Boris Karloff in His Most Famous Role- It’s the Original “Frankenstein”- Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- we get an early start on our Halloween season- by presenting one of the true cornerstones of Universal Studios horror- starring the great Boris Karloff, depicting the definitive version of the Frankenstein Monster in his masterful portrayal of Mary Shelley's creation. Here is where the sound movie legend of the Monster began- in the original 1931 classic- “Frankenstein”!

The eerie tale begins with a funeral-  after which  young Dr. Henry Frankenstein and his hunchbacked assistant Fritz sneak to the grave to retrieve the body!  They are collecting body parts to combine into a being that Henry will bring to consciousness using his theories on creating life! More parts are collected, and Fritz, assigned to collect a brain from the university- ends up filching  one previously occupying the skull of a criminal!

Henry's fiancee Elizabeth is worried that his work is driving him to a mental and physical breakdown- and, dismayed by his refusal to see anyone at his laboratory, recruits one of Henry’s friends-along with his former teacher- to try to calm him and persuade him to leave the lab.  It appears to be too late, as they witness Henry's  completion of his quest to bring life to dead tissue- using his fabulous laboratory equipment- along with the power of lightning- to make his creation live!

While, at first, it seems that Henry is in recovery, and preparing for his  wedding to Elizabeth- further experimentation with his "new man" is a lure he can't ignore- as he returns to the lab, aided by his teacher Dr. Waldman - and Fritz, who seems to be doing more harm than good. The threat of the Monster becoming a deadly danger to them  becomes evident- and its lack of understanding and great strength convinces Henry that his creation must be destroyed.  However- as Henry  is preoccupied with his wedding day- the Monster makes his escape-  and soon, is terrorizing the entire area !

I'm sure most of you know the story, so I'll refrain from  continuing- and let you again enjoy this beloved horror film. Boris Karloff , of course, is outstanding as the Monster- giving him nuances and shadings of emotion that few portrayals of the creature ever equaled.  Colin Clive plays the obsessed Henry- and Mae Clarke is his frantic fiancee; we get the former Dr. Van Helsing- Edward Van Sloan- as Dr. Waldman- and former "Dracula" henchman Renfield- Dwight Frye- again as a sinister helper- Fritz! We’ll discuss these cast members, give you some background on the production, and provide all the usual Sven fun- including the first segment featuring highlights of the 2017 Flashback Weekend horror convention- including a glimpse of some of the commenters on this very blog!

"Frankenstein" comes to life tonight on MeTV at our new time slot- 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central- and you can check for  time and channel in your area at www.metv.com or in your local TV listings.  Chicago viewers will get a second look at "It Came from Outer Space" at 11 am on WCIU.

Thanks to you loyal viewers, the entire stock of 1000 Sven action figures did indeed sell out in about a week's time! Please be patient (DON'T opt to buy one at an outlandish price on eBay) -there will be more in  stock in the future- it may just take some time, since the company has a production schedule already promised to various  projects- as soon as they can fit in our restock- we'll make them available. Just keep checking back here for advance warning!

If you can get hold of the October issue of Chicago magazine- on the last page, you'll find an article written by an amazing author- Bill Zehme- about,of all people, me! It is truly flattering- and I'm very grateful to Bill and the Chicago magazine editorial staff. The issue is easy to spot- it's the one with  former Illinois governor- now inmate- Rod Blagojevich on the cover.

We begin our Halloween season public appearance tour this Sunday, at a truly fun event- the Randolph Street Market- an indoor and outdoor bazaar full of interesting items- from clothing to furniture, collectibles, art, food, music- and , from 1 to 3 pm-yours truly! Check for full information under the "appearances" tab on this site.

More Halloween season excitement is on the way! Help us get it all started tonight with "Frankenstein" on MeTV!