Tonight on MeTV- at a time when people are thinking of wrapping things- we have a title character who does his best work when he is…uh…unwrapped! You've heard of untold stories of World War II- tonight, we have an unseen story- with its major player unseen- as we meet yet another member of the Griffin family who opts for transparency- this time, in the defense of his country-as the “Invisible Agent”!
A quiet young man runs a small print shop-where a group that enters his establishment hardly wants to order party invitations (actually-they're part of the wrong party- they're enemies of the USA!) These foreign agents have discovered a secret about printer Frank Raymond- that his actual last name is Griffin- and that his grandfather was none other than the original “Invisible Man”! They've deduced that Grandpa's invisibility formula still exists- and that Frank is in possession of this powerful weapon.
Frank has no plans to give the formula to anyone- friend or foe- and manages to elude the enemy emissaries. Then, a tragic event changes his mind-the attack on Pearl Harbor. That is all it takes to persuade him to donate the formula to the war effort- BUT-with one condition- that he, Frank, be the only one to take the formula, and use his invisibility to help win the war for America!
The government and their allies agree to his terms and soon, Frank is using the formula, becoming invisible even as he parachutes behind enemy lines! He searches for his local contacts who are secretly supporting America- and finds that one of them is a sultry female who seems to be in cahoots with the enemy! Unsure if he can trust her, Frank continues on his mission- which is to locate a list of foreign agents already embedded in America, and uncover the date of a planned sneak attack on the homeland! One member of the enemy intelligence puts together the facts that an invisible force may be at work- and, having knowledge of the history of the formula, deduces who this unseen agent really is. Can the heartless enemy find a way to catch the invisible agent- and then gain the power of invisibility to bring a mighty nation to its knees?
When this film hit the screens in 1942, it was meant as both a sci fi thriller and a morale booster for the American audience struggling with living through war times. We get Jon Hall (who we've seen take on invisibility in another film we've shown) as the invisible agent, bumping heads with the devious Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Peter Lorre (in the- ahem- role of a Japanese baron) and forming an uneasy alliance with supposed double agent Ilona Massey. We'll be running down the cast list to acknowledge several of the players. but please note -this being a wartime era film, there will be some VERY politically-incorrect references regarding the enemies, and, yes, swastikas make appearances. We’ll lighten the mood with some semi-bright ideas for some “invisible” programming, as well as a commercial idea and a Sven song.
"Invisible Agent" can be seen -or not- on MeTV tonight at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central- if unsure where to find us, check your local listings or www.metv.com. You can get some visibility on Twitter during the show, with the many viewers who live Tweet- just make sure to add the hashtag #svengoolie. Our Chicago viewers will get one more look at Lugosi in "Creature with the Atom Brain" at 11 am on our sister station,CW26.
By now, you may have heard the big news-starting with our first show in January, the Svengoolie program expands to two and a half hours! This means we can restore footage to movies we previously had to edit down for time- and that there can be more Sven material in each show. We will tinker with the format to see what kind of content breakdown works best, as we go along.
We had a great turnout for the Christmas Mystic Market in Tinley Park last weekend, benefitting the Sacred Space Animal Sanctuary and Hospital. And, yes, this past week on ABC’s “The View”, Whoopi Goldberg was wearing a Svengoolie Christmas sweater!
Speaking of the holidays, hope you stopped in at our store for all your gift needs for Sven fans and don’t forget the exquisite Sven pins available from Toynk!
Meanwhile, tonight, the gloves are off (as well as the shirt, pants, etc.)- when you join our invisible squadron for vintage patriotic heroics!
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(First hiding the jewelry, artwork, and cash).
A classic old hearse pulled by eight rubber chickens
With a top-hatted driver -- I knew there and then
It was Saturday night, so it had to be Sven!
Luckily, the porch keeps the front door from being enhanced by Jack Frost.
And the night keeps the leaves on the porch from showing up as noticeably.
WE HAVE THE MEAT!!
Hope everyone is safe and warm.
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/swamp-monster-confluence-1971
When we moved to town this was still out in the country. Now it’s suburbia, with subdivision after subdivision lining the road. Still, sighting the deer was more of a thrill than coyotes and armadillos on the main drag.
Luckily the roads were actually clear and dry. Did have trouble getting the car door to open. Even with 2 pairs of socks (one heavy) and insulated boots, my feet were cold. Even the fur lined fishnets didn’t help that much.
-1 here now with -24 wind chill ~ be safe and cozy *_*
❄️ ^_* ❄️
*_*
You really are quite rare
You're as cuddly as a monster
And as charming as a beast
Mr. Boris, thanks for all the scare.🎵
A Christmas note from 50 years ago: The review from the SF Chronicle says it all: It's rare day when you find someone who can make kettledrums sing. And she was a woman, and happened to be African-American. Considering the Musician's Union begrudgingly changed its rules to conform with the Civil Rights Act only 8 years before she was hired by the SF Symphony in 1972, she was truly a trailblazer. It was no easy career: She ended up suing the Symphony to gain tenure, in spite of her incredible stature as a premiere musician. Active until the end, the timpani are thundering in heaven as never before; she is gone at age 94.
Thanks to Thereman for posting this!
Jack posted this the other day when we wandered into Norse mythology's relation to Christmas. Thought about you.
