Wind Up 2019 with 20,000- "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms", That Is- Tonight!

Our final show of 2019 starts out in the winter-like wonderland of the frozen north- where a not-so-wonderful atomic blast releases a different kind of visitor from the North Pole than we had a few days ago- a prehistoric creature! Ray Harryhausen’s stop- motion artistry brings mankind face to face with the “Beast from 20,000 Fathoms”!

This 1953 film begins with an experimental crew up near the Arctic Circle, ready to check on the results of a nuclear bomb test. Near ground zero after the blast, two of the men see what looks like a dinosaur lumbering through the snow! The movement of this mysterious beast causes an avalanche- from which there is only one survivor!

Hospitalized and returned to civilization, that single survivor, Prof. Tom Nesbitt, finds that no one will believe that what he saw was not a hallucination- and that a real creature exists. Before long, some unexplained attacks seem to provide proof that what he saw does exist- and he finds some support from a young female assistant to an expert in prehistoric history. They are determined to show the world that something is out there-and, after corroborating the story with a survivor of a mystery attack by the same beast, Tom finally gets the military and even expert Prof. Elson to join him in the search for what they believe is a rhedosaurus- a beast long thought to be extinct!

Their search for the creature not only brings a definite sighting, but more tragedy attributed to it. Things get even more frightening when the prehistoric monster attacks a major city – with even more deadly unexpected effects beyond the destruction!

This film features the amazing stop-motion work that Harryhausen is famous for, and utilized some new techniques he created to have the monster inserted into live footage.  One of the most memorable scenes involves a policeman confronting the creature! We’ll tell you about the actors, as well as about the production, thanks to information from Roy P. Webber, author of “The Dinosaur Films of Ray Harryhausen”. And, as usual, there’s a song and Sven shtick a plenty to wind up 2019!

“Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” arises tonight on MeTV at 8pm eastern/pacific, 7 pm central- if you don’t know the time and channel in your area, please check your local listings or at www.metv.com . MeTV invites you to join the many viewers who live- Tweet during the show on Twitter, using the hashtag #svengoolie - make SURE you add that hashtag to your posts! That’s what has us trending among the top subjects being tweeted about during the show. Chicago area viewers get an encore of the Lon Chaney Jr. classic “Wolf Man”- at 11 am this morning on the U.

Tune in to MeTV tonight for incredible Harryhausen effects that will astound you- and best wishes for a happy, healthy and successful  2020!