Ken Billingsly had been around the block when it came to Hollywood. A child actor in the seventies, he managed to avoid the Hollywood cliche of washed up by fifteen. When he knew he could no longer play the bratty next-door neighbor or the wise-cracking best friend of the principal character, he took on roles in independent movies, did voice over work for commercials, found some success as a notorious comic book villian in video game adaptations of the graphic novels and syndicated animated series. Billingsly knew hwo to survive in an indsutry known for flash-fizzling.
When his father became ill and was too much for Billingsly siblings to care for, he moved back to Detroit for what he thought would only be a temporary stay.
During lunch one day with some other Detroit area actor friends of his, he learned that local affiliate of the Peak Broadcasting Network, the old Channel 39, was looking for something to snag the 18-35 market on late night Saturdays. Ken contacted the general manager and gave her the elevato pitch: Bumbling, sarcastic mad scientist introduces and lampoons schlocky horror movies. Constance Duryea had no idea what he meant but she was willing to give it a try based on his resume.
On Halloween Eve, 1982, Ken Billingsly walked through the door of Castle Carnage for the first time. A late night cultural phenomenon was born.
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