You're Knotts Going To Want To Miss "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken"- Tonight!

Yes, it’s back again tonight on MeTV- the horror/comedy that comes in, neck and neck, with “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” as perhaps the most requested movie our viewers demand to see. The man known for playing one of Mayberry’s best-known public servants plays a similar type of nervous hero. He must endure a night in an allegedly haunted house where a notorious murder took place and now is labelled as haunted! Solving the mystery of the horrific event that took place there requires him to stay there overnight– which could either land him his dream job as a newspaper reporter – and win him the lovely woman of his dreams- or land him in the middle of a real nightmare- only to leave our hero caught between ghost troubles and legal woes. Don Knotts shivers his way through the 1966 classic- "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken"!

On a dark and stormy night (don’t most of these stories start out that way?) small-town newspaper type-setter Luther Heggs is out on a late-night drive- when he hears screams at what appears to be- a murder scene! Thinking this is the scoop that will bring him out of the type-setting basement and up to the newsroom, he rushes to the authorities to report the murder-only to find out things are hardly what they appear to be! Luther’s mistake leaves him embarrassed in front of his boss, his paper’s star reporter, and some of the local townsfolk, ready to heap a hefty helping of ridicule on the poor soul.

Luther envies that star reporter, Ollie, not only for his job - but also for his apparent position of boyfriend to gorgeous Alma, a sweet young woman who has captured the typesetter’s heart. He realizes that beating out Ollie for her affections is pretty much a thankless task- until the day when the paper needs a filler item to round out a page, and the fairly inconsequential job of providing it falls to- who else?- Luther! A friendly co-worker encourages him to write about the town's most infamous murder/suicide- a story sure to grab the readers’ interest, since it took place in a local mansion where it is rumored the ghost of the killer still makes midnight appearances playing the pipe organ- and, with the 20th anniversary of the murder coming up, when his boss reads the filler piece, he thinks the story could turn into a great promotional stunt for the paper!

The stunt would have someone spend the night in the allegedly haunted mansion, then write an eyewitness account of the chilling experience- and, naturally, that task should fall to the author of the filler-Luther himself! As you might guess, the meek and chicken-hearted would-be reporter/type-setter has no interest in this creepy challenge- until Ollie begins razzing him again. Finally, no longer able to take such derision- Luther accepts the assignment! In spite of his fears, he feels it’s the sure way to finally get his big break as a reporter- and very likely make some romantic progress with Alma.

The night of the sinister sleepover arrives, and Luther timidly enters the mansion- and, at the stroke of midnight, his terrifying experience begins, complete with secret passages and unexplained phenomena- as he witnesses the actual ghostly late-night playing of the blood-stained keys of the organ (stains that seem to be impossible to remove- “and they used Bon Ami!”)

Having survived that fateful night, Luther presents his thrilling first-person account of his adventure- and becomes a sensation! Hailed as a hero by the entire town, and especially Alma, his future as a reporter seems guaranteed…until a nasty bump in the road appears. The last remaining family member of the murder victims, who still owns the mansion and has considerable influence on the town, calls the story a fraud and totally vicious lie- and makes it clear to all that he will sue the newspaper, and Luther as well, for libel! He makes an unconditional offer-Luther and his boss must print a retraction. This will unfortunately result in the paper being forced out of business, with Luther losing his budding journalism career, and, worst of all, killing his chances with Alma. Do they give in and give up- or can Luther muster the courage to stand his ground, and stick to his story, confident in the fact that he told the truth about what he witnessed?

It all leads to an embarrassing day in court and the risk of one final midnight visit to the haunted house, which can either prove his story, clear his name, and possibly reveal the truth about the legendary murder- or have him permanently labelled as a cowardly liar!

Don Knotts perfectly transfers the characteristics of his Mayberry character Barney Fife to the role of Luther- actually, the trademark type of character he played so well in various shows and films. Along with Joan Staley as the winsome Alma, there is a roster of familiar faces from TV shows and commercials- even one or two of Barney’s fellow Mayberry citizens! We'll talk about them, provide a little background on the movie, including where the idea for the film came from, and explain one of the most-quoted lines of the film- which isn’t delivered by any on-screen cast member, but someone important to the movie, regardless. Of course, we’ll be haunting you with plenty of Sven shtick through the whole proceedings-and, since it’s prom season, a vintage tutorial on prom etiquette.

“The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” appears on MeTV tonight at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central- if you’re not sure of time and channel where you live, just check your local listings, or go to www.metv.com ! MeTV invites you to live-Tweet along with the many viewers who do just that during the show on Twitter- just make sure to use the hashtag #svengoolie – and join the Sven-tweeters who have put us among the top popular subjects trending nationally every week! This morning on our main local Chicago station, CW 26, viewers can get another look at the 70s scare fest “Blacula” at 11 am.

Every time we bring this movie back- there is a certain faction whose first response is “again?!” They also will swear that we run this movie three times a year. I hate to have reality spoil their fun, but- we run it, at the most, ONCE a year- for the reasons we have stated- it’s a favorite film that viewers constantly ask for and enjoy. Since this film means so much to so many viewers, we have no problem with making it an annual thing.

We have also gotten some comments on the fact that we have suspended the monthly giveaway of a retired rubber chicken used on the show. The reality of the situation is- the whole idea was to give away a chicken that was worn out from long use, and being “retired”. Maybe they are making chickens more durable these days, but, whatever the reason- we have run out of the deteriorating chickens-so, none are left to give away.

Regardless, we are not giving anything away by letting you know that Don Knotts hits it out of the park- and into the horrors of the haunted house- tonight on MeTV!