Movie: (1977) A troubled teen finds an alien’s weapon and takes revenge on those who taunted him.
First shown: 5/18/96
Opening: With Mike tied up, Crow and Tom present the “Thunderdome” joke
Intro: Dr. F.’s funding has been cut, so he cuts the SOL loose! But Tom gets the thrusters working
Host segment 1: The SOL picks up Monad, an annoying robot
Host segment 2: The SOL hits a field of star babies — and one of them needs changing
Host segment 3: With the SOL heading toward a black hole, Mike undergoes a terrifying but useful transformation
End: The SOL reaches the edge of the universe and its inhabitants become beings of pure energy. Meanwhile, Dr. F. becomes unstuck in time, has a revelation and is reborn
Stinger: “Faaar out!”
(259 votes, average: 4.62 out of 5)
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• And so we come to the end of another era of MST3K and the departure of MST3K’s powerhouse, Trace Beaulieu. It really is hard to imagine that the show could have become the classic it is without him, and while it did manage to find its footing again after his departure, his absence was keenly felt for a long time. Thanks for everything, Trace.
• As for the episode itself, it’s mostly a winner. As usual when they have a story to tell in the host segments, they do it with brisk efficiency. The sci-fi parodies are everywhere (perhaps preparing viewers — and themselves — for what was to come) and a couple of the segments are classics. The riffing is steady and strong — and they had a LOT to work with. All in all, it would have made a fine farewell episode if the show had not been picked up.
• This episode appears in Shout! Factory’s “20th Anniversary Edition.”
• References.
• Mike writes about the episode and then Paul, Mary Jo and Kevin wrap up the season here.
• Joel Hodgson’s “TV Wheel” was shown immediately following this episode’s debut, so it was kind of a big day for MSTies.
• It had been 10 weeks since the last new episode and, as far as anybody knew when this first aired, there would never be another episode again. As it turned out, we would have to wait eight and a half months.
• In his writeup, Mike explains that the hilarious opening sketch was something that arose from a running gag in the writing room. I actually had an opportunity to use the thunderdome joke recently. Its message is still timely.
• The umbilicus, completely forgotten since about mid-season six, suddenly makes a reappearance and is suddenly a critical connection that determines whether the SOL’s orbit begins to decay or not. (And in the “how does he eat and breathe?” department, what was preventing their orbit from decaying in seasons K through 5?) Mike notices this in his writeup as well.
• I love how Mike does the Star Trek “shirt tug” before he says “Engage!”
• It’s fun to make fun of Kim Milford, who plays Billy, but that becomes more difficult after you find out that Milford died of heart failure following open heart surgery. He was only 37. (Incidentally he did NOT die of HIV, as was rumored.)
• You might recognize some of the background score. It’s the same Richard Band noodling that was also used in the movie in episode 110-ROBOT HOLOCAUST.
• Callbacks: “Roxie!” (Eegah) also “Eegah!” “It was after the Acropolis.” (Robot Holocaust) “Hi, I’m Max Keller.” (Master Ninja I) “It’s the Coleman Francis mountain!” Also a mention of Cherokee Jack. “Robert Ginty” (Warrior of the Lost World). And “Leave the Bronx!”
• I love the riff: “Let’s pop amyls and watch ‘Days.'” I’d assumed he was referring to the soap opera “Days of Our Lives” but a commenter suggested he might be saying “Dazed” as in the movie “Dazed and Confused,” which might also make sense. I previously asked if that line was from something and nobody so far has recognized it.
• Of course that’s Jim as the voice of Monad the perfection-seeking robot. It’s a funny idea but the bit feels a little rushed to me.
• After going several seasons without so much as making mention of it, this episode features not one but two uses of the “hatch” at upstage left. In the past it has been used by Joel/Mike to get to the theater. Now it seems to be a portal into space. Mike also notices this in his writeup.
• The “changing the starbaby” bit is a cute idea (I especially like Mike as the quintessential NASA flight controller guy), but it doesn’t really have a payoff (“put it on a shelf”?).
• The whole “ready for some football” thing became a catchphrase, and long-lived one. it pops up every fall on MSTie social media to this day.
• Obscure riff: “This sucks, I was supposed to headline,” as the characters pull up in a car together. This is reference, as I think I have mentioned before, to the experience many of the writers had as traveling comics working a circuit of comedy clubs in the upper midwest. They tended to travel to the club in one car, with the headliner getting the best seat, etc.
