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Svengoolie tonight: MeTV airs Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" an hour early as an expanded show
The 1974 comedy arrives with a monster-building stunt, a song and a visit from Tombstone, and the schedule has changed around it.
An earlier start for an expanded show
If you watch Svengoolie, set your clock an hour early: the Young Frankenstein broadcast kicks off at 7 pm ET / 6 pm CT on MeTV, one hour earlier than usual. [1] MeTV is airing Mel Brooks' 1974 film tonight as an expanded show. [2]
The start time is 7 pm Eastern/Pacific and 6 pm Central. [2] Halloween is over, but Svengoolie is still running monster programming in November. [3]
What the expanded show adds
The show will feature cast and production information, a Sven Squad effort to create their own monster, a song, and a visit from the character Tombstone. [2]
The broadcast has edited the breaks in the movie so as not to ruin the comedic flow or remove material. [2] Some segments may be shorter than normal as a result. [2]
The film behind the broadcast
Mel Brooks directed Young Frankenstein and co-wrote it with the film's star, Gene Wilder. [1] It was a 20th Century Fox film, shot in black and white to emulate the great original Universal movies. [1][2]
Brooks used Kenneth Strickfaden's original lab equipment from the 1931 film Frankenstein. [1] The cast is listed as Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Cloris Leachman, and Gene Hackman. [2]
The story, from lecture hall to castle
Frederick Frankenstein, delivering a lecture at a medical school, wants no connection to his mad scientist grandfather and pronounces his name Fronken-Steen. [2] Then he inherits the old family castle in Transylvania and reluctantly makes the trip there. [2]
At the castle, Frederick is met by the hunchback family servant Ygor and a young woman named Inga. [2] He also meets Frau Blucher, the housekeeper whose name causes horses to whinny in fear. [2]
Frederick discovers his grandfather's secret laboratory and journals. [2] That makes him a believer in his ancestor's theories and sets him on a course to continue the work. [2]
The experiment and the mob
Ygor steals the wrong brain, an abbie-normal one, to be installed in the experimental creature. [2] The experiment succeeds until the Monster reacts violently to Frederick. [2]
The local one-armed police inspector takes up the citizens' quest to find out what the relative of the village's scourge is up to. [2] The Monster escapes and meets a blind hermit, much to his dismay. [2]
Frederick believes he can convert his creation to a life of good and kindness. [2] His plans are thrown into disarray by his new relationship with Inga and the arrival of his fiancée. [2] The story culminates with the torch and pitchfork bearing mob seeking to end the threat posed by Frederick and his monster. [2]
What follows tonight and the rest of November
Starting tonight, the show is followed by the Twilight Zone. [2] Kolchak: The Night Stalker is again working the supernatural beat in Chicago every Saturday night. [2]
November's Svengoolie schedule kicks off with Young Frankenstein, followed by another monster mashup featuring Abbott and Costello. [3] The Sven Squad then takes over for a special House of Svengoolie presentation of Stephen King's Cujo. [3] The month wraps up with the 1971 cult classic Willard. [3]
What this means for you
If you plan to watch, tune in to MeTV at 7 pm ET / 6 pm CT, an hour earlier than usual. [1] Expect some segments to be shorter than normal, because the breaks were edited to protect the comedic flow and keep all the material. [2]
If you want merchandise, the limited-quantity 2026 Svengoolie Bundle includes a 2026 Expansion Pack of 10 new trading cards, a blaster box of 30 random 2025 trading cards, a pair of Sven Squad socks, and a 3D Svengoolie keychain. [2] It is listed at $39.95 on the website. [2]
Sources
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