Claude Reigns as the “Phantom of the Opera” Tonight!

Before someone says "his name is spelled 'Rains'"- I meant it as, he totally rules as the legendary literary figure from the depths of the Paris sewers- the dreaded Phantom- as Claude Rains takes a Technicolor turn into terror as the "Phantom of the Opera"!

This 1943 version of the story introduces us to one Erique Claudin- whose career in the opera orchestra appears to be ending, due to some physical difficulty. Unbeknownst to anyone, he has been funding the musical training of the lovely Christine, an opera soprano whom he feels has great potential- not to mention that he is obsessed with her. Without his opera job, the only way he can continue to be her anonymous benefactor is to get his music published and performed- but after getting the brush-off from a publisher- and mistakenly thinking his work has been stolen by the rude man- unfortunate accidents leave him a scarred and wanted man!

Erique finds sanctuary in the sewers below Paris- and begins his quest to help Christine become a star- while eliminating anyone who might stand in the way! His stealthy and horrifying acts soon cause major catastrophes- but a shrewd policeman and a valiant opera star are out to trap this elusive shadowy figure- before the body count rises again!

Claude Rains is, as always, a masterful actor- and his supporting cast, including famous musical star Nelson Eddy and the lovely Susanna Foster, among other notables that we will point out in the show. In all honesty- the critical "unmasking" scene does not have the shock and power of the Lon Chaney Sr. classic silent version, but, overall, the movie is very entertaining- with some truly tense moments.

"Phantom of the Opera" airs on Me-TV tonight at 10 pm eastern and pacific, 9 pm central, and check for our airtime in your area if it's in a different time zone. Chicago area fans get another look at the premiere of the new Sven coffin in "Mad Ghoul"- this morning at 11 am on WCIU, the U! (And, yes, I'm prepared for a few confused fans to watch "Phantom" and say "where's the new coffin?" Tonight's show was recorded previous to its arrival...)

We are just one week away From the start of the Svengoolie annual Halloween public appearance tour- it begins next Saturday night, at Chicago's Squared Circle restaurant with a viewing party of next week's show- featuring a guest shot by the restaurant's owner, Lisa Marie Varon- also known as WWE's Victoria and TNA Impact's Tara! Come meet both of us and enjoy watching the show- and, the great food  at the Squared Circle, including pizza and -ahem- the Svengoolie burger! For more details, check out our appearance tab on this site!

More appearances- and some fun Halloween season movies- are on the way!Please check back at svengoolie.com on a regular basis to learn about everything!