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Episode guide: 815- Agent for H.A.R.M.

Movie: (1966) A fey spy is assigned to protect a scientist from foreign agents.

First shown: 8/2/97
Opening: M&tB are into “extreme” things
Intro: Mike is put on trial for his crimes against the universe
Host segment 1: Pearl and Bobo give their opening statements
Host segment 2: The bots give their video depositions
Host segment 3: Observer takes the stand
End: Crow and Tom hold a candlelight vigil, and the judge gives his verdict and sentence
Stinger: Spaz chop!
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (229 votes, average: 4.59 out of 5)

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• This is another one of those episodes where the segments kind of overwhelm the movie and the movie riffing. I hadn’t seen this episode in a while, and my memory of it was that the movie just kind of laid there and didn’t give them a lot to work with. I liked the movie segments more on this viewing, but still I think the segments are the real standout element. Kevin and Mary Jo are both terrific.
• This episode is included in Shout’s “Mystery Science Theater 3000: Vol. XXXIII.”
Bill’s take is here.
• As Bill notes, that’s Bill as judge, except when Paul fills in at one point.
References.
• This was the episode in which Patrick took over as Gypsy—and with his arrival every single actor who had been an on-camera regular when the show began had been replaced with other performers. Has that ever happened on any other show?
• I believe the opening segment features the first mention of Mike’s love of rice.
• As somebody noted in the comments, Mike is really not responsible for the first two planets being destroyed. The monkeys destroyed the first one and the nanites destroyed the second one. Camping Planet is on him, however.
• The one henchman looks vaguely like Prince, and that’s enough for an avalanche of Prince references. Mike tries to put an end to it, but then HE does one a little while later!
• The preppy looking henchman also prompts a lot of funny preppy voiced riffs.
• Mike wears his prisoner hat during all the movie riffing segments. No way to know for sure if he’s wearing the full costume.
• The last time we saw Brad “Little Amish Boy” Keeley on camera was in episode 507- I ACCUSE MY PARENTS when he played Rodney the exotic cake dancer.
• Oh, and: my copy has a commercial for Sci-Fi Channel’s “extra-sensory summer” that includes a mention of the “Making of MST3K” documentary.
• My copy also has a commercial for a repeat of episode 803- THE MOLE PEOPLE.
• Daleism: As Dr. Stefanik dies, he holds his hand up: Crow: He thought he was Dale! Note: This may be the final Daleism. It’s the last one I have a notation for.
• Cast and crew roundup: Producer Joseph F. Robertson also produced “The Crawling Hand” and “Slime People.” Special effects guy Harry S. Woolman also worked on “Hangar 18,” “The Incredible Melting Man” and “Laserblast.” Makeup guy Marc Snegoff also worked in “Catalina Caper.” Production manager Lou Place also worked on “It Conquered the World,” he directed “Daddy-O” and was assistant director for “The Undead.” He also acted in “Swamp Diamonds.” Score composer Gene Kauer also worked on “The Atomic Brain” and “Beast of Yucca Flats.”
In front of the camera: Wendell Corey also appeared in “Women of the Prehistoric Planet” and Rafael Campos also appeared in “Girl in Gold Boots.”
• CreditsWatch: Produced by Kevin Murphy and directed by Mike Nelson, the first time he’s directed this season. Patrick is listed as Gypsy for the first time. Bob Seabold finishes up a two-episode stint at grip.
• Fave line: “They’re out of fumar! Now what do we do?” Honorable mention: “First rule of women everywhere: First, do no HARM.”

152 Replies to “Episode guide: 815- Agent for H.A.R.M.”

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  1. monoceros4 says:

    But just think, if it were “Trash” from Escape 2000 with that pop gun, he wouldn’t merely have been able to shoot the bad guy, but he would have succeeded in blowing up the whole plane.

       3 likes

  2. mikek says:

    Yep, Adam’s gun was ridiculous. It’s completely impractical and I don’t anyone who saw the movie was ever fooled by it. I can’t know that for certain, but I think most people have the sense to think, “that gun is really small.”

