Short: (1963) A few scenes from the soap opera “General Hospital.” Jesse plans a party while Dr. Hardy gives a worried patient a diagnosis.
Movie: (1954) Edited-together episodes of the TV series “Rocky Jones, Space Ranger.” Our hero and his sidekick Winky rescue stranded Vena and confront space pirates working for evil Queen Cleolanta.
First shown: 9/19/92
Opening: Crow isn’t happy that the movie is going to be in black and white, leading to the discovery that Tom Servo is color blind!
Invention exchange: The Mads have invented beanbag pants, while J&tB demonstrate recycled paper clothing
Host segment 1: The bots are playing soap opera, but Joel won’t play
Host segment 2: J&tB discuss the overuse of modifiers, such as “space”
Host segment 3: J&tB get a visit from Winkie on the Hexfield
End: Crow is Joel’s guitar and Tom is the amp, Joel reads a letter, the Mads are stuck in their bean bag chairs
Stinger: Space traitor Ken tosses a chair
(179 votes, average: 4.06 out of 5)
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• Of the two Rocky Jones episodes, I prefer “Crash of the Moons,” but this one is a good time too. The previous time I watched this I was really, really sick. The consequence was that the black-and-white movie and all that monotonous rocketship taking off and landing practically put me to sleep (the meds might have contributed to this). This time through I was fully functional (more or less) and I have to say I liked it a lot more. The movie is pretty strange but the cast really commits to the premise, which makes the riffing easier and more fun. The host segments are mostly pretty good (although the “space modifier” segment wears out its welcome) and generally I didn’t have any trouble staying awake and laughing a lot.
• This episode was included in Shout! Factory’s “Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Vol XIV.”
• A little backstage info: Kevin has acknowledged that he actually does have red-green color blindness, which I guess is where the idea for the bit came from.
• I love how, in the short, the doc tells his patient that his treatment for her apparently minor condition is TWO WEEKS in the hospital. How times have changed.
• When John “Dr. Hardy” Beradino appears, Crow says “Wow, he was old even then!” Beradino was in his mid-40s when that scene was shot. Wonder if Trace would still make that joke? I know I wouldn’t! :smile:
• Showbiz info: The syndicated television series “Rocky Jones, Space Ranger,” lasted only one season, because it lost a considerable amount of money. It was the first space opera to be shot on film, (which is why it survives so well today) and had huge overhead costs (sets, special effects, large cast) compared to other shows of the early 1950s (I know, hard to believe THOSE were bank-breaking special effects, but…). The show was popular and had no lack of advertising sponsors, but it became evident during its first season that it would probably never break even.
• Tom Servo thinks a shot of a planet looks like the MST3K logo—Joel hushes him.
• All the rocket ship footage seemed to push some “Thunderbirds” buttons for the cast: they mention it a couple of times and Crow says “Scott Tracy!” at one point.
• During segment one, Crow mentions “mogo-on-the-g-go-go” a W.C. Fields reference which we can now be pretty certain came from Frank, since he goes on at some length about it here.
• Nice reminder that Cambot is there at the end of segment 1. We sometimes forget but they seldom did.
• Callback: “I told you to find adventure not bring it home with you!” (City Limits); Hikeeba (Women of the Prehistoric Planet); “I’m a Grimault warrior!” (Viking Women); “Chief? McCloud!” (Pod People); The Gamera song.
• Then-current reference: “What’s your position?” “Leaning towards Perot.”
• Last time, I thought Tom said, “What is this, Radio Oz?” Turns out it’s Radio AAHS.
• I had the same reaction to segment 2 this time that I’ve had in the past: “Did they really say ‘space’ that much? I can’t remember them doing it even once.”
• Movie complaint: Winkie says “the ship won’t land on its tail” and then it does. Several times. Hmm. But I always enjoyed the notion of a rocket ship landing back on its tail, like a car backing into a parking space, but apparently in real life it’s really damn hard.
