The Hilarious House of Frightenstein

Somebody (from Los Angeles) mentioned hearing a laugh-track (of kids) when they saw this show but there most certainly was none added during production or broadcast both back in 1971 and in reruns in 2007 here in Canada (where the show was made).

So either he's mistaken, or the Americans actually added a laugh-track for that market. This might make sense, since so many American shows do have a fake laugh-track (thankfully, their version of The Office does not).

The only laughing that makes sense in a TV show is when there really is a live audience present, and you hear genuine laughter. I saw a live taping of Kids In The Hall around 1991 and the laugher heard during broadcast really is the genuine laughter of the real audience.

The Hilarious House of Frightenstein doesn't have a lot of stuff that would incite robust laughter anyway. It's more weird than funny. A lot of it is obviously ad-lib, and in modern times many of the scenes would require a "take 2" (or 3 or 4 or 5) to perfect it. But on this show, part of the charm is the inclusion of semi-flubbed stuff.

I remember once where a guy who looks like a stage-hand kind of peaks around the corner while Igor is doing a scene and he looks like he knows he screwed up. It was kept in for final broadcast and the result is this micro-surreal moment.

Julius Sumner Miller (The Professor) is shown actually forgetting where he put a prop for an experiment he is about to show, and he ad-libs something and moves on to another topic.

At one point The Oracle has is hand stuck in the crystal ball, and the "POP" sound effect happens way before he pulls his hand out and there's an ad-lib "well, you can't win 'em all" and it's almost like Billy Van steps out of character for a moment.

In another universe or era, this would have lots more editing or retakes. And it would be very boring. I wonder how much my 9-year old brain in 1971 loved this show in part because of all the screw-ups.

Honestly this was one of the best shows from when I was a kid. I remember watching it in the early morning before school. I really wish I could find it on DVD or video, because it was awesome! My daughter saw Vincent Price on "Edward Scissorhands" and I started to tell her about this really cool show that I used to watch as a child. She thought it sounded weird but was still interested, so I had my sister do a search but it's hard to find any info on this show. Makes me a little sad because it was so funny. Dr. Pet Vet, Igor, the Mosquito and the Wolfman. Priceless. Hee hee. Bring back the laughs!! And if anyone finds out how to get copies of the show, please post!

To a modern audience "Frightenstein" is probably laughable but I was a religious viewer of it during the 70's. A quirky cast of characters and if you really payed attention you might even have learned something. Of course there was always Vincent Price's foreboding closing! Original, non-commercial, creative, funny, and for that matter fun. I still remember the show and still hear the music playing in my head. I still feel some shame in never realizing that one man (Billy Van) played most of the roles! A classic kid's show that never insulted our intelligence.

Hilarious House of Frightenstein was a perfect show!

I love classic low budget Canadian shows that were still great. Even though they had little money to spend on their productions they made great shows because they obviously really cared, and this show for kids is maybe the best example of that.

Billy Van was a true talent who played most of the characters himself but it played them differently enough that it wasn't annoying and they actually seemed like different people. The characters and skits were very creative and fun and also educational pieces were shown for the value of the children.

I am lucky to have found some DVDs of this show at the pawn shop this summer and the shows are just as great as I remember them.

Great, campy fun! That's how I would describe it. To think it was made right in my home town of Hamilton at CHCH where so many other great shows (Smith and Smith Comedy Mill) were made and they continue making good shows today (This Movie Sucks) that are Canadian and proudly low budget despite their good quality. I still can't believe they had Vincent Price! That is so awesome.

Oh my! What a treat it is to see this show again now airing seven days per week on the Drive-In Classics channel! For a 30+ year old show, the video and audio quality are simply superb and now to see it in colour and on a big screen. I am one happy viewer! I have vague memories of seeing this show in its first run along with the supernatural cult classic series Strange Paradise, which is also shown on the same channel and airs back to back with HHOF during the week days. I had no idea that Billy Van played so many characters. And I really thought Grizelda was played by a woman back then!

Too bad the Gemini Awards only started in 1987. Billy Van should have received some acknowledgement for his numerous roles on this show. Very pleased to see a fan made production titled "Return to Transylvania". Extensive interview segments with Billy Van and puppeteer Joe Torbay are all we will ever see as extra behind-the-scenes trivia.