Movie: (1965) Multi-eyed aliens try to frame a pair of smoochin’ teens.
First shown: 12/5/92
Opening: Crow and Tom quickly go through their “best friends” stage
Invention exchange: Tom is mocking Crow; The Mads demonstrate the router Ouija board, J&tB show off the funny gag fax
Host segment 1: Tom wants learn how to make out
Host segment 2: J&tB present their tribute to Earl Holliman
Host segment 3: J&tB are the Rip Taylor Trio!
End: The case against the film-makers (they just didn’t care!); Larry Buchanan visits Deep 13
Stinger: Greasy drifter in sweater dress
(211 votes, average: 4.55 out of 5)
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• I enjoyed this a lot more this time through (I called it “middling” last time). The biggest drawback is that the movie is sort of a comedy in parts — a failed comedy to be sure, but the film is intentionally trying to be funny, and, as we saw with “Catalina Caper” and a few others, that’s always a bit rougher to riff on. Still, the team slogs through pretty well, just as you’d expect at this point in season four. It’s a good example of what they were capable of by this point. In season two, this movie might have gotten the better of them. In season four, this is a movie they could successfully take on. The host segments help somewhat; even the Earl Holliman sketch — a “wtf” bit if there ever was one — somehow comes off.
• This episode has not yet been released on DVD.
• References.
• This ep was number 10 on the summer 1995 countdown Comedy Central did.
• Doesn’t it seem like this episode ought to have a short?
• Crow’s arm (which was apparently taped to Tom) comes off during the opening. They keep going, and it’s still taped to Tom’s back in the next segment.
• This movie, believe it or not, is (with some minor changes) a scene-for-scene, line-for-line remake of a movie called “Invasion of the Saucer Men.” That movie also stinks. Larry Buchanan did a number of these remakes for AIP.
• Do you think the presence of somebody (or some THING) named Ethan Allen in the credits sparked the idea for the Mads’ invention?
• I can’t find anything definitive, but I think Homer Formby IS dead. But I found an interesting tidbit: when he hit it big with his furniture refinishing products, he bought an entire island in the Florida Keys. He later sold it.
• “Dern smoochers!” and other variations became an immediate catchphrase.
• For those who don’t know, the double THE in the movie title occurred when the movie was re-released. It was originally titled just “The Eye Creatures.” Somebody decided to jazz up the title and slapped ATTACK OF THE on the title card, not noticing that there was already a THE. They just didn’t care (which also became a catchphrase).
• Wow, it turns out that MST3K invented rickrolling! Tom breaks into a chorus of “Never Gonna Give You Up,” at one point.
• Joel kinda has to lean over the puppet trench to smooch Servo, but he covers well.
• Literary reference: Joel invokes Ignatius Riley from John Kennedy Toole’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Confederacy of Dunces.” I PRESUME everybody in this audience has read it. If you haven’t, go and do so before Lady Fortuna spins the wheel of your destiny downward.
• The Earl Holliman sketch is silly and pointless, but I do like the line “…who would have been William Shatner had there not already been one.” How true that is.
• Call back: “…sing whenever I sing whenever I…” (Giant Gila Monster)
• I used to love Rip Taylor when I was kid. Glad to know he still with us.
• Note that the giant handkerchief is monogrammed “KM.” Hmmm…
• Mike scores again as “Larry Buchanan.”
• Cast and crew wrapup: screenwriter Robert Gurney Jr. also wrote “Terror from the Year 5000.” Production designer James Sullivan also worked on “Invasion USA.” Score composer Ronald Stein also worked on “It Conquered the World,” “The Undead,” “The Girl in Lovers Lane,” “Gunslinger” and “The She-Creature.” In front of the camera, Warren Hammack was in “The Side Hackers,” and “The Hellcats.” Jonathan Ledford was in “The Amazing Transparent Man.” Peter Graves was in a bunch of stuff, Tony Houston, who has a small part in this movie, wrote the screenplays for “Sidehackers” and “The Hellcats” and Jody Daniels was in “Girl in Gold Boots.”