• Over several seasons, they’d established Mike’s bizarre ability to “become” other people at times of stress. He became Carol Channing and Kenny G, for example. This strange notion finally pays off in segment 3 when Mike — in one of the most notorious segments of the series — becomes “Star Trek Voyager”‘s Captain Janeway and saves the day.
• The whole Leonard Maltin thing really does point up the fundamental flaw of his rating system. I was once a devotee of his books: buying a new one every September was an annual rite of the fall. And before the arrival of the IMDB (which pretty much made Maltin’s guide superfluous) it was pretty handy. But I always felt his rating system was completely out of whack. The problem, to begin with, was he used a four-star rating system when a five-star system would have served him better. But the bigger flaw in the system was that, for reasons that I felt were never adequately explained, his lowest rating (other than “bomb”) was 1-and-half stars. No film received a one-star or half-star rating, which created a kind of odd star-rating inflation among bad movies. Had he made use of the half-star and one-star ratings, I believe this sort of problem would not have happened (or at least would not have been so acute) and he might not have let himself in for the well-deserved mockery he gets here.
• By the way: in Ward E we have a list of MSTed movies that have been given 2-and-a-half stars by Leonard Maltin.
• The final bit, of course, is amazing; as Mike notes, that’s Trace’s dad (who has since passed away) as “old Forrester.” The final moment of that segment gives me chills every time.
• Cast and crew roundup: Editor Jodie Copelan also worked on “Ring of Terror” and “Night of the Blood Beast.” Special effects guy Harry Woolman also worked on “The Incredible Melting Man.” “Hangar 18” and “Agent for H.A.R.M.” Score composer Richard Band also worked on “Robot Holocaust” (as noted above) and “Being From Another Planet.”
In front of the camera: Cheryl Smith was also in “The Incredible Melting Man.” Keenan Wynn will be seen again in “Parts: The Clonus Horror.”
• CreditsWatch: Host segments directed by Trace Beaulieu. This of course was Trace’s last episode with the show. In addition to his acting and writing credits, this is the last episode he got “art direction” and “set design” credits. Joel Hodgson’s and Jef Maynard’s “set design” credits end with this episode as well. The “additional original music written and arranged by” credit goes away completely. This was Helen Espinoza’s last episode as prop master. It is Beth “Beez” McKeever’s last show as prop assistant (she would get a promotion beginning with season eight). We also bid farewell to: production manager/post-production coordinator Wendell Jon Anderson, production assistant Michael D. Parker, Info Club poobah Julie Walker (assistant poobah Barb Tebben would get a promotion in season eight) and interns Danika King, Ben Mooers and Kelly Schrandt.
• Fave riff: “So they’re just off County Road C goin’ at it, huh?” Honorable mention: “Look! Everyone was sending a sheet of paper to everyone else.”
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This episode has one of my favorite Tom moments–his attempts to sing ‘There’s a place in France…’ to the music that keeps cutting off the phrase. His frustrated comments set me off every time!
Ahhh, the sad departure of Trace…..the man who has made me laugh more than anyone else in the world. In retrospect, I’ve always felt that the loss of Trace changed the show far more drastically than the loss of Joel ever did. While the show remained funny, it was…I don’t know…different funny. Darker. Certainly less to my taste. Trace, I wasn’t ready for you to leave, but I *was* ready for some football!!!!
Good all around episode. I give it a run-thru at least a couple of times a
year.
BTW: The Star Trek “shirt tug” before he says “Engage!” was jokingly referred to as The
Picard Maneuver.
Oh, and I hate to see that car that gets rolled, when the idiot cops pull a u-turn in front of traffic. It’s a rare 1970 Ford XL, which at that time was probably just considered a sh*tbox, and would not be sought-after for another decade.
This is one of my top five favorite episodes!
I always crack up at “Just put it on a shelf somewhere!” aiiieeeeeeeee
Mike’s Janeway is awesome. It’s a special moment when he goes into his Capt.-Janeway-as-Tina-Turner groove, when the bun comes undone but the wig stays on with all that shakin’ goin’ on. Heh.
#49
I agree completely.
While I loved Trace, there is one ubiquitous word which thankfully departed with him:
POOPY!
Always hated that word. It’s infantile and there is a perfectly acceptable substitute suitable for cable, even broadcast TV:
CRAP!
