Florida Should Be for Retirement, NOT for "Revenge of the Creature"- Tonight!

One of our top requested monsters-the Gill Man- makes his return to MeTV tonight-taking up residence far from the Black Lagoon and the Amazon-when he is brought to Florida, not just visiting a theme park- but becoming its main attraction! No wonder it evokes the "Revenge of the Creature"!

This sequel to the original "Creature from the Black Lagoon", the second part of the Gill Man trilogy, reacquaints us with unsophisticated but lovable Captain Lucas, the skipper of the Rita from the first film. He is again hired to be guide to that dangerous part of the Amazon where the Creature dwelled, because the Gill Man, though assumed dead at the end of the first film, has been rumored to still be alive and well in his lagoon lair! These stories have encouraged a new expedition- requested by good-hearted scientist Clete and his macho pal Joe- hoping to once again locate the monster and even capture it for study. Lucas is nobody’s fool, but he warily leads them to the lagoon, warning the anxious researchers that actually finding the Creature may not be a joyous occasion. Regardless, they plan to secure the Gill Man for study at- a Florida theme park! ( Always a popular site for research – not to mention charging tourists to watch the “research”!) The first encounter with the living creature that has escaped evolution plays out just as Lucas warned, with injuries and peril- but that doesn’t deter these guys. They opt to utilize a dangerous tactic often employed by poachers - "fishing with dynamite"- in a final attempt to subdue the Gill Man. The idea is that perhaps they can use the explosive impact to stun him enough for capture - but also risk doing fatal damage to the Creature. Hopefully the plan will work as they hope, so they can bring him back alive to Florida.

And, the explosive scheme does indeed work! The unconscious Creature is shipped to the Ocean Harbor theme park- uh,oh,yes- and research center. The comatose specimen must be kept breathing- and the researchers work tirelessly to insure his survival and bring him back to consciousness. Finally, he begins to stir- but, once conscious again, begins to rage and attack his “captors”! The Gill Man is finally subdued after a fierce battle, and the decision is made to move him to a more secure underwater enclosure. Realizing that they must prevent him from escaping or attacking the public and the research team, they clamp his webbed, clawed foot into a metal shackle affixed to the tank floor. Professor Clete enlists the aid of one of the observers-an attractive blonde ichthyology student who just happens to be a hot blonde ( place your bets now that she looks pretty fetching in a while bathing suit). They will attempt to discover the intellect and adaptability of the Gill Man, and teach him to follow simple commands, with the help of a large underwater electric prod (and again I’ll ask- isn’t water a CONDUCTOR of electricity? Wouldn’t the people in the water also feel the shock? Never mind, I’ll suspend my disbelief once more…) The scientists make progress in charting the Gill Man’s intelligence and physical make-up- while the Creature, true to form, is again smitten with the new woman in his life – maybe it IS just the allure of a white bathing suit, just like in the first movie. The Gill Man eventually finds its frustrations with imprisonment- and reactions to certain outside stimulus- enough to spur him to use his intellect and power to escape confinement, leave the park- and begin a reign of terror to plague Florida! Clete and the authorities are the only hope to recapture the powerful amphibian/human hybrid- before he claims more victims- including his latest female crush !

This 1955 movie is almost equal to the first film in the Gill Man saga, kind of taking a “King Kong” approach, in a slightly different environment. We’ll run down the cast including John Agar , John "Mr. Sportsman" Bromfield, and lovely Lori Nelson, as well as a young Clint Eastwood in a brief cameo role as a somewhat absent-minded lab assistant. We'll give you some insight into who plays the Creature -and when ( and where you might see one of those guys OUTSIDE the suit in the movie) along with the usual Gill Man gags. This is another show that blends some of our old footage with new, so you will see our original coffin and set along the way. By the way, YES- this IS the infamous movie I presented in 3-D back in the 80s in the Chicago market. This version is in the digital splendor of 2-D, though I would encourage you, if you ever have the opportunity, to see the 3-D version. I got to see the original film in 3-D when it was presented as a special screening at a local theatre, and it was impressive!

"Revenge of the Creature" surfaces tonight on MeTV at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central, or check listings in your area ( or at www.metv.com ) for the time and channel to tune in to watch. Twitter fans keep live-tweeting during the show, using the hashtag #svengoolie – and making us trend in the most-tweeted about topics nationally- so feel free to join in! In the Chicago viewing area, due to sports programming, our usual showing of last week’s MeTV feature on the U, “It Came from Outer Space”, hits the air at a special LATER time- 1:00pm! And, look for the U’s Sven show NEXT week at an earlier time- 10 am!

This just in- our appearance for 2020 at the new “Pet Supplies Plus” store at the Harlem and Cermak Plaza in Berwyn for January 18th has been rescheduled – come see me on Saturday, February 1^st at the store at 7133 Cermak Road from 1-3 pm!

Tonight- submerge yourself in aquatic terror as the Gill Man makes his comeback!