London Has Big Ben - and a Bigger Ape Problem in "Konga"- Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- we are in for a crash course in belligerent botany and bigger-than-life biology- as a scientist/teacher returns from the jungle with rare plants and a chimp companion- and proceeds to turn they all into large lethal weapons! Find out what could go wrong-a when he experiments on “Konga”!

We meet Dr. Charles Decker- a man returning to England who was thought to be dead after his airplane crashed in Africa. He speaks with a group of reporters at the airport upon his arrival, and reveals he was helped by Konga-the little chimpanzee he has brought back- who lead him to the natives who helped in his recovery and studies of some amazing plants, which he has also brought home.

His assistant Margaret is confused when he returns to his compound, and throws away all the plants they have been cultivating in their greenhouse- in order to plant the new varieties he has attained.

Dr. Decker returns to the university where he teaches, and lectures his class about his experiences in Africa. After class, he chats with an attractive young student, Sandra- drawing the ire of her would-be boyfriend Bob- and offering her the chance to assist him in his latest experiments.

Meanwhile- in his greenhouse- we see what he has been doing with his exotic plants. He has been working with his theory that plants can be given animal qualities- and, in record time, has grown a frightening array of over-sized meat-eating greenery! Margaret is amazed and somewhat unsure about what the doctor is doing- and soon finds that the next step in the experimentation is to cause rapid growth in none other than the little chimp Konga! He injects the animal with a serum that makes him grow into a full- sized gorilla ( we will ignore the fact that Konga has changed species for the sake of the story).

Remember the interview the doctor gave when he first arrived? Well, it’s coming back to bite him in the aspect- as he is called into the Dean’s office. The Dean is furious that he has been talking to the press, discussing questionable theories that may have people thinking he is not quite sane, and is worried that his statements could throw some unpleasant and unwanted publicity on the school. He insists that the doctor should “take a rest” and stay home for a while.

Enraged by the Dean’s threats, he decides to use his powerful pet to get revenge- and begins to use Konga as his own personal way to eliminate anyone that he feels stands in the way of his great scientific achievements- as well as his pursuit of the lovely Sandra! Jealousy and anger become the basis for some further use of Konga as a weapon- as he is transformed into a gigantic ape, ready to rampage through London!

This 1961 film, meant to be Britain’s full-color equivalent of “King Kong”, stars Michael Gough-who has been on our show in Hammer’s “Horror of Dracula” and played Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred in several Batman films. We’ll tell you about him and the rest of the cast, give some behind-the-scenes information about the production. Though some of the special effects are a little questionable, it has plenty of frightening and effective action. We will also introduce you to an exciting news channel, present a new song with Doug Graves and Anita X. Orcist, bring you another bunch of “Spawn of Svengoolie” hopefuls, and a glimpse at some Svensurrounded scenes from some other simian cinema we have shown many years ago!

“Konga” begins tonight at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central time-as always, if you are not sure where to see us in your area, please check your local MeTV listings or go to the “where to watch” tab on metv.com . The live-Tweeting on Twitter during the show continues to be popular with our viewers- feel free to join in- just use the hashtag #svengoolie on your Tweets. After a week’s hiatus, our show returns to our local Chicago station, CW26, at 11 am with “Island of Lost Souls”.

Make sure you check out the “appearances” tab here on our website for some upcoming events- one those in the Chicago area might want to attend is my guest shot on my friend Nick Digilio’s podcast, coming up at Zanies in Rosemont, IL- many of you remember the fun we’d have when I guested on his overnight radio show- so, check that tab and get the details! And, as always, take a look at the wide array of Sven merchandise in our store.

On a personal note, we want to thank everyone who sent special birthday wishes to our alter ego, Rich Koz, last week. At least he now knows well enough that you should never put lit candles on a rubber chicken…

Make an ape-pointment to join us on MeTV tonight for a perilous primate in prime time!