• In segment three, Crow has an acid-flashback to episode 310- FUGITIVE ALIEN, which Joel notes was “like, 20 experiments ago.” It was 26 episodes ago, to be exact.
• Mike is great as Winkie (is that an MST3K logo on his shirt?) and Frank sure does a great little old lady voice.
• As a side note, Scotty “Winkie” Beckett wrote that song he sings. Another thing he was not that good at, I guess.
• Shoes for industry! (Another Firesign Theatre reference.)
• As the traitor carries Rocky to the gantry, Crow says “Oh, he’s gonna do the Letterman thing.” Huh?
• Um, Joel can call Earth? (I know, I know…)
• Cast and crew roundup: Of course, much of the same crew also worked on “Crash of the Moons,” including executive producer Guy V. Thayer, producer/creator Roland Reed, associate producer Arthur Pierson, director Hollingsworth Morse, assistant director Dick Moder, editors Fred Maguire and S. Roy Luby, special effects guy Jack R. Glass (who also worked on “Project Moon Base”), production manager Richard L’Estrange, art director McClure Capps and music conductor Alexander Laszlo (who also worked on “Attack of the Giant Leeches” and “Night of the Blood Beast”). In front of the camera, Richard Crane, Scotty Beckett, Sally Mansfield, Robert Lyden, Maurice Cass, Charles Meredith, Patsy Parsons and Harry Lauter were all back again for “Crash of the Moons.” In addition, James Griffith was in “The Amazing Transparent Man,” Dale Van Sickel was in “Radar Men from the Moon” and Judd Holdren was in “Rocketship X-M.”
• CreditsWatch: Curtis Anderson and Kelly Ann Nathe started their internships. Jim directed the host segments once again, but this was his last time in season four. Kevin, Joel and Trace would trade off for the rest of the season.”Ammendment” is still spelled wrong.
• Fave riff from the short: “Here comes Nurse Feratu.” Honorable mention: “Nothing an expensive operation can’t complicate.”
• Fave riff from the feature: “What are you doing in Alan Brady’s office?” Honorable mention: “I’ve got something that’ll put you through the floor, boys.”
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Oh, by the way, Netflix has a pretty comprehensive collection of the Rocky Jones, Space Ranger episodes. They are a pretty tough slog without J&TB riffing on them.
I’d call this in the good but not great category. I think the editing was much better in this than in other hacked together movies made from TV episodes, things seemed to flow and make sense and there was no obvious “Here’s a completely different episode” scene.
My wife liked the ballet reference “He’s doing a grand jette” from Servo, interesting that of the ballet references in the show he’s always doing them. Grand jette is a ballet position.
I loved the Nurseferatu line and it was a great riff after the “million to one shot they’ll ever be seen” line where I think it’s Crow says “Oh they’re on Comedy Central.”
Host segment 3 is a classic with Mike as Winky and I loved how yet again we have a Witness style ending to the scene with everyone shouting at each other.
Dated riff: “Now taking the ice, your Minnesota North Stars.” They moved to Dallas at the end of the ’92-’93 season.
Pretty good episode. Besides Japanes rubber suit monsters I think this is the type of movie most people who aren’t hardcore MSTies associate with the show. Was this the only instance in which the short and movie were both edited tv episodes strung together?
I do so love Trace’s mocking of Tom only to abruptly stop laughing and apologize.
I love these old 50’s sci-fi films. The general lack of science accuracy is a hoot. They tried to make space travel as easy as driving a bus. Poor winky, such a sad ending.
I wonder what ever happened to #14 Kelly Lingo the “friendly” commenter up there from 2008. As Joel would say “oh wooow”.
JOEL: It’s Scott Tracy!
CROW: Less animated.
Got that right. The adventures of Cleolanta and Ampersand. You almost wish they did a few more of these.
SERVO: Look! It’s the MST3K logo!
JOEL: You’re not supposed to know about that!
