Episode Guide: 405- Being from Another Planet

Movie: (1982) Re-edit of a movie called “Time Walker.” A mummy found in King Tut’s tomb is x-rayed by a university team. This awakens the mummy, and it goes on a killing spree.

First shown: 7/4/92
Opening: J&TB playing movie slogan 20 questions
Invention exchange: The Mads present their “Tragic Moments” figurines, while J&tB demonstrate their Jack Palance impersonation kit
Host segment 1:J&tB’s discussion of mummies leads to a discussion of Bill Mumy
Host segment 2: Crow and Tom are playing haunted house with Joel
Host segment 3: Joel’s rainy-day funsketch and the HFVS funtime holoclowns fail to cheer up Tom & Crow
End: The TV’s Frank shopping network has a great deal, Joel reads a letter, Dr. F invents the “die-master”
Stinger: The heartbreak of extraterrestrial psoriasis
(194 votes, average: 4.11 out of 5)

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• A middling-to-good episode for me. The movie itself is a bit easier to follow than, say, “City Limits,” but waiting for the mummy to actually DO something starts to get tiresome. On the other hand, the movie compensates with some unintentionally hilarious moments, notably the impromptu costume parade through campus (wtf?). The “oh Joel it’s scary in the basement” bit doesn’t wear well for me, but the riffing is generally pretty crisp and funny. Lots of memorable host segment stuff, too.
• Here are the slogans from the “20 questions” sketch that I was able to track down (and note that some of these are not exactly accurate, but are close approximations):
“Fueled by imagination” – “Radio Flyer” (1992)
“Be afraid. Be very afraid.” – “The Fly” (1986)
“The most exciting undersea odyssey ever filmed.” – “The Neptune Factor” (1973)
“100% pure adrenaline.” – “Point Break” (1991).
“It’s not only his nose that grows!” – “The Erotic Adventures of Pinocchio” (1971)
“This time, it’s personal.” – “Jaws: The Revenge” (1987)
“Dudley Moore juggles two women in an attempt to save his sanity” – “Micki & Maude” (1984)
“A sassy brassy musical humdinger.” – “Funny Lady” (1975)
The ones I can’t track down:
“A new high in adventure when they go thrill-deep in danger.”
“A bikini-clad romp through summer’s fun.”
“A shocking expose of souls in bondage.”
Anybody know any of these?
• Watch for the boom shadow on Frank’s face as Dr. F says “Clayton Stonewall Forrester.” They just keep going.
• Joel says “we’ve came up” and they just keep going.
• Dark and obscure riff: “Hey it’s Pete Duel” (Duel, Ben Murphy’s co-star in the western series “Alias Smith and Jones” killed himself on New Year’s Eve, 1971.)
• Callbacks: “Trumpy! You can do magic things!” (Pod People). Also: “Laurence, would you put that down please!” (Catalina Caper).
• For more on Bill Mumy, visit his site.
• Joel mentions Mumy’s early performance in the movie “Dear Bridget” and then mentions another movie where he played “a super-genius mathematician.” Sorry Joel, but you’re thinking of the same movie, “Dear Bridget.” By the way, the “Twilight Zone” episode Joel mentions (where he wishes people into the cornfield) is entitled “It’s a Good Life.” Mumy was also in a couple of other TZ eps.
• Joel and Tom are already in the theater after the first segment, still discussing Butch Patrick, when Crow joins them.
• Then-current reference: “Hey, Jim Fixx!” Also, mentions of Intellivision and the Michelangelo virus (completely forgot that one).
• At one point they call the massive pipes in the basement “Coppolla’s espresso machine.” When I think of somebody who would be rich and powerful enough to have such a massive device, director Francis Ford Coppolla is not the first person I think of. Bill Gates? Aaron Spelling? Sure. But not Francis. Was Francis maybe more notoriously rich and powerful then? I don’t recall.
• Joel makes a reference to the ’60s TV show “The Mod Squad.” Amusingly, he makes virtually the same riff in the first Cinematic Titanic episode, and then follows it with a plaintive “Oh, I’m old!” What a difference 15 years makes.
• Crow once again requests to be carried out of the theater. Joel once again declines.
• During the haunted house sketch, Joel got spaghetti in the jell-o. Bleh. (And my OCD rears its ugly head.)
• Also during the sketch, there is another mention of a “Mrs. Reedy,” previously mentioned in during the “Posture Pals” short.
• Tom explains a riff again: After singing “Michael Goldstein! Michael Goldstein! What a beautiful name!” he adds: “Funny Girl!”
• I think Crow attempts a Dr. Hibberd (from “The Simpsons”) impression but he sounds more like Kingfish of “Amos and Andy.”
• “Sarah …” “Jockman!” Somebody’s an Allan Sherman fan.
• This episode begins our two-part encounter with the impossibly creepy holo-clowns. That’s Mike and Paul, of course, and this is Paul’s first on-screen appearance.
• Gypsy’s still wearing black “lipstick” and it doesn’t look very well applied.
• I love all the Ludlum titles, like “The Mingmang Pa-ting-ting” A full list is in Ward E.
• Nick Gilder’s “Hot Child in the City” is referenced for the second week in a row.
• My copy of this episode is from a showing on or very near Super Bowl Sunday 1996 (the Cowboys beat the Steelers at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.). It has bumpers that feature Dom Irrera, a comedian I always liked, somewhat desperately wandering around the periphery of the stadium looking for somebody to interview or something to film. Kind of sad.
• At one point, during a shot of Shari Belafonte, Joel says “Oh my God! I’ll never be in another film!” Not true, Joel. Shari has done three movies since “Time Walker” (and many many TV shows and TV movies).
• The bit in which Tom insists this is the worst movie they’ve ever done is in Ward E. Oh and, Tom is entitled to his opinion, of course, but so am I, and no way is this movie worse than most of the movies named. It’s a funny trip down memory lane, though.
• The final segment brings back the notion of the “button that brings down the SOL,” which we heard about a couple of times in season two.
• Firesign Theatre reference: “…and the snake knives, Mrs. Presky!”
• Cast and crew roundup: assistant art director Pamela Warner was an art director for “Alien from L.A.” Sound mixer Mark Ulano also worked on “City Limits” and later won an Oscar for “Titanic.” Music by score composer Richard H. Band can also be heard in “Robot Holocaust” and “Laserblast.” In front of the camera, Robert Random was also in “Village of the Giants,” Austin Stoker was also in “Riding with Death” and so, of course, was Ben Murphy.
• Fave riff: “Sizzler! Heeheeheehee!” Honorable mentions: “Caution: snow angels in progress.” “And if you do find something, stay there.”