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Weekend Discussion Thread: Worst Comic Relief in a MSTed MovieAlert reader Doug asks:
I’m going to go with our favorite little monkey boy, Sid Melton, in “Lost Continent” and “Radar Secret Service.” Who do you think is the worst? 126 Replies to “Weekend Discussion Thread: Worst Comic Relief in a MSTed Movie”Commenting at Satellite News
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The first thing that came to my mind were the “funny” Peeping Toms in Attack of the the Eye Creatures. I can’t argue with Watney, though.
Definitely, the Little Monkey Boy, The Guy From The Danny Thomas Show: Sid Melton. Never trust a guy in love with his plane. Or was it his parachute?
Although Boobie! has his “moments” in the Rocky Jones movies.
Then there’s dumbo Joe in This Island Earth, who missed being chopped to death by the propellers. Notice how completely he’s forgotten once Cal leaves for Exeter’s place. That’s the only reason he’s not number 1.
And we should not pick on Watney. He got home at the end of the movie, didn’t he?
(what am I saying – of course, we should pick on Watney. He’s an idiot – the only reason he contributes in the end is because of the old IITS principle — It’s In The Script.)
They didn’t even let the Star (such as he is) figure out the plot (although he does get the girl. IITS.)
For me, it’s Droppo – hands down.
Fingal when he is “doppeled” into Daisy in “Overdrawn At The Memory Bank.” That had to be THE worst part of the movie. I wish he would’ve been doppeled into an anteater instead…
There is no beating Dropo in a bad comic relief character contest, he is simply the worst there is.
I agree with #41 John M. Hanna and #43 CM Waters. And yes IMO this is a wonderful weekend discussion thread topic thingy. The storekeeper really got to Mike.
@51…51 posts, mind you, before someone mentioned “Ladies & gentlemen, the most instantly unappealing character in the movie” from Attack of the the Eye Creatures.
(Still crack up at Servo’s “Take a look at this character…Go ahead, take a good, long look!)
Cabot? Cabot! Cabot! Cabot. Cabot? CABOT!?!?! Cabot!
This is a great topic and everyone covered the ones that jumped at me (Whatney, Winky, Jim Begg, Droppo, The Air Force leches from “The Eye Creatures” and Einstein.) However, there is one missing:
Jim Stafford in “Riding With Death”
As a person from the Southern U.S., I just wanted to say “thank you, Jim” for reinforcing what most of the world thinks we are.
One other one that was not mentioned was the Wayne Gretzky doppleganger in “Being from Another Planet.”
Eddie Deezen, Laserblast. Enough said.
So many good, I mean bad choices! Most already mentioned. The first one I thought of when I read the topic title was mentioned immediately below the topic title, Hi-keeba guy. Droppo, Watney, Heathcliff, they are all deplorable. Any character trying to be funny in Hobgoblins also makes my list and since the whole movie was trying to be funny and failed horribly, the whole cast qualifies for the loathsomeness that was their characters.
One of the worst that is not mentioned much is the Guy From Texas in Rocketship X-M. Remember his “amusing” stories and jokes about Texas during the journey on the X-M? Dreadful stuff, almost as dreary as the everyone dies ending to the film!
Since I’ve been on a ‘Horror of Party Beach’ kick lately, let me add the two drunks from that movie. One guy’s name is Stan, I can’t recall the other.
They were not funny at all, but the scene made me laugh a lot because of it’s ineptness, and the riffing was excellent. It’s a classic scene to me.
I love when they are howling and screaming with laughter and you can hear a third voice screaming. It’s obvious somebody dubbed in the extra screaming/laughing.
Mike rightly says “Who’s screaming?! Where are the demons?!”
Hey Stan, there’s a guy IN here! (and he looks polish!).
I’m going off the reservation with this pick because it’s so fresh in my mind.
Bert Convy in the KTMA episode SST: Death Flight. With an all-star cast including a young Billy Crystal, Convy is the one given the comic-relief role. Clumsily dealing with a blond bimbo (well-played by Misty Rowe) whom he has impregnated, he reluctantly agrees to marry her only when he thinks they’re both going to die. When they survive the plane crash at the end (spoilers?) he then attempts to renege on the proposal. And we are supposed to find this funny?!
