513 - The Brain That Wouldn't Die

HOST SEGMENTS:

"Compared to today's experiment, 'The BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS' was just a cakewalk." - Refers to a bad 1961 Coleman Francis movie, which later became MST 621. One of the few MST films to be even mentioned in Leonard Maltin's Movie &;Video Guide, suggesting that it was relatively well-known -- thus explaining why Mike and the 'Bots --or at least Mike and the writers -- would know about it before having MST'ed it.

The GUTTER-BUMBER-SHOOT - A "bumbershoot" was a combination umbrella/machine gun on "The Avengers," a '60s TV show that originated in England and wound up being shown on ABC in America. However, "bumbershoot" is also a synonym for "umbrella," though you don't hear many folks use it that way these days.

"A Katharine HEPBURN, Lion in Winter hat." - "Lion in Winter" was a 1968 British film about Henry II deliberating over a successor, or something like that. Not only did Katharine Hepburn apparently where a hat like this, but she also won an Oscar for her performance.

Robert LIPPERT - Robert L. Lippert was a Hollywood producer. He would be known to Mike and the 'Bots primarily because he was executive producer of: 201 - Rocketship X-M, 203 - Jungle Goddess, 208 - Lost Continent, and 210 - King Dinosaur. He also executive produced two later MST episodes: 520 - Radar Secret Service and 611 - Last of the Wild Horses (which he also directed). Lippert also made his "Jungle Goddess" star, George Reeves, real famous when he cast him as Superman in "Superman and the Mole Men" (1951), which was later repackaged as the pilot episode for "The Adventures of Superman" (1951-57), which also starred Reeves.

Sid MELTON - Referred to as "Little Monkey Boy," a nickname he earned when he appeared in 208 - Lost Continent as the alleged comic relief. He also played Alf Monroe on "Green Acres" from 1966-69.

"You quipped your way through 'NIGHT OF THE LEPUS'." - A famously bad 1972 movie about giant (well, four feet tall) rabbits who, naturally, terrorize a town. Seems only a matter of time before it is MST'ed.

The PICARDIAN -

"This RASPBERRY BERET screamed 'fun' to me!" - Crow is doing an impression of Charles Nelson Reilly, a moderately successful Broadway actor who became even more successful appearing as a celebrity guest on game shows in the '70s and '80s ("The Match Game," "Hollywood Squares"). He appeared in 1996 in a famous episode of "The X-Files" called "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'."

Marc SINGER - The joke used is, "Now I know why they call the show 'V'." It has to do with the apparent shape of loincloths: V-shaped. Singer appeared as Mike Donovan in the 1983 "V" mini-series and in the 1984-85 regular series, both on NBC. He also starred in, and is probably best known for, the "Beastmaster" movies.

MOVIE SEGMENTS:

"Stiglitz, Ansel ADAMS, Kenny Rogers?" - Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is a famous black-and-white photographer. Did mostly nature scenes, particularly Yosemite National Parks and other such places. Kenny Rogers, of course, is a country/western singer, and apparently the photographs seen on the wall here remind someone of him somehow.

"An AMERICAN IN VITRO." - Parody of movie title "An American in Paris."

"A sign left by ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS?" - A line from a series of commercials for a set of Time/Life books about unexplained phenomena. Usually followed with the admonition, "Read the book!" In MST, it is referring to a road sign indicating an upcoming turn.

"Welcome to the Diane ARMIS cafe." -

Lucy ARNAZ - Daughter of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The man-woman here looks quite a bit like her.

"I'll tell them a joke I heard on ARSENIO last night." - Arsenio Hall had his own late-night talk show from Jan. 3, 1989 until May 27, 1994. He was the first host to successfully appeal to a young black audience, and he did moderately well, until Jay Leno took over the "Tonight" show in 1992 and David Letterman moved to CBS in 1993. The ensuing war between those two shows left Arsenio in the dust. Famous for popularizing the "woof-woof," fist-waving ovation and for having presidential candidate Bill Clinton play the saxophone on the show. Entertainment Weekly once quoted him on its cover saying, "I'm gonna kick Leno's ass," referring to the competition between the two shows. Boy, did that stir things up.

"We now join BAREFOOT IN THE PARK already in progress." - "Barefoot in the Park" was a Neil Simon play in the mid-'60s, and it also appeared as a 1967 movie starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda.

"BATTERY ACID? You're soaking in it." - Parody of a line from a Palmolive dishwashing liquid commercial. The real line is "Dishwashing Liquid? You're soaking in it." These commercials featured Madge, a benevolent woman who would help other women use Palmolive, which wouldn't damage their hands the way other soaps allegedly do.

