Tonight on MeTV- when many people are preparing for a holiday road trip- we bring you one that is definitely not over the river and through the woods, but set on a dangerous desert highway, where a traveling salesman finds himself tailed by a tanker truck. This mysterious semi seemingly targets his vehicle and aims to end his road trip permanently-as this bumper-bashing behemoth takes on Dennis Weaver in a pedal-to-the-metal one-sided demolition derby- in a deadly “Duel”!

We meet David (Weaver) who has had better weeks- he's already on the outs with his wife after an incident at a party-and now is late for an important business meeting. Driving to it by himself on a wide-open two-lane desert highway may be just what he needs to settle his mind - but he soon finds himself stuck behind a slow-moving tanker truck. Not only does its slowpoke driving delay his progress, but its noxious exhaust makes him cough He tries to pass the truck, but its driver appears to be toying with him- blocking his attempts to get past it.

He finally manages to squeeze around the tanker- only to have it barrel down the road and get in front of him again! David makes a pit stop at a gas station- where a familiar-looking truck is parked opposite his car at the pumps. He makes a quick call to his wife, which unfortunately only makes their personal relationship worse- and then gets pretty steamed when the goofy service attendant tries to get him to replace a radiator hose. As he pulls away from the station, the mysterious trucker blasts his horn to get the attendant's attention.

David continues piloting his Plymouth Valiant head down the highway, only to find that same truck accelerating towards him. It overtakes him, passes him- and again slows down, blocking any attempt to pass! Some cat and mouse motoring ensues, and David realizes that he's definitely being targeted by the blacktop bully. His drive deteriorates into a high-speed chase, with the tailgating truck playing "bumper cars" with the panicking salesman. Spotting a roadside diner, David swerves off the road, giving him some bumps and bruises and his car some new dents. Shaken up, his nerves shot, he stumbles into the diner to try and calm down-but it’s no help, because once inside and seated- he looks out the window and sees the truck parked right outside! Paranoia strikes as David scans the diner's patrons, feverishly trying to guess which one of them might be his nemesis, leading to an uncomfortable situation. David returns to his battered vehicle and hits the road again- and we see the tanker truck waiting for him- and the chase is on again! Can David escape from the monstrous eight-wheeler out to deal him mechanized death?

We have gotten requests to bring back this movie, Steven Spielberg’s legendary 1971 early full-length directing effort. It was originally made for TV, but we have the expanded version used for theatrical showing. Dennis Weaver's raw emotions as the driver faced with the inexplicable threat of treacherous road rage will have YOUR adrenaline pumping as well. We will tell you a little about the production and its somewhat limited cast, show you a classic Sven take-off on an animated cartoon driver, bring back a favorite parody of a commercial that aired for an insurance company before it hooked up with an emu, visit with some famous movie cars and more!

"Duel" hits the road tonight at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central on MeTV- if you're unsure of time and channel in your area, check your local listings, or at www.metv.com. MeTV invites you to join the crowd that is live-Tweeting on Twitter/X and posting live comments on Bluesky during the show- just use the hashtag #svengoolie on either service. Our Chicago area viewers can get wrapped up in the encore showing of “The Mummy’s Tomb” at 11 am on our main local channel, CW26.

A new Sven item is now in the MeTV Mall – the Svengoolie 2025 Trading card series! With over a hundred different designs in the series- it’s the perfect gift for any Sven fan! Get all the details in our store!

Meanwhile, buckle up as we hit the gas on horrible highway havoc tonight on MeTV!