Biography and Career
Carter is a native of Decatur, Illinois and a graduate of Millikin University; he majored in radio communications. After receiving a master's degree from Syracuse University, Carter worked as a disc jockey at a Fort Wayne, Indiana radio station owned by Sarkes Tarzian. In 1961 he moved to Indianapolis, Indiana and filled a number of positions at Tarzian's WTTV as producer, director and performer, including the hosting, for a time, of a three-hour morning talk show called Coffee with Carter.
The still relatively new medium of television provided a means for classic films to generate revenue, and as part of that, Universal Studios packaged a set of more than fifty films as part of a "shock theater" package that was shown by many television stations across the country, usually as late-night fare. When WTTV purchased the set of films, which had been rejected by local CBS affiliate WISH-TV, Carter was chosen as the host of the new program. Carter's Shock Theater originally included only still photographs punctuated by voice-over narration during the commercial breaks. Over time, the popularity of the voice-overs with viewers and sponsors inspired Carter and his producers to develop the character of "Sammy Terry" as an on-air personality—a cloaked, pale-faced ghoul who rose from his coffin on Friday nights, laughed ominously, introduced and occasionally berated the films, and provided commercial-break entertainment. Renamed Nightmare Theater and with the banter mostly ad-libbed, the show and Carter's portrayal of "Sammy Terry" won him a large-scale following in the region, which allowed him to be ranked with other horror hosts of the era who operated out of much larger broadcast markets.
During the 1980s, the old shows were rebroadcast at mid-day.
Carter's son. Mark Carter, continues to make frequent appearances as "Sammy Terry" and remains a popular figure in the central Indiana region. Mark Carter, as the character Sammy Terry, made a cameo appearance in the upcoming comedy-horror feature length movie Creeporia.
Sammy Terry made a return for a Halloween special that aired on October 31, 2011 on WTTV. He also returned on February 14, 2012, Valentine's Day, on WTTV for a showing of 'Little Shop of Horrors'.
The latest appearance on television of "Sammy Terry" was on Halloween night October 31st, 2012 as he hosted "Sammy Terry Presents: The Uninvited" on WTTV-4 as a 2-hour special.
Read more about this topic: Sammy Terry
Famous quotes containing the words biography and/or career:
“Just how difficult it is to write biography can be reckoned by anybody who sits down and considers just how many people know the real truth about his or her love affairs.”
—Rebecca West [Cicily Isabel Fairfield] (1892–1983)
“I began my editorial career with the presidency of Mr. Adams, and my principal object was to render his administration all the assistance in my power. I flattered myself with the hope of accompanying him through [his] voyage, and of partaking in a trifling degree, of the glory of the enterprise; but he suddenly tacked about, and I could follow him no longer. I therefore waited for the first opportunity to haul down my sails.”
—William Cobbett (1762–1835)