They're Really Biting- and the Bait is YOU! "Barracuda" Tonight!

This is definitely the time for fun  at the beach-  but  there’s something sinister in the waters off the coast of Florida- where a local factory  seems to be dumping something nasty into the waters – rivalled only by equally nasty finned  attackers that see the swimmers as  an all-you-can eat buffet- beware of the "Barracuda"!

Divers expecting to enjoy the wonders of the deep end up in deep doo doo when they encounter these  aquatic assassins- while a young biologist  named Mike from a nearby university, is also in the water, checking if an area factory (that is a main source of  employment for the folks of little Palm Cove) is polluting surrounding sea.  While he snags some water samples from an underwater pipe that appears to be spewing something unknown, he heads to the surface-where  a relative and an associate of the factory’s owner  give him a less than warm welcome! He hides the samples, but meets the big boss on shore, who charges him with trespassing, and has him arrested! The kind-hearted sheriff ,who doesn’t seem to have much love for the factory owner , tries to befriend Mike- and has his  daughter Liza provide food and a sympathetic ear to the young man.  Mike got a scrape on his leg from some sharp coral, so Liza brings him to the town’s sawbones, Dr. Snow, to be treated. The doc listens with interest when Mike explains why he’s in town.

 Mike notices that some of the local folk don’t seem to have that small-town charm, and are getting rude and cranky with each other, which Liza can’t understand- she know s these people, and they aren’t usually like this! It seems the barracuda  are also getting cranky- as the attacks in the surf  continue, and there’s more unexplained events- like tons of dead fish on the beach. Add to that a few other strangers prowling around the town- men in black suits  who watch what’s happening and report to… well, you’ll find out. Mike finds himself the target of the factory owner – is HE tied in with the men in black? Mike makes it his mission to determine what’s being put out into the local waters- but before long, things become just as dangerous on land as they are in the ocean!

This 1978 film - which we have edited both due to its length and for some over-the-top gore- is a product of movie trend of dangers from the deep that started with films like "Jaws" and "Piranha". We'll tell you about the cast, try to get some inside info on fish from an alleged expert who’s as cranky as the movie’s townfolk, played by our pal David Dastmalchian ( currently seen as Kurt in “Ant Man and the Wasp”);  and do a song based on one of the first hits from the great Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon , who I just had the honor of singing with onstage at the historic Arcada Theater in St. Charles, Il. We have an interview with another actor you’ll recognize- "Booger "from "Revenge of the Nerds", as well as many other roles in "Moonlighting" and "Supernatural"- Curtis Armstrong! Please note – we are not responsible for whatever he says!

"Barracuda" swims onto your screen tonight on MeTV at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central, or check your local listings (or at www.metv.com) for the channel and time in your area.  Please note that lately, for those of you setting a DVR, the listings service does NOT list our show as Svengoolie in many areas, but BY THE MOVIE NAME! Check your DVR so you don’t miss recording it! Also, you can live-Tweet along with the many folks on Twitter during the show- use the hashtag #svengoolie. Chicago area viewers will see an encore of the always-popular "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" at 11 am on WCIU, the U.

Put on your sunscreen  and  hit the surf with us on MeTV– hopefully, it won’t seem like barbeque sauce to our menace tonight!

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