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Episode guide: 608- Code Name: Diamond Head (with short: ‘A Day at the Fair’)

Short: (1947) A country family has a fun day at the state fair.
Movie: (1977) A failed Quinn Martin TV pilot follows an undercover agent battling a nefarious villain in Hawaii.

First shown: 10/1/94
Opening: M&tB are living in their own filth
Intro: The Mads obsess over cleanliness, cleaning up the SOL
Host segment 1: The bots thinks Mike is too nice, then they see what it would be like if Mike wasn’t nice
Host segment 2: Then they are shown what it would be like to live with a Crash Test Dummy
Host segment 3: And finally, they are shown what it would like to live with the Frugal Gourmet
End: M&tB have embraced the authentic Hawaiian lifestyle, Tom hulas a letter (then Mike reads it), the Mads are still obsessing
Stinger: “Aaaahhh! Johnny! Down there!”
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (204 votes, average: 4.23 out of 5)

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• The short is another gem, and while the movie portion is okay, it’s hit-and-miss. The host segments are very memorable, and I recall they caused a bit of a stir when this show first aired. They caused a great deal of confusion for me: I had never heard of Canadian alt-rockers Crash Test Dummies (NOW I understand why it would be so horrible!–though actually I kinda like that “Superman” song) and I had never seen “This Boy’s Life” (NOW I know a thing or two about a thing or two). I was vaguely aware of the Frugal Gourmet, but not familiar enough to get the “don’t write in” stuff Mike does. Adding to my confusion, I had never heard of “Lovejoy” either. Just not something I had ever run across. So I spent a lot of this episode scratching my head wondering what the hell was going on.
• This episode is featured on Shout! Factory’s Vol. XXIII.
• Lots of props from previous eps are strewn about in the opener, but the smell was apparently coming from from a jester shoe from episode 505- THE MAGIC VOYAGE OF SINBAD.
• Callbacks: Frank references “Outlaw” with his mention of a “disgusting worrrm!” (Others: “This looks like Daddy-O’s room,” and “This is so Mitchell” and ”There’s a lotta money here, Mitchell!”)
• Tom’s o/` With an awful lotta lettuce… o/` is a reference to the musical “Guys and Dolls.”
• Non-Spaghetti Ball Bumpers: beaker, film canister, bulletin board.
• Mike needs to come down an octave if he’s really going to do Brad Roberts.
• That’s Alex Hentiloff, the poor man’s Stuart Pankin, as the government scientist.
• Turns out living with the Frugal Gourmet was more traumatic than the Brains guessed…
• Self-reference: TV’s Frank named that boat!
• The bit at the end is a reference to an old Hawaiian Punch commercial. THAT I recognized!
• Wouldn’t this have been a better episode to do the Quinn-Martin Nature Preserve sketch?
• Slam on the Coast Guard outta nowhere!
• Cast and crew roundup: Set designer George R. Nelson also worked on “The Magic Sword.” In front of the camera, Roy Thinnes was in those awful General Hospital shorts. Ward Costello was also in “Terror from the Year 5000.”
• CreditsWatch: Host segments directed by Kevin Murphy. “Controller” Tim Johnson appears for the first time and would remain for the rest of the series.
• Fave riff from the short: “The cows are furious!” Honorable mention: “Men are fools, dear. Remember that.”
• Fave riff from the feature: “Boy, it’s tough when ‘Barnaby Jones’ out-actions you.” Honorable mention: “This is Quinn Martin. We’re not going to series.” “…French, Italian, poppy seed, hot ranch…”

106 Replies to “Episode guide: 608- Code Name: Diamond Head (with short: ‘A Day at the Fair’)”

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  1. Fnord says:

    This episode…

    Man…

    This is one of the few episodes that I just can’t sit through. It’s even hard to remember. I can’t really remember this episode until someone brings up Lovejoy, then it all comes back to me.

    If it wasn’t for the short, I’d never watch it. And the host segments do nothing for me either.

    But, out of all of the episodes from season 2 onward, this may be the only one I don’t enjoy, and for a show that ran for 10 seasons, that’s saying something.

       1 likes

  2. Kenneth Morgan says:

    A couple of things surprised me about this one.