SERVO (on hearing the beeper): Exterminate! Exterminate! (can’t go wrong with a Doctor Who gag)
This is one of those episodes, where even as a die-hard Joel fan, I find incredibly tough to sit through. After the short and the first few quips about the “gay night life,” I’m out like a light. It’s a funny episode (they all are), but this is a case of the movie and I not getting along well. I’d actually rather watch Pumpkin Boy! lol
This one’s still in my regular rotation though.
I’m down with #23 and #26 and am quite surprised EVERYONE didn’t know that ! You can also peruse the liner notes to Firesign’s DEAR FRIENDS and glean that piece of ANCIENT knowledge. :-D
#48
I always thought the real name was Athelstan – at least that’s what it sounds like. It’s the name of a medieval king. I looked it up once.
I prefer to go with Ampersand. It sounds better. :-)
Vena: Do we have any chance?
Reggie: It’s like a million to one shot that we’ll ever be seen.
CROW: Oh they’re on Comedy Central.
LOL!
I just love this episode (as well as CotM). There is something so watchable about this serial. A really fun episode.
The host segments are some of my favorites, especially when Crow refers to FA. :laugh:
@#21-“Anyone know who the MC Five are? This was also used on both Rocky Jones episodes.
>>Its a band”
Sure do- The MC (Motor city) 5- Detorit punk- Kick out the Jams Mother F*ckers!
BTW- Am I the lone voice who LIKES the General Hospital shorts? My GF and I have watched the three episdoes they are featured in, and laugh loudly at them. Can’t believe they passed as dull entertainment for housewives way back when. Kinda like Zappa said- “The tango once passed for sex”
I loved the “Nurse Feratu” line in the short. For days, no weeks afterward, I would break into snickers everytime I thought about it. Earned me quite a few strange looks.
@43 – Letterman used to do a segment where they’d throw breakable stuff (like watermelons) from the roof.
To wit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVD-X8pxyd0
Ah, the glory days of 80’s NBC Letterman, when he was less crabby and had a director who made it funny. :)
I don’t know. These Rocky Jones episodes are always a struggle for me. Maybe it’s the gray drabness of space, the insipid dialogue, or maybe I just hate Winky. I’m not quite sure. However, I watched this one the other night, and it was better than I had remembered it. The little kid bugs me though. A lot. He’s right up there with Kenny in my book.
As for spaceships landing on their tails, McDonnell Douglas actually had a working prototype of that in the 90’s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Clipper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzXcTFfV3Ls
Last week I said that HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN was my least favorite of Season 4 so far. Well, I’ve got a new one for the bottom of the pile..
I really don’t like this movie, this is the 2nd, maybe 3rd time I’ve watched it, and it just doesn’t do it for me. Too cheap and corny, even for my tastes. The riffing is decent, but this is an example of one that I keep zoning out during. The Opening and Invention Exchange are pretty good, and Host Segment #3 is the best part of the whole thing. Otherwise, meh…
We are in the middle of a Season 4 slump…
RIFFS AND THINGS:
In the opening, after Joel fixes Servo’s color blindness, Servo is rubbing Joel’s face…with his hands… I know, I know, it’s just a show, relax…but….huh?? Wha? How?
Only funny line in the General Hospital short:
Crow: “Here comes Nurse-feratu.”
Servo: “Look, it’s the MST3k logo up there!”
Joel: “uh..you’re not supposed to see that.”
Servo: “…(whistles)”
Movie: “Winkie, what’s our position?”
Crow: “Leaning towards Perot?”. —ahhh, 1992, gotta love it.
Servo: “Wendy, honey. I think you hurt me real bad. —The Shining reference
Joel: “Spaaaaaaaace Ghoooooost!”
–
Overall, a drag of an episode, the worst one since CASTLE OF FU MANCHU, although this is better than that. I still can’t give it less than
3/5.
Now excuse me, I’m off to enjoy the gay nightlife….
#48: “Is Vena trying to do an accent? Whether real or affected, what is it?”
Venusian?
#66: “Servo is rubbing Joel’s face…with his hands… I know, I know, it’s just a show, relax…but….huh?? Wha? How?”
