It’s Not Groundhog’s Day- But It’s “Black Friday” Again- Tonight!

It may seem  like a case of "deja vu all over again" this Saturday night on MeTV- as we bring back a film that we have just shown in early fall (more on that later)! But- it's definitely worth a second look- as a  doctor tries to help save his friend by performing an illegal brain transplant; resulting in turning him into a Jekyll-and-Hyde case- going from mild-mannered professor to murderous mobster - with the doctor himself becoming a selfish agitator urging the gangster persona on, for his own agenda. Black hearts and dark deeds mark- “Black Friday”!

Boris Karloff is Dr. Ernest Sovac- a "dead man walking" as he heads for his date with the electric chair. His story is recounted: on a very unlucky Friday the 13th, college professor George Kingsley- Sovac's best friend- has a tragic accident when he is an innocent victim of  a mob war.He’s left in serious condition- as is  gangster Red Cannon,who was also seriously injured in the melee. Kingsley  has suffered a brain injury , and there is little hope for his survival- until Sovac has a chat with the injured mobster Cannon. The thug has a broken back, and his future is looking grim- so, Sovac surmises that he could take part of the man's brain, transplant it into this friend, and possibly save the good man's life (not caring about the fate of  a lesser man like Cannon)! Though such an operation would never be sanctioned- and is far from ethical- Sovac decides to sacrifice the mobster- and do the transplant.

The operation is a success- and the professor not only survives the ordeal, but is making a full recovery. And yet- something isn't right- Sovac notices that his pal is acting like the deceased gangster whose brain is now melded with his. Having learned that the late thug had hidden a fortune from a previous crime,the doctor begins to formulate a scheme; if they can find the money, he can use it to fund his research! He makes the excuse that the professor could use a change of scenery to aid in his recovery- and picks the big city, which  just happens to be where the late Cannon had his headquarters. Sovac is hoping it will trigger those transplanted brain cells, and revive the memories of where the ill-gotten gains might be hidden!

Not only are memories flooding back, but an unexplainable phenomenon occurs- the partial gangster brain  is dominating Kingsley's  personality- and even causing a physical change, making him somewhat resemble the late Red Cannon. This new version  of Kingsley couldn't care less about Sovac's plan- his main concern is getting revenge on the opposing mob, led by Marnay -played by, of all people, Bela Lugosi! Kingsley starts slipping into Cannon's former life- ready to pick up where he left off with his former gun moll, a nightclub singer-and regain his hidden cash!

Kingsley/Cannon begins a new reign of violent terror - but the waters get muddied by  a visit from Kingsley’s unsuspecting family-  while Marnay smells a rat, and has his own plans to latch on to the stolen money- and eliminate this somehow familiar stranger!

This 1940 movie is the result of some cast-switching-  Karloff was going to play Kingsley/Cannon, but was recast as the doctor- giving Stanley Ridges the role of the professor, which he truly turns into a showcase for his  acting skills- convincing playing both personalities, and managing to create two different looks without the use of much make-up. Bela Lugosi was originally slated to play the doctor, but, with Karloff taking that role, he was put into the unfamiliar role of the mobster enemy.We’ll tell you more about the cast and the production- and discuss a long-standing rumor about this film with none other than Gilbert Gottfried-plus- a “Dragnet” parody, a visit with the amazing Malcolm McDowell, and more.

I'm bracing myself for the complaints that we are showing this film so soon - every week, I get e-mails from viewers, whining about how  we show the same movies three times  a year, etc. Let me again state- we have a contract with Universal- they will only give us certain films, and at certain times. I do my best to, at least, try to have a different movie every week of a calendar year- that's 52 movies.  I've been trying to space out reshowings of films, putting a couple years between as many of them as we can- and, as you loyal viewers know- we try to add in new segments whenever we have enough production time to do so. ( Our broadcast company has a lot going on here, with other networks and our local stations- and we can't always get the extra studio time.) We must repeat films because- well, that's all Universal will give us. Yes, we are working on getting additional films from other sources - the upcoming Godzilla movies are part of that plan. We are working on other movies for the future, but, with the way the business is today, they are not as easy to get as they were years ago- there is more competition from other channels and networks, some have made exclusive deals meaning only THEY can run certain movies, and locking down new contracts takes time. Plus, I get complaints that we run too many Frankenstein/Dracula movies- and complaints that we don't show enough. We get complaints that we show too many obscure Universal films, and complaints that we haven't shown enough of those. I certainly know that viewers shouldn't be expected to understand how the business end of this works- but I have to laugh when someone moans that a movie we have just repeated after two years "just ran 4 months ago".  Yes, in this case-"Black Friday" DID just run about four months ago- and is being repeated because that's where our Universal contract put it. I'd have much preferred that it didn't surface so soon- but- it's a good movie, and a good show- which I would hope would temper the complaints.

Now, stepping off my soap box...

“Black Friday” begins tonight on MeTV at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 central, or check local listings (or www.metv.com) for time and channel in your area. In Chicago, on our sister station WCIU, the U, viewers can get a second look at Hammer's “Shadow of the Cat” (and, yes, I got complaints that we've been running "too many cat movies"!) at 11 am.

Turn your cold Saturday night into a chilling "Black Friday"- and, seriously- thanks to all you loyal viewers for your understanding!