Short: (1951) A high school student is caught copying his test answers from another student.
Movie: (1966) Revealingly-clad crimefighter Batwoman is on the case after villains Ratfink and Professor Neon steal an atomic hearing aid.
First shown: 11/13/93
Opening: Mike is the dealer, the game is blackjack
Invention exchange: Frank has invented an atomic-powered hair dryer, Mike shows off his razor-back
Host segment 1: Mike assigns essays to answer the questions raised by the short
Host segment 2: The bots write essays, but Crow cheats!
Host segment 3: Mike, Tom & Gypsy meet to decide what to do about Crow
End: Crow responds to the charges against him, Mike reads a letter, Dr. F. likes his new atomic hair style
Stinger: A batgirl puts the bite on the wormy guy
(214 votes, average: 4.35 out of 5)
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• This is one of those episodes where people tend to say “not even the riffing made it bearable.” To them I say: Pah! Lightweights! :-) The movie IS crushingly horrible, though. Every scene is interminable, the séance scene in particular. The movie belongs in the top (or, rather, the bottom) five on the list of most awful movies. The pain is all the more unbearable because, like “Catalina Caper” and a few other experiments, there are moments when the movie wants to be funny. Ugh. Still, I think it brings out the best in the riffing. The segments are mostly one story line, but it leads up to a great finish, and a special moment for me.
• References.
• This title was originally released by Rhino as a single; and the original packaging had a goof: On the back was a photo of Joel. It was more recently re-released as a single by Shout.
• I think you can mark this episode as the point where the invention exchange concept begins its inevitable decline. As explained in the FAQ, there is both an “on-screen” reason and an “off-screen” reason why this happened. On-screen: the invention exchange was a form of greeting between Gizmonic Institute employees. Since both Dr. F. and Joel were both former Gizmonic Institute employees, it was the first thing they did each episode. But Mike never worked for Gizmonic (he was a temp hired directly by Dr. F.) and so he knows nothing of Gizmonic’s corporate culture. Mike would therefore not understand what an invention exchange was about and Dr. F. would see no point in exchanging inventions with him. Off-screen: the invention exchanges were mostly Joel’s doing. He was the gizmo guy. When he left, all the air went out of the concept. In this episode, the Mads’ invention is downright strange and Mike’s is only fair (although, to be fair, Joel had a lot of mediocre ones too).
• The short is a gem, SO serious and dark that it really brings out the riffing gold.
• Mike brings popcorn into the theater! I don’t think he ever did again.
• “You’re opening, Jeff’s middling and I’m the headliner,” is a car conversation the writers probably had in their standup days.
• There’s not much to say about the first segment, since it basically lays the groundwork for what’s to come, or the second one, which advances the story.
• Callbacks: “He didn’t steal no bike, neither!” (Teenage Strangler) “I am the north wind…” (Day the Earth Froze)
• Crow’s cheating causes some unusual meanness in the theater: Tom tells Crow to shut up a couple of times.
• I love all the Bob Hope-style jokes: “Toccata and WOW in D minor!”
• Are those scenes really from “The Mole People”? Are they in the version shown in season 8? I forget.
• The third segment contains a moment that is very important to me. It’s the moment Mike won me over. At this point, I still was not entirely sure about Mike. He was growing on me, but, well, I just didn’t know. But he does something in the third segment—and I’m not sure it’s even intentional—that just endeared him to me immediately. Watch Mike’s expression as a disguised Crow arrives, bearing soup, in the midst of the discussion. Mike sees Crow and puts on a completely guileless smile, warm and delighted at the prospect of a nice mustachioed gentleman offering soup. It’s just such a funny and genuine expression. It cracks me up every time I see it. It was at that moment that Mike completely won me over.
• Mike expresses a desire to hunt down Jerry Warren. Unfortunately, Jerry passed on in 1988.
• In the final segment, watch Mike sniff the Hostess Snowballs, make a face, and put them back on the plate.
• Cast and crew roundup: Cinematographer William Troiano also worked on “The Slime People.” In front of the camera, Steve Brodie is also in “Giant Spider Invasion.” And of course, the great Bruno VeSota is also in “Daddy-O,” “Gunslinger,” “Attack of the Giant Leeches” and “The Undead.”