Kids and adults alike LOVE crap! Nobody loves poopy.
Randy
This riff exchanges always cracks me up. Mainly due to how dated it is.
Crow: “So that’s how Roddy McDowall died, huh?”
Mike: “He’s not dead.”
Crow: “Oh.”
Leonard maltin is a terrible film criic, just for the simple fact that he shows favortism to several directors, and will give them high ratings regardless if the movie sucks. He seems to despise Joe Date’s films. He gave Gremlins only two stars (in other words, worse than MST3K: The Movie), yet he gave Gremlins 2, three stars! Can anyone guess why? Most likely because Maltin had a role in it. Talk about conflict of interest!
#53 – Ouch. You reminded me just how godawful that entire car-wreck sequence is. When the cops pull Billy over and they just drive in a big circle to indicate that the car is out of control, I just have to shake my head. The look on Bocephus’ face shows you just how unconvincing the whole thing is. Plus the highway seems to be deserted until the cops roll out and suddenly it’s rush hour? Ick.
I showed this episode to my friends about a year ago. One of those friends called me up about a month ago to tell me he perfectly pulled of the “Beyond Thunderdome” joke.
Here in Milwaukee, WI, we have some awesome indoor gardens called the Domes. My friend and his family went there for his mother’s birthday and upon arrival his father joked, “Aww, I thought we were going to Thunderdome.” And without missing a beat my friend launched the joke. Pricelss.
Boggy Geek at #52 said everything I would have said.
At the time, we savored this episode like it was our last bite of steak. We did get some very good-tasting hamburger the next year, though.
Random points:
I like the reference to Frank’s spare head (from Mitchell).
“You are the Wynn beneath my Keenan.”
There are a few good funny “generic” jokes. By that I mean joked that they could have made about any movie (e.g. Tom during the credits: “Why are they telling me this? I’m no good with names…”) I wonder if they thought that since this might be the last episode, they had to get them all out of the way…
Also, the huge number of callback jokes makes me wonder if they were waxing nostalgic in the writing room…
Anyone seen this movie un-riffed who can explain:
1) Keenan Wynn’s character? Is he just a crazy old man? Why does the 70s gov’t guy come to visit him?
2) How does 70s gov’t guy know to come to this town?
3) How does he know to pick up Billy after Roddy McDo is killed?
4) Do the pot-smoking cops give the ticket or not? They look like they give Billy the ticket and then just say “No…too damn high”
I’ll go against conventional wisdom here and say that I laughed a lot at the first “ready for some football” joke, but got tired of the repeated gag…
“Someone left a perfectly good arm remover”
Any scene with the turtles aliens is great.
Loved Servo’s attempt to sing “There’s a Place in France”…
I think this is a callback to a joke I never understood in the first place. During all the Coleman Francis gags with the light aircraft, one of the guys yells, “Are you going to take me to the big place?” This joke is similar to one at the end of CF’s SKYDIVERS (it’s when the “Will there be mashed potatoes?” photographer guy is shown during the end credits). Can anyone explain that joke/reference to me? It always cracks me up, but I don’t know why…
I’m surprised that until now there’s only been passing references to the “LensCrafters technician” who works at the medical lab. That man/woman has the best bit role of the movie.
This episode is a tour de force the entire time. If it had been the final one, the Brains would have unquestionably ended on a strong note.
Unmentioned great riffs:
“I’m just trying to pass this football.”
“Pay no attention to man bearing wallet.”
“This is the long version of whatever song this is.”
“On to movie 3.”
“Well, he hasn’t been cremated.”
“We’re watching someone waiting for someone. It’s the point where it stops being a movie.”
“Norelco’s plan for world domination.”
“Anna Nicole Smith and her husband.” (A little tasteless today, but still funny.)
“Your film crew, ladies and gentlemen!”
“Somebody left a perfectly good arm remover out here.”
“Hey, is there anything on the radio about the dissident army?”
“Cindy, you’ve got to get an eating disorder. Guys like anorexic chicks.”
I could keep on going. This is certainly one of my favorites.
Re #56 Fantagor:
Oh, no, “Poopy” is the better word. It’s sillier, particularly the older or more mature the person saying it is supposed to be. One reliable source of comedy is people being serious about the ridiculous, and the ridiculousness of ‘poopy’ makes it work great.