       1 likes

  3. JCC says:

    The first bump in the road for awhile, in my opinion anyway. I rarely revisit it but I did recently and the riffing is okay but the movie is kind of a wet blanket. Besides the women who are more than fine there is nothing here visually stimulating for a 60’s spy movie. It’s above a Sid & Marty Krofft production as far as production values go, but below a typical Monkee’s episode. It looks like it was filmed exclusively in two locations in Playa Del Rey, California which is a great place but ho hum for an exciting spy thriller. Baby Woman is hot though.

    Judo Range…

       4 likes

  4. JCC says:

    “Actually Marina Del Rey… I recognized the street sign in one shot. Don’t know if the house is still there, or if anyone’s helming it.” (#32)

    Ha, well there you go. James Bond wouldn’t be caught dead in such a non-exotic place.

    “But WTF is that amorphous blob seen on the beach after Chance rescues her from the dune buggy?” (#14)

    Seriously, WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING!? When I first saw this episode I thought it was some kind of Mutant Jellyfish or something’s severed head, but it’s never pointed out or mentioned again.

       1 likes

  5. Spector says:

    Love, love, love this episode! Another gem which makes Season Eight amongst the best in the show’s long history. The host segments with Mike on trial for “the wanton destruction of several planets” prosecuted by Pearl and defended by Bobo are hilarious, especially Bobo’s cross-examination of Observer.

    The riffing through this episode is first-rate from the opening sequence (“ah,the traditional running of the Clouseaus”) to the end (“Case closed.” “And bar open, c’mon let’s go…”), which makes this in my opinion the best of the bad 1960s’ spy movies they’ve done, yes, even better than Secret Agent Super Dragon and Danger! Death Ray. Hey, Sampo, maybe that’ll be a good topic, rating the best of the spy movies?

    Anyway, this is one of my favorite episodes and in my opinion is among the best in the series history. It’s among the episodes I show friends when I want to turn them on to the wonder that is MST3k.

       0 likes

  6. Wampa Joe says:

    I feel like the host segments of this episode actually justify the whole “season long arc” concept that seems to get some fans up in arms. The intricate brilliance of the trial wouldn’t be possible without the slow world-destroying build. I like my MST3K slightly more adventurous.

    And after rewatching this episode, I feel like an expert on pies. “Well, I like them that way.” “Some folk do, some folk do…”

       5 likes

  7. Keith Palmer says:

    This episode was the first one from the “Sci-Fi” era I managed to see, and I’ve got to say it made for a fine introduction to that period for me (even with host segments sort of referencing back to the earlier episodes of the season…) The last time I rewatched it, though, was as part of a special project to watch all the “James Bond ripoffs” the series handled, and for some peculiar reason the riffing seemed to me to get just a little mean-spirited near the end of the movie, which may have slightly affected my enjoyment. Still, I’d continue to agree with the positive comments, and the movie’s opening sequence (including its credits) just might be one of my favourite concentrated bits of MST3K itself.

       0 likes

  8. Stickboy says:

    I love how almost every episode is someone’s favorite and someone’s most hated.

       6 likes

  9. Gorn Captain says:

    I wonder if anybody who paid money to see this back in the 60’s suspected they were having an unsold tv series pilot foisted on them.

    I flash back to this film every time I head down Pacific Coast Highway. Some of those buildings look the same today!

       0 likes

  10. Fart Bargo says:

    JCC @ 54-I thought I was the only one who spotted and obsessed over IT! WTMF is that?! I was trying to figure if it was spore gun related but the editing is so choppy I just can’t tell. I hope someone helps out with this?

       0 likes

  11. Warren says:

    “The annual running of the Clouseaus” This episode is good, albeit slow. Has anybody seen my raspberry beret? The kind you get at a second-hand store. I can’t watch that ST:TNG rerun “The Neutral Zone” (with Peter Mark Richman) and not think of Mr. Smug copping a feel. “Oh no let’s go!”

