Movie: (1955) Sequel to “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” in which the creature is at last captured and taken to a Florida aquarium for “study.”
First shown: 2/1/97
Opening: Mike, Tom and Gypsy reappear on the bridge of the SOL. They find Crow already there, but he seems different. As they are about to crash into Earth, Mike saves the ship but cripples it. They contact the planet, and it’s NOT Dr. Forrester who responds
Intro: After a good scream, Prof. Bobo and Dr. Peanut explain just what’s been happening on Earth lately. Bobo sends a bad movie because it’s “Ape Law”
Host segment 1: Servo tries to repair the SOL’s engines with a little help from the nanites. Crow still seems different
Host segment 2: An irate Phil the alien demands to speak to Servo
Host segment 3: Crow may be different, but he makes a great espresso
End: The bots make an embarrassing discovery about the love lives of Mike’s descendants. Then they learn who The Lawgiver is
Stinger: John Agar swims softly and carries a big stick
(257 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
Loading...
• When the show was canceled (by Sci-Fi), we learned that Sci-Fi was simply going to delete the MST3K section of their web site including the episode guide entries the cast had written. We asked if we could have them. They agreed, as long as we designed new web pages for the text. We took the stuff and ran. The upshot is that you can still read the episode guide entries they did for seasons eight through ten here. You’re welcome. Bill offers his thoughts on this episode here.
• This episode is included in Shout! Factory’s Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Vol XXV.
•The stretch between the end of season 7 and the beginning of season 8 was 259 days, the longest amount of time MSTies had to wait between episodes (not counting wait between seasons 10 and 11, of course),
• I was incredibly nervous about this episode. I guess I should have had more confidence in them, but, at the time, I really didn’t know what to expect. All that long summer, fall and winter I began to wonder if maybe MST3K was just a ridiculous chance thing, and whether they could catch lightning in a bottle again. And it seemed to me that in the last CC episode the writers had painted themselves into a pretty tight corner. Could they get out of it with their usual aplomb? Sci-Fi Channel sent me a preview tape of the first show, and on the day it arrived I practically dashed to the TV and shoved it into the VCR. I was pleasantly surprised and hugely relieved.
Using the narrative economy this show is known for, it took them less than five minutes to extricate themselves from that corner, set the premise back up and get back into the theater. Was the opening bit terribly funny? No, but it was silly, and that was enough. I think that segment was much more about pushing the reset button than about the big yuks. And once they were back in the theater again, everything started to click into place. Almost immediately the riffs got funnier and funnier, and when Crow sings: “Egrets, I’ve had a few…” I cracked up and said to myself: “They’re back.”
• Of course, with this episode, we have another new version (or verse, as I prefer to say) of the theme song, and all-new visuals. But the new lyrics were a bit of a problem. They set out the new “endless chase” premise, including the Widowmaker space ship, etc. The problem is that in this episode, the “endless chase” has not yet begun, and after coming to grips with that premise, viewers then have to re-adjust to the whole “Planet of the Apes” thing that we are introduced to here. When this show first aired, more than a few viewers expressed confusion at this, wondering which premise the show was going with — the endless chase or the ape business. It would take several episodes before they figured out that the Ape premise was only a temporary sub-plot to the larger endless chase scenario.
• And, of course, with this episode Bill Corbett took over as Crow. Erhardt and I visited the studio the week before the show aired. See our report here.
It was there that Bill forthrightly said to us: “Crow has had a stroke.” And, yes, there definitely was a settling-in period for Bill’s Crow (those with long memories will recall that it also took several episodes for Kevin to settle into the Tom Servo character and voice). But the process was already under way by the end of this episode.
• And there are an array of new characters: Drs. Bobo and Peanut, the nanites and a completely revamped Pearl. I really do give Mary Jo a lot of credit for finding the funny in her character. Even when she was essentially a straight woman, setting up punch lines for Kevin or Bill, she did it well.
• Younger fans may perhaps wonder why one of the apes is playing with a suitcase in the background. That’s a reference to an old American Tourister commercial, in which they demonstrated their suitcases’ strength by throwing it into a cage with an angry gorilla.
• Gone, of course, is Deep 13. In its place (for now) is a set the cast called “Deep Ape” though it was never called that on the show.
• On the SOL, things are, well, darker. Gone for good is the brightly lit SOL of, say, season three. It’s just part of the look of this later period, largely the creation of Jeff Stonehouse, who liked it better. It took some getting used to.
• I have to say that I was never really comfortable with the whole “Crow doesn’t remember Mike” concept and I was glad when it only lasted a few episodes.
• In the opening, Crow is reading George Magazine, a “politics-as-lifestyle” glossy co-founded by John F. Kennedy Jr. It folded in 2001.
