Genre: Drama
Director: Douglas Miller
Starring: Ann-Margret, John Forsythe
MST Season: 6
The Movie
Wow. Something close to being a REAL movie on this show! With brand name stars and everything!
Kitten with a Whip is the story of Ann-Margret, in one of her earliest post-Bye Bye Birdie/Viva Las Vegas roles, who plays a juvenile detention center escapee who hides out in the home of a politician, played by John Forsythe. Upon discovering the little firecracker in his house, Forsythe threatens to call the police, but the lady lies and threatens his career to stay hidden in his home, claiming she'll be his mistress to the press and scream rape to the police. Forsythe plays along with her demands as the situation spirals wildly out of control.
This forgotten little drama has all the bells and whistles of a Hollywood dramatic showcase, as the acting and production value are pretty solid. If nothing else, Kitten with a Whip has pretty great cinematography that utilizes stylized blacks and angles that grow a bit unhinged as Ann-Margret goes off her rocker at various points in the film, but is able to lighten and flow softer during her calmer moments. This is a really good looking movie. I'm not used to saying that about a film on Mystery Science Theater 3000.
As for the drama itself, it's try-hard but it goes nowhere. I dig the movie's jazzy noir vibe and Ann-Margret is absolutely committed to her part, though the motions don't feel that interesting. Ann-Margret plays her role with a bit of an unbalance, as if she has no reason that she understands for her horrible actions but feels compelled to do it anyway, even with a hint of regret at times. Forsythe mostly sits in the backseat of the movie, along for the ride and staring at Ann-Margret with anger in his eyes, but he never really does anything.
Kitten with a Whip is not a horrible movie, just a underwhelming one. It feels like it's toying with a worthy premise that it never quite figured out. If nothing else, it's worth watching for Ann-Margret and the style of the film is pretty groovy. But it's hard to recommend the film on the whole.
The Episode
Kitten with a Whip is a better movie than we're used to, especially during the oddities we received during season six. It's drama is both heavy and over-the-top, and Mike and the Bots choose a counterbalance with their riff to bring the mood lighter. They're pretty goofy and silly here, especially during the third act, taking these dark characters and flavoring them with outrageousness. For example, one of the antagonists during the third act is a guest Ann-Margret invites to the house, he is supposedly a delinquent like her but features a getup and attitude that hints at a preppie, so the riffers infuse him with a pompous, Thurston Howell type personality. John Forsythe does almost nothing during the duration of the movie, so Mike and the Bots project that he must maintain his blandness at all costs. The clash of the darkness of the movie and the wacky fun of the humor really compliments this experiment, and I find it to be a riot. Also: vernacular has a presence in this riff, as a lot of Ann-Margret's lingo is of interest to the riffers, especially the word "creamy." They also play with the 60's styles and jazzy tunes. Also Doodles Weaver.
"Doodles! Doodles! Doodles!"
While host segments are slight, this episode starts out with a banger, as Mike sends Crow down the Umbilicus on a covert mission to Deep 13 to bring the Satellite of Love back to Earth. It's a wildly fun sequence that more than sets the stage for the episode. There's not a lot to mention other than that. Mike gives the Bots Six Million Dollar Man noises, and grows tired of them instantly. Mike's dressed up in Victorian drag for some reason. Kevin Murphy puts on a cat costume and tries to do a "taking the title literally" skit, where he plays the "kitten with the whip." There is no purpose for the segment other than for Keven to act like a cat for thirty seconds.
While barely a blip in MST3K canon, Kitten with a Whip is a slight but fun episode with wacky riffing of an aggressive movie. I can't think of any real reason to not recommend this one because it's pretty funny and easy to watch. Pretty creamy, as the kids would say.
Good
EVERYTHING IS SO CREAMY!
The DVD
This kitten kept on whippin' on Shout Factory's Volume XXV set. Video was repeatedly troublesome through the second half of the episode, though the audio was fine. The sole special feature was an intro by Mike, who doesn't seem to remember the episode that well and doesn't seem to think it's a series highlight.
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