Terror Lies Below the Earth's Surface- at the Claws of "The Mole People"!

Tonight on MeTV, we’re ready once again to hit new heights- while going to deep depths– as some archeological explorers start by heading upwards- only to end up further down, deep in the realm of an underground civilization – surrounded by its pale population, as well as- the "Mole People"!

The movie begins in way that might remind you of high school-when you’d be regaled and informed by some educational film! Dr. Frank Baxter provides a lengthy and lethargic lecture about the possibilities of what lies below the earth’s surface, leading up to our joining an expedition where archeologists make a strange find- a shard of pottery that seems a bit out of place up in a high-altitude mountain range- even more so when it’s revealed it came from a mountain peak even higher up! The explorers must head up to that peak, in spite of the treacherous climb, in order to try and solve this riddle – and, after painfully working their way upwards (via some stock footage), they are stunned to find the remains of some ancient uncharted city! Even though they are experts with vast knowledge, the archeologists can’t explain how such a place exists at that lofty an elevation. As they wander the area, one of their party falls through the crumbling rock surface into a chasm so deep, his associates can't even see the bottom!

They decide to rappel down into the chasm- with the descent proving fatal to one member of the party- followed by a cave-in that traps the remaining group far below the earth’s crust. The survivors try to discover some way that will lead them back up to the surface, and wend their way through subterranean tunnels in darkness- until ending up face to face with a strange underground race, who take them prisoners!

They discover their captors are actually descendants of ancient Sumerians. Their eons of existence so far underground without light has caused them to evolve into an albino state- with pale skin and eyes totally unable to stand bright light. They have conquered a mutant race of mole men, who have most likely always been subterranean dwellers- but now have become slaves to the Sumerians, who constantly mistreat the bizarre creatures, and force them to labor endlessly. The leaders of the pale folk threaten the unfortunate surface visitors, but the surface dwellers cleverly pull off the ruse that they are actually emissaries of the gods, sent from the heavens that lie above. This halts the brusque treatment by the Sumerians, who cautiously treat them with some respect-even though they are harboring suspicions, but are unwilling to risk upsetting their gods. The explorers also prove their godliness with the awesome weapon they possess- a flashlight! Yes, that most frightening of all weapons whose bright beam is actually painful to the underground race and causes great apprehension among them. To appease these immortal emissaries from above, the Sumerians offer a feast of their underground comestibles, heavy on the mushrooms, as well as offering them the gift of a servant girl the men have defended. Her name is Adel (or, Adad, if you read the credits) -an attractive young woman they refer to as “marked”, since she is far less pale than the others- and seems to be the only blonde in their underground civilization which must not have an equivalent of Miss Clairol.

Explorers Roger and Jud, in their assumed identity of being on a mission from gods, explore the underground city, trying to learn as much as they can about the civilization- and, even more important, a way to escape it. They witness a grisly sacrificial rite- in which victims are offered to the gods by being placed in a compartment where they are exposed to “the Eye of Ishtar”- which leaves those sacrificed as charred husks! Meanwhile, the High Priest, still suspicious of the visitors, has serious doubts about whether they truly have any connection to the gods. He is also worried about losing the power he has over the populace to these brash newcomers- leaving him with only one alternative-stealing their flashlight. Sounds more like revenge at summer camp, but more danger arises for our archeologist pals when additional proof surfaces that they are definitely NOT immortals! Will the surface dwellers be able to survive-and will the class differences between the Sumerians and the mole men erupt into an underground civil war?

The title creatures of this 1956 film certainly join Universal’s Gill Man as the most recognizable 50s Universal monsters. We’ll discuss the cast of familiar actors- including John Agar, “Leave It to Beaver”’s Hugh Beaumont , “Batman” butler Alan Napier, and veteran Gill Man nemesis Nestor Paiva. We’ll discuss the make-up design for the mole people, and, as part of our Sven shtick- present the beloved “Svensurround” version of “Leave It to Beaver”( using footage form this flick)!

"The Mole People” surfaces on MeTV tonight at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central- if you need to find the exact time and channel in your neck of the woods, feel free to check your local TV listings or go to www.metv.com and click on "where to watch".  Thanks to our fans on Twitter, we have been trending high among the most-commented-on topics Saturday nights during the show- you can join in- Tweet along in real time using the hashtag #svengoolie  ! Chicago viewing area fans get a second look at the next generation Kong- “Son of Kong”- back at our usual time for a couple weeks-  11 am on the U! We do want to thank our loyal viewers who enjoyed “Ghost and Mr. Chicken”- our national ratings came in, and we had well over a million viewers for that show! Once again, that proves what a huge favorite that film is.

Check out our store (yes, “I have a store”) for the new action figure set that includes a coffin! The figure has my traditional costume, and includes its own tiny rubber chicken!

Don’t forget, we return to the amazing C2E2 comics and entertainment convention at Chicago’s McCormick Place for the usual fun and excitement- with viewers from all across the country coming to meet me as well as the many celebrities and comic creators! So far, our schedule includes the following-  Friday: autograph session from 3 to 4 pm at table 2 ; Saturday:  12:10 to 12: 20 pm- celebrity photo op ; 12”30 -1:30 – Sven 40^th Anniversary panel ( Room S504) – 1:45 -2:45- autograph session ( table 1). We also will be out on the floor, recording for future shows, and just might make a stop in the DC Comics area! Please watch for any updates or changes in information – also, since the autograph sessions are only an hour- try to get in line early, since they will have to cut the line off, so someone else can take over the table after our session.

Meanwhile, join us tonight to see how low we can go with the Mole People!