• Creditswatch: Bridget Jones switches from writer to contributing writer for the next three episodes. Host segments directed by Jim Mallon.
• Fave riff from the short: “Oh, hi, Miss Granb–AHHHHHH!” Honorable mention: “That you, student counselor??”
• Fave riff from the movie: o/` “Yes, the devil made this movie for you.” o/` Honorable mention: “Tethered to the mob!”
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re: #103
Yeah, that’s got to be my #1 patience-losing moment.
This one…whew!…what a visual trainwreck! It was one I seldom watched for a long time, then I tried it again and found that, even with the film itself being unbearable, the riffing was strong, and the story arc with the cheating theme from the short works well. This was Season 5’s “Monster A Go Go”, with the movie’s plot so unfocused the short’s tale became the topic during the breaks.
As far as pure visual pain, this is up there with “Lost Continent”, “Castle of Fu Manchu”, and “Manos”.
I vaguely remember the only funny line from this is at the end of the film when Tom loses his patience and screams “ENNNND!!!! ENNNDDDD!!”
My sentiments with Tom Servo on this one.
The movie is horribly bad but its also goofy and that’s what gives Mike and the Bots so much to riff about in this one, although you can sense their frustration with the movie especially at the end when Tom Servo is screaming “EEENNNDDD!” at the movie. The short was another classic, and I love Crow’s opening line: “A Centron Production…although we got the idea from another company, because we’re cheating”. Hilarious! I wouldn’t call this episode a classic but it ranks in my opinion among the “very good”. Another strong outing for Mike and my worries about him as the new host are fading after this.
I’m surprised nobody mentioned the perverted excuse ‘Ratfink’ gives for stealing the hearing aid – because he can’t help listening in on people’s phone calls.
Ick.
Bonus points for weirdness go to Batwoman’s weird harem of nubile young girls. I was VERY surprised nobody made any jokes about going inside to have some kool-aid.
It’s March and people are still commenting on this?
END!!!
EEEEEENNDDD!!!!!
It’s April, and yes, we’re still commenting on this.
#21 Nick-O was right on how this movie objectifies women. As a woman, I found this movie really icky and not enjoyable; even the riffing couldn’t save it for me. It’s not so much fun for us watching the women characters run around half-naked and being stupid and ineffectual. Maybe that’s why, #45 The Bolem, that the women you know always fall asleep after Segment 3. I didn’t fall asleep (maybe Hoosier women have a slightly better tolerance) but I was hardly paying attention to the movie by that time because it was so uncomfortable to watch.
Just my 2cents.
WWW of the Batwoman.
My near top 10 favorite MST3000 episode and one of the worst movies. The trick is to only watch the surface of the movie. Defocus with the magic eye technique, and the episode is hilarous; but look closer and be horrified and confused. Best watched while doing something else. Unlike Red zone or Manos, it is horrid, but not quite putrifying so.
Yes, the story is a nasty frottage on a dirty crowded bus of a movie. It rubs some people the right way and some the wrong way.
The horseshoe wrestling and the sheer pointlessness of the crassly stupid scenes. Favorite Riff (Reese Peanut butter cup’s – You got your molemen in my batwoman, You got your batwoman in my molemen.”)
The whole story from the batwoman to the end is pointless and stupid, but the MST team does an outstanding job. Defocus and watch the M&tBs and you can see it.
Do not stare directly into the movie.
The opening is fun. You have Tom already feeling over burdened with the pressure of Blackjack (given his predisposition at this point it is no wonder he was later screaming for the movie to EEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDD!), Gypsy wonder if it was time to spit on the dice and Crow obliviously and repeatedly asking for Mike to “hit me” before finally doubling down several decks of cards later. It doesn’t have much to do with anything but it still is that off humor level I love.
There are those who find this invention exchange lackluster. But it is one of Frank’s better sell jobs:
Okay Nelson see if you can follow me on this one…
Atomic Power:
Efficient
Dirt-cheap
Relatively few meltdowns.
