Tonight on MeTV- we bring back a Technicolor favorite with ground-breaking special effects for the time it was produced-as members of a scientific expedition are honored to be summoned to assist a legendary scientist- only to become victims of a process he has invented that makes them shrink! They must survive the near-sighted nastiness of the enemy they call- "Dr. Cyclops"!

The story begins as a selection of experts in various scientific fields travel to the Peruvian jungle at the request of reclusive scientific genius, Dr. Thorkel, who seems to need assistance with a hush-hush project. The group includes biologist Mary, stuffy Dr. Bullfinch, and mineralogist Bill Stockton – who is a last minute replacement for someone who bowed out of the assignment. Their destination-the remote jungle compound, far from civilization, where Thorkel has his laboratory.

The last leg of the journey requires renting mules from a suspicious fellow named Baker- who’s worried his animals may not be treated well by these city-folk, and so demands to come along with them. This proves to be a “big” mistake!

As they approach their destination, Thorkel's servant Pedro hears them approaching, and he scrambles to alert the extremely near-sighted scientist that his requested visitors are arriving. The brilliant fellow, wearing what we jokingly refer to as "Coke bottle glasses" due to his deteriorating vision, cannot even see what’s magnified in his microscope, which is why he has invited the visitors to assist him. He needs their help to identify a certain microscopic structure for him that he cannot do with his weak eye. They do- and no sooner do they reveal what they see to him than he brusquely thanks them and demands that they leave -immediately! After coming so far, Bullfinch and the group are outraged to be so rudely and quickly dismissed. They demand to remain and be filled in on Thorkel’s mysterious project, which he refuses to divulge.

By accident, they discover a clue- some odd radioactive material, which prompts the group to sneak into Thorkel’s private laboratory for further investigation. The bald bespectacled genius catches them in the act and flies into a rage! He seems to calm down after his initial fury and appears willing to explain the reason for his secrecy. He proceeds to show them a unique piece of equipment he has invented. Catching the party unaware, he traps them in a chamber with this device, which transforms them-along with his own assistant- to incredibly small size!

The tiny folk must find a way to escape- and must battle not only the fiendish Thorkel- but also 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! Can they avoid the heartless Thorkel's clutches- and find a way back to normal size-and to home?

This 1940 film, shot in the early version of Technicolor, is helmed by the director of “King Kong” Ernest Schoedstack, and presents some unique effects depicting the world the tiny humans now face. Though, by now, we've seen the same type of over-sized props many times ( think “Land of the Giants” and “Incredible Shrinking Man”), this film introduced some groundbreaking firsts for that type of thing. We'll run down the cast and bring you some Sven shtick, including a new optical shop, our own “small times”, and various interviews- including our lovely friend Felissa Rose of “Sleepaway Camp”, voice acting genius Rob Paulsen, and a couple memorial visits- with “Revenge of the Nerds” Don Gibb, who recently passed away, and, since we had the anniversary of his death recently- one of our memorable visits with the great Gilbert Gottfried- plus some added fun features!

"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 on Twitter/X and/or posting live during the show on Bluesky (please use the hashtag #svengoolie in your posts)! In the Chicago viewing area, viewers should be aware that the Sven Squad will deliver an encore showing of “Rosemary’s Baby” at 11 am on WCIU the U.

Is it too early to check out our store (yes, I have one- I keep telling you!) for possible Father’s Day gifts? Not at all! It’s a great time to find the perfect gifts for those Sven-fan dads- and also to find graduation gifts for Sven-fan grads! Ordering early will guarantee that you will get those items in time for the events- so, click on the “store” tab here on our website now!

Though we are far from St. Patrick’s Day, tune in tonight to see “the little people”- experiencing BIG terror! And- enjoy your Memorial Day weekend- please take time to remember the men and woman who gave their lives for their country.