    First, only one “Forbin Project” riff, and it’s not directed at supporting player Eric Braeden, who starred as Forbin in that movie. Second, I didn’t notice any “Invaders” riffs, which is odd given Roy Thinnes’ presence.

    Still, the movie wasn’t too bad, the short was fine, and the alternate Mikes were really funny.

       1 likes

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

    I’ll go three, but maybe needs to be a 3.5

    This short can not hold a candle to last week’s. It’s kind of too low key for a short and the riffing is ok, but just workmanlike. Shorts need to have that slightly psycho edge to them.

    I’ve watched the ep twice now recently and it is growing on me. The movie is not bad in the technique sense, but it is horribly staffed. Virtually every face is a played out retread or a ghastly stereotype, OR BOTH !

    The riffing is really quite good. Was that “back to Nagasaki where the men all chew Tabaki” that I heard when we first meet Tubbo The Spy at the hula party ? If so, then that is a very sharp riff indeed.

    I do not understand the cleanliness thing at all down in Deep 13. I don’t find it funny and don’t see why it should be.

    Back on the SOL however, those 3 little vignettes are PRICELESS. Each one a gem. Mike in peak form. Pity he has now fallen so far since then.

    Hey isn’t that Dr F’s roast pig from last week ?

       1 likes

  4. Ang says:

    So far it looks like I’m in the minority but this is one of my very faves and if I was stuck on a desert island I would want this one with me. I never watched Lovejoy but the jokes still crack me up (“I wanna sit next to Lovejoy!”, “You think I’m Lovejoy don’t you?”). I laugh all the way through this one every time even though it’s one that I have watched the most.

    It’s got:
    – Kind of a lame hero with incompetent colleagues
    – That one guy (“Who am I? I know I know me!”)
    – A villainous spy who just happens to look exactly like the guy he’s impersonating – yeah, that’s believeable :roll:
    – And don’t forget, all those beautiful Hawaiian locations like the can goods store and the bad guy’s apartment :wink:

    Like they said “this is so almost Mitchell” – so you know it’s good. :lol:

    The short is pretty good but I usually skip it to get to the real good stuff.

       11 likes

  5. Sampo says:

    Ang–I haven’t mentioned Sampo’s Theorem in a while, but this is a good moment to re-introduce it.
    Sampo’s Theorem states: “For every MSTie who thinks a particular episode is the worst thing they’ve ever done, there is another who believes it is their finest hour.”
    Case in point.

       6 likes

  6. MattG says:

    Tom’s lettuce riff just hangs there for me. It’s not funny, it sticks out from the audio, and is just jarring. Probably the only riff like in the entire series from my point of view. The host segments with the alternate Mikes fall flat for me as well. This isn’t one that I rewatch often which is surprising because “failed ’70s/’80s TV series turned into a movie” is my favorite genre of MST3K film.

    Still, this episode does have one of my favorite reactions from M&TB. There’s a shot of Hawaii and the guys are talking about how it seems like a nice place to visit, and then that one guy pops up into the frame in an extreme close-up which scares the guys and they scream horribly. Cracks me up every time. First time I saw it I had to rewind and see it again.

       2 likes

  7. jjb3k says:

    I also seem to be one of the few that really likes this episode. Spy movie episodes always get big laughs out of me, and this one has that extra layer of 1970s made-for-TV cheese that turns it into a delightful combination of MSTed genres. I can even overlook the endless “Lovejoy” jokes. And I agree, the short is hysterical. “A wheel slices into the crowd, killing three!”

    The “What if Mike was” segments are also great in my book. It helps that I’m a huge pop culture nut and recognized all three characters Mike was portraying, even if his Brad Roberts isn’t quite right. (The Brains were clearly annoyed by the Crash Test Dummies, but I really rather like “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm”.)

    #6: “Still, this episode does have one of my favorite reactions from M&TB. There’s a shot of Hawaii and the guys are talking about how it seems like a nice place to visit, and then that one guy pops up into the frame in an extreme close-up which scares the guys and they scream horribly. Cracks me up every time. First time I saw it I had to rewind and see it again.”

    Agreed – my favorite moment in the entire episode!
    “Well, this is very nice, I can see why families would want to– AAAHH!”

