Movie: (1955) Delinquent teens on the run hold a farm family hostage.
First shown: 1/15/94
Opening: M&tB are escaping
Intro: Dr. has invented mace mousse, the escape plan fails
Host segment 1: M&tB salute the golden age of the “doughy guy”
Host segment 2: M&tB create the first deli in space
Host segment 3: M&tB present a commercial for Mystos
End: Tom delivers some letters; Frank is “Doughy Man” but Dr. F. sprays him again, again and again…
Stinger: “TURN IT OFF!”
(162 votes, average: 4.38 out of 5)
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• For those who missed the note last week, I am skipping episode 521- SANTA CLAUS for the time being. I will get to it around Christmas. (One alert reader noted that THIS episode is also a holiday movie — the events happen on Thanksgiving!)
• This episode is included in the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. XXXIII.
• This movie has a great opening half hour and pretty exciting last 20 minutes. Unfortunately, it also has a deadly 40 minutes in the middle. The segments are hit and miss, with a wonderful finish. All in all, it’s in the fair-to-good range.
• Mike’s jumpsuit, which has been green since he became host, is suddenly tan in the opening segment, then reverts to green for the rest of the episode.
• Invention exchange fadeaway watch: The mace mousse seems to be a genuine invention. Frank is hilarious, by the way. Mike’s still busy escaping–though he does CALL it an invention!
• Non-spaghetti ball bumpers: pan to beaker; closeup on datebook.
• As the opening begins, Mike is pulling something off the wall that he says “we’re gonna need.”
• Movie observations: Why doesn’t Jane save herself and rat out the guys? She HATES them! They tricked her! What loyalty does she owe them? I don’t get it. Also, an example of stupid script writing: The matron asks the feuding inmates: “Who started this?” What real matron would bother? Has that EVER worked?
• Segment 1 was an instant hit and within hours the MSTie internet was bursting with tributes to doughy guys. And as a doughy guy myself, I enjoyed it. Mike really belts out his part.
• Segment 3, of course, riffs on Mentos commercials that had become a regular feature of the episodes of late. By the way, Trace, who famously has trouble carrying a tune, does pretty well singing the Mystos song.
• Callbacks: “Mitchell!” Of course, there are too many callbacks to count in segment 2. “Want some?” (Daddy-O) And “Thank God we have Radar!” and “Why don’t they look?” has already joined the rotation.
• Mike carries Servo by the neck when they enter the theater after segment 2. He doesn’t seem to mind.
• Of course this episode also gave us the classic line: “He’ll never touch you, Terry, you’re dirt.” The Brains apparently really liked because it was used many times thereafter.
• Somebody emailed me about this the last time around and I have still not been able to get a satisfactory answer. There is a quick shot of Ben and Jane sitting on the basement steps, and Mike’s riff is: “I like Wade, he’s just not a dancer.” What’s that from?
• The movie shows an obelisk and Mike (I think) says “The Roddy McDowall monument!” Um, huh? If they’d said “The Milton Berle monument” I’d get it. Was Roddy known for his, um, endowment? (Last time around, several commenters confirmed that he was.)
• Just like in 319- WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST, this movie’s climax happens at L.A.’s Griffith Observatory — quite a remarkable jump, considering that the rest of the film supposedly takes place in the Midwest.
• The mace mousse bit at the end just gets funnier and funnier. It’s very reminiscent to the “Daddy-O” ending.
• Cast and crew roundup: Producer Sam Katzman also produced “The Corpse Vanishes.” In front of the camera: Sydney Mason was in “Revenge of the Creature.” Larry Blake was in “Beginning of the End.” Robert Bice was also in “Invasion USA,” George “doughy guy” Cisar is also in “Attack of the Giant Leeches” and Sydney Mason was also in “Revenge of the Creature.”
• Creditswatch: Host segments directed by Trace Beaulieu. Andrea DuCane returns to do hair and makeup for the final three eps of the season. The title of “Manager of Business Affairs,” which appeared on the credits at the beginning of the season, appears for the last time in this episode, along with the person who held the title, Heide A. LeClerc-Becker.
• Fave riff: “You’re gonna have to get in line. Couple o’ cows ahead of you.” Honorable mention: “I will not be ignored, Ben. Hold please.”
