Movie: (1965) An alien takes over scientist’s human duplicating machine, hoping to infiltrate the government. But a top agent is on the case.
First shown: 12/26/92
Opening: The bots have suggestions for ways they could be improved.
Invention exchange: The Mads have the a case of the sillies, Joel demonstrates the beanie chopper, the Mads have invented the William Conrad fridge alert
Host segment 1: Joel has assigned the bots a craft project: to make spaceships made from household items
Host segment 2: Tom Servo duplicates himself–many times over!
Host segment 3: A grumpy Hugh Beaumont revisits on the Hexfield
End: Crow and Tom come out as robots, meanwhile, in Deep 13, William Conrad shows up
Stinger: Duplicates cracking up as they choke each other
(163 votes, average: 4.36 out of 5)
Loading...
• I said last week that this was the beginning of a stretch of good to very good episodes. but I forgot about this speed bump on the road to those goodies. The movie is strange but dull and talky, and the riffing, while okay, isn’t up to the level we’ve had in the last couple shows, and will have going forward. There’s some pretty good host segments, though! (By the way, a lot of commenters disagreed with me the last time around, so I may be completely offbase on this one.)
• This episode has not yet been included on a commercial DVD.
• I’m sure “the sillies” bit is an approximation of many moments on the set. I wonder how much of the laughter we see is genuine.
• In a “Simpsons” episode called “Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy,” which came out two years after this episode, Homer says: “Maybe I could have been something more than I am. Like a travel agent to a great scientist, or the inventor of a hilarious refrigerator alarm.” Can that be anything but a reference to this invention exchange?” (Note: a commenter said I’m wrong.)
• Callbacks: “Calling Scott Tracy…” (one of the SuperMarionation movies they did at KTMA), “I’m a grimaldi warrior!” (Viking Women), o/` S-A-N-T-A…o/` (Santa Claus Conquers the Martians”), “Knew your father, I did!” (Mr. B Natural), “To think like the hu-man!” (Robot Monster), “And a good friend” (Rocketship XM).
• Firesign Theatre reference: “Everything You Know is Wrong!”
• The movie makes the same comment at the same time one of the riffers does, and Crow calls it “riffback.” I’m sure that came from writing room experiences. It’s one of those little things that helps the show feel improvised.
• Movie comment: Um, casting people? Why exactly did you think Adelaide from “Guys and Dolls” would be good female lead? I keep expecting her to break into “Take Back Your Mink” any minute.
• Trace built that SOL model shown in segment one; it spent a lot of time sitting in a corner of the studio. To my knowledge he has not, as of this date, put lighter fluid on it and burned it in the driveway.
• I love segment 2. It may be one of my top ten segments. How did they control them all? However they did it, they really created a sense of each one moving independently. (A commenter explains below.)
• Then-current reference: “Oh did you see Madonna’s book?” A reference to the singer’s once-scandalous nudie book “Sex.”
• Hugh: “…resembling a human.” Joel: “See David Geffen.” Ouch!
• Segment 3 is Mike’s second visit as Hugh; and of course that’s Kevin as William Conrad.
• Cast and crew roundup: Producer/director Hugo Grimaldi was the producer of “First Spaceship on Venus” and the editor of “Hercules and the Captive Women” and “The Phantom Planet.” Producer/screenwriter Arthur C. Pierce had the same titles for “Women of the Prehistoric Planet.” Cinematographer Monroe Askins also worked on “Viking Women and the Sea Serpent.” Editor Donald Wolfe also worked in “The Phantom Planet.” Special effects guy Roger George also worked on “The Amazing Transparent Man.” Makeup guy Bob Mark also worked on “Radar Men from the Moon.” Art director Paul Sylos also worked on “Women of the Prehistoric Planet.”
In front of the camera, George Nader was also in “Robot Monster” and “The Million Eyes of Su-Muru.” Dolores Faith was also in “The Phantom Planet.” Hugh Beaumont was also in “Lost Continent and “The Mole People.” Richard Arlen was also in “The Crawling Hand. Walter Maslow was also in “SST: Death Flight, Lori Lyons was also in “The Phantom Planet.” Richard Kiel also appears in “The Phantom Planet” and, of course, “Eegah!”
• CreditsWatch: Host segments directed by Kevin Murphy.
