Short: (1941) In the conclusion of a two-part short, our sales manager hero gets advice from his handkerchief-wearin’ dad.
Movie: (1966) A hapless family on a car trip in rural Texas takes refuge at a “lodge” that turns out to be the home of a deadly cult.
First shown: 1/30/93
Opening: Joel has programed the bots to agree with everything he says
Invention exchange: The Mads present the chocolate bunny guillotine; J&tB show off the cartuner
Host segment 1: J&tB’s car trip sketch is ruined by Manos footage, Frank apologizes
Host segment 2: J&tB discuss the physical attributes that would make them a monster
Host segment 3: Joel dons a Manos cape, Dr. F. apologizes
End: The bots reenact the lady wrestling scene, Torgo’s pizza arrives
Stinger: “Why don’t you guys leave us alone?”
(355 votes, average: 4.83 out of 5)
Loading...
• Whatever else they study, every Civil War buff has an opinion about Gettysburg. Whatever else they grow, every gardener has an opinion about tomatoes. No matter which team they root for, every baseball fan has an opinion about the Yankees. And every MSTie has an opinion about “‘Manos’ The Hands of Fate.” So much has been written about this awful, awful movie, and this justly famous episode, that it’s hard to make a fresh observation, but here are a few thoughts.
• This episode was issued by Rhino as a single, and also as part of the “Essentials” set.
• References
• This is one of two or three episodes that I practically have memorized. I can pretty much do all the riffs right along with J&tB.
• There’s been a lot of “Manos” news, including the sequel (featuring cast members from the original movie) that now seems to have sputtered out, the work to restore the movie and create a high-definition version, and the re-riff by RiffTrax. A fascinating recent article in Playboy investigated the bitter legal battle for the rights to the movie.
• Paul Chaplin once noted that many MST3K movies are “made by oily guys who elect to direct the camera largely on themselves.” He was talking about TISCWSLABMUZ, but this is another perfect example.
• At several MSTie parties I have attended where this episode was screened, people handed out napkins, which people unfolded and put on their heads at the moment ol’ Dad in the short does so. Has anybody else done this, or do I just hang out with weird people?
• The opening bit is great, and I suspect every fan of Joel has felt a little like the programmed bots at one time or another. You see this butt? Kick this butt.
• There’s a funny clank as chocolate bunny guillotine falls. I’m guessing it’s the weight that held the blade up falling to the floor somewhere off camera?
• The last issuance of The Cartuner isn’t really that strange: It sounds pretty much like something Gary Larson would have actually done (if he wasn’t afraid of getting sued by the Bil Keane empire). God, I miss The Far Side…
• Joel seems a little touchy when Crow suggests this might be a snuff film! Does Joel really know the limit of the sort of evil the Mads might try?
• Stuff about the movie you may already know: The movie was shot with a camera that could only shoot a small amount of film at a time, making long, continuous takes impossible. Hence the “dissolving to the same scene” Crow observes early on. Also, the long pointless driving scene was supposed to have credits supered on it, but Hal forgot.
• I had the opportunity, a few years ago, to exchange emails with Hal Warren’s daughter, who told me that her brother wore the Master costume on several Halloweens and that the painting of the Master adorned a wall of her home for many years.
• Joel’s looks of disgust and horror in segment two are great.
• As I was watching segment 3, my wife wandered through and said, “You should have worn THAT to the costume party at one of the conventions. I could have made that.” I had to break it to her that about 20 guys were wearing versions of the Master cape.
• Joel mentions Mentos, commercials for which were being seen regularly on MST3K.
• Then topical: “The Tasters Choice saga.” Remember when people cared about THAT nonsense? Also, I’m betting fewer and fewer people remember who Marilyn Quayle is.
• That’s Mike, of course, in the first of several appearances as Torgo. Let me just get your complementary crazy bread…
• There is no cast and crew roundup for this movie.
• Creditswatch: Host segments directed by Joel Hodgson. This was intern Curtis Anderson’s last show.
• Callback: “Torgo, you’re the laziest man on Mars.” (Santa Claus Conquers the Martians). “He tampered in God’s domain” (Bride of the Monster).
