“Svengoolie” to present his big broadcast of “The Mole People” (1956), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for his big broadcast of a classic mammoth Universal Studios sci-fi fantasy creature masterpiece.

“Svengoolie” to present his big broadcast of “The Mole People” (1956)

Original 1956 Universal Studios theatrical trailer for “The Mole People.”

With an Australian film classification rating of “R!” Original 1956 Universal Studios Australian theatrical poster art for “The Mole People.”

The legendary and iconic Berwyn/Chicago-based classic mammoth sci-fi/creature feature film masterpiece host will present his big broadcast of “The Mole People” (1956), this Sat.; April 22 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The classic mammoth Universal sci-fi creature masterpiece production The Mole People” was directed by veteran Universal editor-turned-director Virgil Vogel.  Vogel spent most of his career at Universal, several of classic mammoth Universal Studios masterpiece productions that he edited for theatrical release included  Charles Lamont’s classic mammoth Universal monster-comedy masterpiece,  “Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man” (1951) with Bud Abbott, Lou Costello,  Arthur Franz,  John Daheim, Nancy Guild,  Adele Jergens, Sheldon Leonard and William Frawley of TV’s “I Love Lucy” and the early years of “My Three Sons”/”Binge the Cringe” fame, Joseph Newman’s classic mammoth Universal sci-fi masterpiece production of “This Island Earth” (1955) with Regis Parton, Charlotte Alpert, Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue, Rex Reason, Russell Johnson of TV’s “Gilligan’s Island” fame, Lance Fuller, Robert Nichols, Richard Deacon of TV’s “Leave It to Beaver” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show” fame and Olan Soule and supervised the editing of Orson Welles’ classic mammoth Universal film noir-drama masterpiece adaptation of Whit Masterson’s “Badge of Evil;” “Touch of Evil” (1958) with Janet Leigh, Welles, Dennis Weaver, Charlton Heston, Joanna Moore and Ray Collins of TV’s “Perry Mason” fame.

“The Mole People” (1956) marked Vogel’s directorial debut at Universal.  Virgil Vogel’s other classic mammoth Universal feature film productions include “The Land Unknown” (1957, with Jock Mahoney, Shawn Smith, William Reynolds, Henry Brandon, Douglas Kennedy and Phil Harvey) and the finale feature in Universal’s “Ma and Pa Kettle” comedy series (sans Percy Kilbride), “The Kettles on Old MacDonald’s Farm” (1957, with Marjorie Main, Parker Fennelly, Gloria Talbott and a young Claude Akins).  The screenplay for Vogel’s 1956 Universal creature production was written by veteran screenwriter László Görög. “The Mole People” was produced by veteran Universal feature film producer William Alland.  One of Vogel’s final productions in his career was also at his home studio of Universal, he directed one episode of the classic mammoth Donald P. Bellisario-Universal-NBC television sci-fi/fantasy/supernatural/time travel masterpiece series with Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell; “Quantum Leap” (1991’s “A Single Drop of Rain- Sept. 7, 1953“).

This will mark Sven’s ninth big broadcast of  Virgil Vogel’s classic mammoth 1956 Universal sci-fi/fantasy/creature masterpiece production of “The Mole People” (1956) on Me-TV.  He previously aired Virgil Vogel’s classic Universal sci-fi creature/fantasy-thriller masterpiece back in Oct. 2011*, March 2012*, Sept. 2012*, April 2013, Jan. 2014, Dec. 2015,  June 2018 and Feb. 2020.

Who was in Virgil Vogel’s Universal creature production of “The Mole People?”

The players who appeared in “The Mole People” were John Agar (as Dr. Roger Bentley), Cynthia Patrick (as Adad/Adel), Hugh Beaumont (as Dr. Jud Bellamin), Alan Napier (as the High Priest Elinu), Nestor Paiva (as Prof. Etienne Lafarge), Rodd Redwing (as Nazar), Robin Hughes (as a first officer), Dr. Frank C. Baxter (as himself), Phil Chambers (as Dr. Paul Stuart), and the “Mole People” creature ensemble of Bob Herron, Bob Hoy, Joe Rubino and Eddie Parker.

“Svengoolie” to present his big broadcast of “The Land Unknown” (1957); this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals from coast-to-coast will be jumping for joy for his upcoming big broadcast of a classic mammoth Universal Studios creature-fantasy-adventure masterpiece.