• CreditsWatch: Host segments directed by Joel Hodgson. Additional music written and performed by Michael J. Nelson and Kevin Murphy — I assume they’re referring to Rip Taylor music. And good news: the “Ammendment” mistake has been corrected.
• Fave riff: “And don’t be alarmed if it suddenly becomes 2 in the afternoon.” Honorable mention: “She’s a female. They have less plumage.”
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I know you “just don’t care” but it’s Euell Gibbons.
“A friend told me to try America Online. I said, ‘Why? I’ve already got a computer!'”
I have to ask, if “Larry, Darryl and Darryl” is dated, what would be the replacement riff for it nowadays? And how is Euell Gibbons dated, yet Rick Astley (RICK ASTLEY!!) isn’t?
That’s right, I’m one of those people who thinks there are no “dated” references – just more obscure.
Rats.
Let me correct that quote:
“A friend told me to try America Online. I said, ‘Why? I’ve got a computer!'”
::hangs head in shame:: :cry:
“A friend told me to try America Online. I said, ‘Why? I’ve got a computer!’”
Man, I’m useless in the morning…
I like this episode
Invasion of the Saucer Men is ONE HUNDRED TIMES better than this
John Ashley became a teen idol and went to the Philippines to do some really awful Blood Island movies (my guilty pleasure)such as Mad Doctor of Blood Island, Beast of Blood, and other movies shot there like Beyond Atlantis, Beast of the Yellow Night. Lots of cute filipinas.
the Oozing Skull aka Brain of Blood was also shot there made to compete with the John Ashley/ Eddie Romero crew doing movies there…
“Doesn’t it seem like this episode ought to have a short?”
Why, is the movie short itself?
I remember first seeing this episode as an innocent 13-year-old kid and feeling as if I had been wading in oil for two hours. And not good oil, but lukewarm, leftover animal fat oil from the fry cooker vats at McDonalds. The movie is that disgusting. I still can’t watch this thing, even with the solid riffing, without wanting a searing hot shower afterwards.
Re: the “Who’s ickier?” question. Once you get past a certain ickiness threshhold I contend that it doesn’t really matter, as the whole thing melts and mingles into a single oily, voyeuristic slurry.
If you can hold your lunch down during these parts, though Attack of the The Eye Creatures is actually pretty funny. “Tilt your head back and moan” is one of my favorite host segment lines from this season, and “White Beer: a trailer park of flavor in every bottle” is an awesome riff.
Also: “Blasted smoochers on my property!”
I really like this episode, especially the last host segment. They just did not care! Is it just me or does the oily guy in the sheath nightgown look and sound a lot like the caveman antogonist in the old Merry Melodies/Looney Tunes short “Daffy and the Dinosaur?”
In agreement with another post above, Invasion Of The Saucer Men is a forgettable little film, but it is much better than this horrible remake. The original also has one very talented Frank Gorshin in it.
I don’t know why, but even after repeated viewings I sometimes find this one hard to watch. The jokes are terrific and there’s plenty of them, but the film is just dismal and dull. Still, it’s not as bad as Hobgoblins (arrrgh!).
I love the bit where the MST3K crew goes over all of the production issues with the film, like the partial costumes that have heads but no bodies, sneakers that show on eye creatures, etc. It was always comedy gold to me when they did segments like that on the show.
One of the few times Joel goes nuts is during the “Rip Taylor Trio” skit. He gets to become excessively prop-heavy and make fun of said prop-heaviness at the same time. Plus Crow’s “Why don’t you get a day job!” cracks me up every time. It’s how I feel about Rip Taylor, to be sure.
