It’s “Hammer Time” with “Shadow of the Cat” – Tonight!

This month on our show, it's "Hammer Time" featuring a sampling from our library of some of the feature frights from the famed Hammer Studios House of Horror! We kick it off with a seldom seen supernatural thriller from Hammer's black and white era- "Shadow of the Cat"!

Much  like a "Columbo" episode-we start out with a murder, where we already know who's responsible! Eccentric old Mrs. Ella Venable feels that the only one in her household that truly cares about her- is her cat Tabitha! She looks up to see a blurry figure invade her attic room- and the cat looks on as the figure kills its mistress!

As the victim's husband, along with her butler and maid, prepare to hide the body- they realize that the cat saw the whole devious act- and decide that, as the only witness, it must be eliminated! (Yeah, I know what you're thinking- can a cat testify in a court of law? Let's just go with the idea that they are spooked by the fact that the cat saw everything...) Their whole point in bumping the old lady off is to inherit her fortune- which she never would have bequeathed to them on her own.

When the police inspector and local news reporter are called in, they are told that Ella has disappeared! Meanwhile, our murdering trio set out to catch the cat and get rid of it permanently...but- can the cat actually be out to avenge its mistress' death?! More relatives arrive- the old woman's favorite niece, and a group of ne'er-do-well relations- one of which has a very shady past- and, while the niece seeks the truth about her aunt's disappearance, with the help of the reporter- the squad of greedy scoundrels work to capture the kitty and claim the booty! The cat has other ideas, however...and they'd best beware!

This 1961 flick definitely creates a unique atmosphere- and , while it lacks the brilliant color and highly-visible cleavage of later Hammer films, it's a real chiller in vintage style. Plus, it uses a technique we'll call "KittyVision" to show the cat's point of view! We'll fill you in on the cast, including the lovely Barbara Shelley, and the maid, Freda Jackson- who will turn up again soon in another Hammer film we have scheduled; plus- we'll show you how a cat can really seek justice, and what kind of treat the feline might eat. We're also happy to finally get an appearance on our show of our pal- the WWE Hall of Famer,commentator and wrestling icon- Jerry "the King" Lawler!

"Shadow of the Cat" comes to light tonight on Me-TV at 10 pm eastern/pacific time, 9 pm central, and please check local listings if you're unsure when we run where you live. In Chicago, viewers can take a look at a different British adventure- "Munster Go Home"- at 11 am on WCIU, the U!

As I mentioned in our monthly newsletter, I know we'd have liked to add other Hammer flicks- possibly a Christopher Lee  "Dracula" movie-to this month's schedule- but we were unable to get any of those titles. We will keep trying, though...

I wanted to thank my friend Nick Digilio for graciously having me on his late night WGN radio show this past week to congratulate me on the "Svengoolie/Rich Koz Day" in Illinois in October! Nick has always been great about promoting my shows and appearances, and remains proud of the fact that he has thrown chickens at me, appeared in a bit part on the show- and been a hand at the door! Talk about a triple-threat...

Plenty of appearances coming up this month- don't forget to check the tab on this site- and, watch this space for news of a major live event coming later this summer! Meanwhile,stock up on kitty litter and  beware the "Shadow of the Cat" tonight!