Mel BLANC - Mel Blanc provided nearly every voice for nearly every character in nearly every Warner Bros. Cartoon of the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. He was Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Tweey, Sylvester, etc. Etc. About the only voice he didn't do was Granny, Tweety's owner (that was June Foray, later the voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel). Following the mention of his name is an impression of Yosemite Sam, one of his characters.

"To BOLDLY go where no man---" - From the opening theme of the original "Star Trek" series (1966-69).

"Danny BONADUCE in the fight of his life." - Bonaduce starred in ABC's "The Partridge Family" from 1970 to 1974. He provided a voice for the cartoon "Partridge Family: 2200 A.D." in 1974-75 and then slipped into oblivion until the late '80s or early '90s, when he was arrested for beating up a transvestite. The connection here is obvious: the woman being beaten up looks like a transvestite.

"BUD, Princess, help me!" - Two characters on "Father Knows Best." As previously pointed out, the set looks like the house on the show.

"I had a falling-out with Delta BURKE." - Delta Burke starred in "Designing Women," CBS's answer to NBC's popular "Golden Girls." The show featured four women, all in the interior design business, who sat around and talked about sex, mostly. Delta Burke played the most trashy and irrespectable of the four, and she also perceived herself as the star of the show. She left after contract disputes in 1991. The character in the movie doesn't look like her; the reference is more to the fact that Burke was notoriously difficult to work with (hence the line, "Who hasn't?").

Abe BURLS -

"I keep expecting Ruth BUZZI to poke her head through there." - Refers to 1968-73 TV show "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," which featured, among other things, a wall with doors in it. The doors would open and cast members would stick their heads out and tell unfunny jokes. Ruth Buzzi had previously been a regular on "Days of Our Lives" and "That Girl," among other things.

"The CALLS are coming from inside the house!" - Directly from "When a Stranger Calls," a 1979 film in which a bad guy terrorizes a babysitter and kills the kids. However, it is also from a standard scary campfire story, in which a bad guy makes scary phone calls to the babysitter, and she has the operator tap the line, and when he calls again, the operator says, "Get out fast! The calls are coming from inside the house!" Never mind that it is impossible to call one phone in the house from another phone in the same house, unless they're different phone lines. But anyway.

I'm only a head -- "who CAN'T SAY NO." - Line from the musical "Oklahoma." Original line is "I'm just a girl who cain't say no."

"Mrs. CARMICHAEL?" - They're doing an impression of Gale Gordon, who played Theodore J. Mooney on "The Lucy Show," a '60s Lucille Ball sit-com. Ball played Lucy Carmichael, and Mooney was her pompous boss.

Art CARNEY - Old actor, best known for playing Ed Norton on "The Honeymooners."

"I thought of a funny CARROT-TOP bit I saw." - Carrot-top is a well-known "prop comic," meaning that most of his gags rely on various hand-held objects and inventions. He is not very well respected in the comic community -- Letterman and Leno won't book him on their shows, for example -- but is very successful, particularly on the college circuit.

"Knock three times on the CEILING if you want me." - Lyric from a 1971 Tony Orlando and Dawn hit song.

Marilyn CHAMBERS - If it's the one we learned about, she's a porn star ("Bikini Bistro," "Behind the Green Door") with pseudonyms Marilyn Briggs and Marilyn Taylor. Since "Behind the Green Door" is referred to in another MST episode, this is probably the Marilyn Chambers Mike and the 'Bots were thinking of.

"Just a normal Tuesday for CHER." - The characters are performing surgery; a reference to singer/actress Cher's fondness for plastic surgery.

"Last time I get into a car with Monty CLIFT." - That's Montgomery Clift, to you. Film actor, first film was with John Wayne in "Red River" (1948). While filming "Raintree County" in 1956, he ran his car into a tree after leaving a party at Elizabeth Taylor's house. (Liz, in fact, saved him from choking by pulling out two teeth lodged in his throat.) His face was smashed up pretty good, hence the reference here; it was rebuilt later. He is the subject of The Clash's song "The Right Profile," as well as R.E.M.'s "Monty Got a Raw Deal" on the "Automatic for the People" album.