I’m shocked at all of the negativity and disinterest towards this episode (even though, the star rating reveals otherwise). I think this is one of the best episodes and it is one that I believe has a great re-watchability factor! Why, you ask? …oh, you didn’t ask… well, for spot-on hilarious riffs, crazy host segments (Rip Taylor?! Earl Holliman? What’s not to love?!), memorable on-screen character (Old Man, greasy drifters, military perverts, Jiffy Pop hair girl, Stan Kenton–Wow!, Gertrude Stein, and plenty of darn smoochers) and some of the most inept film-making ever displayed. Sure, THEY just didn’t care… But I DO!
Oddly enough… I’ve noticed in people’s reviews of MST3k episodes, many people tend to dislike movies that have the “Pain Factor”. Those were always the ones that I loved most: Manos, …The The Eye Creatures, Blood Waters of Dr. Z, Monster-A-Go-Go, etc. As long as the movie has a decent pace, then the ineptitude of the film maker is appreciated, in my opinion. This film has alot going on and it is very poorly made. In the end, I know it is all just personal taste, but this is such a classic.
And I believe the military peeping toms are repulsive. Sure, the drifters are oily chauvinists riddled with filth, but the on-screen perversions of the two lonely soldiers take up alot of screen time… Coupled with their weak attempt at humor mixed with over acting, makes them the champions of the “icky award”. Oh, and unfortunately, we never get to see the satisfaction of them being killed by the limp-wristed wrath of the the eye creatures.
This is one of the few episodes I find difficult to watch, and the description by Kris (#6) is perfect. I don’t know why it is that the general filmmaking incompetence fails to blunt the disturbing tone of this film in the same way that it blunts “Manos” and “Red Zone Cuba” and leaves them fit subjects for comedy.
Incidentally, I had my first Larry Buchanan encounter around age 13, too, with “Zontar, the Thing from Venus” (remake of “It Conquered the World”), which is what I imagine a really bad acid trip must be like.
By coincidence I am rereading Confederacy of Dunces. My favorite part of the book is when Ignatius tapes a sign to the front of his Paradise Vendors’ weenie wagon:
TWELVE INCHES (12″) OF PARADISE
Everyone but Ignatius is hip to the joke, which is how I feel when watching some parts of any given MST3K episode. But upon a repeat viewing the cryptic parts are now funny. I gage my growth as a person by virtue of my incremental increase understanding this or that MST3K riff. A better standard than Boethius or Fortuna’s Wheel.
Randy
By the way: a big thanks to Sampo for writing these up! I loved reading the episode guides for the earlier seasons and am happy to see the trend continuing, complete with comments from the unwashed but witty masses.
There’s a great riff early in the film that refers to one of the characters as looking “like that bulldog in a Warner Brothers cartoon.” My guess is they refer to Hector Bulldog from the Tweety-Sylvester films.
A few weeks back, when I listed faves and least fave from Season Four, I mentioned the Rip Taylor Trio skit as my least favorite. I had no intention of insulting Rip Taylor fans (and I regret if I did). The Funny Gag Fax is a hoot – especially with Dr. F. getting it in his face twice.
Thanks to this movie, I can easily imagine some icky guys in real life playing peeping tom with with a spy satellite, or one of those predator drones! :shock:
Regarding the question of negativity toward the movie used in this episode, I think for me at least it has to do with the intentional attempts at humor. Movies that are funny by accident like Monster A-Go Go are endlessly watchable for me, but when they try to be funny and fail horribly, like the voyeur military guys in Eye Creatures, it’s just dull and annoying. Hobgoblins had the same problem; they tried to be funny and it just came off as repulsive and stupid instead.
That said, I like the episode with Eye Creatures and still gave it 4 stars, but the pain of the bad jokes in the movie kept me from giving it 5 stars.
My favorite episode. The last host segment leaves me rolling in the floor every time. Comic gold!
D-Fish stated:
“Oddly enough, I’ve noticed in people’s reviews of MST3k episodes, many people tend to dislike movies that have the “Pain Factor”. Those were always the ones that I loved most: Manos, …The The Eye Creatures, Blood Waters of Dr. Z, Monster-A-Go-Go, etc…. In the end, I know it is all just personal taste, but this is such a classic.”
