Movie: (1984) When some alien eggs hatch, it spells trouble for a pair of poachers, a vacationing singer and his entourage and an isolated family.
First shown: 6/15/91
Opening: J&tB are having an arts chautauqua
Invention exchange: After a brief scene from “An Officer and a Gentlemen,” Joel demonstrates his monster chord; while the Mads have invented a public domain karaoke machine
Host segment 1: J&tB record “Idiot Control Now” and it stinks!
Host segment 2: J&tB present New Age music from Some Guys in Space
Host segment 3: “You are magic, aren’t you, Trumpy?”
End: J&tB sing, “A Clown in the Sky”
Stinger: “It stinks!”
(218 votes, average: 4.63 out of 5)
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• People adore this episode. In the ACEG it’s described as a “fan favorite.” But I gotta say this is number-one in my list of “sleeping pill” episodes. Don’t get me wrong: the riffing is great and the host segments are ALL winners (which is a rarity). But the movie just puts me to sleep. Maybe it’s all the fog and new agey music. I did make it through this viewing without dozing off, but I was getting pretty drowsy by the end.
• This movie was originally released in Spain as “Los Nuevos Extraterrestres.” For the American video release it was called “The Unearthling,” but you might also have seen it titled “Extra-Terrestrial Visitors,” “Tales Of Trumpy” or “The Return Of E.T.”
• References.
• This episode was included in Rhino’s “The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 2.”
• Kevin croaks out the word “merchant” in the opening bit–they keep going.
• The blowed-up bots are the handywork of newly arrived Toolmaster Jef.
• Dr. F mentions the once-trendy clothing retail chain Chess King. They would be gone in four years.
• Frank addresses Jerry the Mole Person but we never see him.
• Despite the fact that the bots have just been badly blowed up, the regular bots walk into the theater a moment later. Joel covers by mumbling “Good thing we got those re-…um…those new heads on…”
• FVI used clips from a movie called “Galaxy Invader” for the titles. That movie would later be riffed by RiffTrax.
• The last time we had an episode with two songs was 202- THE SIDE HACKERS. We wouldn’t get another one until episode 521- SANTA CLAUS.
• Callback: “Puma? Puma!” (Ring of Terror)
• That’s makeup lady (and occasional writer) Faye Berkholder as the recording studio assistant in Deep 13, her one and only appearance on the show. A lot of people thought it was Bridget for a long time.
• Kevin sort of coughs/clears his throat at one point in the theater. They keep going.
• During the wall of keyboards sketch, Crow has a bit of sammich on his beak. Another nice touch from Jef. Also–Why is Joel staring down at the floor while he’s talking? Is he reading his lines?
• A lot of people had no idea about the origin of that voice Crow does when he does Trumpy. “He’s like a poh-tay-toe!” He’s doing a vague impression of The Elephant Man from the movie of the same name.
• Also, a lot people had no idea who McCloud was. Dennis Weaver, we hardly knew ye.
• That said, they ran the “Chief? McCloud!” bit right into the ground. A running gag is one thing, but sheesh.
• Vaguely dirty riff: “That trunk could come in handy for hard to reach places!”
• Goof: When Joel says “Trumpy, you can do STUPID things!” in the theater, he’s referencing a line by the little kid, Tommy, who says: “Trumpy, you can do magic things!” Unfortunately Joel does that riff about 10 minutes BEFORE the Tommy says the original line. Another example of what happens when you watch a movie five or six times in a week. You can lose track of when stuff happens.
• The house in this movie is MUCH bigger on the inside than it looks like on the outside. It appears to have three or four guest bedrooms and endless hallways (and a door to the outside in the bathroom off one of the bedrooms, though which evil Trumpy escapes after killing the girl in the shower). Is it a TARDIS house?
• Cast and crew roundup: The only person credited for this movie that has a credit in any other MSTed movie is, once again, scoremeister Karl Michael Demer, who was Film Ventures International’s go-to credits music guy.
• CreditsWatch: Unbelievable: After two episodes where it didn’t appear, “Special Guest Villians” (misspelled) returns. Starting with this episode and continuing through most of the season: “Host Segments Directed by Jim Mallon.” And an important first in this episode: “Toolmaster: Jef Maynard.” Mike and Kevin get the credit for “A Clown in the Sky.” Trace gets a solo Art Direction credit (no Joel, for the only time during his tenure at the show). A new credit appears: “Post Production Coordination.” It’s Alex (already listed as “Production Manager”) and Jann (already listed as “Production Coordinator”). Sheesh. Another new credit: “Prop Assistant.” This week it’s one Barb Oswald, who will get the gig in two more eps this season.
