Lon Chaney Jr Leads the Electrical Charge When He Becomes the "Indestructible Man"- Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- it’s high-voltage horror, featuring Lon Chaney Jr. in a role with some similarities to one of his early fright films- as the power of electricity accidentally revives a dead criminal, giving him both new life and incredible strength, and sets him on a path of vengeance when he becomes “The Indestructible Man”!

Lon Jr. stars as Butcher Benton, headed to the gas chamber for his crimes of robbery and murder- actually railroaded to take the full blame by his sleazy attorney Paul Lowe, who plans to split the hidden stolen loot with Butcher’s two cronies, Squeamy and Joe, who are more than happy to let him take the wrap ( while they help take the cash)! Butcher knows he’s been double-crossed- and swears he will kill the three- which may be difficult, seeing as how he’s being executed.

But- will it be that difficult? Fate steps in, when, after the execution, Butcher’s dead body is obtained by a less-than-ethical scientist, to be used in experimentation concerning, of all things, a cancer cure. The experiment involves chemical injections and zapping the corpse with huge doses of electricity, to see how human tissue responds to that kind of treatment. (Does it matter that Butcher most likely did not have cancer? But I digress…)

Amazingly- the experiment actually revives the brutish Butcher- having rendered his vocal cords mute by the high voltage- but gifting him with astounding strength and making him impervious to harm from anything – from an injection needle to bullets! The indestructible murderer is soon on his way to find his former associates and carry out his threat to end their lives and grab the stolen cash for himself.

However, he isn’t the only one looking for the loot- police detective Lt. Dick Chasen , in spite of the case being declared closed upon Butcher’s execution, is working on his own time to try to find where the money might be. His search brings him to the theater where Eva, a burlesque dancer friend of the “late” criminal, works in hopes of getting some clues- and perhaps a few dinner dates with the attractive Eva! Neither suspects that Butcher had left a note with the location of the ill-gotten cash in Eva’s dressing room in an envelope. When crooked lawyer Lowe visits Eva there, and gets to the envelope before she opens it, he thinks he’s on his way to wealth- not suspecting that Butcher is back from the dead, and will soon realize what Lowe has done- and lets no obstacle -even human life- get in the way of his revenge!

This 1956 film, as I mentioned, has some similarities to Lon’s 1941 feature “Man-Made Monster”- one of his early horror roles, as opposed to this film, made as his career was waning. You’ll see a few familiar faces in this movie, as well as a unique Los Angeles landmark- and you might catch the influence of the popularity of Jack Webb’s “Dragnet” at that time, with the lead police officer in this film doing the same type of narration of the action as Sgt. Friday did on the TV show. We’ll introduce you to cast members, present an unusual version of our drawing game ( unusual due to who tries to solve it),bring you a song, and show you part of a panel from last summer’s “Flashback Weekend” horror convention about a new movie combining pro wrestling with zombies-with a couple name guest stars- and-converse with two beloved stars of one of our “Super Sci Fi Saturday Night” shows- “Lost in Space”- Angela Cartwright and Bill Mumy- to get the low-down on their new expanded memoir about the show.

“Indestructible Man” will give you a jolt tonight on MeTV at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central time. Twitter will be alive with viewers live-Tweeting during the show- feel free to join in, using the hashtag #svengoolie in your Tweets. Our local home area viewers get one more chance to cry “Munster Go Home” at 11 am on our main Chicago station, CW26.

The new Svengoolie bobble head sold faster than any previous Sven merchandise item in its launch weekend last week! The supply is limited, so- you know what to do- and don’t forget the Sventa Claus Holiday Shoppe – the place to order your gifts NOW to avoid disappointment.

Join us tonight on MeTV- when those who double-cross an executed criminal will regret saying “CHARGE it”!