Movie: (1982) Re-edit of a movie called “Time Walker.” A mummy found in King Tut’s tomb is x-rayed by a university team. This awakens the mummy, and it goes on a killing spree.
First shown: 7/4/92
Opening: J&TB playing movie slogan 20 questions
Invention exchange: The Mads present their “Tragic Moments” figurines, while J&tB demonstrate their Jack Palance impersonation kit
Host segment 1:J&tB’s discussion of mummies leads to a discussion of Bill Mumy
Host segment 2: Crow and Tom are playing haunted house with Joel
Host segment 3: Joel’s rainy-day funsketch and the HFVS funtime holoclowns fail to cheer up Tom & Crow
End: The TV’s Frank shopping network has a great deal, Joel reads a letter, Dr. F invents the “die-master”
Stinger: The heartbreak of extraterrestrial psoriasis
(194 votes, average: 4.11 out of 5)
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• A middling-to-good episode for me. The movie itself is a bit easier to follow than, say, “City Limits,” but waiting for the mummy to actually DO something starts to get tiresome. On the other hand, the movie compensates with some unintentionally hilarious moments, notably the impromptu costume parade through campus (wtf?). The “oh Joel it’s scary in the basement” bit doesn’t wear well for me, but the riffing is generally pretty crisp and funny. Lots of memorable host segment stuff, too.
• Here are the slogans from the “20 questions” sketch that I was able to track down (and note that some of these are not exactly accurate, but are close approximations):
“Fueled by imagination” – “Radio Flyer” (1992)
“Be afraid. Be very afraid.” – “The Fly” (1986)
“The most exciting undersea odyssey ever filmed.” – “The Neptune Factor” (1973)
“100% pure adrenaline.” – “Point Break” (1991).
“It’s not only his nose that grows!” – “The Erotic Adventures of Pinocchio” (1971)
“This time, it’s personal.” – “Jaws: The Revenge” (1987)
“Dudley Moore juggles two women in an attempt to save his sanity” – “Micki & Maude” (1984)
“A sassy brassy musical humdinger.” – “Funny Lady” (1975)
The ones I can’t track down:
“A new high in adventure when they go thrill-deep in danger.”
“A bikini-clad romp through summer’s fun.”
“A shocking expose of souls in bondage.”
Anybody know any of these?
• Watch for the boom shadow on Frank’s face as Dr. F says “Clayton Stonewall Forrester.” They just keep going.
• Joel says “we’ve came up” and they just keep going.
• Dark and obscure riff: “Hey it’s Pete Duel” (Duel, Ben Murphy’s co-star in the western series “Alias Smith and Jones” killed himself on New Year’s Eve, 1971.)
• Callbacks: “Trumpy! You can do magic things!” (Pod People). Also: “Laurence, would you put that down please!” (Catalina Caper).
• For more on Bill Mumy, visit his site.
• Joel mentions Mumy’s early performance in the movie “Dear Bridget” and then mentions another movie where he played “a super-genius mathematician.” Sorry Joel, but you’re thinking of the same movie, “Dear Bridget.” By the way, the “Twilight Zone” episode Joel mentions (where he wishes people into the cornfield) is entitled “It’s a Good Life.” Mumy was also in a couple of other TZ eps.
• Joel and Tom are already in the theater after the first segment, still discussing Butch Patrick, when Crow joins them.
• Then-current reference: “Hey, Jim Fixx!” Also, mentions of Intellivision and the Michelangelo virus (completely forgot that one).
• At one point they call the massive pipes in the basement “Coppolla’s espresso machine.” When I think of somebody who would be rich and powerful enough to have such a massive device, director Francis Ford Coppolla is not the first person I think of. Bill Gates? Aaron Spelling? Sure. But not Francis. Was Francis maybe more notoriously rich and powerful then? I don’t recall.
• Joel makes a reference to the ’60s TV show “The Mod Squad.” Amusingly, he makes virtually the same riff in the first Cinematic Titanic episode, and then follows it with a plaintive “Oh, I’m old!” What a difference 15 years makes.
• Crow once again requests to be carried out of the theater. Joel once again declines.
• During the haunted house sketch, Joel got spaghetti in the jell-o. Bleh. (And my OCD rears its ugly head.)
