Short: (1960) Two city kids learn the what their country cousins do on their dairy farm.
Movie: (1959) When their boat has mechanical trouble, a quartet of college kids seek help on an island, where a big game hunter lives.
First shown: 9/3/94
Opening: Tom is Crow’s therapist
Intro: Dr. F. redecorates Deep 13 for his mother’s visit, but she’s more pleased to see Frank
Host segment 1: Crow’s veg’able stand gets creamed
Host segment 2: M&tB try some square dancing
Host segment 3: Crow ruins Mystery Murder Dinner Theater
End: The bots think Mike is hunting them, Mike reads some letters, Dr. F.’s mom and Frank go out on the town
Stinger: Guy gets an arrow in the stomach
(216 votes, average: 4.15 out of 5)
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• The short gets us off to a great start. One of their funniest. But, for me, the movie has so many slow points that it’s hard to stay engaged, even though the riffing is pretty good. Robert Reed’s continual wryness begins to rankle after a while, too. The introduction of Pearl is auspicious, but we wouldn’t see her again for a long time.
• This episode appears in Rhino’s Vol. 1 collection.
• References.
• Several notables in this episode, include the first appearance of Mary Jo as Pearl and the redecoration of Deep 13.
• Gypsy says “bitch” supposedly accidentally. The bots want to say it too and Mike surprisingly is opposed to the idea.
• Crow apparently thought it was important to wear his nice dress slacks to therapy. I wonder what that means…
• In segment 1, Mike excuses himself to go “be” Kenny G — one of the first times Mike just sort of “becomes” somebody. This strange ability will help him in later episodes.
• The mayhem in segment 1 is an extension of the running gag begun in 604, which, as I explained, was lost on a lot of people when episode 604 was removed from the lineup for a while.
• I recall after this episode there was much chatter about the fact that they only made one Brady Bunch riff. Some wanted more, others were pleased with the riffers’ restraint.
• Later-to-be-disgraced, now-deceased TV chef Jeff Smith gets a reference and it won’t be the last.
• In segment 2, I like how they go from square dancing to slam dancing in two seconds. Note: Servo loses his head. Also note: The fiddle music is being supplied by the now-somewhat-famous Maria Bamford.
• Callbacks: “MANOS!” “He didn’t steal no bike neither” (Teenage Strangler)
• In the theater, as the bad guy goes on for a while, Mike gets sleepy and leans on Tom’s shoulder.
• Segment 3 is your basic one-joke segment. (see: “Waffles!”) I like the costumes, though.
• Then-current reference: Crow attempts to explain the surprise in the movie “The Crying Game” — then a popular topic of conversation.
• In one riff, they posit the idea of “Scooby Doo, the motion picture.” What a preposterous idea.
• Cast and crew roundup: Costumer Marge Corso also worked on “Earth Vs. The Spider,” “Teenage Caveman,” “Tormented” and “The She-Creature.” Assistant director Leonard Shapiro also worked on “Project Moon Base” and “The Amazing Transparent Man.” Props guy Richard Rubin also worked on “Attack of the Giant Leeches.” Sound mixer Philip Mitchell also worked on “Teenage Caveman” and “The Unearthly.” Score composer Mischa Terralso worked on “The Unearthly,” “King Dinosaur,” “The Violent Years” and “The Sinister Urge.” In front of the camera, June Kenney was also in “Earth vs. the Spider” and “Viking Women.” Walter Brooke was also in “Space Travelers” and “San Francisco International.” Gene Persson was also in “Earth Vs. the Spider.” Troy Patterson was also in “Earth Vs. the Spider.” Bobby Hall was also in “High School Big Shot.” Bill Coontz was a “High School Big Shot” and “The Girl in Lovers Lane.” Robert Reed also appeared in “SST Death Flight.”
• CreditsWatch: Host segments directed by Trace Beaulieu. Brad Keely drops off the lighting credit after this episode. Andrea DuCane is back doing hair and makeup for three episodes.
• Fave riff from the short: “All the commotion provokes a bull snake.” Honorable mention: “I remember ringing a bell…”
• Fave riff from the movie: “He shot the bear in mid-standing ovation.” Honorable mention: “No cookies! Not now, not ever, never!”
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strange to think Maria Bamford is the fiddler since I haven’t seen or heard of her having a musical talent in the time I’ve been aware of her as a comic.
