An Early “Howl”-oween Treat- the Original “Wolf Man” Tonight!

When you think of the top 3 Universal iconic monsters, most likely you think of the Frankenstein Monster- Dracula- and  the star of tonight's movie- "The Wolf Man"!

As a perfect pre-cursor to Halloween, we're bringing back the original film in which Lon Chaney Jr.- as Larry Talbot- becomes afflicted with a curse that took him into the hallowed halls of horror history. When Talbot returns to his ancestral home, and reunites with his father, he gets used to life  back home- by finding an attractive young shop girl (Evelyn Ankers) to concentrate on.

When a caravan of gypsies comes to town, Larry, his new friend Gwen and Jenny,a gal pal of hers, enjoy the festivities- until Jenny gets her fortune told- and it ain't pretty! Later, out in the misty moors, as Larry walks  home, there is a scream- and Larry rushes to help, finding  the unfortunate girl being attacked by a wolf! Larry beats it with his silver-headed cane, getting bitten in the process.

Things get hairy ( I know, I know) when authorities  go to where the attack happened, and find, not a dead wolf- but a man with his head bashed in! Larry soon learns- through the revelations of the gypsy woman Maleva- that he is now cursed- and will transform into  a werewolf!

This 1941 film is a favorite this time of year- and started the legacy of Larry Talbot, always played in the classic Universal era by Chaney. We'll provide background on the cast , the make-up,and the film, along with some new segments -including Rankin-Bass historian Rick Goldschmidt talking about "Mad Monster Party" and showing us some very cool items from his collection! ( BTW-Rick will be doing a special signing of his books on October 26th- 4-5 pm at Amazing Fantasy Books- 15948 Harlem Avenue in Tinley Park, IL- he'd love to chat with you about the various Rankin-Bass productions, from "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" to the "King Kong" cartoons!)

"The Wolf Man" will prowl on MeTV tonight at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 pm central, and please check for time in your area. Chicago gets a second chilling look  at "The Uninvited" on WCIU, the U, at 11 am!

Don't forget that I'll be in Elgin, IL, today from 1-3 pm at Feeny Chrysler Dodge Jeep at 1010 E. Chicago St (Route 19)- I'm doing autographs, posing for pictures, and kids in costume get free pumpkins! We'll have Sven t-shirts and button sets available for purchase. I'll be back in Elgin NEXT weekend for the amazing "Nightmare on Chicago Street" as well!

Enjoy  Mr. Talbot tonight- oh- and, I would ask that our usual gang of blog commenters will refrain from their pre-occupation with Evelyn Ankers' perspiration stains and armpits... though I doubt that they'll listen...