Sammy Fan Memories, Continued

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NAME: John Stanley
EMAIL: Hytekredneck2003@yahoo.com
DATE: 10-27-2003

I have to start by saying WOW. I am so glad that I am not the only person out here that loves and misses Sammy Terry. I would have to say that my best memory would be when I was about 8 or 9 years old. The whole family would lay in the family room floor,(its where the fire place was and it added to the scare of it all).I dont remember the episode, but I was hiding my face as most of us did when Sammy gave us all "the laugh", Anyway we had the door open about 2 inches and there was a little bit of wind blowing. Just about the time Sammy Told us "Good evening" the wind picked up the curtin and my dog barked all at the same time.I dont think I have ever been so scared in my life. I really miss the times we had as a family watching and wish All the same Great memories. Thanks for the Memories

NAME: Pastor James Rockford (Rocky) Walker
EMAIL: watchman4u@hotmail.com
DATE: 10-18-2003

Please bare with me as I show my age, or remind you of yours. My nephew sent me the address early this morning which started me thinking. Must I digress, , ,I must, I must.

October always reminds me of a few things. Halloween, scary movies, playing "knock an run" on the neighbors door. Go with me if you will to a typical Friday evening as I was growing up in the 70's.

It was a cool fall Friday evening, football practice is over. I have talked with all my buddies about their plans for the weekend. No one really has plans except for Friday night, , , late. You decide to spend the night with your best bud, when the plans begin to be made. You go to the cupboard and stash the chips and the popcorn in your room so no one will keep you from enjoying your plans for later that evening. We would walk down the road a mile or so to "Terry's One Stop" to buy cold soft drinks from the machine that sat outside. Coldest pop around. We would sneak around the neighborhood and smash a couple of pumpkins in the middle of the road, or "play knock and run" on the neighbors door to show how macho we were. Soaping windows of cars and homes was on the agenda, most of the time we were to scared to actually go through with it for fear of getting caught.

As the night progressed we would be sure to allow enough time to make it to the house to clean up before the moment that Friday's were made for. About 10:55, we would have the chips and drinks handy, to keep us from having to leave the room. The shades were pulled the door's were locked, the lights were out to add that extra tension that fear needs to trick your brain. Then the last thing that was needing to be done was to turn the television on, and turn to channel four. At eleven o'clock, the time for fright. . . .uuummmhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...gooood eeevvvveening, and welcome. A time when the moon comes over the horizon, it's time fooor Sammy.. . . . . Terry.

WOW! Oh how I can see his face appear on the screen as I close my eyes at this moment. White face on a black screen, black cape, with dish washing gloves. That familiar striking of the gong, that fake bat and spider, still it brought us off the edge of reality to open our minds to what could happen in the coming moments.

He played the hokiest shows with the funniest of stories between commercials. George the spider was a favorite. George hung on a string that at times they didn't even try to hide. Oh the memories of childhood, how they leave such an impression.

Do you remember Sammy Terry? Do you remember Friday night frights? Well, if you have missed Sammy Terry the way I have missed him over the years, your in luck. Thank God for the internet, Amen. Click on the site below and stroll down a goolish lane, where the web is waiting for plenty of fun memories. Enjoy.

Rock

www.sammyterry.com

Hold up everyone!

OK, now let me share with you my memories of Friday evenings in the 70s. With school through the week and getting up early on Sunday for church, Friday night was the only opportunity to stay up late. But I too knew what awaited in the darkness and was terrified. If at all possible, I would invite a friend (Tricia , Pam , Brenda )to sleep over - there's safety in numbers you know. We would play all evening, but the ticking of the hall clock was something like the water torture technique. Tick, Tick, Tick.

Around 10 p.m. I would begin my nightly ritual of getting ready for bed and would insist that my friend join me. They didn't really understand. It's Friday Night! Stay up Late night! But not in my house - not if there was a television on, and there always was. "Don't you know? It's Sammy Terry night!"

