Amazing Colossal Grade: An important episode, as big as Texas, as big as Glenn
Movie Pain: Medium - Philosophical, but heavy-handed, sexist, and dry
Riffing: Decent, it's more on point, though not a laugh riot
Skits: Solid, good humor
Movie Pain: Medium - Philosophical, but heavy-handed, sexist, and dry
Riffing: Decent, it's more on point, though not a laugh riot
Skits: Solid, good humor
Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. In this "Expedition to the moon": Rocketship X-M, or R.X.M. (but which actually should have been called R.E.M.), is shot into space with a crew that includes Lloyd Bridges and the annoying dad from the "Rockford Files" (he plays an annoying Texan here). Also on board: A blowhard scientist, an icy female scientist, and Dirk Square Jaw. Together they get lost, wind up on Mars (which is inhabited by a colony of rock tossing Eegahs), and then die. Ahh yes, it's the feel-good film of the year!!
While I enjoyed much of season 1, the skits are getting a bit tighter, delivery is stronger, the jokes more focused through season 2, as witnessed here, in the way the gang expertly plays off the dialog and zeros in on the personality of each character with razor-sharp bon mots (the "Texas Toastings", in particular, are gems)
Some of this new spark can be attributed to two changes: The arrival of TVs Frank as Clayton's new assistant and for the change in Servo's voice (supplied by Kevin Murphy). While I miss Josh's observational style; Murphy's hammy wit and vocal prowess add new spice to the mix on the SOL. And Frank Conniff's off-kilter but lovable oaf is the perfect foil for the good Doctor in Deep 13.
So why the rare waffling Glenn? It's an episode that hasn't held up for me and has slipped dramatically in the rankings. Still, back in the day it did make me laugh a lot, and it does signal the start of a new -soon to be- golden era, and that's got to count for something. So yeah, I'm stuck between average and slightly above average for this one.
Of Note: Mike visits as Valeria (his first time on screen). And when Joel complains about the movie, he wonders why Dr. F doesn't just send them "Marooned". Funny because he will get that to open season 4! As for what Dr. F is doing to Frank with that string? It was part of Frank's training. Referenced in show #211 during the "junk drawer" skit - Mr. Conniff holds up a plastic butt and asks if Clay remembers it from the "Thruster Buster" bit. He does a motion with his hand with sound FX, as if a string were being pulled through it and Forrester mentions that it was an important part of his training.
Host Segments
Intro: The SOL is redesigned and Crow has a toothache. Invention: Meet TV's Frank, he rips off Joel's invention, the "BGC-1.9 Drum machine.Segment 1: A look at the reporters in the movie. Segment 2: Joel gives Tom and Crow a quiz on what is, or isn't funny flying. Segment 3: Hexfield visit from Valeria. End: J&TB didn't care for the movie and let Forrester know it! No Stinger -But if I chose one? Astronauts laugh at a floating jacket
Notable Riffs
* "At this point, the rocket becomes engorged with astronauts." - Joel
* "Maybe somebody don't want us to get where we aim to get." - "Yeah, the god of grammar." - Tex/Joel
* "A fellow can get used to anything, I guess." - "Yeah. I once ate a woodchuck!" - Tex/Crow
* "How do we stand on fuel?" - "I'm for it." - Lisa/Crow
* "I just ate my own vomit!" - Joel
* "It's an entire race of mimes! We've got to get back and warn Earth!" - Joel
* "Down on my ranch, I used to throw a little ol' thousand-pound steer over my shoulder every morning." - "Then I married her." - Tex/Crow
* "Sorry to have interrupted your production of the Lottery!" - Joel
* "Let's go kill something we don't understand." - Crow
* "Well at least he hasn't been hit by a rock yet." - Joel (just before Huge gets struck by a rock! LOL)
* "Thank you for being gutless." - Crow as head of NASA
* "The reason Miss Van Horn is making this trip is because of her pioneering research with monatomic hydrogen." - "And, she's cute as a button." - Space guy/Crow
* "Uh, the press is a bunch of wussies. Are you alone in there?" - Joel as Hugh O'Brien
* "You do the voice, I'll move the jaw." - Crow as Lloyd
* "You know the consequences of a body moving with unchecked velocity in free space!!" " - "Uh... We're our own grandparents?" - Space guy/Crow
Tex - "I wish you fella's could've seen the look on her face when I walked in and told her, in the strictest confidence of course, 'Honey, I'm going to the moon.
Reporter - "And what did she say?"
Joel - "Not tonight dear, I have a headache."
Riffs Explained
Help Mr. Wizard! I don't
want to be an astronaut any more!" - Joel
This comes from the 1960's
cartoon Tooter Turtle. In it, Tooter would go to Mr. Wizard the Lizard and ask
to be an astronaut or a knight or a shoe salesman (just kidding). When the
adventure goes awry, Tooter cries out for help, and the Wizard -with his
Germanic voice- brings the turtle back by saying: "Dreezle drazzle drozzle
drome, time for this one to come home"
Stuff & Nonsense
Judd Holdren, credited as the reporter interviewing Lloyd
Bridges starred in several serials in the '50s. As "Captain Video"
in 1951, "Commando Cody" in the 1955 TV series, as well as battling a
young Leonard Nimoy in an underwater knife fight in "Zombies
of the Stratosphere" ('52). Not much is known about the actor, he had a
short-lived career then moved into real estate. He was born in 1915 and
committed suicide on March 11, 1974.
