Will He Pour Cold Water on Your Valentine Plans? It's the "Revenge of the Creature" Tonight!

Rose are red, and Valentine’s soon-that’s no Cupid, stupid, from the Black Lagoon!

Tonight on MeTV, the famed Gill Man makes his return, taking up residence far from his Amazon home-when he is brought to Florida, not to visit a theme park- but to become its main attraction! Such an unwanted move is the catalyst for the "Revenge of the Creature"!

This is the sequel to the original "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and the second part of the Gill Man trilogy. We are reintroduced to the unsophisticated but lovable Captain Lucas, the skipper of the Rita from the first film. With his previous experience, it’s no wonder that he would be hired again to be the guide into that dangerous part of the Amazon where the Creature dwelled. But, is that really in the past? Though the Gill Man was  assumed dead at the end of the first film, rumors have surfaced to that he is alive and well in his lagoon lair!

These stories have encouraged a new expedition-encouraged by good-hearted scientist Clete and his macho pal Joe- who are hoping to once again locate the monster and this time, capture it for study. Capt. Lucas knows how things went the last time, but he warily leads them to the lagoon, warning the anxious researchers that actually finding the Creature may not be reason to celebrate. Regardless, the plan is to secure the Gill Man for study at- a Florida theme park! ( Certainly what most of us think of as a plausible site for research – not to mention charging tourists to watch the “research”- and don’t forget to exit through the gift shop!)

 The first encounter with this living creature that has escaped evolution plays out just as Lucas warned, with injuries and peril- but that doesn’t deter these guys. They opt to utilize a dangerous tactic often employed by poachers - "fishing with dynamite"- in a final attempt to subdue the Gill Man. The idea is that perhaps they can use the explosive impact to stun him enough for capture - but that method also risks doing fatal damage to the Creature. Undeterred, they hope the plan will work as they hope, so they can bring him back alive to Florida.

Fortunately (for them), the explosive scheme does indeed work! The unconscious Creature is shipped to the Ocean Harbor theme park- ahem, what I mean is- research center. The comatose specimen must be kept breathing through movement in the water, forcing it through his gills- and the researchers work tirelessly to insure his survival and bring him back to consciousness. Finally, he begins to stir-and, as soon as conscious again, begins to rage and attack his “captors”! The Gill Man is finally subdued after a fierce battle, and the decision is made to move him to a more secure underwater enclosure. Realizing that they must prevent him from attacking the public and the research team, or escaping his enclosure, they clamp his webbed, clawed foot into a metal shackle affixed to the tank floor. Professor Clete enlists the aid of one of the observers-an attractive ichthyology student who just happens to be a hot blonde ( who most likely already has a degree in looking fetching in a while bathing suit). Together, they will attempt to measure the intellect and adaptability of the Gill Man, and teach him to follow simple commands, with the help of a large underwater electric prod (and again I’ll ask- isn’t water a CONDUCTOR of electricity? Wouldn’t the people in the water also feel the shock? Never mind, I’ll suspend my disbelief for the hundredth time…) The scientists make real progress in charting the Gill Man’s intelligence and physical make-up- while the Creature, true to form, is again smitten with this new woman in his life – maybe it IS just the allure of a white bathing suit, like in the first movie. The Gill Man’s frustrations with imprisonment- and reactions to certain outside stimulus- are enough to spur him to use his intellect and power to escape confinement, leave the park- and beginning a reign of terror across the state of Florida! Clete and the authorities (weren’t they a band?) are the only hope to recapture the powerful amphibian/human hybrid- before he claims more victims- including his latest female crush !

This 1955 movie is a worthy sequel to the first film in the Gill Man saga, kind of taking a “King Kong” approach- bringing the monster back to civilization- in a slightly different environment. We’ll run down the cast including John Agar, John "Mr. Sportsman" Bromfield, and lovely Lori Nelson, as well as a young Clint Eastwood in a brief cameo role as a somewhat absent-minded lab assistant. We'll give you some insight into who plays the Creature -and when   and where you might see one of those guys OUTSIDE the suit in the movie- along with the usual Gill Man gags. This is another show that blends some of our old footage with new, so you will see our original coffin and set along the way. By the way, YES- this IS the infamous movie I presented in 3-D back in the 80s in the Chicago market ( it was syndicated to various markets across the country- I happened to host it in our area). This version is in the digital splendor of 2-D, though I would encourage you, if you ever have the opportunity, to see the 3-D version. I got to see the original film in 3-D when it was presented as a special screening at a local theatre as a part of the Flashback Weekend convention, and it was impressive!

"Revenge of the Creature" surfaces tonight on MeTV at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central, or check listings in your area (or at www.metv.com ) for the time and channel to tune in to watch. Twitter fans keep live-tweeting during the show, using the hashtag #svengoolie – and making us trend in the most-popular topics nationally- so feel free to join in! In the Chicago viewing area, another type of creature can be viewed in the encore of “It! The Terror From Beyond Space” at 11am on our main local station CW26.

We are almost done with the second week of #LoveSven. Twitter has been reacting very well and we’ve gotten quite a few fan creation submissions. This Sunday we will move on to our next theme: What’s your favorite Svengoolie movie and why? Tell us your favorite flick you've seen on the show and why, tag it with #LoveSven, and you might see it on our social media! And-Valentine’s Day, of course, is almost here! If you want to show some love, you can use the code LOVESVEN in our store for 14% off select items through the rest of February! Shop here: https://store.metv.com/collections/svengoolie

Tonight- if you love ‘50s monster movies-submerge yourself in aquatic terror as the Gill Man makes his comeback!