You could be flipping through the channels innocently and like a bat of hell he would attack. I could never remember what channel he was on, so I couldn't risk being around a TV at all! So off to bed. Pull the covers up. Say your prayers and hope to God that you fell asleep before the opening monologue echoed through the hallways.

Most of the time, the face of Sammy Terry would fill the darkness created when I shut my eyes and I would lay awake in fear. But sometimes, I would escape and drift to sleep. But even if I had fallen asleep, my uncle Rocky would turn all the surrounding lights off and make his way down the hallway laughing that Sammy Terry laugh: "Woooahahahaha!" He would stand there in the darkness and recite the whole monologue as my shrill high-pitched screams pierced the darkness around me.

It scarred me for life! And that is why I am the not so well-adjusted person that you know today! So - it's all Rocky's fault! (Love you man!)

Sandy Parrott

NAME: Brian Smith
EMAIL: sbrian3@yahoo.com
DATE: 10-18-2003

I remember meetin Sammy at the Indiana State Fairgrounds whne I was about 7-9,Dont recall how old exactly. Years later I purchased my first guitar and amp from Family Music. It was a woodgrained Vantage avenger 6 string, and a Ranier 60 watt amp. I have been playing guitar since and that was in 1984. Glad Sammy is still around roaming the earth....Best wishes..!!!

NAME: Tim
DATE: 10-17-2003

I too have alot of good memories of Sammy Terry.I use to put my hands over my ears when he would laugh that long,devilish laugh!I also would put my hands over my eyes right when the casket lid would start to creek and open.I remember that wrestling came on after Sammy.My God,where have the years gone ya all?By the way,wasnt Sammy the one that invented the moon walk? LOL! He was one of a kind,thats for sure.

NAME: Kat
EMAIL: ladyofrune@aol.com
DATE: 10-16-2003

Wow! A Sammy Site. I just did a search on a whim. Man, when I was a kid back in the 60's, ole Sammy scared the hell outta me. Not only that but the movies did too. One halloween when I was a teenager, there was a haunted house on Penn Pike. Near 465 where the K-Mart is. Well at one time there was a big old house there. Anyone remember? Scream in the Dark it was called. It may have been the first one. Thing was to get out of the house u had to go down a slide from the second floor. Sammy was there. At the window waiting for you. I tell you it was the best thrill of my life. Then several years later Sammy came to a club I worked at on Halloween. It was called Copperfields on Penn Pike. He had a guillotine with him. It was a wild act. Well thanks for the Site. Peace out.

NAME: Gabe Harley
EMAIL: gabrielharley@insightbb.com
URL: http://gabrielharley.home.insightbb.com
DATE: 10-10-2003

As a 28 year-old, I certainly remember watching Sammy on TV during the late 70s and early 80s (the ghoulishly whispered introduction always scared me!). However, my most prominant memory of Sammy Terry was an in-person encounter.

It must have been about 1981 or '82 (I was somewhere around 6-8 years old). My dad was in a singing group called Chosen that was to appear on the Jim Gerrard (sp?) Show, also produced by Channel 4. On the afternoon of the taping, my mom, my brother, and I accompanied him to the studio. After the group had sung, one of the studio folk offered to give us a tour of the place.

We walked around for a bit and eventually went into the control room where they were had -just- finishing up a taping of Sammy's show. In fact, I caught a glimpse of the dark-robed host as he walked off the set. I didn't think much of it, though, and was more curious about all the cool buttons and flashing lights. We were just finishing up talking to the engineer when suddenly the hallway door flung open and there, still in full makeup and character, was Bob Carter, aka Sammy Terry!

"Myyy myyyy," he boomed, "What have we heeeerrrreeee?"

My brother (who's 2 years younger) nearly jumped out of our skins and through the back wall. The adults, of course, were quite amused.

I don't remember much of our conversation, but the shock of coming face-to-face with this TV-land monster was enough to make me leary of TV stations for quite some time. :-) Also, in his defense, I -do- remember that, after giving us our initial start, "Sammy" was actually quite friendly.

