103 - Mad Monster

With Short: Commando Cody part 2

First Broadcast - December 1989

Amazing Colossal Grade: Glenn looks really mad at this monster, but it's not as bad as all that

Movie Pain: High - Poverty row picture with low production values
Riffing: Very, very sparse, with a couple of big belly laughs
Skits: Cute, Chuckle-Fest

Crazy Dr. Cameron wishes to create an army of wolfmen to show up his doubting colleagues. Phew, as dull as #102 and hard to hear as well. The slow-witted Petro, played by Glenn Strange (Sam from "Gunsmoke") probably would have gone on to be a memorable character had this been msted in a later season.

The riff count is very very low but there are some cute moments: Tom romancing a blender (Joel cracks up when Tom tries to beat him up), Servo singing an adaptation of the "Beverly Hillbilly's" theme, and when Dr. C is having a pretend argument with his critics, Josh Weinstein makes a great observation -"You'd think since it's his imagination he'd at least have them be afraid of him"- That's a hoot because it does seem that Cameron is losing the debate with his see-through colleagues.

These funny bits make the flawed "Mad Monster" a slightly better episode than last week's effort.

Host Segments
Invention: Joel's "Hell in a Handbag", the Mad's show off their thunder lizard. Segment 1: Tom puts the moves on a blender. Segment 2: The Bots have questions about the wolfman. Segment 3: Joel switches Crow and Servo's heads. End: Good thing/Bad thing. No Stinger -But if I chose one? Elfish backwoods granny, smokin' her pipe and cackling away.

Notable Riffs
Cody Riffs
* "It's not that hard of a job!" - Joel (on sleeping moon men)
* "...Give him a headbutt, he's just wearing spandex on his head." - Joel
* "Oh, if they'd only shown him diving out of the way, I wouldn't have spent the week worrying about him." - Servo
* "How come they got Groucho Marx mustaches on their helmets?" - Crow

Mad Riffs
* "She's stoned. Whistlers Mother is stoned!" - Joel
* "Did I just see a Chuckwagon roll by?" - Servo
* "Clothing from the Junior Samples collection" - Joel
* "What a funny serum" - Crow
* "Just shoot him! You told him you would. Don't pad your part!" - Servo
* "Turn around. He's not in the yard!" - Servo (Annoyed with Blaine)
* "That felt good... Now I'm going to turn my daughter into a woodchuck." - Servo as Dr. Cameron
* "That's the most casually dressed monster I've ever seen." - Joel.
* "Nice caboose on that girl... What am I saying, that's my daughter! I am Mad". - Servo as Dr. Cameron
* "Why does he have to kill them to prove his point? Can't he just show them a pie chart or something?" - Servo.
* "You seem to be excellently equipped." "Thank you! I didn't think you could tell through these trousers." - Prof. Fitzgerald/Servo as Dr. Cameron
* "Mingling the blood of man and beast is downright sacrilege!" - "Tell that to the NFL!" - Dr. Blaine/Joel
* "Looks like Popeye got that operation he's always wanted" - Servo
* "I don't think it's a good idea to kill someone while they're driving." - Crow

The Hillbilly's Song
Now let me tell you a story about a man named Jed, A poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed. Then one day he was shootin' at some food, and up from the swamp came a big ugly dude!

Wolfman - Black teeth - Long face

Next thing you know ol' Jed's really scared, then kin folks said Jed get away from there! They said my cabins the place you ought to be... So he loaded up his drawers and he told his family!

After this Joel accidentally calls Servo, Crow. And starts a funny exchange.

Stuff and Nonsense 
* Winky from the "Rocky Jones" series (See #413 "Manhunt in Space"), wasn't the only Msted member of "Our Gang". Johnny Downs, who plays the reporter in this movie, was one of the originals way back in the '20s!

* In the theater, after Servo makes a joke; Joel looks at Tom and says "Good one Crow". Servo responds with "Thanks dad". Crow adds, "I didn't say anything".

Riffs Explained
"Cheese it, it's Alan Brady!" - Joel
Alan Brady was Dick, Buddy & Rosemarie's boss on the hit series The Dick Van Dyke Show

"Hooka, Hooka" - Joel
Said when Moonmen are sleepy from gas: hookas are large water pipes that are used to smoke flavored tobacco (among other substances). Primarily used in the Middle East, I don't know if this is a direct quote from a movie, etc, or if Joel is just being silly.

Released on DVD: Volume 14 & Lost and Found

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