Movie: (1975) A slovenly cop is determined to bring a mob kingpin to justice.
First shown: 10/23/93
Opening: Joel’s unveils his toothpicky creation; the bots know what they have to do
Invention exchange: The Mads are being audited, so they’ve hired a temp by the name of Mike; J&tB present the Daktari stool
Host segment 1: Gypsy overhears the Mads plotting and thinks they’re talking about Joel
Host segment 2: A worried Gypsy tries to think of a way to get Joel off the SOL; Crow and Tom are no help
Host segment 3: Mike learns of a hidden escape pod, and gives Gypsy control
End: Joel is ejected into the escape pod, leaving behind a plaque and a final word; Dr. F. is furious … until Mike presents his time card
Stinger: “Your lying through your teeth!” “Buzz off!” “No, you buzz off!” “I SAID BUZZ OFF, KID!”
(209 votes, average: 4.78 out of 5)
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• It all starts so normally. Just another episode, right? Wrong. This is, of course, the most famous of the show’s “transition” episodes, and I’ve seen it perhaps a dozen times now. What sticks out is how well the whole thing falls together. There’s a lot going on here, but it’s all accomplished in about 15 minutes. Tight scripting, tight performances, tight editing, it’s a marvel of precision. It’s sentimental, but it doesn’t get mawkish. And it’s very funny all the way through.
• This episode was first put out as a single-disk release on November of 2001.
• References.
• You want a metaphor? How about Joel building an extremely fragile creation, certain in the knowledge that it will be destroyed? Now, that’s a metaphor.
• Mike makes his first appearance as, well, Mike. Wow is he young. (Recently I saw a movie starring a young Tab Hunter, and I’d never noticed before how much a young Mike and young Tab vaguely resemble each other. Maybe it’s the square heads.)
• The Daktari stool sat in the hallway of BBI for years. It was still there when I visited the set in 1999.
• What does Joel have against Harlan Ellison? Besides the obvious, of course…
• Segment 1 features a parody of the scene in “2001: A Space Odyssey” in which computer Hal reads the lips of the astronauts. Interesting that “2001” is again parodied in another transition episode at the end of season seven.
• Segment 1 is pretty much as close to Dr. F and Frank as most of us will ever get. I remember some female fans of Trace rather enjoyed it.
• Jim does a great job in segment 2. “Breathe through your nose”?
• I love the moment when Mitchell says: “Sh—.” and Joel finishes his line with: ‘…ugar?”
• Want a connection from this movie to the Robert Blake murder case? Sure, we all do! Gary McLarty and Ronald (Duffy) Hambleton, both of whom testified against Blake when he was accused of killing his wife, had small roles in this movie. McLarty played one of Mistretta’s henchmen and Hambleton played mob boss Edmondo Bocca, who gets dropped by Mitchell just short of the green. Both testified that Blake explicitly discussed killing his wife. But, unfortunately for the prosecution, both of these guys had somewhat checkered pasts. Blake’s defense team successfully undermined the credibility of both witnesses, introducing evidence of mental illness, drug addiction, etc. In the end, their testimony may have actually helped Blake get off.
• Not mentioned in the references list, because they only do references during the movie and not during the host segments, is the “OPE” thing Gypsy is muttering. It’s a reference to the movie “Dr. Strangelove.”
• The presence of that Christmas tree in John Saxon’s house — and pretty much no other references to it being Christmas — is one of the many odd things about this movie.
• Joel seems to lose it during the “Adam Rich” scene. (Actually, the kid is played by a Todd Bass, in his second and last role in show business, according to the IMDB. It would be fun to find Mr. Bass, who must be in his 40s by now, to see what he remembers of this shoot. By the way, according to Wikipedia the kid is supposed to be the son of Linda Evans’ character! Who knew?)
• Then current reference: the forgotten movie “Cop and a Half.”
