Friend of the Bride…or the Groom? “Bride of Frankenstein” Tonight!

The honor of your presence is requested tonight by Doctors Frankenstein and Pretorius for the nuptials of  the Monster and his newly-constructed mate-as we bring you the classic film that brought Boris Karloff back to his role as the Frankenstein Monster for a second time, continuing the story from the ending of the original  “Frankenstein”film, and bringing to life Universal's most iconic monster to only appear once- the “Bride of Frankenstein”! It all begins as we meet the original story's author,Mary Shelley,revealing that the story of the Monster didn’t end with the original’s conclusion! Her revelation whisks us back to the destruction of the windmill where the Monster and Dr. Frankenstein had their final epic battle in the first film's ending- and we see the sad townfolk bringing the mangled body of Victor back  home to his wife. When some of the peasants inspect the smouldering ruins  of the windmill,feeling that they are once again safe, quite the opposite is revealed- when the Monster,burned and battered, proves to still be alive!

Victor, fortunate to have survived  his fall from the windmill, gets a visit from a mysterious and sinister guest- one Dr. Pretorius.He seeks to partner with Victor in creating life-and shocks the poor scientist by revealing the products of his bizarre experiments! Victor wants nothing to do with trying again to "play god" and refuses to work with Pretorius.

Little does he realize that his own creation lives, and is roaming the countryside, still hounded by those who hunt him- but the monster stumbles upon the hut of a kindly blind hermit who wants only to help his new "friend". (Yes, it's the basis for one of the most memorable scenes in Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein” comedy!) The Monster's safe haven does not last, as he is found again and pursued by hunters.The Monster seeks shelter in a subterranean tomb in a graveyard- where none other than  Dr. Pretorius is searching for new 'parts" for his experimentation! The scheming Pretorius,seemingly not surprised to encounter this strange creature,  sees a way to use him as leverage with Victor- and  tells the lonely creation that he wants to fabricate a friend- no, a mate- for him! One visit by this pair to Victor, with the threat of harming the woman he loves, coerces him  to agree to collaborate on the  experimentation- though Pretorius cannot be trusted, and Victor's wife remains  in danger! More evil deeds accompany the final creation of the Monster's mate- but is the result a happy union? This incredible 1935  chiller has Karloff bringing new expressiveness and pathos to the Monster- and adds both the quirky, sometimes comedic, sometimes threatening and evil Pretorius, portrayed by the flamboyant Ernest Thesiger- along with  Elsa Lanchester as the Monster's bride- establishing her place as Universal horror royalty, regardless of her single  (and rather short) appearance in the series. Of course, we'll talk about the rest of the cast- with all the usual Sven silliness added in as well.

"Bride of Frankenstein" will be presented tonight on MeTV at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 central, and please check your local listings -or www.metv.com-  to check on time and channel availability where you are. Chicago viewers can get another look at "House of Horrors" at 11 am on WCIU, the U.

We're down to the wire for your voting in the Rondo awards for this year- voting closes at midnight tomorrow (Sunday) night. If you have interest in voting before the deadline- just go to www.rondoaward.com

Thank you for the support regarding my treatment of Rondo Hatton in our previous show.Sometimes, people can interpret things differently, and we welcome opposing opinions- but not when they are presented in  a rude  and abusive way. Let us discuss it no further.

Please join us tonight to see if the Monster takes this woman's hand in marriage- who knows who it previously belonged to?