• Fave riff from the short: “Gah! Flying elves are back!” Honorable mention: “Seein’ as how we’re salesmen and all.”
• Fave riff from the movie: “And now the Manos Women’s Guild will re-enact the Battle of Pearl Harbor.” Honorable mention: “Yeah, here I go! Vroom!”
Next week we will do the MST3K Scrapbook and we’ll start Season 5 the following week.
) to help our users cope with "trolls" and other commenters whom they find annoying. Go to our
MST3K, turning absolutely nothing into something. Since 1988.
5-stars.
I love this episode but there is one thing I’ve never understood. At the very end of the episode, the Mads take a bite of pizza and Frank comments that it’s been two hours but it’s still very warm. The Mads then realize something and spit it out. Torgo then says, “They always do that.” Is there something I’m missing?
WHAT ABOUT THE VALLEY LODGE?!?!?!
This movie fully realizes the importance of giant knees in the doing of evil bidding. The fact that Torgo has his own theme music to compliment his bodacious knees only fortifies his evilishness.
This kind of almost stream of consciousness filmmaking is an art unto itself, and deserves its servile place in the annals of movidom. It takes true vision, and the artistic heart of an El Paso fertilizer salesman, to fully realize the grandure of humongous patellas.
The fact that the apparently really, really evil Manos is a terrifically uninteresting main character didn’t stop Hal Warren from pursuing his dream of creating an entire movie around him. Why? Because he lay comfortable in the knowledge that he had already deployed gigantic knees into the story (and until this movie, big knees were an under realized cinematic safety net) thereby diverting any undue attention to be paid to other aspects of the film, such as the across-the-board absence of basic storytelling and filmaking competence.
“Doggy go walkies?”
Ah, Manos. We meet again. Yes, even watching this I could tell that it was something special: the high water mark against which all future movies would be judged. Simply awful, you needed a shower afterwards.
But Castle of Fu Manchu is the worst movie they ever did.
I’m pretty sure the intent was that the viewer was to think that Torgo kept the pizza warm between his knees or armpits … or somewhere .. during the two hours it took to deliver.
I believe Kevin Murphy was the resident Frank Zappa fan.
Brian Lafferty:
Pizzas tend to get cold over the course of two hours, and yet the pizza the Mads are eating is still warm. What method do you suppose Torgo used to keep it warm? And would you still want to eat it after imagining what method he might use?
my last post was in reference to post #52
surprised no one mentioned the added humor of the Mads apologizing for Manos :mrgreen:
Well, here we are at Manos.
I’ve seen this episode fewer times than any other, because the movie is so disturbing that I just can’t bear to watch it very often, even with the riffing.
Hired!, however, I watch a lot more often. The handkerchief moment is the funniest thing that happens within any of the movies, I think. Especially when they pan back over to Grandpa later.
As for Manos, though, it isn’t even the most technically inept movie they did. That would probably be Starfighters, or one of the Coleman Francis films. It’s just the most disturbing.
Brian: I’ve always assumed the inference is that Torgo kept it warm by keeping it in contact with his body in some way.
Wow. There were all those comments while I was reading the thread and responding. I didn’t intentionally repeat Sampo’s explanation.
And Ralph C. stole my comment about the ideal first episode for a newbie, which would be Angels’ Revenge. But then, it’s not the first time he’s done that.
I loved Joel’s amazement of the “Just one guy” scene in the beginning of the film. In fact, all the segments of the family in the car is pretty classic.
“Let’s listen to Pearl Jam”
“His core temperature’s dropping”
And of course the kissin’ couple. “Eww, tastes like Cherry Robitussin.”
“Torgo is rounding the Master, heading for the straightaway and there he goes!”
For a starter ep, I’d go with either Prince of Space, Jack Frost, or The Final Sacrifice.
The “last known photograph” comment by Joel is just terrific.
The final host segment with Mike Nelson as Torgo is so great, it makes the whole painful movie experience worthwhile. When Mike/Torgo says, “They always do that” in that quavering Torgo voice, it cracks me up every time. Great punch-line to a great show.
“Torgo, you’re the laziest man on Mars.”