Based on various incidents where Servo is seen with objects in his hands, or when he uses them offscreen (as when he helps Crow carry “dead” Mike in “The Projected Man”), Servo’s hands/arms work *sporadically*, but since there’s apparently no predicting when, he goes through life (so to speak) under the presumption that his arms don’t work, since it’s better to presume they don’t work and be pleasantly surprised when they do than to presume they DO work and be UNpleasantly surprised when they don’t.
Okay, this one has since come out on dvd, and I must retract my comment from WAAAAAAY back when. I now like this one better than COTM. I think the riffing in this episode is better overall, but will admit that the host segments in the sequel are better (with the possible exception of Mike as Winky. Whatever one’s host preference, one must admit that they lost a great utility “guest-of-the-week” as Mike nails Winky, as he did just about every character he portrayed, John Banner included!)
rcfagnan #69> You just nailed it. Mike moving into the host role really took away their goto hexfield/Deep 13 guest player. That role was never really filled. Paul did some of it but never to the same extent.
#60:
Well, I wasn’t lazy today, so I IMDBed Rocky Jones, and they have it spelled “Atlasande.” Huh.
Now, Wikipedia has the hot queen’s name as “Cleolanthe,” whereas IMDB has it “Cleolanta” (no Wikipedia mention for Atlaswhatever).
But I prefer to call her Throatwobbler Mangrove.
#68:
I am pleasantly surprised when my hands work, if you know what I mean.
Ah! One of my faves, although I do like Crash of the moons more. I also have “Menace from Space” unriffed on DVD. Found it and many more gems on a DVD set (50 movies for 10? Score!). The print is worse, Crash of the moons is also on there, and its a good print. And the plot? Uh…the other two movies and tons better.
Ok, back to our show. My fave part of this show is naughtiness. The suggestive ship scenes, the gay nightlife jokes. Favorite is probably the mic scene where they make the vibrator sound. And Mike is great as Winky.
Some fave quotes:
Going up Mr Tyler?
Look its the MST3k logo!
What a cheap, crummy special effect!
Looks like you got the worst of it Ned
#73 – I always thought the humming sound they make with the mike was because it looks just like a big, chunky, wired electric razor. You know, the kind that you have to rub all over your face for 2 hours to get a good shave.
But I ‘spose it could help release tension, too. The weird mike, not an electric razor.
This is one of my favorite eps – b&w sci-fi is the best, closely followed by sword & sandal – and I’m one of those people who just drops dead laughing at the General Hospital shorts. IMHO, those are some of the BB’s funniest stuff. “Would you people knock it off with the party up there? You’re depressing the whole building!”
I’ve seen the “Crash of the Moons” experiment many more times than the “Manhunt in Spance” one (because of John Banner) but, after a viewing this morning, “MIS” has kind-of grown on me. As mentioned before, because the ‘General Hospital’ shorts are so basic (out-of-context segments of a serialized daytime soap) and disconnected from reality with that “Carnival of Souls”-esque organ music, Joel and the Bots have to go dark with the riffs to get laughs. And man, I cracked laughing hard through almost the entire “GH” segment even though I couldn’t tell one soap apart from the next. It’s a perfect appetizer for the easy-to-follow-and-get-into space adventures of Rocky Jones, whose stories/characters/settings fit better into the ‘movies made out of TV episodes’ genre than pretty much every other “MST3K” experiment that tried it (where you can see/feel the shoehorn of the moment we switch from one episode to another in the middle of our ‘movie’). Between J&TB’s doing super-specific meta humor (Servo’s ‘It’s the MST3K logo!’ joke, the gang looking around at their own cheap-looking space set, Joel disconnecting Cambot while scolding the bots), the endless-and-totally-appropriate sexual innuendo (‘ready to ride the rocket,’ ‘rockets ready to roar,’ Winky’s ‘gay night life’ black book, etc.) and the richly-deserved on-screen targets for riff abuse (first the ‘headache with Bobby’s picture all over it,’, then Winky when he sings/talks/breaths/does anything) the movie is never