Runner-up: the sex-crazed back-up singer from Pod People (“Idiot control now!”). Imagine if she and the short-pants guy from Hobgoblins got together? (shudders)
Could Joe from Racket Girls be counted as being a comic-relief-ish kind of guy? He used that Italian accent like a club and made Chico Marx sound like he was from Naples in comparison. He also tried to be “cute” with his boss and with Peaches, and of course Peaches, being several shades above a rock in the smarts department, even fell for the cuteness act or at least what there was of it. Granted he’s no Watney, but he grates just the same. And what about Jim Begg in Catalina Caper and Village of the Giants? Another one that isn’t nearly as bad as Watney, but he still hurts because he’s trying so hard, especially in Catalina Caper. In Village of the Giants he wisely allows Tommy Kirk to take command of every scene he’s in.
That whole scene in “Radar Secret Service” where the waspy guy accuses the hippie of punching him in the face and shoving him at the candy counter while he was trying to buy diet gum.
@65 Anita
I think that scene was in #614 San Fancisco International.
Radar Secret Service was the black&white cops vs. mafia crime drama.
Like so many others i have to pick Watney from #519 “Outlaw or Gor”
He’s by far the most annoying sidekick character i can remember.
Honorable mentions:
-Einstein the wisecracking bike
-“I’m Cooomming” guy from “Delta Knights”
-& Sid Melton from “Lost Continent” & “Radar Secret Service”
all the worst have been mentioned but that skinny new wave chick and her boy nick from hobgoblins got on my nerves real quick
great discussion thread this week.
Just in terms of attempted jokes falling flat, I would go for Alan Hale in The Giant Spider Invasion.
A number of these characters are pretty bad, but only one is bad enough that I have to fight myself not to just turn off the movie and put in another episode. Congratulations, Droppo, you win the gold star. No one in, near, or in any way, shape, or form related to an episode of MST3K has ever mugged for the camera more than Droppo. If you just eliminated that character entirely, I don’t think Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is that bad of a movie (obviously it’s not winning any awards, but it at least becomes watchable on its own).
In addition to all the above, the “prank” phone calls in The Starfighters (he was using the adjacent phone the whole time!) fell extremely flat.
It’s funny how many people love to use the handle “elusive Robert Denby”, or variations therof, such as Robert Denby or Bob Denby.
I’m qualified to make that statement because for more than a few years my own exclusive handle was ‘bobdenby’ at the sci-fi network’s mst3k board (“Dominion”).
I personally retired the moniker and have been exlusively ‘Manny Sanguillen’ on this site.
Off topic I know, but there it is.
Many of you have mentioned Droppo, but to me he is
a blast of refreshing fun compared the Watney, ‘annoying’
doesn’t even cover it….
But I think that Jim Stafford from Riding With Death and
The femmy shorts perv from Hobgoblins are also forces to be reckoned
with.
As much as I loathed Droppo, any of these three make him seem charming and witty IMO.
Wow… Reading all these posts made me realize for the first time just how incredibly frequently comic relief is attempted in cinema, and how incredibly infrequently it actually works. All the major players have been mentioned (Droppo, Watney, Einstein, the greasy peeping toms from ‘Eye Creatures’, etc). Here’s a couple more low key ones that I haven’t seen mentioned yet: the tubby safecracker from High School Big Shot, the ‘fromicidal’ maniac guy from Touch of Satan, the poop-related story featuring the bickering hillbilly couple in Boggy Creek II. So much unfunniness…
Another poor effort:
Every single attempt at humor in the movie ‘Angels’ Revenge’ was unspeakably bad. Just terrible!
Jim backus and Pat Buttram were embarrassing to say the least, appropriating Trace to say “I’m just going to look away until the “funny” part is over”.
Even worse was the chubby thug that worked for the Jim Backus character. The director apparently felt that all you need to do is slap an Oliver Hardy mustache on a man and you will have instant humor. Ridiculous.