"But what does turning them into CLOWNS prove, John?" -

"She talks like CLUTCH CARGO." - Clutch Cargo was a cartoon character, sort of, in the '50s and '60s. Through a patented process called Syncro-Vox, actual moving human mouths were superimposed over motionless drawings of the characters, thus giving a rather creepy effect of non-moving people whose lips moved. The same idea is used in Conan O'Brien's frequent fake celebrity interviews where a photograph of the person allegedly being featured has its mouth replaced with the live, moving mouth of an actor doing an impression of that person. We highly recommend that you look at some more information on Clutch Cargo.

"Meanwhile, at Kurt COBAIN's house." - Lead singer for '90s alternative rock group Nirvana. Nirvana was at the forefront of the Seattle/grunge/alt-rock craze, and many considered Cobain to be the spokesman for his generation. He committed suicide in April 1994 -- six months after this episode of MST aired.

"You put the lime in the COCONUT and drink it all up." - A paraphrase from the 1971 Harry Nilsson song, "Coconut." In 1968, when the Beatles held a New York news conference to announce the launching of Apple Records, a reporter asked who their favorite American artist was. "Nilsson!" shouted John Lennon. And who was their favorite American group? "Nilsson!" piped Paul McCartney. Back then, few people knew what a Nilsson was, so the puzzled press had to scramble to learn the Beatles were referring to an L.A. singer-songwriter named Harry Nilsson. In the early 1990's, Harry was diagnosed with diabetes and related ailments. On Valentine's Day, 1993, he suffered a massive heart attack. On January 15, 1994, Harry died in his sleep of heart failure.

Mercury COMET - Ford car introduced in 1971; production ended in 1977.

"Why he gave my hand rich CORINTHIAN leather, I'll never know." - Ricardo Montalban, the taller one from "Fantasy Island," did commercials for the Chrysler Cordoba in which he referred to "rich corinthian leather." He freely admitted later that he had no idea what "corinthian leather" was, or if there even was such a thing.

"Luke, join me or you'll star in 'CORVETTE SUMMER'." - Impression of James Earl Jones as Darth Vader in "Return of the Jedi"; "Corvette Summer" was a dud that Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) later starred in. (It was in 1978 -- five years before "Return of the Jedi" -- and was originally titled "The Hot One.") The voice is used because heavy breathing, a la Darth Vader, is heard in the movie.

"I believe in CRYSTAL LIGHT." - Slogan for Crystal Light, a diet soft drink.

James DEAN - 1950s actor with a reputation for rebellion. He died in a car accident in 1955 shortly after completing the film "Giant." The line is, "Is he chasing James Dean?" in reference to the recklessness with which our hero is driving. Note that in real life, James Dean's head was almost severed from his body in the wreck.

"If Jack Ruby owned a DENNY'S." - Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald, who allegedly had shot JFK. Ruby was the owner of a low-class nightclub, and the restaurant shown in the film looks like a cross between a nightclub and a cheap restaurant -- Denny's, for example. Denny's is known for its cheap menu, as well as for being open 24 hours, which makes it attractive to low-lifes and freaks.

"DIARRHEA is like a storm raging inside of you." - Line from a Pepto-Bismol TV commercial.

Shannen DOHERTY - Another difficult-to-deal-with actress. Doherty starred on "Beverly Hills, 90210" and was famous for being a pain in the neck. Again, the woman here looks kind of like her.

Faye DUNAWAY - Film actress; credits include "Mommie Dearest" (as Joan Crawford), and recent films "The Chamber," "Dunston Checks In" and "Don Juan DeMarco."

Vince EDWARDS - Played the title role in ABC's "Ben Casey" (1961-66), a medical drama.

Nicole EGGERT - Highly beautiful young actress, first became famous in the first run syndication show "Charles in Charge" (1987-90) with Scott Baio. Later appeared as a regular, from 1992-94, on "Baywatch," as mentioned, where she was known only for her body.

EVITA - Former first lady of Argentina; subject of an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical and a 1996 movie starring Madonna.

"A FAREWELL TO ARMS." - Book by Ernest Hemingway, set in World War I.

"Looks like the 'FATHER KNOWS BEST' house." - "Father Knows Best" was your basic quintissential, prototype sitcom, running from 1954-62. It is the only show to have been broadcast, at different times, on all three major networks. The set here does indeed look like the house on "Father Knows Best."

Uncle FESTER - Bald-headed creepy character on "The Addams Family." Played by Jackie Coogan in the TV show (1964-66); Christopher Lloyd in the movies (1991 and 1993).

James FINLASON - Bald, handlebar-mustachioed actor who often appeared as a foil to Laurel and Hardy in their movies, mostly in the 1930s.

