You'll Shrink from the Sight of "Dr. Cyclops"- Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- we bring back a favorite ground-breaking classic, which truly established a certain type of special effects -as members of a scientific expedition  try to assist a famed scientist- only to have him lash out at them by using an astonishing process that makes them shrink- leaving them at the mercy of the near-sighted nastiness of the man they call "Dr. Cyclops"!

We join a group of learned travelers, who set off on a journey to the Peruvian jungle. They have been requested to assist a reclusive scientific genius, Dr. Thorkel with a project he is working on. The expedition is made up of pretty biologist Mary, one Dr. Bullfinch, a rather stuffy academic who possesses great knowledge, and a last minute replacement for someone who bowed out of the assignment, mineralogist Bill Stockton. They travel to the remote compound of Thorkel, far from civilization, starting the last leg of the journey lead by the suspicious Baker who’s worried his mules may not be treated well by the city-folk renting them- so, he’s coming along.

Their arrival at the compound, found deep in the jungle, is preceded by Thorkel's servant Pedro, notifying the extremely near-sighted scientist that his requested visitors have arrived. We learn that the brilliant bald fellow has poor eyesight, and is wearing what we used to refer to as "Coke bottle glasses". Due to his deteriorating vision, Thorkel cannot even see clearly what’s in his microscope, which is why he has invited the visitors -to help identify a certain microscopic structure for him. They do- and, rather brusquely, he thanks them and tells them they should leave immediately!

Bullfinch and the group are insulted  and outraged to be so forcefully dismissed- they have come so far, barely been in the compound, and are almost immediately sent away?! They demand to remain a while longer, wondering just what Thorkel’s mysterious project, which he refuses to divulge, might be. Quite by accident, they discover some radioactive material, leading the group to sneak into Thorkel’s private laboratory for further investigation. They are caught in the act by the bespectacled genius, who flies into a rage! He seems to calm down after his initial fury, and willingly begins to explain a unique piece of equipment he has invented. Catching the party unaware, he traps them in a chamber with his device, which transform our friends- and even his own assistant- to incredibly small size!

The tiny folk must now endeavor to escape from and battle the fiendish Thorkel- and also, just as "the Incredible Shrinking Man" did, face the dangers of the normal-sized world that now tower over them. Things that pose no threat to a typical full sized human now become deadly menaces! They must avoid the heartless Thorkel's clutches- while trying to find a way back to normal size!

This 1940 film, shot in early Technicolor, comes to us from “King Kong” director  Ernest Schoedstack. Though , by now, we've seen the same type of shrinking effects  and over-sized props many times, this film was pretty much a ground-breaking first for many of them. We'll introduce you to the cast, and bring you some Sven shtick, along with new interviews with some of our friends associated with various movies- including the lovely Felissa Rose of “Sleepaway Camp” fame, and one of the originators of the original “Night of the Living Dead”!

 "Dr. Cyclops" airs on MeTV at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central time- and , if you're not sure when it airs or on what channel where you are, please check your local listings , or at www.metv.com . MeTV encourages you to join in with the fans live-Tweeting using the hashtag #svengoolie during the show. Our show continues to appear in the top trending topics on Twitter  nationally!  In the Chicago area, viewers can get one more look at the astonishing “4-D Man”  at 11 am on WCIU, the U.

Today, we’ll be appearing for a second day  at the C2E2 comics and entertainment convention at Chicago’s McCormick Place – signing from noon to 1:30 pm  at table 42  with t shirts and posters available ONLY during our signing. Due to the usual high number of fans, we can only sign one item per person. Again- we always have to cut the line to end on time, so PLEASE get in line early! Throughout the afternoon, we’ll be on the main floor, shooting segments for our show- and , at 4:30 pm, I’ll be appearing on the Live! main floor stage- for “Svengoolie 40^th Anniversary Fun  Live!” There’s the chance that a few fans will be able to get involved. If you can’t make it, don’t worry-more appearances are coming up very soon- we’ll post the info under the “appearances” tab on this site.

To clarify for those who’ve been asking- you’ll find the Rondo awards ballot and all the voting information (make sure you follow all the rules, if you want your vote to count!) at www.rondoaward.com  . I’m again nominated in category 21-“favorite horror host”, with various honored hosts also in contention. Vote for whoever is truly your favorite, before the deadline of midnight  April 20^th. Vote in as many or as few categories as you like, but please VOTE – make the fans voices be heard!

Get set for a little terror ( and we do mean little!) from a BIG menace tonight on MeTV- eyewear optional!