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Oops, I did miss the note about “Santa Claus”. So, is there a full review this week? It never hurts to check!
But anyway, as for Teenage Crime wave, I don’t remember liking it that much. The movie itself was awful! I just HATE wanting to punch certain characters for two solid hours. But the Mystos commercial more than made up!!!
I haven’t seen the episode in a long time, but as far as the “Roddy McDowell monument” joke goes, I’d bet it’s the BB’s Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon way of referencing 2001: A Space Odyssey. See, there’s monkeys prancing around an obelisk in 2001, and Roddy McDowell dressed up as a damn dirty ape in that one Chuck Heston movie…shoot, I can’t remember the title…was it Soylent Green? The Omega Man? Bowling for Columbine?
Anyway, they throw some monkey jokes at Mr. McDowell in Laserblast, so to me that lends further weight to my flimsy argument.
I’m not a fan of “hostage siege” movies (except for “Taking of Pelham One Two Three”) and this one was pretty painful. Not my favorite at all.
On the other hand, the host segments in this one are very good, with the Mace Mousse and Mike’s Mystos face priceless.
Could have been The Ten Commandments. Or maybe Ben-Hur. :razz:
Sampo : Yes, I believe that Roddy was rumored to be rather… ROD-y. They’ve referenced it elsewhere ( maybe the FC ?), along with Milton Berle and some alleged Book of Lists entry.
Does Honk-Shoo count as a call-back, or is that more of a motif ?
Sampo, regarding the Santa Claus shift: Note that the subject movie here is itself Thanksgiving themed.
Speaking of the subject movie, it is probably better than average for MST. It’s no “Tormented” but the creators really kind of tried… There is quite a bit of low-rent Hitchcock going on here. An innocent dragged into adventure, vague attempts at suspense and sexual tension at the farmhouse, the chase scene climaxing at the observatory ( the poor director’s Mount Rushmore or Statue of Liberty ).
I hadn’t seen this one since it was last broadcast, and watching it again this week I remembered doughy guy and mystos ( both great ) but I’d forgotten the closing creditus interuptus, which had me in stitches !
I guess the ep was a minute or 2 short ?
( I’ll give it a 4 ).
So these hardboiled, cigerette smoking,
murdering teeanagers demand MILK! as
their drink of choice? :shock: Where’s the
moonshine?
And exactly how long would a woodframe house
last with cigerettes all over the floo(are you people animals? Haven’t you heard of
ashtrays? Saucers?
Still, the kitten fight wasn’t bad before
matron broke it up.
Actually, there’s an old Hollywood story about the young Roddy McDowell and Milton Berle. Roddy was boasting about his equipment and Berle called him on it. After Roddy dropped trou to prove his claims, Berle showed just enough of his package to win the bet.
Wife: “So, Andrew, how was the MST3K chat today.”
Me: “Pretty good. We talked about actors comparing their packages.”
It’s not the length of the movie, it’s how the actors are used that counts.
ck #6 – Actually, drinking milk is a good defensive measure. Moonshine makes you physically unable to terrorize old people. But milk builds strong bones that gives you a decided cat-fight advantage.
underwoc 7″, I mean #7. Yes, I’ve heard the Berle story as well, in other contexts. The most recent was with Howard Stern, who demanded a c***fight, as it were, to which Berle replied “I’ll take out just enough to beat you”.
This was a great episode it was funny and the host segments were great. My favorite riff wass i am not a violent man but if you take my lst stamp i kill you. This is of my favorites episodes.
Does anyone else find is creepy that the dough late 40ish guy pickes up a 17yo and gets so exited about it. They do mock it which i always laugh at it because the actor plays it so over the top.
Jason #10. In the old days it was not unusual in the movies ( and in ‘real’ Hollywood ) for grown-up men to end up involved with women in their late teens. ‘Tammy and the Bachelor’ comes to mind. And Mia Farrow’s marriage to Frank Sinatra ( where do you think Soon-Yi learned it ? ).
It creeps me out too. I don’t know if it was reflective of some aspect of reality, or merely some kind of fantasy wish fulfilment. Either way, creepy.
“It’s that thing again!”