Modern hairdryers:
Inefficient
Expensive to run
And okay I admit it, um relatively few meltdowns
But my atomic powered hair dryer works in a fraction of the time.
Then Frank further sells it with the expressions as he uses the Geiger Counter.
I also love Clayton’s movie intro:
“And for all I know it stars Robert Conrad and Ross Martin, but I doubt it.”
Again it’s all in his inflection.
I love the cheating short. The riffing was not too much, not too little. It was just the right balance and as you see below the riffs had a high hit rate to me. It looks like the Brains agree as it inspired a whole story arc of host segments. In fact I’ll say the cheating thread make up the first great host segments of the Mike era. But it is Trace’s performance that steals these host segments. He plays the disinterest, the attempts to avoid the assignment, the nerves and the defensiveness just perfectly in the report segment. Then the meeting segment is pure genius. It starts off playing it close to the short itself but Tom continues his vengeful position and Gypsy moves that way as well.
I can’t help but think how different these segments would have been with Joel. I can see them doing this same arc. But of course Joel would have been that forgiving father figure type he often was with the Bots and that would have changed the tone.
I do have to ask though. In stealing the concept from the cheating short for the host segments, aren’t the Brains themselves cheating? Think about it won’t you?
But Gypsy best sums up the moral of the cheating story: “Cheating is bad. Richard Basehard is good.” No wiser or truer words have ever been spoken.
It was a great gag when Mike went out for popcorn. The incredulous reaction of the Bots was priceless.
I’ll cast another vote for Professor Neon being a dead ringer for Dr. Forrester. And I’m talking both physical resemblance and mannerisms.
Tom’s plea for the movie to EEEEEENNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDD is a favorite on this thread. But don’t overlook the way he sets this up well when starts to quickly ask to be killed after many of his riffs.
The séance scene has had a lot said about it. Let me just add this: It is one of those funny all by itself things. No additional riffing needed. That’s almost the tone the riffing does take actually.
This episode and I have a strange past. I first saw it after buying the Rhino DVD. It was within a week of my ex-fiancée and I parting company. I was feeling pretty low and needed some sort of pick me up. Instead of grabbing a go to episode I grabbed something I had never seen before and this was it. In the mood I was in at that time I needed to laugh and for whatever reason this episode delivered big. That was the first and only time I’ve ever watched it until now. While it did make me laugh it then was tied to an overall unpleasant memory. That was nearly 10 years ago. In re-watching it for this week’s discussion I never really laughed out loud like I did that night. But I think it is an okay episode.
It is often said that Catalina Caper was the only intentional comedy riffed by the Brains. I fail to see how this is not included. What about this film says serious movie? Is it the silly cartoon characters like Heathcliff or Ratfink? No. Is it that Keystone Cop style fight during which the batgirls reinforce the “you fight like a girl” stereotype? No. If this movie isn’t a full on comedy then it sure as hell is at least winking at the audience and these are things the Brains have time and again said they don’t like to use for riffing.
Favorite Riffs:
Short:
Crow “A Centron production. Although we got the idea from another company because
we are cheating.”
Narrator: “You a cheat John?” Crow: “Mother Theresa called. She hates you.”
Narrator” And right there in front of you sat your pal Mary with her head chock full of all the answers you needed.” Crow: “Split it open now.”
Tom: “Fortunately your mob ties will get you off Johnny.”
Narrator: “Was it fair for John to use Mary.” Mike “Yeah, she was there.”
Movie:
Tom as an air-headed batwoman: “It’s like we’re smart but we’re not.”
Mike “Holy cow that’s 40 pounds of butt in 30 pound butt capacity pants.”
Mike: “There’s a peeping Zorro outside.”
Batwoman ends a conversation on the wrist communicator to answer the telephone. Tom “my other wrist is calling.”
Mike “you got your mole people in my Batwoman.” Tom “You got your Batwoman in my mole people.”
Ratfink threatens the batgirls with their midriffs exposed “This nectar my dear girls is the most potent tranquilizing agent ever devised.” Mike “Yeah well just don’t tickle us.”