-----

Ironically, in my early 20s, I went to work at a guitar store on Indy's east side. Several times a week, I would have to call over to Family Music Center (where Bob Carter worked) to see if they had a particular piece of sheet music that we didn't carry. It was always fun when I got Bob on the phone, hearing the voice that had haunted me since childhood talk about the latest in children's piano lesson books. (I never did bring up the Sammy Terry thing to him, though).

NAME: Kurt J. Pogue
EMAIL: jameskurt@iwon.com
DATE: 9-27-2003

I loved Sammy Terry as i grew up! But I also loved Cowboy Bob at noon and Janie in the morning. I am glad that I can find this information to show my kids what a great time I had on tv when I was young!!

NAME: Abby
EMAIL: abbyks@sbcglobal.net
DATE: 9-14-2003

Sammy Terry was the highlight of my week. I loved curling up in my blanket and watching him come out of the coffin. I was thrilled the day evening I was taken to the local shopping center to meet him. I was absolutely terrified, but I couldn't get close enough to him either. I finially got to shake his hand, and to a little kid, it was as good as a quarter at that time. I couldn't wash my hand for a week.Sammy Terry is the reason to this day, that I am so fascinated with Halloween decorations, and love old black and white horror movies. Of course that may be because everything was black and white on our tv set,but Friday nights are definately not the same without him. He was the master of fear and terror, and made you want more. I miss you Sammy, and hope to see you back, soon.....

NAME: John Diercks
EMAIL: jdiercks@indy.rr.com
DATE: 6-30-2003

I remember spending Friday nights staying up late with my brother watching Sammy. Then, it must have been about 1966 or 1967, he appeared at Foster Quad at IU, and was a hit with the students. Does anyone else remember that appearance?

NAME: Jesse Smyser
EMAIL: ultrajess@yahoo.com
URL:
DATE: 4-28-2003

I am a 28 yr old Married white male, and grew up with sammy terry in the 80s. As a child I loved his show and watched it every weekend. At that age almost all of the movies shown actually scared me very much. I wish there was such a show nowadays. I remember always watching sammy, and the next night i believe was a kung-fu theatre. As a footnote I never missed cowbay bob either. Aaaah, the good ol' days!

NAME: Norman Flory
EMAIL: fromnor@aol.com
DATE: 4-26-2003

I also loved waiting up for the Sammy Terry movie shows in the early seventies. But does anyone know of the theme music played on the Saturday night show called Science Fiction Theater. The TV special effects during the opening credits fiddled with the rastor scan lines of the vertical hold, making wavy lines,and the music was a Pink Floyd song. Anybody remember the song? And didn't George the spider's string break once?

NAME: Chad
EMAIL: drbreedlove@insightbb.com
DATE: 4-8-2003

I was born in 1971 and grew up watching all the channel 4 greats. Cowboy Bob and Janie. Sammy is the discussion of me and my friends from time to time. We all admit to being extremly scared of him as children. I thought he was scarier than than movies he showed. The laugh is enough to send chills down your back. I remember sometime he would comment on a movie thet he was hosting and it would make it all that more frightening. As a child I really belived his dark sinister world really was out there somewhere. Thanks for all the memeories Bob (Sammy).. I am from New Castle Indiana

NAME: Chris Horn
EMAIL: chorn@mchsi.com
URL: http://nightghost.has.it
DATE: 3-13-2003

I loved watching Sammy Terry. It surprised me to learn that it was on so long. I started watching in the late 70's early 80's when cable was just becoming popular. LOL. My uncle got cable and I remember spending many a night at his house watching the late night creature feature shows with Sammy Terry as host on Channel 4 out of Chicago. Ahhhhhhh memories.