"Have you seen FRANKENHOOKER?" - Refers to a 1990 movie with a remarkably similar plot to this one: A medical student loses his fiancee in a tragic lawnmower accident and can only salvage her head. So he goes about trying to use prostitutes for spare parts, which, admit it, is probably what you'd do too.

"Maybe she could get work in a Peter GABRIEL video." - Peter Gabriel left the English band Genesis in 1974 to go solo. He has had a very successful pop career, recording such hits as "In Your Eyes," "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time." His videos were original and creative, featuring state-of-the-art computer animation and graphics. His videos occasionally featured just his head, with no body, hence the line here.

"It's GNIP-GNOP." -

"The choco-holic, his GODIVAS." -

"GODSPEED, my friend." -

"So you a GOER, eh? A goer?" - From the "Nudge-Nudge" sketch from the third episode of "Monty Python's Flying Circus." Originally aired in England on Oct. 19, 1969. The sketch has two men sitting in a pub, looking much like the arrangement here.

Across this room and through that door -- "to GRANDMOTHER's house we go." - Original line is "Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go." It's sort of a modern Christmas carol, though it's not specifically about Christmas per se; it does mention snow and winter, though, which makes it as Christmas-y as, say, "Jingle Bells."

Rocky GRAZIANO - Real-life boxer from the streets of New York who was played by Paul Newman in the 1956 movie "Somebody up There Likes Me."

"But for Joseph GREEN there would come another film." -

GRENADINE - A syrup flavored with pomegranates and used in mixed drinks.

Crazy GUGGENHEIM - Character on CBS's "Jackie Gleason and His American Scene Magazine" (1962-66) played by Frank Fontaine. Crazy would come out, trade jokes with Joe the Bartender (played by Gleason), then sing a song. He was a lovable old drunk.

"Hit it again, HARDER, harder!" -

"HELLO? Hello? -

Millie HELPER - Character on CBS's "The Dick Van Dyke Show" (1961-66), played by Ann Morgan Guilbert; husband of Jerry Helper, the dentist played by Jerry Paris.

"HIT it again, harder, harder!" -

"A Johnny HODGES siren." - Johnny Hodges was a legendary jazz alto saxophonist, recording in the '20s, '30s and '40s.

Jimmy HOFFA - Union leader with ties to the Mob who disappeared in 1975, never to be seen again. He was the subject of a long, dull 1992 movie starring Jack Nicholson and directed by Danny DeVito.

"Kinda looks like a Jenny HOLZER piece." - Modern artist whose work generally deals with social issues. It is likely that the MST joke here is referring to a specific piece of hers, but we cannot determine which one that is. She was born in 1950, studied at Duke University, University of Chicago, and Ohio University, and is still active in her work.

"I've got to HURRY." -

IMAGINE -- "all the people" - John Lennon hit from 1971, appeared on the album "Imagine."

"INKA DINKA DOO" - Popular song by Jimmy Durante, first recorded in 1934. The man shown here looks sort of like him.

"The calls are coming from INSIDE the house!" - Directly from "When a Stranger Calls," a 1979 film in which a bad guy terrorizes a babysitter and kills the kids. However, it is also from a standard scary campfire story, in which a bad guy makes scary phone calls to the babysitter, and she has the operator tap the line, and when he calls again, the operator says, "Get out fast! The calls are coming from inside the house!" Never mind that it is impossible to call one phone in the house from another phone in the same house, unless they're different phone lines. But anyway.

"Well, you shouldn't have eaten at JACK IN THE BOX." - In 1992, the fast food chain was the subject of much attention when several people reported getting food poisoning from eating there. It's true -- why would you eat there in the first place?

"JO-JO was a man who thought he was a woman." - Line from a 1969 Beatles song, "Get Back," appearing on the U.S.-released album of the same name. Also appeared on the "Let It Be" album. It was the last song the Beatles ever performed live together.

The JORDANNAIRES - Elvis Presley's back-up singers.

"This is Casey KASEM. This one goes out to..." - Casey Kasem, a long-time radio announcer, was the host of America's Top 40 for many years. He would frequently play songs as special requests and "dedicate" them to whomever the caller desired. Kasem was also the voice of Shaggy on Scooby-Doo.

Jane KEAN - Played Trixie Norton on "The Honeymooners" in the mid-'60s. Note that she is referred to here along with Sheila MacRae and Art Carney, both of whom also appeared in those hour-long "Honeymooners" episodes. The shows, which were part of "The Jackie Gleason Show," would end with Gleason introducing the rest of the cast to come out and take a bow, hence the mentioning of all three of them in this manner. See Sheila MacRAE; Art CARNEY.

