“Svengoolie” presents his big 2022/New Year’s big broadcast of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy/celebrating the New Year with his big broadcast of a classic mammoth Warner Bros. sci-fi/creature/fantasy masterpiece.

“Svengoolie” presents his first 2022 big broadcast of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953)

“They couldn’t believe their eyes!” LatterWarner Bros. VHS cover art for the 1953  Ray Harryhausen–Eugène “Gene” Lourié production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based sci-fi/creature feature film  host will present his big New Year’s broadcast/first big broadcast of 2022 of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953), this Sat.; New Year’s Day, Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The classic mammoth 1953 sci-fi creature/fantasy masterpiece production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” for Warner Bros. was directed by veteran production designer/director Eugène “Gene” Lourié.

In his motion picture career alongside “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms,” Lourié also worked on the cult classic mammoth Allied Artists (the former Monogram Pictures) sci-fi creature/fantasy-thriller masterpiece production of “The Giant Behemoth” (1959).  Veteran stop-motion effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen worked on the stop-motion visual effects for his “Rhedosaurus” beast creature featured in “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”

Veteran entertainment promoter-turned-film producer Jack Dietz produced the 1953 Harryhausen-Lourié-Warners production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”  Four years after “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms,” Dietz produced the classic Edward Ludwig–Wah Chang–Willis H. O’Brien-Warner Bros. sci-fi creature masterpiece production with Richard Denning and  Mara Corday, “The Black Scorpion” (1957). “The Black Scorpion” was which was later riffed on “Mystery Science Theater 3000” in 1990.  Veteran producers Bernard W. Burton and Hal E. Chester served as co-producers with Dietz for the classic mammoth Harryhausen- Lourié sci-fi creature/fantasy masterpiece production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”  Burton later worked as an editorial supervisor for the classic Four Star Productions/ABC television western masterpiece series with Barbara Stanwyck, Linda Evans, Richard Long, Lee Majors and Peter Breck, “The Big Valley” (Burton worked as an editorial supervisor on 77 episodes of the series from 1965-68). Hal E. Chester also worked as a producer for several Monogram/Allied Artists “Joe Palooka” feature film adaptation series, ranging from “Joe Palooka, Champ” (1946) to “Joe Palooka in Triple Cross” (1951).

The screenplay for the 1953 Harryhausen- Lourié-Warners production was written by Fred Freiberger and Lou Morheim.  Freiberger later created the short-lived Neanderthal adventure TV series for Hanna-Barbera Productions (one of the few live-action productions that William Hanna and Joseph Barbera produced) with Burgess Meredith’s narration, “Korg: 70,000 B.C.” (1974-75). Morheim later produced 12 episodes of the Freiberger and Morheim’s screenplay was inspired by veteran sci-fi author and longtime friend of Harryhausen, Ray Bradbury’s  sci-fi fantasy story for the Saturday Evening Post, titled “The Monster From Beneath the Sea.”

Original Warner Bros. lobby card featuring the concept art for the 1953  Ray Harryhausen–Eugène “Gene” Lourié production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.” 

According to Ray Bradbury’s recollections with Harryhausen that he mentioned in Richard Schickel’s documentary on Ray Harryhausen’s classic mammoth stop-motion creature/visual effects feature film masterpieces, “The Harryhausen Chronicles” (1998); Bradbury had a meeting with Harryhausen and producer Jack Dietz.  The veteran producer asked the author if he could re-write the screenplay that was written by Freiberger and Morheim for the Harryhausen-Dietz production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”  During their meeting, Bradbury finally realized that Freiberger and Morheim’s screenplay was similar to his Saturday Evening Post creature story. Dietz was stunned at Bradbury and later bought the screen rights to Ray Bradbury’s aforementioned Saturday Evening Post story in order to film the production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”

This will mark Sven’s fourth big coast-to-coast broadcast of the 1953 Harryhausen- Lourié-Warners stop-motion fantasy sci-fi creature masterpiece production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” on the airlanes of  Me-TV.  He previously showcased “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953) as a coast-to-coast big broadcast premiere back in June 2019, a coast-to-coast big broadcast in Dec. 2019 and a coast-to-coast big broadcast in Nov. 2020.