I corresponded with the guy who played bass on the soundtrack a number of years ago. If I recall correctly, most of the music was done in one take with little or no prior knowledge of what the movie would be like.
(I have a peculiar soft-spot for the soundtrack. Inept music has a way of charming me sometimes.)
Also, everyone in the “band” went on to [apparently] lucrative work as studio musicians. Who knew?
Also, incidentally, this is one of my (and apparently Quentin Tarantino’s! He’s got 35mm a print of the movie!) favorite movies of all time, along with Lucio Fulci’s Conquest. I’d kill for a print…
“I’m Tom Bodett, and we’ll leave a pyre on for you.”
Okay, it’s 2007 or so. I read about Manos on Imockery. I figured I had to see this movie, so I search youtube for “Manos” and what do I see? MST3K! My friend was an avid watcher of the show, and I decided to watch it. I fell in love with the robots, and have been a fan ever since. I think I had to watch a few more eps to really get into it though. I didn’t even get half the references when I first watched it, but I still laughed my arse off when they pretended to be the characters.
I like to think of myself as open minded, so when I first watched the show, not knowing anything about it, I just decided not to question things and go with the flow. then after seeing Mike eps, I did some research and realized what was going on.
My mum and I have watched the ep, she was amazed at how bad it was, but Torgo will live on in our hearts. Mums boyfriend doesn’t mind watching the occasional short with me, and always laughs. He was the first person I know who actually knows who Joe Don Baker is!
Fast forward to now, I own the original Zombie Nightmare and Space Mutiny on VHS, I have an original “Mitchell” poster along with a VHS tape of the episode, I have a Tom Servo plush toy someone on deviantART made. Some could say I’m In love. ;)
You know “Manos”
-cs™
I love how no matter how strange things get, Michael keep insisting that it’s all in his wife’s head and everything is just dandy. Didn’t he notice Torgo’s big knees/cloven hoof feet? This guy deserves to have his soul taken by the master for being such a dope!
Re : “Visit beautiful Ground Zero”.. not as hilarious as it used to be (for obvious reasons).
In a way this is a reversal… a PRE-TOPICAL reference. I always find it moving (?) to contrast how innocent this phrase was then, and how queasy it could well make many people now ( but I still think it is hilarious… it’s the voice and delivery ).
You know, for all the flack The Starfighters gets, IMO it’s only sin is being really, REALLY dull. It’s decently photographed, the acting isn’t terrible (not great, but), and the story itself could have been interesting. Manos fails nearly everything except Torgo and the music–sometimes. :wink:
Manos is definitely not Bunny Slope MST3K. It’s too poor in physical quality ( hard to hear, hard to watch ), too hard to follow, and with the groping, chick-fights and little-girl-as-satan-bride, just too off-putting.
Others are simply too bad period ( Monster A Go Go, Creeping Terror, Incredible-Zombies ). For a beginner the movie itself has to be good enough to draw them in.
Also the latter day movies ( late seventies on ) are a little less straight-forward as movies, too faux-arty, you want pretty basic stories for the white belt Misty. Skip where the fish lives and JD Baker.
For my starter kit I would probably pick a moderate quality B&W film… K. Shrews, either of the Leeches ( Giant or Woman ), Either of the She-Brains ( Atomic, Wouldn’t Die ), the Insect Movies etc.
Anyway, back to Manos.. NIPPLES: Many shapes, many sizes, some on my back.
I think this is the first time I’ve heard someone say Conquest was their favorite Fulci film. Normally people would say Zombie or City of the Living Dead…kinda refreshing to hear. :grin:
Manos is available “straight” and “unMSTed” from Alpha Video for about $8 on Amazon dot com.
I have to disagree that the acting in Starfighters is not terrible. It’s quite terrible AND the movie is dismally dull. There is also virtually no story whatsoever. I love aviation and usually love movies about aviation so seeing one that has nothing going for it at all was a new experience for me. Corn detassler? Detassle this!
However, Manos suffers from all of these same bad qualities I’ve listed for Starfighters plus poor sound quality, but at least the fantasy elements make it a bit more amusing on its own. Torgo’s voice and walk alone make it slightly more amusing by itself than Starfighters. However, The Atomic Brain may actually be harder to watch. Uggh, what an ugly movie with no entertainment or redeeming qualities whatsoever.