"Edmond KEANE didn't have deaths like this." -

"You have a KIND face." -

"KNOCK three times on the ceiling if you want me." - Lyric from a 1971 Tony Orlando and Dawn hit song.

"Look out, look out, look out, vroom, LEADER OF THE PACK." - Lines from a '60s pop song "Leader of the Pack," by the Shangri-Las, about a rebellious boyfriend who wrecks his motorcycle. Spoken here under similar circumstances.

"You put the LIME in the coconut and drink it all up." - A paraphrase from the 1971 Harry Nilsson song, "Coconut." In 1968, when the Beatles held a New York news conference to announce the launching of Apple Records, a reporter asked who their favorite American artist was. "Nilsson!" shouted John Lennon. And who was their favorite American group? "Nilsson!" piped Paul McCartney. Back then, few people knew what a Nilsson was, so the puzzled press had to scramble to learn the Beatles were referring to an L.A. singer-songwriter named Harry Nilsson. In the early 1990's, Harry was diagnosed with diabetes and related ailments. On Valentine's Day, 1993, he suffered a massive heart attack. On January 15, 1994, Harry died in his sleep of heart failure.

"I LOVE this place!" - The shaky, point-of-view camera angle used here reminded Crow of the very annoying Burger King commercials featuring Dan Cortese, which used the catchphrase "I love this place!"

"LUKE, join me or you'll star in 'Corvette Summer'." - Impression of James Earl Jones as Darth Vader in "Return of the Jedi"; "Corvette Summer" was a dud that Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) later starred in. (It was in 1978 -- five years before "Return of the Jedi" -- and was originally titled "The Hot One.") The voice is used because heavy breathing, a la Darth Vader, is heard in the movie.

"LUCY, I'm home!" - Spoken frequently by Desi Arnaz as Ricky Ricardo in "I Love Lucy."

"Nick MANCUSO is Stingray!" - Nick Mancuso has appeared in many, many TV movies in both "Under Siege" movies (1992 and 1995), as well as in the NBC series "Stingray" (1986-87). The show began as a TV movie in 1985, and it dealt with a man who would do favors for people on the condition that they then had to do him a favor whenever he wanted. He helped people who were wrongly accused and stuff. The title came from the 1965 Corvette Stingray that the man drove, which evidently resembled the car in the MST film here. The fellow was never given a name; folks just called him Ray, short for Stingray. Or maybe Ray was his name.

"MARBLE: Edges light quickly." - "Edges light quickly" was a line in a Kingsford Charcoal commercial. Used here because it is odd that a door that is supposed to be marble should catch fire so fast.

Sheila MacRAE - Sheila MacRae played the mayor's wife, Madelyn Richmond, on "General Hospital" in the early '90s; however, she is probably best known for playing Alice Kramden in Jackie Gleason's 1966-67 revival of "The Honeymooners," as part of his "The Jackie Gleason Show." Now the "Honeymooners" episodes were an hour long, and the focus was usually on music. MacRae also had a syndicated talk show, "The Sheila MacRae Show," in 1971. See Jane KEAN; Art CARNEY.

Carol MERRILL - Model who helped display prizes on the ridiculous game show "Let's Make a Deal" (1963-76; other various incarnations).

"I'll be right back with a MILWAUKEE SAWS-ALL." - Brand of saw used by home handy-men. We found a used one for sale on the Internet for $85, which seems pretty reasonable, if it's in good shape.

"MITCHELL!" - From the previous episode, 512 - Mitchell, which was Joel's last show. If you watch 512, you'll see that they rather enjoy using the word "Mitchell" as an exclamation whenever some kind of action/jumping/running is taking place. The name comes from Joe Don Baker's oily, repulsive, drunken leading-man character.

I hate all men -- "except Donny MOST." - Donny Most played smart-aleck Ralph Malph on "Happy Days" from 1974 until 1980. There seems to be no good reason for the reference here, except as a silly non-sequitur.

"He's only MOSTLY DEAD." - Line from the 1987 film "The Princess Bride," now a bit of a cult classic and frequent reference point on MST.

"No time to MOURN, got to get to work." -

"Paul NEWMAN's Sockarooni sauce." - Popular film actor Paul Newman has released his own line of spaghetti sauces and the like; this appears to be one of them.