• Fave riff: “Hi! We’re the cast from ‘Straw Dogs’.” Honorable mention: “Hear that? Sounds like Norm Abrams being killed by a giant chicken.”
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This was the second MST3K episode I saw, right after Cave Dwellers. I moved from IL to IN and my new library had this on VHS. I borrowed the tape for two weeks and watched it 14 times. I love this episode. It’s a timeless classic…and a good friend.
PS. I still don’t understand the “Faruk Alatan? I went to school with Faruk Alatan!” joke (?) came from!
^^ Joel was probably commenting on the unusualness of the name, and instead twisting it around, like, hey, I know that guy. Didn’t EVERYONE go to school with a Faruk Alatan?
Hey! My namesake came from this episode! :)
I’d just like to point out that for Faruk Alatan the first Google auto-complete is “faruk alatan mst3k”. And the second is “faruk alatan school”. I love that.
I understand all the affection this episode generates… but only because my own personal favorites tend to come from my formative MST3K period, and a lot of people aren’t as crazy about those.
I’m really not a Season Three MSTie, I guess.
By the time I first saw this episode, I was already a SciFi MSTie by historical accident, and everything about the earlier seasons had a bit of a learning curve for me.
So, not that big on “Pod People” myself. The Wacky Moving Stuff sketch lasts too long for me by 30 seconds. And, as noted, “Trumpy you can do stupid things!” arrives well before the original line in the script, which took my attention off the gag…. Oh well, you can see I’m just not On The Team for this episode.
But I get why people love it.
Go on, you kids, have fun.
HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY “MST3K: POD PEOPLE” :cake: :cake: :cake:
Today (June 15th) marks the 20th anniversary of the first time the MST3K “Pod People” episode aired on Comedy Central. Ironically, and unlike most TV episodes, more people have seen “Pod People” in repeats and home video than during its premiere episode back in 1991. :pray:
#113–the missing word is “mutant”.
“…on rescue 911, a duck with an arrow through its neck.” Movie sign!
I ordered this on a VHS from this MST3kinfo.com I believe and I’m glad my VCR still works. Funny episode. I thought of this the other day because of that new Spielberg produced movie that supposidly has a bit of E.T. in it. I love the Mac and Me jokes and I barely saw any of that stupid film.
“Move her spine around a lot.”
“Wow, Trumpy, you can do stupid things.”
That song that they said sounds like Ringo Starr
The thing I remember about watching it on television was that there was some strange echo when the ‘evil trumpy’ burried itself. Maybe I’m thinking of a different film. I didn’t hear it on the VHS copy I have.
“This potatoes got big ears.”
Nice blog great post
First seeing the show via the MST Hour, I’m not sure which ep I first actually saw all the way through; maybe Space Travelers or The Amazing Colossal Man, but when I finally saw Pod People, like so many others here, that’s when I became a MSTie for life.
This one has the most levels of nostalgia for me: Aside from the whole ’80s thing, at the time of that first viewing I’d just adopted a kitten that looked exactly like Tommy’s except for her eye color, so it got one foot in the door that way. But unlike other fever-dream movies, this one actually makes one nostalgic for past fever dreams, like that time you were home sick from first grade with a 102 degree temperature, and the local station you’d been watching cartoons on inexplicably showed “Devil Dog: The Hound From Hell” at 9:00 AM, and that just blurred right into Sesame Street at 11:00. Okay, not everyone experienced that, but likely half of us can look back on something comparable.
The Spielbergian sense of wonder Pod People strives for is captured unintentionally by the audience’s sense of wonder at how the producers thought they could cash in on E.T. and Alien in the same movie.
Have a lot of people here been tracking down copies of Mac & Me since that product-placement documentary came out? 1991 was also, coincidentally, the year Mac’s home planet of Klo was laid waste to. Sometimes the stars do indeed align.
And oh how I wish I could un-watch Galaxy Invader, as the movie I imagined based on those FVI credits was just so much more fun. The only way I can fully recover from that one is if CT tears it to shreds.
Pod People passes the Bechdel Test. Lara blithers about cooking while Cathy insults her at the campfire. Molly and Tracy talk about cooking. Cathy gets panicky while Sharon reacts with indifference before taking a shower.
So has anyone ever managed to decipher what the lyrics of the song actually are?
The white-haired poacher’s resemblance to Llorne Greene gets commented on. So it seems odd that they don’t also remark on Brian’s resemblance to Dirk Benedict.
With Trumpy’s intensely blue eyes, I’m surprised there were no Dune riffs.
Favorite riffs
Pod people got no reason to live.
Boldly backing away from where no man has gone before.