• Mike is almost unrecognizable in the ape makeup as Peanut, but the voice is a dead giveaway. That’s Jim and Bill in the background in the ape costumes — the first time Jim actually appeared in a sketch in several seasons.
• Bobo says he is descended from Godo. Unfortunately Godo is a character in “Time of the Apes” who was NOT an ape. Oops.
• There were some complaints, I remember, following Mike’s line: “Crow, this is what we’ve been doing for seven years!” That’s certainly not true of Mike’s character, but then again, it’s just a show, I should really just relax.
• Callback: During segment one, Tom says, “jerking around must have cause a flameout,” a line from “This Island Earth.” I also thought it was interesting that one of Mike’s first segments when he started as host had him on the floor helping the bots who were digging around in the wiring below the deck, and that’s again what he’s doing in one of his first segments on the new channel. Coincidence? Possibly.
• Segment 1, in which the nanites are introduced, is a lot of fun. Of course that’s Kevin and Paul as Wade and Ned, respectively. It’s another tightly written, very funny, spot.
• Segment 2 introduces yet another running gag — the notion that Tom has had all sorts of wild adventures out in the galaxy. They kind of toy with the idea but it never really pays off. That’s Bill, of course, as Phil the alien.
• Again and again in this episode, all sorts of odd fish float into view and the riffers give them all sorts of weird and silly voices. Funny stuff.
• Segment 3 is kinda silly but doesn’t go much of anywhere.
• The final bit is carried entirely by Mary Jo’s energy. Her explanations make no sense, but she makes them with such bravada that it works.
• Cast and crew roundup: Okay, now begins a stretch of Universal B-movies, most of which were created by the same bunch of people. So strap in: producer William Alland also produced “The Mole People,” “The Deadly Mantis” (for which he also got a story credit) “The Space Children” and “This Island Earth.” Director Jack Arnold also directed “The Space Children.” Scriptwriter Martin Berkeley also wrote “The Deadly Mantis.” Somebody whip up some gowns! Jay A. Morley Jr. did for this movie and also did for “The Mole People” and “The Deadly Mantis.” Makeup guy Bud Westmore also worked on “The Mole People,” “The Deadly Mantis,” “The Leech Woman,” “San Francisco International,” “The Thing That Couldn’t Die and “This Island Earth.” Hair stylist Joan St. Oegger also worked on “The Mole People,” “The Amazing Colossal Man” and “This Island Earth.” Art director Alexander Golitzen also worked on “The Leech Woman,” “The Mole People,” “The Deadly Mantis,” “The Thing that Couldn’t Die,” “Kitten With A Whip” and “This Island Earth.” Set designer Russell A. Gausman also worked on “The Leech Woman,” “The Mole People,” “The Deadly Mantis,” “The Thing that Couldn’t Die,” “The Brute Man” and “This Island Earth.” Set designer Julia Heron also worked “The Thing that Couldn’t Die” and “This Island Earth.” Sound person Leslie I. Carey also worked on “The Leech Woman,” “The Mole People,” “The Deadly Mantis,” “The Thing that Couldn’t Die” and “This Island Earth.” Music director Joseph Gershenson also worked on “The Mole People,” “The Deadly Mantis,” “The Thing that Couldn’t Die,” “Kitten with a Whip,” “This Island Earth” and he produced “The Leech Woman.” Score composer Herman Stein also worked on “The Mole People” and “This Island Earth.” Score composer Henry Mancini also worked on “The Mole People,” “The Deadly Mantis,” “The Thing that Couldn’t Die” and “This Island Earth.”
In front of the camera: John Agar also appears in “The Mole People,” and “Women of the Prehistoric Planet.” Nestor Paiva also appeared in “The Mole People.” Robert B. Williams appeared in “This Island Earth.” Brett Halsey also appeared in “Girl in Lovers Lane.” Ned LeFevre also appeared in “The Deadly Mantis.” Don C. Harvey also appeared in “Beginning of the End.” Bob Wehling wrote the script for “Eegah.” Robert Hoy also appeared in “The Mole People” and “Master Ninja II.” Sidney Mason also appeared in “Teenage Crime Wave.” Lori Nelson also appeared in “Untamed Youth.”
• CreditsWatch: The “produced and directed by,” “directed by” and “produced by” credits will change hands all season. This week the show was produced and directed by Jim, with Kevin listed as “associate producer.” Jim is also listed as a contributing writer. Something called “Blue Thumb Scenic” gets a set design credit. Patrick Brantseg — intern in season 4 and “utility infielder” in seasons 5 and 6 (he doesn’t seem to have worked on season 7) — now takes over as “art director.” Brad Keely returns as “technical supervisor.” Beth “Beez” McKeever takes the place of Jef Maynard, taking the title of “prop diva.” Barb Tebben takes the place of Julie Walker as “Info Club poobah.” We say hello to production manager Jill Roozenboom, grip Mike Parker and interns Elliot Cobb and Mytch Parks.
