Battle for Stomping Rights: “King Kong VS Godzilla” Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- two of the biggest names- and biggest monsters- in horror history collide in an epic battle of building-flattening fury- as Japan's greatest horror export faces off against the legendary giant ape who first thrilled America (in slightly different form!) in 1933-it's the battle of the behemoths in "King Kong VS Godzilla"!

We open with an  American submarine in peril- trapped by the collapse of an iceberg. A rescue aircraft overhead witnesses an astonishing sight- starting with a strange glow within the iceberg- but culminating with the iceberg's collapse freeing the massive monster Godzilla, who had been frozen inside it! Once free,the huge reptile instinctively heads for an area he is well familiar with- Japan!

Meanwhile, we get a taste of how the TV industry works, as a greedy pharmaceutical company's boss is fighting the curse of diminishing ratings on shows he sponsors- and, upon learning of a legendary giant beast supposedly living on a distant primitive island, decides that would be just the thing to get people to tune into the shows and generate big ratings with this  sensational find!( He's patterned to be a kind of the Asian Carl Denham, for fans of the original "King Kong"- but a little more goofy) He bankrolls an expedition to the far-away island to find the big beast and bring whatever it is back to civilization- alive and ready to exploit!

In the meantime,Godzilla  is making his way back to his old "stomping grounds" (yeah, I know) in Japan- sending its people into a panic, as they remember all the destruction Godzilla has previously caused. At the same time, the island expedition discovers that the mysterious giant beast on the island is "King Kong"-and, with the help of a mystery substance the island people have used to tranquilize Kong, manage to get him onto a giant raft to ferry him back to Japan. Things don't go as planned- Kong escapes, and makes his own way to the Asian nation - where the inevitable meeting with the atomic-flame spitting Godzilla pits the two giant menaces against each other- with innocent bystanders in danger as the two heavyweights battle to prove  which is the mightiest monster!

This 1963 meeting of the horror giants came before "King Kong Escapes", which we've shown before- and I think that the Kong (costume) in this one is slightly better than the one in the later film. As usual, we'll talk about the cast, including who you might recognize, reveal some of the production details of the film, including how it evolved  from possibly being shot as a stop-motion animation feature- with a possibly different monster line-up (and whose idea it originally was)- to become the production you'll be seeing. As always, there's lots of Sven fun- including a favorite bit of many of our viewers that suggests the movie's headliners could team up for some two-man (or monster) road shows- plus a song, and, even a glimpse of our old original coffin!

The big battle begins tonight on MeTV at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 central- or check for channel and run time in your area at www.metv.com . In Chicago, we'll give viewers one more chance to enjoy  the classic "Bride of Frankenstein" on our local sister station, WCIU, the U, at 11 am.

We had a fun time this past week working with '60s rock and roll icon Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon on a very special project that he brought to us- he's a terrific guy, and we can't wait until we get everything put together to reveal our collaboration to you down the line!

Make sure you get a ringside seat in front of your TV tonight for "King Kong VS Godzilla"- and, as Dave Letterman used to say- please, no wagering!