Movie: (1957) A swarm of giant grasshoppers, inadvertently created by a radioactive experiment, heads for Chicago.
First shown: 11/25/93
Opening: During a group sing, M&tB get a wrong number
Invention exchange: The Mads present the re-comfy bike, M&tB show off their new playing cards
Host segment 1: Mike calls the Mads and catches them off guard
Host segment 2: Crow unveils his latest screenplay: “Just Plain Peter: The U of M Years”
Host segment 3: Tom’s standup routine is heavy on grasshopper jokes
End: The bots post-card, Bert I. Gordon special effects, Mads are boxing
Stinger: “Alright, men. Into the woods!”
(231 votes, average: 4.32 out of 5)
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• This one’s a bit of a change of pace, literally: Bert I. Gordon slows things down and grinds out the filler thoughout a drab, monster-free first half — but that just leaves plenty of room for the riffs. Once the grasshoppers and Peter Graves arrive, things really pick up. The host segments are fun, especially Crow’s newest screenplay.
• References.
• Mary Jo is VERY good at playing those trailer trash gals. Maybe a little TOO good. That’s Paul yelling in the background.
• The playing cards bit, which I think even they realized was a little wifty, would be parodied in season six.
• Some grasshoppers were harmed in the making of this movie: According to reports, the grasshopper wranglers started with 200 of the little guys. During the filming, they began to cannibalize one another, and by the time the last shots were done, only a dozen were left.
• When we started doing the Mike episodes, somebody in the comments said it was the beginning of an era when the Mads became more effeminate, and yeah, I guess there was a bit of an upswing of that kind of comedy. Segment one is a good example.
• Rhino really screwed the pooch on the packaging for this one: Joel’s picture is on the package and he is touted as the star. On the menus, you can hear Arch Hall Jr. croon “Vicky.” Bleah.
• Tom begins to sing a few bars of George Michael’s “Faith” before Mike and Crow threaten him.
• Callbacks: What would Mitchell do? “…sing whenever I sing…” (Giant Gila Monster) Trumpy! (Pod People)
• In the theater somebody who is not Mike coughs. I think it’s Kevin.
• Cast and crew roundup: I’m not going to recite the whole Bert I. Gordon litany. Screenwriter Fred Freiberger was the producer for the “Space: 1999” episodes that appeared in “Cosmic Princess. Cinematographer Jack Marta also worked on “Earth Vs. The Spider” and “War of the Colossal Beast.” Editor Aaron Stell also worked on “The Giant Gila Monster” and “Killer Shrews.” Flora Gordon also helped with special effects on “Amazing Colossal Man,” “Earth Vs. The Spider,” “War of the Colossal Beast,” “Magic Sword” and “Village of the Giants. Special effects guy Dean Duncan Parkin was an actor in “War of the Colossal Beast. Production manager James Harris also worked on “Amazing Colossal Man.” Art director Walter Keller also worked on “Earth Vs. The Spider” and “War of the Colossal Beast.” Sound guy Dick Tyler Sr. also worked on “Radar Men from the Moon.” Our old pal score composer Albert Glasser did music for too many movies to name.
In front of the camera, I’m not going to recite the Peter Graves litany again. Morris Ankrum was also in “Rocketship XM.” James Seay was also in “Amazing Colossal Man.” Hank Patterson was also in “Amazing Colossal Man” and “Earth vs. the Spider. John Close was also in “The Slime People” and “The Deadly Mantis.” Rayford Barnes was in “Mitchell.” Don C. Harvey was also in “Revenge of the Creature.” Larry J. Blake was also in “Teen-Age Crime Wave.” Eileen Janssen was also in “The Space Children.” Patricia Dean was also in “The Girl in Lovers Lane.” Peggie Castle was also in “Invasion U.S.A.” Pierre Watkin was also in “Radar Secret Service.”
• CreditsWatch: Host segments directed by Kevin Murphy. This was Stephanie Hynes last episode as an intern. There’s a special item at the end: “Shot entirely in Minneapolis, home of the University of Minnesota.”
• Fave riff: “Look, we’ll move to the loop to Schaumburg!” Honorable mention: “Yeah, terrible. Martinis?”
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You are so high. This is a great episode.
Peter Graves, a cute woman, great host segments,
come on!
Peggy Castle has to be one of HOTTEST stars of a MSTied film!
