Mad Monster

So, I just watched Mad Monster, not a KTMA episode like I said previously that I would watch, but still an early episode, being the third in the first season of MST3K on the Comedy Channel. I was prepared for "slower" episode, but I was absolutely amazed with this one. First of all, I was so blown away with the acting talents of Trace Beaulieu- having seen only season 3 and later up to this point- and never realized how he really was so natural as Dr. Forrester and Crow, even early on. This was also my first Josh Weinstein episode (Dr. Laurence and Tom Servo) and, not to be mean, can see why he did not last on the show. His acting as Dr. Larry was a bit too forced, and it was very noticeable next to Trace the total difference in acting ability. Weinstein's performance as Servo, however, was very good- his line delivery was great and fairly natural. Overall, the episode was solid, and I am extremely glad I saw it. Below are a few of my favorite quotes, including the short "Radar Men from the Moon: Part Two":

Commander Cody: “Where’s that canister of nitrous oxide?” Man:“Right here” Crow: “Ok, who’s first?”

“Why do they have Groucho Marx mustaches on their helmets?”

“Let’s see, a four letter word that means ‘lunar’…planet? No, too many letters…”

“Rock-a-bye monster, on the little bed/When you wake up, some townsfolk will be dead”

“Abraham Lincoln! Isaac Asimov! An Amish farmer! The Quaker Oats man! Dr. Cornelius!”

“He just became he own best friend!”

“What’s grandma smoking?”

“I’ll have a Shirley Temple to go”

“What good can come from tampering with the normal laws of nature?” Joel: “Teflon?” Servo: “Microwave milkshakes?” Crow: “Room air fresheners?”

“I am so glad that the Wolf Man is able to keep his sport coat buttoned through all this”

The SINGLE best thing about this episode, great as it was, were the skits. Oh.My.God. I LOVED the skit Tom Servo hit on a blender and also the skit when Joel switched the heads on Tom and Crow (Servo-Croatians). They were some of the best skits I have seen in the show PERIOD. I also like that Joel had trouble keeping a straight-face at times during these two skits- he rarely smiles in the show, which is something I guess I only just realized, because when he did smile during these skits it surprised me. Huh. His character is just so heavily sarcastic and he is mostly dead-pan, so I guess smiling is not really his thing. Sorry, personal revelation got me side-tracked =)

One more detail that I forgot to mention: unlike later episodes, the riffs were not a constant stream, and there were a few missed opportunities, but it actually worked, for me at least, because I was able to actually hear what was going on in the main movie, something that occasionally annoyed me in later episodes. I know, I know, they are making fun of these movies because they are bad and who cares if you miss a few lines here and there, especially in ultra-crappy movies like Manos, but a half-decent B-movie actually has some good elements and I would like to enjoy them every so often. My overall impression: great episode + funny short + HILARIOUS skits = moving onto personal favorite list...