Flight or Fight Against This Fright- Take Wing with "Rodan"- Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- look! Up in the sky! It’s not a vampire bat- it’s not a flying saucer- it’s not even a swarm of killer bees ( I think I just heard a bunch of you say “thank god”)! That high-flying fright is another legendary monster from the Toho Studios – whose airborne aggression plagues the world, when a prehistoric winged creature becomes a modern-day threat- behold  “Rodan”!

 As this 1956 kaiju classic opens, a small mining community is facing some bleak realities- an important mine tunnel has flooded, and two of the workers have disappeared. Suspicions are raised because the two had just had a fight before starting work that day. Those suspicions seem to hold water (just like the tunnel- too soon?) when a probe of the mine turns up the body of one of the men. He has unexplainable fatal lacerations- and though no one can confirm what the cause might be, rumors abound that he may have been done in by that other missing miner with whom he had the confrontation. Nasty villagers voice their accusations to the sister of the man they think might have been responsible. Her boyfriend, Shigeru, one of the fellow miners, stands up for her and refuses to believe her brother could do such a horrible thing.

Meanwhile, there are more attempts to search the mine- resulting in more deaths! The victims’ bodies have the same odd lacerations- and additional investigation reveals that, deep in the mine, there is an infestation of deadly insect-like creatures! Shigeru joins a squadron of military men and miners determined to battle the monsters in the cave, but the skirmish ends in more tragedy-the mine caves in, and Shigeru appears to be buried alive!

Soon, scientists are detecting high earthquake activity in the vicinity of a nearby volcano-  possibly foretelling an upcoming eruption. When authorities head to that area- and encounter a sinkhole caused by the earthquake- they are shocked to see a man wandering in it. Amazingly- it is Shigeru! How did he get so far from the mine? Why is he here, of all places? They can’t answer these questions, and neither can Shigeru- who is suffering from amnesia!

At the same time, from all over the globe, reports are coming in of a gigantic unidentified flying object traveling at amazing speeds.  Aircraft are sent in pursuit- with tragic results. Additionally, there are reports of people simply disappearing- and there finally may be a clue as to what has the world under attack. Unexpectedly, something sparks Shigeru's memory- and he suddenly recalls what he’s seen, and what this fearsome menace is- it's not a UFO from another world- it's a creature from prehistoric times - Rodan! But- even knowing exactly what they’re dealing with – do they have any way to stop this flying monster before it destroys the world?

We’ll explain to you how this Japanese film was actually inspired by both a real-life situation - and an American movie; and run down the movie's cast and voice-over actors. Let me point out now that, in this movie, the monster's name is pronounced "Ro-DAHN"- as opposed to the familiar (and used in every other movie)- "Ro-DAN"- and we’ll explain why. You also get your weekly requirement of Sven shtick, including an introduction to a poorly-themed theme park, a song- and a salute to modern-day effects master  (and fan of our show) Rick Baker!

You can see "Rodan" tonight on MeTV at 8pm eastern/pacific, 7 central, or , if you’re unsure about it, check your local listings or at www.metv.com  for the time and channel in your area. Our local Chicago area viewers get one last look at the bee-wildering “Terror Out of the Skies” at 11 am on WCIU, the U.

Thanks to the throng of Sven fans who waited patiently in line last Sunday at the Hall of Heroes ComicCon in Elkhart, Indiana ! This was our first visit to the area, and the overwhelming turn-out was amazing. We also got to chat with Kevin Sussman, who plays comic book store owner Stuart on “The Big Bang Theory”- as well as the original comic book writer  of “Black Goliath” and “Black  Lightning” ,Tony Isabella, and a man who worked for Timely Comics (which became Marvel) as an artist on 1940s “Captain America” comics and more- Allen Bellman! Plus- we made a stop at the actual Hall of Heroes superhero museum- which is a treasure trove of comics history! More appearances are being added to our Halloween season tour- check out what’s already listed, and check back for events to be added soon under the “appearances” tab here on our website. October is shaping up to be a very interesting month for us- in various media!

But tonight- keep your eyes to the skies and hold on- for “Rodan” ( see, using tonight’s movie’s pronunciation- that rhymes…)!