“Svengoolie” to present his big broadcast of “The Land Unknown” (1957), this Sat. on Me-TV

Original 1957 Universal Studios theatrical release trailer for “The Land Unknown.”

Original 1957 Universal Studios theatrical poster artwork element for “The Land Unknown.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based classic mammoth creature/fantasy feature film host will present his big broadcast of “The Land Unknown” (1957), this Sat.; Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The classic mammoth 1957 Universal creature-fantasy-adventure feature film masterpiece production was directed by veteran feature film editor-turned-feature film & TV director Virgil W. Vogel.   Vogel edited the final theatrical product for several classic mammoth Universal feature film productions throughout the 1950s, including Lee Sholem’s classic mammoth Universal “Ma & Pa Kettle” comedy masterpiece installment with Marjorie Main, Percy Kilbride, Lori Nelson, a pre-“Gilligan’s Island” Russell Johnson, Byron Palmer and Ben Chapman (of Jack Arnold’s “Creature From the Black Lagoon” fame for the Land-based “Creature”/”Gill-Man” sequences), “Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki” (1953), Joseph Newman’s classic mammoth Universal sci-fi masterpiece production of “This Island Earth” (1955) with Regis Parton, Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue, Rex Reason, Russell Johnson, Lance Fuller, Richard Deacon, Olan Soule, Coleman Francis and Orangey the Cat and for Orson Welles’ classic mammoth Universal film noir-mystery masterpiece with Welles, Janet Leigh, Marlene Dietrich, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Charlton Heston, young Dennis Weaver and Ray Collins (later of TV’s “Perry Mason” fame), “Touch of Evil” (1958).

Vogel directed his classic mammoth Universal creature/sci-fi masterpiece production of “The Mole People” (1956)  with John Agar, Cynthia Patrick, a pre-“Leave It To Beaver” Hugh Beaumont, Nestor Paiva and Alan Napier (later of TV’s “Batman” fame) and he also directed his classic mammoth Universal “Ma & Pa Kettle” comedy masterpiece installment of  “The Kettles on Old MacDonald’s Farm” (1957) with Marjorie Main, Parker Fennelly, Gloria Talbott and young Claude Akins.  Vogel also directed numerous episodes of classic mammoth Universal Studios/MCA (Revue) TV productions in the latter part of his career, including various episodes of “Wagon Train” (1958-65) one episode of “Knight Rider” (1982), seven episodes of “Airwolf” (1984-85), four episodes of “Miami Vice” (1987-88) and one episode of “Quantum Leap” (1991).

The screenplay for Vogel’s production of “The Land Unknown” was written by veteran screenwriters  László Görög, based on an adaptation of Charles Palmer’s story idea by William N. Robson.  Vogel’s “The Land Unknown” (1957) was produced by veteran Universal producer William Alland.

This will mark Svengoolie’s sixth big broadcast of Vogel’s classic mammoth Universal creature-fantasy-adventure masterpiece production of “The Land Unknown” (1957) on Me-TV.  He previously showcased Vogel’s classic mammoth 1957 creature/fantasy/adventure masterpiece back in May 2014 (as a coast-to-coast big broadcast premiere), May 2015, Nov. 2016, July 2017 and July 2020.

Who was in Virgil Vogel’s classic mammoth 1957 Universal creature-fantasy-adventure production?

The players who appeared in Virgil Vogel’s 1957 Universal creature-fantasy-adventure production of “The Land Unknown” were Jock Mahoney (as Cmndr. Harold Roberts), Shawn Smith (a pseudonym for Shirley Patterson, as Margaret Hathaway),  Henry Brandon (as Dr. Carl Hunter), William Reynolds (as Lt. Jack Carmen),  Douglas Kennedy (as Capt. Burnham), Bing Russell (in an uncredited role as a radio operator), Phil Harvey (as Steve Miller) and Bert Stevens (as an officer at the briefing).

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “The Land Unknown” (1957), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for his upcoming big broadcast showcase of a classic Universal Studios creature fantasy masterpiece.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “The Land Unknown” (1957)

Original 1957 Universal Studios publicity still for “The Land Unknown.”