• Fave riff: “The boys did what? They duplicated Lumpy???” Honorable mention: “Phil Harris and Bubbles Rothermere back there, for those of you playing along at home.”
) to help our users cope with "trolls" and other commenters whom they find annoying. Go to our
This is the first episode I remember seeing. I didn’t have cable back then so it was a long time before I could catch episodes regularly. The riff that really stayed with me at the time was when the lady walks into a room, a guy points a gun at her, she runs, and they riff “Wait darling, I was only kidding!”
One of my favorites. I love Joel’s Keil imitation.
This one grew on me more and more with every viewing, to the point where it’s now one of my all-time favorites. A movie that’s likable in its goofiness (and it seems to be unaware of how goofy it is, which just adds to the greatness), plus top-shelf riffing all around and a great set of host segments, all add up to a true classic. My copy was recorded on the original post-Christmas ’92 airdate, and there’s a Christmas-themed Comedy Central bug in the corner, so I like to pop it in around the holidays.
Crow’s little “riffback” bit (“So say something!” “Something.” “Something.” “D’OH!”) is one of my favorite theater moments. It’s one of those things where it probably happened for real in the writers’ room and they said “Just throw it in!”
Dan in WI:
That’s it exactly–lemonade from lemons! I think I heard that in a song somewhere….
I also just realized this is episode 420. Woooo! That would have meant a lot more to me 10 years ago.
I’m a bit surprised at all the love this one is getting. The movie is at least 50% padding (people wandering around slowly and looking at things) which often creates lulls in the riffing. The invention exchange is lame on both sides and just too silly for me. Having said that, the Duplicated Servos is classic, and Mike as Hugh Beaumont made it almost worth sitting though the movie.
This is probably the only time I’ve ever seen Richard Kiel in a lead role, complete with dialogue!
5 stars all the way, this continues the season 4 run of greatness and is one of my all time favorite episodes. Great invention exchange/host segments, Richard Kiel’s terrible line delivery, and an overall bad movie add up to greatness. Mike’s Hugh Beaumont, the Fridge Alert and the ending segments were all from the top drawer, as they would say in England. One question I have, there was a reference to submitting a Northern Exposure spec script that I think I also remember hearing in an episode a week or two ago, did one of the Brains submit a Northern Exposure spec script or something? I liked that show too for most of its run and am just curious if there was any connection.
Lisaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
RE: The Simpsons – I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a reference to MST3K – Al Jean, Mike Reiss (season 3 & 4 showrunners, creators of The Critic), Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein (season 6 – 8 showrunners, creators of Mission Hill, Futurama producers) have referenced MST3K several times in The Simpsons DVD commentaries. (Also: MST3K was playing on the TV at Moe’s during the first “Who Shot Mr. Burns” episode, which Oakley & Weinstein wrote) Al Jean mentioned that he was particularly proud whenever he would catch the bots referencing The Simpsons because “he knew they had ‘made it’ with the comedy nerd community”.
Two Wongs don’t make a right!
I love this ep. Didn’t like it as much the first time I saw it, though. Took several viewings to grow on me. 5 stars. If they didn’t have Richard Keel to play off of it would be half that, though.
So, Sampo, with the previous being The Magic Sword, Rocky Jones, Beatniks, Fire Maidens, and Eye Creatures, you pick Rebel Set as the BEGINNING of a good run and then immediately discount Human Duplicators as part of that run? I concur with most everyone else, dead wrong friend. This episode is another classic, perfect for a newbie, and one of my first recorded eps. How can you be a MSTIE and not LOVE the fridge alert laugh-fest as one of the best skits ever? And Crow’s wanting to put lighter fluid on the model and ‘burn it in the driveway’ was a true psychic lawn-dart to me. Made me a fan forever.
Also, anyone who likes Coleman Francis cannot logically claim other episodes are not that funny because ‘people are just standing around talking’. That just doesn’t hold water.
Plus episodes like Killer Shrews and Fire Maidens are great BECAUSE they’re just standing/sitting around doing nothing and Joel and the bots can’t take it!
Great episode! Richard Keil is perfect for riffing….overtly huge, a weird shaped face and bad diction. Gotta love that.