I used to really, really dislike this episode, until I once watched it in the right frame of mind and realized how funny the movie really is. Robert Reed constantly using his “wry” voice (and getting called on it by M&tB), the awful screenwriting that tries to hide blatant exposition with half-sentences like:
“You don’t mean…”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean; I transported prisoners here for sport blah blah blah.”
Although it’s not the strongest episode, if you give it a chance, I really do think it’s hilarious.
Favorite line: Mike: “They shot the bear in mid-standing ovation.”
I don’t like this one too much. The movie is not that bad, it marches right along, competantly, and the riffing is the same, workman-like and uninspired. 3 stars.
The short is typical, solid… rural jokes, militia jokes, dark farm secrets jokes are always welcome here in the big town. Elsie and I are in love ! I’ll make the mint jelly ! Chicks… they’re WOMEN. I was kind of hard on them, Ward…
The SOL based host segments leave me kind of cold, the vegebale stand and the car, Crow spoilering everything.. kenny G, so what. but the Deep 13 activities were great of course ( well maybe the square dancing was pretty good too ).
Note that Pearl has a green suit, green glasses and up teased hair and Dr F has a green labcoat, green glasses and upteased hair.
Johnny Depp IS Rick Moranis AS Pete the weasely guy.
Robert Reed really must have been nobody at this time, he’s the lead protaganist but he only gets 4th billing.
Oh and Dean ( the faux drunk ) was the guy that said ‘plastics’ to Dustin Hoffman’s Benjamin in the Graduate.
Wandering around IMDB I found that a few people in this movie did have quite respectable careers in in show biz.
“Love and the Invasion of Normandy” is a reference to… Love American Style ( roasted last in the previous ep ).
Fave Riff : I had a good job as an actuary downtown, but no I had to go and buy an island ( cuz I’m an actuary ya see :)
Besides being the millionth remake or rip-off of “The Most Dangerous Game”, the movie’s a little too gruesome to make this an episode I’d want to watch a lot. I think I’ve only watched the DVD once, twice tops since Rhino released it years ago. I also think the consistency of the show during this time was a little off, especially on host segments. Not terrible (for me, there is no terrible MST3K), but not a top-notch episode.
I probably like this one more than others, although admittedly the brilliant short is what stands out for me the most.
EXCELLENT stinger! :grin:
@Speedy: I think they mentioned in Comedians of Comedy that she used to play fiddle/violin in her act when she started out, but she fazed that out.
I like this one, I like the gore scenes. It is a campy version of the Most Dangerous Game and Im glad it is on DVD in an early Rhino box set..
ANARCHY!!! ANARCHY!!!!……….and promenade.
Does anyone know what that one Brady Bunch refrence was? I’ve never been able to catch it.
I really have to be in the mood to watch this movie, because it’s horrifyingly dull, but I have to admit Robert Reed’s bad performance is amusing. He approaches everything with the timbre of a man who’s going to tell Cindy how wrong it is to tattle.
I also loved how they kept putting boxes for the leading lady to stand on whenever they had a close-up shot of her and Reed together. (You might remember her from “Earth Vs. The Spider” as the excessively fretful girl who lost her dad’s ring in the den of a giant spider.)
Dean (the faux drunk) will also be seen giving poor Pernell Roberts a hard time in “San Francisco International”.
#9: At the tree of death: “I slapped Ann B. Davis once.”
I really like this episode this is the last of the june kenney trio. earth vs the spider, viking women, and this one. I laugh that her height changes in each scene. There is a great blooper scene on the beach where the other girl find lignerie on the island an she doesn’t know what it is. You can see june kenney laugh in the background.
my favorite riffs are cornstalks coming after me. Goodbye you cornshucking suckers. the kitchen is not up to code. hasselhoff doesn’t suck in his gut like this guy.
I’m here to tell you about Mutual of Omaha!
For me, this one’s good, not great. The short really outshines the film, as riffing goes. The comments made when the eldest son is wiping down Bossie’s udder crack me up. “Uncle Jim is an edgy man who should not be riled.” As for the film, It’s pretty middle of the road for me. I know they made a choice not to just make a slew of Brady Bunch riffs, but that would have been fine by me! Superb call about Jondor’s resemblance to Eliot from the old Bob Newhart Show. Other than that my favorite call is “My muffins!” before the crazed island guy runs off.