And another thing…
How did Billy somehow get ahead of Roddy McDowell’s car to kill him? And why did he kill him? And why did he leave the metal chest thing behind?
Is Billy with the green face supposed to be possessed? If so, why is he only killing people who regular-faced Billy hated?
So much has been said already, I’ll spare you, but I have to mention the scene where McDowell’s car miraculously turns into a different car before it blows up. Talk about lazy/cheap filmmaking…
That was *this* movie, right?
Get your red hot franks here.
Ah, a superb example of “awful,” my favorite genre of MST’d movie. Loved the space turtles (“Howdy Doo!”), loved the incoherent fever dream feel of the movie overall.
The 2001 Space Odyssey parody in the last sketch is one of their best; Trace (and his dad) did a fantastic job. A fine conclusion to the Comedy Central era.
I admit, I don’t get the “Bike rack!” riff. What’s the joke?
“Pull over, squeal like a pig!” has to be my favorite riff. Good episode all around. It does become sort of a dull bus-ride of a movie at a few points but that’s in line with a lot of perfectly good episodes. Kind of eerie that Kim Milford had his chest operated on in this movie and then ten years later he dies during heart surgery. And there’s a pall of tragedy generally hanging over the cast but at least Eddie Deezan is still alive!
This is another movie I wanted to see as a kid, awed by the trailer and the stills in Starlog. At the time I probably would have thought it was pretty good, too. I didn’t have the eye for poor quality that I’ve since developed, though.
And speaking of the chest thing, did it seem to anyone else that if he’d just tied the medalion around the gun, he would have been able to fire it without becoming green-faced or metallized? Not that I’d normally care, but so little happens in Laserblast that even with the riffing, one has the time to ponder the arbitrary rules it plays by.
#65, that happens in quite a few movies where a car crashes or even moves from point A to point B. Others included are:
The Sinister Urge
The Touch of Satan
Hobgoblins
Skydivers (A boat instead of a car)
I was also pleasantly surprised when Mike commented that some of the music sounded like “Hawkwind”. Now, I’ve never heard the band, but Michael Moorcock is the only scifi author (well okay, the majority of his work counts as fantasy) that I’ve read more of than H.G. Wells, partly because he invented the multiverse concept to give all his books loose continuity. Sure it can be viewed as a cheap marketing tool, but as a lifelong Transfan I’m a total sucker for it. Once MST3K indirectly introduced me to Frank Zappa’s “conceptual continuity”, I had no defence!
Is this the only Moorcock reference they ever made, or did any CC era riffs mention Elric, the Corneliuses, etc?
For me this is an average movie episode elevated by funny host segments and the knowledge that it was the final episode for Trace and CC. There is a devil may care attitude to the host segments that I really enjoy. The “Beyond Thunderdome” just seems like the kind of thing you do, because you know it’s your last show and, heck with it, let’s just do it. Same thing with Mike as Janeway, it’s hilarious and disturbing all at once. But the “2001” riffing is my favorite, and it seems to fit the “2001” vibe from “The Movie” as well.
Now “Laserblast” has a lot going for it. I love the turtle aliens and all the scenes where they appear. My favorite moment is when they call into their boss. Perfect riffing for a ludicrous scene. Along with that are the scenes of our hero running around pretending to shoot the laser gun. Wow! Don’t know what they were trying to go for there, but the riffing makes it even funnier to watch. I just love the end credits and discussion of what Mr. Maltin has listed as 2 star films. I remember using the Maltin guide back in my video store manager days. I didn’t agree with that rating system so it was great to see Mike and the bots tear it up.
But aside from that, the dour drabness of 70’s is all over this puppy. For some reason it seems to suffocate things too much (instead of lending humor as it did in “Incredible Melting Man”). Once we get to the party scene, the movie just seems to go into a tailspin of depression and oily residue. It has some good moments after the party (Jim Henson in a van and exploding Star Wars signs), but for me the riffing just doesn’t carry over the 70’s funk in this case. And I’m one of the few that finds the “Are you ready for some football?” joke to be a bit tedious. But I love “McCloud” in “Pod People” so I don’t know what’s wrong with me. :-)
For a final episode, this one works well. Trace gets to have lots of fun in both Crow and Dr. Forrester modes, and it’s a great send off for him. Trace brought a lot to the show and really helped make it so wonderful. I didn’t think the show could survive with him and Joel gone. I was wrong. It took me a while to get into the Sci-fi episodes, primarily because Crow was different. Trace had cemented the character so completely for me, that it was difficult to accept Bill’s take on the character. (I’ll have more to say about Bill and Crow later). All in all, this was a good send off the crew when everything was so uncertain.