I like those kinds of episodes, with the “hard to get through” movies, too. It is fun to see the incompetence, which gives Joel/Mike and the Bots plenty to work with.
It does come down to personal taste, really. I try not to debate with anyone why such-‘n-such an episode is funny because we all have our own definitions of “funny”. Yes, we agree that MST3K is the greatest show ever (or nearly the greatest show– for me, it is my favorite t.v. show of all-time) but, even within the borders of that city, there are different places we like to hang out.
I think a fun question would be which MST3K episode is the worst one, the one movie that is the least funny. I wonder if we each made a list of 3 to 5 episodes, we could reach a consensus on the worst/least funniest MST3K movie ever. (My list in a separate comment)
In no particular order….
Hamlet
First Spaceship on Venus
Bloodlust
The Atomic Brain
These are the four least episodes/movies that I watch. I actively avoid these most of the time. I think these are very hard to get through with a dearth of opportunities for riffing.
One fan’s junk is another fan’s favorite. First Spaceship On Venus is a favorite at my house. My son and I watch it repeatedly and never get tired of it. Any of the space exploration films are favorites for me. Crow’s explanation at the end of the show is pretty dead-on as to why the movie was not that bad. The scene where they introduce Omega and Crow slams it (inventor in film: “It’s not much”, Crow: “You can say that again.”), the running gags (“how much does a herring weigh?”), the unintentionally silly, funny, crazy exploration scenes, the international cast, it’s non-stop fun!
I have to agree about Bloodlust and Atomic Brain though. They are tough ones I only watch occasionally. Too grim, too gruesome, not accidentally funny enough to be as much fun (the movies that is) as some other material done on the show, even with all the jokes added by MST3K.
Who’s ickier?
Well, the oily drifters are mostly icky by inference. The only ickiness we actually see is the drifter who wears the sweater-dress and talks about walking off his great expectations. I think the other drifter (the one who wears men’s clothes) is okay, although he does talk about only using the back seat of the car, which is somewhat icky.
The military perverts, on the other hand, are completely loathsome. Their peeping is very creepy, which is bad enough, but their biggest crime is that they try to be funny and fail miserably.
They are definitely ickier.
This is one of the handful of nigh-perfect episodes ever made, right up there with Danger!! Death Ray. (There’s a bit of a drag in the movie and riffing around the time the The Eye Creatures are yawning, but what’s a masterpiece without a flaw?)
It only now occurred to me that when Phil Silvers/Richard Deacon/Jack E Leonard/Joe Garagiola/Wallace Shawn/Fred Clark/the Allen Sherman wannabe in the leopard-skin robe grumbles about “why are these blasted alarm always at night”, he’s not just muttering bread crumb dialogue. He’s actually providing a relevant plot point: the The Eye Creatures can only move on Earth in the nighttime (as represented by the sunniest day ever experienced in North America, but, still). I’m curious whether that was intentional or whether if you throw in enough filler dialogue eventually you’re bound to say something relevant.
I really like the riff about a female The Eye Creature having less plumage. That actually makes the head-only costumes kind of work.
There’s a lot to loathe in this movie, but shouldn’t a special moment of hate be reserved for Meddling Daddy, who’s eager to get Stan Kenton and Susan off for — so far as the police could determine at the time — running over a human being and killing him, solely on the grounds that the person who was killed was a nobody? Carl may have been a drifter and quite oily, but he was a person. If Stan killed him, he should have to answer for that, however it screws up his and Susan’s lives. (It turns out the police conclude Stan only killed Carl after he was already dead or something like that, but that doesn’t change what Daddy was willing to do.)
As soon as I saw the double “THE” in the title I fell in love with this episode.
In response to Ralph C.’s question, there is only one episode I won’t rewatch and that is “Hamlet”. Other than that I can rewatch every episode and always get a good laugh, and usually pick up new riffs each time.