       2 likes

  12. TarlCabot says:

    Gentlemen, I implore you: no fumar!

       1 likes

  13. crowschmo says:

    Agent for H.A.R.M : Starring has-beens and never wases.

    This one was pretty good. Draggy in spots, but some good lines. I’m not even gonna mention the host segments anymore, unless I actually LIKE them. You all know my feelings on the Sci-Fi host segs.

    Some fave lines:

    “Ah – it’s the Eastern Europe part of California.” – Crow

    “Ah – it was worth killing to find the perfect picnic spot.” – Mike

    “Does he have to die splayed all over that other guy?” – Servo

    “Gerd your Oswalds – it’s going to be a tough one.” – Mike

    “Meet me at the karate rink later.” – Crow
    (Judo range?) :???:

    “Ohh, so you get the new Map Channel.” – Mike

    “My apologies for my odd performance.” – Mike

    “Let me come over there…be there in a moment…hold on…almost there…okay.” – Mike

    “I’ll just need an hour to figure out your metaphor.” – Mike

    “Oh, no! It’s 11:22!” – Mike

    “Actual film from the highway department.” – Mike

    “Watch me open the HELL out of this door.” – Crow

    “White things – get your white things.” – Servo

    “So, he’s really a serial killer sanctioned by the government.” – Mike

    “I wish I had the slightest idea of what the hell I was doing.” – Mike

    “That could be any one of the other two characters.” – Crow

    “I sure hope I don’t park on any tequila bottles.” – Crow

    “He walks directly to his right fron tire on a hunch.” – Mike

    “Well, they’re out of fumar – now what do we do?” – Mike

    “You know, this movie can be used to induce vomiting.” – Mike

    “I didn’t tell the audience ’cause I didn’t think they needed to know.” – Servo

    “Man, so many people poured their entire weekend into the making of this movie.” – Mike

    And…

    “When in the world – please visit a location near you.” – Servo

    Ooops, that was long. Sorry. :wink:

       2 likes

  14. Fantagor says:

    The star is a repulsive, unctuous, smirking weasel who looks about as sex as Fred Garvin, male prostitute. The only redeeming quality is the hot baby woman.

    I defy anyone to diagram the plot. It’s actually less coherent than Manos or Monster A Go-Go. In fact, a simple background check on the niece and housing the doctor in an undisclosed military-protected facility unravels the entire spool of nonsense.

    Randy

       1 likes

  15. crowschmo says:

    right fronT tire.

       0 likes

  16. John says:

    The southern lawyer, tripping up the witness on the details of baking pies…feels like a specific film reference that I can’t quite put my finger on. More than just Matlock/Atticus Finch; that there’s a movie where this lawyer/witness interaction is a key plot point. Anyone?

       0 likes

  17. snowdog says:

    I love how Bobo warns us that we’re going to hear the word “panties” a lot. The word never gets mentioned again in the trial, but it turns up three times in the riffing!

    Also, they did one of my favorite gags where M&tB add sound effects to some small detail in the movie. Last week, it was squeaky glasses. This time it was beehive hairdo.

       5 likes

  18. RockyJones says:

    Watching Bobo’s courtroom performance, I tend to get more of a Spencer Tracy, “Inherit The Wind” vibe from it. Definitely Kevin’s finest “Bobo moment”…and outstanding performances by the whole cast of characters. This is one I can see repeatedly without getting tired of the movie OR the host segments.

    I think this is probably my favorite of the spy genre flicks…simply because it’s SO atypical of any other spy movie they covered. (“He maintains an appliance!…Ba-da-Da-DAHHHHH!”) And…am I the only one who’s still dumbfounded by the fact that mister action hero Adam “H.A.R.M.” Chance didn’t seem to possess the ability to walk and speak at the same time? I don’t believe he utters one single word in the entire film whlle his feet are moving. WTF? And I LOVE the endless Prince jokes! (“Oh no, LET’S GO!”)

    A solid 5 stars from me!