By the way, it’s McDowall, not McDowell. But the credits to Laserblast misspell it too.
I really like this episode. I love the Mystos commercial. I think it’s a very accurate parody of those Mentos commercials. The “Doughy Guy” song is fun, I particularly like the inclusion of “Richard Daley” (both of them). My favorite moment in the movie is during an intense phone ringing scene. Tom Servo does a long sequence of Rockford Files riffs.
As to why Terry and her boyfriend wanted milk, I think they just didn’t expect anything stronger. Perhaps they were just smart enough to know that a couple of squares like that farmer and his wife wouldn’t have any booze? Or, more likely, the filmmakers probably couldn’t have it in the movie in that sort of context.
I don’t know what it is, but the films where good people get accused of doing bad things always piss me off. Not the riffing itself, which is fine as always. But the movie just angers me to the point where I can’t watch it.
Untamed Youth is similar to this, Girls Town, Kitten on a Whip. I just hate these “people put in dire situations” movies. They never sit well with me.
*phone rings*
“WHAT DOES IT MEAN??!?”
I love the “mace mousse” intro!
:wink:
It’s been a loooooong time since I’ve seen this one (I don’t have it recorded. I missed the note on Santa Claus too). But my favorite part of the episode is not the Mentos parody, which was good, nor even the Mace Mousse (which I think should be made a real item. I’d buy it.) but rather the jokes whenever the phone rings. It cracked me up every time. To this day, whenever I hear a phone ring, I think of those riffs.
Great Host Segments! Mystos! Mace Mousse! SOL Deli!, and best of all… DOUGHY GUYS!
Look at any photo of a middle-aged guy from that era, and you’ll realize that it really was the Golden Age of the Doughy Guy.
I’m with Sampo on this one. Great in the beginning, slows down, and then picks up again near the end for the great Obseratory chase scene.
But there are just enough dead on great riffs to lift this one into the A- category for me. Matt G in #15 mentions one that really cracked me up. I wish I could remember them like that.
And no, I will not talk about Rods. Not even a Sterling one as I Steiger out of here.
Frank as Doughy Man was priceless – his cape flapping behind him as he gives his speech about butter somehow makes it even funnier for me.
I especially appreciated the moment in the movie when the teenagers’ mug shots are aired on television…and Jane’s is a cheesecake picture.
Not much of a fan of this episode. Painful movie, even on repeat viewings after you know what to expect and start listening more to the jokes.
Pretty “meh” reaction to this here episode, but I love it, one of my favorites. The driving stock footage that makes it look like they’re about to crash into the scenery is great. I know it hasn’t been updated in nearly ten years, but Daddy-O’s Drive-In Dirt seems to think the movie takes place in the Midwest, but it yakes place in, I believe, Lancaster, California.
Anybody know what “You will do battle with Clara on the fourth plane of the dream warrior” is from?
Skiptastic comment #14, I think you summed up my feelings about this too. My sentiments exactly. I rarely watch this episode or the other ones you listed for exactly the reasons you stated so well.
Sampo: I’ve got to agree with you. Teenage Crime Wave starts off promisingly and ends excitingly, but most of it is just sitting around the house. The comments regarding the characters’ stunned confusion every time the phone rings are funny, but that can only happen occasionally. As Mike puts it, “Forty minutes of hard-driving living room action!”
This episode is an underrated gem in my opinion. There’s a lot to like in this one:
The riffs over the opening crawl were gold, from Crow’s “Star Wars”-esque narration to the jokes about having to read the whole movie.
The Doughy Guy riffs at the beginning were also a lot of fun, especially with Servo saying “It’s a good thing I brought my life savings!” as Doughy Guy heads off to get rolled.
Although they didn’t do many riffs on the title, the ones that are here (“Teen-Age Crime Ripple,” “Teen-Age Cry Wave”) never fail to make me laugh.
The breakout scene was hilarious, with a great riff on the screaming and the “We better let them know we’re running late” riff.
The middle section doesn’t drag, thanks to two things: the crew imitating the old parents (“Anyone for gravy?”) and Mike’s imitation of the gun-toting thug (especially when he makes inane observations about the place: “You got a real nice tablecloth, pop!”).
