John Agar Faces the Fuzzy Fury of the "Tarantula" -Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- we present a creature with its own fur coat- which may benefit it, if it lived in apart of the country that is enduring frosty temperatures right about now! Unfortunately- for the people in the area- It dwells in the hot climate of a small desert town-where a monstrous mélange of deformed mutants and mutilated cattle are the first signs of the sinister results of experimentation that has yielded one giant-sized hairy horror -beware of the "Tarantula"!

The story begins in the Arizona town of Desert Rock (no, that's not a music channel on Sirius XM) where local doctor Matt Hastings is called to the town morgue to view a dead body found out in the desert. Not that it hasn’t happened before- except for the fact that this unfortunate fellow is strangely disfigured! Dr. Matt surmises that he was suffering from acromegaly (the very real syndrome- that famed wrestler Andre the Giant and actor Rondo Hatton suffered from). The victim is identified as an assistant to esteemed local scientist Dr. Deemer- but that fact is tough to swallow, since acromegaly develops very slowly-yet this assistant was fine literally days ago! Matt heads out to Deemer’s laboratory home in the desert, in hopes of finding some answers. Deemer cordially gives him a tour of the place, explaining his current research project - a super atomic-isotope fueled nutrient that can make animals grow to a larger size, creating more food for the world's ever-increasing population. He has already treated several animals with the nutrient and they have responded as he had hoped, growing into over-sized versions of their species. Deemer assumes that his dead assistant had injected himself with the serum as a test, though it was not yet fully perfected ( a cautionary lesson for all, with what’s going on in the world). Deemer thinks the rapid advancement of the acromegaly was just a one-time freak occurrence. With that information, Matt seems satisfied for now, bids Deemer farewell, and heads back to his practice in town.

Shortly after his departure- the serum is the cause of some disastrous results at Deemer’s compound- including some destruction –and the escape of an oversized tarantula! The very next day, Matt wants to head back to the lab to ask more questions, and just happens to run into Steve-a new assistant sent for by Deemer. Steve is actually a lovely young woman- who Matt is more than happy to drive to the laboratory! She is welcomed by Deemer, and takes up residence at his place, where she can be close to her work.

Meanwhile, more mysteries surface- including the discovery of bones of formerly living cattle, some strange puddles of an odd liquid, and reports of missing ranchers- while Steve notices some odd physical changes in Deemer. And then there's this big fuzzy thing sneaking across the desert?! Before long, it's up to Matt to try to save the townspeople from an ever-growing multi-legged menace that seems unstoppable!

Jack Arnold wrote and directed this 1955 chiller, another example of the 1950s obsession with giant radiation- spawned creatures. We'll introduce you to the cast, including Leo G. Carroll, leading man John Agar, stunning 50s Playboy Playmate Mara Corday, and a few cameos, including a facially-obscured Clint Eastwood-as well as explaining certain techniques used in this film. We'll have a traditional song about the title creature, plus other Sven fun- including a much-requested super-hero-based bit with a special surprise guest!

“Tarantula” crawls onto your screen on Me-TV tonight at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 pm central, and, if you are unsure of what time or station to find us on in your area, check your local listings, or at www.metv.com. AS always, MeTV invites you to live-Tweet with the growing number of viewers during the show on Twitter- just use the hashtag #svengoolie. Chicago area viewers can experience a return trip to Florida and the amphibian anguish of “Frogs” this morning at 11 am on our main local station, CW26.

Be watching for some special seasonal merchandise coming to our store soon!

Join us tonight for the fuzzy fear of “Tarantula”!