       0 likes

  19. Colin says:

    I’m probably not gonna make any friends by saying this, but I always thought, with the exception of the intro, the host segments were kinda slow-moving. Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen any of the movies Kevin is supposed to be referencing.

       1 likes

  20. RockyJones says:

    forgot to add…

    It seems logical that Kevin would be mimicking “Inherit the Wind”, since it’s a dramatization of the Scopes “MONKEY” Trial! I mean, it makes the whole concept even more perfect!

       2 likes

  21. Sampo says:

    #58: “I love how almost every episode is someone’s favorite and someone’s most hated.”

    That, my friend, is Sampo’s Theorem in action. For those who don’t remember, Sampo’s Theorem states: “For every MSTie who says a given episode is the worst ever, there is another who considers it their finest hour.”

       10 likes

  22. This Guy says:

    The host segments in this one are stellar, but the movie segments also crack me up. I especially love the sarcastic singing of the Bond theme whenever something particularly unexciting happens. I wouldn’t have thought you could sing an instrumental theme sarcastically, but they found a way.
    This movie has a triple Trek connection: Not only did Barbara Bouchet appear in TOS’s “By Any Other Name,” as mentioned, but Peter Mark Richman also went on to guest star in TNG’s “The Neutral Zone” as a cryogenically-frozen 20th-century businessman, and director Gerd Oswald directed two episodes of TOS, “The Conscience of the King” and “The Alternative Factor.”

       2 likes

  23. Funny moments, but the movie itself is probably the most boring secret agent movie MST3K ever showed. The constant Bond theme moments are classic though. :mrgreen:

       2 likes

  24. SimonArk says:

    It’s been stated already, the Panties thing is Jimmy Stewart in Anatomy of a Murder. Just him and George C. Scott saying panties, angrily, at each other, till the word loses all meaning.

    It’s a good reference, but trust me, the original gritty court drama IS funnier.

    Pies and trials? It’s all the trial scene from Alice in Wonderland, isn’t it?

       0 likes

  25. norgavue says:

    I had a theory that the jellyfish mutant thing in the water was the surfing kid hit with a sporegun before they raid the house. Course I had no evidence other than that he is around in the movie to back this up. However this last statement makes more sense than the movie. He is the worst secret agent ever. This movie reeks of made for tv repacked for the cinema all over it and that is what makes it a good movie prime for riffing. Add the stellar host segments and you got a awesome episode. An odd bit of episode for me is a couple of years ago when watching it a friend of mine was playing jet grind radio in the same room. So for some reason every time I see this episode I think of grafiti and roller blades. As for a favorite riff I will go with “I can have you sent back” – I have the receipt.

       1 likes

  26. Nicias says:

    I love this one, but I have a real soft spot for all the bad spy movies that they did on the show. Such a recognizable genre that it’s easy for them to slam these mediocre attempts by referencing much better spy films. While it’s no “Danger! DeathRay” or “Double 007,” I don’t think this movie is nearly as dull as most people; between bikini girl, the Prince look-a-like, the mincing effeminate commies and some bizarre action scenes (Gingivitis!!!) I think there’s a lot of wacky stuff to mock in this one. Although I must say that it is very depressing to see Wendell Corey slurring his way through his lines in this film. All the more so considering that he died of liver failure two years later.

    Also, we learn yet again that all the most brilliant and internationally celebrated scientists maintain their laboratories at their private residences, typically either in a basement or a cramped loft. I mean seriously, doesn’t Dr. Stefanik’s weekly monkey deliveries start to cause at least some suspicion in the beachfront neighborhood?

    Another film devoid of likeable characters. However, I find Dr. Stefanik marginally less clueless than the rest of the cast. This is another one of those films where the sidekick has far more brains and capability than the supposed “hero” (see Puma Man). Our lame superspy Adam stumbles around blindly, while Stefanik manages take down the enemy leader despite having been shot and poisoned.

