Tonight- We Have Hope and Horror- in “Cat and the Canary”!

Tonight on MeTV- it's a film that treads in several genres, including the "old dark house" section of horror films- and some comedy as well, thanks to Bob Hope in the 1939 chiller- "The Cat and the Canary"!

Our film opens with a lawyer and several relatives heading into the bayou to the remote home of eccentric millionaire Cyrus Norman for the reading of his will. This is an unusual situation, since- he died ten years ago! Nonetheless, various family members are meeting to find out who will be the heir to his fortune. Among them-some high-strung folks,plus Joyce, a beautiful magazine artist, and Wally, a radio star ( Hope, of course). Norman's long-time housekeeper, the eerie Miss Lu, interprets various events that occur as signs that spirits are also flitting around the house!

The lawyer reveals that the will is in two parts- (and , secretly, realizes that someone has possibly tampered with them!) and reads the first part, indicating who the principal heir is- with the ominous warning that, should that person pass away or go insane (it seems insanity has a tendency to run in the Norman family) within the next thirty days- whoever is named in the second part of the will  (still unrevealed) will become the recipient of the riches!

Everyone there is unhappy to discover that they must stay in the house overnight- there will be no boat service out of the bayou tonight! There are more hints that spirits are in the house- then the word comes that a deranged killer is on the loose, having escaped from a local asylum- and then- someone disappears without a trace! More odd occurrences, secret messages, and hidden treasures complicate matters further-then a body appears...

This is a creepy version of a story based on a stage play that has been filmed various times, including a famous silent film version- and features a young Bob Hope just hitting his stride in films, along with the lovely and engaging Paulette Goddard- plus Gale Sondergaard and George Zucco. We'll talk about the cast, and other info- including what seems to be a big in-joke but isn't- and there will be plenty of Bob Hope-centered shtick as well- plus a new song featuring Doug on trumpet- with additional support from yours truly!

"Cat and the Canary" appears tonight at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 central, or check local listings- better yet, check the listings at www.metvnetwork.com, since we had some bad information going around outside listing sources last week- and you can always check what station and /or providers bring you MeTV in your area by clicking on"where to watch'- then entering your zip code in the appropriate place. In Chicago, our fans get a second look at "It Came from Outer Space" on our sister station, WCIU, the U, at 11 am.

A word of caution if you are thinking of coming to my appearance at the Chicago Street Theatre in Valparaiso tonight- the event IS sold out. Please check under our "appearances" tab on this  site  for the next chances to meet me. Also, though Mr. Goolie will not be there, please check out the info on tomorrow's concert by the West Suburban Symphony Orchestra that will include a new piece called the "Svengoolie Variations" based on the Sven theme! And check back soon for more info on various appearances in various forms of media...

Tune in tonight for "Cat and the Canary"- after all- you wouldn't want to abandon Hope at this point...