• Fave riff: “Of course, a couple of the chimps drowned…” Honorable mention: “Does he got a thing?”
) to help our users cope with "trolls" and other commenters whom they find annoying. Go to our
fathermushroom said:
‘#32 – Ator: You know, the brains HAVE written episode guides for Seasons 8-10. Look around on this board, it’s out there, and for free!’
Thanks fathermushroom, I have kicked around here for more years than I care to remember and hadn’t seen those. I saw the Season 7 guide when it came out but never had seen the SciFi episode guide.
Love this episode, not perfect but a lot of fun. Tributary to the Amazon still makes me smile.
Mike: ‘A planet where apes evolved from men?!’
Prof Bobo: ‘Well, it’s maybe a little more complicated than that but, that is the rough outline, yes.’
Mike: ‘You did it! You finally did it!’
Prof Bobo: ‘…Damn us all to Hell. Yes, yes.’
Another favorite I’m probably misquoting and misattributing:
(triumphantly) “Yes! We’ve done it!”
Tom: (just as triumphantly) “We’ve made him afraid of flagpoles!”
And thanks for confirming that Magic Voice came back, Wampa Joe. I just watched #809 a few months ago, so I’m surprised I forgot that.
jason #14 – “when lori nelson and the dog are in the hotel and mike says what is a taboo. I didn’t get that at all when i first saw this episode. after being on the internet off and on for 10 years, i now fully understood that riff.” Good heavens, man…what sort of sites have you been visiting??
Sorry, double post. A little trivia – if someone already mentioned this stuff, I apologize. John Agar was married to Shirley Temple at one time. It always amazed me that they never riffed on that. And, the movie was released in 3-D originally. You can see that in some scenes where a character, or an object, or a John Agar, seem to jump out at you. A local TV station in Iowa showed this movie many years ago, and you could send away for 3-D glasses to watch it on your TV. Didn’t try it. Back to work now. Thanks for letting me share.
I love the riffing and the host segments,but I didn’t care for Bill’s Crow.It took me at least a few more episodes to like it.I guess I didn’t care for the yelling and the attitude at first and of course,the awkward and stiff puppetry,but after a while,he got better.For me,some of the movies weren’t “the worse movies of all time”,except,of course Werewolf,Future War and a few others.I wished they could’ve gone for the bottom of the barrel kind,like what Frank used to pick out,like Coleman Francis..
Good god! A snore. It’s the movie’s fault, as usual. The first half of the eighth season is in general a dead zone; it must have been impossible to guess that it would end with some of the best MST3K episodes ever.
“Eww. He’s LEAKING.” – One of the truest riffs ever uttered.
I think the pinnacle of the show was achieved in seasons 5-8. Season 8 was the first I saw and I think the riffing is as good as ever once the Brains got back in the swing of it. I loved the “endless chase” of season 8. I thought the SF episodes went downhill when they locked themselve into Castle Forrester.
I think the problem with Bill’s Crow is that he just wasn’t goody like Trace’s. When old Crow tormented Mike it was funny because he had that little kid aspect to him. The “Adult Crow” that Bill ushered in made the bots seem less like children (as they were especially in the Joel era) and made them into kind of psychotic adults.
Other than that, I loved season 8, and RotC was cool. I loved Deep Ape!
A funny aside in reference to the missing Deep 13… I went to visit Minnesota in December 1998 and a friend and I went to Best Brains and got the whole tour from Barb. While we were there, she let us walk onto the Castle Forrester set and I joked about how different this set looked to the old Deep 13 set. Her reply was to tell me that the “Ape Planet” set was made up of the rock walls of Deep 13 turned around backwards. You can call it the ultimate form of recycling. :smile:
I feel sorry for anyone who ever had the chance but never watched any MST3K episodes other than the Sci-Fi episodes, which is only three years worth of MST3K. There is so much more to be explored. You look out there and see mountains but prefer to stay in your sandbox.
Ralph – I would too, I guess. Almost as much as feeling sorry for someone who works too hard to use a metaphor. Has anyone on this thread actually refused to watch anything but SciFi episodes? I think the SciFi years are just as good typically, and oftentimes superior than earlier episodes. You stare at the mountains and fall on your face while you trip over the edge of the sandbox…
You know, the rather barbed comments that this episode guide entry has garnered (and I assume the rest of the Sci-Fi run will be filled with) brings up an interesting split in the fanbase. Joel vs. Mike is often touted as the great debate among MSTies, but I think CC vs. Sci-Fi has essentially supplanted it as the main source of tension.
