Mystery Science Theater 3000 experiment #423: Bride of the Monster (with short, Hired!, Part One).
Original Comedy Central airdate: January 23, 1993.
This episode is available on the 19th MST3K collection at Amazon.
In part one of the Jam Handy Organization short made for Chevrolet in 1940, we see two new door-to-door salesmen named Jimmy and Henderson, and his frustrated supervisor, Mr. Warren, wondering why they're not panning out. Mr. Warren lives with his parents and complains to his elderly father (who sips lemonade when he isn't swatting at insects and having hankerchief-related "episodes") that the new generation doesn't work as hard as the older folks. Dad sets his son straight by reminding him that he wasn't always perfect and made mistakes as a younger salesman. Part two of Hired! opens MST3K episode 424, Manos.
It's an Ed Wood movie, folks. Bear with us. Bride of the Monster stars Bela Lugosi as mad scientist Dr. Eric Vornoff, who is experimenting with nuclear power with help from his lumbering mute assistant Lobo, played by Tor Johnson. Vornoff is looking to create an army of superhuman soldiers to conquer the world with, and he lives in a house guarded by a giant mutant octopus. The octopus has been responsible for a string of deaths in the region, and a reporter named Janet Lawton (Loretta King Hadler) investigates further into the situation, becoming a prisoner of Vornoff. There's giant rubber snakes, two-foot deep human traps, and stock footage of alligators, not to mention an official from Vornoff's home country demanding that he return home. Oh, and Ed Wood himself might have taken a cameo role as a female secretary in one scene. He loves him some angora.
Opening the episode, Joel utilizes Cambot to analyze Crow's dream. Things are all right until a horrified Tom Servo discovers that he's in the dream as a...candy-striper? Invention exchange: The Mads introduce and demonstrate the Tough Love Seat, equipped with metal studs and painful shocks of electricity. Joel introduces microwavable Faith Popcorn, which predicts upcoming pop culture trends, such as Jerry Reed getting elected to public office (Well, when you're hot, you're hot). Next, the Satellite of Love Community Theater presents the excellent Hired! The Musical which goes off without a hitch until commercial sign, when everyone finally gets annoyed. Later, Joel and the 'Bots discuss how lucky the monster octopus is because its victims literally fall into its grasp, and it segues into a discussion about which other food products could be used as a lame movie monster. Tom Servo next wishes for a world with no advertising, and Willy the Waffle (Crow) shows up to grant that wish. No springs? To end the show, Cambot re-edits the end of the film, Joel and the robots do their best Bela Lugosi evil look, and down in Deep 13, Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank are playing Bela and Tor.
Great episode. The riffing is spot on, and the host segments are great, especially Hired! The Musical. Highly recommended episode!
"He tampered in God's domain..."
Showing posts with label mst3k: season 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mst3k: season 4. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
MST3K #417: Crash of the Moons
Mystery Science Theater 3000 experiment #417: Crash of the Moons (with an old clip from General Hospital).
Original airdate: November 28, 1992.
Available on MST3K, Volume XVIII, on sale at Amazon.
In a clip from an ancient episode of General Hospital, ABC's last surviving soap opera, Cynthia and Phil argue about who Cynthia is in love with. Phil wants Cynthia to love him and not the poor schmuck she loves. Or something. Truth be told, I couldn't follow what was going on. It ends with Cynthia and Phil engaging in liplock in a car. The repercussions of this kiss are still being felt today on the show.
The main feature is pieced together from episodes of the old sci-fi series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger. Here, Rock and his crew Winky, Professor Newton, Vena and a kid named Bobby are trying to evacuate the planet Ofecious before it collides with another planet. Queen Cleolanta of Ofecious would alternately rather die on her doomed planet, or at least try to destroy the rogue planet first. This second planet is the home of Kwotanda, Bwavarro, and their son, the Little Prince, who won't stop crying. In addition to many bad special effects of rocketships taking off and landing perfectly vertical, we also have John Banner of Hogan's Heroes fame in one of his more memorable roles. Boopie!
On the SOL, Tom Servo tries tackling macrame, and Crow sells Grit to keep kids like him off of the streets. Apparently, Crow has a history of ordering things in bulk that he keeps trying to sell to Joel, Servo and Gypsy. The invention exchange sees the Mads introduce Deep 13 Toothpaste, a sugary product that is great for teeth, I tell you! Meanwhile, Joel introduces the Rock 'n' Wreck Guitar for poor musicians who can wreck it and put it back together to their heart's content...and TV's Frank won't stop bogarting the toothpaste. Later on, introduced by Mr. Robinson, Crow and Tom serenade Gypsy with a song called "The Gypsy Moon", and leave it to Crow to ruin it by getting too dirty at the end. Next, Joel and the 'Bots introduce the Banner-gram in honor of John Banner, which you can send to anyone in the country, Denver in particular. Crow ends up sending a John Byner-gram and a David Mamet-gram by accident. Crow makes up for it next with his new sci-fi teleplay, with a ton of nonsensical, made-up words. Tom Servo isn't exactly impressed. After the movie, after Joel reads a letter, the Satellite receives a Banner-gram. Thinking quickly, Joel and the 'Bots send one down to Deep 13, and Dr. Forrester is not exactly appreciative.
