Episode 809- I
Was a Teenage Werewolf
Movie
Summary: I Was a Teenage Werewolf. Well, there you have it. There's not much
more to add to that. This bio-pic portrays Michael Landon's
life as a teenage werewolf. He's a frustrated teen who
doesn't fit in. A psychiatrist (the magnetic Whit Bissell)
does some sort of past life regression on Landon's character
and he becomes a werewolf whenever he hears a bell
ringing...or sees milk...or hears milk ringing... (I'm not
real clear on this--neither is the movie.) His girlfriend
loves him for no apparent reason, and he has a pitiful dad
who's doing his damnedest to try to keep things together.
Landon's werewolfery spins out of control (because of Whit
Bissell's unbridled ineptitude, I might point out) and all
ends tragically. Although Landon dies in the end, so does
Whit Bissell, so its a draw.
Check out the entire Michael Landon bio-pic oeuvre,
chronicling his entire life, which includes "I Was A
Late-Teens/Early Twenties Cowboy;" "I Was A Middle-Age
Prairie Dad;" "I Was An Angel Of A Certain Age."
Prologue: Mike is relieved of command of the ship. Servo
is offered the job and declines on the basis that he cannot
determine the difference between Shinola and the other
stuff, among other things.
Segment One: Pearl takes the Brain Guy and Bobo camping,
leaving the SOL on their own, functioning only on ship's
batteries. This leaves the SOL very vulnerable; in fact,
within seconds a face hugging alien attaches itself to
Servo's head.
Segment
Two: Crow gets a proximity
detector to try to ferret out the aliens that are invading
the ship. It malfunctions, but it measures humidity
perfectly.
Segment Three: Servo is armed to the gills to do battle with
whatever alien life-force is attacking the ship. Turns out,
he's a big, giant crybaby.
Segment Four: Mike, Tom and Crow set about eating all the
eggs the foreign life force has left on the ship. Crow puts
his own spin on things by trying to make the SOL a darling
breakfast place.
Segment Five: Mike fends off the beast by mimicking Adam
Duritz of Counting Crows. Naturally, the beast is repelled.
Down on the unidentified planet where Pearl, Bobo and Brain
Guy have made camp, Pearl tells ghost stories.
Reflections: When
visiting the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Area, I recommend a
couple of marvelous breakfast spots...because breakfast is
the most important meal of the day. And, if done correctly,
it can be the most cholesterol-y and caloric meal of the
day. There's the Day By Day Cafe in St. Paul, and in
Minneapolis, there's the Egg & I, a veritable
Minneapolis institution, and the Bryant Lake Bowl. Wonderful
breakfast places all and really quite reasonable. Or feel
free to stop by my place and I'll fix you up you a diet Coke
and a cigarette.
This movie is actually not that bad. Its quite competently
rendered, although it does have long spells of goofiness.
Case in point: the scene of the singing troll with the
upsetting pants. I didn't hate this movie which is quite
something, indeed! -- Mary Jo Pehl .
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