The original tone of the show was more or less intact when Mike first took over, but the Sci-Fi years brought forth a harsher edge; a more cynical view of the films instead of the almost bemused quality of the earlier years. Yes, the bots did seem to become adults (storyline-wise, you could chalk that up as another side effect of the 500 year gap between the seasons), and the humor shifted as a result.
While I love MST3K in every incarnation (and the majority of those here do as well), we all have our preferences. Mine are definitely aligned with these later years, especially season 8. Since I wasn’t able to view the CC era until later, I don’t know how much of that is due to nostalgia for the time period I started watching (and therefore a lesser attachment to the earlier cast and concepts) or me just being a naturally cynical guy with a corresponding sense of humor.
But for whatever the reasons, I do get tired of being treated like a “lesser” MST3K fan because I prefer the Sci-Fi years. Can’t we all just, well, relax?
Now, for an actual 801-specific comment or two: I’m a big fan of the first half of this season. Yeah, it only got better and better (finally culminating in the breathtaking Space Mutiny/Time Chasers/Overdrawn At The Memory Bank trilogy), but these dreary Universal affairs are great fun and helped set the tone of the new science fiction-centric era (both in the films and the host segments). My only complaint? We may never see these episodes on DVD as a result, and these episodes happen to be tied to some very important host segments (the introductions of Pearl as nemesis, Bobo, Observer… hell, the entire premise of the Sci-Fi years).
I think you’re right about where the split lies today, Wampa Joe (CC vs Sci-Fi), and I’d like to comment further, since I made one of the earlier barbed comments.
I like the Sci-Fi episodes nearly as much as the CC episodes. I never made a mental division regarding which I liked better until I noticed that at forums like this one, there were many people who appeared to have only seen the Sci-Fi episodes, and treated them as if they were the entire run of the series – their discussion of any element of the show, or any episodes, only include the Sci-Fi years.
I think to the degree that there are fans of only the Sci-Fi era, it might be an age thing.
I loved in the early years of the series when there would be a riff about The Jackie Gleason Show, or Red Skelton – I’m about the same age as Joel, and those were things we’d seen as children and were common points of reference.
All of that was gone by the Sci-Fi years, which makes those episodes more accessible to younger people, since they didn’t have to go “Huh?” all the time, but it also makes those episodes less rich for the original audience of the show.
You say that Space Mutiny, Time Chasers and Overdrawn are breathtaking. Yes, they’re really good episodes, but there are a lot of really good episodes from the CC years that don’t get mentioned a tenth as much (Danger!! Death Ray, Master Ninja, Operation Double 007), and I suspect it’s only because many people either haven’t seen them, or don’t get the references in them (the Van Patten Project, for example.)
So, I think to say that it’s only a matter of when you started watching, as some have said, is an oversimplification. There are differences in depth and style between the earlier and later years of the show.
My first episodes featured Joel, Dr. F, and Frank; but I don’t necessarily favor them over the SCI-FI episodes. That’s why I’m sometimes curious about how some fans prefer the era they saw first over some of the others. Guess I’m not as nostalgic as some. Of course I was introduced to all the later characters within two years of watching the show, so maybe I didn’t have a sufficient amount of time to get as attached to them as other fans.
Our cable provider at the time didn’t carry Comedy Central, so I was introduced to the show during it’s 95-96 run in syndication with “The Mystery Science Theater Hour”. It was basically episodes from season three and four cut into two parts. Imagine my surprise when my aunt, who owned a satellite dish, taped some Comedy Central episodes for me. All of a sudden the episodes were two hours long and Mike & Pearl were there instead of Joel & Frank. Since I missed out on Laserblast and Revenge of the Creature, I was further confused that they were now trapped on the planet of the apes in the SCI-FI episodes. Once I got over my initial confusion about these things I enjoyed them quite a bit though. Around that time I got access to the internet which answered a lot of questions.
For me, the change over time of the characters becoming more cynical toward the movies felt natural. I think I’m a lot more cynical now than I was several years ago. I think I’d be more surprised if things hadn’t changed on the show over the course of a decade.
@#89: “A thing to note: this is the first episode since 105 (?) that the doorway sequence doesn’t bridge the gap of the theme song and the SOL bridge. Also the footage of them returning to the ship is the same of them leaving the ship in 706…I think.”
