Wednesday, August 13, 2014

310 - Fugitive Alien

First Broadcast - 10 am Saturday, Aug 17th 1991


Amazing Colossal Grade: I've seen shot, stabbed, electrocuted, and taken a spill off a dam... but no one yet has tried to kill me with a forklift.
Movie Pain: High - Rambling, yet somehow inert story 
Riffing: It ebbs and flows
Skits: Wildly Funny



A Japanese Sci-Fi TV show about several Ken's and their various Ken-like adventures. Also features a drunken, chubby-cheeked Captain named Joe, Lovely Rita Meter maid, and pale faced villains who wear clown wigs?

Decent MSTing punctuated by periods of perfection. Ala, the short songs "He Tried to Kill Me With a Fork Lift" and "I'm in Love With Ken". The jokes lean on callbacks to other episodes from "Sidehackers" -"Chili-peppers burn my gut"- to "Pod People" -"Trumpy, you're stinky!"

This is another Sandy Frank production that was originally covered during the KTMA season. It has its fans, and yet -despite a VERY funny visit from Jack Perkins in the host segments- I find it a bit uneven, more a mid-range episode than a full-out classic.

Host Segments
Intro: Farmer Joel. Invention: Deep 13 has the combo dropper (eye, ear, etc). Joel brings forth the musical chair. Jack Perkins stops by for a visit. Segment 1: A Hat party. Perkins meets a cattle prod. Segment 2: Joel acts like Captain Joe. Segment 3: Screenplay models and Jack vs a brick chisel. End: Joel has functional buttons like Ken. Cool thing contest winner. More Jack attacks. Stinger: Joe sez, "Ah, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha - You're stuck here!"

MST Hour Segments
Part 1: Perkins seems very taken with this film. Once again there’s no gadding about on camera for the credits. Part 2: The host catches us up on what’s happened previously as he strokes a wig. In seg 2 he holds an alien helmet and makes mention of Sandy Frank’s revolutionary use of wigs. As credits roll he attempts to don the wig.

The debut of Mike as Jack Perkins

Notable Riffs
* "When Josie and the Pussycats go bad" - Servo
* "Shoot Ken!" - "Which Ken?" - Wolf Raider/Crow
* "You're a disgrace to all Ken's!" - Crow
"Oh I gotta lay off the shrooms." - Joel as Rita
* "Ken!" - "Where aren't you?" - Rita/Servo
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just playing a video game in my head" - Joel as Capt. Joe
* "His Mickey Mouse gloves give him incredible power" - Crow
"I'd rather share a needle with Keith Richards" - Servo as Ken
* "Kissing monster! Kissing monster!" - Crow as Ken
* "Looks like Ken's driving the Malibu Barbie beach jeep" - Joel
* "That was no meteorite" - "That was my wife!" - Capt Joe/Crow
"Now this to me, is good TV - Being genetically altered on cable television" - Mike as 'Jack Perkins' 

Riff Explained
"I wish someone would turn off the "Courageous Cat" music" - Joel
Created by Bob Kane, "Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse" (1960) was a cartoon parody of Kane's other superheroic dynamic duo "Batman & Robin". There was a Catcave, a Catmobile, and a jazzy -bass heavy- musical score. To which Joel refers in his riff.

Stuff & Nonsense
Rita was played by "Keiko Mari" who was best known as a singer. Her first role was Miki in Godzilla vs the Smog Monster. She also dubbed Mia Farrow's part for the Japanese release of "Rosemary's Baby" and is one of the stars of Japan's version of Sesame Street.


Available on DVD: Volume 24