A fun season four episode made even better by Trace Beaulieu's performance at the end of the show. Dr. F's freakout upon learning he's just been sent a Banner-gram is classic. I can't forget to mention Mike Nelson's hysterical John Banner, too. Highly recommended episode.
Original airdate: November 28, 1992.
Available on MST3K, Volume XVIII, on sale at Amazon.
In a clip from an ancient episode of General Hospital, ABC's last surviving soap opera, Cynthia and Phil argue about who Cynthia is in love with. Phil wants Cynthia to love him and not the poor schmuck she loves. Or something. Truth be told, I couldn't follow what was going on. It ends with Cynthia and Phil engaging in liplock in a car. The repercussions of this kiss are still being felt today on the show.
The main feature is pieced together from episodes of the old sci-fi series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger. Here, Rock and his crew Winky, Professor Newton, Vena and a kid named Bobby are trying to evacuate the planet Ofecious before it collides with another planet. Queen Cleolanta of Ofecious would alternately rather die on her doomed planet, or at least try to destroy the rogue planet first. This second planet is the home of Kwotanda, Bwavarro, and their son, the Little Prince, who won't stop crying. In addition to many bad special effects of rocketships taking off and landing perfectly vertical, we also have John Banner of Hogan's Heroes fame in one of his more memorable roles. Boopie!
On the SOL, Tom Servo tries tackling macrame, and Crow sells Grit to keep kids like him off of the streets. Apparently, Crow has a history of ordering things in bulk that he keeps trying to sell to Joel, Servo and Gypsy. The invention exchange sees the Mads introduce Deep 13 Toothpaste, a sugary product that is great for teeth, I tell you! Meanwhile, Joel introduces the Rock 'n' Wreck Guitar for poor musicians who can wreck it and put it back together to their heart's content...and TV's Frank won't stop bogarting the toothpaste. Later on, introduced by Mr. Robinson, Crow and Tom serenade Gypsy with a song called "The Gypsy Moon", and leave it to Crow to ruin it by getting too dirty at the end. Next, Joel and the 'Bots introduce the Banner-gram in honor of John Banner, which you can send to anyone in the country, Denver in particular. Crow ends up sending a John Byner-gram and a David Mamet-gram by accident. Crow makes up for it next with his new sci-fi teleplay, with a ton of nonsensical, made-up words. Tom Servo isn't exactly impressed. After the movie, after Joel reads a letter, the Satellite receives a Banner-gram. Thinking quickly, Joel and the 'Bots send one down to Deep 13, and Dr. Forrester is not exactly appreciative.
A fun season four episode made even better by Trace Beaulieu's performance at the end of the show. Dr. F's freakout upon learning he's just been sent a Banner-gram is classic. I can't forget to mention Mike Nelson's hysterical John Banner, too. Highly recommended episode.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
MST3K: Mr. B's Lost Shorts
Mystery Science Theater 3000 presents: Mr. B's Lost Shorts.
Available on the sixth MST3K collection.
Featuring for your perusal...
Mr. B Natural, from experiment 319, War of the Colossal Beast.
X Marks the Spot, from experiment 210, King Dinosaur.
Hired! (Part One), from experiment 423, Bride of the Monster.
Design for Dreaming, from experiment 12 to the Moon (also available on Shorts, Volume 3).
Johnny at the Fair, from experiment 419, The Rebel Set.
Are You Ready for Marriage?, from experiment 616, Racket Girls.
Next to Manos, Mr. B Natural is arguably MST3K's most memorable film, and just about every MSTie is very familiar with Betty Luster's over the top performance as the androgynous "hep pixie" embodying the spirit of fun in music. Evidentally, his/her day job is shilling for the now-defunct C.G. Conn company, and persuading awkward teenagers named Buzz into taking up the trumpet. As you all know, playing an instrument increases confidence around teenage girls. Or something.
Sadly, Mr. B doesn't appear in the rest of the shorts, so we do not get to see his/her influence over short films concerning reckless driving in New Jersey (and death), learning how to become a more efficient Chevrolet salesman, surreal showcases for new General Motors products, Johnny getting lost at a fair, or helping a young couple in love recognize that waiting to get engaged would definitely be a good idea. But, you know, Mr. B Natural is there, subtlely influencing everyone involved. Why did Johnny get lost? Blame Mr. B! How did Joe Doakes from New Jersey die in a car accident? That was Mr. B's doing.
This disc is definitely the best of the MST3K shorts collections, so get it while you can. Highly, highly recommended!
The mini Turkey Day marathon is over. My next post will be a review of an actual movie.
Available on the sixth MST3K collection.
Featuring for your perusal...
Mr. B Natural, from experiment 319, War of the Colossal Beast.
