Movie: (1973) Godzilla and size-changing robot Jet Jaguar defend Japan from Megalon and alien cyborg Gigan, who have been sent by underground civilization Seatopia.
First shown: 1/19/91
Opening: J&tB are in morning magazine show mode
Invention exchange: Both Joel and the Mads show off their easy-to-make Halloween costumes
Host segment 1: Crow and Tom argue over whose monster is more powerful
Host segment 2: Rex Dart, Eskimo spy!
Host segment 3: Crow and Tom pretend they’re a certain well-known popcorn magnate and his grandson
End: Joel gives Crow and Tom new arms, the Jet Jaguar fight song is translated, the Mads are playing video games
Stinger: Godzilla takes the plunge.
(210 votes, average: 4.56 out of 5)
Loading...
• A terrific episode, certainly one of the highlights of season two. Very strong host segments, very witty riffing and a reasonably watchable movie with plenty to riff on. It’s also our first taste of the many Japanese movies to come next season.
• Joel has donned the maroon jumpsuit, which he will stick with until well into season three.
• The rights to the movie in this episode were apparently not properly cleared by Rhino when it released it as part of its Vol. 10 DVD set, and Rhino was forced to withdraw the set. It later re-released the other three titles, along with the addition of episode 402- THE GIANT GILA MONSTER, in what it called “Volume 10.2.”
• References are here, but one they missed is a favorite of mine: “Everyone is to get from street!” a reference to the movie “The Russians are Coming, The Russians Are Coming!”
• The opening bit is hilarious. I always wondered what Wanda Vacale’s Whale of a Tale was all about, and why it would be of special interest to bachelors.
• The “explaining pain to Crow” bit is not new. Joel does the same thing to Gypsy in episode K03- STAR FORCE: FUGITIVE ALIEN 2 while trying to explain what taking drugs is like.
• The invention exchange is fun. Joel’s “easy-to-make Halloween costumes” are straight from his standup act.
• The button on the desk breaks when Movie Sign hits the first time.
Joel says “…before eating — uh, I mean after eating…” They keep going.
• Classic running gag: “These darn stairs…”
• Not really made clear in the host segment 1 is precisely what Tom and Crow are looking at that they don’t want Joel to see. Looks like Polaroids. Hmm… (In the ACEG, Mike says they are “naughty pictures.” )
• Host segment 2 is pretty random, but it’s fun.
• Two KTMA riffs pop up: “That monster does not know the meaning of ‘around’ ” and when somebody mentions evacuating, Joel says “sounds painful,” something Crow said often in the KTMA season.
• Host segment 3 is a brilliant piece of work, but is now somewhat dated with the passing (in 1995) of Orville Redenbacher and consequent end of the TV spots featuring him and his grandson Gary. Interestingly, it appears the sketch was somewhat prescient. With Orville’s death, the younger Redenbacher does indeed seem to have disappeared into the night. (He’s actually an attorney these days.)
• The final half hour of the show, with Tom and Crow as wrestling announcers, is great fun. “He’s got a tree!”
• At the end of the movie, Joel explores the space between Cambot and the seats a bit, for the first time since “the film broke” in season one.
• The end segment features the hilarious “English translation” of “Jet Jaguar Fight Song,” as well as another open flame on set.
• Ever wonder what the lyrics to the song REALLY are? Thanks to Marissa at the MST Discussion board, here they are:
Japanese:
Hito ga tsukutta robotto da kedo,
Jetto Jagaa, Jetto Jagaa,
Yatta, Jetto Jagaa
Yuke, yuke, heiwa o mamoru tame,
Minna mo odoroku yuuki wo miseru
Gojira to Jagaa de panchi, panchi, panchi
Nakuna, bokura mo ganbarou
English:
You’re a robot made by humans, but
Jet Jaguar, Jet Jaguar,
You did it, Jet Jaguar
Go, go to protect peace
We are all surprised at the courage you show
Godzilla and Jaguar punch, punch, punch
Don’t cry, let’s do our best
Don’t touch my bags if you please, Mr. Customs man. (Just kidding.)
• The final bit in Deep 13 demonstrates the passion for video and computer gaming that was growing at BBI.
• Cast and crew roundup: Director/screenplay writer Jun Fukuda also served those roles for “Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster.” Tomoyuki Tanaka also produced “Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster.” Story and lyric writer Shinichi Sekizawa likewise did the same for that movie and also for “Mighty Jack.” SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano was a special effects assistant director for “Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster.” In front of the camera, Robert Dunham is also in “The Green Slime.”
• CreditsWatch: This Week’s Creative Pit Boss: Joel Hodgson. This is the last episode that has the “Creative Pit Boss” credit. “Villians” still misspelled. “Rex Dart Action Theme”: Michael J. Nelson. This was intern Tamara Lewis’ last episode.
• Favorite riff: “He’s got a tree! He’s got a tree! This isn’t the Godzilla we know!” Honorable mention: “I know I’m supposed to be scared and all, but all I can think of is sweaty Japanese guys.” “This watery manifestation of a vengeful, wrathful God couldn’t have come at a worse time.
) to help our users cope with "trolls" and other commenters whom they find annoying. Go to our
As a Godzilla fan in general, this is one of my all time favorites. Hopefully Shout can pull a miracle and get this one again but I doubt it. The Orville Redenbacher skit with his grandson is hilarious and one of the all time greats. I totally remember those actual spots he and his grandson would do for the NBC (I think) movie of the week special hawking their popcorn in between.