“Behind a barrier of Antarctic Ice!” Original 1957 Universal Studios theatrical poster artwork element for “The Land Unknown.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based creature film host will present his big broadcast of “The Land Unknown” (1957), this Sat.; July 25 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The 1957 Universal creature-fantasy production was directed by veteran studio editor-turned-director Virgil Vogel.  Vogel’s other Universal feature productions include “The Mole People” (1956, with John Agar, Cynthia Patrick, Hugh Beaumont, Alan Napier,    Nestor Paiva and Dr. Frank C. Baxter) and the finale feature in the studio’s “Ma and Pa Kettle” comedy series sans Percy Kilbride, “The Kettles on Old MacDonald’s Farm” (1957, with Marjorie Main, Parker Fennelly, Gloria Talbott and young Claude Akins).  The screenplay for Vogel’s production of “The Land Unknown” was written by veteran screenwriters  László Görög, based on an adaptation of Charles Palmer’s story idea by William N. Robson.  Vogel’s “The Land Unknown” (1957) was produced by veteran Universal producer William Alland.

Virgil Vogel’s Universal classic creature-adventure-fantasy masterpiece production of “The Land Unknown” (1957) was filmed in the CinemaScope widescreen process format (2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio).  CinemaScope was developed by Henri Chrétien for rival studio Twentieth Century Fox (Twentieth Century Studios), Encyclopædia Britannica.  Universal began using the CinemaScope process for productions by arrangement with Twentieth Century Fox (Twentieth Century Studios) in 1954, according to a Dec. 1953 press release.

This will mark Svengoolie’s fifth big broadcast of Vogel’s classic Universal fantasy creature-adventure masterpiece on Me-TV.  He previously showcased Vogel’s “The Land Unknown” (1957) back in in May 2014, May 2015, Nov. 2016 and July 2017.

Who was in Virgil Vogel’s 1957 Universal creature-fantasy-adventure production?

The players who appeared in Virgil Vogel’s 1957 Universal creature-fantasy-adventure production of “The Land Unknown” were Jock Mahoney (as Cmndr. Harold Roberts), Shawn Smith (a pseudonym for Shirley Patterson, as Margaret Hathaway),  Henry Brandon (as Dr. Carl Hunter), William Reynolds (as Lt. Jack Carmen),  Douglas Kennedy (as Capt. Burnham), Bing Russell (in an uncredited role as a radio operator), Phil Harvey (as Steve Miller) and Bert Stevens (as an officer at the briefing).

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “The Mole People” (1956), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for his big broadcast of a classic Universal Studios sci-fi fantasy creature/monster/thriller masterpiece.

“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast of “The Mole People” (1956)

“From a lost age.. horror crawls from the depths of the earth!” Original 1956 Universal Studios lobby card artwork for “The Mole People.”

“Terrifying monsters from a lost age!” Original 1956 Universal Studios theatrical poster artwork for “The Mole People.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based creature film host will present his big broadcast of “The Mole People” (1956), this Sat.; Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

The 1956 production of “The Mole People” was directed by veteran Universal editor-turned-director Virgil Vogel.  Vogel’s other Universal feature productions include “The Land Unknown” (1957, with Jock Mahoney, Shawn Smith, William Reynolds, Henry Brandon, Douglas Kennedy and Phil Harvey) and the finale feature in Universal’s “Ma and Pa Kettle” comedy series (sans Percy Kilbride), “The Kettles on Old MacDonald’s Farm” (1957, with Marjorie Main, Parker Fennelly, Gloria Talbott and a young Claude Akins).  The screenplay for Vogel’s 1956 Universal creature production was written by veteran screenwriter László Görög. “The Mole People” was produced by veteran Universal feature film producer William Alland and was filmed over a brief timeframe of 17 days, according to IMDB.

This will mark Sven’s eighth big broadcast of “The Mole People” (1956) on Me-TV.  He previously aired Virgil Vogel’s classic Universal sci-fi creature/fantasy-thriller masterpiece back in Oct. 2011*, March 2012*, Sept. 2012*, April 2013, Jan. 2014, Dec. 2015 and June 2018.

Who was in Virgil Vogel’s Universal creature production of “The Mole People?”

