Movie: (1974 TV series; 1987 compilation movie) A trio of young people take refuge in cryogenic capsules during an earthquake, and awaken in a world populated by intelligent apes.
First shown: 7/13/91
Opening: Using Tom as a T-ball stand, Joel shags some flies to Crow, breaks a window and causes explosive decompression
Invention exchange: Gypsy fixes the hole and warns them not to do it again but of course they do. Joel shows off his cellulite phone, while the Mads demonstrate their miracle baby growth formula
Host segment 1: J&tB present: “Why doesn’t Johnny care?” A film by Bell Labs
Host segment 2: J&tB present their version of “Inherit the Wind”
Host segment 3: Crow presents an “ape fashion minute”
End: J&tB sing the Sandy Frank song, Joel reads a letter, and in Deep 13, Baby pushes the button
Stinger: “Johnny, be careful.” “I don’t care!”
(169 votes, average: 4.38 out of 5)
Loading...
• Back when we did the KTMA version of this, I wrote that the episode got “dragged down by the film, which is just a big giant carbuncle of a movie. Though it’s much funnier, of course, I’m not a big fan of the season 3 version either.” I based that statement on my memory of past viewings, but I gotta say, this time around was a pleasant surprise. I found myself laughing a lot and the movie, cut to incomprehensible ribbons though it is, moves along at a breezy, watchable pace. The host segments are all giggle-worthy too. It just goes to show you how your opinions of episodes can change over time.
• As most of you know, this movie was cut together from an entire season’s worth of TV adventures. If you watched the KTMA version, it was barely followable, but you could sort of find the thread of the action. But THIS incarnation has ALSO been cut for time by BBI and, intentionally or not, the result is a series of scenes, mostly action-y set pieces, that have little or no relation to each other. The overall final product is totally unfathomable. But, for riffing, it works.
• References.
• This episode is included in Shout’s Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Vol XXII.
• During his second at bat, Joel’s knocks off what’s left of Tom’s head. Ouch. They cover with a handy plastic coffee mug.
• Joel says “You potched up the hole.” They keep going.
• Crow’s baseball glove falls off (you can see the duct tape) and Joel just rolls right with it.
• The baby is played by little Eli Kenneth Mallon, who is now not so little (he’s in his 20s).
• The miracle growth baby is sound guy Tim Scott, in the first of two appearances in that role.
• When they enter the theater after the opening, Tom is still wearing a coffee mug and Crow is still netless.
• Joel continues his strict style in the theater, AGAIN threatening to dismember Crow when he utters a pun.
• Just a really dumb line from the movie: Somebody notes that earthquakes are possible but the Dr. Lee insists “nothing will happen suddenly.” Wait, what?
• As we watch the monkey wake up, it sure sounds like Joel says “Shit.” It might be “shoot” though.
• Crow asks Joel: “You said ‘bowling ball’ earlier. What did that mean?” Well, Crow, Joel was reacting to a shot of sun-bleached skull that looked vaguely like a bowling ball–albeit a white one.
• During segment 1, I love that Crow provides the projector noise, and that Tom misses a few sprockets, only to be nudged back into place by Joel. I think we have a few former A/V squad members on the writing staff.
• As they return to the theater after segment 2, Joel is carrying the cardboard cutout of Judge Wapner (somebody sent them that??) and sails it toward the screen saying, “Fly, judgie! Fly!” His Honor gets some good distance!
• Crow reenters the theater after segment 3 still wearing his hat.
• Tom’s wearing a weird monkey mask during the final segment.
• Cast/crew roundup: Screenwriter Keiiche Abe also wrote “Fugitive Alien” (and, of course, “Star Force”). Cinematographer Yoshihiro Mori also worked on “Mighty Jack.” American editor William L. Cooper Jr. also edited “Mighty Jack.” Score composer Toshiaki Tsushima also did music for “The Green Slime.” In front of the camera, Wataru Omae was also in “Godzilla Vs. the Sea Monster” and Hiroyuki Kawase was also in “Godzilla Vs. Megalon.”
• CreditsWatch: Colleen Henjum moves from contributing writer to writer for this and the next two episodes. Additional Contributing Writers: Lynn-Anne Freise, Craig Tollifson, Tom Wedor, Jann L. Johnson, Alexandra B. Carr. It was the first of 14 episodes in season 3 that a guy named Brian Wright did the audio. Dr. F and Frank are still “Special Guest Villians” (misspelled) and Dr. F’s name is again spelled “Forrestor.” This is the last time in the Comedy Central era that Jim Mallon appears in the writers list.
• Fave riff: “Harder…” Honorable mention: “Home, where I comb my facey.” “Johnny is a walking faux pas.”
