Dive Into Harryhausen Horror in "It Came from Beneath the Sea" Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- there’s big trouble surfacing from the deep blue sea- that can’t wait to get its arms around the general populace! It’s an early showcase for the amazing stop-action artistry of Ray Harryhausen , as San Francisco becomes the target of a giant creature- in case you were wondering- “It Came From Beneath the Sea”!

This 1955 science fiction classic begins with a nuclear submarine out on maneuvers in the Pacific Ocean- when it appears to be rammed by something, leaving it mostly disabled but still mobile enough to limp back to Pearl Harbor. Inspecting the sub’s workings, they find something disturbing- what appears to be tissue from some sort of living creature! Commander Pete Matthews is stunned by this discovery- and experts are sent for, to try and identify what exactly the tissue came from.

Two marine biologists, John Carter and Lesley Joyce, begin the research- and their findings indicate that the tissue comes from an octopus- and a really big one, at that! This is not well-received by the authorities- they think that conclusion is ridiculous. However, that attitude changes when there are more losses of ships and people. Our scientists are postulating that the octopus has come from a deep area where there had been hydrogen bomb testing ( a familiar theme in ‘50s and ‘60s sci-fi films). Once again, the military authorities join Commander Matthews in thinking such a thing is preposterous- even as there are more fatalities.

Finally, when there some survivors of one of the attacks, only one of them will tell what he saw- the others are silent after seeing the reactions of the big shots to the truth. Lesley uses her formidable feminine wiles to get the one man to repeat his story- and the authorities believe it- at last! Warnings are sent to the shipping lanes, while there is more investigation of missing ships in the north Pacific- and missing swimmers off the coast of the Pacific Northwest…uh-oh- could it be coming closer to the mainland?

When frightening proof of the giant octopus occurs in Oregon, naval headquarters springs into action, putting mines in the surrounding ocean, and adding an electrified net at the mouth of San Francisco Bay. They even electrify the Golden Gate Bridge- but the electric shocks prove to aggravate the powerful sea monster, and soon it begins a destructive attack on the City by the Bay!

We’ll fill you in on lots of production details of this film (including why the creature isn’t really an OCTO-pus), as well as introducing you to the cast, which includes Kenneth Tobey, Donald Curtis, and the lovely Faith Domergue, recently seen in “Cult of the Cobra”. Plus- an interview with an old (and I mean OLD) submarine commander, a product you might get stuck on- or, that might get stuck on YOU; and Nostalgiaferatoo again proves that he’s an expert- this time, on tentacled creatures. As a bonus, our pal Joe Bob Briggs and I will be discussing the worst movies we have shown!

“It Came From Beneath the Sea” surfaces tonight at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central, and, if you need to check the time and channel in your area- please look at your local listings or at www.metv.com . The show again was trending nationally on Twitter last week, so, feel free to join the fans live-Tweeting during the show using the hashtag #svengoolie ! This morning in the Chicago area, viewers will get a curtain call from Vincent Price as “The Mad Magician” at 11 am on our sister station, WCIU, now officially back to being “The U” !

Hit the Sven store here on our website for more Sven anniversary items, including the latest ones featuring the great “Svengoolie Stomp” graphic featuring the entire Sven Squad, created by Jeff Carlson! And, yes, there will be even more to come!

Please join us tonight for a Harryhausen creature who’s “armed” – and dangerous!