Hear that? Sounds like Norm Abrams getting killed by a giant chicken.
“Not a soul for miles, I suppose?”
I’m not bringing mine.
The Von Trapp Family Singers on the road.
I hope they find some Nazis.
Oh terrific. We were saved by the gates of Hell.
That’ll go great in his alien mutant hellbeast from space collection.
Have you been playing with the Gatekeeper again, Tommy?
“You know, we have been very hard on her.”
Yeah, but it’s a good chance to thin out the cast.
My horoscope said you’d be stalked by a leather mug maker from a Renaissance festival.
“With a good night’s rest, she’ll be as right as rain.”
Yeah, that’s what cures a crushed spine.
“You know what playing is, Trumpy?”
Yes, it’s where I break you in half.
Your breakfast is getting cold, and she’s not getting any warmer.
Trumpy, you can do stupid things!
Geez, where to start? I don’t think there’s anything I need to say, this is truly one of the best episodes.
“I think this is Movie D. D for DUMB.”
Some favorite riffs:
“Tommy, can you hear me?”
Can you feel me near you?
(over shot of the meteor)
Meanwhile, a few miles away.
Oops, wrong bowl
Sounded like Laura leaping to her death
“This way!”
What, do you smell her?
The house of 1,000 foyers
What is it about the gates of Hell that compels people to wander into them?
She’s Zestfully dead!
He’s stealing all the Nerf toast
It’s Julie Andrews… AND SHE’S ON FIRE!
“She lives on star?”
Can she bring moonbeams home in a jar?
Tommy, you quit warping time and space this instant!
That’s the trumpiest-looking monster I’ve ever seen
He’s gonna get his Presidential Fitness Award
“If I were you I’d take the kid and get out of here!”
Kid? What kid- OH MY GOD!!!
Holy crap, its been 4 years since I was doing the comments on Joels Hair, Joels knees and therapy comments !!?!!? :D Its been that long already ?? Life for me was certainly cushy in 2011.. a lot more than it is today sadly, but Im alive (although I lost my mom in 2012) and working ( a new job that I started this year after being laid off after over a decade of service to one place)
Ah life………….. :)
“FVI used clips from a movie called “Galaxy Invader” for the titles. That movie would later be riffed by BOTH RiffTrax and Cinematic Titanic.”
Cinematic Titanic didn’t riff “Galaxy Invader”, although they DID riff “Alien Factor” by the same director
One of the all time greats.
My bloodlust cannot be sated. The light trembling of a fawn as it lay dying in my arms… I’ve got to kill something, is what I’ve got to do. The helpless cough of a squirrel with a crushed face. That’s what life’s all about.
I have to agree with Sampo on this one, I never thought it was the 5 stars many others did. It is definitely a fan favorite though, the people I used to watch MST with back when it was new all ranked this episode as one of their all time favorites.
I see I was talking about Slugs four years ago. Cool! Let’s talk about it some more!
Contains my favorite line in all bad moviedom: “You don’t have the authority to declare happy birthday!”
Subsequent to my last post, I got into Shaun Hutson’s novels (he’s the English chap who wrote Slugs and its sequel, Breeding Ground). Also Guy N. Smith (killer crabs and about every other killer animal under the sun).
Okay, now let’s talk about Pieces!
Pieces is great! You should see Pieces!
This has to be one of my favorite episodes because I actually like it and because I’ve seen it SO MANY times. It was the first episode I owned on VHS and one of the first on DVD, so it was one of the few options for me to watch for a long time. Also one of the first episodes I remember seeing on TV. A lot of fond memories. This isn’t a putdown, but Pod People is a good episode to fall asleep to, I find all that fog very peaceful.
I used to own a copy of the unMST3K version of the movie and there didn’t seem to be to much they cut out. Now I can’t remember what the “virgin” guy says when they go back to the theater and I still have an obsession with that “Morrissey” song that’s playing when they are driving to the campsite in the RV. I was hoping the credits would list who wrote it or performed it, but no luck. I’ve been trying to find something out about it off and on for years and I can’t find anything. No big surprise, it’s pretty obscure even for the internet age.
Okay I just found the promo soundtrack on YouTube and the song is called Sara and you can finally hear the lyrics. It looks like the song is by the guy who did the music, Libra Pastor. I ‘m still not sure who is singing. Man I gotta find a way to get that song on iTunes.
I’ve actually downgraded my opinion of Pod People slightly since I was drooling over it here four years ago. I give it 4 stars now instead of 5. Guess my tastes have changed a bit and I find other episodes funnier, but I still think it’s a great one to get noobs hooked on MST.
