Can Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee Avoid Getting Stoned by- "The Gorgon"?!

Tonight on Svengoolie-  we get both Peter Cushing  AND Christopher Lee- as well as Barbara Shelley- when a monster from Greek mythology once again rears its ugly- actually, snaky- head in early 20^th century Prussia-  and some of the locals turn stone cold- literally- as they  fall victim to the calcifying creepiness of ‘The Gorgon”!

We meet a young artist painting a portrait of his less-than-clad girlfriend- who anxiously asks if he’s going to marry her. Bruno says he has business to attend to, and the nuptials will have to wait- which upsets his lady for an ( ahem) important reason she reveals. Hearing this news, Bruno,an honorable lad, sets out into the night to go see the girl’s father- which she feels may not be the best idea. So she heads out to catch up with him- only to have a frightening and fatal encounter with something in the dark woods.

Before long, at the medical facility of one Dr. Namarov, the local police inspector shows up with  the girl’s body. The inspector requests an autopsy, which may have a degree of difficulty, since the poor girl has been turned to stone! The police, trying to explain the woman’s demise, search for Bruno- only to find him dead, hung from a tree limb. At the coroner’s inquest, the prevailing opinion is that Bruno was the culprit, and committed suicide afterward. Bruno’s father, Heitz , refuses to believe this , and vows to stay in the area to clear his son’s name. He finds himself harassed by an angry mob, and discovers the local police are barely any help. Even Dr. Namarov dismisses his questions, leading him to believe there is something foul afoot. That night, he finds himself drawn to the nearby ruins of a castle- where he encounters something of such great horror that he flees, screaming. Upon his return to the house, he is obviously changing, with his butler shocked to see what is becoming of his master. He begins to write a letter, and asks that the butler summon his other son, Paul, and give him – and only him -the letter- as he breathes his last.

Paul arrives, but finds everyone in town, even the authorities, have no interest in helping him find out what has happened to his father. He asks to see the body, but is refused- and doubts Dr, Namarov’s claim that his father simply had a heart attack. However, Namarov’s lovely nurse Carla seems to pity the young man, and has reason to believe that an ancient supernatural evil has  returned to the area. Paul, urged on by what he has read in his father’s letter , suspects the same- and actually has his own encounter with the horrid creature!

Five days later, Paul awakens in the hospital, in bad shape, but thankfully having not succumbed to the petrifying curse that has befallen the others. Carla shows feelings for him( and far from the same feelings for her boss Namarov). Meanwhile, Paul’s old teacher, Professor Meister, arrive in town to help determine what has happened to his student- and what is happening in this town. Suspicions about Namarov- and the realization that the Gorgon now lurks in the shadows of  every full moon- lead to secrets being revealed- and the danger of turning to stone looming in the future of many!

This 1964 full-color Hammer film has a great cast that we will give mention to- including Cushing, Lee, Shelley, and an actor who was the earliest reincarnations of Dr. Who ! We’ll do a little explaining about the Gorgon of mythology- show a spot for a Gorgon business offshoot- and bring you a new song.

“The Gorgon” is scheduled for MeTV tonight at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central- you can find out when and where it airs in your area in your local listings and at www.metv.com.  Last Saturday night, we were trending in the top ten nationally on Twitter, thanks to all of you who live Tweet during the program- please remember to use the hashtag #svengoolie . Chicago viewers can get one last tingling sensation from “The Tingler” when it airs on WCIU, the U, at 11 am.

Coming soon- some appearance visits from Sventa Claus- and very, very possibly- a new merchandise item ( just in time for the holidays)! Make sure you check at www.svengoolie.com occasionally to see what’s new.

Wishing all of you a happy Thanksgiving- as we give thanks for your constant support- and say no thanks to getting more than a gizzard full of stone- tonight on MeTV!