       8 likes

  8. underwoc says:

    “a poor man’s Stuart Pankin?”

    Isn’t Stuart Pankin the proto-Wayne Knight? And what of Steven Furst?

       0 likes

  9. jason says:

    I really liked the host segments. I always laugh at them. This is one of those episodes where the host segmnets outshines the movie. the short was good. The movie was okay.

       0 likes

  10. Kouban says:

    I loved Lovejoy when it was on A&E years ago, so when I finally got to see this ep last year, I had a total fan moment when I saw Ian.
    Hearing him narrating the Coraline commercials is also a treat!

       0 likes

  11. Cabbage Patch Elvis says:

    I haven’t seen the entire episode (just the short) , and I’m sorry to hear that this doesn’t seem to be a favorite episode. Considering it’s A QUINN MARTIN PRODUCTION, I thought it would have some good material to go off on.

       0 likes

  12. Terry, the sensitive knight says:

    I have to side with Ang & jjb3k on this one – being a fan of mstied movies that… a)are made for TV, b)are of the spy movie genre, and c)have the bad guy pose as a priest – this one’s great because it has all three.

    Beside the great afore-mentioned “Ahhh! – he’s got a Jackie Mason body!” scene,
    “go in peace and live no more – the Bells of St. Murder!”

    that “you think I’m Dennis Weaver too” guy…what was he in – – – Rat Patrol! (I watched Rat Patrol in my youth and shared that same intrigue the 1st time I saw this ep)

    that “I,m Richard Harris!” & “what about my fifty!” character –
    “he invited every Jimmy Buffet fan on the island”

    See you at the #614 episode review Sampo…

       3 likes

  13. Dyne says:

    I haven’t seen the full episode, just the short courtesy of Shorts Vol. 2 and it’s still among my Top 5.
    * Judging contests, especially for food, at a local fair can be hell. I once judged cakes as part of a school fair. There were those that were good, those that were bad, and by the end they all began to taste the same. The worst part was that I had a few friends who’d entered.
    * I’m still surprised at the lack of Ben Hur jokes during the horse race.
    * “Watch the kid on the left, his heart’s about to explode!” – Just another one of my favorite running gags over the course of the series.
    * Of course we all know that this short isn’t meant to showcase a fair, but rather serve as a shill for the 4-H Club.
    * Favorite riffs: “No one can explain why Father is 85.” – Mike. “The cows are furious!” – Crow. “It’s all done behind protective chicken wire.” – Servo.

       5 likes

  14. happy says:

    This one doesnt do it for me either, but the Frugal Gourmet segment was pretty good. Generally speaking Im not into the TV movie ones so much…just my taste :)

       0 likes

  15. CJBeiting says:

    Well, while this episode may not have been one of the best, it did have one of my single favorite riff lines of all time in it.

    It’s the point in which Ian “master of disguise” McShane puts on the clergyman’s outfit. Not a bad disguise in reality, but he totally spoiled the effect by immediately pulling out his cigarette in a holder and leering directly at the camera. I thought at that point that he looked like some kind of clerical Bond villain, and the instant the thought crossed my mind one of the ‘bots chimed in with, “Ah, Mr. Jesus, you have a nasty habit of surviving”, and I just lost it with laughter.

    For a line _that_ good, I’ll sit through a LOT of dross!

       6 likes

  16. Hamdingers says:

    Count me in the ‘faves’ category as I love this ep! It has the same vibe as SF International which I love too.

    Just the other day I was humming the jaunty ‘Roy Thinnes’ these.

    It is weird that Eric Braeden merits no Forbin or Young & the Restless jokes.

    And that’s NOT Stuart Pankin? Is that the same guy who wasn’t Stuart Pankin in Star Trek IV?

       3 likes

  17. MPSh says:

    I agree that the episode is nothing special; the movie just has too much of that 1970’s dreariness for my liking.

    But those “I wish Mike weren’t so…” host segments are among the best in the show’s entire run. A particular highlight is Mike’s impersonation of Brad Roberts. The deep slurred voice, the red long hair wig, the goofy facial expression. Mike really shines in this one.

    His DeNiro is good, too; very scary, especially with that upper midwestern accent.

