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Episode guide: 516- Alien from L.A.

Movie: (1987) An airheaded Valley Girl follows her explorer father to the center of the Earth.

First shown: 11/20/93
Opening: Boot camp at Fort Satellite O’ Love
Invention exchange: Dr. F demonstrates the vend-a-gut, M&tB have invented fridge udders (teats!)
Host segment 1: M&tB discuss that supermodel. What’s her name?
Host segment 2: M&tB sing: “My Wild Irish Ireland”
Host segment 3: M&tB introduce the “guess Kathy’s emotions” game
End: Nothing more to say about the movie, Mike reads a letter, in Deep 13, Frank still is dropping quarters
Stinger: “Yuck!”
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (191 votes, average: 4.36 out of 5)

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• This is a wonderful episode. Great riffs, great segments and a real departure of a movie. Dull surprise!
• This episode is on the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. XXVI.
• References. http://www.annotatedmst.com/episodes/alienfromla/index.htm
• Speaking of “Mike won me over” moments (as we were last week), I had a good friend for whom Mike’s deranged “Hello, Joker!” greeting did the trick.
• Let me just say it: Teats! For several days after this episode, online MSTiedom was full of people saying “teats” just because they could.
• The desk on the bridge magically vanishes so they can do the “fridge tipping” gag.
• Mike does a little Joel-esque climbing around on the movie in the theater.
• This week’s non-spaghetti ball bumpers: pan across the lab to a beaker, pan down to the notebook, pan from globe to blackboard as roll of toilet paper flies by.
• I love the first segment, where the bots assume the personality of that out-of-it relative surely everybody has. Sounds just like my mother-in-law (God rest her soul). By the way, I think they were thinking of Paulina Porizkova.
• The bots are still wearing their outfits as they enter the theater after segment 2.
• Obscure reference not mentioned on the references page: Ballet Trockadero.
• I don’t really get why they keep saying Kathy has “big bones” Is it because she’s tall (Kathy’s 5’10”)? Usually “big bones” is a euphemism for “overweight,” which Kathy is not.
• The classic Dull Surprise sketch immediately launched a catchphrase.
• Mike reacts harshly to mention of “Captain Ron” and finds it necessary to lay down the law … justifiably, in my view.
• Callbacks: It’s Klandinctu! (Crash of the Moons) He’s the best! (Pod People). This to me is good TV. (Jack Perkins).
• Crow is very “helpful” (i.e. blathering inane factoids) quite a few times in the theater — causing Tom tell him to shut up repeatedly.
• As if there weren’t already enough classic bits in this episode, the “femmy movies” bit at the end is great fun. Nice way to distract from a long credit sequence, but several times they mention something called a “video store,” whatever that is.
• Cast and crew round up: Not a big one this week. Executive producer Avi Lerner also worked on “Outlaw.” Production designer Pamela Warner was an assistant art director on “Being from Another Planet.” In front of the camera, Russel Savadier is also in “Outlaw.”
• CreditsWatch: Host segments directed by Trace Beaulieu. “My Wild Irish Ireland” written and arranged by: Kevin Murphy, Michael J. Nelson and David Sussman.
• Fave riff: “This whole room smells like my eyes!” Honorable mention: “Hey Count Chocula, clear the shot.”

149 Replies to “Episode guide: 516- Alien from L.A.”

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  1. jason says:

    I think this one of those episodes where it starts out really funny and it loses it by the end. i do like the host segment. My favorite riff was when kathy say why did you go out wiht me then. Mike says, i am attracted to squeeze toys.

       3 likes

  2. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    only 2 stars from me.

    I can’t get into the movie itself ( it’s an issue I have with many of the more modern films they tackled ). All the good riffing in the world can’t rescue this one for me, and unlike Batwoman, it refuses to grow on me ( watched it again the night before last ).

    Questions : the eatery where Ireland works is called Saks. Is this only a coincidence or is it short for her family name of Saknusemm ? Is this the family business ? What about the knight errant that shows up 5/8 of the way through for 5 minutes, rescues the girl and then scooters in for the last scene. WTF ?

    But despite my quibbles this ep does have perhaps the sexiest, dirtiest, most wonderful line in the MST3K universe

    I want to come over
    and roll in your clover
    and kiss your blarney stone

    as Mike might say… That’s late night!.

