No Ghost of Xmas Past- it’s “Ghost of Frankenstein”-Tonight!

If Ebenezer Scrooge thought he was visited by some fearsome ghosts on the legendary Christmas Eve- he'd probably have tossed his eggnog if he met the "Ghost of Frankenstein"- not to mention the Monster and Ygor (...hey- maybe those 3 could serves as the 3  Yuletide ghosts!)

When the villagers decide it's time to get rid of Ygor once and for all- they head to the Frankenstein castle , and proceed to destroy it! Ygor tries to escape via the catacombs- and discovers the Monster right where he was at the end of "Son of Frankenstein"- preserved in the now-cooled sulfur pit! The dastardly duo make their escape , out into the stormy night- where Ygor sees the Monster revitalized by a bolt of lightning- yet knows the Monster is far from his possible strength.

They seek out the previously unmentioned OTHER son of Dr. Frankenstein- Ludwig- at his medical facility in Vassaria, where he has made amazing progress in the field of (here we go again) brain transplants. In the village, a chance meeting of the Monster and a small child results in the Monster being captured- and the authorities call on Ludwig to see if he can help them with this "insane" captive. Before he can do so- Ygor sneaks in to confront the doctor, and threatens the doctor- and his lovely daughter- if he doesn't try to help his father's creation. Before long, the Monster is on the loose again, and Ludwig, haunted by the spirit of his father, is forced to try to "help" him- but scheming colleagues and the always-wily Ygor complicate matters- and the house of Frankenstein again faces death and disaster!

It's always a treat to see Lugosi as Ygor- and this time, we get Lon Chaney Jr as the Monster. Cedric Hardwicke is Ludwig, and Evelyn Ankers (blog commenters: no cracks about perspiration , please!) is the daughter of this Frankenstein. We also get Lionel Atwill , back in the series, this time as an associate of Ludwig. Oh, and, yes- this is the program where Sven is filled in for by his "brother" Fraido (hand-crafted by famed comics artist Alex Ross!!

"Ghost of Frankenstein" hits MeTV tonight at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 pm central, and, please check your local listings if you're in other time zones. Chicago gets a second appearance of another ghost -"The Mummy's Ghost"- at 11 am on WCIU, the U.

If you haven't had a chance to listen to the "Lossano and Friends!" podcast featuring that Rich Koz, along with Amanda Puck and "Hot Doug" Sohn- give it a listen on iTunes or at www.LOSSANO.com - plenty of fun conversation, Sven info, and more!

Don't give up the "Ghost" tonight- catch it on MeTV!