Ne’er Do Wells (and a visit from Dawn Wells) in “Curucu: Beast of the Amazon” Tonight!

There's trouble afoot in South America- when rabble-rousing locals convince plantation workers to stop work or risk the wrath of the deadly "Curucu: Beast of the Amazon"! (By the way, it's pronounced- "Coo-ROO-soo"...)

Oh, we got trouble- right here in Brazil- when he-man Rock Dean visits his dad's plantation, only to find the local workers are refusing to work, fearful of the legendary monster known as Curucu- who will destroy anyone who has abandoned their ancestral home area in the jungle near the sacred waterfalls, behind which Curucu supposedly lives. This comes after the latest Curucu attack- on a young woman innocently fetching water. Local guide Tupanico reveals this is the monster's 5th victim so far-and points out the eerie tracks of the beast.

After a run-in with some of the frightened workers, Rock is sent on a mission to travel up the Amazon River to the falls to convince the locals to return to work. While getting a physical and the necessary shots to head into this dangerous part of the world, Rock meets the lovely Dr. Andrea Romar- who also wants to go to this forbidden zone, in search of a potion used by headhunters that may help to shrink malignant tissue. Chauvinist Rock will have none of it- but Andrea pulls a fast one, and ends up heading down the Amazon with Rock and Tupanico!

Between the dangerous wildlife in the jungle, menacing natives, and double-crossing ne'er-do-wells- and the still-murdering Curucu- Rock and Andrea find their chances of survival dwindling! Will Curucu's vengeance not only end plantation production- but their very lives?

This full-color 1956 extravaganza features some lovely vistas- not to mention a boatload of stock footage of wild animals, many presented by the time-honored intro of cast members pointing at the creatures supposedly standing right before them. John " Mr. Sportsman" Bromfield stars as Rock, with Beverly Garland as the put-upon female doctor. We'll tell you about them, and a little about this production. WE ASK THAT OUR BLOG COMMENTERS REFRAIN FROM REVEALING A KEY POINT OF THIS FILM- and you guys know what I'm referring to!

As part of the Sven fun this week, we speak with the lovely Dawn Wells- who played the beloved Mary Anne on "Gilligan's Island"- to get her insights on how to survive in a dangerous tropical environment! Dawn is a real sweetheart,and very funny- I know you'll enjoy our segment with her.

I haven't run this movie since my days as "Son of Svengoolie" at WFLD in Chicago- it's kind of amazing to me that it's come around full circle now that we're seen all over the country! You can see "Curucu" tonight on MeTV at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 pm central, or, check your local listings for run time in your area. In Chicago, at 11 am on our sister station, WCIU, the U- our viewers can see a second run of Karloff and Lugosi in "Invisible Ray" - with our latest visit with Jerry "the King" Lawler (who might never have been stranded with Gilligan, but did lay the smack down on Andy Kaufman)! Also, locally, please don't forget that next Saturday, the 13th, we'll be making a return appearance at the Brauerhouse  in Lombard, IL- just check the "appearances" tab for more details!

Join us for an Amazon adventure- and maybe a coconut custard pie, if Dawn Wells can be persuaded- tonight on MeTV!