I have mixed feeling about this episode, mostly because the movie is just so plodding and gross, and I think Sampo hit the nail on the head when he mentioned the annoyance of Robert Reed’s wry performance. The short was so much fun, though, and I really liked the host segments. Mike turning into Kenny G for absolutely no reason is just one of those MST moments that is inexplicable yet wonderful.
One note: Am I imagining things, or did the makeup department give Mary Jo a MUSTACHE for her performance as Mrs F? If they did, I’m really, really glad they got rid of that gratuitous little addition in future episodes.
Ah yes, one of my favorites for multiple reasons.
Short:
* Definitely one of the best, if not THE best short in the run of the show. I can’t really say much more than that.
* Favorite riff: “George is clearly shrinking.”
Movie:
* I was really excited when I first learned Robert Reed was in this movie, because to this day I absolutely hate The Brady Bunch. I began to respect him quite a bit when I learned that he hated it too but directed his hostility towards director Sherwood Schwartz while becoming a father figure to the rest of the cast.
* This is one that grew on me. I didn’t really like it the first couple of times I saw it, but as I picked up on more and more of the arcane references, it just screams hilarity now.
* After seeing Hercules Unchained, I keep wondering if Steve Allen already thought of being a P.I. at one point.
* This is still a better movie than the real Scooby Doo motion picture!
* Favorite riff: “I gotta limit myself to about three seconds of looking at that.”
Host segments:
* Crow’s pants return! Probably to hide Trace a little better.
* Segment 2 is definitely living proof that the Squaredance caller is all-powerful.
* I love how Trace’s voice breaks when he calls his mom for dinner the 2nd time.
* Favorite Segment: “I did it!”
Mike’s confident shout of “Can do!” while the captain is passed out flat on his back is a real crack up, too.
Kris #14 – They were trying to make Pearl look like Dr. F, so they gave her a little fuzz. It was rather unflattering and I’m glad they ditched it.
Plot Question – During the scene where the girls are hiding in the basement, a guy comes in with various body parts and sorts them. Can anyone tell me what the heck he was doing? Balleau’s whole thing was trophies, not butchering. ???
I’m probably just like a lot of people who own the unMstied version of this thanks to the Mill Creek releases and I just want to say that I really like this movie. Black and white, suspenseful, pseudo-gory, decent star power, satisfying ending. Great!
I like this episode but it does drag down a bit in the movie. Favorite riff – and the stagehand helps him too. Favorite segement – the square dancing slam dancing bit – i like how the bit degenerates into product placement like commercial into full on punk slam dancing.
Thanks, Gizmonic, I’m glad I wasn’t imagining things. :) Again, I am glad they ditched that though.
GizmoT #14 : Plot Question : I was under the impression that that was the taxidermy studio, were bodies are dismantled, preserved, stuffed, placed on armatures and sewn back together.
#17 – I think he was getting ready to be prepared for display?
Man, I love me some June Kenney. Besides the fact that she’s cute theres just something about her bland but dignified line readings that really resonate. You’ll also notice that her and Gene Persson (Indiana Dork) were the couple in Earth Vs The Spider. Theres a lot (Maybe a little) mystery surrounding Kenney as she has a few SAG checks still waiting for her and all attempts to contact her for conventions and what-not have been futile.
( oops I refered to 14 when I menat 17 )
The short has so many good jokes.
“George is clearly shrinking.”
“I landed on a pitchfork!”
“Three hours later…”
“I saw a finger!”
Also, not a riff, but I always laugh at the narrator’s comment, “And it was fun too.” I’m not sure why but, it makes me laugh.
4 stars. Pretty good. Watched it just the other day. Pretty good movie for MST3K and the riffing was up to the task.
“OUCH! I found the pitch-fork!”
“He’s making his famous toe-jam.”
“This is their cutest plot so far.”
I certainly don’t dislike Bloodlust, but I think I’ve only watched it twice.
I believe Rhino released the VHS less than a year before the live-action Scooby Doo movie was released, making the joke seem all the more timely by coincidence. Like how the 25th anniversary DVD of ‘Suspiria’ coincided with the theatrical release of the first Harry Potter movie. Y’see kids, not all schools where they teach witchcraft are all that much fun…
And the murder mystery dinner theatre is easily the funniest <10 seconds sketch they ever did, IMHO.
Think the Brains had thought about making Mrs. Forrester a semi-recurring character back then?
June Kenney had _the_ sexiest voice. It always resonates nicely in my head after I’ve watched Earth Versus the Spider.
