The first Shock Xpress book contains an interview by Julian Grainger with exploitation film director, special effects man, production manager, film distributor and exhibitor David L. Hewitt.
DLH: I used to be a magician. I ran away from home when I was a kid and traveled with a magic outfit called 'Doctor Jeckyll and the Weird Show' - one night stands in theatres. Forrest J Ackerman came to see the show in Nevada and when I arrived in California he introduced me to Ib Melchior. Melchior said, "Why don't you make a promo reel with some special effects, using illusions instead of opticals." We shot one day in a little religious film studio in Glendale (that is now a parking lot) called Alpha Omega and showed it to Bill Redlin. He went to AIP and they financed the film and we did the picture. That was The Time Travelers. We shot that for a month or so.
The Time Travelers (Ib Melchior, 1964)
DHL: After that I did something called Monsters Crash the Pyjama Party. It was always shown at midnight; 'A thousand and one thrills' ran the ad. It's thirty-three minutes long and at the end of the movie, monsters come out, go into the audience and carry a girl back into the screen. I got the idea from a magic show.
Monsters Crash the Pajama Party (David L. Hewitt, 1964)
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