First i am from illinois and the movie clearly not illinois.
i find this is one of those episodes where it starts really funny and it loses it when the bugs show up. i always laugh so hard at mike and the bots looking at the mads acting all feminate. Just the look on crow, i just find it so funny.
A great episode, and one very suitable for newbies. The skits are particularly hilarious, and attractively simple in construction. Crow’s play devoted to Peter Graves is brilliant, and I always enjoy watching Mike become increasingly irritated as it goes on and on. I’ve never liked the stinger, though.
Peter Graves is THE MAN!!!
This is the PERFECT movie to riff on, but the riffs themselves are a bit on the tame side. Still a great episode for me.
Cast question: I believe the old guy whom the army interviews at the beginning of the movie also plays janitor Hugo in “Earth vs. the Spider”. Am I right?
In the “Peter Graves attends the University of Minnesota” skit (an all-time favorite) I think it’s interesting how Mike tries to get the baseball in Crow’s net and fails, yet at the end of the skit he wads the script up and throws randomly it at Crow, and it DOES get stuck.
Click on my name above for my FULL review!
Prof. Gunther #4 – Yes! I’ve always wondered about the stinger, too. Is it supposed to be an innuendo? Is it supposed to parody the laze with which the superior officer directs the troops? Anyone?
Cast question: I believe the old guy whom the army interviews at the beginning of the movie also plays janitor Hugo in “Earth vs. the Spider”. Am I right?
Why, yes! That’s the legendary Hank Patterson. Best known as Fred Ziffel on “Green Acres” and “Petticoat Junction,” he can also be seen in Bert I. Gordon’s Amazing Colossal Man.
Last I checked, this is a very hard-to-find episode since the movie rights reverted back to the original distributor or something. Glad to have found a used copy recently at a DVD store.
Good Ep: ripe target, well riffed ( 4+/5 if there was such a thing ). They are well within their zone here. But I do seem to have watched it a lot, which may be why I can’t quite give it a 5… to familair at this point, not really the ep’s fault I guess.
Fave Riffs : “Somebody’s movin’ the sign!” & “He heard him see something”… or was it “He saw him hear something” ?
Liked the playing cards… Just Todd. The re-comfy bike is funny on a couple of levels but seems a little dated now, while aggressively passive confrontationaly non-confrontational new-age types will unfortunately always be with us. Toss in the Crow of Diamonds & the Eight of Chris Lemmon = Comic gold.
re #4 & #6 Into the Woods stinger… well, the Sondheim Musical of the same name would still be fresh in their minds. But can a clip have a different meaning as a stinger than it does in situ ?
Sampo: wifty ?
I always found this to be a weak episode with a strong ending. The host segments are good, even if one of them has a very dated Chevy Chase Show reference.
I still can’t separate Pearl from the character Mary Jo played in the opening segment.
My home town gets its second reference in only four episodes: “The Orkin Army storms the beaches of Lake Forest!” (It was also mentioned in Teenage Strangler.) Although now that I think about it, if the grasshoppers came from downstate, and have holed up in Chicago, they wouldn’t have reached Lake Forest yet.
I also love the delivery on, “Guys, this is so NOT Illinois.”
Sampo: I know it doesn’t apply to this episode, but I like that you now have explanatory links for the “obscure riffs.”
I’ve lived in Illinois for 23 years… and you’re right: except for the Chicago parts, they were nowhere near Illinois’ statewide, flat expanses of cornfields and more cornfields…
Favorite riff: “That’s my favorite mountain in Illinois!”
My brother and I were disappointed with this episode as, being fans of the Mission Impossible series, there were no riffs that referred to it whenever Peter Graves was onscreen. Same with parts: the Clonus horror. I know there’s one more MSTed movie with Graves so that’ll be the last hope.
As for this episode-
* The effects of the grasshoppers (except for the postcards) are actually very well done, considering the technology at the time.
* This one actually has one of Mike’s naughtiest riffs that I can recall. When Audrey, Ed, and Frank are driving to the warehouse, Mike speaks for Audrey in saying, “Wait a minute, this car isn’t a stick! AAAAAHHHH!”
* Another great running gag: Ed’s obsession with polygraphing everything around him.
* Despite the inaction of the movie, the riffers are surprisingly loud. I can never fall asleep during this one because of it.
* Great Indiana Jones reference when Ed & co. fly back out of DC (Crow “dahs” the main theme).
* Fave riff(s): “Oh my god, it’s my dad!” and “I’m hiding from the lion! He’s got these women scared stiff!”