And is it just me, or does she seem even tinier in Blood Lust? Probably all those boxes.
Medium & Anaconda Vice – Okay. I’m not familiar with taxidermy and if it does involve dismemberment before mounting, I wouldn’t know. It seems like doing that would give the final product a rather unattractive Frankenstein’s monster quality. That’s not how I would do it if I was a maniacal millionare with a lust for hunting human game. You know, IF, I was…..
Bolem #26 – I’m pretty sure that the Brains knew by now that this would be Frank’s last season so they needed a new character. But why not Torgo?
I appreciate the self-restraint with the “Brady Bunch” references, but I would have preferred more than just one – the single riff they make (“Have you ever shot a man?” “Well, I slapped Ann B. Davis once”) goes by so quickly, you barely even notice it. Maybe three or four scattered throughout the episode would have been better. I just find it ironic that the Brains specifically sought not to run this reference into the ground, and then made eighty-bazillion “Lovejoy” references the very next week in “Code Name: Diamond Head”.
The short is great, but it’s probably also one of the darkest they ever did. Just about every riff paints a picture of something somber or horrifying and completely opposite to what’s on screen. Of course, that’s where the humor comes from. I especially like “Goodbye! We’ll send you that arm if we find it!”.
29: “I’m pretty sure that the Brains knew by now that this would be Frank’s last season so they needed a new character.”
Actually, Frank announced his departure in early November 1994, at the point when about two-thirds of Season 6’s episodes would have been in the can. This episode came a while before that, so the introduction of Pearl here just seems to be a fortunate coincidence.
I doubt the filmmakers were trying to go out of their way to be correct in presenting the process of taxidermy. Yes, it is presented that Jondor (Hey, Hartly) is practicing taxidermy, but the severed arms and legs are there for the grodiness factor, not to be accurate in any specific way. I think they are supposed to induce expressions not unlike the two actresses hiding behind the door.
Yet another episode where the short outshines the main feature. “Uncle Jim’s Dairy Farm” was another classic by the Brains.
Crow, upon seeing the title credit “I thought I smelled somethin’!”
“Ringing a bell signals a nuclear attack in these parts”.
“Already the children have upset Uncle Jim. Uncle Jim is an edgy man who should not be riled”.
“All the commotion provokes a bull snake”.
“It’s time for Uncle Jim’s fundamentalist dogma”.
“I was rhubarb queen of the tri-state area back in ’49 so many gentleman callers I had in my day”.
The host segments with Pearl…ewwww. I actually felt sorry for Forrester. Thankfully her character would improve significantly in the Sci-Fi years. No fault of Mary Jo, but initially I used to cringe whenever her character appeared.
Loved the square dance turned slam dance.
The main feature, again, was too dark for them to do much with. Not that it didn’t have its moments but it just wasn’t as entertaining for me as, say, Zombie Nightmare or The Dead Talk Back, which were really bad and cheesy. This one was a knockoff of “The Deadliest Game” and while definitely a B grade movie in my opinion was a decently made B grade movie.
As an aside, I’ve always believed the worse the movie the better the episodes but if the movie was reasonably decent, even in a minor way, the Brains struggled for good material. That’s why their attempt at Hamlet didn’t work out. Sure, it was poorly shot in B&W but it’s Hamlet, dammit, one of Shakespeare’s best, and just because it’s a German production dubbed in English didn’t make it a lousy movie.
“No cookies, not now, not ever, NEVER!”
Ugh! This movie is so dreary as to render the episode unwatchable, riffing notwithstanding.
When Gypsy says “bitch” isn’t that a reference to an interview Connie Chung did with Kathleen Gingrich (Newt’s mom)?
I got the impression from watching the host segments that Pearl was simply another one-time or recurring character for Mary Jo to play. However Frank’s departure led the Brains to develop Pearl’s character more (I noticed she isn’t even referred to as Pearl during the episode) thus promoting her to one of the Mads.