    “Shut your pie-hole! I know a thing or two about a thing or two.” That’s great…

       3 likes

  18. Terry, the sensitive knight says:

    For the Trekies:

    That’s France Nuyen “also starring” in this movie who also guest starred in the “Elaan of Troyius” Star Trek episode. Perhaps that was too obscure to do a Star Trek riff on, like they did in #310 “Fugative Alien” with the actress playing Rita (meter maid)

    – I still don’t know what ep she was in that J&TB were refering to there – anyone know?

       2 likes

  19. Jedi Master says:

    Too bad this was done so long ago, actually, as Ian McShane has done far more noteworthy stuff since then (Deadwood maybe??) that they could have played off of far more than Lovejoy.

       2 likes

  20. Sampo says:

    Hamdingers: Yes, Alex Hentilloff was also not Stuart Pankin in Star Trek IV.

    And thereby hangs one of those “I-can-laugh-about-it-now” stories: I was a staffer on the Philadelphia Inquirer back in the ’80s and they ran a photo from that movie indentifying Hentilloff and I was so certain it was Pankin I actualy went to the copy desk editor to tell her the caption was wrong. For one edition the caption actually identified him as Pankin before we learned the truth.
    Boy, was my face red. The honchos were REALLY steamed at me. Inserting a mistake into a piece of copy that is actually correct is about as big a sin as you can commit at a newspaper.
    One of those days when the IMDB would have been handy.

       5 likes

  21. Mark says:

    One on of my favorite episodes. I really don’t care for the “I wish Mike weren’t so” host segments, but the rest of the episode is pretty flawless. The made-for-TV genre was always a great for for MST3K, and this one was no exception. Roy Thinnes and Ian McShane really provide a lot of riffing material.

    Oh, and the short’s very good, but not great.

    Favorite riffs:

    Short “No one could explain why father was 85.”
    Movie “The only South American Junta leader in the US Army.” or “This is Quinn Martin. We’re not going to series.”

       1 likes

  22. Toots Sweet says:

    I like both the short and the episode. The short has some lines I’ve always laughed at, such as in the beginning with the guys on the tractors, in a great announcer voice “These plucky Kiwanis stand to make a bundle!”, Mr. Olsen and his very finest ears “and the small of his neck is nice too”, during the parade with the older man in a band uniform “Admiral Halsey joins in the fun” and with the 4H float “women are excited by the word ‘member’.” In the movie, I liked all the references to 70s shows, when the bots kept asking to turn the channel to Hec Ramsey or The Name of the Game, and said it was sad when Barnaby Jones had more action than this movie.

       3 likes

  23. big61al says:

    This is one episode that for me is forgetable. I only remember the “This Boy’s Life” parody and that’s all.

       0 likes

  24. Mischu says:

    The funniest scene for me was when they showed a yacht with a small flag at half-mast with a picture of a martini glass on it, and Crow says “Ted Kennedy died”. Seems kind of eerily prophetic now though with him going through brain cancer.

       1 likes

  25. MikeK says:

    The host segments alone make this a great episode. Sure, the movie is competently made, at least enough so that it’s not a horrible mess. Still, it’s a TV action movie from the ’70s, which automatically makes it riffable. A movie doesn’t have to be mind-numbingly bad to be riffable.

    The Not So Nice Mike host segment is good. I’ve seen “This Boy’s Life” and I laugh at Robert DeNiro in an scout uniform.

    Mike’s Frugal Gourmet is a great impression of him. The story behind the pepper mill was is quite accurate to the way Jeff Smith told such tales. And, in light of the man’s ultimate fate, the sketch gains a new level creepiness.

       2 likes

  26. H says:

    Decent but not great for me. Host segments and short make it for me. Movie’s standard stuff, nothing great but passable. Short is just peppered with great lines. Host segments are fun. I’ve actually read the book This Boy’s Life is based on and (on a side note) it’s a great read. Crash Test Dummy and Frugal Gourmet sketch always remind me of their Poopie! outtakes.

       1 likes

  27. slap1328 says:

    “Man, you come in for lumber and end up getting your face kicked in”.

    -CLASSIC LINE from this ep!