The scene later on where the dumb thieving hick was explaining the ‘Private Beach’ sign to the women was so stupid that whoever was in charge of writing that, as well as casting it, should have been beaten severely.
It’s those types of movies that attempt humor and fail miserably that truly deserve the riffing they get. Some people have said that you shouldn’t riff on a movie that is trying to be funny, but this is not the case. A movie that is trying to be funny but isn’t because of terrible comedy writing is easy to riff on. Especially one like Angels Revenge which takes itself seriously.
“I bet the phrase ‘Where’s my cocaine?’ was heard a lot on the set of this movie” —Trace
I bet it too. A great example for the Frank Zappa song ‘Cocaine Decisions’ right here.
Love this topic.
Droppo is amazing. I love him…he’s my namesake.
Sid Melton? Wow. He might be just as good.
Watney deserves to be destroyed.
Heathcliff is in the Hall of Fame.
Yes, those are my choices. Droppo and Little Monkey Boy share the top spot and Watney and Heathcliff are the deserving honorable mentions.
Jim “Thurston Howell III” Backus as the survivalist general[?] in ANGEL’S REVENGE, garrishly dressed like a commodore in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy.
Not. Funny. Ever. Period.
This is a weekly test of the Chief?McCloud! Opinion Broadcast System. Had this been an actual statement of fact, you would have been instructed to watch episode #622 Angel’s Revenge. This was only a test.
Without reading anyone else’s entries first, I immediately thought of the “Hi-keeba” guy in “Women of the Prehistoric Planet” and that revolting peeping soldier in “Attack of the the Eye Creatures.” The chubbier one who makes all the faces.
I may have more.
The entire film “Alien from L.A.” All non-comedy, all the time.
Batwoman is terrible because of the mind-blowing ineptitude of its silliness, but the premise, characters, and execution of AfL.A. are much harder for me to watch because of the gaudy, whiny, over-the-top pretentiousness that saturates what is clearly intended to be an action-comedy. Thing. I guess.
Ugh.
Here’s one that nobody’s mentioned yet ( ! )
The fratboy in “Ring of Terror” who produces fakey foreign accents when discussing all the nations the new students are coming from.
Hey Sampo,
This week’s thread about crappy comic relief characters prompted someone to note that David Warner’s bad-guy character in “Delta Knights” evolves into comic relief halfway through the movie.
I think this is a potential thread topic of its very own. Where else have the posited villians in the movie degenerated into the comic relief before the film is over? (In other words, they don’t start out that way.)
There are so many great choices here, but I have to go with what Kevin at #5 said: the annoying bike from “Warrior of the Lost World.”
One of the most cathartic experiences I’ve ever had watching MST3K was when Megaweapon was crushing the bike, and J&TB were loudly cheering and egging it on. (Servo: “Make it SLOW! Make it PAINFUL!”) That was one of those great moments when you realize that you and the bots feel the exact same way.
The foreigner from TISCWSLABMUZ.
This is actuallty from the film crew. THAT DAMN PARROT!!!
ineptitude – see Catalina Caper, insurance investigator. Mr. Donner should not get the blame here. I blame the writer. All of the overt sight gags fall flat and just sit there like dog vomit during Thanksgiven dinner. EEEEWWWW!
Rockford’s Dad in Rocketship X-M gets my vote. Heck, he reprised the role on Rockford Files in the 70’s!
I’m going to stretch this a bit to include non-comedic characters in a supposed comedic bit. I nominate Dr. Vance (Steve Brodie) from the Giant Spider Invasion and his first interaction with Dr. Jennie Langley (Barbara Hale) when he states he has an appointment with any male in her life who is the professor. Although I know it is meant to be funny, it just doesn’t work in today’s climate.
My wife nominates Baba Yaga (the witch) from Jack Frost. The battle of wits(?) between her and Ivan about the position of her house is just painful to watch. And I wouldn’t accept any of her deviled ham!
I also nominate Mr. B Natural, just for the heck of it.
