Amazing Colossal Grade: So that's where my food's been going, darn cats are sneaking into my fridge, grabbing bottles of beer, and pawfuls of steak n' potatoes. Crafty lil cusses. And here I thought it was Dale.
Movie Pain: High - Gross and bleak
Riffing: Gooey good Funny for the most part
Skits: Very solid & funny for a season 7
The charismatic Dr. Ted Nelson searches for an astronaut who's slowly melting away. That's pretty much our movie in a nutshell. The hallmarks of this flick are the many head-scratchers provided by the director, William Sachs. For example:
* Why was that guy fishing in a fetid puddle?
* Why does a nurse -who has probably been witness to many terrible things in her professional life- scream, then suddenly jog to a U-Store-It and through a plate glass door? Is it her experience that the infirmed take comfort in such actions?
* And just how did that cat pull the milk bottle out of the refrigerator?
Aside from these mysteries, "Melt" supplies us with many notable moments. Such as a head floating down stream, a wife who forgets to buy crackers, a couple of batty old lemon thieves and of course... Doctor Ted Nelson vs. the security guards. All of which are accompanied by some of the best observational riffing you could ask for. Plus, the gang finds another opportunity to sing "Only Love, Pads the Film".
Of Note: The host segments hold interest as it parodies the Best Brainer's own Hollywood experience. Also, Prop Diva Beez McKeever makes her first on-screen appearance; she plays Cindy, a member of the 'Focus Group'. Cindy liked Mike, but doesn't like soup.
Host Segments
Intro: A game of baseball on the SOL. Segment 1: Crow sells his Earth vs Soup script. Segment 2: The script conference from hell. Segment 3: The movie is shot very quickly. Segment 4: A focus group doesn't enjoy the taste of Earth vs Soup. End: Crows movie is released as a trailer. Stinger: Lemon thief on the run.
Notable Riffs
* "IMU cleared to reverse." - "You are not me, stop saying that!" - Astronaut/Crow
* "Well lets go to picture picture." - Mike
* "I've been jerked" Mike as Steve
* "Hey, you've got protoplasm in my peanut butter" - Crow
* "AAH! I'm a dried apple head!" - Crow
* "Who knows about it?" - "Just me and half a nurse." - General/Mike as Ted Nelson
* "Steve had crackers"- Servo as Ted
* "Joe Camel says we should." - Crow as kids
* "They shrunk me and I'm trapped on this huge log!" - Crow as Ted Nelson
* "He'd make a pretty good dip with taco chips." - Mike
* "Maybe If we're lucky he'll get gored by a radioactive elk." - Servo
* "I think his shampoo has the wrong pH." - Mike
* "I thought I had him but I lost him." - "And we're out of crackers." - Ted Nelson/Crow
* "Lets hide in one of your skin flaps." - Crow as old guy
* "It's like hugging a broom." - Servo
* "The gooeyness of the long-distance runner." - Mike
* "Be careful, the paneling is out-acting you." - Mike
* "The movie has to mop up after itself now." - Mike
* "This all sounds like music that was rejected by Wonder Woman" - Crow
* "Doc, what do we do now!" - "Well if we put throw up powder on him he'll probably disappear!" - Sheriff/Mike as Ted
* "Das Blech" - Servo
* "Is there a credible melting man?" - Mike
Riff Explained
"You wanna talk to Maude Fricker?" - Crow
Maude is a character created and played by the brilliant improvisational comedian Jonathan Winters. The General in this flick (who also played the lead in "The Unearthly") looks a little like Winters.
Stuff & Nonsense
* The Janitor (DeForest Covan) can also be seen as one of Apollo Creeds corner men in the film "Rocky".
* The films of Director William Sachs often have a familiar look to them. The interiors of the ship in his movie "Galaxina", can be seen here. I.E: The hall the Nurse runs through and that transport the good Doctors use.
Released on DVD: Volume 36 (XXXVI)
< Previous * Next >
