It’s time for some March mummy madness tonight on MeTV-as we unwrap the first sequel to the original Karloff "Mummy"- in which a couple down-on-their luck archeologists stumble upon a clue to the whereabouts of the tomb of ancient Egyptian Princess of Ananka- not realizing that it is protected by an evil high priest and the living mummy who loved the Princess in her lifetime! Danger and death will be dealt to all infidels by “The Mummy’s Hand”!

The story starts on the Hill of the Seven Jackals- where Andoheb, an Egyptian loyal to the ancient sect, meets with the dying high priest of Karnak. The old one relates the story of Kharis (no longer called Imhotep, as in the first film) and reveals why the poor fellow was entombed alive. Andoheb is told how to use the tana leaves to revive the Mummy of Kharis to ward off any intruders to Ananka’s tomb.

Meanwhile, in an Egyptian bazaar, two failed archeologists, Steve Banning and goofy sidekick Babe Jensen, are about to give up on finding their fortune, pull up stakes and find a way back to the States when Steve finds a vase for sale –that appears to have hieroglyphics that could reveal the site of the Princess Ananka’s tomb! Encouraged by this, the boys go to the Cairo Museum and enlist the help of one Dr. Petrie- much to the dismay of his co-worker, who just so happens to be- Andoheb! Steve just needs to find funding for his expedition- and when he and Babe stop at a local bar, they bump into a stage magician named Solvani, whom they convince to bankroll their quest.

At the same time, Andoheb visits the magician’s assistant- his daughter Marta- and plants the seeds of doubt with her, claiming the boys are shysters and frauds! There’s a confrontation, but Steve finally wins her over, and the group sets out to find the tomb.

And find a tomb they do- but- it isn’t Ananka’s. It’s the one containing her guardian Kharis, complete with a supply of tana leaves! When Dr. Petrie is alone in the tomb, Andoheb appears- gives the Mummy the tana leaf solution- and Kharis returns to life and gets rid of Petrie!

Soon, Kharis continues to attack all intruders, invading their camp, in efforts to protect the location of Ananka’s resting place. Andoheb decides that young Marta should be his- and soon she and her friends are set to be victims of the living Mummy!

This 1940 follow-up to Karloff's "Mummy" features Tom Tyler as Kharis. You will see some footage of the original movie, augmented by new shots inserted to substitute Tyler for Karloff-and this film sets up the next few sequels in the Mummy franchise. A few viewers have asked if we just showed this recently, and the answer is no- we ran its sequel, “The Mummy’s Tomb” which did include footage from this film.

We'll keep this show at its original two-hour format, since the movie is rather short, and run down the cast, including Dick Foran, Wallace Ford, George Zucco, and Cecil Kellaway; point out some interesting trivia, bring you a new song and a new doll everyone will be clamoring for- as well as giving you a HAND and getting a quick look at one of the WWE’s newest stars from a previous “visithausen” we had with him!

"The Mummy's Hand" runs tonight on Me-TV- at 8 pm eastern/pacific,7 central, or check local listings and/or visit www.metv.com for time and channel where you are. MeTV invites you to join the many fans who live -Tweet during the show on Twitter- and live-comment on Bluesky, using the hashtag #svengoolie. Chicago area fans can see how our camp counselors the Sven Squad observed “Friday the 13th” at 11 am on WCIU the U!

We finally can announce that the Sven Squad and myself WILL be appearing at the C2E2 comics and entertainment convention at Chicago’s McCormick Place next weekend March 27 and 28! I will be there on Friday, and Saturday, the Squad will be joining me. This will be our first in character appearance together, which many of our fans have been hoping for. You’ll find all the details under the “appearances” tab here on our website.

Tonight- join us for tana leaf terror as the Mummy lends us a hand!