The premise of Manos, what little there is, is quite a stretch from the start. Would you insist that you, your lovely young wife and small child stay at a house where someone as creepy as Torgo insisists for 15 minutes that you can’t stay there? You wouldn’t have to tell me twice! LOL.
No, no, NO! You’re all wrong. Manos rewarded Torgo for his many years of faithful service with a pizza warmer that plugs in to a cigarette lighter. THAT’S how he kept the pizza warm.
Sebastian – I listened to the audio only of the song that pays over the ending credits. I agree that it’s actually a pretty cool jazz piece. Jazz music for a fight scene, no. But let’s not forget the Torgo theme, which I believe is responsible for propelling the Manos Band to fame and fortune.
I agree that the last song wasn’t bad, but was wildly out of place in this movie. Of course, all of the music really out of place.
Most every one I know who watched this episode had strange dreams the next night. Me too.
It’s really too bad the Cartuner doesn’t really exist, as the comics have only gotten worse since this episode first aired.
Another memory of mine regarding Manos concerns the viewing room for it at the MST3K conventions. The room for this episode always filled up till it was standing room only. It was quite an experience watching this with other people, many of whom I’m sure were seeing it for the first time. Manos has literally gone from total obscurity to become a legend thanks to MST3K.
The thing that makes ‘Manos’ such a beautiful MST3K episode is that it isn’t just awful, it’s deranged. Not every bad movie it a good MST3K movie; some are just muddy, uninteresting plodders (and yet, I still like ‘Starfighters’. Go fig.) The truly great MST3Ks have those moments that rivet your attention to the badness just as surely as a great movie rivets your attention to its genius, moments where you just stare in amazement asking, “What were they THINKING?” Moments like that always seem to bring out the best riffing.
‘Manos’ has those moments in spades. Torgo’s knees, the nightgown wrestling sequence…it’s just a movie that is dazzlingly inept, and there’s so much rich material for them to riff of of. Really, a true work of alchemy that transforms “awful” into “brilliant”.
(Bonus riff: “No, no, you got it all wrong. Love should be musty and hurtful.”)
@ John Seavey
Brilliant post that hits the nail on the head for sure. Yeah, I love movies like that too and Manos is definitely full of moments like you describe. It’s like the moment in Monster A-Go Go when the narrator calls special attention to the space capsule that is one of the worst looking, most under-sized movie props of its kind ever, making the moment especially funny even before Joel and the ‘Bots start busting on it.
Frank as the executioner…beautiful! Maybe with the taught muffiny Fabio chest?
After the Far Side/Family Circus comic…”Its a hoot!!” and “ahhh, my rib.”
The “Hired” short reminds me of my Army Recruiting days, talking about prospects (recruits). What a horrible job that was…and I was equally horrible at it. I couldn’t sell a heater to an Eskimo.
“Its a bug hunt man, a bug hunt!” “Game over man, game over!”
“Are you part of the movie we’re in?”
“Maggie, the damn car won’t start. Yeah that’s a real bitch dad!” :mrgreen:
If I didnt know any better Id say 501 – 503 were shot right after Manos, just observing Joels hair…
WORK, BOOZE, WORK…
Another great line from this episode… It may be a bit more obscure for those who don’t follow auto racing:
(scene where they’re showing the two young adults necking in the car)
Crow: “We’re ready for your scene, Mr. Unser. Mr. Unser?”
That guy really does look like he could be a member of the famous Unser racing clan..
Other than that, what else can be said about this episode that hasn’t been said already?
I’m not a medium, I’m a petite says:
… the latter day movies are … too faux-arty …
Great term. Faux-arty. [insert scatological joke here]
Ya know, if anything, The Starfighters had the most bad-arse soundtrack featured in a MST3K ep.
Re: Sampo and GizmonicTemp (#7)
If I’m not grossly mistaken the strange clank at the guillotine falling is from Doctor Forrester dropping the scrolls on which the bunny’s sentence is pronounced. From the timing I imagine that it was deliberate and probably so that there’d be a satisfyingly loud noise when the rabbit’s head fell. It’d otherwise be a pretty soft and anticlimactic thing.
