The Month of "Monster MAYhem" Begins- with the Classic Karloff "Frankenstein"-Tonight!

Once again, while we all struggle through one of the strangest times we have ever encountered, the Sven crew has been busy working to keep providing you with some diversion from everyday life- and we’ve come up with some “Monstrous MAYhem” with a whole month of a real variety of unreal creatures. Tonight on MeTV- in a show that features extras that include a major player in the Marvel Universe films-we kick it off with a real cornerstone of Universal ( and, for that matter, cinema horror) with the monster most likely to be thought of first when people think of classic monsters. It’s the film origin story of the Frankenstein Monster- with the initial performance of the great Boris Karloff in his masterful portrayal of Mary Shelley's famed literary creation. This is where the sound movie legend of the Monster began- in the original 1931 classic- “Frankenstein”!

The tale begins in a graveyard as we witness a funeral- after which young Dr. Henry Frankenstein and his hunchbacked assistant Fritz sneak to the grave to retrieve the newly buried body! They are collecting body parts to combine into a being that Henry plans to return  to consciousness using his theories on creating life! More parts are collected, and Fritz, assigned to collect a brain from the university- accidentally ends up stealing one that previously occupied the skull of a criminal !

Meanwhile, having no idea what her intended is up to, Henry's fiancee Elizabeth is worried that his work is driving him to both a mental and physical breakdown. Dismayed by his refusal to see anyone while deep in his work at his laboratory, she recruits one of Henry’s friends- along with his former teacher- to try to exert some calming influence on him and persuade him to take a break from the lab. It appears to be too late to do so, as they witness Henry's completion of his quest to bring life to dead tissue, using his fabulous laboratory equipment, along with the power of lightning, to make his creation live!

While, at first, it seems that Henry, having achieved his goal, is on the road to recovery, and preparing for his wedding to Elizabeth- the lure of further experimentation with his "new man" is something he can't ignore. He returns to the lab, aided by his teacher Dr. Waldman - and Fritz, who seems to be doing more harm than good. The threat of the Monster actually being a danger to them becomes more and more evident- and its lack of understanding , combined with its fearsome strength, convinces Henry that his creation must be destroyed. However- with Henry preoccupied with his wedding day- the Monster makes his escape- and soon grips the community in deadly fear !

It’s always out pleasure to present this beloved horror film to our viewers once again. Boris Karloff is, to many, the definitive portrayer of the Monster- giving him nuances and shadings of emotion that few other actors who played the creature ever equaled. Colin Clive is the obsessed and often frantic Henry- and Mae Clarke is his devoted fiancée. We get the actor who was Bela Lugosi’s Dracula nemesis Dr. Van Helsing- Edward Van Sloan- as Dr. Waldman- and former "Dracula" henchman Renfield- Dwight Frye- in the role of yet another sinister helper- Fritz! We’ll discuss these cast members, give you some background on the production, and provide all the usual Sven fun. Plus- we’ve got some new segments, including some interviews sure to interest old-school pro wrestling fans- with Tommy Dreamer, Raven, and WWE Hall of Famer and member of the legendary “Road Warriors/Legion of Doom” tag team- Joe “Animal “ Laurinaitis! And finally- we show you our epic meeting with a man who portrays another famous monster- one who hangs with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers-the fine actor who portrays the dual personalities of Dr. Bruce Banner and the Incredible Hulk on the big screen- Mark Ruffalo!

 "Frankenstein" comes back to life tonight on MeTV at 8 pm eastern/pacific,        7 central- and you can check for time and channel in your area at www.metv.com or in your local TV listings. Again last Saturday, as has been the case almost every week lately, the many Twitter fans who live-Tweet during our show had us trending nationally- so feel free to join in- using the hashtag #svengoolie. In the Chicago viewing area, we give you an encore of last week’s highly rated MeTV feature- “Attack of the 50 Foot Woman” –with all its Sven extras-at 11 am on the U.

It looks like our crew will be continuing to work remotely for the time being- and we appreciate the understanding that so many of you have shown. Please keep safe and well- and know we are working on bringing you more Sventertainment in the future!

But tonight- keep social distance from the lightning that will spawn the greatest monster in Universal Studios history!