It’s the perfect time of year to celebrate the cinematic antics of Off Beat Cinema, considered the longest
running nationally syndicated television show to originate from Buffalo. For anyone that loves the Halloween season and its frightful films, and b-movie zaniness, we owe a debt of gratitude to the crew of Off Beat Cinema, for keeping the passion project alive for three decades.
On Saturday, October 28 at 12:30am*, producers of the television show will kick off its 30th anniversary season on-air (WBBZ-TV 5 in WNY, and the Retro Television Network across the United States) with a screening of one of the most acclaimed horror films of all time – Night Of The Living Dead. Following the screening, on Halloween night Tuesday October 31, the Off Beat Cinema YouTube Channel will host a first ever “Scare-A-Thon” starting at 6pm Eastern with several movies streaming all night.
It should be duly noted that Off Beat Cinema kicked off as a local program back in 1993, with a screening of late George Romero’s “Night Of The Living Dead” on Buffalo’s ABC affiliate WKBW-TV 7. That fact alone adds to the importance of the dedicated undertaking, which went national in January 1997 on satellite services, and then the Chattanooga based Retro Television Network. In August of 2012, the project moved to independent station WBBZ-TV 5.
In November "Off Beat Cinema" will return to it's usual time slot Saturday at midnight in Buffalo.
Ever since its initial launch, people have flocked to watch Off Beat Cinema thanks to the offbeat nature of its memorable guests and beatnik host characters (currently “Zelda” and “Bird”). Along the way, we have all been treated to some of the best (and worst) cinematic adventures to ever grace the silver-ish screen.
Jeffrey Roberts, “Theo” – contributor
John Di Sciullo, Producer
Lou Rera, Art Director
David Kane, Music Director
Constance Caldwell, “Zelda” – co-host
Anthony Billoni, “Bird” – co-host
James Gillan, Creator / Writer
Tim Marcolini, videographer / editor
Andy Smyczynski, Technical Director / editor
Chatham Marolini, videographer
missing: Joe Maulucci, Creative Director / Webmaster
Rich Lee, videographer/ editor
Nobody could have ever guessed just how successful Off Beat Cinema, created by advertising executive James Gillan and television producer John Di Sciullo, would ultimately become.
“Off Beat Cinema was a reaction to the insidious spread of infomercials and the yawning void of late night television,” said Gillan, who is creator, writer, and director. “Plus, we present the movies that must be shown with our segments presented in glorious black and white!”
As for the pending screening of “Night Of The Living Dead,” the producers got their hands on a newly restored print, which means that the film will jump off the screen in a wonderfully horrific vividness. It’s these types of showings that keep viewers up at night, glued to their screens.
Gillan added, “‘Off Beat Cinema was designed to provide a forum for films that are not regularly shown on television, and in many cases that are not available on video. There’s an enormous cache of films that an entire generation grew up watching that are unavailable. We wanted to capture that nostalgia as well as introduce these films to today’s viewers.”
Off Beat Cinema delivers the good, the bad, and the foreign, showcasing campy sci-fi classics as diverse as "Teenagers from Outer Space" to classic "art films" such as Stanley Kubrick's “Fear and Desire,” with silent film greats like Harold Lloyd's “Safety Last."
Set in the fictitious Hungry Ear Coffee House, Off Beat Cinema is currently hosted by hepcat beatniks:
- “Bird The Painter” (artist/event planner Tony Billoni)
- “The Mysterious Zelda” (actress Constance Caldwell)
- With an eclectic mix of guests, beatnik cast members, and contributors including the character of “Theodore” (photographer and movie maven Jeffrey Roberts).
The background music for the show is performed by local musicians David Kane's Them Jazzbeards.
While the relatively obscure films are the main features of the show, there are plenty of celebrated guests who have made special appearances on the set, including Doc Severinsen, the late Taylor Negron, William Shatner, Robby Takac & the Goo Goo Dolls, Bass music legend Mike Watt, Toronto’s Tragically Hip, Jamestown’s 10,000 Maniacs, pianist George Caldwell, and the musical duo Charming Disaster, to name a few.
John DiSciullo said of the show’s successful formula, “We wanted to create a smart show reminiscent of the late night hosted movie shows that many cities had. We appreciate the support of our station partner network, and our dedicated digital teams first at WKBW, and WBBZ-TV who create the program including Andy Smyczynski, Tim Marcolini, Chatham Marcolini, Joe Maulucci, Rich Lee, and Joel Barone.
Now, the time has come to celebrate along with the creators of this beloved Buffalo project that has impressively withstood the test of time. Three decades! While the earth may have stood still for some, the hands of fate have most definitely been kind to Di Sciullo, Gillan, and their cast of most-curious creators.
In regards to the project’s success, Di Sciullo noted, “We receive mail, and social media comments from all across the continent, with comments and requests for films, original poetry, and philosophic ramblings!”
Viewers can connect online at www.offbeatcinema.tv, follow “Off Beat Cinema” on Facebook, @OffBCinema, on Twitter, and off_beat_cinema on Instagram and TikTok. “Off Beat Cinema” also has a YouTube channel.
WBBZ is seen throughout Western New York over-the-air on 67.1. Ch. 5 on Verizon FiOS; Ch. 5 Dish; Ch. 67 DirecTV, and these Spectrum Cable channels: Buffalo – Niagara Falls Metro area: Channel 5; Batavia – Genesee, Wyoming, Orleans Counties Channel 71; Parts of Erie and Niagara Counties Channel 71; Dunkirk Channel 5; Olean Channel 5; Fredonia – Jamestown Channel 72 (HD 1230); Alfred- Angelica- Avoca- Bath- Bolivar Friendship- Hornell Channel 71 (HD 1230).
WBBZ-TV is WNY’s only locally owned and operated television station. 4545 Transit Road, suite 750 Williamsville, NY 14221. 716-630-9229
*The program will also air at 10pm Eastern/ Pacific on the Retro Television Network of stations across the United States, and streaming worldwide at www.getafteritmedia.com. Other stations include WBGT-MyTV in Rochester; WJKP MyTV in Corning; BigFOX WYDC in Elmira; TV 8 in Vail Colorado; and the SGTN stations in Atlanta and Beaumont Texas.
Lead image: under the North Park Theatre marquee in North Buffalo – Jeffrey Roberts (“Theo”), Constance Caldwell (“Zelda”), and Anthony Billoni (“Bird”), current “beatnik” hosts of the program.