One of the first MST3Ks we saw when my sister shared the VCR tape with us probably 1992/3. 5+ stars all the way. On first viewing my wife said Trumpy would be a great name for a dog. And 10 years later, we got a cocker spaniel and named it Trumpy! She could do magic – and stupid things. A great companion but not too obedient. But at least she was not a mass murderer – that we know of
I never really “got” the Chief/McCloud thing, anyway. Obviously it’s a reference to the “McCloud” TV series, but I don’t understand the, for lack of a better word, relevance. Oh well.
This episode allows me to again compare a cast of five young people to the slasher archetypes in Joss Whedon’s “The Cabin in the Woods”:
Tracy: The Promiscuous One (I’m not going to call someone a “Whore,” that’s just mean)
Brian: The Athlete
Rick: The Scholar (he’s smart enough to survive the movie, anyway)
Cathy: The Fool (there’s no other role open)
Sharon: The Final Girl (self-explanatory)
Laura doesn’t qualify because she’s an outsider in a pre-existing group.
This is a five star episode for me. I also agree, it’s a great episode to fall asleep to or watch while your sick. I remember when I was a teenager staying home from school with the worst flu ever, just looping “Pod People” over and over again.
Also if there was ever a MST3K karaoke night I’d like sing “Idiot Control Now”. or “Rock ‘n Roll Martian”.
Sampo, I love you. Your contributions to the world of MST3K cannot be overstated.
HOWEVER…..have you lost your freaking mind?!?!?!?
Pod People is a Hall of Fame episode! And don’t give me your Sampo Theorem! This is an established fan favorite. How dare you, sir?!?
I’m sorry. I’m OK. Really.
“Idiot Control Now”?!?!? “He’s the best?!?!?” Trumpy?!?!?
Have you lost your ever-lovin’……again, sorry.
Ah, Pod People, Film Venture’s magnum opus. I became a MSTie when I rented MST3K the movie shortly after it was released on VHS which was my first “episode.” The following year after (’96/97) we got DirecTV (no cable in the rural area we lived in) with Sci Fi and finally I was able to watch the show regularly. In late ’98 my mom bought a Rhino VHS box set and Pod People was one of them. It was my first CC era ep and also my first Joel episode, what a classic. Solid riffs that still get repeated by my friends and family, a truly unique, creepy and surreal little film that makes it a perfect choice and great skits. “McCLOUD!!!!”
This was the first episode I ever saw as well. We lived out in the country, but my grandma lived in town and had cable, and I spent a lot of time there. That might even have been during its first broadcast.
Also, like many of the rest of you, this was one of the first episodes I had on VHS, and it was watched a LOT. A great episode, but repetition and familiarity has dulled the humor a bit.
One of my favorite riffs that I haven’t seen mentioned above, I think said quietly by Servo, when they’re in the camper with the comatose girl and someone brings her a bottle of booze:
“She obviously doesn’t need it.”
I’ve got to agree with Sampo regarding the movie. Darkness, fog, drowsy synth music. It’s like cinematic Sominex.
That doesn’t make it a BAD episode, but for me it keeps it from being great.
It’s Randy Travis from WKRP!
MST3K, the show that keeps on giving. I’ve seen this episode countless times, but the WKRP riff stood out for me last night. It’s as if they keep going back and inserting new riffs, as I swear I’ve never heard that one before.
If I were dying and could watch ONE more Joel episode, this would be it.
Shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up!!!!!
ENNNNNDDDD!!!
Stop the inane conversation.
Enough with the test already.
Not that it matters, but I think I may have just figured something out about the movie that has sort of bugged me. Think it’s possible that that huge, huge house may be a lodge of some sort, you know, for paying guests? I mean, it has a million doors, several bedrooms and one well stocked bar. I’ve been in actual bars that don’t have that many varieties of liquor. And, does anyone else think that this movie has one of the genuinely saddest endings of any of the episodes (along with “The Girl in Lovers Lane”)? Poor lil’ Trumpy. Alone. Forgotten. I just wish I could adopt him, that’s all.
Huh. The green shade of the ‘Pod People’ title eerily matches the green ‘Volume XXXIII’ lettering on the upcoming DVD set. Neat.
Watching it again, I had this crazy hypothesis whether the bad fuzzy homemade sound made us mishear “Trunky” (which would seem a more appropriate name), and the mistake was riffed into MST immortality, like Pile-On Pete.
Unfortunately, I can’t find any solid evidence to back that up, as all the user-submitted data on the movie, even the original movie’s own IMDB page, seems to be provided by loyal MSTies. Proving once again that History Is Written By the Winners.
