Here’s a complete (re)broadcast of the ABC Weekend Special presentation of “The Red Room Riddle” as aired over WLS Channel 7.
This live-action film starred Billy Jacoby, Nicholas Gilbert, Christian Hoff, Sandra Caron, Peter Brocco and David Wiley.
Includes:
Station ID / promo for Jeopardy! (just as it was getting started) (voiceover by Ernie Anderson)
ABC Closed Captioned computer-animated bumper
ABC Weekend Special opening titles, plus opening segment with puppet host Cap’n O.G. Readmore and Vincent Price (inside picture frame) at library introducing this piece
First segment (with opening titles) of short, including opening credits (after cast):
Teleplay by Stephen Manes
Based on the Book by Scott Corbett
Produced and Directed by Robert Chenault
Commercials for:
Robo-Force action figures – from Ideal
Gotcha! – from Milton Bradley
Segment 2 of story
Commercials for:
C.L.A.W. Action Wagon – from Tonka
Cap’n Crunch’s Choco-Crunch – Island Camera Sweepstakes (ends 4/30/85) – featuring Fred Savage of “The Wonder Years” fame
Crystal Barbie – from Mattel
Segment 3 of story preceded by ABC Weekend Special bumper (with voiceover by Ernie Anderson)
Commercials for:
Cabbage Patch Kids album and cassette – from Parker Brothers
Rose Petal, Nastina and Orchid dolls – from Kenner
PSA from animated Cap’n O.G. Readmore encouraging kids to read
O.G. closes program, assumes Vincent didn’t show up, and is surprised that Mr. Price had the book!
Preview of next week’s “The Secret World of Og”
Ending credits (with voiceover promo for Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!, ABC Afterschool Station presentation of “The Almost Royal Family” and American Bandstand by Ed Jordan):
Associate Producer – Cindy Leonetti
Music – John Cacavas
Casting – David Graham
Unit Production Manager – 1st Assistant Director – Bill Morrison
2nd Assistant Director – Paul Chavez
Director of Photography – Stan Lazan
Art Director – Tom Cost
Special Effects – Richard Albain, Jr.
Wardrobe – Maureen O’Heron
Script Supervisor – Marcus Teague
Editor – William Moore
Assistant Editor – David DePatie, Jr.
Production Sound – William Teague
Make-up Artist – Jefferson Dawn
Filmed on Location in Southern California
Titles and Opticals – CFI
(C) MCMLXXXII Hightide, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Ending ABC Weekend Special titles
Promo for upcoming time changes for Three’s a Crowd and Who’s the Boss? (voiceover by Ernie Anderson)
Commercial: Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus (upcoming Rosemont Horizon and Chicago Stadium shows)
Incomplete station ID / Wheel of Fortune promo (recording cuts out just as it starts)
This aired on local Chicago TV on Saturday, October 20th 1984 during the 11:00am to 11:30am timeframe. (Original airdate was February 3rd 1983. It also aired on October 1st 1983, April 21st 1984, and then again on February 7th 1987. It also aired one last time on July 23rd 1988).
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The Museum of Classic Chicago Television’s primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s and early 80s, primarily) recorded off of any and all Chicago TV channels; footage which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. Even though (mostly) short clips are displayed here, we preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives – the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical purposes. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to DVD, and to view more of the 4,700+ (and counting) video clips available for viewing in our online archive, please visit us at:
I’d waited 39 years to see the end of this special! My dad and mom made me turn it off (we had to leave to go somewhere) right when the red ghost walked down the stairs. For years, I had this funny memory of him being like a Frankenstein monster (probably the stilted gate and dead-eyed stare). Damn thing gave 5-year-old me nightmares. 🤣
As an adult, I thought this was a fever dream from my childhood
Frank Welker voices O.G. Readmore here.
27:57 If you’ve ever seen footage of Ernie Anderson in a recording session, you can picture the flurry of profanities that must have come out of his mouth after doing this bumper. He hated having too much copy crammed into too little time.
I never watched it because it looked scary but now here I am watching g
i thought it was this one but wasnt there one about aliens on planet earth and at end they needed to leave or else and they showed the boy or girl without a face like a ghost because the ufo left them?
after years of searching, I finally found the house location!
if anyone is interested it’s located at:
2263 S Harvard Blvd in LA, California
the house is called Rindge house, built in 1902
This is the worst acting I’ve seen in an extremely long time.
Makes a nice double feature with The Peanut Butter Solution.
It is just me or does anyone else hear the refrain of “Who’s Child is This” when they first walk into the mansion? I thought I had asked this with my post a couple of years back, but I see I forgot to mention it. It certainly adds to the haunting factor and is actually a bit touching.
I miss the circus (at the end).