    My favorite scene is where Adam is in engaged in a gunfight on the beach, when the clean-cut commie agent in the sensible sweater drives by in his car/boat, blandly firing his pistol as Mike calls out “Morning!” It’s like if Ward Cleaver just snapped one day and went on a cheerful killing spree through the neighborhood.

       1 likes

  27. Finnias Jones says:

    #75: “I had a theory that the jellyfish mutant thing in the water was the surfing kid hit with a sporegun before they raid the house.”

    Yeah that sounds right. They made a point of establishing that character’s presence at the beach earlier. Maybe his demise was edited (for time) by the Brains.

    I’m surprised Sampo didn’t mention it in his intro but Ward-E features a list of Prince references from this and other MST3K episodes: https://www.mst3kinfo.com/ward_e/listprince.html

       0 likes

  28. mikek says:

    ” 56
    Wampa Joe says:
    November 19th, 2009 at 4:49 pm

    I feel like the host segments of this episode actually justify the whole “season long arc” concept that seems to get some fans up in arms. The intricate brilliance of the trial wouldn’t be possible without the slow world-destroying build. I like my MST3K slightly more adventurous.”

    I agree. I know that the Brains weren’t thrilled about the “story arc” idea commanded by the Sci-Fi Channel. However, all these years later, when we are able to watch the episodes in order, I’m really glad that it was done.

       2 likes

  29. mikek says:

    Now, I’m expert on automobile repair, but is it at all possible for glass shards to puncture a tire? How the heck could the glass of a broken liquor bottle poke a hole into the tire of Chance’s car? It makes no sense at all. :???:

       0 likes

  30. The Bolem says:

    Finally got the “panties, panties, panties…” reference within the last year, as I not only got to see ‘Anatomy of a Murder’ on the big screen, but got to visit key locations of the movie and the scene of the actual crime that inspired it in Marquette this summer! The basement of what’s now a print shop has a wall the entire cast had to sign in order to get their paychecks, and the bar still has an outline on the floor that may or may not be in the proper spot.

    What’s troubling about that bit though, is that it does indeed arise out of the courtroom crowd giggling whenever our, um, heroine mentions her panties…while giving a detailed account of the night she claims to have been raped. I certainly hope that wasn’t based in reality, but an iffy decision by the producers to add comic relief to quell the controversy of saying “rape”, “panties”, and “army slut” for the first time (?) in a Hollywood movie. I like to think I have an above average grasp of history, but should I infer from this that the Stephen King episode of ‘Family Guy’ was correct in stating that rape was basically legal in the ’50s since it wasn’t talked about as long as all parties involved were of the same race/ethnicity? No, of course I shouldn’t…but no account of history captures all the nuances, so it’ll always be a nagging doubt in my mind, especially when there’s a story about the Ten Commandments being posted in a courthouse amidst talk of “turning back the clock”. And were STOP signs once yellow and black? Little things like that get lost to the ages all too fast, and…

    Oh, right this movie. Finnias@14, I have ‘Don’t Torture a Duckling’ on DVD and never made the connection about Barbara Bouchet. Gotta’ go back and…

    Sorry, trailed off again, THIS movie. Okay. For me, this one was as elusive as last ep’s Robert Denby, being the one ep that always aired when I had no VHS tape handy. I taped Gorgo, no problem, but for some reason not this, so I hadn’t seen it for almost a decade until youtubing last summer. Never saw any other Bondwannabe experiments until Rhino’s last Super-Secret-Agent release, so I can’t say how this stacks up.

    The sarcastic 007 sting music (“Thrill as he – MAINTAINS AN APPLIANCE!”) and Judo-Range jokes were bits I routinely recited for friends who’d never seen the SciFi era (although I may be horribly misquoting/spelling them here). “We’ll probably shoot some skeet-kendo, so don’t forget to bring your haikido rifle”. “Haikido-Rifle” always sounds like a weapon from later Mega Man games when they’d exhausted most logical ideas and got a tad nonsensical.