NAME: Marty Pyles
EMAIL: PYLESMARTY@HOTMAIL.COM
DATE: 3-4-2003

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR THIS SITE. I TALK ABOUT SAMMY ALL THE TIME AT WORK AND PEOPLE THINK I'M CRAZY. THEY HAVEN'T HEARD OF SAMMY TERRY. I WATCHED HIM WHEN I WAS LITTLE, WITH MY MOM. SHE AND I WOULD CURL UP ON THE COUCH AND WATCH TOGETHER. MAN, THAT LAUGH. I STILL,TO THIS DAY LOVE IMITATING THAT LAUGH. I MUST SAY, I'M PRETTY GOOD. THAT LAUGH WOULD GIVE ME THE HEEBY JEEBIES. I MISS IT. THANK YOU FOR THE PROOF THAT I HAVEN'T LOST MY MIND.

NAME: Scott
EMAIL: mackwilliam@cox.net
DATE: 2-28-2003

I have always been a big fan of the classic horror movies and growing up as a kid in the early to mid 70's in Bloomington, Indiana, i was fortunate to watch Fright Night Theatre with Sammy Terry. Sammy had also made an appearance at our elementary school Halloween haunted house in Clear Creek, just south of Bloomington. I have lived in California since 1979, but I still remember the good ol' ghoul, Sammy! I wish that the old tapes could be syndicated, so I could see them and share them out here in Southern California.

NAME: Jacob Stout
EMAIL: stout2.11@netzero.com
URL:
DATE: 1-15-2003

I rememer watching sammy every friday. it became a must do type of thing. Sammy terry's show is what got me so in to the horror movies and such. It's a shame i think that they should still air all his shows and i you fill the way i do drop me an email.

NAME: Mike Storm
EMAIL: EMG439@AOL.COM
DATE: 11-1-2003

I USED TO LIVE IN GREENCASTLE,IN NOW LIVE IN N.Y.C. SINC 1987. AND STILL REMBER ALL THE GOOD SHOWS ON WTTV4 LIKE SAMMY TERRY HOUR AND COWBOY BOB AND JANEY SHOW LIKE I JUST WATCHED THEM 15MIN AGOE. IN 2004 I WILL BE MOVEING TO LA,CA AND I WILL ONE DAY BEFORE THE PEOPLE FROM THE SHOWS DIE AND I WILL BUY THE RITES TO THE THREE SHOWS AND AIR THEM AS BRAND NEW SHOWS. IT WILL BE CALLED THE RETURN OF THE BEST OF WTTV4 BUT I WILL NOT SHOW OLD SHOWS BUT NEW SHOWS WITH SAME PEOPLE BACK IN THERE PLACE ONE MORE TIME.......... GOD BLESS WTTV4...............MIKE STORM

NAME: Wes Skiles
EMAIL: wesskiles@adelphia.net
DATE: 12-31-2002

i can remember at 11:00 pm, turning the sound way up to scare my little brother.. he would hide under the pillows as soon as he heard that creacking coffin lid... i stayed all night with alot of friends when i was young, and sammy was always the highlight of the sleepover.. we would always stat up too late & try to be extra quiet or we would get sent to bed... but we would always sneak back up to see the endings... sammy was, and still is the greatest!!!

NAME: Tony Jones
EMAIL: tonyandsammy23@aol.com
DATE: 12-16-2002

The only great memories I have are shared with my brother and nightmare theatre. My brother and I would wait for hours in front of the boobtube for the show to come on.The intro, his laugh, and everything about sammy & George where the best. When the show was over my brother and I we had this toy chest we would throw all the toys out and that was our coffin. We would spend hours acting like sammy. Those were the best days in my life. If anybody knows, has, or would like to sell any tapes pleasssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee e-mail me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NAME: Dusty
DATE: 12-8-2002

Thanks for the great website. My family moved from southern Indiana to Montana in the early 70's and unfortunately left Sammy Terry behind. I always remembered watching Sammy with the lights turned off huddled on the couch. It was the scariest thing I remember from childhood. It was a real treat to stumble across your web page.

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