The “Pain Factor” discussion is a real interesting one.
I always thought mst3k was at its best when it took something that was completely worthless and transformed it something funny, and in this case, a classic episode. I think the distinction is that for most episodes, the movie sparks them to make jokes – it’s so uninvolving and they’re so easily distracted that they entertain themselves, pass time by wising off with “observational” humor. During the Pain Factor eps, they’re so focused on how terrible the movie is they can’t think of anything else and so a great deal of the humor is an attack on the movie. There’s more of an edge and a definite sense of hostility (or righteous anger if you want to look at it another way).
A lot of people seem to prefer the whimsical aspects of MST3K but it’s episodes like this that remind me that the show used to dish out a good deal of industrial strength satire.
Man, am I the only person in the world who finds A Confederacy of Dunces boring? I’m certainly the only nerd in the world who thinks so…
I think that all and all it was a pretty good episode for this kind of movie, although some of the references were kind of dated even by today’s standards.
Excellent comments, Joseph Nebus. Its the sheer ridiculous nuances that make it so great… not the contrived and obvious attempts at “comedy”. There are just so many amazing moments in the entire movie–only a handful of which are cleverly pointed out at the end of the film by Joel and the bots–which, by the way, is one of the BEST (if not THE best) wrap-up segments of an episode… You see, folks… They just didn’t care! And THAT’S why it works.
And agreed, Graboidz… I felt the same way about the extra “THE”. I’ve worked that into random references ever since seeing this episode when it originally aired.
I totally agree with CornJob as well. Moments, like in Manos, when the movie pushes, the otherwise lovable, Joel to finally stand up and scream, “DO SOMETHING, JEEZ!” I really think they are at their best when they feel like the movie is trying to hurt them… And this is one of those episodes.
As far as worst movies in an episode… honestly, I truly love so many aspects to ever, single show. Depending on my mood, I can always find an episode to match that mood… That being said, I can honestly say I just can’t get into Hamlet. I know it is a fairly common choice and its not because it is Shakespeare, but I think they bit off more than they could chew with riffing a classic. It was a keen idea, but the execution just didn’t do it for me. I also can’t seem to get into Gorgo. Its like a European Godzilla, and that’s just wrong to me.
Some “pain factor” episodes are amongst my favorites (Monster a-GoGo, Manos, Red Zone Cuba). And for me, I think part of the difference with Eye Creatures is… that they just didn’t care.
When filmmakers like Hal Warren, or Ed Wood, or Coleman Francis clearly believe in what they’re doing, and give it their damndest… and “their damndest” turns out not to amount to very much… there’s a certain fascination there for me.
But a Larry Buchanan or a Jerry Warren, who just try to slap together the absolute minimum amount of movie and collect their paycheck, well…
Setting out to make art, and making crap instead, is funny, and even generates a little sympathy. Setting out to make crap, and hitting the mark, isn’t, and doesn’t. And I just find Eye Creatures particularly loathsome that way.
As usual, YMMV.
An oily episode,though the “they just didn’t care” segment sort of makes it worthwhile-
Just enjoyed viewing a copy of Brute Man-now that is one fine episode-
Hamlet and Castle of Fu Manchu-Sleep inducers
Attack of the the Eye Creatures was a good, solid episode, due partly to the extremely bad nature of the movie. The entirely gratuitous scenes with one of the eye creatures in the closet as Stan Kenton & Susie look for a phone, and the pervy soldiers watching an eye creature fall over a cliff are hard to take, and reveal this to be an exceptionally inferior makeout movie (but is there a superior makeout movie? hmm). All in all, I enjoy the MST riffing, which is very strong, due in part, as others have pointed out, to the very badness of the movie.
