MURDER BEFORE MIDNIGHT
WBKB-4, Jan. 23, 1950-Aug. 24, 1953; Chicago, Illinois
Host: Drana Badour the Swami (Allen Harvey & Art Hern)
During the dawn of the 1950s, local Chicago television station WBKB-4) was, in all actuality, ahead of its time when it produced and aired a little programmer called Murder Before Midnight. Every week a different movie thriller would be showcased and hosted by an unusual Swami character, who went by the name of Drana Badour. The strange mystic spoke in an eerie voice and wore the appropriate attire and turban. The show's macabre theme music would play as the time grew nearer for the film to begin. Captivated television viewers would then be lured into Drana Badour's crystal ball where the week's mystery or horror thriller would start.
Very little is known about this obscure television gem, but filmmaker and author Donald F. Glut (Dinosaur Valley Girls; The Erotic Rites of Countess Dracula) has stated that the show debuted on January 23, 1950, and he has generously shared knowledge about Murder Before Midnight at the Monster Kid Classic Horror Forum. Likewise, authors Ted Okuda and Mark Yurkiw have also provided a brief background of the program in their insightful book Chicago TV Horror Movie Shows from Shock Theatre to Svengoolie (2007; Lake Claremont Press; 1893121135). However, Okuda and Yurkiw have erroneously commented that the show ended its run in 1952. Ol' Sicko-Psychotic himself has picked up his shovel and did a little digging of his own, only to discover that Murder Before Midnight continued its run until August 24, 1953, according to the TV listing section in the Illinois newspaper - the Freeport Journal.
Murder Before Midnight was unique in that it not only had a creepy host as the master of ceremonies, the first of his kind in television history, but the show also featured a movie thriller in nightly installments, Monday through Saturday from 11:30 pm - 12:00 midnight. The half hour program would then usually be followed by the Nite Owl Movie, which showcased a random mix of full-length movies from various genres. Beginning on June 17, 1951, however, the WBKB studio began to do something special with Murder. On Monday nights, the local TV station started showing the entire length of the week's feature from 11:30 pm until 1:30 am. On these nights, Murder would be followed by the Ulmer Turner News prior to the station going off the air until later that morning.
Considering how quickly and frequently shows were cancelled during the golden age of television, it's apparent that Murder Before Midnight had a successful run locally. No doubt that introducing a viewer-participation gimmick added to the show acquiring a loyal following. "After the movie segment was over," Glut has stated, "the Swami would do an over-the-air quiz, phoning people at home and asking questions relating to the movie. Winners got a jackpot prize offered by sponsor Allied Motors."
Although the Swami Drana Badour hosted such horror titles as The Ape Man (1943), Revenge of the Zombies (1943), The Face of Marble (1946), etc., the majority of the program consisted of mystery and suspense chillers. Similar films found themselves as part of the film repertoire of later TV horror hosts that soon followed in the Swami's footsteps (i.e., Vampira's Lady of Horrors, 1954-1955, KABC and Vampira, 1956, KHJ; Dr. Diablo's Terror! Theatre, 1957, KCOP; Ottola Nesmith's Nightmare!, 1957-1958, KTLA). A couple of the Swami's known mystery and suspense flicks -- Red Dragon (1945) and The Panther's Claw (1942) -- were presented by other horror hosts, such as Vampira and Dr. Diablo, in their own programs. It's very likely that even more of the Swami's films would have appeared in the shows previously mentioned if they would have lasted as long as Murder Before Midnight did. The reason for so many suspense thrillers in these early programs was due to the fact that horror pictures were difficult to acquire and at affordable prices, as Maila Nurmi (a.k.a. Vampira) had once pointed out. These were local shows, after all, and they had a modest budget. Sadly, this is still the case in current times, which is why most horror hosts continue to show the same features, usually in public domain, as their colleagues.
FILMS SHOWN (Incomplete):
The Accused (1949)
*The Ace of Spades (1935)
*The Ape Man (1943)
*Below the Deadline (1936)
*Blake of Scotland Yard (1937)
*The Case of Charles Peace (1949)
*Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944)
*The Corpse Vanishes (1942)
*Dark Alibi (1946)
*Detective Kitty O'Day (1944)
The Face of Marble (1946)
*Hammer the Toff (1952)
*The Important Witness (1933)
*The Intruder (1933)
* Lord Edgware Dies (1934)
*Meet Sexton Blake (1945)
The Night Comes Too Soon (1947)
*The Night Has Eyes (1942)
*The Panther's Claw (1942)
*Paul Temple's Triumph (1950)
*The Phantom Shot (1947)
Red Dragon (1945)
Return of the Ape Man (1944)
*Revenge of the Zombies (1943)
*Salute the Toff (1952)
Shadows Over Chinatown (1946)
*A Shot in the Dark (1935)
*Someone at the Door (1936)
Tangled Evidence (1934)
There Goes Kelly (1945)
*The Thirteenth Guest (1932)
*Three Witnesses (1935)
*White Zombie (1932)
*Woman in the Shadows (1934)