    The Prince jokes are sort of a catch-22 for me. They don’t cease to be funny here…but do seem a tad regrettable upon viewing the next episode, PRINCE of Space, wherein it seemed they made a lot less than they could have for fear of the previous experiment’s deluge running the artist into the ground. Ah well, the movie in 816 gave them a lot more to work with in the way of iconic performances, so it wasn’t necessary.

    And speaking of iconic performances, I can’t believe no one’s mentioned the greatest witness of all! The first, shocking reappearance of the star of their oiliest SciFi outing: ORTEGA lives!!!!!!

       2 likes

  31. Joe Moss says:

    Barbara Bouchet? I LIKE Barbara Bouchet.

       5 likes

  32. Wampa Joe says:

    Not only does Ortega appear, but I believe they make their final reference to Torgo (or rather, his theme) in the theater.

       4 likes

  33. touches no one's life, then leaves says:

    >>>Pies and trials? It’s all the trial scene from Alice in Wonderland, isn’t it?

    That was tarts, actually…

       2 likes

  34. touches no one's life, then leaves says:

    >>>I defy anyone to diagram the plot…a simple background check on the niece and housing the doctor in an undisclosed military-protected facility unravels the entire spool of nonsense.

    Well, that doesn’t necessarily make the plot incoherent, it just makes it poorly thought-out. I mean, it was comprehensible enough for those items to be pinpointed, right? ;-)

    Maybe HARM just has really really low funding. Money was probably mostly going to CONTROL back then. “Would you believe it?”

       1 likes

  35. DON3k says:

    I’ll Agent For H.A.R.M. You!!!!!

    BTW: Bad editing, right there at the end, when baby-woman tries to shoot Chance in the bedroom.

    I did some framecaps of it, Here Talk about bad aim!

    And the blob on the beach.. Yeah, I figured it was the surfer-kid. Must have been a cut scene.

       1 likes

  36. pearliemae says:

    Thank you #75 & 77. I love it when some piece of incomprehensible trivia from the ep is plausibly explained. It helps me sleep at night. I always assumed that the hideous pile of flotsom was a piece of a passing Tournament of Roses parade that fell off a float and landed in the water. But, it might have been Billy? It is simple, yet elegant. And, it makes an actual connection to something else in the movie. I think the term is continuity, but I’m not sure, since it’s something we don’t usually see in these “movies”. “Cowabunga, Billy!”

       2 likes

  37. pearliemae says:

    Sorry, another double post. Another ref I don’t think anyone has mentioned. When Bobo finishes his cross exam of Brain Guy and destroys his pie story, he starts saying “No, YOU’RE out of order! The courtroom is out of order! The candy machine by the men’s room is out of order!…” Isn’t that from the Al Pacino flick ‘…And Justice for All’? Good night, and may God bless.

       2 likes

  38. I’m typing up my comments for this episode. BAH-DAH-DAH-DAAAAAAAAAAH!

    Movie:
    * Starting with the ending, I don’t agree with the stinger for this episode. I really think it should have been the instance of Adam’s “DRIVE!!!” that prompts Servo’s, “Drive, while I do my grizzly bear impression!”
    * The only reason Adam Chance gets any women: Because the script tells them to be attracted to him.
    * Despite the convoluted plot, the villain is fairly competent in this one. The idea to contaminate the food/water supply with the spore is pretty fiendish. Only… who is he working for?
    * Despite the time difference, this and Being From Another Planet could be connected in a way because killer fungus/spore is featured in both.
    * Favorite riffs:
    “Santa came down from heaven and made him better!” – Mike
    “I’ll shoot you in the other pocket!” – Crow
    “Hey, you guys, I touched her boob! I’m not a virgin anymore!” – Servo

    Host Segments:
    * Mike is indirectly responsible for the destruction of the first two planets since he told the monkeys how to fix the bomb and authorized the nanites to take action.
    * For fans of the Phoenix Wright series, there’s a fan-made flash series called Phoenix Wrong that uses the sprites from the game with Crow’s video deposition dialogue somewhere out there online.
    * Favorite line: “Aaaaahhh…! Rice…! Uh… bazmati!”

