“He’s Alive- AGAIN!!!” Karloff in “Son of Frankenstein”- Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- it's a true milestone in the Universal  Frankenstein series- as Boris Karloff takes his final turn as the Monster on film-  Bela Lugosi makes his first appearance as the treacherous Ygor- and Basil Rathbone must deal with his father's dangerous legacy as the "Son of Frankenstein"!

In this 1939 classic, Dr. Frankenstein’s son Wolf has decided to return with his young wife to his father's estate- in the town named after the family-with  his little son already waiting there for him. Arriving on a rainy night, Wolf is surprised to receive a very blunt and cold reception from the local authorities and villagers.They remember all too well the painful horrors created by his father's experiments and his murderous creation.  The old Frankenstein homestead seems somewhat foreboding, but Wolf wants his family to make the best of it- and, when he goes to scope out what's left of his father's old laboratory, he meets a sinister squatter - the hunchbacked Ygor- a sadistic blacksmith who used to "do things" for Wolf's father- and was actually hanged for his crimes, but somehow survived. When Ygor finds out that Wolf is also a doctor, he says he could use his help to heal a friend- and it turns out that Ygor's friend is none other than Wolf's father’s greatest creation- the Monster-still barely alive, and kept hidden in the family catacombs! Wolf is astounded, but suddenly feels the impact of his father's incredible accomplishment-and is determined to restore his father’s work- and name- in the annals of science -but Ygor, of course, has his own reasons for wanting to see the Monster restored to his full strength and life force; a master plan for revenge- to be carried out, no matter what the expense- and that expense  includes Wolf and his family!

This outstanding film benefits , of course, from Karloff again portraying the Monster- and Basil Rathbone's over the top performance as young Wolf - but even more so from Bela's  incomparable turn as Ygor! If anyone ever needs an example of how Bela was a much more versatile actor than some give him credit for-  this would be the role to show them! We've got plenty of info about the cast, and some fun Sven stuff as well. Please note, as we'll mention- this is a VERY long film, and has necessitated some judicious editing on our part- but I think the end product works well.

"Son of Frankenstein" airs tonight on MeTV at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 central- or check local listings to be sure of when we come on in your area! Chicago viewers get a second look at "Hold That Ghost" at 11am on our sister station, WCIU- the U!

Also- make sure you tune into "Superman" on MeTV tonight, as it kicks off  "Super Sci Fi Saturday Night"- when we will be running a couple specially-picked episodes as a salute to the late Jack Larson, who passed away this week. His portrayal of cub reporter Jimmy Olsen was always a highlight of the series. I remember reading about how he met the great actor Laurence Olivier- who hugged him and complimented him on how much life he put into the role!

If you're in the area, please come visit with me at Seigel's Cottonwood Farm's Pumpkin Patch- Sunday from noon to 2 pm. You'll find the info under our "appearances" tab! And- we're just getting started for the Halloween season! watch for a slew of appearances to be listed soon (if you subscribe to the free Sven monthly newsletter- you'll get that information first!)

Join us tonight for "Son of Frankenstein" (and you thought YOUR family had problems!)