She had a heart and a brain -- "and da NOIVE!" - "Da noive" is how the Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) said "the nerve." Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Lion were seeking a brain, a heart and courage from the Wizard.

"You're NO MAN to me, Mister!" - Originally "You're no god to me, Mister," spoken on the "Who Mourns for Adonais?" epsiode of the original Star Trek series (episode #31). Captain Kirk was speaking to Apollo, who really was a god.

"I bet he's gonna turn her into Mrs. OLSEN!" - Mrs. Olsen was a character in a series of commercials for Folgers coffee. The equipment being used here to keep the severed head alive looks vaguely like a perculator.

"I think I'll have a PAPA BURGER, you?" - One of several burgers available at the A&W; Drive-In chain of fast food joints. They also offered Mama Burgers and Baby Burgers.

"PASTIES AND A G-STRING, beer in a glass..." - Lines from "Pasties and a G String," a Tom Waits song that details (rather graphically) his experience at a strip club. Play it for your mom, it's fun.

"OK, PENCILS down, how much did you risk?" - Something that sounds like it should be said by the host of "Jeopardy!" though the format of the show dictates that we see their responses BEFORE we see how much they risked. At any rate, the music in the film is rather "Jeopardy!"-esque.

"Now's he gonna write PIGGY on the wall with his stub." - After the "Manson Family" murders on Aug. 9, 1969 -- wherein several followers of weird guy Charles Manson went to the home of film director Roman Polanski and killed five guests -- police found the words "Helter Skelter" and "Pig" written on the walls, with the victims' blood.

A mere head in search of a body -- "Is that a PIRANDELLO song?" - A bit of confusion here. They say "song," but Luigi Pirandello was an Italian Nobel Prize winning author. He is most famous for his 1921 play "Six Characters in Search of an Author." So if there's some other Pirandello who wrote music, we're at a loss to find him.

"There's a PLACE for us." - From the song "Somewhere," a song in "West Side Story," the Stephen Sondheim/Leonard Bernstein musical based loosely on "Romeo and Juliet" and set in the 1950s.

Sylvia PLATH - Boston-born poet, lived 1932-63.

William PROXMIRE - Democratic U.S. Senator from Wisconsin from 1957-89. The main character of this movie looks quite a bit like him, actually.

"POINTS ... of ... law." -

"This must be POTTERSVILLE" - In "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), the little town of Bedford Falls would have been called Pottersville, after the mean old guy Mr. Potter, if George Bailey had never lived. Thank goodness he did live, then.

Booth POWELL -

"All this can be yours if the PRICE IS RIGHT!" - Line frequently spoken by the announcer (Johnny Olsen, then Rod Roddy) on the long-running CBS game show with host Bob Barker, where contestants win prizes by guessing how much they cost.

"Bud, PRINCESS, help me!" - Two characters on "Father Knows Best." As previously pointed out, the set looks like the house on that show.

Nothing's impossible! -- "Not with RADAR!" - Interesting dilemma here. The line is very typical of the jokes made in 520 - Radar Secret Service -- however, this is 513 here, which means 520 hadn't been done yet. The MST3K Episode Guide tells us, however, that the writers had watched "Radar Secret Service" back during Season 2, but had been unable to do it then. Their memories of the film must have stayed with them up until 513, when they made the joke here.

Boo RADLEY - Character played by Robert Duvall in "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962).

"We're part of a RHYTHM NATION." - Refers to the Janet Jackson hit "Rhythm Nation," from the 1989 album of the same name.

"Stiglitz, Ansel Adams, Kenny ROGERS?" - Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is a famous black-and-white photographer. Did mostly nature scenes, particularly Yosemite National Parks and other such places. Kenny Rogers, of course, is a country/western singer, and apparently the photographs seen on the wall here remind someone of him somehow.

Eleanor ROOSEVELT - Wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt, U.S. President from 1933 1945. I guess the woman here kinda looks like her.

"The ROPERS: The Final Episode." - "The Ropers" (ABC, 1979-80) was a spin-off of "Three's Company." Normal Fell and Audra Lindley starred.

"I hope that's not ROSE MARIE." - Very, very old actress/singer. She appeared on many TV shows, including (quite frequently, apparently) "Hollywood Squares." They probably "hope it's not Rose Marie" because she's one of those grating lounge singer types, like Eydie Gorme or Mel Torme or Robert Goulet, and the way the nightclub looks, it's seems likely that the girl singing might take off her clothes.

Betty RUBBLE - Character on "The Flintstones" (1960-1966), America's longest running prime-time animated show until recently, when "The Simpsons" surpassed it.

