803-The Mole People

Film Year:  1956
Genre:  Science Fiction
Director:  Virgil W. Vogel
Starring:  John Agar, Hugh Beaumont, Cynthia Patrick, Alan Napier
MST Season:  8

The Movie

*I HAVE SURVIVED WATCHING THIS MOVIE UNRIFFED*

The third Universal International film in a row is a sluggish film about an expedition to find a lost civilization led by John Agar and Hugh Beaumont.  Eventually they find it, having branched off into the underground where they’ve become albinos who fear/worship the sun and have turned hunchback monsters into their own personal slaves.  They present themselves as gods from the surface world who wield the mighty power of the flashlight, but playing immortal might have dire consequences should they be discovered as frauds.

Not entirely terrible, but lackluster film is mostly something of a “stranger in a strange land” drama with a sci-fi/fantasy twist.  Viewers who are used to diplomatic episodes of Star Trek might find themselves at home with this movie, as it very much shares a similar structure to most.  The problem is that the film is excruciatingly padded, with lot’s of “rock climbing” in reverse, dinner discussion of cultural differences, and native dance sequences to fill out an eighty minute runtime.

The titular Mole People have an interesting design, but are not Universal’s strongest monster creations.  The rubber masks are serviceable, though the flabby humps on their backs make them look ridiculous.  And it’s a bit surprising they’re not more important to the story, and only serve as a bit of a deus ex machina to help our heroes escape at the end.  So in this aspect monster lovers might be disappointed, though it’s a decent story.

The Episode

One thing I really noticed about this episode this time around is that it really peaks early.  The funniest portion of the episode is the riffing on the forward by the professor at the beginning of the film.  This strange little lecture was attached by the filmmakers to make the story of the film seem less absurd, but as he shares these strange theories from throughout history (many of which have been proven incorrect) it really does the film no favors.  Mike and the Bots have a field day with this segment, lampooning everything as if it’s coming from a crackpot.  This section of the film is almost an honorary short in the way it’s presented and it’s delightful.

The following movie can’t live up to that lively opening because of how drab and slow it is.  To give credit where credit is due, the riffing is admirable work, it’s just that crossed with this particular film it feels weighted.  There are individual moments where I laugh really hard at it (Servo’s sinister delivery of “Oh you never would believe where those Keebler Cookies come from” is a personal favorite), yet at the same time the riffing just gets dragged into the pondering of the movie.  That said, I was never bored with it.  Even if they feel a tad stuck in the mud with this one at least they liven up the party.

The host segments are mostly filler.  The episode is notable for featuring the first celebrity guest star on the series, NFL player Robert Smith.  The series would go on to have one more celebrity cameo in Leonard Maltin in season nine before cancellation, then have a whole slew of them in the revival.  Smith’s cameo is that of a beefy caveman hunk presented to Pearl for “Lawgiver Daze,” a celebration Deep Ape puts on in honor of Pearl.  These segments are fine, though not a laugh riot.  On the SOL the segments aren’t any better, with Crow discovers that something ancient once lived on the Satellite of Love (AKA himself) while Mike tries to do a segment based on the professor at the beginning of the film but the bots won't let him.  These are largely not funny.  Tom’s failed folk song is somewhat amusing, while I do kinda like that Crow’s glowing eyes when he’s pretending to be a “space child” in the opening seem to have the Sci-Fi Channel logo on them.  Way to suck up to the new bosses, guys!

Mole People offers moments of great amusement, but is largely a forgettable episode.  I can’t complain about much while watching it, it’s just that I find myself largely uninterested in watching it at all.

Average

The DVD

The Mole People was dug up by Shout Factory in their Volume XXVI collection.  Picture quality is spotty, but audio is pretty good.

Extras center on a documentary called Of Mushrooms and Madmen:  The Making of Mole People.  Host Tom Weaver and interviewees recollect the making of this film and what made it memorable to them.  Also included is a trailer.

Shout Factory also released this episode on the blu-ray of the uncut film, featuring a nearly identical version of the episode.  The trailer and documentary from the DVD are ported over, while a still gallery is thrown in for good measure.  The movie itself is presented in two aspect ratios, 1.85:1 and 2:1, both of which are a little dirty and heavily grainy, but the movie looks great.  This is the superior package to get for this episode.