From the Inner Sanctum: Lon Chaney Opens “Dead Man’s eyes”- Tonight!

While many of our Sven fans may be dealing with ice (hope you are all making it through the weather okay)- tonight on MeTV, we're dealing with eyes- as Lon Chaney Jr. again headlines a tale from the Inner Sanctum  that blows the lids off "Dead Man's Eyes"!

This 1944 film was another entry from the "Inner Sanctum Mysteries" series that  starred Lon Chaney Jr. In this  one, Lon plays Dave Stewart, a talented artist who seems to be surrounded by lovely women- his fiancee Heather- and his sultry model Tanya ( who seems somewhat jealous of Heather). Both women have their own admirers- Tanya has Dave's psychiatrist pal  Alan- and Heather, though engaged, has the rather oily Nick pining for her.

Tragedy strikes when an accident renders Dave blind- or- was it an accident? Dave is disheartened by the loss of his sight- how can he continue painting without vision? His model Tanya begs to act as  nurse and helper to him- though Heather's father, Dr. Hayden, worries that she wants to replace his daughter in Dave's life. Dave actually feels that it isn't fair for him to hold Heather to her agreement to marry him, now that his prospects seem so bleak.

After some discussion of what can be done to help Dave- Dad Hayden , admitting that he is of advanced years, makes the offer that, when he eventually dies, his eyes could be transplanted- so that Dave could see again! But- when the would-be donor meets his end sooner than later- there are any number of suspects -including Dave! And- will the now-available eyes still play a part in Dave's future?

Though I've run other films from the "Inner Sanctum" series- both on MeTV and in earlier programs on other stations- I think this is the first time that I've ever presented this one- which is introduced, like many of the others, by the eerie "head in the globe", and again stars Chaney, along with such notables as the exotic Acquanetta, Jean Parker, and Paul Kelly.We'll have plenty of cast information, and - during our segments- a visitor from the cast of  "Mama's Family"- none other than Vicki Lawrence herself as Mama Harper!

"Dead Man's Eyes" can be seen (or, seen with?) tonight on MeTV at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 central, or check your local listings for time and station (you can also check that out at www.metv.com ). In Chicago, Saturday morning viewers can open their eyes to another look at "King Kong Escapes" on our sister station, WCIU, the U!

Thanks for the warm reception to the new Sven hoodies- they are probably coming in pretty handy with so much cold weather around!

If you get a chance, pick up the current- and final- edition of "Scary Monsters" magazine, as published by Dennis Druktenis! This 100th issue brings a close to the run as orchestrated by Dennis, who has been very kind in promoting our program, and in sharing his love of the genre with fellow horror fans. You'll find some cartoons that I drew as a part of this issue-as my way of saying thank you and farewell to "Scary Monsters"!

Stock up on Visine, Murine, and Clear Eyes- and keep your eyes on "Dead Man's Eyes" tonight! (Unless your TV set is on the blink...)