• Also during the sketch, there is another mention of a “Mrs. Reedy,” previously mentioned in during the “Posture Pals” short.
• Tom explains a riff again: After singing “Michael Goldstein! Michael Goldstein! What a beautiful name!” he adds: “Funny Girl!”
• I think Crow attempts a Dr. Hibberd (from “The Simpsons”) impression but he sounds more like Kingfish of “Amos and Andy.”
• “Sarah …” “Jockman!” Somebody’s an Allan Sherman fan.
• This episode begins our two-part encounter with the impossibly creepy holo-clowns. That’s Mike and Paul, of course, and this is Paul’s first on-screen appearance.
• Gypsy’s still wearing black “lipstick” and it doesn’t look very well applied.
• I love all the Ludlum titles, like “The Mingmang Pa-ting-ting” A full list is in Ward E.
• Nick Gilder’s “Hot Child in the City” is referenced for the second week in a row.
• My copy of this episode is from a showing on or very near Super Bowl Sunday 1996 (the Cowboys beat the Steelers at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.). It has bumpers that feature Dom Irrera, a comedian I always liked, somewhat desperately wandering around the periphery of the stadium looking for somebody to interview or something to film. Kind of sad.
• At one point, during a shot of Shari Belafonte, Joel says “Oh my God! I’ll never be in another film!” Not true, Joel. Shari has done three movies since “Time Walker” (and many many TV shows and TV movies).
• The bit in which Tom insists this is the worst movie they’ve ever done is in Ward E. Oh and, Tom is entitled to his opinion, of course, but so am I, and no way is this movie worse than most of the movies named. It’s a funny trip down memory lane, though.
• The final segment brings back the notion of the “button that brings down the SOL,” which we heard about a couple of times in season two.
• Firesign Theatre reference: “…and the snake knives, Mrs. Presky!”
• Cast and crew roundup: assistant art director Pamela Warner was an art director for “Alien from L.A.” Sound mixer Mark Ulano also worked on “City Limits” and later won an Oscar for “Titanic.” Music by score composer Richard H. Band can also be heard in “Robot Holocaust” and “Laserblast.” In front of the camera, Robert Random was also in “Village of the Giants,” Austin Stoker was also in “Riding with Death” and so, of course, was Ben Murphy.
• Fave riff: “Sizzler! Heeheeheehee!” Honorable mentions: “Caution: snow angels in progress.” “And if you do find something, stay there.”
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The “Tragic Moments” figurines were one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. I still laugh hard every time I watch this episode, which I like. It’s easy to get through, for me, and provides the necessary laughter that I expect from an MST3K episode.
What a lame crummy dummy mummy in this movie!!
41: Don’t forget the lame Highlander rip-off in the scene where all of the cars start flashing headlights and honking!
I don’t think this movie sucks, it just has a number of flaws: the reliance on cliches, the padding, the many, many shots of cutting-edge 80’s technology, and the focus on Ben Murphy’s relationship with his grad student to the point of creepiness! But it allows plenty of room for some of the best riffing in Season 4.
This invention is probably one of the darkest the Mads ever do, next to the “Unhappy Meals,” the “Drinking Jacket,” the “Really Hard To Swallow Pills,” the “Cholester Do-All,” and of course “Johnny Longtorso.”
I love the lines where JTB “decipher” the hieroglyphics:
“Bless…this…mess!?
“I…heart my…dog god!?
“Dear Aunt Nefertiti…thanks for the socks!?
Stalagmites…Stalagtites…Stalagmites….
@34 – The 1st host segment (Bill Mumy) is one of these Hey-let’s-talk-about-1960?s-TV-because-that’s-what-Frank-and-Joel-like skits. Razz It’s stupid, rambling, and not funny at all.
Actually, I think it captured the TRUE spirit of Joel-era “The right people will get it” MSTie-ism:
Crow–like the non-fan-goofball who tries to do a Plan Nine joke–tried to make a lame joke about “Billy Mummy”, and ended starting a Right People chain reaction of trivia about Fish Heads, Butch Patrick and Lidsville. (Apparently, Mumy’s stint on Babylon 5 came after this episode.) Anyone who’s ever seen MSTie Forum and Usenet discussion turn into round-tables of arcane vintage trivia will get this sketch immediately. :)
(Compare this to the Mike-era sketch of Mike & Tom high-school snickering at Crow’s encyclopedic knowledge of Lois Lanes, in Invasion USA: In one era, the Right People knew their arcane trivia, and in the other, the Right People were now the Wrong People, to be pantsed in the locker room….Nerrrrds!)