And the ending with the observatory brings things to a great close. As with the rest of the episode, the riffing is excellent, but it’s just a matter of getting past two really unlikable characters.
The skits here are fun, although it’s a shame that they didn’t do more send-ups of the film. It would have been hilarious if the SOL crew reenacted one of the many house scenes from the film (with Mike getting a call from Deep 13 and trying his best to signal for help or something).
Still, it’s all worth it for the SOL Deli and Dr. F attacking Frank’s Doughy Man. In particular, the Doughy Man attacks were great, although one moment from the Poopie blooper reel never made it to the actual episode: “A present for me? Hey, it’s not my birthday!”
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHH! ARRRRRRRRGH!! ARRRRRRRRRRRGHH!!!
(calms down, pauses to look, gets sprayed again)
AAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHH!!!
Ah, me. Quite enjoyed the film actually, I guess I had the opposite reaction to Skiptastic because Girls Town, Untamed Youth and KWAW were all ones I liked as well. The male criminal is so angry and irritable it’s funny, and the bewilderment about the phone is great.
Thanks to this episode, I cannot refill the thousand island dressing at work without cracking up. Better yet was when a considerable doughy guy was standing right in front of me when I went to go and fetch it.
More about the observatory. Did you notice how
psycho teens’ plan is to get lost in “the crowd” at the observatory but there is no one there, including even any cars of guards?
And I seem to recall some other movies
with that observatory (wasn’t one of them
a James Dean movie?
And why does the bad girl going into the
barn with psycho guy remind me of Young
Frankenstein? :smile:
“Herr Professor, would you like a roll
in ze hay?”
Sorry, I meant bad girl going into the barn
with the good guy/veteran/college student/good son etc.
A pretty good episode, terrible movie, strong riffs. The mace mousse is one of my favorite inventions ever, “Satan’s Jockstrap” kills me everytime, and the repeated attacks on Frank at the end are hilarious. Frank as Doughy Man is some of his best work I think. As Green Switch#25 pointed out, Mike’s observational type riffs are particularly good.
I did miss the note about skipping Santa Claus. And I just wasted two hours of my life watching it! CRAP! :evil:
THIS movie I watched a couple weeks ago and it’s already a little fuzzy. A few good riffs, nothing spectacular. And I thought it was Servo who said, “It’s the Roddy McDowall Monument.”
They pointed out in the movie that 25% of crime is caused by juvenile delinquancy. So –shouldn’t they be focusing more on ADULT delinquancy? That’s 75% by my math.
Another call back: “Thank God we have radar.” (Mike).
A couple other lines that were funny to me:
“Court appointed parents.” Crow
“You’re a slutty gun moll.” Mike
“Sorry I tried to kill you, BABY.” Mike
“Thank you, Officer Plattitude.” Crow
“Plot convenience news.” Crow
“I should have visited the Johnsons!” Mike
(And the Roddy McDowall bit).
I only remembered those because I jotted them down.
Also – why was that chick wearing her pajamas in the bar? (That’s what her clothes looked like to me, anyway).
Overall, not a great ep, but okay.
Shhh!!
To this day, I still say “What does it mean?” when someone I’m with doesn’t answer their phone. Sometimes when I’m home by myself and the phone rings, I scream it very loudly.
Very nice episode. When I think of mace mousse, I always think of the Poopie! outtake where Trace misses Frank entirely. Otherwise host segments are pretty good. The movie, I’m inclined to agree with Sampo. That middle 40 just drags.
The mace mousse is classic MST3K!
The milk thing? It’s easy to miss, but Terry mentions that her boyfriend has a bum stomach. She’s probably referring to an ulcer, and milk is a good soothing agent for ulcers.
It makes sense in that context. Crime is a very high-stress work environment, after all.
Mace Mousse, Mystos! The Doughy Guy…great host segments.
And how about Mike’s escape plan, where the LOX is not Liquid Oxygen but the fish product?
Can’t comment on this one as it’s one of the three Mike episodes from Season 5 I haven’t seen. Better watch this, Alien from L.A., and Village of the Giants (especially before next week) to remedy that.