    Sam Po : The whole POINT of Mike staring at Tommy Ireland is for him to stare TOO MUCH. THAT is the joke. No ?

    Kathy’s Emotions : great bit… short and sharp : make the funny and move on, very nicely crafted ( nod to Janice Ian for bringing some of us older fans our first taste of “Dull Surprise” ( when payments due exceed accounts received ). I forget at what age I first heard that.

    Who’s that model : they put a great deal of effort into this and it shows, but the pay off is just too small.

    ‘Fridge udders’ is very good. ‘Vend-a-gut’ leaves me cold.

    Big Bones I’m guessing is just the scriptwriters attempt to add some pseudo-idiomatic lingo to the film. In your best Benny Hill or Monty Python voices hold your claw like hands to your chest and comment about someone’s Big… Bones. Nudge nudge.

    On the other hand, she has got a big frame… broad shoulders and good child bearing hips. Broad High cheekbones add to the image perhaps.

       0 likes

  3. Pemmican says:

    I remember catching parts of this one while on a skiing vacation, must have been a then-recent rerun. A discussion from a few weeks ago was, “Good intro episodes,” and if this one wasn’t suggested, it ought to be. The movie is very earthy / colorful, suggestive of the mid-budget schlock churned out in the 1980s.
    Guys get a completely clueless action hero (“‘Cuz I’m AUSTRAILIAN!”) and get to watch Kathy squeak around in a variety of outfits. Gals get Kathy as the real hero; countered by a proto-1990s power-woman who denied her femininity in order to hang with the boys.
    I dunno, I actually find the plot somewhat interesting and at least semi-thought out. The producers were trying to ride the success of the Indiana Jones quadrilogy (get used to saying that, k?), with the crypt raiding and airplane sequence. Interesting references to the film version of 1984 as well.
    No matter what goes on behind the camera, if the folks in front of it aren’t into the project and are just looking to advance themselves, then what you end up with are bad movies. Can’t wait until the discussion reaches the Coleman Francis films though, so we can see that idea contrasted…
    Props to #516, great riffing, great sketches; another example of Mike cementing himself into the show, no matter what was going on at the Prodigy boards at the time. Does Prodigy even still exist?!

       1 likes

  4. digital_trucker says:

    I suggest that the ‘big bones’ reference means exactly that. She DOES have a face reminiscent of a bone-in ham (although of a more attractive color…along with the chiclet teeth).

    On the other hand, it could be a *ahem* ‘humurous’ *cough* alternative to saying ‘big boobs’…perhaps the Australian censors put the kibosh to it?

    Who knows WHAT the Aussies are thinking, what with their Crocodile Dundees and Yahoo Seriouses and Men At Works and dingos took my baby’s and guys with a death wish running around in khaki short shorts and PFAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH

       0 likes

  5. Wilford B. Wolf says:

    This episode will always have a special place for me, ’cause it was the first one I saw (MTV ran a Comedy Central weekend in early 1994 or so, and I caught the last 3/4 of it). What really got me was the Tom Waits references.

       2 likes

  6. Bob says:

    This is one of the best post-Joel episodes. All of the host segments are consistently funny and sharply written throughout and the jokes during the film are numerous and also of good quality. The song, “Wild Irish Ireland” is particularly funny and well-performed. Great stuff all around.

       5 likes

  7. MattG says:

    Two riffs from this experiment stand out for me. The first is when Crow spots ‘Paul Shaffer’ and Mike follows up with a nasal “Hi Dave.” The next is when Wanda’s father turns on his flashlight when exploring the tunnel to the center of the earth and the guys make loud lightsaber noises.

       3 likes

  8. GizmonicTemp says:

    Sampo – Amen on the movie departure. I actually thought that this could’ve actually been a decent film is it was a bit longer or if there weren’t so many plots to keep track of!

    Question: – According to Daddy-O’s Drive-in Dirt, several actors do double-duty in this movie. It’s also mentioned that the guy who plays Watney Smith in “Outlaw” played the part of Loki in this movie. Anyone know who Loki is? Were his scenes cut from the MST version?

    Click on my name above for my full review!

       1 likes

  9. GizmonicTemp says:

    Pemmican #3 – I felt that this was the first episode that Mike seemed “in control” of things on the SOL.