Crow “Please stay away from sharp instruments for three weeks after viewing this film and do not operate heavy equipment.”
I like Tom’s full title for the short: “Cheating: How to Make It Work for You at Home and on the Job”
For those unfamiliar with blackjack, a double down can only be declared right after your first two cards have been dealt. When you double down, your bet is doubled and you are dealt one more card. A player typically does it if their two cards total ten or eleven, as ten is the most common value for a single card. Obviously Crow wanting to double down after being hit so much was to emphasize how he had no idea what he was doing.
Interesting coincidence. After the razorback Invention Exchange was featured, the University of Arkansas Razorbacks won the following NCAA basketball tourney (and as of this posting it’s the only one they have won).
Also love how, when it’s revealed that Crow cheated, Gypsy fails to realize this and thinks that their essays being identical is just a bizarre coincidence.
Some favorite riffs:
“…with her head chock full of the answers.”
Split it open now!
“…replace Jack Martin when he moved out of town.”
Under mysterious circumstances.
You are a girl, aren’t you? I made a mistake one time.
“Neon, you idiotic fool! What are you doing?”
I’ve got the music in me!
“I’m losing my patience.”
Yeah, I’ll bet he’s lost a lot of patients.
“I’m sorry.”
Well sorry don’t pay the gas bill.
I have the movie at 3 and the short at 5.
I have wondered how much of Dr F was modeled after Dr Neon?
Both have very similar mannerisms and physical appearances.
Both have nitwit assistants.
Both sport lab coats.
Both have many inventions of questionable use?
After getting hooked on the series thanks to my brother renting a VHS copy of The Brain that Wouldn’t Die and my cousin’s copy of The Movie, I received a bunch of Rhino VHS releases for Christmas and this was the first one I chose to watch; still deciding on if that was a good idea or not. I always thought the movie was more utterly zany than painful, but it has its moments.
Favorite riffs: Short.
“John, this is geography!”
“By the way, have you seen my ribcage?”
Movie
“There’s a peeping Zorro outside!”
“Was that part of the movie or did that actually happen?”
“That’s five. He’s got a volleyball team.”
There are two scenes in particular which struck me as having been randomly inserted. The first is the one with the Ike security guard which has absolutely no bearing on anything else. But even more bizarre is the scene with the band suddenly appearing when they go to the cafeteria. Of course a cafeteria with a in-house band is odd enough. However, if you look closely, you’ll see that the people in the background of the shot with the band are in evening dress.
END! END! END!
God, this is a tough episode, but the host segments and the short make it worthwile. My main problem is that Jerry Warren was at the bottom of the barrell, he was a hack, a real, he didn’t care about his movies, like Ed Wood or Coleman Francis, it was an excuse to siphon money from the producers to his pockets. This movie is the worst kind of movie, a failed comedy, I know it may sound pretentious of my part, but I would put Wild World of Batwoman along with Scary Movie, Porky’s, Epic Movie and all that garbage.
Mike and the bots deserve a medal just for going through the entire ordeal.
I know I’m in a minority here, but I absolutely love this episode. The movie is crap on a cracker served wtih a side of enema stew; sure. However, I can’t stop laughing from the riffs and the basic down-right sub-Manos style of ineptitude of the production. Costuming, editing, music, story, all of it seemed to be done by an 8 year old with ADD and was high on cocaine while making this thing. And for whatever reason, I absolutely love it for all those reasons. The riffs, the Mole People, Tyhe basic oddity of the head banker somehow being ratfink, even though there’s a scene with Ratfink talking to Batwoman and the Bank Manager?, PResident?, main client is in the group with them.
Love it, love it, love it.
The short is pure gold. Crow is also pure gold! Some of my all time favorite riffs comes from this short.
“And Johnny’s parents officially cut ties”- mike’s solemness when he delivers this line makes it sound just like it should- a news broadcast.
“There’s not enough bell towers in the world for Johnny” we’ve all ben there
Servo screaming in terror at the floating head is just loud and brilliant, I never cease to laugh my buns off.
