Sunday, August 10, 2014

112 - Untamed Youth

First Broadcast - February 1990


#87 in Mighty Jack's Top 100
Amazing Colossal Grade: Manning likes the sisters but wanted to stomp on Tropp.
Movie Pain: Low - Rockin' cotton pickin' teens
Riffing: Cute and fun
Skits: Solid, though rambling (Joel admits they needed to tighten 'em up)


Mamie Van Doren in her undies! That's the main plot. The other is about some plastic-looking cotton baron named Tropp, who runs a crooked work farm. I really hated Tropp, and desperately wanted to wipe that smarmy look of arrogance off of his molded vacuuformed features. Ahh, but as evil as Tropp was, even he couldn't ruin this episode.

Low velocity riffing is par for the course in season one, but this experiment is amply stocked with quality jokes: For example, in the opening scene we see a man stumbling across a barren landscape and Joel comments, "It looks like he's playing football against Claude Rains University". Later, Crow notices the little things, as the cotton farm seems to be harvesting a curious crop, "Tire farmin'. It's hard but it's worth it". And of course, the gang is famous for hearing things wrong, as when Tropp calls for Landis... "That's Glady's?" asks a curious Servo. Funny stuff like this makes "Untamed Youth" one of the first season's very best.

Of Note: Gypsy enters the theater and hurls (this leads to a very funny host segment).

Update: On April 29, 2021, Joel and the Servo's (J. Elvis, Baron, Tim Ryder, Conor McGiffin... sadly only Kevin was missing) watched this via Livestream II, during the Kickstarter campaign.

Host Segments
Intro: Joel finds a tapeworm inside Servo. Invention: Joel has a pipe that never lights. The Mad’s offer up tongue puppets. Segment 1: The Greg Brady girl is featured. Segment 2: We enter the mind of Gypsy. Segment 3: Gypsy throws up whatever Tom wants. End: A look at the goofy dancing guy from the movie. No Stinger -But if I chose one? Mamie sings, "Come on boys, carry my bananas!"


Notable Riffs
* "This is like Up With People in prison." - Servo
* "...and see her beauty." - "Plural" - Cook/Servo
* "It's like fluffy pudding... yeee."- Servo
* "Good thing I left my 'Dog Beater' over here." - Joel as Bob
* "This is like the Stephen King book, "Children of the Dirt!" - Servo
* "How old are you baby" - "How'd you know to call me that?" - "The feet in your pajamas" - Tropp/Baby/Crow
* "Get outta here ya peeper!" - "Tell 'em Greg!" - Greg Brady Girl/All
* "You're halfway to the pokey right now" - "What about the Gumby?" - Tropp/Joel
* "Ask me about my extra chromosome!" - Joel (as the weird dancing guy)
* "He had on a suntan uniform." - "You mean, he was naked?" - Penny/Crow
* "I'd like to see you again, lots of times." - "And then stop abruptly, breaking your heart like a toy." - Bob/Joel
* "I'm not interested in what's fair." - "I'm only interested in stuff that makes my head look bigger." - Tropp/Joel
* "Oh, we sold her into slavery for some magic beans. Why?" - Joel as Penny
* "So... I understand you two are untamed?" - Joel as Sheriff
* "Thanks, Bob. You're real gone." - "I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure I'm right here." - Janey/Crow as Bob
* "You know, the acoustics in that cotton field are fantastic." - Joel
* "Oh Russ you're wonderful." - "Thanks Grandma." - Mrs. Tropp/Servo
* "I was hoping you and Russ would hit it off." - "Well, he did punch me once." - Mrs. Tropp/Servo
* "What's he saying?" - "He mumbled something about shooting the kid behind the tractor..." - Bob/Servo
* "Cotton gin and tonic" - Servo

Riff Explained
Claude Raines?
A great actor - most noted for his memorable role as Captain Renault (Louie) in Casablanca. Joel's riff refers to another character he played, "The Invisible Man".

Stuff & Nonsense
* "Baby" was played by Yvonne Lime, who also starred as the girlfriend in "I Was A Teenage Werewolf". Both she and Mamie dated Elvis (at different times). And speaking of relationships, Van Doren and Eddie Cochran hooked up during the making of this movie.

* The actor who played 'Mr. Tropp' has performed in a few Clint Eastwood movies. As "Stockburn" in Pale Rider and as "Bloody Bill Anderson" in The Outlaw Josey Wales. He can also be seen in Cinematic Titanic’s “Legacy of Blood”.



Available on DVD: Volume 29