       1 likes

  28. Omega says:

    My favorite moment of this episode occurs during the Frugal Gourmet skit. I was so surprised when Mike picked up Tom Servo and used him as a pepper grinder. Never once did I think Tom was perfectly shaped for such a task.

       4 likes

  29. Neil says:

    I love this episode! And it helps that I lived in Hawaii at an early age, and just stare at the places I’ve been.
    Plus the lovejoy comments always get me :)

    Neil

       1 likes

  30. Spector says:

    Nice to see I’m not the only one who liked this episode.

    The short was fantastic, one of their greatest. So many great lines there which made me laugh:

    “No one can explain why Father is 85”.

    “Hitler’s Death Car!”

    “Come on ya chunk a dog food I gotta week’s allowance on ya!”

    “Get the car! There’s carrots in the car!!”

    “Admiral Halsey joins the fun!”

    And Tom Servo singing “Smells like Teen Spirit” when the marching band passes by always puts me into giggle fits whenever I think of it…..excuse me, just had one.

    The movie itself was good, a cheesy made-for-TV Quinn Martin production. Some of the riffs were a bit dated, such as the mention of “Lovejoy” every time Ian McShane appears but still it was pretty good. And the “what would life be like…” host segments were priceless stuff. “I know a thing or two about a thing or two…”.

    Not one of their best episodes but certainly not among the worst. In the good to very good category for me.

       7 likes

  31. “Give everyone an ice-cube on me.”

    Pretty good riffing but episodes with no horror or fantasy elements don’t interest me that much. I don’t mind even bad host segments and these ones are pretty good. They busted pretty good on the typical Midwestern busybody twerp and Mike acknowledges somewhere that the Crash Test Dummies gag was ill-conceived because they over-estimated it’s pop-culture value. A person could have blinked and entirely missed their “fame”. I wish I had.

       1 likes

  32. Ryan says:

    “Pretty good riffing but episodes with no horror or fantasy elements don’t interest me that much”

    I’m the opposite. With exceptions like “Outlaw Of Gor” and “Cave Dwellers” with hillarious jokes, I can’t hang with the sword and sandal schmaltz (or the Santa or fairy tale stuff, for that matter).

    I love this episode, but it’s only because I enjoy the vibe of the movie (I like the cop/spy flicks or the depressing noir-ish stuff) and the hillarious cracks here and there (Zulu popping up and singing, “Help! I’m stuck in this position!”…) make up for the annoying references. It’s much better than a medicore chucklefest to a unwatchable movie, but not as good as a slam-dunk, laugh riot for a movie seemingly tailor made for riffing. Some thoughts:

    -I agree with the “awful lot of lettuce” example. Is it me or is Kevin either amazingly clever or painfully obnoxious? No insult intended, but there is no subtle, middle ground with that guy’s humor. He sure knows his Broadway show tunes, though

    -I met France Nuyen at a convention several months ago (she looked a little zonked on pain killers due to a shattered bone in her arm) and gave her this ep. Anyhow, she’s a VERY nice woman and I got into a great movie geek conversation with her. I wonder what she thought (read: how offended she was…) of this episode. Anyhow, later that day at the con, she got PISSED at my dad for mistaking her for Nancy Kwan and saying how “exotic” (ughhh..) she looks. A couple of weeks later, she shows up at my pop’s senior apartment center (it’s somewhat upscale with a mini theater and a rec room where ‘celebrities’ from old sitcoms and such show up once in a while) where the two apparently had an awfully awkward meeting in the lobby. hahaha!

    -How many times has the “bad guy in a priest disguise” been used? Played out, for sure.

       3 likes

  33. crowschmo says:

    Ummmm….Even after reading these comments, and the stuff in the ACEG I really don’t remember this episode much. I remember there WAS such an episode….

    I usually taped every ep when it was still on and then determined whether or not I wanted to keep it.

    I taped over this one. I’ll trust my earlier judgement and assume I didn’t like it.

    So, uh…no further comment. :???:

       0 likes

  34. ThorneSherman says:

    I like this one, the bad spy flick with the wussy action hero with bumbling sidekicks is always good. When Mike sings, “Undercover asian, midnight fantasy”, I always lose it. This was yet another failed pilot and the Brains as always got the most out of it.

