The Paul Lynde Halloween Special at 50: How the Wicked Witch of the West Put KISS in Prime Time

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 14:46:22 +0000

Fifty years ago, on October 29, 1976, America’s scariest band made its prime-time debut, summoned on camera by the same witch who’d been pulled off children’s TV eight months earlier for terrifying kids. The whole story fits inside one calendar year.

Where America was in October 1976

KISS is coming off the explosion of Destroyer, and “Beth”, the ballad sung by drummer Peter Criss, of all people, has just become the band’s first Top 10 hit. Four guys in demon makeup, breathing fire and spitting blood on stage, suddenly have a piano ballad on pop radio. Middle America is confused and slightly alarmed.

Margaret Hamilton on Real Rock Lab

The Paul Lynde Halloween Special at 50: How the Wicked Witch of the West Put KISS in Prime Time

Where America was in October 1976