I thought the invention exchange was an exercise in contrasts. The Mads are way over-the-top in self-adulation for an ordinary invention, they heap praise on each other and feel the need to explain why it’s so darn absurd and funny. Much like a late-night infomercial where the hosts can’t believe what a wonderful product this is, and are so cheerful and supportive of each other. Then the bots witness Joel’s Super Beany-copter, which again is OK but not awesome, and their response is the opposite: they are pilotely embarrassed and disappointed in what they think is a dud. And Joel has to explain why he can’t make a real version in space anyway, which kills the enthusiasm even more, and the whole thing gloriously deflates.
I’ve found you can say almost anything in Kolos-type of speech and it sounds better; one of the highlights of this one is the Kolos/Keil impersonations. Though admit I think Richard Keil does a creditable job in blocking and acting as a middle manager out of his element, with problem employees, juggling a chance at a love life. Could’ve been a Rom-Com w Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. And I submit that Kiel’s big final scene is no worse than Arnold’s in T2: “I know now why you cry, but it is something I can never do.”
Hummels are funny for some reason. Gloria from Sinister Urge has smutty Hummels on her shelves; and Joel very helpfully offers “Hit their heads! They have Hummel Heads!” LOL *snif*
I love this episode. The Mads having a giggle fit, we find out where most of the spare Servos come from, cranky Hugh Beaumont, & Richard Kiel giving what I think is a pretty decent performance considering this is the only role of his that I’ve seen where he has more than one line. Delores Faith was cute too.
Joel and the Bot’s riffing is at a funny new high.
Another good episode, but again, I find myself paying more attention to the movie than to the riffing, it usually happens when I’m watchnig a Joel episode. Say whatever you want to say about this movie, but the ending was kinda clever, and the invader played by Kiel was an interesting character for a Mst3k movie. And of course, Mike as a grim Hugh Beaumont makes everything better.
“I’ll also take Mike’s appearance as Hugh in this episode over his first one.”
No, no, Smoothie (#45), I must insist that BOTH of Mike’s appearances as Beaumont are wonderful! Crypto-Dad’s first appearance allows him to be the perfect ’50s father figure, dispensing lots of folksy wisdom and understanding while he’s getting ready to destroy the earth. Here, however,we see that Beaumont is getting crabbier as he ages…maybe from all those years of having to put up with the Beaver. I mean, who wouldn’t be cranky with a kid like that? (In the Human Duplicators segment, he even mentions the incident with the giant coffee cup which was actually from one of the Leave It to Beaver episodes; why, yes, I AM old, why do you ask?).
I liked Human Duplicators. Strong host segments, decent riffing, what I thought was a tolerable movie; not in my top ten, but definitely watchable.
I like this because I’ll watch Dolores Faith in anything =) (smitten)
@Castle Monster: I prefer “Hunan Duplicators” out of the racist Asian jokes. That was pretty clever.
huh huh…. ‘420’.
One of my all time fave episodes!
#55: What’s the deal witht the 420 number?
“@Castle Monster: I prefer “Hunan Duplicators” out of the racist Asian jokes. That was pretty clever.”
Racist, *maybe* but delicious definitely!
“What’s the deal witht the 420 number?”
Once upon a time some hip group of UCLA students found that they all had their schedules open at 4:20, making it the perfect time to meet at the dorm and burn a j. Personally, I prefer bongs and use tarot cards to tell me when to smoke pot.
420 is the unofficial pot smokers number, April 20th is basically national weed day during which there are numerous protests and concerts etc. and the time 4:20 is a big deal for pot heads. If you went away for college you’d get it.
I always thought the reason the Mads had the sillies was because it was episode 420…like some sort of super meta joke…
Is it just me or does some of the background music sound like a needle drop on The Phantom Planet soundtrack? It was pretty obvious early on (when Kiel is talking to his masters), but I didn’t hear it so plainly after that. It’s not surprising though, given how many of the crew and actors that brought us The Human Duplicators were also responsible for The Phantom Planet. By the way,Delores Faith was WAY hotter in The Phantom Planet, in case you were wondering.
A check at IMDB reveals that stock music was used in both movies. While The Human Duplicators credits a few composers with stock music, the one composer common to both this and The Phantom Planet is Leith Stevens. Both movies also feature Gordon Zahler as musical director/music supervisor, respectively.
Thanks for the answers. I didn’t get it because I’m not American nor pot smoker. To be honest, the idea of drinking, smoking, etc, disgusts me, but I digress.