I bet Joel, if he truly is a Mumy fan, was tickled pink when Babylon 5 came on, featuring ol’ Bill as Lennier.
I remember two things very strongly about this episode:
My family had had Comedy Central (Comedy Channel) since January 1, 1990. And, I watched my first episode of MST soon after (Robot Monster), around the 3rd or 4th of January. By the summer of 1992, I was a huge fan. Season Four was the first one that I taped religiously. I sat at the TV recording, and editing out commercials, every Saturday when a new episode was on. When this episode aired, I had worked all day at a hardware store (Grossman’s) and I was tired. I came home and started recording it. Two lady friends of mine came over & demanded that I join them for a 4th of July picnic and fireworks display at the Irondequoit Town Hall. I told them “I need to stay at the VCR to record my TV show.” Well, they convinced me to go and I watched the full episode later.
It’s not a favorite or one I grab to show people (like Track of the Moon Beast or I Accuse My Parents) but when I sit down and watch it… I enjoy it.
Second thing – I was working at a Laserdisc/ DVD store in 1997 (Dave’s Video) and Shari Belafonte came in to rent. I told her I had been watching a film of hers. She asked which one? And, I said “Time Walker”. She rolled her eyes very dramatically. We talked about the film for a few minutes. She didn’t seem to think much of it but she was very, very charming.
It’s weird that I just got a Proustian Rush from an MST episode.
How does “Time Walker”differ form this movie? What did they edit out or change?
Scroll down a little on this page and you’ll see one of the original Tragic Moments figures. They put an orange or red light bulb inside it to give that orange glow.
http://www.mst3ktemple.com/props.html
Also, a little higher on the page is one of the same respirators they used for the Jack Palance Impersonator Kit.
Another one of those 80s movies which I love. The invention exchange is extremely dark and funny and ranks up there with some of the darkest Mads moments. I’ve been watching some season 5 Joel episodes lately and the Mads scenes are super dark. The aforementioned Franks heart in Painted Hills, the evil baseball promotions and maybe the darkest moment in MST history, Dr. F replacing Frank’s blood. “I’m so cold”. The show seemed to follow a Simpsons like progression of increasing violence as the seasons wore on (in a funny way). Anyway, great episode.
There is no way this is the worst film they did. Giant Gila Monster and King Dinosaur are so boring, I honestly can’t remember anything remotely funny.
When the haunted house sketch starts, Tom is humming the Three Stooges song, “Swinging the Alphabet”.
I love this episode (Sampo’s Theorem in effect!) even though the movie is terrible. In fact, this is an example of the movie’s terribleness actually increasing my enjoyment of the episode (as opposed to, say, CASTLE OF FU-MANCHU). BEING FROM ANOTHER PLANET was also the first 80’s movie that I saw on MST3k, which meant a lot to me back when I started watching the show in 1995, as I’m an 80’s-kid, and even though I loved and still love the 50/60/70’s sci-fi and genre movies they did, I always wished they would do something more. . .recent (in relation to 1995), and lo-and-behold, one day I catch a rerun of an old Joel episode, BEING FROM ANOTHER PLANET, which is an inept, low budget horror film, something I’m always in the mood for. Yadda-yadda-yadda, I’ve watched this one a lot; big fan of this episode.
The Tragic Moments figurines Invention Exchange is one of the Mads’ best of the season (right behind Renaissance Fair punching bags) and maybe one of their most evil inventions; they’re on a roll so far this season. “By the Fire’s Glow” is one of my faves; “tragic occurrence when you light off a roman candle in the rumpus room.” Of the ones unseen, I love “He Raises a Hand in Anger” and “Dad’s Liquid Breakfast.” So dark. . . .
All the Host Segments are solid, if not great, and the riffing never slows. As far as the running joke of the Bots freaking out during the green-tinted-tracking-shot-basement-scenes, I really like how they handle it, the gag doesn’t get old for me. At first Crow is the only one scared, then Servo starts getting freaked. I love when they’re scampering around and Joel has to corral them back to their seats. They do a good job of bringing levity to some otherwise boring, dull scenes while also calling attention to how obvious it is that those scenes are just pure filler.