• Hamdingers suddenly took over the MSTie consciousness after this episode, but it was funny how Gypsy and Mike (and, by extension, BBI) seemed very clear on what Hamdingers were … but nobody else seemed to be. It was hard to nail down just what they were, and descriptions seemed contradictory. Some said the Swift-Premium folks made them (I believe Kevin invoked Swift Premium during an online chat). Not true. At long last, I can point to this site, which seems to solve the mystery at last.
Hamdingers were a short-lived meat product produced by the Patrick Cudahy Co. out of Cudahy, WI, in the mid ‘70s … The product was sliced ham patties, about the size of a hamburger patty, and it came in a round can. Like Spam, it became a great meat to fry up with some eggs for breafast, but the great thing about Hamdingers is that it came in individually sliced portions, so you could grab a patty and fry it up for that perfect Hamdinger sandwich.
The entry doesn’t mention that they were reportedly great fish bait as well.
• I love that DOS command Mike has to type in to the “techtronic panel” (apparently this was the one and only time that the control panel in Deep 13 was called this).
• Movie comment: Toward the end of the movie, Mitchell inserts a portion of his handkerchief (there’s a lesson, kids!: always remember to carry a handkerchief; you never know when you might want to blow up a drug dealer’s car!), then screws the gas cap back on over it, so that the rest of the handkerchief is hanging down. He then drives to the meeting place and when the deal goes south he, all in a split second, whips out a lighter, lunges forward and holds the lighter to the handkerchief, which INSTANTANEOUSLY lights up. Now maybe, just maybe, the tank was very, very full and the handkerchief got nice and soaked with gasoline on the ride over. But the tank might also have been mostly empty, meaning the handkerchief could have been bone dry. That seems far more likely, doesn’t it? Which would mean it would have taken maybe ten seconds for Mitchell to light it, plenty of time to stop Mitchell. What I’m saying is that it seems unlikely that the handkerchief would immediately burst into flames in a fraction of a second like it does here. The whole thing is about as implausible as a young, sultry callgirl falling in love with Mitchell.
• Callbacks: Several references to “Eegah”; reference to rock climbing.
• Toward the end of the movie, we get Joel’s last bit of fatherly control during the bit where Tom and Crow get a bit dark and suggest Mitchell should turn the gun on himself.
• Naughty riff: “I’m huge.”
• I love the classic, low-tech use of confetti to simulate static in the Hexfield. Very Joel.
• When fans on the internet weren’t obsessing about Hamdingers, they were arguing about the correct pronunciation of “Lao” as in “Dr. Lao.” The consensus was that Joel blew it.
• Tom and Crow fall apart during the PANIC, but I think this may be one time it was on purpose.
• I love Mike’s expression as Dr. F and Frank laugh about his fate.
• Cast and crew roundup: Sound mixer Herman Lewis also worked on “Teenage Caveman,” “Viking Women and the Sea Serpent and “Night of the Blood Beast.” Score composer Jerry Styner also worked on “The Side Hackers.” In front of the camera, Buck Young also appears in “Stranded in Space,” Rayford Barnes also appears in “Beginning of the End,” Jim B. Smith also appeared “San Francisco International and Alan “Mustang hood” Gibbs did stunts for “Hangar 18.” And, of course, Joe Don Baker also stars in “Final Justice.”
• CreditsWatch: Host segments directed by Kevin Murphy. Jim Mallon is listed as a contributing writer for every episode in season 5 except this one, where he is listed as an “additional writer.”
• Fave riff: “We’re going to control the ghetto, you and I, young man.” Honorable mention: “BABY OIL??? NOOOO!!!!”
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What exactly does, “I felt a balloon break” mean?
My favorite line was, “Word on the street is you’re a jerk!”
#47 – Vornoff
Your thesis would make sense, if Dr. Lao was a creation of Tony Randall, but he was not. He was introduced by Charles G. Finney in the book, _The Circus of Dr. Lao_.
Umm … let’s see … oh, I have it. Joel says, “Hey it’s my favorite movie.” So it’s all about the movie, not the book upon which it’s based. (Is anyone buying this?)
