From E-gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts web page:
"From the Des Moines Broadcasting website:
"Goood evening, this is Malcom the Butler"
Every TV market had one, a late night horror movie show. Many of them had a local host or hosts and put on a production to introduce and fill the breaks in the film.
Des Moines has WOI-TV's Gravesend Manor. Malcom the Butler, Ed Weiss, was the host of Gravesend Manor. His original co-host was known as Claude, Ron Scott, later joined by Claude's brother, Clyde, player unknown. The show started somewhere in the late 50's, left the air for a period in the early 60's and came back for another run in 1964. Several years later (date unknown), Ed Weiss put on a wig and came back for a short time as the Son of Gravesend Manor.
We have learned, thanks to Cal Bierman and Pat Powers that a small amount of video does exist. Outakes from the show were featured on a Living in Iowa program on IPTV a few years ago".
From E-gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts web page:
"Gravesend Manor was on the air twice - the original run in the sixties and then a reprise for a few years in the mid '70s. It was WOI's late night creature feature. The spots before the movie and bracketing the commercials were hosted by Ed Weiss (as Malcom the butler), and Red Varnum (as the Duke of Desmodas, a vampire). Other characters were Claude (a hunchback) and Esmerelda, a "woman" - a very masculine man in drag".
From E-gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts web page:
"The WOI-TV station was located on the Iowa State University campus in Ames, Iowa, and many of the on-air talent were students from ISU. Pretty much any Central Iowa baby boomer will remember that show. The host was a drama coach from the university named Ed Weiss".
From E-gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts web page:
"Ed Weiss taught speech, drama and English as a second language at ISU and DMACC (Des Moines Area Community College) well into his 80's and passed away just a couple years ago. He also did a daily children's show on WOI [House with the Magic Window, the longest-running local ETV show in history - E-gor] where he was the voice of a puppet Katrina The Witch. He took no joy in people recognizing him as those characters and preferred being remembered as the teacher and local actor".
From E-gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts web page:
"Boris Kutchyourheadoffski was played by Fred Kalamaja --- this is the correct spelling. He was my father and was production manager at WOI during that time. He was also Mr. Fred on Betty Lou's House with the Magic Window. Mr. Fred was a guest who drew pictures for the kids. In one episode of Manor my brother played a neighbor kid they captured.
Jena Pepper".