This episode would be a good double bill with ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE.
Yeah, sure, this movie’s got Ben Murphy, but it also has an onscreen reunion of Austin Stoker (as Dr. Ken Melrose) and Darwin Joston (Lt. Plummer) who are both in John Carpenter’s awesome ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (1976). Great movie and they’re both great in it (as the leads).
Also, the head of the school James Karen (“Boy does he have an identity crisis.”) was Frank in RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD. And it should be no surprise to anyone that most of the cast of this stinker appeared in lots of horror films in the 80’s and 90’s.
Naturally they reference horror films quite a bit in this one, including:
Crow: “Last Tomb on the Left.”
Servo: “Meanwhile, in Friday the 13th.”
Crow: “Willard, no!”
–
MORE RIFFS AND THINGS
Joel: “Lovejoy, on A&E.”
Crow: “Oh no, my mom found my stash.”
Joel: “Man if we could see that, it’d be real scary.”
Joel: “Bad movie? You’re soaking in it.” —–Callback to GIANT GILA MONSTER.
movie: “Name a restaurant, baby.”
Crow: “Sizzler. tehehehehehe” ——SAMPO’s fave riff, and I agree. This one kills me!!
Crow: “Jim Henson’s Baby Babies.” ——-Oh c’mon, haters. THAT one is funny!
Crow: “AH! Asparagus Man!”
Servo (translating the Egyptian stuff in the movie): “In Heaven there is no beer, that’s why we drink it. . .huh? What the?” ———I just watched a documentary on polka music called IN HEAVEN THERE IS NO BEER. Title comes from a polka song. (ps – good movie)
quick, hilarious shot of the mummy just. . .floating along. .,
JOEL: “He’s at the airport now.”
Servo: “Why doesn’t he save a trip and get two at a time?”
Crow: “Welcome to the annunciation seminar.”
during the blinking light of the mummy’s crystals,
ALL: “EAT AT JOE’S. EAT AT JOE’S” —–This became an injoke for me and some friends in high school, as one of the popular eateries in town was Joe’s Pizza, which was also on one of the corners of the cruise route (I’m from originally from small town USA, do people know what cruise routes are?) so invariably, on a weekend night we’d drive past Joe’s a dozen times or so. Every time, I’d say “EAT AT JOE’S” which probably annoyed them, but eventually it became an injoke. Ahhhh, memories…
–
BEING FROM ANOTHER PLANET is a pretty terrible movie, but is it worse than Robot vs. Aztec Mummy, Side Hackers, Cave Dwellers, Catalina Caper, Pod People, Hellcats, Daddy-O, Rocket Attack USA, Earth vs. the Spider, Ring of Terror, It Conquered the World, Lost Continent, Moon Zero Two, Women of the Prehistoric Planet, Time of the Apes, Wild Rebels, Stranded in Space, King Dinosaur, Mighty Jack, Rocketship X-M, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, The Unearthly, Teenage Caveman, First Spaceship to Venus, Space Travelers, Giant Gila Monster, Teenagers from Outer Space, City Limits, War of the Colossal Beast, The Amazing Colossal Man, Fugitive Alien, Fugitive Alien II, Master Ninja, Gamera, Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, Gamera vs. Zigra, Gamera vs. Barugon, Gamera vs. Guiron, or Castle of Fu-Manchu????
um, maybe..?
–
BEING FROM ANOTHER PLANET gets 5 big mummy crystals from me!
5/5 !
And the obligatory Eric J Out of left field Mike Bashing and nerd defending. This guy is to Mike Nelson what Ann Coulter is to Obama.
Ugh, what a slog this episode is. I put it to you that there was no period in our nation’s history that looked more bland and boring than the early 1980s. Dull people in bland rooms talking boringly about nothing – that’s what I think of when I think of this movie. Hell, they even made a full-frontal shower scene uninteresting.
My copy of this episode is from its July 4, 1992 premiere, with the 4th of July Weenie Roast bumpers intact. I always find it odd that this episode premiered on Independence Day, since I always think of it as MST3K’s Halloween episode. The movie’s set at Halloween, and the bots dress as mummies in one segment and lead Joel through their “haunted house” in another. I’d likely watch this one traditionally every October if it were a better episode.