What? I’m quite certain nothing of the sort occurs in this episode. The doorway sequence happens as usual, and Mike, Servo, and Gypsy just zap onto the bridge as the final door closes. Here, see for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGWVOvrO90A
@#115: “What? I’m quite certain nothing of the sort occurs in this episode. The doorway sequence happens as usual, and Mike, Servo, and Gypsy just zap onto the bridge as the final door closes. Here, see for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGWVOvrO90A”
I’m pretty sure this version has been altered somewhat. I remember from previous airings it faded to black after the planet logo came up, then we’re shown a shot of the exterior of the satellite with the lights returning to the SOL. You can even hear Mike and Tom whining about how they don’t want to go back. Then it cuts to Crow reading a magazine by himself on the bridge set.
I’m guessing this version was made by someone who was a little late pressing the record button and edited the opening from 802 with the door sequence on here to cover this fact. I’ve seen a lot of fan dubs do things like this, but in this case we actually miss out on a few seconds of the episode.
@110
As said above, I really don’t think there’s anyone out there that refuses to watch the CC episodes on principle. When I started watching I didn’t see them because it was impossible to. Now I’ve seen most of it all.
I kind of prefer this era of Mike episodes to his CC run. Not to say that he sucked on CC, Outlaw, the Coleman Francis movies, Deathstalker, those are all great episodes. I just think this more bitter attitude worked better for him. Once Bill settles in, I loved his chemistry with Mike and Kevin. It was different than Trace’s, but it was by no means better or worse.
I think that most people here do watch different eras of the show as their mood strikes them. For myself, I can jump from watching The Corpse Vanishes one day to watching Time Chasers the next. There really aren’t any episodes that I avoid because I think: “That’s a Mike-CC era episode, and that era sucks!” (for example) Every era has its high and low points. From where I sit, what episodes or eras we PREFER to watch are simply matters of discussion here. What I don’t prefer isn’t meant to downgrade one host, episode, era, or whatever counterpoint is part of the topic.
If that makes any sense! :roll:
@#115: “What? I’m quite certain nothing of the sort occurs in this episode. The doorway sequence happens as usual, and Mike, Servo, and Gypsy just zap onto the bridge as the final door closes. Here, see for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGWVOvrO90A”
@#116: I’m pretty sure this version has been altered somewhat. I remember from previous airings it faded to black after the planet logo came up, then we’re shown a shot of the exterior of the satellite with the lights returning to the SOL.
Yes, I just checked, and that clip on YouTube has been edited. It opens with the lights outside the ship, and no doorway sequence.
@#116: “I’m pretty sure this version has been altered somewhat. I remember from previous airings it faded to black after the planet logo came up, then we’re shown a shot of the exterior of the satellite with the lights returning to the SOL. You can even hear Mike and Tom whining about how they don’t want to go back. Then it cuts to Crow reading a magazine by himself on the bridge set.”
Really? Huh, that’s news to me! The only version of this episode that I’ve seen comes from the DAP (that’s where the YouTube clip is sourced from). I’m going to have to get a fan-made DVD or something…
I was a little apprehensive about the new incarnation of the show. I missed Deep 13 and Trace, but Deep Ape made me laugh. And as soon as we got to the theater and the riffing started I knew all would be well.
The whole tributary to the Amazon, Egrets I’ve had a few, making the lagoon a little blacker, needing a carbon blade to get the shorts off, the Charlton Heston fish locater, all cracked me up. But it was the riff about, “The Mengele Institute for Marine Research”, that made me laugh ’till my sides hurt.
The show allways lived or died by the riffing, good host segments being a plus, but not essential. As much as I missed Joel and Frank and Trace, the riffing continued strong, and so did the show.
My parents let me stay up and watch this movie on Elvira’s Movie Macabre in the very early 80’s.
#120: The DAP version was edited. I remember the original version had the lights entering the ship, without the doorway sequence at the beginning. I don’t know why they did that, I thought it was really cool how they brought the concept around full circle.
My DAP version has the lights circling the SOL, with voice overs from our heroes, and then a cut to the bridge where they pop in on Crow. No doorway…. just a fade out from the spag. ball, fade in to the SOL exterior.
“My parents let me stay up and watch this movie on Elvira’s Movie Macabre in the very early 80’s.”……shees, in the very early 80s, I was letting MY kids stay up to watch crappy movies!!
Just an okay ep.
The changes never in the show never bothered me. I should note I was living in Europe through out the 90’s so I caught the show infrequently. I remember returning in the mid 90’s and being shocked by something called Smoothies that everyone was drinking and Mike as host of MST. I liked Smoothies and I like Mike immediately.
Bill’s voice took a while longer to get used to but not much.
Many complain about the grayness of the Universal movies. I like them. I was a big fan of The Creature from the Black Lagoon (the first film) but even when I was a little kid I knew this one was a stinker. Jack Arnold was not a bad director but the script is awful and I’m guessing rushed after the sucess of the first film. Is it any suprise Arnold didn’t direct the third in the series, the Creature Walks Among Us? I’m guessing he declined. Still, I think it is refreshing that they did some middling Universal films during the Sci-Fi years.