The gunshot one of them makes when Johnny shuts the door behind him in the depressing introduction scenes
The odd kid who places his hands on his hips like a girl or my granddad would.
Mike’s “I will bring you down JOHNNY!!!”
the alarms and bells the guys make when Johnny is found out. Oh this short is second only to “Why Study Industrial Arts”
all in all, a favorite episode. definitely in my top 30. And again, I know that I am possibly alone in that feeling. But WILD WILD WILD WILD WILD WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILD WORLD OF BATWOMAN is a favorite.
oh and those were the Mole People from Mole People, there are scenes in 803 that are ripped off in this film. MONSTERS!
Yep, this is one of the brutal films. Not sure if it’s in my bottom five, but certainly in the bottom ten.
I guess I’m alone in laughing at the invention exchange. Frank was brilliant. And I loved how Mike kept having to call Tom down when he started insulting hairy people.
I would swear that parts of this movie were written by a twelve year-old. A drug that makes hot women dance? Coool! Let’s have a chase scene and speed up (slow down, actually) the film! AWESOME!
Mike continues to break the rules with his popcorn. Wild man!
Tom: If I may quote my colleague, Gyspy… “KILL HIM !!!”
4 Stars (almost entirely on the strength of the short and host segs)
“Its like we’re smart, but we’re not!” Love this episode!
I think the whole atomic hair dryer thing was more than a little bit influenced by the film’s atomic hearing aid.
I actually found it pretty refreshing when the invention exchanges were abandoned. It gave them a lot more freedom in their opening interactions with the Mads. Actually, even though I really missed Joel, the host segments in general tended to have a lot more freedom. Mike didn’t have to act as a father-figure to the Bots and didn’t have to show the same amount of professionalism to the Mads. And the Mike Nelson character was more flexible in what he could do and what could happen to him than the Joel Robinson character. So even though the show lost a very memorable personality in Joel, Mike’s arrival really allowed the Brains to break a lot of the formulas that had been present in the host segments.
MST3K has done movies that failed for a lot of reasons. This one can’t seem to decide whether it’s supposed to be exciting, sexy, goofy, or what. In the end it’s just unbelievably stupid(and not in an even slightly funny way). Batwoman is supposed to be the genius in the movie and even she doesn’t show the tiniest sign of competency or intelligence. I mean, are we still supposed to take her seriously as a hero after she politely accepts a bowl of soup from a suspicious guy with a fake mustache and then starts doing a dance ten times as ridiculous as Adam West’s Batusi? The movie seems to think we still should. But I find that these things just add to my fascination of the whole messy affair.
One of the riffs that has stuck with me over the years is “You know; there’s something about that leash that just screams ‘Unhealthy relationship’.”
This movie is the proto-Hobgoblins. When Rick Sloane saw this (and I bet he did), it was like his own personal Citizen Kane. That said, I love this episode! Does anyone think that one girl dancing in the bar scene looks like Oprah?
“You’ve made some powerful enemies, son!”
Vampirism: It does a body good!
Perhaps this Johnny is the same as the one who got lost at the fair, only older. Maybe that explains why he doesn’t have parents here.
Although as a dedicated MSTie I’m glad I saw this one, I’d be OK with never seeing it again. To me it’s one of those zany-but-bad-in-a-painful-way movies. The riffs help a LOT but it’s still terrible to watch. Is it more bearable if one enjoys seeing all the girls in bikinis? Being a straight woman, I just don’t know. I watched TWWWoBW alone and would be embarrassed to watch it with anyone else, it’s so bad.
The Cheating short is priceless though, and anything that gives Gypsy more lines is AOK in my book.
Another case of possible theft from the invention exchange by real life: http://www.razorba.com/ or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUESrgfldn8
MSTie
Yes, it DOES make it more bearable…very much so!
More evidence that the film was partially written by a kid: Chocolate Milk and Macaroons. Yeah, that’s the sort of thing I offer to my adult guests all the time!
Unintentional funny moment in the film: One of the scenes opens with a close-up of a spotlight with a rotating gel wheel to make it change color. But the film is in black and white, so it only throws more shades of grey at you.