Now it also looked like Jim meant to say something else but wound up saying bitch instead. Since the rest of the cast had such a fun reaction that they simply kept the scene.
hmmmm wiki says that the incident happened in 1995 & this is a 94 ep. Very nice attempt though ( really, no sarcasm )
She also faced controversy when, in a 1995 interview with Kathleen Gingrich, mother of Republican politician Newt Gingrich, on Eye to Eye, Ms. Gingrich said she could not say what her son thought about First Lady Hillary Clinton on the air. Chung asked Ms. Gingrich to “just whisper it to me, just between you and me,” and Ms. Gingrich replied that her son thought of Clinton as a “bitch.” Many people interpreted Chung’s suggestion that if Ms. Gingrich would whisper this statement it would be promised that the statement would be off the record. When the statement aired, viewers felt Chung had compromised her journalistic integrity
A couple of host segment observations:
In Segment 1, after Crow says, “I lied about that,” his mouth continues to move as though he’s talking. Did the Brains mix out some dialogue here?
Also in Segment 1, when Servo is reading his script, his head is moving the wrong direction. Maybe his script is in Arabic.
When is the first reference to Humphrey (the dog)? Servo calls the dog in the short “little Humphrey.”
Some of my favorite riffs depend heavily on delivery, like these two:
Crow (as udder-polishing guy): Oh, Bossy, I—oh, nothing! I’m not doing anything!
Mike (as pig 1): You’ll pay one day, hayseed!
Tom (as pig 2): You’ll get what’s coming, farrrmer!
Then there’s:
Narrator: It’ll be a long time before either George and Betty…
Crow: …learn to forgive.
Mike: So long, you corn shuckin’ suckers!
I haven’t seen “Bloodlust!” recently, so I don’t have as long a list of favorite riffs. I just remember the dissolve from Balleau at the drinks table to Sandra in the same place, with a riff something like, “Eight drinks later…”
Oh, and the dissolve from Robert Reed to the skeleton, with the riff suggesting it’s him, still being wry.
I watched this episode last week. I like it, but the movie is a little dull. I really hate Bellow and his smug, “I’m going to kill you eventually,” attitude. He doesn’t even show any joy when he is killing. Stupid character.
The short has good riffing, but by now I’m a little jaded when it comes to the jokes used by Mike and the ‘bots. They’re pretty tired and a bit unfair. They’re still good, but I can’t help but think that about the jokes.
Favorite riff, if only for the truth it tells. It’s when the two women are sneaking through a window in the mansion.
Tom Servo, “Cagney and Lacey, the attractive years.”
I hope that’s not out of line, but Servo is right.
On the side of women, I really don’t like Pearl’s first appearance in this episode. The light mustache was a bit much. I’m more used the Sci-Fi Channel era Pearl Forrester.
The Jeff Smith references on MST3K always have a tinge of creepiness since I know about his downfall. Eeeew!
Speaking of that, I love it when Crow starts to give away the big secret from The Crying Game. More proof of how great the puppetry was on this show. Trace and Kevin really bought life to those pieces of plastic parts.
Aconda vice:
No one knows what happened to june kenny. none of her friends or fellow actors know. she just completely disappeared without a trace it seems like.
Another vote for “good, but not great.”
The movie’s a little too dark and dreary for my taste, although the short is hilarious.
I love the dinner theater host segment like you would not believe.
It never ceases to disappoint me when I watch the short and fail to hear anyone refer to the Frank Zappa song “Uncle Bernie’s Farm.”
I love this episode! Great host segments (the “mystery dinner theater” bit always cracks me up), classic short and solid movie.
I don’t get it. I love this episode. The short is great, and I love the movie. Best line: “When I was in college, I was an Ursa Major-Thank you!!”
Best riff from movie:
“John Steinbeck in of mice and murder!”
I loved this ep! Especially the short. ‘I saw a finger….’ lol.
I tried to check this out as a video from the library and the lady saw the title and was like “oh…I’m not sure you can check this out.’ Cause I was 14. She couldn’t find a rating cause it’s TV… no rating. :roll: Guess she thought it would be inappropriate.
Does anyone else love segment 3? I mean, love it a whole lot? As in, think it’s a contender for best host segment of all time?
Because I sure do.
I was pleasantly delighted when I saw “Uncle Jim’s Dairy Farm” on the MTV2 show Wunder Showzen with some very blue riffing.
I do. You have Tom set up what sounds like an awesome skit only for Crow to blurt out three words that make it come crashing down. And I loved how Mike mentions having a great Colonel routine which we never get the chance to see.
@ #48: That’s funny. My library did summer sci-fi movie nights when I was in high school and they showed some MST3K episodes. I definitely remember them showing The Atomic Brain and Prince of Space. It was kind of weird, though, since the only people there were about 3 elderly people, myself, and the head librarian that I had no clue was a Mistie until that moment.