    Many – I suggest that “big bones” represents the state of the person looking for Kathy. For example, Gus mentions that he is “looking for a girl with big bones”, which is like saying, “I’m looking at the moon with a telescope”.

    Now THAT’S late-night!

       0 likes

  10. Dyne says:

    I haven’t had the opportunity to see this one yet (one of the very few Season 5 episodes I’ve missed) but thank God for youtube. :mrgreen:

       0 likes

  11. underwoc says:

    This is one of those oddball episodes where I was actually kind of familiar with the film before it got MSTed (and most of the others feature rubber monsters stomping on models…). I remember first seeing it when I was 12 or 13, which coincidently means a lot of my ideals for feminine beauty are sorta based on Kathy Ireland. Not that anyone cares about this…

    Unfortunately, I haven’t seen the film or the MST episode in 10 years or more, so I don’t have a lot else to add…

       2 likes

  12. Saint Rude says:

    @GizmonicTemp: Loki is the Gus-threatening claim jumper with the gun, knocked cold with a frying pan. His looks are greatly improved by slathering on the makeup — rendering him virtually unrecognizable as the wormy Watney.

       1 likes

  13. bartcow says:

    Cabot?? Cabot! Cabot? Cabot.

    Expect that again when the review of Outlaw comes around…

    My wife can’t watch this episode solely because of Kathy’s voice. Sometimes the movies are just too bad for her (but that’s the point, I protest in vain). Although I will say that even I have trouble getting through Red Zone Cuba and Hamlet.

       1 likes

  14. crowtdan says:

    As was said in #5. This was on MTV back when my cable company did not carry comedy central. And for for some reason I was not impressed. It took me a viewing of Daddy-O on vacation in Boston a few months later to get me hooked. This was when comedy central had the MST Hour in the afternoon and a show on at midnight. So it was Daddy-O in the afternoon and Teen-Age Strangler at midnight. So the combination of Dick Contino and Mikey actually got me hooked. And the other car hop did look like Howard Stern.

       1 likes

  15. Skenderberg says:

    Alien from LA is one of my favorite episodes. Colorful, cheeful, fast-paced, and yes, completely stupid. It’s perfect MST3K fodder.

    That said, Kathy Ireland is painful to watch and listen to. The poor thing is just trying so hard, it jangles my nerves. She’s a lot less bad when she isn’t trying. (See Mom and Dad Save the World and Loaded Weapon 1). Also, it surprises me that no one has yet mentioned the involvement of Deep Roy, a.k.a. “Mambino, Boss of Bosses”, and now more recently, “Every Oompa Loompa in Johnny Depp’s creepy, creepy candy factory.”

       5 likes

  16. Omega says:

    I don’t know why but I just love the sight of disassembled Servo and his little beak is still talking. I think this movie would make a good intro episode.

    Teat!

       0 likes

  17. Cliff Weismeyer says:

    This is the episode that converted me. Since the “clean” version played seemingly every hour on the hour on cable in 1989 and 1990 (along with Mannequin and the classic Big Trouble in Little China), I was very familiar with the film and was able to pay attention to the riffing and “get it.”

    “Hey boss of bosses, your lipstick is smudged.”

       0 likes

  18. adoptadog says:

    The landlord, or whatever he is, who shows the doped-up Kathy into her Dad’s apartment, DOES look like Ian Anderson, just as the one Atlantean looks like All My Children’s Tad Martin…not a big deal, I was just happy to hear them mention the similarities.

    This is a fun episode, one of the few MST eps my husband claims is almost too good to riff. I imagine Kathy Ireland’s presence has something to do with that.

    “The Overlook Film Encyclopedia of Science Fiction” says of this that, “In an insulting final twist to the story, it all turns out to be a dream.” Now, unless the Brains cut part of the movie, or I’m misremembering, the ending was clearly not a dream – a giant hole in the floor & the yogurt-maker resting there definitely point to events having happened. Am I just getting really really, horribly old & forgetful, or did the Encyclopedia writer perhaps fall asleep (not having the MSTied version to watch)?

    Fave riff: “Excuse me, my knee and your groin have an appointment.”

       7 likes

  19. Creepygirl says:

    I hadn’t seen this one in years. I watched it last night and truly enjoyed it. I agree that the riffing and host segments are top notch. I do have to say I don’t think I could watch this episode more than once every few years. A little Kathy goes a long way.

