Defrost and All is Lost- Thaw Out "The Deadly Mantis"-Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- with summertime only a couple months away, we thought it’d be a good idea to remind you that’s when insects again become an annoyance- but not to the extent of the man-eating menace that defrosts and creates a one-bug infestation- as an actor we know from a certain classic legal drama tries to win the case against- "The Deadly Mantis!"

Just like many of the 1950s films we’ve shown, this one starts out with a documentary feel, utilizing plenty of stock footage, to set up the scene. The narrator reminds us that “for every action, there is a reaction”-and, as proof, we see the action of a volcano erupting in the South Seas, which is followed by the reaction-the energy it released heads across the globe, all the way up to the frigid far northern ice caps. The force cracks glaciers, and melts ice holding -a long dormant prehistoric creature - frozen in the ice for centuries in a sort of suspended animation. With its long sleep interrupted- it understandably wakes up cranky and hungry!

We are then treated to the equivalent of a high school science class film, denoting the establishment of military bases way up North, and the Dew Line (Distant Early Warning) System. We learn that a far northern Canadian Dew Line outpost has suddenly fallen silent and unresponsive. Col. Parkman, a dashing commanding officer, is sent to investigate- and is shocked to find the outpost totally destroyed-with no sign of the personnel- not even bodies-on the premises! Even more disturbing and confusing- a large oddly shaped imprint is spotted in the snow outside the shambles of the outpost.

Soon after this puzzling discovery, DEW Line radar indicates an unauthorized and unidentified flying object in that exact same area. When jets are scrambled to check it out- one plane is destroyed by- something unknown. Col. Parkman heads out again to inspect this new wreckage- and, while searching the destroyed aircraft, finds a large, pointed object. This mysterious item appears to be organic in nature, so the military decides to call in an expert - Ned Jackson, a paleontologist who they hope will be able to identify what the object is- and what it came from!

Ned examines it, and thinks he knows its source- though he can scarcely believe his own theory. This spur-like thing may actually be a body part of a familiar carnivorous insect- but one of such great size, that there have not been any such creatures that big since prehistoric times!

Meanwhile, there are more reports of mysterious carnage in the frozen North- and Ned, desperate to check on the validity of the conclusion he’s drawn, heads towards the top of the globe to try to discover what's going on- reluctantly accompanied by Marge, the magazine editor at his museum headquarters, who has decided she needs to go with him to chronicle whatever he finds.

They fly to the Canadian DEW line base where they meet with Col. Parkman, and his staff, who react in stunned appreciation of Marge (since a woman is a rarity in their world). Unfortunately, they're about to meet an even greater rarity- a 200-foot-long praying mantis that attacks their base!

After the incredible attack, the mantis takes off for parts unknown- instinctively heading to the south where the climate is closer to its warm old prehistoric stomping grounds-and still searching for food to satiate its massive appetite! Its tour of international cuisine wends its way through various human taste treats- leading to it sampling the down-home flavor of American citizens- including a stop for a snack in Washington, D.C.- after which the big bug heads to New York to take a bite out of the Big Apple!

We are happy to be able to bring back this 1957 flick - featuring a cast that includes familiar TV faces like Craig Stevens (“Peter Gunn”) and William Hopper ( cue the music- he is, of course, Paul Drake of “Perry Mason”!) The lone female lead Alix Talton rounds out the main cast. Along with providing this pristine HD print of the film, we’ll fill you in on more cast members, explain where certain stock footage came from (NOT the source many originally thought) and add to the entertainment with a Sven song, and chats with noted celebrities like Lance Henriksen and amazing artist Alex Ross. We also bring back some comics talk from our visit to the New York Comic Con to promote the “Svengoolie Meets the DC Universe” comic, plus get yet another visit from that expert on everything Nostalgiaferatoo- and, in a vintage segment, show you how our studio dungeon set came to be!

“The Deadly Mantis” infests your screen on MeTV tonight at 8pm eastern/pacific, 7 central, and, if you’re not sure of what time or channel you can find us on in your area- you can check your local listings, or visit www.metv.com and click on “where to watch”. Our MeTV crew invites you to live-Tweet during the movie on Twitter or live-comment on BlueSky- in either case, please use the hashtag #svengoolie for tracking purposes. Our Chicago area viewers will get another look at the big 1950s favorite “Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" this morning at 11 am on WCIU, THE U.

Our alter ego Rich Koz got a warm welcome as he joined a whole slew of talented friends to present classic radio scripts at last weekend’s “Those Were the Days” 55th anniversary show live event- if you’re interested in hearing some of the highlights, tune in to “Those Were The Days” on Saturday April 26th. You can listen in to WDCB 90.9 FM in most of Chicago and nearby suburbs ( and in the west Chicago area 90.7 FM) or streaming online- go to wdcb.org for details – and there is also a two week archive on their website, so you can listen later for a couple weeks! And now, we hit the big C2E2 comics and entertainment convention yesterday, and return today for more autographs, professionally-shot photo ops, and a special “Svengoolie Spotlight” panel- so, if you are in the area, we hope you will head to Chicago’s McCormack Place. Find further information under the “appearances” tab here on our website. As long as you’re here, check out the Svengoolie store to see the new merchandise available- including the new Svengoolie baseball jerseys!

Join us on MeTV tonight- where I thought I thaw a giant insect!