Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Happy retro Halloween from the boys and ghouls at The Big Scream

Boo!
Boo!

My introduction to the concept of trick-or-treating was so bland and uneventful that it has forever soiled my view of the holiday.

Never wanting to venture too far from home, the first door we knocked on belonged to Miss Nellie Johnson, an elderly spinster who lived across the street of my birth apartment on Chicago's far north side.

Playing dress up has never been my thing. For me, Cosplay is defined as watching Ghost Dad, but mom sprung for a deluxe Ben Cooper Bugs Bunny outfit and I didn't have the heart not to model it for her.

What we all wouldn't give for photographic evidence of 4-year-old Scooter wearing a flame retardant facial mask, bunny ears made out of clothes hangers (dad's addition to the ensemble), and a ball of cotton stuck to my ass.

Sponsored
Sponsored

This was long before confectionery came in the bite-size, individual wrapped packaging we know today. Hell, I started trick-or-treating long before Halloween apples came complete with razor blades and/or psilocybin. One was fortunate to find a candy bar beneath the loose candy corn at the bottom of their treat sack.

"The Moving Picture World," October, 1910: Early evidence of an Allhallows Eve-related production. An advertisement for the presumably long lost 'trick-film', "The Fairies' Hallowe'en."

Nelly was a rich, eccentric dame, prone to parading up and down Thorndale Avenue in the middle of summer wearing a full-length mink coat. There was more lipstick on the end of her cigarette than came in a tube. She owned a giant gray Cadillac that could accommodate 20 in the backseat alone. It seldom left its spot in front of her apartment. That's how we knew she was home that Halloween night.

"TRICK-OR-TREAT" I screamed when Nel opened her door. It was a line that, much to my parent's disdain, had been well rehearsed. Two ceramic bowls sat atop a table in her foyer. Too small to see their content, it wasn't until Nellie brought them closer that I discovered my "treats."

Bowl #1 contained popcorn. Not popcorn balls or bags of popcorn, just popcorn. I was instructed to toss two handfuls in my bag. Bowl #2 was filled with pennies, one handful of which I was allowed to throw in the bag to give the popcorn a copper flavor.

For those who have a hallowed place in their hearts for All Hallows' Eve, here's a frightful gathering of ephemera that will hopefully stir a few terrifying memories and bring a smile to your face.

Spend a pre-code "Teeny Hallowe'eny" with scantily-clad starlet Nancy Carroll as she tries to scare up an audience for her co-starring role opposite Cary Grant in "Hot Saturday." "Movie Classics," October, 1932.
What more horrifying way to spend the holiday than with Canada's premier 1930's tourist attraction (and future movie stars), the abused, exploited, and dextrose-fueled Dionne Quintuplets?
It's only a paper moon winking at the bewitching June Knight.
Do I detect the hand of Jacques Kapralik in this ad for "Bewitched" precursor, "I Married a Witch"? "The Film Daily," 1942.
Helen Blazes (Sylvia Lewis) welcomes Shemp Howard to hell in the Jules White shocker, "Bedlam in Paradise."
The Paramount art department worked overtime on this adorable burlap pumpkin for Clara Bow to get cozy with.
Why a Jack-O-Lantern? Halloween, Marx Bros. style, 1937.
I don't know about you, but I like saying "Norma Shearer's pumpkin muff."
Dean & Jerry are "Scared Stiff!"
"Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein," "The Film Bulletin," 8-16-48.
The punchline to Tod Browning's "Mark of the Vampire" is one of the biggest cheats in Hollywood history. Carroll Borland's delivery of her one and only line will leave you screaming with laughter. "The Film Daily," May, 1935.
"Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." Beware the moors and a remake that features Benicio del Toro. "The Film Daily," 10-12-41.
One of the few legitimately funny Bob Hope vehicles, "The Ghost Breakers." "Photoplay," August, 1940.
Believe it or not, James Whales' haunted house spook-tacular still packs a couple of jolts. "The New Movie Magazine," August, 1932.
My favorite scary-sounding title. Too bad the movie doesn't live up to its name.
Color by DeLuxe: bewitched, bleary, and beet red. The horror...
What's more terrifying than cleaning up after a kid whose been loaded with cream cheese and prunes? Hiring Kate Smith as a "Food Counselor."
Goes down easy with a plate of Lily's filet of dragon.
A rare candid shot of frightening rivals, the Count and Frankie, in a relaxed mood. "Photoplay," May, 1932.
Remember, kids: don't eat any apples you can shave with!
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

A poem for March by Joseph O’Brien

“March’s Lovely Asymptotes”
Boo!
Boo!