By the way…
RIP Tom Kennedy (the director)
Favorite line (Especially the way Trace delivers it)
“Go get Ken Melrose, He’ll touch ANYTHING”
Ha! I was just bopping around on the website “Letters of Note” and ran across a memo about actors under consideration for various roles when they were casting “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Among the actors considered for the role of Riker?…. Ben Murphy.
Oh, now I can’t get that image out of my head!
“Jbagels says:
And the obligatory Eric J Out of left field Mike Bashing and nerd defending. This guy is to Mike Nelson what Ann Coulter is to Obama.”
No, that was not simply Mike-bashing. Eric is responding to someone else’s statement that the Billy Mumy sketch is “stupid” and “not funny”, specifically because it’s about the ’60s, and because “that’s what Frank and Joel like”.
Eric made a valid point about the death of “the right people will get it” later in the series. Nothing ruffles my feathers more than someone coming along and saying basically, “the show was better later, when they didn’t make those stupid old references I don’t get.”
I would have said basically the same thing that Eric said, and I’m no Mike-basher.
Boy has this episode prompted a lot of deep analysis. When this one was new I enjoyed it so much I really didn’t notice just how bad the movie was ( same with City Limits. Maybe I’m more of an 80’s kid than I realize). I think the Tragic Moments figurines might be the best invention exchange ever. Very Charles Addams.
BTW: how the heck do you post a photo next to your name here?
I hear you but if you ever read this site then you know this guy bashes Mike pretty much every chance he can get with no warrant. Maybe this time it made sense since the previous commenter made reference to the Joel era so my apologies if I spoke out of line but this guy has a reputation.
@41 dad1153 – I saw that too and was going to post about it. One of the few times nudity snuck into the show, along with the lady’s butt Joel briefly missed with his umbrella in City Limits and a woman’s shirt being torn off during the random dance fight in The Creeping Terror.
@67 Cornjob – Gravatar.com. The info is by the Preview button below.
I think those taking sides on Joel/Mike and their “eras” of MST3K is just, well, sad. Still seems to me like there are people who make this like being a Democrat/Republican (I’ll leave it anyone else to decide which side is which).
Of course, it’s all fun to watch the two sides bicker and throw insults back and forth. I say keep it coming. :-)
You enjoy the flame war bickering, Ralph? It just makes me tired and headachey and sad that the show I love can inspire such vitriol.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans will notice the Bronze and parts of Sunnydale High in this movie!
This, unfortunately, is one of those rare misties that I can never remember.
It is not that I don’t like it; I have watched it a few times since it originally aired, but when I go over episode titles I can usually remember SOMETHING about each one. However, this one always leaves me blank. I can’t tell you who is in it, and I can’t think of a single riff. That is very unusual for me.
Sorry guys, but there is one like this for all of us.
I really enjoy this episode. Not as much as Riding with Death, but believe it or not, I actually enjoyed seeing Ben Murphy in another episode. He’s no stellar actor, but he’s not horrid.
…and I’m with Sampo. Far from being the worst movie they ever had done up to that point, I think it’s one of the better movies. …but I also enjoy Radar Secret Service and The Killer Shrews to an inordinate degree…so I might just be very strange. :)
Favorite riff:
Ben Murphy: You’ve been x-raying that mummy with ten times the normal dose!
Crow: He could DIE!
“The worst movie we’ve ever done?”
Ohhhhh, just wait, my friend….
The movie’s horrible, but the episode is pretty good.
I saw Riding with Death long before I saw this, so I was surprised to see that Ben Murphy was in this. I wasn’t surprised to see him getting riffed left and right.
The bots getting scared at the mummy point of view shots always amused me. My favorite riff is “He just invented Shake-A-Puddin’.”
The skits were about as good as the movie parts, if not better. The Tragic Moments figurines might be one of the best Invention Exchange items featured on the show.
The stinger of the screaming administrator is one of my favorites too.
The costume party and mummy in this make good timing for the Halloween weekend. That’s probably been a weekend discussion already.
Is that a semi-professional opinion? Of a highly disturbed individual?
Pair 405 with 604 and serve with fun size snickers. Please don’t snag on the trick or treaters, though.
“I’ll get it…”
Love this episode!!!
