An introduction and a very MSTy Halloween!

Hello world!

Or at least those that have subscribed to the TNTM Blog. I'm Claye, some of you may have heard of me on the audio versions of Talk Nerdy To Me. Sorry, no city and state location this time! I've known Forch for a long time. I'd say around 10+ years on a wrestling IRC chat. I'm the one that introduced him to Red Dwarf. The day he created Talk Nerdy To Me and this Blog, it was like a welcoming call to those who have these type of interests that can't find discussions or news for them anywhere else. I personally am a fan of wrestling (even though the bad state it is at the moment), Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, various other Britcoms and another show you may recognized with my nickname. Mystery Science Theater 3000 This is also my first time ever writing a blog... *A* blog. There are no other blogs like it, this one is mine..

So, it's the night before Halloween and I'm in the mood. I missed this year's Charlie Brown Halloween special like I have missed the other Charlie Brown specials the past couple years. For the most part I don't take up the different television network's fare of Halloween themed episode marathons, I did however, one year take the time to watch the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode Hush.



Other times I would check out American Movie Classic's Monsterfest. AMC's Monsterfest was what I would call your Halloween movie-watching experience. I don't mean movies of the slasher, gory and blood spilling everywhere type until recent times. The movies shown are the classic black and white movies that started it all. Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman. AMC would also show the low-budget films in this genre as well House on Haunted Hill, The Wax Museum, Earth vs the Spider and others. In the recent few years AMC has resorted in showing recent films such as the Halloween series (which AMC had a marathon of nothing BUT this series). I mentioned House on Haunted Hill in the last sentence because this year AMC showed the remake and the sequel of the remake. NOT the original film with Vincent Price. It sometimes makes me miss those days and wish that AMC would go back to showing the older movies. I also remember when Turner Network Television and Turner Broadcasting Station would show the low budget "cheesy" movies at night during what they would call Monstervision.

So, what's a guy to do when he's too old to go trick or treating and doesn't feel like watching The Munsters on WGN or whatever Halloween themed specials are being shown on The Disney Channel and what is all this babbling I'm doing about? Simple! When all else fails I go back to an old favorite of mine. A television show that HAS the low budget black and white horror movies in it, even watchable when by themselves you would turn it off after the first couple of minutes. I'm talking about the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000.


Mystery Science Theater 3000 or MST3K for short was a television show that ran for 10 years (1989 - 1999). It debuted on the local Minneapolis-St. Paul channel KTMA 23 then went to The Comedy Channel which became Comedy Central and then ended up being shown on The Sci-Fi Channel. It involves a janitor, played by Joel Hodgson (later on replaced by Mike Nelson) working for these two mad scientists who ends up getting shot up into space on a satellite. He is forced to watch low-budget, B-movies (movies that would end up in the trash bin than recieve an Oscar) because the mad scientists monitor his mind. To keep his sanity, Joel (or Mike - depending on what era of the show you're watching) created these robots to keep him company.

The robots are basically cheap made puppets. Crow T. Robot is a gold colored and made from a dinnerware set, bowling pin, soapdish and two ping pong balls. Tom Servo is red and made from a gumball machine, plastic barrel bank and a Halloween party bowl. The theme of the show isn't set in stone and that is why the lyrics to the theme song state:

If you're wondering how he eats and breathes, and other science facts.
Just repeat to yourself it's just a show I should really just relax.

They watch the movie as it runs its course, but not quietly. You see their shadows at the bottom
of the screen as if you were in the theater yourself and they were in front of you. They make jokes at the film, make cultural references and make the movie watching experience better for everyone. A joke here and there may be really obscure to one person while someone else gets it. Overall, people will get the humor that is being made at the expense of the movie. To give everyone a break during the movie there are what's called host segments that are based on the movie. Whether it's a discussion about the monster or a really bad edit job of a scene in the film. At the end of the movie, Joel and the bots sum up the film they just watched and send us, the viewers at home back to the mad scientists to come back next week for another roller coaster ride through a cinematic nightmare.

On this Eve of Hallow's Eve, I shall watch the episode "Robot vs The Aztec Mummy" which also includes part of a serial called Commando Cody and the Radar Men from the Moon. This is a classic episode. It came out on the latest Region 1 DVD release of the show in July, which I'm sure many were waiting for this episode to appear on DVD. There were some thoughts that this would never be on DVD. One reason, early on was that it is a Season 1 episode (episode #2 of Season 1) and for the most part the MST3K releases have been later seasons.


"The Robot vs The Aztec Mummy" (1957) was made in Mexico. It stars Luis Aceves Castañeda as The Bat, a mad scientist that plots to steal a valuable Aztec treasure. The Bat's former colleague and his associates work to try and stop this scheme. This film combines two movie genres, science fiction and horror...

WE'VE GOT MOVIE SIGN!!!!