dull or boring. Henry Brandon is appropriately scummy as villain Rinkman, shame that he and his crew are utterly incompetent when Richard Crane’s Rocky can pull the wool over their eyes with the greatest of ease (and a couple of well-placed fists). Nice that Atlasant and Cleolanta are set-up in “MIS” for their “COTM” return. All throughout the jokes from J&TB’s are perfectly balanced (when they’re not being sexually explicit like when Servo does heavy breathing during the ‘phalic ships’ scene… how did that get past the censors?) and the host segments, especially Mike’s hilarious transmission of Winky from his mother’s basement, are a hoot. Love that they incorporated Kevin Murphy’s real-life color blindness for red/green into the show as Tom Servo’s, then Crow covers for all the previous experiments in which Servo may have made color references with the ‘stories you’ve had to come up to hide his condition’ comment. I know, it’s a TV show and I should just relax… still, nice cover the Brains came up with! :-D
THREE-AND-A-HALF STARS (out of five) for “Manhunt In Space.” FAVORITE RIFF (from Cleolanta to Atlasan after the former told the later not to go to barren planet): ‘Don’t say barren to me.’ RUNNER-UP: ‘Look, it’s Nurse Feratu’ ?:-)
@76 I don’t think Comedy Central’s censors were ever too rigid (even back then). This was a few years before South Park but they still had tons of programming that was much filthier than MST3k ever got. I remember they had something called the “T&A Matinee” back then on CC, which I found very enjoyable at the time.
#77 – I recall CC had a show with a premise sort of similar to MST in which a couple of dudes watched and commented on some pretty extreme horror movies (Street Trash, Curse 2: The Bite, which I want on DVD so bad). I am pretty sure they showed clips from the infamous “penis toss” scene from Street Trash.
So, um, what I’m saying is I agree with the assessment about CC’s censors.
In regards to the doctor in the “General Hospital” short saying the patient could stay in the hospital for two weeks; when my wife gave birth to our first son, at the hospital on Pease Air Force base (N.H.) in 1980, she told them three days later she was ready to go home; they asked her,”are you sure? You can stay for four more days, if you want”. Now they want the mother and baby out of the hospital the next day, if not the same day! (she did go home that day, she was bored.) Also not mentioned; the actor portraying the other doctor in the short later appeared in “Code Name:Diamond Head” his name escapes me at the moment and I don’t care enough to go pop the DVD in and watch the opening credits to get his name!
Roy Thinnes, Dave. Roy Thinnes.
(and I think John Berardino *does* look really old even then. And even if Sampo feels every day his age, last time I saw him he still looked younger than Doctor Hardy. Believe you me.)
I’m late coming to this one, thanks to a REALLY crazy week at work. (TGIF, right?)
I like the Rocky Jones “movies.” I think that if you cut them some slack for being designed for kids and being primitive 1950’s TV sci-fi, then they’re actually quite good. They might even be some of the best MST3K movies out there. Richard Crane’s a good actor and doesn’t look like his 36 years when this was filmed.
Bobby is annoying as all-get-out, though. I like to imagine that he’s the great-grandfather of Wesley Crusher.
I can’t stand Rocky Jones, and I’ve never been able to make it through this episode without dozing. Somehow, this movie manages to take space pirates, cloaking devices and fist-fights and makes them boring. That is unforgivable. The riffing tries its best, but it can’t keep this episode above water.
On the other hand, I do like the General Hospital segments, and the host segment that goes with it in this episode is fantastic.
2 stars from me.
Tom: “We’d call you that even if you -didn’t- want us to, Winky.”
Winky: D:
I have to agree with the consensus, while “Crash of the Moons” is stronger, this one has some very enjoyable riffing and the Mike-as-Winky skit is a classic.
Like so many others, I’m partial to Crash of the Moons. I warmed to this one with repeated viewings. What really grew on me was the scenes where Rocky keeps pausing after someone else speaks, before he delivers his line. Crow, as Winky “Rocky, your line.” “Your line again.”