One of my all-time favorite episodes. It never gets old, the host segments are great (the Brains did last episodes well- Mitchell, Samson vs. the Vampire Women, Diabolik), and the movie- Wow! I love this goofy-ass movie so much that when I worked at a movie theater I bought a 35mm print of “Laserblast”- it’s still moldering away in my basement.
This also must hold the record for the most pot riffs in a MST3K episode, climaxing in the glorious scene with the Dennis Hopper-esque hippy who picks up Billy hitchhiking (“FAR OUT!”). I’ve often wondered who the dopers on the BB staff were. Kevin and Joel definitely strike me as the type. Anyhoo, I present my case:
Crow: Help! A giant bong is attacking me!
Mike: This guy has put more rolled up towels under more doors…
Crow: Uh-huh, yup, it’s a sunny day, you’ve got a pleasant buzz goin’… eh, Mike?
Mike: Spicer, I’m here for the dope!
Crow: Oh, yeah, you do a lot of ‘wacky tobaccy’ Mike? A lot of ‘Mary-Jane’? ‘Jokey-Smokey’?
Crow: When you first saw this you laughed so hard you spilled your bong water, didn’t you, Mike?
(Billy picks up laser)
Mike: Think of all the dope I can smoke with this!
Mike: I am soooo baked…
Mike: Oh, man, those brownies must be loaded!
Tom (as Roddy MacDowell): Ah, I smoked many a great doobie with this…
Mike: You know, I should tell you about my ‘Ass, Gas, or Grass’ policy…
Tom: You may or may not believe this, but I grow my own Mary-Jane! …Cousin of yours, Mike?
“Far Out!
Mike: Because, hippies are stoned…
Crow: You are WRONG, Marijuana-Breath!
Some of my favorite non-weed-related lines (Man, this episode had a lot of callbacks):
“Eddie Deezen”
Mike: So you know it won’t be funny!
Tom: Heir to the Arnold Stang fortune…
Crow: Hi! I’m Max Kella!
Mike: Oh, Robert Ginty was a better kisser!
Crow: Filmed in “Husbands and Wives”-Cam!
Tom: It’s a Miss Hathaway alien!
Mike: This is SO Coleman Francis right now!
Crow: Red Zone Cuba 3: The Destruction of Cherokee Jack
Tom: This guy threatens Steve Alaimo in loathsomeness…
Tom: Thunderbucket- prepare to meet your greatest challenge!
At the second convention I almost broke the THE WORST MOVIE EVER prop. It was just in the middle of the room, and I accidentally bumped into it. The whole thing must’ve weighed all of three pounds, and it started to tip over. I caught it, and quickly put it back in place.
But the whole thing was probably styrofoam.
A conversation my wife and I often have is: “Of all the cast members, who’d be the one that you’d like to sit down and have a beer with and chat”. And I think Trace is the answer for both of us.
He’s always kind-of reminded me of Graham Chapman of Monty Python (my personal Python fave!).
Zee #74:
A 35mm print of “Laserblast”… you should see if Quentin Tarantino wants to buy it off you. :lol: (According to IMDB he owns a print of MANOS, it’s his favourite “comedy”.)
And as for the “stoners” of the cast, I’ve wondered (being a pothead myself), and watching the Rifftrax of “Reefer Madness”, it sounds like those three are. :wink:
“Mike: You know, I should tell you about my ‘Ass, Gas, or Grass’ policy…”
I’m going to start saying this whenever anyone gets in my car. Even if it’s a guy. :P
“Are you ready for some football?”
This one’s a tough one though, for as Sampo noted it’s Trace’s swan song, and his departure left a huge hole which took them nearly halfway into Season 8 to replace, and even then it was never quite the same. While the Sci-Fi’s episodes were terrific in taking the show in a new direction and had some genuine classic “eps” losing Joel, Frank and Trace three straight years running were tough, and losing Trace and the reason for the show’s existence in the first place was very difficult to adjust to.