       3 likes

  35. One of the most memorable gags in this episode is simply when they’re making fun of the hilarious doo-dee-dee-doo-dee-dee-doo-dee *tish* typical seventies cop-show drama scoring. Try as they might that can’t run that one into the ground.

       5 likes

  36. Aquamarina says:

    Very enjoyable episode—marvelous short, great host segments, and I love the riffing on this movie (which somehow manages to make Hawaii look drab). Top ten for me despite the lack of forced perspective monsters.
    My brother gets angry over the cake-feeling at the fair, tho’….

       2 likes

  37. What’s the pink sticker on Tom’s hoverskirt in this episode (I think it’s in this one—it’s been a couple months since I last saw it) and some others?

       1 likes

  38. Steve K says:

    MPSH (#17) His DeNiro is good, too…

    Ah, so that was a DeNiro impression — sounds more like Dan Ackroyd to me.

    My favorite riff is from the short: “Pickles pack the stands for the pickle races!”

       0 likes

  39. bigdaddy320 says:

    Just watched the episode for the first time on You Tube. I found it absolutely hilarious. The only bad thing is that the short was cut out and part 3 of the 9 was unable to play due to a copyright dispute from Viacom. I have the short in the dvd collection so that’s not a big loss. Watching the made for TV movie episodes makes me kind of nostalgic for shows from my youth. I wish they’d have done more of them and even some more of the popular shows. IMHO

       0 likes

  40. MPSh says:

    Steve K (#38) says: “Ah, so that was a DeNiro impression — sounds more like Dan Ackroyd to me.”

    Actually, in “This Boys Life”, DeNiro does sound kind of like Dan Ackroyd.

       1 likes

  41. I'm evil says:

    Mark #21 about summed up my feelings on this one–I love the movie, the short is so-so. I enjoyed the host segments, but have to admit to not getting the DeNiro thing until I read this thread.

    I thought the riffing was quite good, and even if this movie was done competently, many of the key plot points were pretty laughable in tat 70s-80s action series kind of way. Makes me wish they would riff some A-Team episodes.

    The color on my copy is really washed out which only adds to the dreariness of Hawaii as presented in this film. I would like to see a clean copy.

    Some Fave lines:
    –(as Diamond Head listens to the Hawaiian music) This song is about his hatred of Jack Lord.
    –As the female lead listens to the hero with blank expression on her face, Crow chimes in with “Bored!” His delivery on that kills me.

    –From that same scene when Diamond Head mentions that these could be the guys who “nailed you in Bangkok.” Mike starts to
    chuckle and seems as if he starts to say something, but Crow warns him off–usually the other way around.

    –Also, I recall that Crow made a “Lord of the Rings” related comment. It caught me by surprise because Tom usually throws those out.

    –The entire black-jack scene was priceless for its laughable attempt to insert tension. “I guess this what passes for an action sequence in this film.”

       4 likes

  42. Rotten As British Teeth says:

    After not seeing this episode for more than a decade, I’ve watched it twice: first, to concentrete on the jokes, then a second time to get an overall feel of the movie along with the riffing. I keep coming back to the fact there was a reason why I left this on the shelf for so long.

    Not that it’s a horrible episode. It certainly has its moments. I believe I chose “A Day at the Fair” as my least fav short awhile back on one of Sampo’s weekend threads. I realize now that I was mistaken. Its not up there with Mr. B as the best, but its not bad either. Like many others have already said, my fav lines are “No one can explain why dad is 85” and “It’s Hitler’s death car!” No one has mentioned this, but I found it interesting that they coupled a black-and-white short (possibly from the 1940’s) with a 1970’s failed TV pilot; usually shorts are coupled with movies that are from the same era.

    As for “Code Name: Diamond Head”, what stuck out for me most was the incessant “Lovejoy” references. I was never a fan of the show, but I still found them funny to a point. It was strange how, just an episode before, they limited themselves to one “Brady Bunch” joke when doing a Robert Reed movie – a personality embedded in American pop culture – yet they go insane making references to a cable show with a cult following at best. Perhaps, in Ian McShane’s “Lovejoy”, they had found a kindred spirit? We’ll never know…

    …Anyhoo, the host segments are grade A. The first, a direct reference to DeNiro’s laughably bad performance in “This Boy’s Life”, is even funnier now that I know what it was spoofing. I remember my friend and I watching “This Boy’s Life” one day and rolling on the floor laughing at the over-the-top delivery of Bobby D’s lines. Soon after that, whenever he and I would have a spirited discussion, one or the other would use the now-famous “I know a thing or two about a thing or two” line and the discussion would deteriorate into laughter.