I loved the General Hospital shorts, as I’ll admit to being a long-time watcher of the show (right around the time of the start of the Luke/Laura thing on & off to present day, when it’s mostly off). It’s nice to see Jessie and Doctor Hardy when they were much younger – no matter how old he looked then. ;-) Not that anyone really cares, but Phil continued to make Jessie miserable for years to come, and Nurse Lucille was on the show for a long time, (Swiss Miss was too, I think) though she was gone by the time I started watching.
In 2007, I found myself spending the day in Independence, IA. As we turned the corner into Downtown Independence, I caught sight of a store I’d never seen before: Hardware Hank. It had the old logo on the storefront (and Google Street View still shows it), and I was immediately reminded of their rejoinder, “Winky, you’re not a swinger. You look like Hardware Hank!” and broke into a long fit of giggles. (The people I was with understood) Because, my goodness, he does.
Counter to all the Joel-the-Nice stuff:
Joel, “Oh, great. All she can make is Pop-Tarts.”
Crow, “Yeah, Winky, you’re real hot. I saw your little black book, you had Nancy Kulp’s number in there! … and Alice Ghostley.”
My favorite line: “That kid’s gonna have the darkest dreams he’s ever had.”
#73, never ever crossed my mind that it could be an electric razor
shows my way of thinking, but you know a dirty mind is terrible thing to waste
#85 – too true, but you know, dirty waste is a good thing to mind.
“HER NAME IS CLARISSA, AND I’M A REAL SWINGER!!” One of Mike’s greatest moments.
I’d call this one a good episode. Nice riffing and strong host segments. Kinda slow movie though.
3 Stars.
Wonderful site. Plenty of helpful info here. I am sending it to several buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And naturally, thanks for your effort!
If only all the comment pages here were still open!! There are so many eps I wish I could say my piece on. This page is closing tomorrow, so here are my thoughts.
Manhunt is a bit of a slog, but it’s a pretty good starter episode because neither the movie nor the short are bad enough to be really offensive. I think Manhunt was among the best old space movies they did, though it’s not saying much. The suggestive riffing helped keep things afloat as the movie dragged on, and the host segments are refreshing breaks. I love all of them–the inventions, the “modifiers,” Joel playing the bots like an electric guitar, and of course Winky (shudder).
A few memorable riffs:
“More letters about how unappealing you are, sir.”
“Ohh, right in the Winky!”
Tom as Winky: “Good, now I can screw off.” (My jaw dropped on that one. I think it was the dirtiest riff I’ve heard on the show.)
Overall, a pretty good episode but not spectacular.
Either coincidentally or ironically, depending who added the detail, Wikipedia notes that Rocky’s adventures were set “in the not-too-distant future.” I find it mildly annoying when tv series and films set in the future don’t provide you with even a vague sense of how far in the future they are. Without that knowledge, how are we supposed to place them on a grand universal timeline of fictional futures, where Space: 1999 leads to 2001: A Space Odyssey to Terminator to The Black Hole to Star Trek to Logan’s Run to Zardoz to, well, perhaps I’ve said too much already.
“The Winky character was replaced by Biffen Cardoza (James Lydon) after 26 episodes…”
So instead of Winky, we could’ve gotten “Biffy.” The Brains might have overloaded with riffs on THAT name.
“…when Beckett was unavailable as he was serving time in jail…”
“Unavailable”, they make it sound so pedestrian. :-)
“…for carrying a concealed weapon.”
I’m trying to imagine how today’s media and political pundits would react to an actor from what would probably be perceived as a children’s show being arrested for carrying a concealed weapon but, darn it, I’m not even sure where to start. To political cartoonists, “Rocky Jones, Space Ranger” would forever be linked to the NRA, I’d venture that much…
Mike hits another home run with his appearance as Winky.
Recycled paper clothing would go on to become a real thing: http://garbagegoneglam.com/
This has one of my favorite stingers of all time. It’s just so silly, and I love the riffing on it in the episode.
“Jettison Bobby!” –Crow T. Robot
Funny you’d pick this one; I was just watching Crash Of The Moons this afternoon.