    An aside: When I think of Deep Roy, I think of his creepy role in the DOCTOR WHO story THE TALONS OF WENG-CHIANG. Now that’s spooky.

       4 likes

  20. Fred P says:

    This is the only episode I couldn’t make it through. Kathy Irelands voice was like nails across a chalkboard I couldn’t watch it without cringing in pain. I may try it again sometime but wow, it really hurt. I don’t mind the crappy movies like “Manos” but Kathy’s voice in that physically hurt. I bet the riffing ws great but I could only watch about ten mins before I grabbed another episode to take away the sting!!!!!!! :cry:

       0 likes

  21. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    #18 adoptadog: I agree with you, I watched it recently and no this is definitely not an ‘it was only a dream’ ending. Unless everything from the first scene was a dream… her father was clearly not around at the beginning and at the end he’s back.

    but that being said, others above have pointed out that several actors played multiple roles.. some on the surface world and some in Atlantis. This gave me a somewhat creepy feeling that the makers of the film were somehow echoing the Wizard of Oz, which would play nicely into the dream hypothesis. And you were there, and you were there… etc.

    It’s possible I suppose that they had 2 different endings in mind, and shot some footage of each, and then just dropped them in the blender. Or they started out with a Wizard of Oz motif, intending to end with the dream reveal and then switched it to a ‘straight’ ending at the last minute.

       4 likes

  22. Pemmican says:

    #9 GizmonicTemp: Yeah, agreed! After, “You can’t have popcorn in the theatre,” the bots’ personality subroutines seem to have adjusted to him.

    Oh on the subject of Tom’s disassembely, I they definently re-used the idea on Crow in #520, “Radar Secret Service.” Crummy, crummy, movie; the riffing was noble but fruitless… easily outshown by the short.
    Why don’t you look – at that one and get some comments ready? Hehe.

       0 likes

  23. Dames Like Her says:

    this episode begins with one of the best Invention Exchanges of the Mike era. I love the dark, gooey humor of the Vend-A-Gut. those hideous lumps of flesh waiting behind their metal screws… did they stink up the set, I wonder? they may be props, but they certainly look real! watching poor, lovable TV’s Frank betrayed, yet again, by his boss is always funny. Frank’s righteous indignation is countered by Dr. Forrester’s dismissive, business-as-usual attitude. a great comedy dynamic. I love Crow weakly mumbling the naughty word ‘Teats-‘ as he lies crushed under the cow-painted fridge.

    if you ever hear the phrase ‘what were the 80s like?’ you could screen this episode, along with Deathstalker, Hobgoblins, etc. the fashions- cut off sweatshirts, boots with too many straps, armless jackets. pasty pancaked faces paired with raccoon eyeshadow. and the hair. how many aerosolized plastic particles were released into the atmosphere during this decade? [I know I contributed my share…] that classic ‘desert shrub’ wanna-be Siouxsie Sioux ‘do on Candy Slice brought the decade thundering back to me. Kathy exclaims ‘Ohhh- bitchin’!’ when the platinum blonde presents her with a sparkly garment; I had completely forgotten about ‘Bitchin’!’ the restaurant sequence with the tinkling drum-machine music and the hostile blank expressions everyone is sporting recalls many 80s dining experiences in so-called trendy bistros. the more ridiculous you looked, the more seriously you took yourself, seemingly.

    I love Mike’s dead-on read of Blade Runner’s ‘live the good life in the Off World Colonies.’

    the Underworld is classic 80’s nightclub noir. some of the effects are actually pretty interesting, like the shots of the tv personalities on the sideways monitors shown simultaneously from different angles. but then again, I went to art college, so you’ll have to excuse me.

    I also love the ‘guess the supermodel’ sequence. Mike’s desperate tone as he recites an impressive litany of cover girls, and his subsequent outrage at the punch line of ‘Clara Peller’ [in her underpants.] the ‘Bots are so doggedly steadfast in their attraction to the ‘Where’s the Beef?’ gal.