My introduction to the concept of trick-or-treating was so bland and uneventful that it has forever soiled my view of the holiday.

Never wanting to venture too far from home, the first door we knocked on belonged to Miss Nellie Johnson, an elderly spinster who lived across the street of my birth apartment on Chicago's far north side.

Playing dress up has never been my thing. For me, Cosplay is defined as watching Ghost Dad, but mom sprung for a deluxe Ben Cooper Bugs Bunny outfit and I didn't have the heart not to model it for her.

What we all wouldn't give for photographic evidence of 4-year-old Scooter wearing a flame retardant facial mask, bunny ears made out of clothes hangers (dad's addition to the ensemble), and a ball of cotton stuck to my ass.

Sponsored
Sponsored

This was long before confectionery came in the bite-size, individual wrapped packaging we know today. Hell, I started trick-or-treating long before Halloween apples came complete with razor blades and/or psilocybin. One was fortunate to find a candy bar beneath the loose candy corn at the bottom of their treat sack.

"The Moving Picture World," October, 1910: Early evidence of an Allhallows Eve-related production. An advertisement for the presumably long lost 'trick-film', "The Fairies' Hallowe'en."

Nelly was a rich, eccentric dame, prone to parading up and down Thorndale Avenue in the middle of summer wearing a full-length mink coat. There was more lipstick on the end of her cigarette than came in a tube. She owned a giant gray Cadillac that could accommodate 20 in the backseat alone. It seldom left its spot in front of her apartment. That's how we knew she was home that Halloween night.

"TRICK-OR-TREAT" I screamed when Nel opened her door. It was a line that, much to my parent's disdain, had been well rehearsed. Two ceramic bowls sat atop a table in her foyer. Too small to see their content, it wasn't until Nellie brought them closer that I discovered my "treats."

Bowl #1 contained popcorn. Not popcorn balls or bags of popcorn, just popcorn. I was instructed to toss two handfuls in my bag. Bowl #2 was filled with pennies, one handful of which I was allowed to throw in the bag to give the popcorn a copper flavor.

For those who have a hallowed place in their hearts for All Hallows' Eve, here's a frightful gathering of ephemera that will hopefully stir a few terrifying memories and bring a smile to your face.

Spend a pre-code "Teeny Hallowe'eny" with scantily-clad starlet Nancy Carroll as she tries to scare up an audience for her co-starring role opposite Cary Grant in "Hot Saturday." "Movie Classics," October, 1932.
What more horrifying way to spend the holiday than with Canada's premier 1930's tourist attraction (and future movie stars), the abused, exploited, and dextrose-fueled Dionne Quintuplets?
It's only a paper moon winking at the bewitching June Knight.
Do I detect the hand of Jacques Kapralik in this ad for "Bewitched" precursor, "I Married a Witch"? "The Film Daily," 1942.
Helen Blazes (Sylvia Lewis) welcomes Shemp Howard to hell in the Jules White shocker, "Bedlam in Paradise."
The Paramount art department worked overtime on this adorable burlap pumpkin for Clara Bow to get cozy with.
Why a Jack-O-Lantern? Halloween, Marx Bros. style, 1937.
I don't know about you, but I like saying "Norma Shearer's pumpkin muff."
Dean & Jerry are "Scared Stiff!"
"Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein," "The Film Bulletin," 8-16-48.
The punchline to Tod Browning's "Mark of the Vampire" is one of the biggest cheats in Hollywood history. Carroll Borland's delivery of her one and only line will leave you screaming with laughter. "The Film Daily," May, 1935.
"Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." Beware the moors and a remake that features Benicio del Toro. "The Film Daily," 10-12-41.
One of the few legitimately funny Bob Hope vehicles, "The Ghost Breakers." "Photoplay," August, 1940.
Believe it or not, James Whales' haunted house spook-tacular still packs a couple of jolts. "The New Movie Magazine," August, 1932.
My favorite scary-sounding title. Too bad the movie doesn't live up to its name.
Color by DeLuxe: bewitched, bleary, and beet red. The horror...
What's more terrifying than cleaning up after a kid whose been loaded with cream cheese and prunes? Hiring Kate Smith as a "Food Counselor."
Goes down easy with a plate of Lily's filet of dragon.
A rare candid shot of frightening rivals, the Count and Frankie, in a relaxed mood. "Photoplay," May, 1932.
Remember, kids: don't eat any apples you can shave with!
Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Celebrate Holi, Borrego Springs Music Festival

Events March 23-March 27, 2024
Next Article

India Hawthorne is common in coastal gardens, Citrus trees are in full bloom

The vernal equinox is on March 19
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.