Satellite News is not financially supported by Best Brains or any other entity. It is a labor of love, paid for out of our own pockets. If you value this site, we would be delighted if you showed it by making an occasional donation of any amount. Thanks.
Sampo & Erhardt
Sci-Fi Archives
Visit our archives of the MST3K pages previously hosted by the Sci-Fi Channel's SCIFI.COM.
Los Angeles–Writer, producer and director John Fasano, had more than 40 credits on feature films and primetime television, died at his home here Saturday, July 19. He was 52. No cause of death was given. He served as assistant director for the movie in episode 604- ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE. He also appeared on screen in that movie as William Washington.
The Hollywood Reporter has an obit here and Variety’s obit is here.
Los Angeles — Actor James Garner, famed for his easy-going portrayals on TV series including “Maverick” and “The Rockford Files,” died at his home here Saturday, July 19. He was 86. MSTies will remember him described as “beef spokesman James Garner” in a host segment in episode 403- CITY LIMITS. A full obituary is here.
We all know Season 1 Joel was quite fond of pointing out scenes that would “make a great miniature golf course.” So my question is, what other MSTied movies would make a great (or terrible) miniature golf course? For example: The Space Mutiny hole would look remarkably like an abandoned industrial building, and undoubtedly involve lots of railing bank shots while avoiding an extremely slow moving floor buffer. And the Killer Shrews hole would be a murderous Par 7 because your ball starts off glued to the floor, and it’s very easy to get trapped in a grey featureless void.
Let’s just say I wouldn’t want to try the 18th hole at the “Beast of Yucca Flats” course … it involves getting shot at from overhead planes.
Movie: (1969) In the fifth movie of the long-running Japanese monster series, two boys accidentally hijack an alien spaceship and fly to a dying planet, where they encounter two evil babes and knife-headed monster Guiron. Can Gamera save them?
First shown: 01/08/89 Opening: The Mads think they’re out of Gamera movies, but at the last minute they find one more Host segment 1: Crow gets conked on the head and dreams that he controls the experiment while the Mads are trapped in space Host segment 2: Crow is still thinking about his dream in the last segment, and discusses it with Joel and Servo Host segment 3: More dream talk with Joel, Crow and Gypsy End: J&TB sing “Satellite of Love” (121 votes, average: 4.07 out of 5)
• This show featured the last Gamera film of the KTMA series. For the first time ever, J&TB did not listen to any viewer calls. There’s also a tiny continuity error: at the end of the last episode, Joel announced the name of this week’s film. And Joel starts this week’s episode by saying they’re going to do another Gamera movie. But then, everyone seems shocked when the Mads say that they’re doing another Gamera.
• References.
• The opening feels very much like a season one segment.
• It’s becoming increasingly clear that the idea that they completely ad-libbed the riffing is a myth. It’s clear that they had the little song they sang to the Gamera song prepared.
• Servo’s head extends again.
• The carnage we witness once the boys get to the planet is pretty intense. It appears to upset Joel, even though they’re just models.
• Crow calls Gypsy Gipsum again.
• Crow’s dream is strangely prophetic! What he dreamed will come true in episode 613- Last of the Wild Horses.
• I like the Batman (the 60s TV show)-esque slanty camera angle when they show the Mads.
• After the second segment, Josh has a little problem getting Tom Servo set up in the theater.
• In segment 3, we get a rare political joke! Dan Quayle was set to be sworn in as vice president in a few weeks, so I guess it was on their minds.
• Crow’s riff “Ya gotta shave ’em!” cracks Joel up.
• In the final segment, J&tB sing Lou Reed’s “Satellite of Love.” It would become a traditional closing number at their live shows.
• Movie stuff: Terrible, terrible dubbing. The pauses are ridiculous.
• So Gamera was just passing by in outer space when the kids need rescuing?
• The long stretch of clips from other Gamera movies is a bit hard to sit through.
• Fave riff: Bad haircut! Help! Bad haircut!
Satellite News is a fan site for the Mystery Science Theater 3000 television and Netflix series. It is an independent publication written and compiled by Chris Cornell (msampo@aol.com) and Brian Henry (erhardt4@aol.com). Satellite of Love, LLC does not maintain this web site, nor is it responsible for this site's content.
The views and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of Satellite of Love, LLC. No warranty is expressed or implied that the information given herein is completely accurate, and in fact this information can and will change at any time. So there.
Mystery Science Theater 3000, its characters and situations are copyrights and trademarks of Satellite of Love, LLC.