Tonight on MeTV, we take a trip back in time for a Boris Karloff film with an interesting history- once thought lost! It’s the strange tale of a dying man determined to use the power of a mysterious jewel to petition an Egyptian god to admit him to paradise. However, others around him have different plans for the jewel- which may cause the return from the grave of –“The Ghoul”!
This 1933 chiller, shot in England, begins with a tension-filled meeting between an Arab antique dealer and a visitor out to track down a certain stolen ancient treasure. This then bring us to the bedside of Henry Morlant, an Egyptologist who is close to death. He has obtained a legendary and valuable jewel known as the “Eternal Light”- which, according to legend, will grant his passage into the glorious hereafter if it is offered to the ancient Egyptian god Anubis. He directs his butler and confidant Laing to bandage the jewel into his hand before he passes- and warns that, should anyone remove it from his grasp, he will return from the dead when the moon is full -and punish anyone who has betrayed him!
Needless to say, someone does- before he is interred in a special Egyptian-style tomb he has had built on his estate- which is then securely locked- with the key INSIDE so no one can enter the tomb! There have been any number of associates around his mansion-besides his “faithful” butler, there is a sneaky lawyer, a doctor, and a parson who stops by in case Morlant wishes to receive last rites- which he most emphatically did not!
Two possible heirs to Morlant’s estate are located- a pair of cousins, Ralph ( pronounced “Rafe”) and Betty- who have been enemies for years! An odd circumstance brings them together and they grudgingly unite to determine if they have a claim to anything- and to make sure they are not being swindled by the lawyer Broughton- who has noticed in Morlant’s financial records that he made an expensive purchase ( the jewel) and feels he must find whatever it is to gain undeserved wealth!
The cousins, along with Betty’s comic relief roommate Kaney, arrive at the mansion, as other characters mentioned also congregate there-but then the full moon rises, and – will Morlant make good on his threat?
We warn you now- do NOT reveal that one character in this film is not what he seems- no spoilers, please! Tonight, we’ll tell you how Karloff came to star in this production, tell you about the background story of the print of this film we are showing, talk about the cast (which includes some familiar actors)- plus, get a long-awaited ( by some) visit from Tombstone the talking skull and bring you a new song as well.
“The Ghoul” rises tonight at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central time. Twitter will no doubt again be buzzing with live-Tweets during our show- you can join in, using the hashtag #svengoolie in your posts. In the Chicago viewing area, CW 26 will give an encore performance of “Son of Dracula” this morning at 11 am.
Time to say “thank you”- our fans have made the Sven green “Kiss Me” wear a big hit, and we are very grateful! (New merchandise items are being planned, so keep checking in our store, and for announcements in the monthly newsletter and the blog.) We also want to again thank those who sent cards and birthday wishes to Rich Koz this past week- your thoughtfulness means a lot.
Be with us tonight when Karloff returns- in more ways than one!
3862 Comments
The latest restoration benefited from being fully intact with the missing scenes and shots restored. The sound quality was notably better and one could follow the plot (the Czech version was missing the murder of the Arab character by Karloff). Despite being made in 1931, the cinematographer and director were both quite capable.
I thought that some of the musical score was adapted from Wagner.
"Eddie and the Cruisers coast to coast and we're not just talkin' Jersey!"
Love Yinz !
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You ALL know what the horsey said when they cut his tail , , , ,
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No.
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Gotta get some sleep to be here for toons in the morning! Good luck to all at the races....
https://www.robertfeder.com/2022/03/25/metv-expands-svengoolie-franchise-fishy-friend-sventoonie/
Boy, we could’ve used this a week ago! Somewhere, in the palatial Weigel Tower, someone is saying “And we could’ve gotten away with the secret _Sventoonie_ release if it wasn’t for those nosy kids!”
P.S.: Catbat, because of the graphic nature of Feder’s piece, you may want to read it to Dale.
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And we must ALL give You a hand !
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