It seems oddly appropriate to be reviewing this episode now, what with the Dark Knight being in cinemas and all. One TV network last month even had a marathon of Adam West “Batman” episodes, so I got to reacquaint myself with that block of prime aged cheese.
Maybe I’ve had too much prime aged cheese, but I don’t find this episode as bad as everyone says. Sure the movie makes no sense, but it is at least train-wreck interesting (unlike, say, “Fu Manchu,” which is just tedious and boring)–and I’m not just thinking about the scenes of girls in bikinis and tight pants, although I will attest that, yes, it certainly helps. Plus, it has the wonderful “Cheating” short, which is another slice of 50s Americana made dark and edgy by the Brains. One way to get through “Batwoman” is to pretend that you’re watching an episode of a well-established TV series where everyone knows the basic premise, and you have to pay attention to bring yourself up to speed. It doesn’t make the thing any more coherent, but you can at least pretend, in some parallel universe, that there is a coherence that you just don’t understand yet. It also doesn’t explain things like the totally unnecessary “Chinese” spirit bit, but then again, maybe they ran a rough cut past a focus group of third-graders, who found it hilarious. Who knows.
No one has yet mentioned an interesting bit of trivia that’s noted on IMDB–that the mugging scene near the start is actually lifted from a Swedish movie (evidence being a sign in Swedish visible behind one of the muggers)–intercut with new scenes of the Batgirls watching (and doing nothing!). I won’t even bother trying to explain why that scene is in the movie–but does anyone know what Swedish movie it might be stolen from?
I’m also going to guess that the “vampire” scene at the beginning was tacked on when the film was re-named “She Was a Hippie Vampire”–even though it’s just an excuse to show three hot girls for a few minutes (similar to the scene at the opening of “Beast of Yucca Flats,” which only makes sense in its uncensored form).
Fave riff–“Look: she’s wearing a gownless evening strap!”
Snowdog:
I see we came to the same conclusion about the maturity level of the script–but I really think the age is about 8 or 9. Or maybe 12-year-olds in 1966 found “ching chong ching” funny as much as they found girls in bikinis exciting. Heck, maybe 30-year-olds found all this funny and exciting in 1966. It’s a mystery.
As funny as the host segemnts are, I HATE THIS MOVIE! I would have to be paid a million dollars to watch this.
Gah, what a depressing movie. I always love Servo’s “EEEEEEND!!!!!! EEEEEEEEND!!!!!” at the end of the episode, lol.
Btw, to those who have the Shout Factory re-release of this episode: Is it true it doesn’t have any of the commercial bumpers or the “Reel one” bumper like the Rhino release? It’s really no big deal, but a little dissapointing. I’m just curious.
Hey Blast! You might be right about the age range. I must admit that I have yet to make it through this film without “tuning out” and just enjoying the riffs. I really meant to watch it this time, too. But by the time we have our first contact with Rat Fink (more evidence of kid involvement), I’ve started thinking about lawn care and whether or not I can go another week without doing laundry.
The Mike years are off to a REALLY rough start…
This is one of those episodes that make me zone out, I have trouble focusing on it. This most recent viewing is maybe my third ever, and it’s gonna be awhile before I revisit it again. Usually, I can handle the really bad movies (Monster a Go-Go, Manos, Attack of The The Eye Creatures) but not this one, the bad comedy elements are too much. Terrible terrible movie, maybe the worst movie ever riffed on MST, and with mediocre riffing and a snooze inducing set of Host Segments, this is a sub par episode. The only saving grace, the Cheating short, is fun but not one of my all time favorites. Miles of fun ahead of Batwoman though…..
This is my least favorite episode since Castle of Fu Manchu in season 3, but I might actually like that one slightly better than Batwoman, which means this is my least favorite since Season 2 and The Ring of Terror. *shudder..*
Riffs:
I found the whole affair so mind numbing, I barely wrote down any riffs.
From short :
John talking to others,
Crow: “I envision a cheating wing.”
Servo: “By the way, have you seen my rib cage?”
–
From movie:
Mike: “Hey, weren’t you in Beastmaster 2: Portal Through Time?”