Of course, I must be the only person here who enjoys Hamlet – I love the dreary sets, the always-the-same costumes, the droning dubbing, and the very strong MST riffing. Favorite line around here is probably, “Yeah, go a LOT to England” which fits into many a conversation, and I love Crow’s “Whatever!” during the fencing scene. Maybe I like it so much because I’ve had to sit through a lot of Shakespeare’s works & would have loved the chance to riff on them aloud, and this finally gives me a chance vicariously. That’s the beauty of MST, there is something for everyone. So you let me enjoy my starchy German Hamlet, and I won’t say a word about Sidehackers.
Okay lots of stuff to reply to here. I have been remiss in replying recently. I will try to do it more… life and responsibilities and the site have been crashing in on me lately… Only Erhardt knows how much work all this is…
Cubby: People have pretty much forgotten EUELL Gibbons :-) whereas, 16 years ago, he was an instant punchline (just say “Euell Gibbons in a Johhny Carson voice and you’ve invoked the late 80s-early ’90s) whereas, thanks to rickrolling, Rick Astley is still as fresh as a daisy!
Happy: I would say Invasion of the Saucer Men is, oh, 18 times better than this movie. 100 may be pushing it. :-)
Brandon: I guess it was just me. This movie feels like it OUGHT to be short enough for them to have a short. I guess I’m saying this movie doesn’t seem like it deserves to be as long as it is.
Thanks to Kris for her kind words and my condolences for being exposed to this horror at such a tender age.
On the issue of the “pain” movies: I could write a thesis on this. :-)
D-Fish had some very good observations on the issue. You’re right, the really bad ones bring out an edge in the riffers that the the milder ones don’t.
And I’m not dissing the pain movies! I know I am in the VAST minority on this, but “Castle of Fu Manchu” is one of my favorites. The ones that reduce the bots to tears are always winners.
But there are (at least) two kids of pain. One is shear badness and incompetence, like we get in this movie. Another is bland dullness, like we had with Manhunt in Space, and that we’ll get letter with, say, Radar Secret Service. I have a harder time with the really DULL ones, and I think the riffers do to.
Joseph: Trenchant analysis on meddling Daddy. We should also note that policeman Sinatra seemed in complete agreement with him and quite willing to roll over.
alsostephanie: I’ll grant you, the book’s not to everybody’s taste. I just love good writing, and dang, it’s so well written.
adoptadog: It is indeed a makeout movie. Well observed.
This does have my favorite literary reference, sort of: “We take you know to Ernest Hemingway’s home in Ketchum, Idaho.”
Sampo wrote: “On the issue of the “pain” movies: I could write a thesis on this.” HaHa! That would be a very interesting paper to be sure, Sampo. That’s exactly what makes MST3k such a fascinating show is its many rich, delicious layers… Mmmm… cake. Where was I?
Excellent points by all, and a great discussion… I’ve been a loyal viewer of MST3k for a long time… my first episode was the original airing of Sidehackers (chili peppers burn my gut)… and I’ve been hooked ever since. Almost to the point where I should really see somebody about it. I’ve also visited MST3kinfo.com a billion times(especially lately, for news of which episodes Shout! is going to release first), but this is the first time I’ve ever put in my two sense worth on a blog/message board of any kind… mostly because some discussions tend to become flame wars (or whatever the kids are calling it these days) and it all gets to be so upsetting. So, its great to see the varied and intelligent opinions on one of my favorite episodes and THE greatest TV show of all time. And I didn’t steal no bike neither.
This was the first non-seasonal MST I ever committed to tape (preceded, as you can guess, by Santa Claus Conquers the Martians) and it garnered many a playback as a result. This might be my most-watched episode (at least alongside The Day the Earth Froze, my favorite of the Joel era).
I love the “SESSIONS PRESENTS!” spoofs (as introduced, I believe, in Tormented) and such nuggets as “Malcolm McDowell…in O Yucky Man”, “It’s a Cowsill!”, “Yes, I worked for Benny Hill for many years” and “[Speaking of the yellow ones…] How’s your teeth?” And my favorite moment in the Rip Taylor Trio sketch: Crow’s “HO-ly MACK-erel!”
