Tonight on MeTV- we have another creature spawned by atomic science- escaping into the hot climate of a small desert town-where a monstrous mélange of deformed mutants and mutilated cattle are the first signs of the sinister existence of one giant-sized hairy horror -beware of the "Tarantula"!

We begin by being introduced to the Arizona town of Desert Rock (no, that's not a music channel on Sirius XM) -and the town morgue where local doctor Matt Hastings arrives to view a dead body found out in the desert. That happens now and again- but this time- the unfortunate fellow is strangely disfigured! Dr. Matt determines that he was suffering from acromegaly (the very real syndrome- that famed wrestler Andre the Giant and actor Rondo Hatton suffered from). The victim is identified as an assistant to esteemed local scientist Dr. Deemer- but the odd thing is that acromegaly develops very slowly-yet this assistant was fine literally days ago!

Matt heads out to Deemer’s laboratory/home in the desert, in hopes of finding some answers. Deemer cordially gives him a tour of the place, explaining his current research project - a super atomic-isotope fueled nutrient that can make animals grow to a larger size, creating more food for the world's ever-increasing population. He has already treated several animals with the nutrient and they have responded as he had hoped, as he shows off the new over-sized versions of their species. Told about his assistant, Deemer assumes that the dead man had injected himself with the atomic serum as a test, even though it was not yet fully perfected. Deemer thinks the rapid advancement of the acromegaly was just a one-time freak occurrence. Matt seems satisfied for now, bids Deemer farewell, and heads back to his practice in town.

Shortly after his departure- the serum is the cause of some disastrous results at Deemer’s compound- including some destruction –and the escape of an oversized tarantula! The very next day, Matt wants to head back to the lab to ask more questions. About to leave, he just happens to run into Steve-a new assistant sent for by Deemer. Since Steve is actually a lovely young woman- Matt is more than happy to drive her to the laboratory! She is welcomed by Deemer, and takes up residence at his place, where she can be close to her work.

Meanwhile, more mysteries surface- including the discovery of the bones of formerly living cattle, some strange puddles of an odd liquid, and reports of missing ranchers-and Steve begins to notice some odd physical changes in Deemer. Before long, all become aware of the big fuzzy-and deadly- thing scuttling across the desert-and it's up to Matt to try to save the townspeople from the multi-legged menace that keeps growing and seems unstoppable!

Jack Arnold wrote and directed this 1955 chiller, another example of the 1950s obsession with giant radiation-spawned creatures. We'll introduce you to the cast, including Leo G. Carroll, leading man John Agar, stunning 50s Playboy Playmate Mara Corday, and a few cameos, including a facially obscured Clint Eastwood-and will explain certain techniques used in the production of this film. We'll present a rental opportunity for tarantula fans, some spidery snacks with the Sven Squad, a traditional song about the title creature, plus, from C2E2 earlier this year, a visit with WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler (who recently has been dealing with some health issues)- and some vintage parade footage and interviews.

“Tarantula” crawls onto your screen on MeTV tonight- back at our normal time of 8 pm eastern/pacific and 7 pm central. As always, MeTV invites you to live-Tweet on Twitter/X and/or live-comment on Bluesky during the show- just use the hashtag #svengoolie. This morning, Chicago area viewers can get an encore of our special expanded showing of “The Bad Seed” at 11 am on our main local station, WCIU the U.

The Svengoolie pajama pants have been a big it with our fans- and that’s just the start of some great new merchandise on the way! Make sure to check back on the MeTV Mall often- as well as checking our “appearances” tab for some public appearances to be announced soon.

Tonight, join us for a call to arms- eight hairy ones -in “Tarantula”! ( I know it’s actually legs, but that wouldn’t work with the joke…)