“whenever we go out, the people always shout THERE GOES JOHN JACOB JINGLEHEIMERSCHMIDT, TRA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
Almost reminds me of my boot camp experience, except we were after fire ants…
Solid episode – the “special” effects are among my all-time favorites. And to think Hollywood, today, spends millions on CGI with about the same results.
As for the stinger – this might be one of those the Brains had a little trouble with. Personally, I like it, though. The casual finger flip is nice.
Awp, forgot to comment on the stinger. As someone who grew up on an army base, the dull order for “All right, men, into the woods…” is very uncharacteristic of an officer.
Personally I would have had the stinger be the moment before Frank gets devoured by the first grasshopper when Mike points out that “he’s mouthing ‘AAAAHHHH!!!'”
I LOVE this episode.
“Watch this — ‘HEY, FRANK!!!!!'” cracks me up every time.
> My brother and I were disappointed with this episode as, being fans of the Mission Impossible series, there were no riffs that referred to it whenever Peter Graves was onscreen. Same with parts: the Clonus horror. I know there’s one more MSTed movie with Graves so that’ll be the last hope.
It Conquered the World? You will not be disappointed.
My brother and I were disappointed with this episode as, being fans of the Mission Impossible series, there were no riffs that referred to it whenever Peter Graves was onscreen.
I’d have to find the exact moment, but there is one. At one point, they say, “Barney, Paris! Help!”
Personally, one of my faves is the utterly psychotic Albert Glasser music, and the riffing therepon, though sadly I can’t remember any of the latter :(
I’m Peter Graves, and I went to the University of Minnesota.
I’m Peter Graves, and I’m enjoying some good-natured ribbing by my classmates, here at the University of Minnesota.
Awesome.
I was wondering if you could direct me to the natatorium. I’m Peter Graves, and I’m attending a swim meet, here at the University of Minnesota.
or words to that effect.
Darn it I was wrong. This ep IS a 5. The more I read the more I realize that there’s just sooo much good stuff.
Sampo, change my vote !
Long-time reader, first time poster here. I inadvertently rewatched this one last night, and only halfway through did it occur to me that this was the next episode to be reviewed.
Some things I noticed:
* I think Mike and the Bots set a standard for sleaziness in the first couple minutes of this episode. Pretty much every joke involving Peter Graves inside his garden is (rather overt, in my opinion) sexual innuendo.
* I’m not sure if it’s because of Rhino’s early mastering skills (or lack thereof) but Mike’s voice seems to be a lot softer than it is in the Sci-Fi episodes. Some of his riffs actually remind me of Josh Weinstein’s Tom Servo.
* This was one of the very first episodes I ever remember watching and it still has one of my favorite riffs in the entire series “Oh, I got a great gun. No, I don’t need a bazooka.” – A perfect example of how important delivery is to the show, and riffing in general.
* For what it’s worth, my Rhino DVD actually does have Mike on the cover, though it does mistake one of Crow’s riff as one of Servo’s. I guess it was a different pressing or something?
A decent enough movie in its own right, a solid middling Bert I Gordon, and with solid riffing, too. Not one that I watch too often, but enjoyable.
The opening with Mary Jo’s “Mommy’s on the phoooone” in that incredible voice is perfect; I have many relatives (from Minnesota!) that occasionally sound just like this. (Well, I do, too, sometimes, but I’m not from Minnesota.)
The glimpse into the Mads’ private time is great – Frank’s little jump onto the couch always makes me laugh.
Fave riff: in response to “What do you need?” Servo’s instant “A tennis ball, an accordian and a picture of Don Ameche.” Wow.
Pretty good ep.
Another dated reference (someone beat me to the Chevy Chase one): The Fox sitcom “Duet” – Eeesh.
“Wild Palms” with K-K-Kim Catrall.
(Anyone actually watch that?
A few good lines: When a police dispatcher over the radio says, “Is that car in your area?”, Crow says: “I BEG your pardon?”
“The car was attacked by a sweater.”
“This was no boating accident.”
“Hey, this is even worse than that other stuff that we didn’t know what it was.”
“He’s signing, ‘Aaaah!'”
“Have these people killed.”
When someone mentions settlers, Servo says something like, “Oh, yeah, people who settle.” (There may have been another word after that, I couldn’t hear it).