According to IMDB in Sven’s home area of Berwyn/Chicago, Illinois; Sven in his WFLD/Chicago days as the “Son of Svengoolie” previously showcased the classic mammoth Ray Harryhausen-Eugène “Gene” Lourié-Warner Bros. stop-motion creature-fantasy/sci-fi masterpiece production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953) as a Chicago/Berwyn big broadcast premiere back in July 1981.  A snippet from the 1953 Harryhausen- Lourié-Warners sci-fi stop-motion creature/fantasy masterpiece was featured in the 1981 WFLD/Chicago “PM Magazine” interview on Rich Koz and Koz’s portrayal of “Son of Svengoolie”/Sven at the 0:46 mark; according to Berwyn/Chicago television archivist Rick Klein’s official FuzzyMemoriesTV YouTube channel.

Sven in his WFLD/Chicago  “Son of Svengoolie” days also showcased “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953) as a Berwyn/Chicago big broadcast in 1985, according to the official YouTube site for Obsolete Video Services and Rick Klein’s official FuzzyMemoriesTV YouTube channel.

Who was in “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953)?

The players who appeared in the Ray Harryhausen-Eugène “Gene” Lourié-Warner Bros. production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953) were Paula Raymond (as Lee Hunter), Paul Christian (as Prof. Tom Nesbitt, Christian’s name was used as a pseudonym for his real name of Paul Hubschmid), young Lee Van Cleef (as Cpl. Stone), young Merv Griffin (in an uncredited role as a radio announcer), Cecil Kellaway (as Prof. Thurgood Elson),  William Woodson (in uncredited dual roles as the opening narrator and additional radio announcer),  Alvin Greenman (as the first radar man), Kenneth Tobey (as Col. Jack Evans),Steve Brodie (as Sgt. Loomis), Paula “Mary” Hill (as Miss Ryan), Michael Fox (as an emergency doctor), Frank Ferguson (as Dr. Morton),  Ray Hyke (as Sgt. Willistead), King Donovan (as Dr. Ingersoll),  Jack Pennick (as Jacob Bowman), Ross Elliott (as George Ritchie) and Donald Woods (as Capt. Phil Jackson). Paula Raymond appeared in numerous productions throughout her acting career, including episodes of Warner Bros.’ “Hawaiian Eye” detective TV series from 1959–62.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals from coast-to-coast will be jumping for joy for his big broadcast of a classic Warner Bros. stop-motion creature fantasy masterpiece.

“Svengoolie” to present his big broadcast of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953)

Original 1953 Warner Bros. theatrical release trailer for “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (w/ brief cameo trailer commentary appearances of young Merv Griffin, Vera Miles and Paul Picerni (according to IMDB).

“King of prehistoric sea giants!” “It’s alive!” Original 1953 Warner Bros. theatrical poster artwork for the Ray Harryhausen–Eugène “Gene” Lourié production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based sci-fi/creature feature film film host will present his big broadcast of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953), this Sat.; Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

“The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” was directed by veteran production designer-turned-director Eugène “Gene” Lourié, who also worked on the Allied Artists (formerly known as Monogram Pictures) sci-fi thriller production of “The Giant Behemoth” (1959).  Veteran stop-motion effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen worked on the stop-motion visual effects for his “Rhedosaurus” beast creature featured in “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”  According to the American Film Institute, the 1953 classic Warner Bros.sci-fi creature/fantasy masterpiece was one of Harryhausen’s earliest feature film credits for a sci-fi creature film produced by a major studio.   Veteran entertainment promoter-turned-film producer Jack Dietz produced the 1953 Harryhausen-Lourié-Warners production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”  Four years after “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms,” Dietz produced the classic Edward Ludwig–Wah Chang–Willis H. O’Brien-Warner Bros. sci-fi creature masterpiece with Richard Denning and  Mara Corday, “The Black Scorpion” (1957, which was later riffed on “Mystery Science Theater 3000” in 1990).  Veteran producers Bernard W. Burton and Hal E. Chester served as co-producers for “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”

The screenplay for the 1953 Harryhausen- Lourié-Warners production was written by Fred Freiberger and Lou Morheim.  Freiberger and Morheim’s screenplay was inspired by veteran sci-fi author and longtime friend of Harryhausen, Ray Bradbury’s  sci-fi fantasy story for the Saturday Evening Post, titled “The Monster From Beneath the Sea.”