I have to say this is only a middle-of-the-road episode for me. Not bad, but not great. With the exception of the Tragic Moments figurines. By far one of the best invention exchanges of the entire series. That had me rolling the first time I saw this. I actually live relatively near to Carthage Missouri (and been through many times), where they make the Precious Moments figurines(I hate those things so much…), so there’s an extra layer of funny to me.
Normally, people being stupid in movies annoys me. I barely even registered it for this, since I EXPECT people in ‘horror’ movies to be completely incompetent & dumb.
I remember listening to Dr. Demento every Saturday night for years, and until I saw this episode I had no idea Billy Mumy had anything to do with the song Fish Heads. Life was pretty rough before the internet. I enjoyed Lost In Space, and later I thought he was great in Babylon 5.
Just watched this one again a few weeks ago! As I said the last time this was on the episode guide rotation back in 2011 (wow, where’d the time go?), this is one of my favorites. ’80s movie, college setting, a mummy/alien, + Ben Murphy and Shari Belafonte both trying to be cool and failing miserably + Metroid reference for Nintendo fanatics such as myself = WIN. Tragic Momemnts is also one of the best opening skits ever. Also, I forgot this was called Time Walker until I saw it recently at Barnes and Noble on the back of one of those cheap “grab bag” type horror DVDs which have a bunch of D-grade movies on them.
One question I have is what happened to the kid whose arm was disgustingly infected soaking in a pan? Was there a cut scene showing if he died or if they were able to save his arm?
Another favorite line:
“What’d ya do with those crystals???”
Tom: “Flavor crystals!!!”
I love love LOVE this episode, from the truly inspired “Tragic Moments” figurines to the “put your hands the bowls of goo” to the classic Billy Mumy sketch(Babylon 5 would premier after this episode aired, sorry Crow)
The brown-nosing administrative guy is one of my all-time favorite characters, he’s so perfectly unlikable.
Some fave riffs:
“Ooh, she has missed the pool and that will affect her score.”
“Clown!”
“Take that back or I’ll squirt you with my flower!”
“DOO-DOO-DOO-DOO!!!”
“Geez, how many times is that computer gonna do that!?”
“I’m Cleopatra!”
“Queen of Denial!”
“Can I go back to my game? I was up to the third level in ‘Metroid’.” (although Metroid doesn’t have levels…>_>)
And of course the entire Ludlum Library (say that ten times fast…)
After four years, Google searching is STILL unable to dig up what exactly was a Shocking Expose of Souls in Bondage, or a Bikini-Clad Romp Through Summer’s Fun. (Particularly as IMDB or Trailers From Hell don’t do searches on Taglines.)
We’re not just going to leave these gauntlets thrown to us by the Joel era unanswered, are we?
Yes, there’s a scene later (actually in the MST3k version) where a nurse walks in & finds him (presumably) dead with half his body covered in rot/fungus/dissolving skin. It’s just after the guy discovers that x-rays make the fungus grow, and calls in to warn them not to x-ray the kid (though he was too late).
“A new high in adventure when they go thrill-deep in danger.” – Unknown World, 1951
while not the WORST movie they’ve done…it’s um really not good
I’m trying to think if there’s a MSTed movie with a more misleading title.
I know I shouldn’t take this stuff seriously, but the relationship between Prof. Ben and his student girlfriend has always kind of creeped me out. These days faculty get fired for that.
I vividly remember watching this one of the Fourth of July, 1992. I’ve always enjoyed this episode. While it’s not the greatest, it’s still a very good one. Also, it’s one of the elusive episodes that’s still not on official dvd. That probably explains why were still not at 100 posts for this episode. And for more fun involving the actor who over pronounces and screams at his melting hand, check out Cinematic Titanic’s “Rattlers”! He gives a better performance!
405 – Being From Another Planet
Memorable Riffs:
(“Robert Random” appears on-screen)
Crow: “Oh, they picked him out of nowhere.”
(“Melissa Prophet” appears on-screen)
Joel: “I predict her career will go nowhere.”
(students remove mummy)
Crow: “Oh, phew! Light a match!”
Student: “Why would he have been given a hasty burial?”
Crow: “Oh, like I was there?”
Crow: “She can’t stand the sight of pudding.”
Crow: “They TP’ed her!”
