THIS IS A NO RESERVE AUCTION

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR FRESHLY SHOT PICS OF THIS 1950's VINTAGE ORIGINAL HUGE 15X7 1/2 X SPOOK SHOW MOVIE  THEATRE  POSTER FLYER AD FROM THE PARAMOUNT  THEATRE  MARION FRIDAY JANUARY 27TH , 1950  ONE PERFORMANCE...ONLY AT MIDNIGHT1,,,ONLY ....ON THE STAGE DR. SILKINI'S ASYLUM OF HORRORS...WEIRD~SPINE-TINGLING!...SEE!...GHASTLY!...HOFFIFYING!...BLOOD-CHILLING!...FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER JACK BAKER IS DR. SILKINI and COMPANY
ASYLUM OF HORRORS!
SEE DIRECT FROM HOLLYWOOD...FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER...IN PERSON!...GIRLS...BRING YOUR BOYFRIEND!DISCOVER IF YOU HAVE A MAN OR A MOUSE!...GHATLEY...HORRIFYING...CHILLING!...DON'T BE TURNED AWAY..BUY TICKETS NOW!WARNING...IF YOU HAVE A WEAK HEART....DON'T SEE IT!POSTER AD IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION!  SEE ALL PICS!

VERY NICE WITH NO PROBLEMS CONDITION ORIGINAL SPOOK SHOW GEM~FOLDED LIGHTLY IN THE MIDDLE BUT HAS BEEN KEPT FLAT AND WILL BE SHIPPED FLAT!  SEE GIANT GORILLA APE GRAB GIRLS FROM AUDIENCE.......ALSO...GIANT SCREAM SHOW!

VERY NICE WITH NO PROBLEMS CONDITION ORIGINAL SPOOK SHOW GEM~

NO SURPRISES HERE...WHAT YOU SEE AND WHAT I DESCRIBE IS WHAT YOU GET AND YOU MUST BE HAPPY!..

AND YOU WILL BE!!

ANY GLARE IS FROM THE CAMERA FLASH!

ON STAGE

ASYLUM OF HORRORS

FEATURING SEE-IN PERSON

THE FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER

DIRECT FROM HOLLYWOOD

VERY NICE WITH NO PROBLEMS CONDITION ORIGINAL SPOOK SHOW GEM~

DR. SILKINI's 

ASYLUM OF HORRORS

PARAMOUNT  THEATRE..MARION

GHOSTS DESCEND UPON YOU IN THE AUDIENCE!

CAN YOU TAKE IT? 

HUGE SPOOKY IMAGES OF SCREAMING SKELETON SKULL SKELETON GHOUL AND THE FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER AND BEWITCHED GIRL

SCREEN SCARE

VERY RARE AND VERY SPOOKY!

THIS IS AN ARTICLE I WROTE FOR "SCARY MONSTERS" MAGAZINE ABOUT GHOSTMASTER JACK BAKER...DR. SILKINI!

Direct From Hollywood!”
 ASYLUM OF HORRORS!

       
A unique brand of entertainment in American Movie House history was known as the Midnight Ghost Show.  From its rise in the late 1920’s to its eventual demise in the late 60’s, the Spook Show captured imaginations and thrilled audiences in movie houses and drive-ins around the country.
 
Midnight Ghost Shows or Spook Shows, later called Midnight Horror Shows, were orchestrated by a magician or “Spook Master,” and occurred live in the theatre before, between and after feature horror films.  Spook Show operators would take their shows on the road to small theaters across the country. Thousands of dollars could easily be made with a good routine and the willingness to live a somewhat transient existence. Theater operators made easy money booking these shows, with little out of pocket expense. Because the shows typically began at midnight, when the theater would otherwise be closed, the theater owners risked nothing by booking them and were all but guaranteed a profit.
 
Elaborate advertising and posters were provided way in advance by the Spook Show operators, who mailed them to the theater with instructions about how to build up interest and suspense in their patrons. Intriguing posters often bearing shocking claims were placed in the movie house lobbies weeks before the show rolled into town for its one- night- stand.
 
Trailers for these events were shown with the feature films in the weeks leading up to the Spook Show, generating intense interest and advance tickets sales. Gimmicks such as give-aways and free passes were employed to great success, as was radio advertising.  Advertising included such blurbs as, “SO SCARY WE DARE YOU TO SIT THROUGH IT ALL!  IF YOU DO---YOU WIN FREE 2 FOR 1 PASSES TO A NEAR FUTURE MOVIE!”  Another promised, “MONSTERS AND WEIRD BEAUTIES.” Or from the Ahmen Ra and His Weird Tomb of Terrors featuring the Mummy in Person, “MONSTERS GRAB GIRLS FROM THE AUDIENCE!” 
  