–
The Wild Wild World of tepidness.
2/5
Tough movie. the Brains had some courage to take this on; not just because it’s a stinkburger, but a “comedy” to boot. It wallows in comic 60s lameness, where we can laugh at the pain too, but getting in good riffing in between the bad jokes is a tricky walk. The goofy factor is off the charts, so that helps save it I guess. Why is it I can watch Angels Revenge with a clean conscience but I need a shower after WWoBatwoman?
The Cheating short is 5-stars: so dark and dripping with shame, the hushed breathy delivery of the riffs sets the perfect tone. One of the few where ALL the riffs are gold. Cheating is actually only a symptom of Johnny’s problems: no parents, sits in a darkened empty room all day(no plant even!); disembodied heads spur him on through his psychotic world. But when he opens the door, a festive party awaits!
GYPSY: “Should we listen? We’re shunning him.”
MIKE: “No, we should listen.”
GYPSY: “Oh, good. It’s hard to shun. I keep forgetting.”
Snowdog: Good call on Rat Fink being another example of the script’s age level. You know things must be bad if watching a movie has you thinking about doing laundry.
Fred Burroughs: Funny, I don’t have that need-a-shower feeling after “Batwoman,” or “Angels Revenge,” but I sure do have it after “Girl in Gold Boots.” Maybe this could be a Weekend Discussion topic–which episode featuring scantily-clad women has the highest “ewww factor” (I believe that’s the proper term…)?
Well, say what you want, but any super-hero who uses rayguns AND ouija boards shows a definite willingness to think outside the box.
Nice little cross-section of villainy in Ratfink’s outfit: Ratfink’s the criminal mastermind (uh, sort of), Prof. Neon’s the deranged scientist, and Bruno and Tiger, well, hey, it’s a PAYCHECK, isn’t it? Probably beats working in the numbers racket or whatever. I especially like how Bruno and Tiger are so matter-of-fact about Neon’s monsters. Seriously, this movie screams for a prequel starring THOSE TWO. :-)
Not entirely unlike Graber and Daley, the gangster guys who worked for Retik in “Radar Men from the Moon,” always kind of wondered what their story was…
#125: “More evidence that the film was partially written by a kid: Chocolate Milk and Macaroons. Yeah, that’s the sort of thing I offer to my adult guests all the time!”
Well, are YOU a deranged scientist working for a criminal mastermind (uh, sort of)? ;-)
I don’t recall where I came across the following info, but: The footage of Ratfink lurking outside came from a Mexican wrestler film featuring a villain called…the BAT. Wow, what are the odds, huh?
Might be fun to somehow tie this movie into Ray Dennis Steckler’s super-hero film “Rat Pfink a Boo Boo.” There’s a villain Ratfink AND a hero Rat Pfink.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_Pfink_a_Boo_Boo
I’m amused by the (supposed) fact that apparently STECKLER HIMSELF got bored with the movie in the middle of making it and out of nowhere introduced a super-hero theme to liven things up (because if you’re gonna suck, you should at least try to suck MEMORABLY, y’know?). And he got the title from something his little girl took it into her head to chant? That’s kind of sweet, really.
Blast Hardcheese #126: Plus, it has the wonderful “Cheating” short, which is another slice of 50s Americana made dark and edgy by the Brains.
I would argue that Cheating was plenty dark to begin with. Another example of intentional dreariness in a Fifties short can be found in Every Child is Different (Which IIRC is on Rifftrax Shorts Volume 2)
Blast 134: I need a shower after Racket Girls, because most of it is filmed in Leer-cam; seriously, I try to avoid it as well as Batwoman. WWBW I cringe, not because of the presence of the cheesecake, but the overall stupidity and waste of human lives making this drek. (Hobgoblins wins that prize for Most Loathsome.) Angels Rev seems more innocent somehow, maybe because it’s in color, or I’m more nostalgic for the 70s.