       1 likes

  39. Fart Bargo says:

    @ 79-Yeah, in those days there were no steel belted tires and if you wore your tires it could be cut by running over a bottle. Bottles were built sturdier then and tires were flimsier.

    @ 75 & 77-thanks for your input and I considered both points on surfer as spore worthy. At least its confirm that the acutual answer lies on the editing floor.

       1 likes

  40. The Bolem says:

    For me, the shakiest part of the movie is the initial premise: a meterorite comes down behind the iron curtain, and upon investigation contiains some kind of spore lethal to humans. Actually a good start, assuming you’re going to go the route of say, “Resistance: the Fall of Man” (a “what if” alternate history branching off from the Tunguska incident, which was also likely the loose inspiration for this movie’s meteorite) or maybe “Andromeda Strain”; some sort of ‘mankind vs. an alien contagion’ deal, but updated from ’50s sci-fi attempts.

    But…no. Instead, the spores are immediately weaponized before an antidote is synthesized, despite the fact that the slightest mishandling of them could result in immediate death for everyone involved long before they proved effective against their enemies. I know all sides were paraniod in the cold war, but would any country have gotten desperate enough to do something this foolish? And as someone pointed out, diabolical as Winchester-Wee Herman’s crop-dusting plan is, spore guns are actually a tad less effective in direct combat than real guns. Although their design with the tiny-sausage tank in front may have inspired the creators of the Super-Soaker.

    Not that contaminated people turning into fungus isn’t scary. Mere hours after the last time I watched this, I reached into a bread bag I hadn’t touched in a while, was surprised that the contents felt moist, and pulled my hand out to find it completely covered in green mold! In that one second before it clicked with me that the bread had simply gone bad…well, Agent for M.A.S.K. – I mean H.A.R.M., officially became the MST3K episode that brought me closest to needing a Poopie-suit. Circumstances can make even the hokiest experiment scary.

       4 likes

  41. losingmydignity says:

    The movie is different than the other spy movies they did because it is oh so TV movie-ish…the did a great job with it. I think it’s the funniest of all the spy movies they ever did.

    I particularly love the double entendres riffed about Baby Girl and Our Hero. Such a California feel to this one, too. If I remember right there are appropriate Batman references.

    Bouchet was lovely, though she did star in some pretty sleezy stuff in the 70’s (not really a bad thing–search her on youtube) and lost way too much weight.

    The Judo Range girl was a playmate of the month in the 60’s. She passed away a few years ago. It’s too bad she wasn’t the star of the show.

    Great host segs too…they steadily improved at this point.

    A-

       0 likes

  42. ck says:

    “The Judo Range girl was a playmate of the month in the 60’s. She passed away a few years ago. It’s too bad she wasn’t the star of the show.
    ===================================
    Are you sure about that? From (granted not always reliable) Wikipedia:
    “Personal life
    In 1974, Barbara Bouchet married Luigi Borghese, a producer, and has two sons, Alessandro (b. 1976), a TV chef and Massimiliano (b. 1989), a bartender, by him. He subsequently produced some of her later films. She separated from her husband in 2006, citing different aspirations.

    She lives with her family in Rome. She continues to work actively in films and television as well as her various business enterprises.”

       1 likes

  43. Finnias Jones says:

    #90 & 91: There seems to be some confusion here about the actresses in this film.

    The big-thumbed secretary (Marian) is Donna Michelle who was Playboy’s Miss December 1963 and Playmate of the Year 1964. She died in 2004.

    Judo-range girl (credited as Mid-Eastern contact) was played by 1960’s “Miss Israel” Aliza Gur. She famously wrestled with Martine Beswick in From Russia with Love.

    Why the producers chose to focus on sweater-clad preppies instead of these two lovely ladies is a mystery.

       2 likes

  44. fathermushroom says:

    Some other bad science.

    The killer space-spore, that’ll do you in the blink of an eye, as it were, is being kept by Stefanik in a metal box in a cabinet. He just opens the box and shows the rock fragments to Chance. “No, don’t touch it!”