I tend to agree with the above posts that this is a fun, middle of the road episode. One thing I did notice when watching this morning is that this is a Columbia picture. Columbia’s pre-70s catalog is now owned by Sony. I have a feeling Shout!Factory may have some trouble getting the rights to this one :sad:
This was a solid episode for me. Alot of people here seem to think that the middle dragged, and to some extent they are right. But the riffing is very good, and there is enough tension during the mid-40 mins to keep the viewer’s attention. The phone bits are drop-dead funny; when was the last time you’ve seen a phone ring cause such alarm?
What makes this a 4-star for me is the host segments and Frank’s “Doughy Man” sketch. Forrester is at his sadistic best with that in particular.
This is one of my top ten favorites. Anytime I’m jonesing for a good laugh I’ll pop it in and be guaranteed a constant smile on my face.
The bad guy reminds me of a younger and stupider (if thats possible) version of the icky elf guy from Girl In Gold Boots.
So many good riffs I cant possibly list them. Just some off the top of my head—
“Chicken Feed?? I’m out of my depth! I don’t mess with chicken feed!”
“You didn’t tell me you had seed catalogs , old man!”
“I went to DeVry!”
“Don’t mock our chairs too, son.”
“No, he’s more three-dimensional.”
“Letters? No one sends me Letters!”
——————————————–
Some episodes get old after a while, but this one I can watch repeatedly and still laugh everytime. Rhino and Shout really dropped the ball in not releasing this, but I dont care, I’ve got my dvd of it.
#32:Jeff says:
November 13th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
To this day, I still say “What does it mean?” when someone I’m with doesn’t answer their phone. Sometimes when I’m home by myself and the phone rings, I scream it very loudly.
#32:Jeff says:
November 13th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
To this day, I still say “What does it mean?” when someone I’m with doesn’t answer their phone. Sometimes when I’m home by myself and the phone rings, I scream it very loudly.
______________________________________________
I’m glad I’m not the only one that does goofy stuff like that.
Even so, it really means that we’re a bunch of nerds, doesn’t it?
(Sorry about the duplicate post, by the way. I pushed the wrong button…)
“Come on come on come on get up!”
“Okay okay okay I’m up!”
MPSh #41. of course you meant to say “pushed the wrong button FRANK”.
I’m not a medium, I’m a petite says:
November 14th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
MPSh #41. of course you meant to say “pushed the wrong button FRANK”.
_____________________________________________
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I love it!
Incidentally, one of the things I love about the Mace Mousse bit at the beginning was the grinning little dance Frank was doing as he spritzed perfume on Dr. Forrester; it’s one of those Frank moments that really puts the show over the top….
@MPSh#42
Of course we’re a bunch of nerds, but that’s a good thing. I’m sure most if not all of us do goofy little things where we reference the show, even when no one’s around….it’s in our blood.
Man, the only thing I remember from this episdoe was the list of ‘doughy guys’ including Bill Clinton.
I’m drawing a blank for the rest of the film. :sad:
#28-About the location at the end, the Griffith Park Observatory was also in Rebel Without A Cause, needless to say a much better movie. I wonder how Mystos reacts with diet coke :lol:
Yeah, in my haste to complement the very good writing and riffing of the movie, I forgot to mention that the host segments stand out too.
The Mystos one is hilarious, that Mike ‘face’ was a perfect representation of how those kids in the commercials acted.
The Doughy guy seg was also a winner.
Wasnt this the episode that had the Sollies diner too? or am I thinking of a different episode? Cause if it was, that was a damn good host seg as well.
I just don’t understand why more people don’t love this episode. I think the main reason is that it was never released commercially so less of the fan base has seen it.
I have to say that I think its the best episode of this season.
The Mace Mousse at the end is the only drawback to me, I just get annoyed at it. I’m all peaced out and relaxed, but Frank wont stop yelling.
If he would have just quieted down a little I would be more into it.
This is one of my least favorite episodes. I think the movie choice was poor, not because it’s “painfully bad” like Manos but because of the subject matter. Kidnapping, robbery, hostage/torture, etc. I feel this movie would not have been featured in the Joel years. That’s my problem with Season 5, you notice a shift in the tone of the movies when Joel leaves, they get nastier. I always felt Joel had a hand in keeping the show more “family-oriented” when he was around, when he left the movies weren’t as kid-friendly.