    I’m afraid I don’t know the background story about “The Frugal Gourmet”, Jeff Smith. Based on what little I’m hearing, I’m even more afraid to find out! :eek:

    Fav moment from the movie: before a commercial break, Diamond Head has come out of the water and is calling (I believe) “Aunt Mary”, when Mike says, “He looks like Simon LeBon”, to which Crow/Trace starts laughing hysterically and causes Mike to do the same. Look for it, its one of their funnier in-the-theater moments I’ve seen.

       6 likes

  43. Death Valley Driver says:

    Not my fave episode, but some really great riffs. I usually zone out on the plot for some episodes and just try to ride the riffs, which might not be the best way to watch MST3k but what the hey. I love Trace giggling like an insane person after Mike compares Thinnes to Simon LeBon.

    Also, pigs have really large testicles and the crew showed amazing restraint not riffing on them.

       2 likes

  44. MikeH says:

    I Love this episode, in my opinion any made for TV movie, any 70’s drama show is perfect MST fodder (Riding with Death, SF International, etc) they all sucked and should all be targeted for riffing. Roy Thinnes looks annoyed and bored at the same time and I love Lovejoy’s “disguises”
    Fave quotes: “Yeah I need to get a can of tampons for my girlfriend”, “this is a job for..regular guy!!” “code name Gran Torino” and the part where Zulu pops his head up close up while singing to the tourists and scares the crap out of Mike and the bots. Definite 5 star episode for me.

       3 likes

  45. adoptadog says:

    This short always makes me laugh.

    “Men are fools, dear…remember that.”

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  46. MikeK says:

    Rotten as British Teeth: #42

    “I’m afraid I don’t know the background story about “The Frugal Gourmet”, Jeff Smith. Based on what little I’m hearing, I’m even more afraid to find out! :eek:”

    Well, at the basic level, it was a sex scandal. I remember when it happened too. My local PBS station took the Frugal Gourmet off the air even faster than CBS did with Pee Wee’s Playhouse.

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  47. Rowsdower42 says:

    I like this one, a lot. I think it’d be more memorable if 620-Danger! Death Ray didn’t exist, which takes basically this sort of film and does it so much better. And by that, I mean worse.

    My favorite bit is when that Hawaiian guy is first introduced, singing his song.

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  48. Omega says:

    I think this is the first episode Mike notices one of the background characters resembled Jim Henson which Tom responds with a very Kermit “HIYO!”

    Also weren’t there several references to Mitchell in this episode? It seems all the 70s-80s crime-fighting films they did after Joel left included a reference to Mitchell

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  49. Zee says:

    I like this episode, solid movie and I like the short, especially all the “Silence of the Lambs” references. I remember at first I didn’t like the host segments & how mean and out-of-character Magic Voice & Cambot were (still, I missed MV when they phased her out). Also I didn’t know who Mike was ‘impressionating’ in the mean cub scout sketch so I didn’t get the reference but I still quoted it for years (“I know a thing or two about a thing or two!”).

    RE: 19: Deadwood wouldn’t be on for several years after they made this episode. I can’t BELEIVE that Ian McShane had a comeback and always think of this episode when I see im in stuff (like that recent Woody Allen movie for christ sake!)

    Re: 37: Yeah, I noticed that season 6-era pink sticker on Servo’s hoverskirt too, it’s really noticeable in “Skydivers” and “The Violent Years” also. I was going to ask Kevin Murphy if I ever met him but knowing the Brains’ alzheimer’s when it comes to MST3K anecdotes I’ll probably never find out…

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  50. Miqel says:

    This one is great, if only for the funny ukelele song sung by the sidekick guy with the ‘all canned food’ market.

    remember the song ? it’s like “hukka-lukka, la-la, ley-ley doobidie boobidy nemi-nemi nai nai wakka chacka”

       4 likes

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