#51 Brandon
I think it is a drug smuggling reference…. people would swallow baloons filled with drugs before getting on the plane, and then ‘retrieve’ them later ( one way or another ). When one of them breaks it’s bad news.
Maybe I’m just missing the sarcasm, but are there really people here that had not gotten the Daktari Stool = Dark Tarry Stool joke ?
Knowing that it was Joel’s last episode, I just assumed that Daktari Stool is just that, Daktari Stool. It’s just a simple, throw-away invention exchange to me.
Oh, and I like this line from the episode. It’s after Mitchell’s beer gets excited.
Linda Evans: “Can I have a glass.”
Joel as Mitchell: “Uh, okay your majesty.”
( #56 MikeK : I appreciate your honesty sir, thank you )
#51 – Yeah, what #54 said. Or, I was thinking maybe they were implying she had hidden it in the other end. Ewwww!
I had the incredibly good luck to find and purchase a VHS of the uncut version at an old video store 2 months ago. Released by Bingo Video, the cover must be seen to be believed, and I didn’t notice it on IMDB. Rather than any screenshots of the actual movie, it just shows different parts of a painfully amateurish drawing of Joe Don hanging onto a mysterious rope-ladder with his left hand, and dangling Linda Evans behind him with his left. Despite the image this description may put in your head, the chopper flying behind them (which therefore CAN’T be at the other end of the ladder that goes off the bottom of the picture) looks more like a Huey than the amphibious one in the film, Linda looks completely calm and unfazed despite hanging 200+ feet in the air and losing one of her heels, and our hero has been redesigned to look as much as possible like Marlon Brando in “The Wild One”, down to his black leather jacket, while still retaining that unmistakable Joe-Don-ness. He seems to have that M-16 of Merlin Olsen’s strapped to his back, yet some other guy wildly firing the same assault rifle can be seen falling to his death below. Could be Merlin, but he just looks like a bad caricature of Dan Akroyd.
The back also claims: ”Mitchell” is a fast-paced, funny, exciting whodunnit — except even in the uncut version there’s no point where there’s any real mystery.
It wasn’t “funny” either…until it fell into the right hands…
None of the Rhino DVDs had the uncut version, did they? I’ll gladly sum up the deleted scenes next, if not.
“Mittens?” Wachicka-wachicka-wachicka-wa!
As you can tell, I love the episode. It made me sad to see Joel go but he definitely took the classy way out. To go out on a Wizard of Oz line is the best way.
Movie is good. There will never be anyone as disgusting as Mitchell again. Host segments are good. I can’t believe no one’s mentioned the Deus Ex Machina thing with the escape pod. So right.
Re: Dr. Lao. In the book, it rhymes with “show.” (In fact, it’s literally rhymed with “show.”)
I may just be hearing things, but I think this episode has the most subtle “Doctor Who” reference ever. During one of the gunfights, Tom vocalizes ricochets, and in the midst of it, softly throws in “jonperTWEE!” At least that’s what it sounds like in headphones. (Jon Pertwee was the third Doctor– the one in the smoking jacket and ruffled shirt. And the emphasis in his last name is actually on the first syllable.)
Sooo many good riffs in this episode – some of my favorites that I haven’t seen mentioned:
“Where I come from you wash them in the sink and dry them with a towel”
“Yeah, well, where you come from, beer is an entree.”
“Ma..Ma..Ma..Ma…Mitchell, What would your mama say?”
“She’d say ‘He’s not mine; you can’t prove it!'”
“And value?”
“One hundred dollars”
“No, I mean street value, punk!”
“Those are my fine washables”
and, of course:
“Bite me, Mitchell!”
The reason some people didn’t catch the Daktari stool joke might have something to do with an old TV show also called Daktari.
Don’t have enough time to go into the many fine areas of this classic episode, so I’ll just leave you now with a little section from one of the host segments that always makes me smile:
Mike (snickering): “You guys watch Joe Don Baker movies”?