The scene with dog is hilarious but the riffing is spotty.
B
I mean the changes in the show never bothered me. :oops:
I’m tired. I just returned from a road trip. But I did see a bear in the mountains.
#73/74 “Chris”Crowschmo:
Hey! My name is Chris too! I posit that you are, in fact, a dark specter who is trying to replace me!
Reading the old comments, I’m a bit surprised over how many people found the riffing in this episode to be tepid at best. From where I was sitting, they were firing on all cylinders.
Checked out the Wikipedia article on the magazine George. From the description, I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did.
Did Starfleet ever visit any non-Class M planets?
Perhaps it’s just me, but does anyone else think the actor who portrays George Johnson sounds like Don Knotts.
Favorite riffs:
“Now I tell you what I believe.”
I believe I look good in a thong.
If you hear funny noises, it’s not what you think.
That’s one small step for bogus science.
Mexico wants our nuclear waste.
Think anybody at the Rockefeller Foundation questioned the dynamite line item?
This guy is bad. This is his first and last movie.
Does it ever occur to them to check for a zipper?
I notice you’re bewitching a man into your web of deceit and lies.
Everybody’s drifted over to the World of Barnacles exhibit.
Great. I’ve gotta change my name to the Creature of the Endinburgh Park Kiddie Pool.
The Gill Man now has only three minutes of air. Let’s see how he does.
The goldfish exhibit still draws millions every year.
“Flippy has been taught to retrieve objects on command.”
Or receive swift and severe punishment!
It’s a success! We’ve made him afraid of flagpoles.
Oh no! The soundtrack is out of control!
Helen, did you kill a dog to lure me into your motel room?
The Ichthyology Department at the State U. has declared martial law!
What if he never relinquishes control of the police department?
And for the final indignity, he lands on a puffer fish.
That poor, slimy creature in love with that beautiful woman.
Yeah, I feel bad for the Gill Man, too.
what did directors in the 50’s ever see in Nester Paiva/
i showed my folks this one because my dad didn’t believe his beloved Clint was in it. he said he’s never look at him the same way again. not sure what he meant by that…
‘Egrets, I’ve had a few..’
There is a certain irony watching this movie—John Agar is the star, and Clint Eastwood is doing a very insignificant bit part. John Agar was born in Chicago on January 31 1921 into a family of meat packers. He was expected to go into the family business but instead chose to join the US Air Force. He died in Hollywood aged 81, starred in Westerns, war films and low budget science fiction pictures; but he was better known as the man who married the 16-year-old Shirley Temple. The divorce from Shirley Temple in 1950, and his increasing alcoholism took its toll on Agar’s career, and by the mid-1950s he was appearing in a series of risible low-budget science fiction films. The format of the films rarely varied: in Tarantula (1955) Agar battled with a giant spider; in Revenge of the Creature (1955) he battled with a Black Lagoon “gillman”; and in The Mole People (1956) he battled with subterranean albinos and burrowing clawmen. By the time he appeared in Zontar, the Thing From Venus (1966) Agar had achieved cult status among B-movie fans.
Favorite lines:
[Nestor Paiva/Lucas scratching] Would you like some chiggers? Ah, go put on your sports bra. Does he have Purple Martins nesting in his ears?
[bird pulled under water by the Creature] Egrets—I’ve had a few.
[Creature swimming underwater] Esther Williams didn’t age too well.
[explosions in lake] The Charlton Heston fish locator.
Do you think anyone at the Rockefeller Foundation questioned the dynamite line item?
[Clint Eastwood/Lab Assistant reaches in pocket] …Seeing as how I’ve got a 44 Magnum in my pocket, the most powerful handgun in the world…This guy’s bad, this is his first and last movie.
Does he got a thing?
Boo Radley, Harold Tribune.
Do they really need a [camera] flash in the middle of Florida in the day?
Hey, no grab ass in the kiddie pool.
[Creature] He kind of looks like Martin Van Buren.
[Flippy show] So, finale apparently does not mean the end. Please, please, leave me an atom of my dignity. He’s guarded by Hitler Youth.
[Agar shocks Creature] The Mengele Institute for Marine Research. So, how come you’re not shocking the Grouper? He’s no prince.
[Medical Chart] Hey, the creature has his own letterhead.
Now at Sears, Jean Kirkpatrick lingerie.
[Lobster House Restaurant] With Mel Cooley on Sax. They have a wonderful five meat buffet. Oskar Schindler and his Big Band. And the John Birch Society meeting comes to an end.
Jane Wyman and Lee Harvey Oswald’s first date [Note: woman on boat is Agar’s second wife.]