My personal theory is that this movie was, for the 60’s, on par with some of the soft core stuff you might catch on basic cable in the wee hours. they used the name ‘Bat Woman’ to play off some obvious connection or confusion with Batman. they then throw in some pseudo attractive girls to stand around and distract the audience away from the truly stupid crap sammiched in between the beginning and end.(which is pretty much the whole thing..)and finally sprinkle in some childish ‘humor’ to detract away from the fact that you’re just were watching it for the cheesecake. BTW did they ever figure out who’s fault it was that Johnny cheated and was stupid enough to get caught?
I always said they should have done more Jerry Warren movies on MST. At least, Rifftrax did Frankenstein Island, but Man Beast really should be riffed one of these days by CT or Rifftrax.
Interesting that MST did it under the Batwoman title. I understand DC wasn’t too happy with Warren, and he quickly changed the film title to “She Was a Hippy Vampire,” and doesn’t that conjure up a few riffing ideas.
Off topic: And when is somebody going to do “Rat Pfink a Boo Boo” ? Real missed opportunity, guys…
“In this episode, the Mads’ invention is downright strange and Mike’s is only fair (although, to be fair, Joel had a lot of mediocre ones too).”
Please, Joel had the “Daktari Stool” in his last episode – that just required some paint. Yes, I know the Brains had plenty on their minds at the time, but jeez, Joel. Even TV’s Frank was nonplussed by that one.
The problem is, BEWBS! cannot save this film, and it certainly cannot distract from the pain of how stupid everyone (especially the characters with the aforementioned sweater meat) behaves. If not for the cushy filter of Mike and the ‘Bots, this movie would qualify as torture.
The riffing saved this one. I am not a fan (at all) of the host segments in this episode. But the riffing is top-notch, and the movie is very, very, bad. I was slightly perturbed by the fact that Mary from the short is “only trying to help” , she could have refused to help Johnny cheat, but she aided him and deserved her punishment. Of course, the short goes way overboard in showing the ramifications of cheating, and it does have a very depressing vibe. This is a middling episode for me, great riffing, bad host segments(IMO), horrendous movie. I have to admit though I like the last segment especially when Servo references The Firm. Over all I’d give it two and a half stars out of four.
Even though I tend to zone out in the middle, this is one of my favorite episodes. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it but I do know that I still have no idea what’s supposed to be happening. It’s so inane but the riffs are great. And I love watching for the people flipping off the camera during the beach scene. Even random extras knew this movie deserved it.
There is one thing I like about the film itself: Batwoman throws a great punch about 35mins in. I’m so used to those spastic “fight” scenes in old movies that her haymaker is impressive.
This movie falls on the other side of the “Manos” coin. “Manos” was so bad (and so dreary) that it was impossible to watch – depsite the riffing. Castle of Fu Manchu is also on that side. This movie, however, is so bad but the riffing is so good that it saves it and I find it very enjoyable. Nelson’s almost crying when the scientists kiss gives us a moment that all watching this movie (and probably a bunch of the cast and crew) can understand and relate. Servo’s meltdown at the end is still one of my favorite lines of any MST3K episode(as quoted by many others.)
It’s complimented by an equally bad (and really dark) short. I loved how it brought the host segments together.
This is one of my faves.
Here’s something to chew on: it’s pretty clear that the producers want us to think of Batwoman as being as attractive as her “girls”, but her neck implies something less than young and/or beautiful under that mask.
I used to absolutely hate this episode. But something strange happened today! After what had to be my 30th viewing of this episode, I get it now, I finally get it. It’s like a Monster A-Go-Go with a sense of humor. While it hasn’t risen to the level of my absolute favorites, I have discovered a new level of respect for this episode, and the demented movie (and short) contained within.
Come on! Best riff from the short: “I envision a Cheating Wing.” Best riff from the movie: “END! EEEEEEEEEEEEND!”
As Trace said in the ACEG “This movie, this movie”. I rate this movie the third worst ever done (Red Zone Cuba and Manos are my 1&2). It is at best stupid and at worst reprehensible and God help me I love it. Peace.
As cults go, Batwoman’s cult is pretty low-key. All you have to do is recite a goofy pledge “with all sincerity”, then do the same dance move over and over again. A girl could do worse.