) to help our users cope with "trolls" and other commenters whom they find annoying. Go to our
Ah, my first Sandy Frank episode, love it. Surreal Japanese B sci-fi with time travel and annoying kids = a quality hour and a half of riffing.
“It seems wrong to tamper with the laws of nature!”
Also, it wasn’t until recently that I realized Godo is uh, apparently “the Godo” that Bobo references in his epic, self-affirming rant right before he lays the smack down on Pod-Pearl and Pod-Observer in Giant Spider Invasion.
I don’t know if it is the style or the dubbing that makes me more forgiving, but I did not find this “movie” confusing or hard to follow at all. Like “Mighty Jack,” I understood it all the way through and the “jumps” I always attributed to “getting lost in translation. ”
That said, this is a unique episode but not on my top twenty list. I use to watch it when it was on a three episode VHS tape but I don’t think I ever pulled out my DVD of it. I have to pretty much agree with Sampo on this one.
BTW is Crow impersonating a specific media personality in HS 3?
#89: I agree Godot looked better with the beard, but I’m guessing that he shaved it off to look more like a human and less like an ape.
non mst3k time of the apes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbZLXW4aMZ8
Judging from the episode titles, we were getting the one or two pertinent minutes from about 2/3 of the episodes, seeing as Japanese serials tend to be a bit heavy on filler–
In the series, the scene where they discover the computer, and debate humanity with it, would have been an ENTIRE EPISODE.
(As would the setup for the flashback of why Gen. Patton has the personal grudge against Godo, only to have the revelation be the key motivation for another episode.)
As with the Fugitive Aliens, knowing it was 26 serialized TV episodes gives you a better Cliff-Notes sense of the overall A-B story. Mighty Jack, OTOH, can’t help ya.
@105
cool, thanks
mostly the full series in raw Japanese
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/99sx23zza610p/saru_no_gundan_(time_of_the_apes)
I messed up downloading a couple of them but it’s otherwise complete.
^^^^ That’s a great upload! I hope it remains until I can get it! Thanks for these!
The original music got a CD release, and much of it seems to be on youtube as well.
A bag of ram chips says you can’t sit through this whooooole thing! :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlP4wtYxLGo
Others
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm-0VNkhyMc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHKlUz-3HZQ
Nitpick: The actual lines in the stinger are “Johnny, don’t go, it’s too dangerous.” “I don’t care!”
I haven’t organized that many firing squads, but I’m pretty sure that the steps go something like this:
1. Restrain/immobilize your victims.
2. Shoot them until they die.
3. Release restraints so the bodies can be buried.
not
1. Restrain victims.
2. Release victims so they can run away.
3. Hope your minions can shoot straighter than stormtroopers as your victims recede toward the horizon.
@108
yipes
I wonder if there’s some reason in-character that she’s off key.
Pretty sure the OST got a cd release same as Star Wolf (Fugitive Alien) and the other Tsuburaya stuff. I got Star Wolf through some budget line reissue, “Animax” maybe?
@110
Clearly it’s crazy ideas like that keeping you out of the ape army.
“With this knife, I’m not scared of anything!”
The one thing I found unappealing in this episode was the miracle growth baby. For some reason, it never did anything for me and bordered on disturbing. Even the next episode, another favorite of mine, which is Daddy-O and had that strange credits sequence.
Hey, I just realized this movie is like Planets of the Apes.
In closing I have to say… I don’t care.
Haven’t seen this riff mentioned yet: (Pepe is unconscious(?)) “You’re not Pepe [peppy] anymore”
And more praise for Gaybar: I wouldn’t have thought it possible to chew that much scenery while wearing an immobile ape face mask, but there you go.
I actually kind of like this one. The movie is hard to follow, but it’s certainly not boring. Plus, the actress that plays Katherine is HOT,HOT,HOT.
Another episode I haven’t seen more than a few times. The KTMA version is a lot more watchable, still bad though. This version is really hacked a part but it is strangely watchable. Several obvious planet of the ape riffs and some other good riffs. The dubbing is godawful though. The constant Kathrine and Caroline dubs are just annoying.
The skits are overall pretty good. The playing baseball in the house opening segment is one of the things I think most of us can remember and surely is one of the skits that made kids watch this show more. The Johnny doesn’t care segment is a great PSA that I’m guessing they must have ripped off of something they watched later that season. I like the ending Sandy Frank song as well.
So far this hasn’t been a memorable episode to me but time might change that.
Someone may have already mentioned this, but next time you watch this one, listen carefully when Crow “dies” at the end of the Inherit the Wind sketch. He bumps into Joel’s leg & kind of gets hung up & you hear a very clear “whoops” from Trace.
It’s clearly Trace & not Crow.
It’s really rather charming.