"If Jack RUBY owned a Denny's." - Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald, who allegedly had shot JFK. Ruby was the owner of a low-class nightclub, and the restaurant shown in the film looks like a cross between a nightclub and a cheap restaurant -- Denny's, for example. Denny's is known for its cheap menu, as well as for being open 24 hours, which makes it attractive to low-lifes and freaks.

Jane RUSSELL - Film actress of the '40s, '50s, and '60s. Pin-up girl who starred opposite Marilyn Monroe in the '53 "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."

"I'm Getting SENTIMENTAL over You." - Old song. The music here is not the right music, but Servo seems to think it fits.

Pauly SHORE - A dreadfully unfunny comedian from the early-to-mid '90s, his career began as a host on MTV. He later did movies like "Encino Man," "Son-in Law," and "Bio-Dome," some of which were unfortunately very popular. The son of successful "Comedy Store" owner Mitzi Shore, Pauly speaks only in "dude speak," an intricate series of slang, grunts, and whistles.

"SID AND NANCY, American Style." - Refers to a 1986 movie about Sex Pistols singer Sid Vicious and his wife, Nancy. The "American Style" part is superfluous, unless someone has a better explanation.

"A SIGN left by ancient astronauts?" - A line from a series of commercials for a set of Time/Life books about unexplained phenomena. Usually followed with the admonition, "Read the book!" In MST, it is referring to a road sign indicating an upcoming turn.

"I wonder if SILK STALKINGS is on yet...?" - "Silk Stalkings": a cheesy, sexy crime show on both CBS (1991-93) and the USA Network (1991-present). It comes on late at night, and mostly single guys watch it.

"They saved SISTER BERTRILLE's brain." - The reference is to "They Saved Hitler's Brain," a 1963 B movie (originally titled "Madmen of Mandoras"), and also to the character played by Sally Field in "The Flying Nun" (1967-70).

"Nothing up my SLEEVE!" - Bullwinkle said this before performing one of his many magic tricks on "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show" (1959-61). Crow is doing an impression of Bullwinkle.

"We'll call them SNAP-TITE limbs." - Snap-Tite is a company that makes a lot of interchangeable machinary parts.

SNUFF films - A very interesting issue here. The term "snuff film" apparently began in 1969, when the press mistakenly reported that members of the Manson gang had filmed some of their murderous exploits. Not long after that, the term began to be used to apply to films in which the filmmakers actually killed a person, for real, and filmed it as part of their movie. It's a troubling, horrible idea -- and yet according the Urban Legends website, it's a myth: snuff films don't exist. They maintain that no law enforcement agency has ever reported having actually come across such a film; in parts of L.A., everyone "knows someone" who has seen one, but has never actually seen one themselves. Still, many people insist that such movies, generally also pornographic in nature, do exist, way underground, and are available for purchase for incredible amounts of money. Whatever the case, the situation in this movie looks like something that could turn into a snuff film.

"Paul Newman's SOCKAROONI sauce." - "Paul NEWMAN's Sockarooni sauce." - Popular film actor Paul Newman has released his own line of spaghetti sauces and the like; this appears to be one of them.

"Looks like the SOUPY SALES SHOW." - Soupy Sales, an old-time comedian, hosted several different children's shows mostly between 1955 and 1967, though another one appeared in 1979. The shows always featured a variety of puppet characters, including White Fang, who is mentioned later in this episode.

"There's a good grab SOUVENIR for some lucky fan!" - Servo is doing an impression of Harey Carey, famed announcer for the Chicago Cubs. Thanks to cable and "superstations" like WGN-Chicago, people everywhere can hear Harey Carey's gravelly, good-natured voice, as well as the Muppet-like voice of his son, Skip Carey.

"SPOCK!" - Character from "Star Trek," played by Leonard Nimoy. The character here is speaking much the way William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk, used to speak, and "Spock!" is something he used to say quite a bit.

"The SPOKESMODEL competition." - Part of "Star Search," the long-running TV talent show hosted by Ed McMahan that began in 1983. Servo is doing an Ed McMahan impression.

"The power of Matthew STAR." - Actually, it was a TV series called "The Powers of Matthew Star," on NBC from 1982-83. It was a sci-fi show about a teenaged guy from another planet who has ESP and telekinesis. Show was set to air first in 1981, but production was stopped for a while after both stars (Peter Barton and Louis Gossett, Jr.) were badley burned in a magnesium fire while filming.