The players who appeared in “The Mole People” were John Agar (as Dr. Roger Bentley, Agar also appeared in Jack Arnold’s 1955 Universal monster sequel to “Creature From the Black Lagoon,” “Revenge of the Creature” and in Arnold’s 1955 Universal arachnid-monster production of “Tarantula!”), Cynthia Patrick (as Adad/Adel, Patrick appeared in an uncredited role in Valentine Davies’ 1956 Universal biopic of bandleader Benny Goodman with Steve Allen and Donna Reed; “The Benny Goodman Story”), Hugh Beaumont (as Dr. Jud Bellamin, Beaumont went onto greater fame for his role of Ward Cleaver in the 1957-63 sitcom; “Leave It to Beaver” with Barbara Billingsley, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers), Alan Napier (as the High Priest Elinu, Napier went onto greater fame during the latter part of his career in the role of butler Alfred Pennyworth in the 1966-68 “Batman” live-action TV series with Adam West and Burt Ward), Nestor Paiva (as Prof. Etienne Lafarge, Paiva previously played the role of Lucas in Jack Arnold’s Universal productions of “Creature From the Black Lagoon” in 1954 and “Revenge of the Creature” in 1955), Rodd Redwing (as Nazar), Robin Hughes (as a first officer), Dr. Frank C. Baxter as himself (Baxter was a professor of English literature at the University of Southern California and was nicknamed “Dr. Research” for his appearances in the Bell System’s series of educational science films), Phil Chambers (as Dr. Paul Stuart), and the “Mole People” creature ensemble of Bob Herron, Bob Hoy, Joe Rubino and Eddie Parker.

“Svengoolie” to showcase “The Mole People” (1956), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals will be interested in Sven’s upcoming presentation of a cult classic Universal Studios sci-fi fantasy creature feature.

“Svengoolie” presents: “The Mole People” (1956)

Original 1956 Universal Studios theatrical trailer for “The Mole People.”

1956 Universal Studios poster art for “The Mole People.”

The legendary Chicago/Berwyn-based sci-fi/horror film host will showcase “The Mole People” (1956), this Sat., June 9 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

“The Mole People” was directed by Virgil Vogel, who also directed “The Land Unknown” (1957) and the final installment in Universal Studios’ “Ma and Pa Kettle” comedy film franchise series, “The Kettles on Old MacDonald’s Farm” (1957).  Vogel’s 1956 Universal sci-fi monster/creature entry took only 17 days to film, according to IMDB.

This will mark Sven’s seventh showing of “The Mole People” (1956) on Me-TV.  He previously showcased Vogel’s feature in Oct. 2011, March 2012, Sept. 2012, April 2013, Jan. 2014 and Dec. 2015.

Who was in “The Mole People” (1956)?

The players who appeared in Vogel’s Universal sci-fi creature feature were John Agar (as Dr. Roger Bentley), Cynthia Patrick (as Adad), Hugh Beaumont (as Dr. Jud Bellamin), Alan Napier (as the High Priest Elinu), Nestor Paiva (as Prof. Etienne Lafarge), Phil Chambers (as Dr. Paul Stuart), Rodd Redwing (as Nazar), Robin Hughes (as a first officer) and University of Southern California English literature professor Dr. Frank C. Baxter as himself.

 

“Svengoolie” to showcase “The Land Unknown” (1957), this Sat. on Me-TV

Fellow Svengoolie fans will be in for a treat this weekend as he will be presenting a 1957 fantasy adventure film from Universal Studios.

“Svengoolie” presents: “The Land Unknown” (1957)

 

1957 Universal Studios trailer for “The Land Unknown” (cropped to the 16×9/1.77:1 aspect ratio).

1957 Universal Studios lobby card for “The Land Unknown.”

The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based horror host will be showing “The Land Unknown,” this Sat., July 22 at 10 p.m. Eastern/9 p.m. Central on Me-TV.

This will be the fourth time that Sven will present “The Land Unknown” on Me-TV.  He had previously shown the 1957 feature in May 2014, May 2015 and Nov. 2016.

“The Land Unknown” was directed by Virgil Vogel, who also directed “The Mole People” for the studio in 1956 (which was also previously showcased by Sven).  That same year, Vogel also directed the final film in Universal’s “Ma and Pa Kettle” comedy series, “The Kettles on Old MacDonald’s Farm.”