Besides the Mission Impossible riffs they didn’t do, I’m surprised they didn’t do a few for “Airplane!” when Peter Graves is saying “over” over the radio. You know, like “Over, Over.” “Roger, Roger.” “What’s your vector, Victor?” “What’s your clearance, Clarence.” etc.
I notice, like me, Peter Graves is left-handed. :wink:
Pretty funny overall.
This is one of my all-time, most-watched episodes. I’m not even sure why, though riffs like ‘Oh, I’ve got a great gun, I don’t need a bazooka” still kill me.
I find this to be a really good episode to introduce newbies to the show–the movie itself isn’t painful to watch; in fact it moves right along. Plus, there’s just something naturally goofy about Peter Graves that make all his films fun to riff–I’m also really fond of the Film Crew’s Killers From Space, which is a much dreckier bit of source material.
While the grashoppers weren’t especially scary at least they weren’t filthy, disgusting
anteaters.
And how about those postcard special effects grasshopper climbing!
Actually, I find Beginning of the End to be a little dull. I generally like my riffing paired with riffable material, and the movie gets off to a horrible start when it spends the first quarter of its running time lingering by a wide spot in the road.
My favorite line isn’t a riff though. Peter Graves has a huge unintentional understatement when he looks around at the destruction caused by the bug apocalypse and says “In a way, I feel responsible”. To quote Mike, “In a way?”
Technically, the hilly settings would be suitable to represent downstate Illinois, around Carbondale, Anna and the like. However, Champaign-Urbana is pretty damn flat, like the plot of this drowsy little bug bomb of a film. Good for MST3K, bad for the annals of movie-dom.
Randy
#27: Nice callback (callforward?) to Overdrawn at the Memory Bank.
Randy
RE: “For what it’s worth, my Rhino DVD actually does have Mike on the cover, though it does mistake one of Crow’s riff as one of Servo’s. I guess it was a different pressing or something?”
Mike’s silhouette on teh front cover, pic of Joel atb on the back, and the words “Joel Hodgson, along with his mechanical companions…”
RE: Peter Graves is saying “over” over the radio. You know, like “Over, Over.” “Roger, Roger.” “What’s your vector, Victor?” “What’s your clearance, Clarence.” etc.
And don’t call me Shirly!
I dunno, I really like this episode. I loved Mary Jo’s performance as the White Trash Lady and, sure the movie is dull and boring, but the concept of giant grasshoppers on a postcard was just so silly, I couldn’t help but love it. I also think this was the episode I came around to both accepting and enjoying Mike as host: his check-up on the Mads allowed us a naughty little peak into their world I don’t think we ever would have seen with Joel and I think his riffing in the theater was top notch. A well-done show all around, methinks.
Whenever a movie shows a close-up of an actor driving a car, one of the guys sings “How will I make it on my own”. It is in this episode and many others. Can someone tell me what this is from. An earlier episode? An old movie or T.V. show? I don’t know and its making me crazy.
What poster #1 said. This is an underrated ep from the early Mike era. Good skits (especially Crow’s Peter Grave’s/Univ. MN, one of the most hilarious and skilled uses of repetition ever), Peggy Castle, the many lines enabled by Peter Graves. Fave non Graves lines:
The car scene when Peggy says to Graves, “What about Frank?” and Tom yells “Yeah. Heyyyyyy Fraaaaaaank!”
The tornado stock footage of the “grasshopper’s destruction” to which Crow laments in a womanly midwestern voice, “Oh, I wish the Larsons would take better care of their yard.”
“Commander Al Bundy.” Crow using his patented “Hoiman!”/Al Lewis voice when we first see him.
Crow:”One weekend a month my ass!”
The old geezer goofily high stepping with the fleeing mob, Mike: “Ohhhhh geez, ohhh mah goodness.” lol
And many more. This is one of the many MST Rhino VHS tapes my mom bought me back in 99/2000. Good memories. VHS tapes, wow. Seems hard to believe now.
Dr. Batch: The “How will you make it on your own” riff is from the Mary Tyler Moore opening theme song.
Dr. Batch: It’s the theme song to The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Btw, is Cloris Leachman in any Mst3000 reviewed movie? (You know; “Frau Blucher!”)
This episode is dear to me. I lent it to my friend Brian, and we incorporated a lot of it into our speech habits. Especially the Peter Graves at the U of M bit. We’d being playing Magic:the Gathering and have an exchange something like this: I’m Peter Graves, and I’m casting Fireball on your dragon. I’m Peter Graves, and I’m countering your Fireball.