So big-ups to the The Eye Creatures (even if I would have referenced Matt Johnson rather than Mel Tillis during the opening titles).
There’s is one and only one episode I was never able to make it through. Alien from L.A. I think Kathy Ireland is a beautiful woman but her voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard to me and I just could not watch the episode. I love the the eye creatures. I have it on a tape with HBO’s short lived but hilarious Hardcore tv. I loved all the Hello Sigfried , Hello Roy!!! jokes throughout it. Occasionally out of the blue I’ll just call out Hello Sigfried waiting for my wife(who at this stage is getting a little tired of answering) or my 8 or 10 year old daughter to answer Hello Roy. It’s fun for me, does anyone else occasionally find themselves just blurting out quotes from the show just because it’s fun? or better yet just busting out a song, for me I constantly sing “He tried to kill me with a forklift”. Which always illicits strange looks from people who haven’t seen the show, Maybe I’m weird or maybe I’m a MISTY.
I think most of us fans have that sort of goofy sense of humor which causes us to blurt out mst3k lines or riffs in everyday life situations. Whether alone or in front of people, I have done this steadily ever since I became aware of the show.
Just out of the blue I can think of a few, such as “Well, got the skull thrown so thats done anyway” (Crow from The Screaming Skull) whenever I finish off a task that needed doing.
Or when my friend asked if i had enough gas while we were driving and I said “Yeah, tell me about it, I’ve already blasted a hole through the seat cover” (Crow From The Space Children).
Thats just off the top of my head. Theres so many I cant remember. Humor isnt something that exists merely on the tv. It’s the injection of humor into everyday situations that makes life fun. If more people would do this on a more constant basis we wouldnt need sit-coms. We’d live them.
I know *my* life is like a very funny sit-com. Too many people’s lives are like very boring ‘Lifetime network’ dramas.
“Very boring ‘Lifetime network’ dramas”….
Sorry, that was totally redundant.
The one experiment I cannot bear to watch again yet never taped over: Teenage Crimewave. The movie itself angered me so much that even the home team couldn’t riff the ire away. Thank goodness the ode to Doughy Guys is available as a jukebox feature on one of the DVD sets.
Odd commercial on my tape of the The Eye Creatures(spring of ’93): a Comedy Central promo featuring Marvin Rosenberg’s “Buttafuoco Song”. Anyone else remember this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F3McysMwK8
First of all, my fellow MSTies, its nice to see an abundent amount of responses; certain episodes don’t create as much interest, and I was starting to think that Sampo might not continue with this weekly thread due to lack of interest. Keep it up!!
After “Manos”, this is my favorite episode, due to the unlikeable nature of all the characters. From Stan Kenton-wow! to his beehived g/f, to the oily drifters and even filthier military guys peering in on the smoochers, there is an endless parade of people to root against here. When all is said and done, I found myself pulling for Old Man Bailey with the shotgun, and the Eye Creatures. In most monster movies, playing the monster would be considered a shameful role for an actor, but in this case the people with the head dresses and “Creamy Nugget Center” bodypieces had the fortune of not showing their faces in front of a camera!!
Of course, they were probably just as oily under their costumes as the other actors.
The invention exchanges and segments are great…ESPECIALLY the Earl Holleman sketch (sorry Sampo). My friends and I were quoting it for weeks after we first saw that episode.
One riff I never understood: in one scene, they have Old Man Bailey singing lyrics from The Who song “Baba O’Reilly”. Anyone got an explanation for the significance of this?
My least fav episodes would include City Limits, First Spaceship on Venus, both Master Ninja and Fugitive Alien movies, and Human Duplicators for the Joel era…I’ll mention my least fav Mike era episodes when the time comes.
Whenever a new set of MST episodes comes out on DVD, I always look to see if this one is included.