Originally, I liked Manhunt In Space better, but the more times I watched Crash Of The Moons, the more I liked it, especially that “wrestle the Queen” bit towards the end.
I’m finally at a point now where I like both of these episodes equally, and often watch them back-to-back.
“I’ve got two dollars; I’ll wrestle the Queen!” –Crow T. Robot
Oh, man, yeah… that “Nurseferatu” riff busts me up every time. I guess that particular GH episode was made back in the day when nurses still wore those Clara Barton capes, like they were tending the wounded in the Crimean War or something.
In case anybody’s interested and, frankly, what are the odds of that, regarding other “space opera” TV shows of the era, per Wikipedia, “Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers” was set in 2153, “Space Patrol” in the 30th century* (just think, an interim of over 800 years and humanity hadn’t moved past the basic “space ranger” concept), and “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” in…well, I think it’s pretty apparent, don’t you? ;-)
Although Wikipedia doesn’t mention it, I’ve read in other sources that “Tom Corbett, Space Cadet” included (for the 1950s, anyway) some pretty innovative characterization. One of the Cadets, Astro, was the target of prejudice because he was from Venus (which is presumably why he had only one name instead of a first and second). Obviously, for “Venusian,” read “minority of one’s choice,” a common trope in later SF TV but relatively groundbreaking for the time.
Another Cadet, Roger Manning, often subjected him to insulting remarks (calling him a “Venusian ape,” for instance), but in a crisis, he readily risked his life for Astro, and vice versa, and I’m sure that they went right back to squabbling once the crisis was over. Sure, the “arrogant jerk who’s not nearly as bad a guy as he pretends to be” character has become a cliche over the years but, again, back then, kind of a novelty.
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*LOTS of SF film and tv is set in the 30th century because it’s such an easy leap, one thousand years in the future: “Astro Boy,” “Starchaser: The Legend of Orin,” “Battlefield Earth,” “Captive Women”**, “Deathsport” (“to live [in the future] like the Cor-Man…”), “Tumannost Andromedy” (“The Andromeda Nebula,” from the USSR), and more.
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**What’s This? “The story takes place in New York City in a post-apocalyptic setting. Two tribes, the “Norms” and the “Mutates”, fighting in the remains of the city”? Sweet Zombie Jesus!
Tonight, on Fischer Price Medical Center…
I liked this one, but I have to be in the mood for it.
No big insights to add, so:
Some fave lines:
Short:
“The body sees a hernia as a series of ones and zeroes” – Servo
Movie:
“Look, it’s the MST3K logo” – Servo “You’re not supposed to know about that” – Joel
“Wonder if Winky has a nickname?” – Joel
“Yes, it’s a dark, forbidden area full of secrets and shame” – Servo
“Hey, has Bobby been giving you that cold light crap?” – Joel
“Did you hear an invisible ship just now?” – Servo
“Yeah, what was his mission: go in there, get caught, and escape?” – Crow
When someone questions something on which ship: “There’s only two ships out there!” – Servo
“Oh, happiness fades; back to the dark recesses of my hideous life” – Joel
Liked the color blind host segment: Servo: (feeling Joel’s face with his hands) “You have a kind face.” Joel” “Tom, I said you were color blind not BLIND.”
Overall, a good ep. I watched it on my space computer.
“For God’s sake Joel, I’m not a Stratocaster!”
I’d forgotten how much fun this episode was, from start to finish. Joel seems to get really harsh really fast when he declares he’s not playing Soap Opera and then just yanks Cambot’s cord yelling “WHO’S NEXT?”
Honestly though, I wish they’d been able to do more soap opera episodes as shorts. The stilted dialogue and melodrama made them perfect subjects.
Fave riff from the film:
“Not a word about our visits, Bobby!”
Oh, and how can I forget: But I’m not IN Rocky. (Servo)
I just have to say, the “Nurse Feratu” riff is, to me, one of the funniest they ever came up with. It still cracks me up after all these years.