Frank: “Shut up and get back to work, temp boy”!
Mobsters laugh-ing, really smiling..A Man selling her-o-in.
:smile:
No one will be seated during the heart-pounding (clogging?) “Why are you repeating everything I say?” scene!
My favorite line has to be
Joel (as Mitchell): “Do you open your Christmas presents on Christmas eve or Christmas morning”
if only because I can’t help but imagine the actual Joe Don saying it.
pablum:
“The John Saxon plotline the Brains cut out oddly enough got mentioned when one of the bots wonders aloud what happened to Mr. Saxon. Made for a good riff, but it was a riff they created due to time constraints.”
I read somewhere that BBI was actually watching a TV version of the original theatrical cut. The TV version only briefly mentioned John Saxon dying in the dune buggy incident on the radio and didn’t show it. If that’s true and they weren’t paying attention to the radio bit, they might have been truly in the dark about what happened to him. Considering that we’re probably being shown a cut version of a cut version of a bad film within the MST episode, it’s surprising that anything makes sense.
Bolem #59 – I have the VHS also and I never noticed the Marlon Brando-ish cover until you mentioned it. I also was thankful that the uncut version gave us some closure one John Saxon. I thought it was odd how he just disappeared after he bribes Mitchell in the MST3K version. *SPOILER* Mitchell kills John Saxon with a rock. In fact, the opening sequence, where Mitchell looks like a smallmouth bass, is Mitchell raising the rock over his head.
Back in ’01 I was in London going to grad school and I was seriously jonesing for some MST. My mom, who is wonderful, agreed to put Mitchell on and lay the phone down next to the TV. So for 90 minutes I sat out on the stairwell where the phone was that my floor shared (only six of us on the floor so I wasn’t hogging it too bad) and listened to the episode. I’d seen it so many times I could still enjoy it just from the audio. When someone would come by though, I’d start pretending that I was talking to somebody. How lame is that?! :roll:
What can I say though, I love my MST!!!
He was hastily put together :lol:
My favorite riff in this one comes after those two goons have finished beating up Mitchell:
“Sorry, we thought you were Rockford.”
“How do you like your scotch?”
“By the quart.”
and
“I usually take it with a ding-dong in it..”
There is more to that line, but I’m always laughing too hard to hear it.
Is it just me, or has the sound on this episode always been a bit weird? Like, the quality of the movie soundtrack just a little too fuzzy. I’ve since grown to understand everything said, but especially on my first few watches it was difficult. (and it isn’t my recording, since I had the problem with both the VHS and DVD’s Rhino put out).
There is alot going on in this episode. What really gets me is the movie itself. It doesn’t look like a pleasing movie even by the standards back then. Joe Don well there isn’t much I can say about him the bots did that for us.
About the Daktari stool:
The stool has zebra stripes painted on it, just like the jeep and other things did on the TV show “Daktari.” (And, yes, it is made of styrofoam or some other very lightweight material, so I don’t think Kevin was hurt if it landed on him.)
I’ve never been convinced that BBI knowingly meant to invoke the obscure medical phrase “dark tarry stool” (however much Frank’s delivery of that line sounded like it) — mostly because I can’t see how it’s relevant. Usually they don’t make a pun unless it has some sort of point. I’ve always felt this was just a connection fans made.
But I could be wrong…
TO: GizmonicTemp (Post 68)
SPOILER AHEAD!!
You’re incorrect re: Saxon. Actually, Mitchell bashes one of Saxon’s goons with a rock. Saxon dies when, after Mitchell chases him in one of the dune buggies, Saxon’s buggy takes a bad bounce, turns over, and instantly blows up. Joe Don then gets out and lights up a cigar, watching the carnage.
Maybe we could get the guys to riff on that one sequence for Rifftrax or CT, just to be complete about it.
re #74. No honey don’t…
The D(DT)-Stool is one of the funniest jokes in MST and one of my favorites, because it is such a short, sharp little throw away. No set-up, no follow through, just pure punch line and poof it’s gone.
