“Wrap Up” 2016 with Chaney Jr, Carradine, and ‘The Mummy’s Ghost”- Tonight!

Let's end the year with that old man shuffling toward midnight- no, not just Old Man 2016- the ancient living mummy Kharis,  returning to find a new year's babe- not Baby 2017, but  the latest hottie incarnation of his true love Ananka- as we "wrap up" the old year in its final hours with 1944's "The Mummy's Ghost"!

George Zucco  makes yet another  return appearance on our program- this time, as the elderly and infirm high priest who sends his latest protege  Yousef Bey (John Carradine) to the United States to  take back what the American infidels have- the Mummy Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr.) -and the body of the Princess Ananka.  He instructs him on the proper formula of  tanna leaves necessary to motivate Kharis, and keep the murderous Mummy under control.

In Massachusetts, at this same time, at a local university, a professor lectures his class about the unfortunate history of  Kharis, who terrorized the area previously.  Students Tom Hervey and his beautiful girlfriend Amina are in attendance- but, for some reason, Amina seems dazed when the subject of anything Egyptian comes up. Is it just her Egyptian heritage -or something more?

Later on, at his home, their professor has finally decoded the ancient hieroglyphic formula that reveals the sacred properties of the tanna leaves! Unfortunately, he follows the directions too well- resulting in  Kharis  being attracted by the tanna brew! This ends up being a fatal mistake for the professor-and brings on a strange sleepwalking-like episode for Amina, who just happens to encounter Kharis. This fateful meeting not only leaves her fallen and unconscious- but begins an odd physical change in her as well.

The timing is right for Yousef Bey to arrive stateside, use the tanna leaf formula to take control of the Mummy- and use him to reclaim the mummy of Ananka from a museum- resulting in more victims of the bandaged baddie-only to come to the conclusion that Ananka’s spirit has been reincarnated, transferred to a new living body- and the new female host must be located for a sacred ritual !

The town is made aware of the fact that they are again  at the mercy of the nightmarish Kharis- and authorities must find and capture him before more people die.  Yousef Bey, meanwhile, determines that the young woman Amina  (whom we saw collapse earlier after her brush with the Mummy) may be Ananka reborn- and finds that he too is attracted to the reborn princess. With both Kharis and Yousef  Bey having sinister plans for the poor woman, her boyfriend Tom must fight the supernatural powers of the Egyptian scoundrels to keep his love from her unearthly fate!

This movie falls in between “The Mummy’s Tomb”  and  “The Mummy’s Curse”  in the Universal “Mummy” series. We'll fill you in on the cast- including Chaney Jr.  and Carradine, as well as the gorgeous Ramsay Ames as Amina- and give you some  behind the scenes trivia. Our mail segment will share some photos of our past year- and, as a special New Year's Eve treat, we’ll be following the film with a much- requested "Svensurround" feature-an episode of “Commando Cody” done with the popular Sven sound effect and  re-dubbing treatment- to let you laugh your way up to the New Year!!

“The Mummy’s Ghost” helps you wind up 2016 on MeTv tonight at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 central, and , if you’re unsure of the run time in your area, please consult your local listings and/or www.metv.com . Chicago viewers  get one more look at Bob Hope in "The Cat and the Canary" on our sister station, WCIU, the U, at 11 am.

After the sadness this week of the loss of both Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, and other  tragic occurrences - please let us add a lighter touch to the few remaining hours of this year... and we wish you all a brighter and better 2017.