Leopold and Loeb: the high school years.
Thrill to the moderate pace of the chase.
“Remember your instructions. The Professor is in command from now on…” The Ichthyology Department at the State U has declared Martial Law.
Final Thought: I love these 1950’s monster movies. I give this one 4 out of 5 stars.
#130 – Check out Tarantula! (good movie) Clint is the fighter pilot glimpsed oh-so-briefly at the close of the movie. You don’t even see his face. But that’s him.
Personally, I like Nestor Paiva. I don’t think he’s great in THIS movie, yes, but he’s really good in Tarantula! (again) and I think he comported himself well in The Mole people. His thing was vocal/performance range – being able to play any part, including vaguely ethnic-y ones, made him a go-to for producers of cheap flicks.
Then again, I also really, really, really like John Agar. Check out his autobiography – “The Good Ship Hollywood.”
Ah, we enter my favorite era of the Cowtown Puppet Show. Whether consciously or not, the dark set seems to reflect an edgier attitude taken on by the Brains. It’s with this episode, Pearl begins to become tolerable, and eventually a lot of fun, at least to some us MSTies. I was surprised at how quickly Bill me won me over with his take on Crow. One minute I was noticing the new voice, the next, not so much.
I love in segment one how Servo keeps screaming on cue after everyone else has stopped. Also, how Kevin immediately nails the character of Bobo, and seems to have a good time with the new part.
The last time we touched on this ep, everyone was pretty sure that it would never receive an official release. Life is good.
Yay, the Sci-fi channel episodes! My favorite period of the show. I love Bill as Crow and Mary Jo as Pearl!
I agree with Stef,now the show really takes off.Corbett Rules,Mike is just always great,and Kevins songs are singing get to cut loose.
Mary Jo…she is finally allowed to just shine! MST in these final three years becomes the classic tv program of the last twenty odd years.The reverse is usually true,that shows start great,and chug out steam.The greatness of MST is it just got better.
I don’t think it’s really eras that are being debated here but which group of riffers you like best. Mike/Bill/Kevin use much less of the old ’60s and ’70s TV show references and nerdy references in general and a much leaner, meaner attitude towards the movie, something they continue in Rifftrax. I think Rifftrax and the Sci-Fi era have some good episodes but as a whole, the Sci-Fi body of work doesn’t come close to the seasons 2-5 peak of the show but then I also prefer CT to Rifftrax.
Now to this episode, none of the host segments were great which continued the decline that started in season 6. A big complaint I have with the Sci-Fi years is that Kevin Murphy did too many voices. His voice is so distinctive that whenever I hear it I just know it’s him and it destroys whatever other character he is trying to do, it’s just too obvious that he is Bobo and the Nanites and Tom Servo, I really think they should have got someone else to do Bobo or just eliminated his character entirely. To prove I’m not pure negative energy, I think Bill was great as the Observer and Crow. I grew to appreciate his nasty approach after a while, but missed that Crow would obviously never whimsically sing his little “hum-da-dee-dee” song again.
Gee Cheapskate, we are polar opposites,the show was good and got great to me at this point.
I think there were only a few episodes in Season 8 where any “endless chasing” was occurring. Usually Pearl was on some weird planet and the SOL was just sitting in orbit. And in Season 9 there was no endless chasing at all. It’s too bad they didn’t get around to fixing that part of the lyrics until Season 10. I remember the first Sci-Fi era episode I saw, I was really confused because Pearl was using her rocketship to drive space children around instead of using it to endlessly chase Mike.
@Sampo: I always assumed the reference to Koko was to ‘Koko the Talking Gorilla,’ not to any of the characters in Time of the Apes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koko_(gorilla)
This is the beginning of the resurgence of the show, post Joel – to me. MST3K and Creature from the Black Lagoon? How could I not love it? And I did. I was not a fan of the Mike CC era. I really disliked most of it, actually. Because of that I still remember the extremely pleasant surprise that was Season 8. Episode after episode after episode of greatness (until Mixed up Zombies anyway…). I couldn’t believe it. I hated the announcement that someone else was taking over Crow, but I was over it within the first 2 minutes. Love Bill’s Crow and subsequent Brain Guy. I thought the Planet of the Apes was a little ‘safe’, but I loved it when the Brain Guys showed up. The skits, songs, everything improved in this Season. Absolutely my favorite Mike-era Season.
I’ve seen the name Bradley J. Keely as an editor on the Food Network show, Diners drive-ins and dives. Same guy?
@#139 That was always my assumption as well. I was but a junior executive when Koko was looking for a kitten for her very own. Poor All Ball… :(
Gee Cheapskate, we are polar opposites,the show was good and got great to me at this point.