Oh, these stairs… I don’t even…
And here it is! My favorite Joel episode & tied with Gorgo as my favorite MST3k of all time! I grew up watching Godzilla, and he was my childhood hero (I also wanted to stomp on cities… and 30 some odd years later I still feel that way). Godzilla vs Megalon (or Megaro/Megalo in the original Japanese) has always been my favorite of the Showa era films. It’s just a lot of fun. Jet Jaguar continues to be one of my favorites, mostly because he’s just plain awesome, but also because he was built by Humans. Human science helped win the day!
Megalon also one of my favorite monsters for several reasons: 1-DRILL ARMS! 2-He’s a giant mutant beetle, and 3-DRILL ARMS!!!! He can fly, walk (or hop), and drill underground! Did I mention he has drill arms?
As mentioned before, yes, Godzilla’s Revenge is the king of stock footage. It was the very next film after Destroy All Monsters, so perhaps they wanted to keep the budget down after that one.
The riffing is slow paced but fun through most of the movie, but once the fight starts the fight commentary is absolutely hilarious. I love every minute of this episode.
One thing I noticed, is that this seems to be the first episode where Kevin’s Tom voice is truly his own. I didn’t notice at any time him trying to sound like Josh.
“I’m glad I’m not there.” “I’m really glad I’m not there.” “Oh shoot! Now I’m there!”
“I don’t have a line!”
Oh, another thing. Is this the first video game mention in MST3k? I know there weren’t a lot of them, and were mostly all Mario.
I noticed on IMDB, Hiroyuki Kawase, who played Rokuro, is listed as also having an uncredited role in Time of the Apes. Doesn’t say who/what he played though. Maybe his part was cut from the MST3k version? Where there other child apes, maybe in the background?
Also for those interested, they recently started releasing the Godzilla movies on blu-ray, and Godzilla vs Megalon is one of them. They’ve done a REALLY good job of cleaning them up, too!
This is probably my favorite of the Monster movie eps. The film borders on enjoyable and while J&tB give the miniature effects hell, they aren’t bad for the time. You can tell they put a lot of money into it. I think they must have put the child actor into Joel’s Jiffy Pop costume and told him to scream his lines as loud as he could. The Orville sketch went to some pretty dark places. An early classic.
Possible weekend discussion (if it hasn’t been done). This episode has one of those riffs in it which sounds enough like one of the Brains to take a reasonable guess at who wrote it. “Oh, I’m going to huuuurt you!”, although delivered by Joel, I think, sounds a lot like Frank.
#105:
Well, technically, it sounds like Joe “Fifth Stooge” Besser, but Frank does tend to channel him now and then, so…
I just checked Amazon. You can get a new copy of Vol.10. A thousand bucks and it’s yours.
Also, CC was rerunning Abbott & Costello’s show at the time, where Joe Besser was a regular, so Besser’s “I’ll harmmm you!” was readily reffable material. (See also the Deep 13 Besser Bomb.)
Although the dramatically-overacted-TV-cliche’ riffs do tend to have Frank’s name on them.
Godzilla Vs. Megalon fails the Bechdel Test. There are no female characters with speaking roles.
When I first heard about the content of Host Segment 3, I thought I would be cringing my way through it. But as it happens, when I actually saw it, I ended up busting my gut laughing.
Colossus Prime #3: Is the Orville Redenbacher sketch the darkest thing they did at that point?
If you think about it, the life-sized Operation game from Ring of Terror is much darker.
@ #6; No, it was back in Season One in Project Moonbase when the scientist is entering his hotel room and it looks like the commie spy is checking out his hinder.
Favorite riffs
Try not to get sucked into the Vortex of Hell, Billy.
This watery manifestation of a vengeful, wrathful god couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Oh my God, the humidifier committed suicide!
Action scenes filmed in Confus-O-Vision.
The gods do not approve of this inept car chase sequence.
All this, and they still can’t get the Comedy Channel.
You know, Monster Island and Milwaukee are a thousand miles apart. Monster Island means mutated lizards and bugs four hundred feet tall. Milwaukee means beer. And on Monster Island, they don’t take any crap, and they don’t take American Express.
“So he’s just like a son. That’s very touching.”
Now stop touching me.
You will bow down before me, Jet Jaguar.
Do you expect me to talk?
No, Jet Jaguar. I expect you to die.
I had never watched this episode before last night. I was not one of the lucky few who grabbed Volume 10 when I had the chance (I KNOW I saw it once in my neighborhood FYE store), so I too am hoping that perhaps someday Shout pulls another one of their amazing breakthroughs and puts this and “Sea Monster” on a double bill, like they did with “Mitchell” and “The Brain that Wouldn’t Die”.
So, having finally seen it, it was alright to me. Kind of like a dry run for the stretch of Gamera movies to come. The best riff (“Ohmigod, the humidifier’s committed suicide!!!”) came so early in the film I was thinking more about that neat customized Volkswagen Fastback one of our leads drives throughout the picture (or could you get that cabriolet style factory direct in Japan?).
Indeed, during the car chase scene, I was amazed they didn’t pull a “Great Race” reference when the cars were driving down the stairs, but I did appreciate this:
Crow: What is this, ‘Herbie Goes to Mexico’? [actually it would be “Herbie Goes Bananas” but I’ll let it slide]
Joel: You know, in Paris Dean Jones is considered…
Servo: Shut UP, Joel!!
BTW, as was perhaps implied, if anyone in fact DOES know what the word “arone” means in Japanese, please feel free to share. Thanks. ;-)