond Memories
On Saturday September 15, 1973, my late sister and I, who were both science-fiction and horror fans extraordinaire, were treated to the late night debut of a gravely-voiced, one-eyed man on WTOG's "Creature Feature" who called himself "Dr. Paul Bearer". Up until that evening, "Creature Feature" was a Saturday afternoon sci-fi/horror presentation on Tampa Bay's only independent TV station at the time. It had no host until this incredibly witty and eccentric legend graced the stage of Channel 44's St. Petersburg studios. On the debut evening the good Doctor had a model brain on a table with several firecrackers attached to it. With his biggest "cat-swallowed-the-canary" grin, he looks at the camera and proclaims, "This movie's really gonna blow your mind, or my name isn't Dr. Paul Bearer!". He then lights the firecrackers and the camera pans this exploding model brain jumping frantically on the table while Dr. Paul Bearer sports an even bigger grin at the camera--right then we knew it was love--we were hooked for life!

Saturday Afternoons
Dr. Paul Bearer's debut was on a Saturday night. Once it became obvious that NBC affiliate WFLA-TV pulled the plug in the mid-fall of 1973 on its long-running sci-fi/horror feature "Terminus", WTOG moved the good Doctor back to "Creature Feature's" Saturday afternoon slot. WTVT TV's "Shock Theater", now four years without host "Shock Armstrong" was no threat to "Creature Feature" being on Friday's at 11:30 P.M. It would only last until the summer of 1974.

In short order, we became accustomed to the intro of "...and now, your ghost, Doc-tor Paul Bear-er--- Aaaugh!" The camera would quickly pan to the good Doctor closing his squeaky door to his Tenement Castle in order to show us "...another really horrible old movie, or my name isn't Dr. Paul Bearer." We would also revel to his singing "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park", eating his "Lice Krispies" cereal and holding a "Miss Invisible Bikini" contest. The movies seemed secondary to the great show this wonderful man gave us each Saturday. The show was interrupted by classically tacky ads produced by WTOG including Bromley's Jewelers, Dinette's Unlimited, Florida No-Fault Insurance, and an ad with Paul Bearer plugging the station where he holds a glass eye while singing "WTOG as far as the eye cannnn seeeeeeee!"

"To Will, Horribly Yours, Dr. Paul Bearer" was signed by none other than the good Doctor during a visit to the WTOG TV studios in October 1973. Photo courtesy of the author's collection.

Personal Paul Bearer Milestones
In October of 1973, I was an art director for WWBA radio in St. Petersburg. I had to pick up some ad tapes and copy from WTOG and, while visiting, got to meet Dick Bennick who was being dressed up for his taping of "Creature Feature". He was gracious enough to sign a picture of himself sporting his "Be Peculiar" button. Bennick used to commute all the way from Winter Haven where he worked for a sister radio station of WTOG. I stayed long enough to see about a 15-minute segment being filmed at the Tenement Castle set.

In January of 1974, I was watching a "Creature Feature" movie about a Japanese kid named Johnny Socko and his giant robot battle the "Scorpion Gang" when the phone rang. On the other end of the line was a Robinson High School sophomore named Denis Lebrun who was looking for work as an artist. My dear friend and former Robinson creative writing teacher Diane Petteway had referred Denis to me due to my ad art directorships with WWBA radio and Kane's Furniture in St. Petersburg. That phone call would be the beginning of an ongoing best friendship that continues to today. Through hard work and persistence, Denis eventually became, and still is, the lead artist for King Features Syndicate 's comic strip "Blondie" by Dean Young.

A Devoted Fan--then I Worked Weekends
I was a Dr. Paul Bearer fanatic to the Nth degree, but in February 1978 my days of watching "Creature Feature" on a weekly basis came to a general end. Once I got work in retailing as a garden shop manager my Saturdays and my "Creature Feature's" would be gone, but for a few brief vacations. And on a visit to see my brother-in-law and sister in May 1983 in Greensboro North Carolina, I saw one of the biggest threats to my Paul Bearer fandom on WGHP TV: "Elvira-Mistress of the Dark". I was hooked, not only was this Valley Girl vamp attractive, appealing to my older age and new found libido, but once it made it to WFTS TV, Tampa's second independent station, in September 1984, it came on Saturday night at 11:30 P.M., which was at a time that unlike "Creature Feature", I could watch unencumbered, having left work six to three hours earlier.