The MST crew are just too bright and funny. The idea that it was accidental simple can not exist in my universe.
Kenneth #75 – Oh yeah, that’s right! It’s been so long since I’ve seen the uncut version. I DO remember the cigar part. Hahahaha!!
Wife: “So, honey. How’s your Mst3k chat going?”
Me: “Great! We’re talking about dark, tarry stools!”
Hamdingers were a parody used the 70s sticker with bubblegum product known as “Wacky Packages” or so a percentage of people have told me.
#67 – Ford Prefect: “The TV version only briefly mentioned John Saxon dying in the dune buggy incident on the radio and didn’t show it.”
You are correct, sir — and the radio mention is in the MST3k version as well. It’s as Mitchell is driving up to Cummins’ house just before the “Adam Rich” scene. You can barely hear it over the sound of his car.
“Let’s rip-off the last scene from Key Largo, Mitchell!”
RE: Kenneth Morgan #75: (Yes, Spoiler Again…)
Y’know, before seeing that scene, I always assumed the producers were saving Saxon’s character to serve as the villian in that elusive “Mitchell 2”. Whatever regrets I may have had, have now spontaneously combusted.
The Brains missing out on that dune-buggy-duel is especially regrettable in hindsight, because it was so reminiscent of the Zamboni-er-ENFORCER joust in the climax of ‘Space Mutiny’, but not quite as epic. I can almost hear Servo now…
“Not since the Speed Buggy/Funky Phantom pile-up that brought such a tragic end to the Wacky Races, have we witnessed this level of carnage…”
Just out of curiosity but were there any callbacks to Mitchell in Final Justice? Its been too long since I saw that one.
Not one of my favorite episodes. The riffing on “Mitchell”, I thought, was pretty lame, and the movie itself was fairly unwatchable with or without riffs.
However, the host sequences were excellent. Best Brains was particularly savvy to introduce Mike in the same episode that Joel says sayonara. This allowed the audience to get to “know” the Mike character a little bit before giving Joel his official sendoff at the end. When Mike showed up the following episode to do “The Briain that Wouldn’t Die” suddenly he wasn’t as much of a stranger.
I think that if “Mitchell” had been an all-Joel episode and the Mike Nelson character hadn’t been introduced until the next episode, there would’ve been more resistance on the part of the audience. They’d have been, like, “Who’s THIS guy?”
This ep contains one of my nominees for best riff of all time (Weekend Discussion possibility?):
“What does he think I am, an acrobat?”
“And she’s an acrobat, Ted!”
Perfect setup, perfect response.
Other fave riff: “Bite me, Mitchell.”
And finally: “GUYS, LET’S TAKE THE CA–oh yeah.”
There are also 2 extended post-coital scenes, though they weren’t cut for nudity (Linda has one back-to-the-camera close call, though). The main revalation in the first one is that Mitchell did, indeed, search her bag on Tuesday (correct me if I’m off), making the search we see after their horrific love scene, indeed, the SECOND time he went through her belongings, just like Mitchell says! Huzzah!!!
The only remaining chunk cut out corresponds exactly with Segment 2, almost as though the Mads just left it running while the theatre was empty. It’s 2 scenes, both of which involve car doors. The second explains why Mitchell just shoots that guy who runs away from the car right after the break, and who the thugs were that beat him up after his dinner with the boom mike. The first sees him get revenge on the Mustang driver and, well, let’s just say Mitchell gets even less likable with every scene.
Y’know, I saw a bit of that movie where Joe Don plays a crooked sheriff chasing Walter Matthau, and his part as a sort of evil Babe Ruth in “The Natural”, and I have to say, as unlikable as he is playing the hero, JDB actually works great as a bad guy.
Good thing for us not all of his films played to his strengths.