This will mark Sven’s third big coast-to-coast broadcast of the 1954 Harryhausen- Lourié-Warners stop-motion fantasy sci-fi creature masterpiece on Me-TV.  He previously showcased “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953) as a coast-to-coast big broadcast premiere back in June 2019 and as a coast-to-coast big broadcast in Dec. 2019.

Who was in the Ray Harryhausen-Eugène “Gene” Lourié-Warner Bros. production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953)?

The players who appeared in the Ray Harryhausen-Eugène “Gene” Lourié-Warner Bros. production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953) were Paula Raymond (as Lee Hunter), Paul Christian (as Prof. Tom Nesbitt, Christian’s name was used as a pseudonym for his birth name of Paul Hubschmid), young Merv Griffin (in an uncredited role as a radio announcer), young Lee Van Cleef (as Cpl. Stone), Cecil Kellaway (as Prof. Thurgood Elson), William Woodson (in uncredited dual roles as the opening narrator and additional radio announcer), Kenneth Tobey (as Col. Jack Evans), Alvin Greenman (as the first radar man), Steve Brodie (as Sgt. Loomis), Paula “Mary” Hill (as Miss Ryan), Michael Fox (as an emergency doctor),  Donald Woods (as Capt. Phil Jackson), Frank Ferguson (as Dr. Morton),  Ray Hyke (as Sgt. Willistead), Jack Pennick (as Jacob Bowman), King Donovan (as Dr. Ingersoll) and Ross Elliott (as George Ritchie).

“Svengoolie” to present his big broadcast of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will jump for joy for his upcoming big broadcast of a classic Warner Bros. stop-motion creature feature masterpiece.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953)

“A thrill story beyond all imagining!” Original 1953 Warner Bros. theatrical lobby card/tinted publicity still for “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms;” featuring Ray Harryhausen‘s “Rhedosaurus” Dynamation creature.

“See the stunts!” Original 1953 Warner Bros. exhibitors’ ad for “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based creature film host will present his big broadcast of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953), this Sat.; Dec. 28 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

“The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” was directed by Eugène “Gene” Lourié, a veteran production designer-turned-director.  Lourié also worked on another sci-fi creature production for Allied Artists (the former Monogram Pictures), “The Giant Behemoth” (1959).  Veteran stop-motion effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen worked on the Dynamation “Rhedosaurus” creature effects for the Lourié-Warners production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”  According to the American Film Institute, this marked one of Harryhausen’s earliest feature film credits for a major studio sci-fi creature feature production.   Veteran producer Jack Dietz produced the 1953 Harryhausen- Lourié-Warners “Dynamation” creature feature classic masterpiece.

The screenplay for the 1953 Harryhausen- Lourié-Warners production was written by Fred Freiberger and Lou Morheim.  Freiberger and Morheim’s screenplay was inspired by veteran sci-fi author Ray Bradbury and his story for the Saturday Evening Post titled “The Monster From Beneath the Sea;” according to John M. Miller’s article on “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” for Turner Classic Movies’ website.

This will mark Sven’s second big coast-to-coast broadcast of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953) on Me-TV.  He previously showcased the 1953 Harryhausen- Lourié-Warners Dynamation creature classic masterpiece back in June 2019.

Who was in the 1953 Harryhausen- Lourié-Warners Dynamation creature production of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms?”