X Marks the Spot, from experiment 210, King Dinosaur.
Hired! (Part One), from experiment 423, Bride of the Monster.
Design for Dreaming, from experiment 12 to the Moon (also available on Shorts, Volume 3).
Johnny at the Fair, from experiment 419, The Rebel Set.
Are You Ready for Marriage?, from experiment 616, Racket Girls.
Next to Manos, Mr. B Natural is arguably MST3K's most memorable film, and just about every MSTie is very familiar with Betty Luster's over the top performance as the androgynous "hep pixie" embodying the spirit of fun in music. Evidentally, his/her day job is shilling for the now-defunct C.G. Conn company, and persuading awkward teenagers named Buzz into taking up the trumpet. As you all know, playing an instrument increases confidence around teenage girls. Or something.
Sadly, Mr. B doesn't appear in the rest of the shorts, so we do not get to see his/her influence over short films concerning reckless driving in New Jersey (and death), learning how to become a more efficient Chevrolet salesman, surreal showcases for new General Motors products, Johnny getting lost at a fair, or helping a young couple in love recognize that waiting to get engaged would definitely be a good idea. But, you know, Mr. B Natural is there, subtlely influencing everyone involved. Why did Johnny get lost? Blame Mr. B! How did Joe Doakes from New Jersey die in a car accident? That was Mr. B's doing.
This disc is definitely the best of the MST3K shorts collections, so get it while you can. Highly, highly recommended!
The mini Turkey Day marathon is over. My next post will be a review of an actual movie.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
MST3K #409: Indestructible Man
Mystery Science Theater 3000 experiment #409: Indestructible Man (with short, The Undersea Kingdom, Part 2, "The Undersea City").
Original airdate: August 15, 1992.
Available from Amazon as part of the eleventh MST3K collection.
In the second part of the Undersea Kingdom serial, Crash Corrigan, Billy Norton, and reporter Diana Compton find the lost continent of Atlantis, and spend most of the short following the locals around. There's a lot of villains riding horseback and racing about, but that's about it, really. Perhaps I should've seen the first part of the series before this one?
The main feature stars Lon Chaney Jr. as executed murderer Butcher Benton who is betrayed right before the execution by two henchmen, Squeamy and Joe, and Butcher vows revenge on them, plus their lawyer Lowe, who is interested in finding the $600,000 that Benton and friends stole and hid somewhere in the Los Angeles sewer system. Butcher's body is taken to a cancer researcher, who subjects it to massive jolts of electricity. Benton is revived as an angry and mute killer looking to kill Squeamy and Joe, as well as reconnect with his stripper girlfriend who is now dating the detective who brought Benton to justice.
To open the show, the 'Bots have all traded voices to confuse Joel. The invention exchange sees Joel invent cereal boxes with complete novels attached to the back; the Mads are hosting a celebrity shindig in Deep 13 with plenty of Z-level personalities, but they fail to display their invention, which they claim is for men only. Joel and the robots throw a parade in honor of The Undersea Kingdom, and later describe what they would do if they were indestructible. Joel prefers mundane activities, while Crow and Servo plan to wreak havoc with their new indestructible selves. To end the show, a contact is signed prohibiting any more cop-donut jokes in future experiments, and two policemen (played by Kevin Murphy and Mike Nelson) visit Deep 13.
Recommended episode.
Original airdate: August 15, 1992.
Available from Amazon as part of the eleventh MST3K collection.
In the second part of the Undersea Kingdom serial, Crash Corrigan, Billy Norton, and reporter Diana Compton find the lost continent of Atlantis, and spend most of the short following the locals around. There's a lot of villains riding horseback and racing about, but that's about it, really. Perhaps I should've seen the first part of the series before this one?
The main feature stars Lon Chaney Jr. as executed murderer Butcher Benton who is betrayed right before the execution by two henchmen, Squeamy and Joe, and Butcher vows revenge on them, plus their lawyer Lowe, who is interested in finding the $600,000 that Benton and friends stole and hid somewhere in the Los Angeles sewer system. Butcher's body is taken to a cancer researcher, who subjects it to massive jolts of electricity. Benton is revived as an angry and mute killer looking to kill Squeamy and Joe, as well as reconnect with his stripper girlfriend who is now dating the detective who brought Benton to justice.
To open the show, the 'Bots have all traded voices to confuse Joel. The invention exchange sees Joel invent cereal boxes with complete novels attached to the back; the Mads are hosting a celebrity shindig in Deep 13 with plenty of Z-level personalities, but they fail to display their invention, which they claim is for men only. Joel and the robots throw a parade in honor of The Undersea Kingdom, and later describe what they would do if they were indestructible. Joel prefers mundane activities, while Crow and Servo plan to wreak havoc with their new indestructible selves. To end the show, a contact is signed prohibiting any more cop-donut jokes in future experiments, and two policemen (played by Kevin Murphy and Mike Nelson) visit Deep 13.
Recommended episode.
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