I remember this was also a difficult episodes because it really seemed like this was it for MST3K. Comedy Central had cancelled the show (the thanks they got after it was MST3K which in my opinion helped keep that network on the air in its early days) and it appeared they were finished. That made it somewhat distracting when watching this episode for the first time to really enjoy it.
Subsequent viewings however have shown me this was one of the better ones, and a strong finish to the CC days. A cheap late-70s sci-fi movie, what could be better? Terrific episode with solid riffing throughout and wonderful host segments, including the parody 2001: A Space Odyssey ending. Four stars. Fare thee well, Trace. So long Dr F.
I saw this unmisted as a kid but when this was first aired on CC I didn’t see it. I began to watch MST3K on a regular basis when it moved to Sci-Lie and I always kicked myself for missing this! Thankfully someone I know online sent me a copy. It was a tape on SLP speed. VERY BAD but I did see it! I loved it! Of course I got it in the DVD set!
BTW, when Billy is walking in the desert, Mike makes a Trent Reznor riff (Nine Inch Nails were at their peak at that time). I’m a Nine Inch Nails fan but I found the riff funny.
Rainbeux did have a halfway decent role in “Lemora: A Child’s tale of the Supernatural”.
This was kind of a “bookend” episode for me not because it was potentially the last MST ever… but that the opening/closing credits music was the very same as that from Robot Halocaust, the very first MST3K episode I ever saw. I was weirded out by that a bit.
After Escape 2000, this one seemed kind of slow, but it’s still hilarious. The whole smug bastard government agent guy never really amounted to a damn thing, did he? He shows up, is smug at people, and… uh… that’s it.
I continue to use “ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL” in a wide variety of situations. It helps if you can get the gravelly, guttural tone too.
That really is some fine stop-motion puppetry they got there. Too bad it’s in this movie.
“Over a couple of seasons, they’d established Mike’s bizarre ability to become other people at times of stress. He became Carol Channing and Kenny G in previous instances. The strange notion finally pays off in segment 3 when Mike — in one of the most notorious segments of the series — becomes “Star Trek Voyager”’s Captain Janeway and saves the day.”
Actually, this pays off a few years later (I forget the episode) when the SOL is attacked by an alien and Mike has to become “the most repulsive thing in the universe” to get rid of it: Adam Duritz of Counting Crows!
A good episode. If it was the last one, I think I’d be satisfied with the ending. The movie’s good, lots of fun. Host segments are good, thought the ending was good. Still, I’m glad they were able to do more, even if it was without Trace.
Favorite moments – any time the Brains translate for the aliens:
“Hey, Wally! Help me find Roswell!”
“Is that a Cessna?” “No, I think it was a Piper.”
“Ah, yes, sir, we’ve seen Laserblast.”
“Ah, sir, you called us.”
“Well, did you?”
“That Earth store called Radio Shack is just crap!”
:twisted:
A hilariously funny episode….this and starfighters are my favs….a complete package – host segments, riffs, the rap up of the show with Trace leaving…..BRAVO to everyone!
This one’s a classic to me; I saw it for the first time when it came out on DVD, and I could tell right away that it was going to become a regular in my rotation. Wonderful riffs, and great sketches (Mike as Janeway is just eye-rivetingly terrifying)…excellent stuff.
My favorite riff from it is actually non-verbal; I crack up every single time the alien is holding his weird little scanning device and they pretend he’s playing it like a guitar. The position of his arms, the way he swings it around, the over-the-top “guitar riff” they make up for him, and just the sheer absolute knock-it-out-of-the-park perfection of the way the riff fits into the scene kills me no matter how many times I see it.
Fave riff: “I bought the drapes too short, but I found a way to deal with it”
It should probably be noted that Kim Milford AND Mark Hamill were in the classic movie ‘Corvette Summer’ with Annie Potts. If you haven’t seen it, don’t.
Interestingly (I suppose) Kim Milford was in Corvette Summer with Mark Hamil.
Whoops. Wow. Well, never mind then.
I can’t quite believe that this episode has so many fans. I’ve seen it twice and still can’t remember more than maybe five or ten minutes of it.
I’m not that well versed in ’70s B movies, but if it wasn’t for some familiar faces amongst the peripheral characters, I’d swear it was made more recently. I mean, there was just so much NOTHING in it that it really felt like some lame SciFi Channel original movie from somewhere in the ’90s that I’d normally just watch for 5 minutes before switching to Cartoon Network. There’s certainly a lot of other empirical evidence that it is, indeed, the ’70s, but it still has that anachronistic feel. Maybe it’s just me.