Gizmonictemp #40 — I’m 37 too — I thought that WAS old . . . :wink:
Personally, I was never really bothered by Joel leaving — I like Mike waaaay better. But that’s another debate, that we are all being on our best behavior about so far . . . :grin: If anything, I thought it was kinda crappy that Joel would leave the bots behind — the bots had to work that issue out with Mike, if I recall correctly.
I found myself at the time of host shift happy that it was indeed going to be the head writter of the show and not some new guy. I have always enjoyed Joel & Mike equilly as the host. I was in a band at the time and we stopped rehersal to watch #513. We loved it! And we knew this change was not really going to hurt our fave show. On to the future…
Another riff that cracks me up is during the climax on the boat when Crow says, “You’ll never take me alive, copper!” I think it’s mainly the way Crow says it.
Off topic, but pablum in #34 reminds me of another discussion thread I’ve wanted to suggest – Favorite Alternate Reality MST Moments. :twisted:
For instance a couple could be –
Kevin left after Mitchell instead of Joel and Mike took over as Servo.
Joel and the Bots (Mike’s Servo and Paul as Crow) returning on the SciFi Channel. Or maybe another network all together?
Mike and the Bots riffing on another Master Ninja for Frank’s last ep. (I remember hearing this as a possibility)
aaand so forth…
I remember finding out about Joel through that TV Guide when i saw it in the grocery store. Funny enough (#6) it was the one with Quark from DS9 on the cover. It made watching MST up till the actual departure a little weird, to say the least. It was more sad knowing he was leaving (or already HAD) than it was actually watching Mitchell. Plus I think I missed Mitchell till later on and caught a Mike episode rerun first. :)
zombiewhacker:
“Best Brains was particularly savvy to introduce Mike in the same episode that Joel says sayonara. This allowed the audience to get to ‘know’ the Mike character a little bit before giving Joel his official sendoff at the end. When Mike showed up the following episode to do ‘The Brain that Wouldn’t Die’ suddenly he wasn’t as much of a stranger. I think that if ‘Mitchell’ had been an all-Joel episode and the Mike Nelson character hadn’t been introduced until the next episode, there would’ve been more resistance on the part of the audience. They’d have been, like, ‘Who’s THIS guy?'”
Yes, I like the fact that they had Mike’s character immediately curious about the bad movie experiment at the beginning of the episode. Most of the guest characters that show up frankly don’t seem to either notice or care that Dr. F is keeping a man up in space against his will for nefarious purposes.
Mike is sympathetic as soon as Gypsy tells him what she thinks is going on and Mike is all to eager to help Joel out, even though he’s never even met the guy. Of course, the dramatic irony is that Mike is unintentionally opening up a new position on the SOL and thereby saving himself from Dr. F’s method number 53. I’m glad we ended up with him instead of his brother Eddie.
Evan K.:
“I thought it was kinda crappy that Joel would leave the bots behind — the bots had to work that issue out with Mike, if I recall correctly.”
Actually I thought it was clever that Joel makes it clear that he has no intention of leaving the ship without the bots and doesn’t even know about his escape until he’s already in the ship heading towards Earth. What made less sense for me was when he leaves them behind a second time at the end of Soultaker. My guess is that he wasn’t sure if the ship he made would be able to make it back and didn’t want to risk anybody’s lives, so he tried to convince everyone about how good they had it on the SOL instead.
I also liked the bonding scene between Mike and the Bots during his first escape attempt. It’s a well written segment that shows the bots (and audience) this new guy isn’t going to intentionally abandon them either.
BUZZ OFF, KID!!!
>91
Joel not doing anything to save the SoL crew I have to chalk up to the “it’s just a show you should really just relax” bit. Since you’d think Joel would at least call the cops on Dr. F as soon as he got back to Earth.
Boy, where to begin. This is one of my all time favorites.
The relentless pounding on the meat slab known as Joe Don Baker is visceral and well deserved.
