Hollywood is Used to Really Big Stars- But Never the Humongous Headliner of “War of the Colossal Beast”- Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV-we have a “sort-of” sequel to a fantastic ‘50s film- when an enormous menace, thought to have expired, is rumored to have re-appeared south of the border ( no, not scorpions again)- only to have the rumors proven as fact, and the menace even more dangerous than it was previously! Allies of two adjoining nations are forced to engage in the “War of the Colossal Beast”!

A mystery event transpires in Mexico- a truck bringing food to a local gun club has disappeared, with its driver found in a state of shock, and uncommunicative. As a result, there is no explanation as to what happened to him, or where the missing vehicle might be.

When a news story about the incident is broadcast on TV in Los Angeles, Joyce Manning sees it and has her own somewhat unbelievable theory on what has happened. She heads down to Guavos, Mexico, to convince the local authorities, and the American military’s Col Mark Baird to investigate- in hopes of discovering if what she suspects is true.

The only evidence so far: judging from its tire tracks, the truck disappeared straight up! Plus, the footprints of a huge man have been found in the area. Joyce feels she knows the answer- her brother, Col. Glenn Manning, was turned into a giant by exposure to radiation! Dubbed “the Colossal Man”, he was supposedly killed, plummeting off Boulder Dam, with his body never found- but now, Joyce thinks he may have survived- and is roaming the desert in Mexico!

The search party heads out into the desert, and climbs a mountain in search of more proof- only to find the missing truck-and come face to hideous face with the disfigured Colossal Man! He has obviously suffered injuries in his fall from the dam, not only disfiguring him but causing brain damage that has reduced him to a savage beast.

Since the missing truck was filled with groceries, they realize this giant must be searching for food! They plan to drive a truck loaded with bread ( with a secret ingredient- a chemical that would put the big guy to sleep) through the same area where the other truck disappeared, in hope of luring him out and sedating him.

It works! The massive beast-man grabs the truck, consumes the bread, and, as hoped, finally drops to the ground, unconscious. It is decided that, via a huge transport plane, he should be returned to America for treatment. It is not that simple, however, as somewhat familiar bureaucracy causes government agency after agency to shift the responsibility for taking care of Manning from themselves to another group! There is also some question regarding where they can land the plane and confine the giant- but he is eventually ensconced in a hangar at the airport near Los Angeles. He is bound and held down for the safety of himself and the personnel, as they contemplate study and treatment. Joyce maintains that, regardless of his clouded mind, she may be able to get through to him and reason with him, joining with psychologists and experts brought in. The result- the powerful giant’s unstable mind drives him to escape his bonds and head into the city to create deadly havoc! Will this colossal beast prove to be colossally unstoppable?

As mentioned, this 1958 film is “sort of” a sequel to American International’s “The Amazing Colossal Man”- it even includes some footage from that movie in a flashback. We do mention that, the reason we have not been able to show the original film is due to rights issues- the widow of one of the producers holds the rights to that and a handful of other American International films, and will not grant them to anyone-because she was upset with the treatment of some of the films by the “Mystery Science Theatre” crew. We still hold out hope to be able to show it someday. Fans who know that film will notice some things in this movie are at odds with the original, which we will explain, including the reason for the beast’s deformed facial features. We’ll provide background about the film, talk about the cast, present a commercial for an item to add to your dinner menu, add in a colossal song, and get another visit from Nostalgiaferatoo, as well as bringing back some celebrity visits from the past-including David Dastmalchian (seen in the stunning new Dracula film “Last Voyage of the Demeter” and as the “Suicide Squad”’s beloved Polka Dot Man) and the very versatile Curtis Armstrong. Also, be watching at the very end of the film for a gimmick we have seen in another AIP movie!

“War of the Colossal Beast” will be waged tonight on MeTV at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central time. Our “Ex-Twitter” X followers will again be live-Xing (live-Tweeting, to use the now outdated term) during the program, using the hashtag #svengoolie – and MeTV invites you to join in, no matter what time zone you are in when you watch us. Our local Chicago area audience can get one more look at another gigantic menace “Konga”- this morning on our local station, CW26, at 11 am.

As the summer grows shorter, beware of the man monster who grew larger- tonight on MeTV!