The Spook Show phenomena began in the lavish theaters of the 1920’s where they were billed predominantly as midnight Magic Shows complete with magicians, seances, floating phantoms, illuminated spirits and often comedy as well. One of the unique aspects of these shows was the “blackout” where at the end of the show the theater lights would be turned off and glow-in-the-dark ghosts would appear to materialize overhead and on the stage, thrilling and terrifying audiences. Everything and anything could happen. Spiders would fly from the balcony, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe or Elvis Presley might materialize, if you were brave enough to sit through the whole show you might win a “dead body.” Then the feature film, generally a horror film, would be shown.
 
Some would consider one man to be the king of the Spook Show Circuit- Jack Baker.
John Kessler, later known as Jack Baker, was born in Detroit Michigan in 1914.  He started his career in show business as a teenager, doing magic.  He later went on to sell trade magazines and in his travels he was invited to a Midnight Ghost Show. When the mentalist, Mel-Roy didn’t show, Jack was tapped to do his magic act for the expectant audience.  He was hooked.
 
In time young Kessler joined up with Wyman Baker. Adopted by Baker’s parents, (thus the change from Kessler to Baker)  the two “brothers” teamed up to create “Dr. Silkini’s Spiritualistic Séance and Ghost Show in 1938: what would become the long-standing,  “Asylum of Horrors.”
 
The advertising for the “Asylum of Horrors” promised Monsters and Fright but leaned towards a “Hellsapoppin’ type show, replete with laughs as well as shrieks.  Typical Baker poster advertisement ‘ballyhoo’ for the Asylum of Horrors Show consisted of blurbs such as: “Eerie! See it Happen-right before your startled eyes- IN PERSON!…And on a rampage. DIRECT FROM HOLLYWOOD…THE FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER.”
 
The show was a big hit. In fact it broke box office records. Over the years, real movie actors from Universal Films such as Glenn Strange, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr., made guest appearances in Jack’s show.  Universal even gave Baker special permission to use their Frankenstein character in the show because they felt that it contributed to the popularity of their monster. At one point there were 7 “units” like franchises, doing the show around the country. For many years Asylum of Horrors was the most successful and lucrative Spook Show on the circuit and Jack Baker became known as the King of the Spook Shows.
 
The decline of Spook Shows had many causes; greed for profit, jaded audiences, television and cinemascope, (resulting in the removal of stages from movie theaters.) But perhaps there was more. In the advent of Abbott and Costello meeting all the monsters, the Addams Family and The Munsters, there was a saturation of comedy into horror that spelled doom for the whole shebang.   Or perhaps too, the world was growing up, becoming more cynical, unwilling to suspend their disbelief even for a few short hours, when the Magic could happen. 
 

  
   
    HERE'S WHAT THE CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING!!!  
   
I buy from Colossusofny often and am always pleased.
 
casarama

Nice vntg. item in great condition! FAST shpng. & friendly service!
 
thebonechief

Wasn't beauty killed the beast....twas COLOSSUS, The best EBAY has to offer!!    
mo382

ED IS THE ULTIMATE SPOOK SHOW HISTORIAN AND COLLECTOR    
cinemanure
 
Poster is in beautiful condition, thank you!    
jlsx
 
Beautiful poster,good packing,fast shipping,A 1 Seller    
shadowman_65
 
Honest, dependable, reliable, considerate dealer. Packaging flawless. Excellent    
hinton1000
Unusual items, extremely low price, very happy with deal    
buy4jim
 
EXCELLENT!!! Honest and pleasant ebayer, truly one of the best!! Thanks Ed!    
rods-n-bods
 
Thanks Ed & thanks for the bonus card! Great poster & speedy delivery    
greshplow
 
THE BEST OF THE BEST - FEEL WHAT ITS LIKE TO DEAL WITH A PRO - BID W/CONFIDENCE!    
audiobknow
 

 
INCREDIBLE ..DON'T MISS IT!!!

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~ANY QUESTIONS OR MORE PICS PLEASE  JUST ASK~

EXCELLENT CONDITION  NO PAPER LOSS NO FOLDS FULLY PACKED TO THE WINNER!

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