The movie, which in reality is much longer and darker than the MST3K version, is the kind of cheesy, let’s-just-try-to-make-a-fast-buck, no story having, horrible acting fest that MST was made for.
The surprising and, ultimately, sad conclusion to the episode (Joel, whom had guided the MST nation through wave after wave of cinematic atrocity, finally escapes the SOL) is handled as well as we would expect from the Brains; with purpose and humor and care.
All in all, a thoroughly watchable episode that will endure for years to come.
Favorite riff: (As John Saxon tells the police he’s not sure which of his guns are loaded) Crow: They’re randomly loaded. It’s a little game I like to play.
pablum:
“Joel not doing anything to save the SoL crew I have to chalk up to the “it’s just a show you should really just relax” bit. Since you’d think Joel would at least call the cops on Dr. F as soon as he got back to Earth.”
Actually he could have attempted to call the cops on Dr. F. Unfortunately since he’s either missing, a baby, or dead at that point, the police probably aren’t going to help much. Police in the MST universe only seem to care about loud parties, parking violations, and cop/donut jokes. I’m guessing Dr. F’s brand of evil is a bit beyond them. Plus, Joel has never met Pearl and probably has no idea where Castle Forrester is.
What I thought was hilarious about Joel leaving them all behind in Soultaker was when he says “Well, I don’t really want to.” when they ask to take them with him. Then he tricks them into staying like a bunch of maroons. Literally. It has to be one of the most cruel Joel moments ever. As well as one of the funniest.
Oh and he’s so caught up in the deceptiveness that he leaves his toolbox behind. :neutral:
favorite ‘Mitchell’ moments:
laughing at the sad, 70’s motel room that is Mitchell’s bachelor lair.
Tom’s reworking of ‘Saturday in the Park.’
Joel’s ‘I’m almost Anthony Quinn.’
when the hired goon is shot on the golf course, Crow’s hushed ‘he’s landed just short of the green…’
Tom’s ‘Mistretta… Gallano’ quips always tickle me.
Merlin Olsen wears the most bizarre expression throughout this film. it looks like he’s suffering from an unpleasant intestinal situation. but then, Joe Don Baker will do that to you.
when Linda Evans is busted by Mitchell for ‘grass,’ the desk cop asks her if she has anything else to admit to, and she says ‘yeah, falling for this guy.’ when Tom says, imitating the cop’s voice, ‘didn’t do me any good,’ I laughed so hard I thought I was going to break something.
Joel’s tender ‘Dad’ moments as the ‘Bots react in understandable horror during the long, gooey bedroom scene. it’s so funny and cute when Joel ‘shushes’ Crow’s anguished questions. this takes me right back to when I was a kid with my mom at the movies and asking her ‘what are they doing? why are they doing that?’ during movie love scenes. very cute.
when Joel and the ‘Bots pay homage to the Marx Brother’s ‘Monkey Business’ by trilling ‘Sweet Adeline.’
I thought Joe Don’s face was going to explode after his final ‘BUZZ OFF, KID!!’ it turns the oddest shade while his meaty features turn rubbery.
god help me- I’m gonna go watch this episode, right now!
I just realized that one of Joe Don Baker’s talents- and there are many- that was showcased in both Mitchell and Final Justice is his ability to peel an orange and keep the peel in one long intact piece.
I wonder if it’s on his resume.
“Back in ‘01 I was in London going to grad school and I was seriously jonesing for some MST. My mom, who is wonderful, agreed to put Mitchell on and lay the phone down next to the TV. So for 90 minutes I sat out on the stairwell where the phone was that my floor shared (only six of us on the floor so I wasn’t hogging it too bad) and listened to the episode. I’d seen it so many times I could still enjoy it just from the audio. When someone would come by though, I’d start pretending that I was talking to somebody. How lame is that?!”
Ang: I LOVE this. it is so sweet! I wish I could give you a big ol’ hug!!
one last ‘Mitchell’ thing: does anyone else have to plug their ears during Gypsy’s shrieks?