Personally, this was either the first or one of the first eps I looked up when I discovered that Youtube had MST3K on it, and I loved the hell out of it.
My personal favorite part is when Tom goes into The South’s Gon’ Do It Again, and the ensuing argument over what exactly they’re gon’ do.
And these days, I find it hard to see the fat cop without making a Tenacious D reference.
i know what you thinking did i shoot 6 gorlacks or only 5. read between the lines sir.
I just laughed so a hard when i saw thisn epsidope for the first time when they did thae 2001 parody.
As I said in the “Farewells” thread, I’ve seen ‘2001’ and therefore technically get and appreciate all the host segments…but I still feel like I don’t ‘get’ the space-baby concept. 2001 was about how even once we’re advanced enough to make it into space, humankind can’t seem to escape the fact that we’re descended from killer apes, so the space-baby at the end symbolizes Dave accepting that fact, dying, and thereby absolving us of that fact and allowing us to be reborn innocent as the price of admission to the greater universe. Sort of. I get the music if not the words. But when one encounters babies literally floating around in space, well, I’d just be too suspicious of them to take any moral point they pose to heart. Alien and all its cash-ins showed us that killer ape DNA can also be admitted into the cosmos via killer inseminoids horrifically lubing their way into our gene pool, so my natural instinct would be to do whaterver it took to keep the space babies away from Earth and our colonies, just in case.
Granted I never questioned the space-whales in Galaxy Rangers, or how so many different races of alien robots could be humanlike enough to have flexible metal faces (though I’ve found planets like Krypton inhabited by aliens that not only look like but can reproduce with caucasian humans to be excruciatingly lame) so maybe my standards randomly correspond to whatever cartoons I saw before I turned eight.
I’m seriously not trying to dump on anything from this stellar benchmark episode that slingshotted the series into my most fondly remembered season by forgetting it’s just a show, but I feel like there’s something here I should be, but am not getting. Maybe because I never saw 2010 or read the books. If anyone can explain what part of the space baby concept I’m not connecting with, please explain. Even if the answer is that my killer-ape psyche developed machine-envy instead of evolving non-violent responses, or just that I had to be there and see it in Cinerama. Thank you.
“I admit, I don’t get the “Bike rack!” riff. What’s the joke?”
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I always thought they meant like, her butt crack but Urban Dictionary defines it as “a girl with an extreme camel toe”.
I was under the impression that “Bike rack” referred to sitting down hard and “racking” your crotch.
And, watching the ep yet again, “Do we have to invite the van every time we do this? I can hear it breathing.” always catches me by surprise and cracks me the hell up.
My favorite riff from Laserblast.
1. All right watch out thunderbucket, youre about to meet your greatest challenge.
2. How does he undo his pants when he has to go to the bathroom?
3. Now you’re getting horny, great!
4. Aw man its uphill to the car, I don’t know if I can make it.
5. Ahhh, you’re film crew, ladies and gentlemen!
6. A microsoft meeting goes horribly wrong.
7. Test audiences responded well to bulbous crackers using the john.
8. Dirty and hairy.
9. I am the Lizard King!
10. Something touched me deep inside the day Eddie Dezan died.
Saw this in the theater when i was a young teen, it was a bit of a disappointment! I remember being quite un-impressed by the special effects, the turtle dinosaurs and the Billy character with his scabby chest-sore. Later i saw it in a video rental place and watched again just for the sheer badness of it. I was overjoyed when i discovered it was riffed on MST3k!
Sad but great episode, awesome riffs but the end of an era. Trace brought so much to the show! Great job on the 2001 Space Odyssey parody ending!
They really seem to be directing a lot of weed jokes at Mike in this ep.
Crow “When ya first saw this you laughed so hard you spilled your bong-water, didn’t ya Mike?”
“Sunny day, got a pleasant buzz going … eh Mike?”
Funny observations & riffs:
(Reverse product placement) “Pepsi gave them big bucks to place Coke in this movie”
“I bought the drapes too short, but I’ve found a way to deal with it.”
“Terrible name for laser eye surgery, scares away the customers!”
“It’s Edward CD-player hands”
“This movie boldly states what it’s going to do, and does it!”