    Come on. Space suits are required here!

    I prefer Judo Range girl to Baby Girl myself. But I just love brunettes.

    Stefanik’s voice, accent, and face are in some ways so similar to the scientist in “Robot Monster” that I have sometimes wondered if they could actually be the same person. There’s only about 8 or 10 years between the films. Two different names on the actors, but could this be?

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  45. Clu Gulager says:

    I love this episode even more than last week’s. People seem to have mentioned pretty much all my favorite lines and bits (although i’m somewhat surprised only one person referenced the “Torgo’s Theme” comment) so i’ll skip that.

    I actually watched this episode last week. Not because I knew Sampo would be reviewing it for the guide, but because while I was perusing my Classic Movies On-Demand channel I noticed this film (unriffed of course) was listed in there. My first temptation was to watch the unriffed film, but it hardly seemed worth the $1.99 it would’ve cost me.

       1 likes

  46. Invasion of the Neptune Man says:

    We didn’t get cable before SciFi stopped showing this episode so I never saw it. I only saw the last 10 minutes of it on a MST marathon. I think I meant to tape it but screwed the set up. Now that my kid’s in school maybe I’ll watch it online.
    Anyway a non-soap that has replaced all it’s actors is Law & Order. Most of them have been replaced several times.

       3 likes

  47. fireballil says:

    This is one of the best of the Sci-Fi era eps. I gave it five stars. Most of the quotes and mometns that I liked have been mentioned, so I’m going to answer a few other posts:

    Neptune Man: While Law & Order have replaced actors, they were all different characters. MST3K replaced characters with different actors. That is unprecedented.

    The ‘blob’ posts: I imagine that was the surfer kid after getting spored. I’m surprised they didn’t mention it; maybe they forgot about him.

    The Prince riffs were good. I especially liked that when Crow mentioned ‘sugar walls,’ Mike said enough, then when Tom did a Prince wail, Crow shushed him.

    I was also surprised that when the big-thumbed secretary was seen, that no one said something to the effect of, ‘Well, even cowgirls get the blues.’ I say it every time I see that scene.

    As for the whole planet destruction, while Mike does share some responsibility for the first two, he’s not alone. On Monkey Earth, Pearl could have stopped the whole thing, but ran off. And Mike had no idea what ‘taking care of that little problem’ meant on the Observers’ planet. Besides, didn’t Crow bring them on the ship? Shouldn’t he be responsible for their actions? And I always thought Pearl had Brain Guy create the whole war scenario just to send the movie because she thought Mike would do something like this.

       4 likes

  48. Swann says:

    Its really nice, it’s all so pretty. happens all the time

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  49. robot rump! says:

    just ran in from the judo range to put in this post.
    this is one ep that i’m really dying to get on dvd. ‘Outlaw’ and Riding with Death being the other 2.
    true but shameful story based on this episode:
    a couple of years ago my department decided to do a pie baking contest for the holidays, inexplicibly they asked me to produce some flyers to put up in the break rooms. so i drew something that looked like what you’d get if Bobo and Urkel had a child and i used part of Bobo’s courtroom pie tirade as the text of the poster. people were totally lost by the man schnauzer thing wearing glasses and a suit but they thought the list of various pies was hillarious.
    *sigh* i guess on that sad note i’m going to down a beaker of spore, pop in some prince and shuffle of to the skeetkendo range.

       5 likes

  50. I can’t believe I haven’t written anything for this episode before. I absolutely loved this episode. I’m a sucker for the spy movies and this one was just cheesy crappy goodness.

    The Host Segments are the definite high point and Kevin steals the show as the southern attorney.

    The riffing was phenomenal (although the Prince references got old after the third one).

    I couldn’t stop laughing when they called the spy out on copping a feel of the baby faced daughter and Kevin caps it off with the best line of the episode “I touched her boob guys; I’m not a virgin anymore!!!”.

    a classic episode.

       1 likes

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