“312 openings as big as the biggest!” Original 1953 Warner Bros. monochrome exhibitors’ ad for the early success of Ray Harryhausen’s “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”

The players who appeared in “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” were Paula Raymond (as Lee Hunter; Raymond appeared in various film and TV productions throughout her screen career, including several episodes of Warners’ “Hawaiian Eye” TV detective series from 1959–62), Paul Christian (as Prof. Tom Nesbitt, Christian’s name was used as a pseudonym for his real name of Paul Hubschmid; Christian/Hubschmid later appeared in the title role of composer Franz Liszt in the 1954 André Haguet–Peter Berneis French-German co-production of “Hungarian Rhapsody”), young Merv Griffin (in an uncredited role as a radio announcer; the singer-actor-bandleader and 1962-86 talk show host was also known for his two popular TV game show creations; “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” counting both network and syndicated runs of Griffin’s two aforementioned game shows), young Lee Van Cleef (as Cpl. Stone; Van Cleef’s earliest film appearance was in Fred Zinnemann’s 1952 classic western masterpiece, “High Noon” opposite Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly in the role of Jack Colby; Van Cleef was known for his latter roles in Sergio Leone’s Italian-produced “spaghetti westerns” with Clint Eastwood; 1966’s “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” as Sentenza/”Angel Eyes” and 1967’s “For A Few Dollars More” as Col. Douglas Mortimer), Cecil Kellaway (as Prof. Thurgood Elson), William Woodson (in uncredited dual roles as the opening narrator and additional radio announcer), Kenneth Tobey (as Col. Jack Evans), Steve Brodie (as Sgt. Loomis), Donald Woods (as Capt. Phil Jackson), Michael Fox (as an emergency doctor), Alvin Greenman (as the first radar man; Greenman previously appeared in the role of Alfred in George Seaton’s 1947 Twentieth Century Fox Christmastime/Holiday classic masterpiece, “Miracle on 34^th Street” with Maureen O’Hara, Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood and John Payne), Frank Ferguson (as Dr. Morton), Paula “Mary” Hill (as Miss Ryan), Ray Hyke (as Sgt. Willistead), Jack Pennick (as Jacob Bowman) Ross Elliott (as George Ritchie) and King Donovan (as Dr. Ingersoll).

“Svengoolie” to present his big broadcast premiere of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere are jumping for joy for his upcoming big broadcast premiere of a classic Warner Bros. sci-fi creature feature masterpiece.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast premiere of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953)

Original 1953 Warner Bros. theatrical trailer for “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (w/ brief cameo trailer commentary appearances of Vera Miles, Paul Picerni and singer/future talk show host/game show creator Merv Griffin; according to IMDB).

Original 1953 Warner Bros. poster artwork for “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based sci-fi creature film host will present his big broadcast premiere of “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953); this Sat., June 22 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The 1953 Warner Bros. sci-fi creature classic was directed by production designer-turned-director Eugène “Gene” Lourié. Lourié also worked on Allied Artists’ sci-fi creature feature, “The Giant Behemoth” (1959).  The stop-motion creature effects were created by “Dynamation” visual effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen.  This was one of the first major studio stop-motion sci-fi creature productions where Harryhausen received screen credit, according to the American Film Institute. The feature was produced by veteran producer Jack Dietz.

The screenplay for “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” was written by Fred Freiberger and Lou Morheim.  Freiberger and Morheim’s screenplay was inspired by a story written science fiction writer Ray Bradbury for the Saturday Evening Post; according to John M. Miller’s article on “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” for Turner Classic Movies.

Who was in “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1953)?

The players who appeared in “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” were Paula Raymond (as Lee Hunter), Paul Christian (as Prof. Tom Nesbitt, Christian’s name was used as a pseudonym for Paul Hubschmid), young Lee Van Cleef (as Cpl. Stone), William Woodson (in uncredited dual roles as the opening narrator and radio announcer), Cecil Kellaway (as Prof. Thurgood Elson), Kenneth Tobey (as Col. Jack Evans), Donald Woods (as Capt. Phil Jackson), Steve Brodie (as Sgt. Loomis), Michael Fox (as an emergency doctor), Alvin Greenman (as the first radar man), Frank Ferguson (as Dr. Morton), King Donovan (as Dr. Ingersoll), Paula “Mary” Hill (as Miss Ryan), Ray Hyke (as Sgt. Willistead), Jack Pennick (as Jacob Bowman) and Ross Elliott (as George Ritchie).