    to those of you who think she’s hot, I do apologize, but- I would not pick out Kathy Ireland out of a crowd as the ‘supermodel.’ she is pretty, and has lovely blue eyes, but her giant square face is a bit disturbing. I agree that the ‘Girl with big bones,’ moniker was probably inspired by her cuboidal visage. we are subjected to way too many weird, garishly lit close-ups of Kathy’s eyes. [Mike: ‘Big eyes, Kathy.’] if eyes are the window to the soul, we can conclude that- nobody’s home, pretty much. I love the Laurel and Hardy style music Mike and the ‘Bots are reduced to trilling to endure the drawn out two-scenes between Kathy and the faux-stralian. and the many cries of ‘shut up!!!’ after she squeaks out a line.

    some favorite riffs: ‘he was voted most likely to have an annoying daughter,’ says Mike as Kathy, while she examines her father’s picture. ‘Kathy- Kathy, we’re filming…’ as she mutters mindlessly to herself in her hellish falsetto. ‘hello– what are you doing behind that glass? you look so small,’ again, Kathy is befuddled by a photograph of her with her mother. ‘that’s a really generous helping of gums we’re getting there,’ as Kathy smiles at the new, improved Charmin.

    the battle of the girl movies at the end kills me, every time. I don’t care for ‘women’s films,’ myself. thank you Sampo for adding the link to the closing femme-films war; I’m usually laughing too hard to hear the riffs!

       2 likes

  24. BSBrian says:

    Fred P–I know exactly what you mean about her voice, but I threw this one in last week and it actually didnt bother me this time! For years i would avoid this one strictly because of kathy’s voice, but now the shrill seems to have softened some, or maybe my hearing is so much worse i just dont notice–either way, i’m glad to finally be able to enjoy this classic!!

       1 likes

  25. MPSh says:

    I believe Kathy Ireland is supposed to be a nerd in this movie, but she is one fine nerd! (Even though her voice is kind of annoying.)

    The host segments in this episode are some of the best, especially the “Wild Irish Ireland” song. I love the lyrics, and I sometimes find myself idly singing, “I’ll make all your enemies die for their sins…”

    It REALLY creeps people out!

       0 likes

  26. big61al says:

    All I want to say is ….. Teats!

       3 likes

  27. Green Switch says:

    Like Wilford B. Wolf said in Comment #5 and crowtdan said in Comment #14, this was my first episode, too, since my cable company didn’t carry Comedy Central (I saw it during MTV’s Comedy Central promo event as well).

    It’s been too long since I’ve seen it, but I remember laughing like mad over Crow’s “I’m Australian!” riffs, Mike’s ogling riffs about Kathy Ireland as she ran along the beach towards the end of the film, and the femmy movie war over the end credits.

    Before seeing that episode, I remember reading about the show and being fascinated by the premise (as well as commercials that featured the “I LOVE YOU!” “IT’LL NEVER WORK!” exchange from “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians”).

    If anything, I’m just glad that this episode kicked my fascination for the show into high gear.

       0 likes

  28. Michinoku Driver says:

    This was also the first episode I saw thanks to the MTV-Comedy Central Talent Exchange Weekend thingy. My siblings & I were repeating the Australian Accent Classes jokes for a long time.
    “We waited all this time for BLOOMERS!?”

       2 likes

  29. MPSh says:

    A coupla more things, specifically about “My Wils Irish Ireland.” I love the way that Mike leaps around when he’s playing that toy concertina (the same one, apparently, that Joel played when he sang the plot shanty in “Mighty Jack”). Also, when Tom starts to sing “Ohhhhhhhh…” before Mike asks him to sing in the proper (higher) pitch.

    And that creepy stare….

       1 likes

  30. jjb3k says:

    Favorite riff: “Y’know, in Ohs-tralya, moy voyce is es ennoying as yoahs…”

    This one’s a pretty decent episode – the movie is one of several that presents an interesting premise and fails to do anything cool with it, but the riffing helps boost the entertainment value a whole lot. This was obviously meant to be Kathy Ireland’s rocket to stardom, but there’s a ton of self-awareness that weighs it down, almost as if the movie is trying to say “Ha ha, isn’t that funny, Kathy Ireland is acting!” I agree with Servo – “Jeez, I’d slap this movie if I could!”

       1 likes

  31. Joseph Nebus says:

    I got the same impression as #21 I’m not a medium, I’m a petite one time while watching this episode. What triggered my impression was a moment when Wanda arrives in the center of the earth and one of the 80s rocker/villain types wanders past, and she refers to him/her/it as the Wicked Witch.