While not in my top ten, this movie has inspired me to occasionally start speaking with Richard Kiel’s odd cadence. It brings me joy (and probably no one else). “Dearrrr, whatare wehaving for dinnerrrrr?” Yeah, just funny to me.
#30 – Hey it’s me under a different name! What a weirdo.
Alright ep and Dolores Faith gets a YOWSA! from me. I use variations of “hotter than a Pasadena tennis court” to this very day to minor laughs.
A friend told me that 420 was the number of individual psychoactive chemicals in cannibus. They could have been wrong, but that was my impression.
I’ve read in a few places that the Columbine massacre could have noticeably worse if attendance had not been unusually low because of students ditching for 4/20 related reasons.
4/20 is also a special day for Nazis since it’s Hitler’s birthday. I guess for pothead Nazis 4/20 must be like Christmas or something.
For some reason whenever I consult Tarot cards about when to get high it turns out I already am. I’ll have to contemplate that for awhile, puff, puff.
That should read, “could have been noticeably worse”.
Joel: “Why did he have to sign in to go outside?”
(when the one guy goes, “As you have already seen, my life is not the dull routine the general public might imagine” and the other guy goes, “No, your niece is very lovely.”) Joel: “What the hell is THAT supposed to mean?!”
(yeah, perv, what the hell DID you mean by that?!!)
Joel: “Any more booze over here?”
Joel: “If you don’t move, you’re invisible, remember that.”
Crow: “Next exit – gas, food, lodging, and MURDER.”
Crow: “They’ve disarmed him!”
I like this episode. Not great, but still worth a chuckle or five.
First off, this is episode #420, and as others have noted above, that number has certain connotations within certain subcultures, so I can only surmise and assume that I cannot be the only person, MSTie or not, who has found themselves in a room with a rolled up towel jammed at the base of the door, watching this episode and trying not to laugh so hard as to spill the bong water. Secondly, I uh. .um…wait, what was the question?…
Oh yeah, HUMAN DUPLICATORS. I like it. It’s a good one. While the quality of the film itself may be poor, you can’t say that it doesn’t have Richard Kiel and Hugh Beaumont (!) starring in it. Those are things that are unquestionable. I’ve watched this one dozens of times (with dozens of rolled up towels) and what I like best are the Host Segments and the silly opening Invention Exchange, which are all winners in my book. The Origin of Multiple Servos. Right here. The Return of Mike as Hugh Beaumont (!). Right here as well. This is another strong Season 4 episode, probably at the lower end of the 4 star group, but still, a 4 STAR episode all the way.
RIFFS AND THINGS:
Joel: “Oh no, he’s been beamed into ‘The Song of the South'”
Joel: “Kevin McHale, noooooooooo!!”
Crow: “I wet ’em.”
Joel: “Hm. Weed looks just about ready to harvest.”
ALL 3: “HUGH BEAUMONT!!”
Crow: “America! Building cities, drinking booze!”
Joel: “Jim Henson’s Jack Palance Babies.” —–it’s been awhile since we’ve had one of these jokes, since episode #414 Tormented!
Servo: “It’s a Pedro Almodóvar film.” —-Refers to the décor and use of color in one scene; also interesting as in the early nineties, Almodóvar was just starting to make an impression with most American audiences (he’s pretty widely acclaimed as of now) which goes to show that someone on the writing staff (Kevin?) was on top of their international cinema back in ’92.
In Host Segment #2,
Servo: “Just playing God. Going pretty well.”
Crow: “HUNAN Duplicators!”
Servo: “Mark Twain?
Crow: “It’s Hal Holbrook, actually.”
–
On my copy, I’ve got Penn yelling over the end credits again (“Just One of the Guys!”) which makes for two episodes in a row….Shout! needs to release this one proper!
–
As stated above, and duplicated here, I give this one 4/5 rolled up towels…
I like the inclusion of the soundtrack song from Beverly Hills Cop during the overhead outside shots. Thank you Harold Faltermeyer.
Ah, so this is the one where I put forth some kind of grand theorem or another…
Well, I still stand by it and Sampo is right too and having just watched this last night, I’m bumping it up to a B+. Maybe because I’ve been watching so much rifftrax lately and really enjoyed the more subtle riffs (whenever they reference a certain Robert Frost poem I have taught college students before, I really lose it) or esoteric riffs in this ep. And the host segs are good.