@sauron #137: Does that mean I’m Gandalf now? :)
Koko? Are you sure you don’t mean “Godo”? That’s the Time of the Apes character who wasn’t an ape, and Bobo mentions him as part of his lineage. I always thought was an intentional bit that implied beastiality on his part.
Wasn’t there a captive gorilla that learned sign language named Koko? I’ve always thought that’s the “Koko” that Bobo was talking about.
The Sci-Fi era was my first full season of MST3K. Having learned about it from the last few reruns on Comedy Central and the movie, I eagerly awaited season eight. I was very happy to be able to watch MST3K. I quickly took to Bill Corbett’s Crow and I’ve come to appreciate him even more as the years go by. His Crow is such a weirdo. “A fella named Helmut. I remember him . . . quite fondly.” I’ve always liked the Planet of the Apes movies, so the host segments were fun for me. I do think that the SOL bridge set was kind of dark, though. At first I thought it was my VHS tape wearing out, but even the new DVD doesn’t do much to make the set look brighter.
Sauron, I think you hit on something there. Other TV shows jump the shark after a few seasons, but MST could re-invent itself with new chracters and premise because it didn’t take itself too seriously. I think that’s why Pearl is so much funnier in this episode; they aren’t trying so hard. Pearl has stated plans of evil world-domination, but other than that, she’s down-to-earth and pretty likeable (love the aside that her cryogenic service was quite reasonable, price-wise). Love Pearl.
In the same vein, Bobo is freakin’ funny here as well. His delivery is one of the best moments in MST, as mentioned by other posts(88). “Everything you knew is. no. more. (beat) Your movie today is…” I wish we could stay a whole season at Deep Ape, I love the condescending Bobo; he’s still not smart, but he has the veneer of being head of the Dept of anthropology at Ape U., and he has Peanut to kick around, like a simian TVs Frank. “That’s DOCTOR Peanut! ” …in later eps, Bobo is more of a Curly or even a Curly Joe; not as good.
No one’s mentioned yet, so I will that the reveal of the new planet to the Apes is the same as Time of the Apes, with a series of screaming and camera zooms. (As the Brains note themselves later, ‘you can’t scare me with zooms; I was in Time of the Apes.’)
AND for the record, I watched MST off and on through Joel amd Mike years, and taped many; but I didn;t see this one when it aired, and didn’t notice for years that Crow was different. (i.e. They’re both good. Trace is Crow) I do lament that the riffs were less esoteric and obscure in the SciFi run, but all were funny.
This is a fine episode, especially considering the hiatus between Comedy Central and the Sci-Fi Channel. The host segments are a bit hit or miss for me: Bobo got an excellent introduction, especially with the back-and-forth screaming and the “and damn us all to hell, yes, we know” joke on Planet of the Apes, but Pearl’s reveal felt a bit forced. Mary Jo certainly grew into the role quite well over the course of the Sci-Fi era. It seems like the Nanites were chiefly added as a deus ex machina, but they had their funny moments through the Sci-Fi era too.
The theater segments are excellent. Between the riffing on the girl scientist, who seems to spend more time on her makeup than research (“The nerve of him to tell me what to do. I’m pretty darn sciency too!”), John Agar’s insufferable smarm and miniscule shorts, and the appeal of The Creature, the real star of the film, there’s plenty of enjoyable humor.
(sung to the Universal horror movie brass instrumental motif also used in The Thing That Couldn’t Die): “Here I AM! I’m THE CREATURE!”
I remember being in a hotel room in Flagstaff, AZ in the late 1990s, turning on the TV and seeing Sci-Fi era MST and thinking, WTF? For you see, I had drifted away from the show around the time I graduated from high school. Only within the last six years, whilst collecting the DVD sets, did I earnestly explore the “new” MST and find that, while I generally dislike the host segments, the films they picked to riff and the quality of the riffing in general were both excellent. So, as an old-skool Joel MSTie, I can say now that I count many Sci-Fi eps as being among the best. I just hit the ol’ skip forward button on my remote when it comes to one of many tedious host segments.
OK, so this isn’t a great episode. But it’s definitely a good one. It’s also very nice, because it assured me that MST3K’s revival wasn’t going to be horrible. Trust me – I was incredibly worried that the new MST3K would suck.
The skits in this one aren’t the greatest. The opening segment is kind of weird, and I was convinced my audio had desynchronized because Crow’s mouth wasn’t matching up with Bill much. Nope. Bill just had to get used to Crow. Having seen how you operate Crow from the “making of” special they made for Sci-Fi, I don’t blame him one bit.
Also, about our gold friend. Bill is the best Crow. I have to say it sometime. His voice just fits Crow incredibly well. Whenever I think of Crow talking, I hear Bill.
Oops I meant Godo! Will fix!