Metaluna Mutants, Big Brains, and a Battle for “This Island Earth” Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- prepare for the unbelievable, as great minds of our world are recruited -or, is it kidnapped?- to help aid an alien race protect their home planet- while being whisked away from the safety of "This Island Earth"!

Scientist Dr. Meacham has a weird unexplained experience while flying his jet plane- and shortly there after, receives some odd plans for a communications device the likes of which have never been seen before! He manages to build the device- and then receives a transmission over it- that congratulates him and states that being of high enough intelligence to put the thing together, he has proved that he is worthy of becoming a part of a mysterious research project! A strange unmanned plane brings Meacham to  a remote compound , where great minds from all over the world have been been assembled-including someone he has known, Dr. Ruth Adams- who keeps insisting she doesn't know him!

Meacham meets their hosts- gentlemen with odd large craniums, lead by one Exeter- and he and Ruth, along with a fellow scientist, begin to question what the research is all about- and what their hosts are really planning! After finding enough evidence that something is terribly wrong, they attempt to escape- and Meacham and Ruth try to get away in a plane -that is grabbed by an unknown force and  taken aboard a huge flying saucer! It is here that Exeter reveals his alien origin- and the project's true aim- to utilize earth's uranium and scientists to help defend their planet in a war with the deadly Zagon invaders. They arrive on his planet- Metaluna- which is in a shambles as enemy starships attack  relentlessly.

Along the way, they encounter the bizarre and dangerous  Metaluna mutants who roam the planet- but, even more threatening- the leader of Metaluna decides his planet is too far gone- and that his people should  take over the earth! Will Meacham and Ruth fall victim to the Metalunans' brain reprogramming- and become helpless servants in the conquest of their own home planet?

This 1955 film is considered a landmark sci fi movie, with notable special effects and impressive Technicolor scenes- and the memorable Metaluna mutants are  often considered  the perfect poster boy for 50s bug-eyed alien monsters! We'll run down the cast for you, including Rex Reason as Meacham ( For the self-proclaimed "film guru" who wrote and told me I was wrong , that Rex was in "King Kong Escapes" and NOT his brother Rhodes- THIS is Rex- and YOU were wrong!) and Faith Domergue as Ruth- along with Jeff Morrow  and a certain professor who had some experience on a totally different island! We'll also give using the alien communications device a shot-with predictable results!

"This Island Earth" runs tonight  as a fitting addition to "Super Sci Fi Saturday Night" on MeTV- 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 central, or check your local listings.  Chicago viewers get a second "look" (unfortunate use of the word) at "Dead Man's Eyes"- featuring our visit from "Mama Harper" Vicki Lawrence- on our sister station, WCIU, the U- at 11 am.

I hope you're signed up for the monthly Sven newsletter- the next one comes out  on Monday- with lots of information  about next month's goings- on.  Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy tonight's interplanetary intrigue- and mutant mayhem!