The Halloween That Almost Wasn't/The Night That Dracula Saved The World

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I'm glad I found this video. I've been looking for it to post here during the Countdown to Halloween. I remember watching this as a child and liking it, because of the monsters. I also thought it seemed more mature and intelligent than the other kid's Halloween specials.

It has references to the monster kid phenomenon, disco, TV commercials, and even a reference to the movie, Young Frankenstein. Judd Hirsch is great as Dracula. He not only sounds like Lugosi, but looks like him. John Schuck was so good as Frankenstein's monster that later, in the 80s, he played Herman on a short lived revival of The Munsters. Mariette Hartley, who was spokes person for Polaroid cameras at the time, tries to sound like Margarete Hamilton. However, many people on YouTube said that when they were kids they thought it was Cher playing the witch. Enjoy this seldom seen TV special of the 70s.

BTW, I found the TV Guide ad on Pinterest and, lo and behold, it is from the Southwest Missouri edition.