(And “Hard to reach places” is a “Vaguely dirty” riff? It’s a vacuum cleaner joke!)
“Movie: (1984) When some alien eggs hatch, it spells trouble for a pair of poachers, a vacationing singer and his entourage and an isolated family.”
Entourage? Wait, is Vincent Chase in this! :-P
But seriously, I discovered another movie with the kid from Pod People in it! It had something to do with elephants… (I kid you not) And of course, I didn’t keep the dvd (or even watch it), and now I see it’s not even listed on imdb. Whoops!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280764/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Okay, so it’s not the kid. But an incredible simulation!
Last post: I did fall asleep to this one last night, but that’s only because I started it at 3:30 am. I do love this episode. It’s so quintessential MST3K. So bizarre, so Trumpy!
Wow. Three episodes in a row built around movies that are absolutely perfect for riffing. This film might be the goofiest to get the MST treatment. I could watch it without the riffing.
I’ve watched Pod People enough times to that I think I can make out the plot, but the whole thing feels like it was edited with a blender and the different plot elements feel like they belong to completely different films, each of which would be silly enough on it’s own. And what the heck happened to Trumpy after he was abandoned in the forest.
#188 This film might be the goofiest to get the MST treatment
Yeah, it might be, but it isn’t. Not while “Hobgoblins” exists. It’s subjective, of course. :-)
#162 Sitting Duck says:
“Pod People passes the Bechdel Test.”
I enjoy the info. Please keep it coming! Ignore the haters.
I wonder if we can make it to 200 comments for this one. Since I really only got into the show with the Sci-Fi years, this and “Eegah” were the episodes that really sold me on the Joel years. What can I say, this one is great from start to finish. Even when I didn’t get the references, the timing in this one is practically flawless. For example:
Dr. F: What happens when you go to your favorite karaoke bar and play “I Want to Know What Love Really Is” by Foreigner?
Frank: People vomit?
I’ve never heard the song, but that makes me laugh every time.
Watching again this week I kept finding new things to laugh at, such as the Mads’ grimaces for “Ave Maria” and Joel’s explanation about the usefulness of New Age music: “It’s a great way to make a lot of money without a big initial investment!”
So yes, this one joins episodes like “Werewolf” and “The Final Sacrifice” as one I’d take to the desert island.
I’ll second this sentiment. I have a certain amount of curiosity on this as well.
And it’s not like Sitting Duck is a one trick posting pony. He generally has pretty well thought out posts and the Bechdel Test is only one aspect of his posts. MST is just a show and we should really just relax. Meanwhile the Bechdel Test post is just a single weekly post amongst 100+ posts. We should really just relax.
Bechdel Test updates from Sitting Duck? We like it very much! Keep it up, please! It brings something to the discussion of the movie that no other post does.
(However, I AM fascinated by the thought of someone being so bothered by it, and what it reveals about the inner workings of their mind.)
Why thank you!
Another MST3K project I’ve been working on concerns an age-old conundrum. Certain people (you know who they are) claim that Joel era host segments were always about the movie, while Mike-era host segments consisted of irrelevant navel-gazing. This is at best a gross exaggeration, but I began to wonder how many host segments actually were relevant to the film. So I’ve been keeping track of these as I rewatch episodes. Of course I have a few criteria. First off, I’m not counting the KTMA host segments, since these were never about the movie (at least not to my recollection). Also, I’ll only be counting host segments that occur after the first movie sign. In the majority of the cases, it’ll be obvious whether or not a host segment has a connection to the movie. But there are some which can be ambiguous. For these cases, I’ll be following two rules of thumb. If it starts off being about the movie but goes off on a weird tangent, it will count. An example of this would be the Scary Seafood from Bride of the Monster. If some element of the film gets briefly mentioned but is otherwise irrelevant, it will not count. An example of this would be Crow’s audio diary from Hellcats, where it briefly comes to light that Crow is trying to record over himself singing the Hellcats theme. Results will be out whenever I get done.
And just to be clear, host segments about the shorts will count.
What’s with the “I’m a virgin” t-shirt? Was that a fad at the time?
^ Some kind of a religious thing? A statement on the tragic death of an inexperienced youth?
For those with airplane bags handy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raNGeq3_DtM
Presumably a t-shirt from Virgin Records/Airways, which were both trendy at the time, and had nothing to do with amateurish halfhearted 70’s stereotypes.
(The cellphone company came later.)
I still think the hippie girl was a babe.
That’s a problem I have with these kinds of movies. The cutest girl never makes it. “The Atomic Brain” is one of few exceptions.
Do check out the movie Pieces to see Mr. “It Stinks” sustain a particularly gruesome groin injury.