Character: “Hey, Bill?”
Joel: “I’ve got the wedding bell blues!”
Crow: “… and get me a pound of goat cheese!”
Character: “it’s like the fungus—“
J&TB: “… among us!”
Crow: “Oh, she missed the pool! That will affect her score!”
Fav. Riff:
Crow: “Hello, Winchell’s? Send me a police officer right over!”
Comments:
– Servo’s hands are still flesh colored.
– That Leonard Nimoy riff kinda stings now due to Nimoy’s recent passing.
– We see Joel take off Servo’s red cap in Segment 1. He does it again in Segment 3.
– The comic book/graphic novel debate returns.
– Why is Crow so freaked out by the boiler room?
– Dirty riff: “Oh, so we’ve got 5 minutes!”
– This film is similar to ‘Pod People’, in the sense that there’s about 3 different plots, different sets of characters going on and running about.
– As noted by many fans, the robots were regularly mean to Mike, but rarely tormented Joel. Segment 2 is an example of the bots not being too kind to Joel (although he gets the better of them by the end).
– Gypsy’s lips are still black.
– Oh come on, Servo! The movie wasn’t that bad!
Best Segment: The Bill Mumy segment.
Worst Segment: A boring opening segment.
Overall: Average. ** 1/2
405 Being from another planet is my second favorite Mst3k of all time (301 Cave Dwellers is my first)!!! I Taped this off Comedy Central in 1995!! I still have the tape!!!
It’s always great to see ol’ Ben Murphy again. Robert Denby eluded this entire film, though.
I enjoyed this one a lot. They really got on a fun roll riffing the names in the opening credits. If it sagged it was never for long.
Brandon Pierce #89: As noted by many fans, the robots were regularly mean to Mike, but rarely tormented Joel. Segment 2 is an example of the bots not being too kind to Joel (although he gets the better of them by the end).
They would torment Joel again in HS #1 of (har) Tormented.
@86 – Why is that? It does involve a being from another planet.
Not sure what other episodes would qualify. Half of “The Indestructible Man” is incorrect.
@ #86: That was the subject of a Weekend discussion some time back.
To me this movie in the bottom 10 of the worst movies they did. Not the episode itself, because the MST3K people had the talent to make even crap like this one worth sitting through. Sometimes you wonder how movies like this even get made.
@Terry the Sensitive Knight:
“Can I go back to my game? I was up to the third level in ‘Metroid’.” (although Metroid doesn’t have levels…>_>)”
True its actually an “open world” game (before “open world” was a heavily referenced “thing” like it is now) but I still give them props for using Metroid for their Nintendo reference instead of something like Mario or Zelda which have bigger audiences. I love riffs like this where they are really reaching out to a key segment of fans.
@Bruce Boxliker
“Yes, there’s a scene later (actually in the MST3k version) where a nurse walks in & finds him (presumably) dead with half his body covered in rot/fungus/dissolving skin. It’s just after the guy discovers that x-rays make the fungus grow, and calls in to warn them not to x-ray the kid (though he was too late).”
Really? I’ll have to rewatch but I’m pretty sure it was the baby sitter in the “don’t X-Ray!!!” scene?
@Brandon Pierce:
“As noted by many fans, the robots were regularly mean to Mike, but rarely tormented Joel. Segment 2 is an example of the bots not being too kind to Joel (although he gets the better of them by the end).”
Don’t forget Crow and Tom really worked Joel over good in his Soda Jerk skit in the Giant Gila Monster. They actually revel in mocking him and deliberately undermine the sketch, it was almost Mike era levels of disrespect.
Oh yeah, can’t believe I forgot to add that I loved Bill Mumy as Lennier in Babylon 5, funny that this episode aired the year before the show launched. That skit gave me a chuckle years later as an avid B5 fan.
Servo actually does this: when the title comes up on the screen, he says, “Being from another planet, I didn’t have much to do with this movie!”
“Don’t worry Susie, there isn’t enough in the budget for us to kill ya!”
In terms of Ben Murphy goodness, this episode can’t hold a candle to “Riding With Death” but still fun to watch. As with “City Limits” I am curious if this played any better before Film Ventures got its hands on it. I would think that at least there was some denouement after the weasely dean’s aide (just why did he have it in for Murphy’s character so bad here?) fried his hand.