This is one of the few episodes that didn't have an opening segment and heads straight away into the "invention exchange", which in this episode is one of the props Hodgson used in one of his stand-up comedy routines. The airbag helmet, which appears to be an inflating balloon attached to a helmet. Also noticed are the missing red, green and yellow flashing siren lights which flash and are pressed when the scientists are calling or there's a commercial break or when it's "movie sign" aka time to go into the theater for the movie. We start off with Radar Men from the Moon starring George Wallace as Commando Cody. Figure The Rocketeer in black and white versus men from Mars. Most of the flying sequences are done with close-up camera shots or a far off shot of a dummy dressed to look like Cody in flight up in the air. Not sure how this effect was done. One scene involved a very cheap looking laser gun shooting at a moving train. Joel and the bots make references to Tyco and Lionel since the train sequence used stock footage of a train and a model train set. We now see the Radar Men from the Moon, who look like they're in diving suits and either wearing make-up or have been the victim of the telescope gag. During one of the fight scenes Crow gives the line, "It's great that scientists are good fighters." The Radar Men's home base with all the gizmos and machines looks like what Joel says, "They're inside a giant chess game." Joel and the bots continue on about a rocketship launch scene where the chairs are simply office chairs. Servo mentions to lean back so it looks like there's gravitational pull. Other comments are made towards how they filmed the outdoor scenes, "It sure is sunny in space.", "The moon looks just like Arizona, you guys." Many other jokes are made during this serial.



We finish with this part of the serial with the first segment. The ship that Joel and the bots are on are being attacked by Demon Dogs (which were in reality a He-Man toy called Battle Bones painted red). Tom Servo decides that he will persuade the Demon Dogs to leave. If only Servo didn't look like a fire hydrant.. Ewww...






Now for our main feature, The Robot vs The Aztec Mummy by American International Pictures. One running theme is Joel saying the title of the movie. When "Robot" is said, the bots cheer and when "versus the Aztec Mummy" is said, the bots boo. There's a scene of a night skyline of a busy Mexico main street with neon signs Joel and the Bots make references to Dragnet. We're given the backstory on The Bat. We're also given the story that one of the female leads is an ancestor to the love interest of the Aztec Mummy we will see later on. This backstory is taking longer than it did for The Hulk movie, the commercial bumper just appeared. That means that 15 minutes have gone by and we're still hearing the backstory. Sheesh! Not good when your movie is 65 minutes long. Crow makes a comment on how the Aztec's tomb would look better with some curtains and a lamp. They head to another section of the tomb, yet Tom Servo adds "It's the same set we were on before!"

In the second host segment during the movie, the leader of the Demon Dogs visit Joel and the Bots. He tells Joel that they arrived because the satellite looks like a large bone and according to the one they worship, Rudd Weatherwax (owner of Lassie the dog) they were going to take the satellite and bury it. Gypsy, a purple bot puppet made of a baby's car seat and tubing appears and eats the Demon Dog leader whole. What will Joel do now??

Back in the theater, the Mummy arrives at The Bat's former lab and during chaos one of the assistants is disfigured by crashing into a table containing bottles of acid. The Bat was able to escape. The backstory has FINALLY finished at around the 30 minute mark. The Bat returns later to where the woman lives. "Flora, I command you to come to me", The Bat chants. Crow replies, "Use the doorbell." Joel comments on the graveyard set looking like it would make a great mini-golf course. "No need to hurry, the plot will support all of this." Crow says sarcastically as the characters slowly trod their way to the Aztec Mummy's tomb. The Bat assures his assistant, who was disfigured in the lab that he will get revenge against the Mummy.

It's now time for the third and final host segment during the movie. Crow is dressed up crudely as the Demon Dog leader. Crow tries to communicate with them, but ends up with the same results that Tom Servo did... YUCK!!

After a very long scene of them searching, the former colleagues find the tomb with the breastplate still there.This drawn-out scene resulted in Joel and the Bots making references to Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin movies. Crow comments "This is the kind of film you WON'T put
on pause when you leave the room." Followed by Tom Servo saying, "It ENCOURAGES you to go get a sandwich." The colleagues find and go to where The Bat's new lab is. We are shown the Robot, which looks like a cardboard costume with PVC tubing you would wear for Trick or Treating. The robot comes to life in one of the most antagonizing sequences with way too many camera cuts to The Bat, the colleagues, the disfigured assistant, the robot and the working machinery. Rinse and repeat, then repeat again for good luck. Flora, who is worried about the colleagues heads off to where they are "Come on, I'm worried about their lives!" Servo replies, "I'm worried about your career." Everyone is now off to the Aztec Mummy's tomb. Wonder how the Robot got into the tomb. The breastplate is removed and the Aztec Mummy awakes. Personally, I'd rather watch a Saitama Pro Wrestling Match featuring Ken the Box, a guy dressed as a big tree trunk versus the Zombie that was in ECW a couple years ago.

Same concept, but at least it would have a ring. The Aztec Mummy defeats the Robot and The Bat is shot. Flora imitates a ritual and gives back the breastplate making the Aztec Mummy return to its eternal sleep and ending the movie.

The Demon Dogs have now infested the Satellite, Joel and the bots are trying to fight them off. Joel has an idea to eject a disposal canister that looks like a giant ball. The Demon Dogs fly off to fetch the departing giant ball. This brings up a question for Tom Servo. When you play fetch, doesn't that mean that the dogs retrieve the ball and come back? DOH!

That's a fan summary, my summary of the MST3K episode featuring the movie "The Robot vs The Aztec Mummy". A good choice for this time of the year when you're tired of the other options out there for your viewing pleasure.

You can also find more information on Mystery Science Theater 3000 at http://www.mst3kinfo.com and there is also a 24/7 streaming of the show at http://www.justin.tv/thesynth/old with every episode of the series.

Now, you may ask me why I watched this on the night before Halloween and not on Halloween? This year Halloween falls on a Saturday. Saturday nights to me are Britcoms on PBS nights. There may not be as many shown that PBS used to show, but what they do show is worth watching.






Hmmmm.. A blog about Britcoms? We'll see.













"Whaddya think, sirs??"