B+
p.s. speaking of boring movies where nothing happens, Mesa of the Lost Women is up next from Rifftrax. Yay!
I had always heard that a “420” was police code for someone smoking pot.
I like that Joel looks like he’s trying to figure out a way to make the copter go through the ceiling right before movie sign.
Here’s a promo for this episode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A0yfKVclqw&feature=plcp&context=C4392c31VDvjVQa1PpcFOH1vWpqOkUkgNhFmHVuwku9ZT8jL58c5A=
There’s another awesome promo for this episode involving “Servo Chow” where Joel feeds the multiple Servos on Vol. 23!
I remember seeing this one first-run. Very good episode.
I have a few commercials in my copy of this ep that I neglected to zap when I burned my videos onto dvd. It’s always interesting to note what little use of computer graphics commercials of the 90s have compared to today. Not to mention how much more inane they actually are. At least they didn’t have the Ad Council spot about mental illness with the wormy guy shaving his surly pal’s back (which one *isn’t* supposed to be mentally ill? I don’t get it.)
But there was that odd McDonalds commercial with the franchise exec speaking to 3rd grade class and declaring proudly that “I even get to make the ARCH DELUXE!”, which causes the small children to moan in revulsion because apparently the Arch Deluxe was too gross tasting for anyone outside of crusty old cigar chomping brandy swilling fogies. This was such a brilliant ad campaign that the Arch Deluxe soon after bought a train made of solid gold and retired to the Caribbean where it was eaten by reef sharks. Or that’s what I kinda heard.
The temperature of the inside of your mouth is 98.6 degrees–the same temperature as a sweltering jungle. But the temperature inside a Winter Fresh mouth is much MUUCH COOOLEEEER, YEAAH!
I finally got around to re-watching this one tonight. It’s been a busy week. I think it’s a fun episode and I really liked it. I really don’t have much to add that hasn’t already been said above.
4 stars.
A pretty good, maybe great episode.
I really like George Nader in this. Closeted actors of that era fascinate me.
I like the part at the beginning where the android breaks into the high school in Pasadena to steal to govt transistors and diodes.
The riffing is very strong, but the movie is a little on the meh side at times.
“It’s the blind leading the bland.”
Great episode!
@ #36: I maintain that this episode doesn’t even come close to the divisiveness that Hamlet inspires.
Sampo’s Theorem, indeed; I like this one.
@89 Castle Monster, MAN that was a stupid McDonald’s commercial. I’m not sure they managed to sell that burger to anyone.
I disagree. Those who like Hamlet are a very small minority. There is a clear consensus that isn’t their finest episode.
I seem to be in the minority here with thinking that the invention exchange wasn’t so funny. It comes across to me as a fat joke that goes on for far too long. It has been said that all humor is subjective, so there you go.
On the other hand, the closing segment had me laughing for a good while. It was good to see Tom and Crow come out as robots, they had been holding on to that one for a while.
@92 great name lol
I think the reason this one isn’t getting as much love is because of the same reason it doesn’t have 100 comments yet, no official release! Not enough people have seen it yet.
(puts on spectacles while looking atop the stairsteps leading down to the laboratory) “…oh my god, you’re huge.”
I remember when Adweek compiled their ’99 list of “Worst Advertising Campaigns of the Century”. I honestly expected some other campaign to take the top prize.
Although it’s not remembered for the appetizing images of kids going “yuk!” (y’see, because it was a grownup burger like Wendy’s, so kids wouldn’t like it…er, i think) but for the hip twenty-something ads of Ronald McDonald going nightclubbing at the hot spots…Those are the ads all of McD will be living down well into the next century.
(There, you got your 100, and even I have to keep going back on YouTube every time the episode’s mentioned, just to see if I remember any single riff from it.
If Shout finally puts it on disk, maybe I’ll stop subconsciously skipping over it as the “forgotten” Joel episode.)
Ohhh, that’s why–Always wondered why the RiffTrax live shows always get a cheap live-crowd laugh throwing out a riff like a character looking at a clock, and riffing “It’s 4:20, already!”
(The day RT realized they had a “built-in” audience from Legend forcing them to do Reefer Madness, was the day they started putting axle grease on the slope… :( )