Amazon- Primed: The Classic Gill Man in the Original “Creature from the Black Lagoon”-Tonight!

We join the expedition of Dr. Maia conducting a geological expedition along the Amazon River. The fossil of a large webbed claw is found- and Dr. Maia is excited to think it may be a vital clue in animal development from sea to land dwellering! Leaving his two assistants in their camp, he travels to meet his former student and friend Dr. Reed,a California ichthyologist who has been studying in Brazil. Reed can't identify it- but is thinking  a second excursion to find more of the fossil, possibly even a body, could open the door to a great discovery. Reed takes it upon himself to try to convince his boss ,Dr. Williams, that such an expedition  would be worth the effort and expense- and Williams agrees- but mostly because he thinks they can cash in big if they find additional skeletal proof. He's so fixated on the money angle that Williams demands to join Reed, along with Kay (Reed’s beautiful girlfriend and assistant) and Dr. Maia aboard the Rita, a rattletrap steamer, helmed by a real local character, one Captain Lucas- and they head down the Amazon to  meet Maia’s assistants at his campsite.They arrive to find the camp torn apart- and his men dead- attacked by- perhaps a jaguar? Or- perhaps not!

In spite of this horrific finding, they must continue to search for the fossil proof they seek. Becoming frustrated when they haven't stumbled upon anything new, a new theory is proposed- that any additional fossil remains, as time passed, may have been swept down river. Captain Lucas reluctantly guides them down a remote tributary, which flows to a legendary area known as the  “Black Lagoon”-an ominous but beautiful place with the reputation of  having any who dare visit there- never return!

As they near the lagoon, they are unaware that the creature whose fossilized remains they hoped to find- is actually alive and well- and stalking them! In the lagoon, the men go diving in search of fossils- and Kay takes a dip- during which the Gill Man finds her ( and her white one-piece swimsuit) captivating.  More evidence that their fossil is not yet fossilized  comes when something is caught in the ship's net- and leaves an ominous -looking claw stuck in it.The group realizes that this fabled “Gill Man”, still in existence, could be the attacker who left the campsite in shambles. With more savage attacks, the logic of remaining in the lagoon seems faulty- but money-hungry Williams demands that they attempt to capture it, in spite of endangering  their lives-and regardless of the sultry Kay being human bait for the Gill Man!  They begin a battle  between man -and the creature that evolution could not change- with the distinct possibility that our crew may be added to the legend of zero returns from the Black Lagoon!

This 1954 film established the Gill Man as the last of the great Universal monsters and their top monster of the 50s! We’ll tell you about the cast, and provide background on the Gill Man, serenade you with a Sven song, and- bring you a chat we had at the C2E2 comics and entertainment convention- with a woman who definitely would've given some real offense to the Gill Man, had she been aboard the Rita- WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Lita, Amy Dumas! It's all wrapped around a sharp, clear print of the film- a great way to see this classic.

"Creature from the Black Lagoon" surfaces tonight on MeTV at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 central, or check for time and channel in your local listings  , or at www.metv.com . Chicago area viewers get a second drive-by of "The Car"  at 11 am on WCIU, the U.

Today, I'll be appearing at the Gail Borden Library in Elgin IL during their "Comic Book Mania" event- they'll start  at 11 am,handing out tickets to ensure you'll get to see me during my signing from noon to 2 pm! More details can be found  under the "appearances" tab here on our site. Also on this site- our store, where you can order your "It Came from Berywn" poster, Sven magnets and buttons, and more- so check it out!

Next week- you'll see more fun from C2E2, including a couple more celebrity interviews- and lots of great cosplay costumes!

But- tonight- thrill to the Gill Man on MeTV!