If it was an accident — someone missing the handoff from Trace Beaulieu — then I’d wonder if that hints at this being the best take of the day and their living with it despite the noise. I would imagine, without knowing anything particular, that the chocolate bunny guillotine would be a balky prop — it’s hard making stuff that slides easily and quickly and gets fast enough to chop the head off — and if they didn’t mean it then a very good take with a clean head chop would probably outweigh any individual noise. But I still lean toward the deliberate sound idea just because it does all work so wonderfully well as it is.
I like Starfighters! Buhhh buh duh dummmmmmmm, buhhh buh duh duuuMMMMMM!
I mentioned that the Russo-Finnish films are the best introductory episodes; I will supplement that with any of the episodes based on Made-For-TV movies. They’re all so hilariously cheezy.
so Torgo is supposed to be a satyr! the explanation for his staccato dialogue delivery then is an attempt to have him sound goat-like, possibly.
good thing then that there is no smell-o-vision…
I guess we’ve got yet another idea for a weekend discussion thread…Best Introductory Experiment. The episode you’d use to indoctrinate a n00b (as teh kidz are fond0rz of saying). I’d vote for The Giant Gila Monster, simply because it was the first experiment I watched from top to bottom, and it did the trick.
“Manos” premiered about half a year after I became a MSTie, and the timing was impeccable. At that point, I was cozily familiar with the show’s premise and had seen my fair share of dumb and goofy episodes (Attack of the The Eye Creatures, Lost Continent, etc). Witnessing “Manos” was akin to advancing a belt color in karate (or a hat size in Ecky Thump, if I have any fellow Goodies fans on board). So that’s my advice…a few Corman/Gordon/Lippert yukfests to teethe on, then your child should be fit for a date with the Master.
Regarding Debbie’s fate: somehow I’m able to disconnect and not let the ending disturb me, and honestly, I think Joel and the bots’ resounding “Boo” acts as a pacifier. So far, the only episode that’s angered me to the point where I can never watch it again is Teenage Crime Wave. I hate movies that make me feel bullied.
TO: king of grief
Yes, I remember “The Goodies”. I hadn’t seen them in years until I recently found a couple of episodes on YouTube (Ecky Thump and Kitten Kong, to be exact).
Got to see the Live “Manos” play from Last Rites Productions. It was brilliant and well within the spirit of MST3K. (they did The Brain That Wouldn’t Die as well)
http://www.lastritesproductions.org/dvd.html
Praise be to granpa and his napkin
Blessings too upon his doughy son the office manager-
Horror at Party Beach- I think that is the title-now that is a delightful introduction
to the MST3K Experience-
Did this episode get most comments so far?
I gotta agree about that favorite line. I’ve been using it with my parents for years, much to their chagrin.
“Go take out the trash!”
“Yeah, here I go! Vroom!”
Well, I made another error. Joel’s line was, ‘You cant kill me, I quit!’ :oops:
I love the episode. Hired 2 wasnt as funny as Hired 1, but you cant have everything.
I love the music of Manos. So much so that I bought a copy of it un-misted just to hear the music more clearly.
I also love many of the lines from the movie, which are funny by themselves without the riffing.
Manos could have been riffed better, I believe.
I’m not saying it was riffed poorly though.
Here are some my favorite riffs:
in a big place?–“The Northwest Territories”
“I swear I know that guy”
“Dear Everready, I was tied to a post all night and the flashlight was left on and the batteries…”
I’ll protect you–“cause there’s some weird people around here…”
(Torgo rolls eyes)– “These two”
“Oh! My Hernia!”
“You know, I bet the Master and I could really get along…”
A couple more favorite riffs that came to me after posting:
“I’m putting you on speaker phone.”
(The master with his arms raised)-“CAN you believe it?”
“He’s not a morning person.”
“Doggie go walkies? Yes, he’s a good hell beast!”
Ohhh, what DOES the master approve of?
Call back: While Maggie is looking at herself in the mirror, Tom softly sings “Never Steal Anything Wet” from Catalina Caper.