"STIEGLITZ, Ansel Adams, Kenny Rogers?" - Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is a famous black-and-white photographer. Did mostly nature scenes, particularly Yosemite National Parks and other such places. Stieglitz was another U.S. photographer who was married to painter Georgia O'Keeffe, and who died in the 1940s. Kenny Rogers, of course, is a country/western singer, and apparently the photographs seen on the wall here remind someone of him somehow.

"Nick Mancuso is STINGRAY!" - Nick Mancuso has appeared in many, many TV movies in both "Under Siege" movies (1992 and 1995), as well as in the NBC series "Stingray" (1986-87). The show began as a TV movie in 1985, and it dealt with a man who would do favors for people on the condition that they then had to do him a favor whenever he wanted. He helped people who were wrongly accused and stuff. The title came from the 1965 Corvette Stingray that the man drove, which evidently resembled the car in the MST film here. The fellow was never given a name; folks just called him Ray, short for Stingray. Or maybe Ray was his name.

Pat SUMMERALL - Sports commentator; has also apparently endorsed some home improvement-type products.

"You're a freak, a SUPERFREAK, you're super freaky." - Line from "Superfreak," an early '80s hit for Rick James. The bass line from the song was later used in M.C. Hammer's "U Can't Touch This."

"THANK YOU, God, thank you so bloody much." - From the British cult classic TV show "Fawlty Towers," starring John Cleese. It only ran for 12 episodes -- six in 1975 and six in 1979 -- all of which are available on videotape. This line is from "The Germans" (Oct. 24, 1975) in which Cleese does his relatively famous Adolf Hitler impression. Spoken here probably because of the recently disturbing events in the doctor's life, and because he happens to glance heaven-ward, much as John Cleese did when he originally said it on his show.

"THANK YOU very much." - Stereotypical Elvis catchphrase. The man-woman kinda looks like him.

"Dylan THOMAS's last moments on earth." - Dylan Thomas (1934-1952) was a poet and alcoholic who died after a major alcohol binge. Mike Mass禳 (one of this site's designers) favorite poem is "Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas.

"The Long, Long TRAILER" - 1954 comedy film starring Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball as a newly married couple taking their honeymoon in a trailer. Several wacky disaster occur, including a perilous ride through the mountains, and the film is full of slapstick.

Johnny TREMAINE - Title character from a 1943 novel by Esther Forbes. Johnny goes off to war and comes home with a deformed hand. (Bart Simpson, told of this, said the book should therefore have been called "Johnny Deformed.")

"You don't bring me TORSOS." - Sung to the tune of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," a 1978 song by Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand, from the movie of the same name.

"This man had love in his TUMMY!" - From the 1968 hit "Yummy Yummy Yummy (I Got Love in My Tummy)," by Ohio Express. Won second place in columnist Dave Barry's 1992 "Bad Song Survey" for having some of the worst lyrics ever written. ("MacArthur Park," by Richard Harris, was first.)

Ike TURNER - Former husband and musical partner with Tina Turner. He was famous for beating her up; the whole thing was the subject of the 1993 film "What's Love Got to Do with It?"

"Back to the 'UNEARTHLY' set. - MST episode 320, "The Unearthly," a 1957 film featuring John Carradine and Tor Johnson.

Brenda VACARRO -

VAN CLIBURN - Louisiana-born classical pianist. Born in 1958; has won many international awards. Specializes in late romantic composers, such as Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff.
"Mrs. WEBB? Stop it, Mrs. Webb." - From a Bob Newhart stand-up routine about a disastrous student driver. Spoken here as the car is swerving all over the road, about to kill the passenger.

Se𮰠WENCES - Ventriloquist on the Ed Sullivan Show. Instead of a puppet, he just drew a face on his hand. Famous for saying, "All right? 'S all right."

"The panel from WHAT'S MY LINE? is behind her." - "What's My Line?" ran on CBS prime time from 1950-67, and in syndication from 1968-75. It featured four celebrity panelists who would try to guess a contestant's occupation by asking yes-or no questions. Steve Allen, a regular panelist, coined the now-famous phrase, "Is it bigger than a breadbox?" on this show.

"WHAT'S THIS? Our fanatical physician and his fickle fiancee speeding to their country cottage?" - Typical of lines spoken by the narrator in the cheesy '60s TV show "Batman." No real reason for it to be used here, except that the camera angle used is vaguely reminiscent of "Batman."

"WHITE FANG, no!" - See SOUPY SALES SHOW.

"You know how there's always someone WORSE off? I'm that guy!" -