    To support this let’s go to the video tape: Wanda, overwhelmed with personal problems, mostly fears, goes off to a strange and alien land — by way of a catastrophic fall — where she meets people who are duals to those in her real, ordinary life and goes on a search for a lost figure from her own world. She returns after she’s gained the self-confidence to handle her own life better. If the un-MST3K versions (which, as I recall, aired after every MST3K airing on Comedy Central in 1996, although not to me) do point out that It Was All A Dream the comparison becomes a lot stronger.

    I’m just not sure how the dual-role actors pair up: if each one plays one Australian and one Los Angelesian then the case is stronger that the filmmakers actually, and against expectations, were doing something competent.

       1 likes

  32. Joseph Nebus says:

    I should point out I’m not sure they actually did think that skillfully in making the movie. It could be the elements just happened to line up that way. Still, there are some experiments in which the feature is obviously ripping off some actual competent movie (and wouldn’t that make a fair weekend list discussion someday? Identify the good-movie analogues to these bad movies?); it seems possible that this might be one of them. Although what kind of mind fuses L Frank Baum with Jules Verne, anyway?

       3 likes

  33. pablum says:

    Its been some time seen I’ve watched this episode. I don’t remember it being too bad, so it must have been good.

    The only thing I do remember of it is Kathy Ireland’s voice. Is that her real voice? I assume it is.

       0 likes

  34. MikeK says:

    This episode is a favorite of mine. I always like the newer movies on MST3K. Somehow they are always worse than the older movies, in one way or another, but still fun.

    The host segments are good and riffing is lots of fun. The movie itself is just weird, which is the best kind of MST3K film.

    “My Wild Irish Ireland” is a great host segment. The song is funny, but when Mike gets all weird and starts getting turned on by Servo’s Kathy Ireland, well, that puts it over the top. I don’t think Joel ever did it, but Mike seems to own the “lonely man in space needs to get some” joke. He was like that when Nuveena showed up on the SOL.

       2 likes

  35. Krasner says:

    One of the things I really like about Mike is when, on rare occasion, demonstrates that he’s not completely 100% stable (i.e. making the baking soda bomb in the sci-fi years.) In this case, I especially loved the line, “I’ll make all of your enemies die for their sins” in Wild Irish Ireland.

    Gotta love Psycho Mike.

       5 likes

  36. The Professor says:

    Kathy Ireland + Over-sized goggles = Hotness.

       5 likes

  37. Fred P says:

    I’m not saying I don’t like looking at Kathy. Her voice just made my entire body hurt. I’ll take BSBRIAN’s word for it and hope it isn’t still as bad as I remember it being. Maybe I was having a bad day arguing with the wife or something. If Shout releases it I’ll give it another try (I taped over the copy I had). Can’t wait for the new set and the new CT I would sure love more Film Crew too ( Mike, Kevin, Bill are you listening).

       0 likes

  38. H says:

    Great episode. I think this one finally won me over. Movie is perfect for M+TB, sorta taking itself seriously but still a bit goofy. Kathy, Kathy …
    Where was I? Oh, yeah. Love all the segments, especially the song. “Or in the Gaelic, Erin Go Braless.” Just fun all around.

       0 likes

  39. crowschmo says:

    The copy I have of this is a repeat from around 1996 or thereabouts. A few commercials: The “new” Space Jam plushies at McDonald’s (I have a Daffy!) And the ONTEL Personal Power Mixer – some cheap piece of crap for people who don’t have…blenders. Do such creatures exist?

    I wasn’t too crazy about this movie. That voice just…(shudder). I like a couple of Mike lines at the beginning when Wanda’s boyfriend is breaking up with her. She asks what it is about her, and Mike says, “It’s your helium addiction.” And when she pushes her glasses back it’s like she’s pointing to her head and he says, “See, this should have a brain in it.”

    Then she says whatever is wrong about her that her boyfriend doesn’t like she’ll fix it and Mike says, “Wow, she’s got alot of pride and dignity.”

    We learn her mom was hit by a car. Perhaps after putting up with that voice for years, her mom finally snapped and threw herself in front of one.

    I fast forwarded through “My Wild Irish Ireland”. Doesn’t do anything for me. And, maybe because I’m a woman, but, guys, I just don’t get the whole Kathy Ireland thing. Don’t think she’s that great looking. Is it BECAUSE she’s a model? I think you’re all brainwashed.