Then someone would summon an insect, and sing, “We’re not afraid of big ol’ bugs. And the other would respond with, Army guys like gentle hugs.
It’s still good for a laugh between us to say, I’m Peter Graves, for absolutely no good reason.
This was one of the first episodes I taped, so I have seen it dozens of times. When I didn’t have cable, I would just cycle through my MST3K tapes. I’d have them on whenever I was doing something manual or that didn’t require silent contemplation. This was back in my carefree bachelor days, so this episode has further resonance for me.
I love the commander’s sly way of asking the photographer out for drinks. “Yeah, it’s a tragedy, wanna go out sometime?”
Though the riffing is chocked full of sexual jokes, there is zero chemistry between Graves and the woman. He’s a pompous blowhard who’s only interested in himself. What possible attraction could she have for him?
Okay, okay, you can have your raise.
yeah, my daughter bought me this VHS, and no doubt one of my all time favorites!! even though I know its coming, “watch this–HEY FRAAAANNNKKKK!!!!” gets me every time!! and “arnold ziffels father”!!!
This is a favorite of mine since it was one of the first I bought as a VHS single. Favorite riffs: “Guys, this is SO not Illinois,” and the Irish cop routine interrogating the giant grasshopper, “Isn’t that right, Hoppy?”
Although they were kind of mean to “Old Hickory”
pumafan #40 – The crew weren’t any more mean to “Old Hickory” than they were to Joe Don Baker. And that lady does have a very Andrew Jackson-ish likeness.
Speaking of that, that sounds like a good Weekend Discussion Thread: – Meanest riffs! Jokes that just want to make you put Mike/Joel and the bots in time-out!
I really like this episode, have seen it a dozen times or so….and that’s just recently. I love the Peter Graves UofM sketch, and the many shots at Bert I. Gordon. “You knoe ol’Bert I sure don’t skimp on the opening” “I’ll take the long way around, this is a Bert I. Gordon film after all” Also, the glimpse into the home life of Forrester and Frank was priceless, and their attempt to cover by boxing kills me.
Being not only from Illinois, but from the Chicagoland area (and incidentally living where Mike was born, heh), this movie is actually one of my favorites. This was one of the earlier episodes I saw when I first got into the show, and it really reminded me that yeah, it’s a product of the midwest.
“Guys, this is SO not Illinois” ranks up there with the whole ‘Twilight Zone’ thing we got going on (from Master Ninja I).
Not one of my favorites, put pretty good in retrospect. It’s been pointed out already, but it does bear repeating that the spunky lady reporter is h-h-hhhHOT!!!! Way hotter than the spunky girl reporter from Undersea Kingdom. Even hotter than the terrycloth-clad blonde from Attack of the Moon Beast. Wow! How many spunky female reporters show up on MST3K, anyhow?
My favorite riff, in a scene when one soldier is conversing with another in a mocking manner about the situation, Mike, as the other soldier, says in a disgusted, impatient voice “Everything is not a joke, Ted.” Or something like that.
Not a favorite, but one I enjoy a lot and can watch repeatedly nevertheless. I watched this movie and other like it about a jillion times when I was a kid. Didn’t see this for years after till it was done on MST3K. A real treat seeing this and other Mr. B.I.G. movies done by MST3K. Funny how these movies didn’t seem as good when I saw them on MST3K as they did when I watched them in my youth, but I enjoyed them just as much thanks to the MST3K treatment.
Like most of you, I think this is good, not great. Movie is just average, Peter Graves is (as usual) probably the best part. Host segments are hit and miss. Obviously Peter Graves at U of M is a classic.
Its a decent ep. Roger Corman is always good for a laugh.
Todd says the short length of my reply is okay.
I can’t remember the exact phrasing of the riff, but I LOVE IT when the good-natiured speechlesss assistant gets it. Something about “Look! He’s signing AAAAAHHHH!” It’s what I like about the Mike-era episodes, I guess. If Joel was around, making fun of the mute character would inevitably been followed by a weak-chinned comment like “oh, c’mon you guys…” It may not be very nice, but it is funny, and I don’t think the show should have to apologize for any off-color remark. Dammit.
Like many comments on here, I love the part where the assistant gets eaten and Mike says, “He signing AHHH!”, but my favorite riff is at the end of that scene as their speeding away and Crow says, “So, feel like Chinese?” Cracks me up every time.