All good choices, to which I would add Joe from “Racket Girls,” another in that long line of annoying supporting characters from whatever unknown country it is that keeps sending them to us. (See: Guy, Weird Foreign from ISC)
#64 Sorry Ben, didn’t notice you until the last moment. And I agree with you, obviously.
Dr. Watney (or is it Whatney?) Smith from Outlaw is the most annoying, unfunny character ever to grace the screen. I watched Outlaw for the first time about a month ago and, as soon, as they got to Gor I wanted to personally kill the man. He takes the rage inducingness of a five year-old’s never ending questioning of “Are we there yet?” and stretches it out into infinity in 30 seconds.
Also, I’ll throw in Emmet Kelly (Emmett Kelley or any combination there of) from Johnny at the Fair. He’s a world famous clown (shudders)who either just pretends to eat or the editor just didn’t want to work really hard that day. Hell, throw in all those creepy clowns.
Is there something wrong with me that I kind of liked Droppo? And Sid ‘Monkley Boy” Melton?
But the peeping toms in Attack of the Eye Creatures were terrible. Also the Computer Motorcycle in Warrior of the Lost World. As soon as that 8 bit voice chimes in they riff ‘Ugh. Is it too late to kill myself?’ Perfect!
Droppo. Enough said.
Hmmmm, was the kissing couple and the rangers supposed to be comedy relief from Manos the Hand of Fate? I think I’ll vote that grouping as the worst comedy relief in a MST3K movie ever… pointless, unfunny, and went nowhere. Maybe we’ll find out what happens to them in Manos 2 ?!?
Another nominee (who is attempting actual comedy)
In the nightclub scenes in TISCWSLABMUZ the MC does a short stand-up comedy routine that I find really lame. But then the dancing act that follows makes it seem less annoying by contrast. Kind of like having a tooth cavity filled followed by an extensive root canal.
***So many good nominess on this thread… so little time!
@ #86
Baba Yaga is the best part of that movie. True fact. :mrgreen:
@77 – Jim “Thurston Howell III” Backus as the survivalist general[?] in ANGEL’S REVENGE, garrishly dressed like a commodore in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy.
Not. Funny. Ever. Period.
If you mean Not Funny Ever in the movie, I must concur.
But if you’re swatting the fly with the sledgehammer to say Backus was Not Funny Ever in his career, I must take exception, sir. :x
In the name of Mr. Magoo, Thurston Howell, and the Genie from the Bugs Bunny cartoon.
(At this point in the late 70’s, he was just taking bit parts to pay his medical bills, like Laurence Olivier was. Sad, yes, but still a professional.)
@EricJ — we are in agreement then.
I certainly meant only the role in Angel’s Revenge. Trying to be emphatic. His turn on Gilligan’s Island as Thornton Howell III was Emmy worthy by comparison.
Thanks, I forgot he did the voice of Mr. Magoo.
My initial thoughts on this topic went right to Droppo and ol’ Watney. Those two seem to be the overwhelming favorites.
But I got to say, for totally annoying and “what where they thinking”-edness, you can’t get any better (?) than Richard Kind’s performance as Wamthool, evil David Warner’s magi in Quest of the Delta Knights.
Thankfully it is a brief scene, but Kind just hams it up with a performance more in place on an episode of Mad About You than in a movie that takes place in the Middle Ages.
He really throws the tone of the movie completely out of whack, and by the time we get to the guy who screams, “I’m coming!” there is no chance of recovery for any serious action or drama in this picture.
Who decided Richard Kind should play his role like that? Who decided he should play that role, period? Whomever it was, bad choice…..
Worst. Comic Relief. Ever.
I’d have to mention the C3PO type character from Robot Holocaust. I mean, it was supposed to be funny, but just wasn’t at all.
And, as previously mentioned the guy who does “accents” from Ring of Terror. I want to punch his 45 year-old teenage face. “Not to mention Jolly Old Oxford!” Ugh.
lol @ “taking pot”
I have to agree with Manny Sanguillen, that the poor man’s Laurel and Hardy/Mack Sennett rejects from Angel’s Revenge were the worst. Fumbling with a few empty boxes makes you look mentally disabled, as opposed to a master of physical comedy.