    I liked the beginning of this ep, then it lost steam pretty quickly. A few moments here and there, but overall, eh.

       2 likes

  40. braindeadONE says:

    Funny re-watchinging this ep now….especially with the current VW tv ads starring Kathy Ireland airing every 5 minutes. “Das Auto!”

       0 likes

  41. braindeadONE says:

    Makes me want to have babies just so that so Ms. Ireland can narrate my minivan purchase.

       0 likes

  42. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    #39 crowschmo. It’s a form of brainwashing yes. Once a guy, especially of tender years, gets the image of something like, say, a woman wearing naught but 3 seashells, it stays with him forever. It’s like some kind of pavlovian imprint that ‘responds’ to that woman forever, almost without regard to context or her current physical condition. A 70 year old, 300 pound Kathy Ireland undergoing an appendectomy on some medial TV show… what does the guy see, not an aged blob getting sliced open but that same hot chick…. um wearing um… those tiny errr seashells…. excuse me for a sec.

    OK, anyway yes, it is a kind of brainwashing… though I may be slightly less susceptable to it, being a bit older than some of the lads around here. or maybe not. :)

       2 likes

  43. Kouban says:

    Re: Kathy’s voice, it’s actually normal during the scene where she’s drugged (apparentley people on IMDB never understooed the “drugged” thing and called that scene a goof). And unless I’m mistaken, the VW ads star Brooke Shields.

       0 likes

  44. Kenneth Morgan says:

    Am I the only one here who believes that Kathy was actually a bit more attractive in her bespectacled nerd phase at the beginning of the movie that in her more blatant stage at the end? I guess it’s just me. And, yes, her voice is purposely exaggerated to be annoying, but I’m willing to give her a pass.

    This one does include two of my favorite riffs:

    -(When Kathy is descending into the underworld, light shines through her skirt.)
    SERVO: Oh, finally, the Kathy I know and love!

    -(Kathy looks into the pipe thingamajig and touches her lip.)
    Crow: Look out! She’s gonna purge!

    Oh, and I also saw this on MTV (JIPing it by accident), as my cable company had temporarily ceased carrying CC.

       1 likes

  45. Lynchmob17 says:

    Kathy: My dad’s dead.

    Cook: That’s too bad..now PICK UP!!

       1 likes

  46. M "Tonight, Keeds, Sumtink Reely Scary!" Sipher says:

    “DULL SURPRISE!” has really taken off in Transformers fandom, becoming a style of “art”.

    Ah, I love this episode. Count Floyd reference. Ahhhhhh.

       0 likes

  47. Bob Ellis says:

    “I’m STILL AUSTRAILIAN”

    Good movie though… K.I.’s voice got to me after awhile, but….

    Speaking of Aussies…. what ever happened to Jacko (he of the Eveready battery commercials of the ’80s and the short lived NBC series Highwayman (with Sam Jones, he of Flash Gordon)?

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  48. ThorneSherman says:

    Kouban #43 is correct, it is Brooke Shields in the VW ads, at least the ones I’m seeing. This is a kinda tough movie to get through, Kathy’s voice and cardboard cutout acting being the main problem. However, the riffs are strong, and the hosts segments are terrific. As would be typical of the Mike era, the riffs are a bit more risque, or “late night”, than anything from the Joel era.

       1 likes

  49. losingmydignity says:

    Mixed feelings about this one. The first time I saw it really thoroughly enjoyed the riffing and the pseudo-weirdness of the film (they are trying too hard). But it hasn’t held up too much on subsequent viewings. And it just takes Kathy too long to take off those glasses :smile: Still, I’ll keep the same grade as my initial viewing. They did their best.
    B+

       0 likes

  50. Jeff says:

    BY FAR my favorite season 5 episode, and definitely somewhere in my top 5 all time favorite episodes.

    I actually really liked the movie on its own. Sure, it was bad, but I liked it anyway.

    I love Kathy Ireland. She was my first crush…besides Nona F. Mecklenberg and Winnie Cooper. I actually enjoy listening to her talk in that voice (she doesn’t talk like that anymore, what with being a business GENIUS and all). #39, I don’t like her because she was a supermodel, I like her because she’s cute as hell and very curvy. I didn’t even know she was a model when I first saw her. Of course, I was about five at the time, but whatever.

       2 likes

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