End of An Era
When Dick Bennick died, so did a piece of Americana (and La Floridiana) that got its start in the mid-to-late 50s on late Friday nights and Saturdays--the sci-fi/horror movie hosted by local talent. Whether it was killed by video, cable, mega-mergers of communication giants, or just plain old age is hard to tell, but I sure miss that Saturday ritual of hearing the intro to "Creature Feature" in the afternoon, or staying up late to watch Elvira and the Breather show "The Day it Came to Earth" or "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes".

Gone But Not Forgotten
Although it has been over seven years now that Dick Bennick and his alter ego "Dr. Paul Bearer" have not been a part of the Bay area's media, I've come to find out that there are many fans and web sites that keep the good Doctor alive. Most notable is Scary Monsters magazine, which has run articles on Dr. Paul Bearer in Issue 8 (September 1993), Issue 10 (March, 1994), Issue 40 (September 2001, and Issue 42 (March 2002). They will run a feature on the Doctor in Issue #44 which is slated for release in Fall 2002. The article will be entitled "Dr. Paul Bearer, the Final Interview with Horror's Longest-Running Horror Host" It will feature the only known rare photos of Bennick when he was known as "Count Shockula" on WGHP in Greensboro, North Carolina from 1965 to the early 70's. To get more information, or reserve an issue of "Scary Monsters" Issue #44, log on to www.scarymonstersmag.com, a delightful site hosted by horror host Zacherly and click on to "Scary News". This Denis Druktenis publication is available for $10.00 post paid, or in Tampa, at Border's Books on North Dale Mabry.

Other notable Dr. Paul Bearer web sites include "E-gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts" at wvnm.wvnet.edu, "Dr. Paul Bearer's Haunted Mansion " at http://welcome.to/hauntedmansion/ , "TV Acres Horror Show Hosts" at www.tvacres.com, TV Horror Hosts (Trading Cards) at www.goodstuffcards.com, and an excellent article about Bennick's days as Tar heel fright night host "Count Shockula" by Dan Johnson, sponsor for the Horror Host Underground Network Program at www.TVHorrorHosts.com

Of course there is also the incredible "Lost Interview of Dr. Paul Bearer" by Jacksonville resident Ed Tucker, right here in www.crazedfanboy.com, which was also featured in Scary Monsters Issue #10. Hillsborough County resident Russell McClellan, who possible has the largest amount of Dr. Paul Bearer memorabilia on the planet, also has Paul Bearer features in Scary Monsters Issues 40 and 42 was mentioned in Issue #73 of this publication. Simply click to 2001 Archives and then click on Issue #73 and scroll down to "La Floridiana".

There are even some people who were so inspired by the good Doctor, that they got into the film industry. Andy Lalino, 36, of Clearwater, spent his Saturdays as a child watching "Creature Feature". A University of Miami graduated, he and 35 year old John Karliss of Orlando have recently shot a thirty-minute horror feature called "Filthy". Filmed in Largo, at the Hobbs Metal and Recycling Yard in Tarpon Springs, and at Lalino's place of business in Clearwater, this independent film also features Dave Barrett of Indian Rocks Beach, Jennifer Bass of Ft. Myers, and Sheri Lawrence, Lalino stated to the St. Petersburg Times in the May 13, 2002 edition that "I owe it all to Dr. Paul Bearer." Tampa public access producer Charles "the Happy Show" Perkins said in the April 5, 2002 edition of the St. Petersburg Times (www.sptimes.com) Dr. Paul Bearer was "one of my heroes".

Yes, "Dr. Paul Bearer" is gone but will never be forgotten. I know that in horror host heaven somehow, some way he'll "be lurking out" for all of his fans. Thank you Dick Bennick for bringing such joy to so many lives--you're owed a memorial tree by me.