A Volkswagen Beetle wrapped in fur, cruising down a central Wisconsin highway with eight giant spider legs dangling.

That was the scene in 1975 during the filming of what turned into a cult classic, The Giant Spider Invasion — a film based in central and northern Wisconsin that became one of Mystery Science Theater 3000’s most popular episodes.

Ahead of his visit to La Crosse on Friday, actor and UW-L grad Dan Davies — who plays newscaster Ted Tittman — joined to spill set secrets that coincidentally featured two distinct Wisconsin beers. One, feeding Old Styles to “The Skipper” from Gilligan’s Island, and the other, basically holding a screenwriter hostage with promises of PBR for pages, as they rewrote the movie while shooting.

Davies and 89-year-old director Bill Rebane will be at the Rivoli Theatre at 7 p.m. Friday night to party with moviegoers for the 50th-anniversary screening and do a Q&A.

Episode Highlights:

• Volkswagen Terror: How Wisconsin filmmakers slapped fur and giant legs onto a VW Beetle chassis to build a 50-foot spider—and sent it blindly driving toward terrified extras.
• Beer On Set: Why Hollywood stars like "The Skipper" from Gilligan's Island (Alan Hale) fell in love with northern Wisconsin culture and cold cans of Old Style.
• Writing for PBR: Dan breaks down the chaotic mid-shoot panic after Hollywood demanded a giant spider to rival Jaws—leaving producers no choice but to lock a writer in a room with a daily sandwich and a beer quota.
• MST3K Roasting: Dan breaks down how director Bill Rebane actually reacted when Mystery Science Theater 3000 poked fun at his film—and the surprise honor MST3K gave him years later.
• Ted Tittman's Debut: How the team created a new campy Rhinelander news anchor character to seamlessly stitch the reboot's plot holes together.
• UWL Nostalgia: Davies shares memories of his 40-plus family members attending UW-La Crosse and classic 1980s 3rd Street happy hours.