Gill Man-agement 101: “Creature from the Black Lagoon” Tonight!

A geological expedition in the Amazon comes up with a find that could give an insight to the development from sea to land dwellers-the fossil of a large  webbed claw! The expeditions' Dr. Maia calls upon Dr. Reed,a friend, former student, and ichthyologist, to help identify it. It would seem a second expedition is necessary to try to find more of the fossil- possibly the body- but Dr. Reed worries that his big boss Dr. Williams might not approve the excursion. That's not a problem, when Williams sees only dollar signs if they do find more skeletal remains. And so, Williams himself ,joins Reed, Kay (Reed's lovely girlfriend and assistant), Dr. Maia and crew aboard the Rita, a well-worn old steamer, skippered by wacky local Captain Lucas- as they head to Maia’s expedition camp- where they find the camp in shambles, the tent torn apart- and all the men dead!

They continue on with heavy hearts- searching for what they seek-but when nothing new is discovered, they wonder about a new theory- that additional fossil remains may have been swept downriver with the current over time.They decide to travel down the tributary, following the flow to a mysterious area known as the  “Black Lagoon”-a place the locals say is incredibly beautiful- but ominous, since rumor has it that those who go there- never return!

The Black Lagoon lives up to its name- when it becomes apparent that the creature whose fossilized remains they hoped to find- is no fossil, but still in existence! They realize that this fabled "Gill Man" is what tore apart the earlier camp- and money-hungry Williams is intent on capturing it- endangering  all their lives-including that of the alluring Kay, for whom the Gill Man has developed quite an obsession! Can the crew stay alive, and stop a creature that even evolution could not change?

This 1954 film established the Gill Man as the '50s top Universal monster, and a worthy addition to the Universal Studios Horror Hall of Fame! We'll fill you in on the cast, give you some interesting footnotes about the Gill Man, and provide you with a new Sven song-all wrapped around  a new, better print of the film which you will definitely enjoy seeing- not to mention it giving us a clearer view of the lovely Julie Adams in that memorable white bathing suit....

"Creature from the Black Lagoon" surfaces tonight  at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 central, or check your local listings for time and channel (and, if you need help locating your MeTV station- please go to www.metvnetwork.com- and click on the "where to watch" link- check the map there or enter your zip code for full details.) In Chicago, viewers can get a second look at "Tarantula" on our sister station, WCIU, the U, at 11 am.

Many thanks to everyone who came to the Michigan City Library last week! An amazing turn-out with an overflow crowd-  we were delighted to finally hit that area and meet all those great fans!

As for this week-join us tonight on MeTV for everybody's favorite Gill Man!