This episode is a ridiculous amount of fun. The movie has horrible writing, rotten acting, bad lighting, worse make up, just wonderfully terrible all the way around. Great host segments. An all time favorite for me. :mrgreen:
I was working on a TV show with Earl Holliman about ten years ago, and I showed him the “Tribute To Earl Holliman”. He had never heard of MST, and had no idea what to think of what he was seeing. At first, he thought the segment was a lot more mean-spirited than I had led him to believe. :cry: It took a few minutes to convince him that the segment was a loving tribute, similar to a Friar’s Club roast. :wink: The analogy seemed to make him feel a little better. :grin:
this episode is about a 3.2 in my opinion. It starts out averagely funny, wanes a little for a while, then picks up in funniness more at the midpoint. It’s riffed reasonably well, with no huge laugh out loud moments, though all of the riffing as a whole flows nicely enough to sustain it. Then at the end it picks up the most, the ending host segment being it’s high point.
An above average show overall. Favorite riff was “I’ve got Sammy Davis eye” by Trace.
I was very surprised at the low ratings TORMENTED got a few weeks back. I rank Tormented better than any of the past 14 episodes that we’ve done, including this one. I would have rated that one a 4.5 at least, on my scale. (My scale would be mainly based on how funny & entertaining I find it to be overall as an episode).
Sorry, I had to vent on that one or it would keep bugging me. (Yes I’m pathetic, no argument here).
This is one of my personal favorite episodes. The Rick Astley “Never Gonna Give You Up ” by Servo is priceless.
I like when they pan to the General at the beginning and the crew does their obligatory”AHHHH!”, always a favorite throughout the series.
I’m not familiar with Earl Holliman, but the tone of voice used every time they say EAAAARL HOOOOLIMAN is contagious. I catch myself yelling it from time to time.
Finally, the Mel Tillis reference during the title. Mel was great in Cannonball Run. The best was after the roller coaster was destroyed and Mel says…..”We’re Closed” He and Terry Bradshaw were great in that movie! Wow, bet you’d never here Ebert and Roeper say that!
Oh, the military guys are ickier. I’m in the Army so that makes me partial.
Thanks Manny (are you a fan of the former Pirate ?) My most used quote would probably be from “Time of the Apes” Joel as Johnny, I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care and so on. I break that one out all the time and crack myself up.
I actually kind of like Saucermen. It’s not really a good movie but it’s kind of entertaining and fun to watch and it’s not disgusting like Eye Creatures is. Plus some thought went into the Saucermen design, the eye creatures just look like packing material.
Reading A Confederacy of Dunces is the entertainment equivalent of traveling cross-country by bus with with Todd Solondz, and having him describe his films to you in detail.
Read it if you must, but make sure you have a good, hot shower ready afterwards.
I’m not a great fan of this episode (but it gets bonus points for the “Double The”). However, there are a few points yet to be pondered.
-If these two oily drifters are in fact drifters, how did the useless police department come up with their address so quickly?
-Why did the army guy in the opening sequence say (or SHOUT) top-secret information only while the soundproof double-doors were OPEN?
-How could you get an entire dead body into that tiny refrigerator? Even if it wasn’t wearing a giant, puffy eye-creature getup.
-I see only one bed in the room that the oily guy and the even oilier guy rent.
-Do men under 30 routinely die of acute alcoholism in those parts, despite showing absolutely no symptoms thereof?
It is indeed a wonderful mystery.
Another favorite quip: They’re welding back at us!
-bb
I had AOL back in 1990!
The two perverts with the spy radar outdo “ickyness” by a country mile for me. Fave riff: Joel declaring “This is *Sick*!” while watching the 2 pervs spying. It’s not all that funny, but it’s true. I love riffs that say what I’m thinking. It *Was* sick, and even tho that’s obvious, I thank Joel for pointing it out. That said, I actually like this episode quite a bit. Great riffs, and some just plain wacky host segments make it an ep I re-watch often.