Radar Men from the Moon (MST3K Sepcials)

As the Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVD collection grew in size, the idea of shorts compilations started to seem a little bit archaic.  Especially by Volume XXV, which was the first volume in which Shout Factory opened the floodgates on licensing episodes from major studios like Universal and MGM, which was an omen that most of the series would indeed be released on DVD, shorts intact.  As of today, the only episode featuring a short that hasn't been released on DVD is It Conquered the World, and it's short, Snow Thrills, was never featured on a shorts compilation (though it was featured as a bonus feature on Volume XXIV).

The last shorts compilation was Mr. B's Lost Shorts all the way back in Volume 6, but Shout Factory decided it was time to revive the tradition by releasing a Radar Men from the Moon compilation as a bonus disc (through Shout's website only) with the above mentioned Volume XXV.  The selling point this time is that Radar Men from the Moon is a lengthy serial that tells a long form story, so there is something to gain from watching all of these shorts in one go.

But the downside is the same downside that watching a serial from start to finish always had:  these chapters weren't meant to be watched in one go.  Every Radar Men episode feels similar to the previous, because it was presumed distance between each so the padding wouldn't be so obvious.  Stuff like this wasn't made with home media bingewatching in mind.  They were only interested in a kid handing over their nickel every week to see a slight momentum in plot, but who cares?  JET PACKS!

Likewise, the MST3K versions weren't meant to be sat through in one go either.  Due to the similarity between the chapters, a lot of jokes are repeated, which creates some tedium in watching the entire serial in one go.  And even still, the serial isn't even complete, which cuts off halfway through chapter nine, leaving three and a half chapters out in limbo.  A missed opportunity of this disc is that it might have been interesting to see the unriffed chapters here, so we could at least see some closure.  But at least they were more committed to Commando Cody than they were with The Phantom Creeps or Undersea Kingdom.

Is the disc worth owning?  Well, I won't lie and say there isn't some interest value in watching the series go through this serial in one go.  And watching the evolution of the first season in one go is kind of neat.  That being said, if you slog through Radar Men from the Moon in a normal episode setting, this experience isn't a revelation of any kind.

Radar Men from the Moon:  Chapter One - Moon Rocket

Original Episode:  The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy

Serials.  They sound like as delicious as a bowl of Trix, but not quite.  Nowadays they’re best known for inspiring George Lucas to make Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, but the dark reality is they aren’t very interesting or exciting.

The short follows Commando Cody, a super-scientist with a jet-pack (who also may or may not be the inspiration for the 1980’s retro-styled comic character The Rocketeer).  He investigates atomic energy on the moon and discovers a plot by the evil civilization of moon men to conquer the Earth.

I don’t think one can adequately review a serial, so I don’t think I should try.  Given what serials are, Radar Men from the Moon seems par for the course.  My soft spot for superheroics enjoys parts of it, while my enjoyment of storytelling makes me yearn for something more ambitious.  Since it’s only the first chapter, I’m not grunting in frustration yet, but I do know that day will come.

Shorts would of course become a mainstay in the series, however they soon discovered industrial and educational films were better suited for the format than serials.  However, the idea of riffing a serial is intriguing, offering up sort of mini-cliffhangers to try and keep viewers invested enough to watch each week.  But the nature of a serial is that they were catering to a youth culture that’s out of date, and didn’t mind/notice that what they were watching was the same each and every week.  Commando Cody is a failed experiment, but you wouldn’t know it here.  With the serial so fresh and the production so goofy, the SOL crew is firing on all cylinders.  They especially have fun poking at the logic holes at hand (“Isn’t ANY atomic activity on the moon unusual?”).  It would definitely seem like a match made in heaven.

Radar Men from the Moon:  Chapter Two - Molten Terror

Original Episode:  The Mad Monster

After narrowly escaping the Moon Men’s base, Commando Cody immediately goes back because he’s stupid.  This time he successfully escapes with the diabolical ray gun that threatens humanity, but the Moon Men are on his tail.

Second verse same as the first.  If you’ve seen one serial, you’ve seen them all.  There might be little tweaks to the costumes and set design between each, but not in format.  And if you’ve seen the first chapter of any serial, you might as well skip to the last because you really aren’t missing much of anything in between.  In the case of Molten Terror, it definitely feels as if little plot progression has been made.  Cody escapes from the evil aliens, as a brief chat with his comrades, then just waltzes back because they had to fill time for twelve of these suckers.  The rest of the short is just small pieces of people punching each other and a prolonged chase scene thrown in for good measure.

So yeah, that’s about twenty minutes of my time I’ll never get back.  It must have been boring being a kid in the 40s and 50s if this was considered entertainment.  I can only imagine paying my hard earned allowance to see a serial and realizing walking out that nothing really happened.  Sure, I got my repetitive plot lines out of shows like Transformers and Power Rangers, but at least on television those were free.

Unfortunately the riffing on Commando Cody is a brick wall. There’s so little happening combining with similar beats with the first chapter that they seem utterly lost with it.  They do introduce the “Nipple tweak” joke, which they run on throughout the serial, though the rest of the short is a bummer.

Radar Men from the Moon:  Chapter Three - Bridge of Death

Original Episode:  The Corpse Vanishes

In one of the cooler Commando Cody cliffhanger payoffs, Cody rockets out of the cavern above the molten lava that threatened to trap him.  After that it’s business as usual as Cody is threatened by the Moon Men thugs’ ambush, leading up to an exploding bridge.

Three episodes into Commando Cody and probably the best thing that can be said for it is that I’m not sick of it yet.  Don’t worry, that’ll change.  The repetition is annoying but the pulp flavor isn’t quite worn down yet.  This chapter at least has the awesome lava sequence.

Commando Cody will be taking the next episode off, but don’t worry, he’ll be back.

While they usually struggle with Commando Cody, this week’s isn’t too bad.  There’s some solid flow with the line delivery, and the zingers land on target more often than not.

Radar Men from the Moon:  Chapter Four - Flight to Destruction

Original Episode:  Robot Monster

For the first time ever our show tackles two shorts in a single episode.  This rare practice would only be duplicated three more times, with Project Moon Base, Teenage Cave Man, and The Beast of Yucca Flats.

Jumping just in time from his car in footage that was conveniently left out of the previous chapter, Commando Cody lives!  However thugs working for the moon men kidnap his Girl Friday Joan, and take her for a plane ride.  Cody pursues only to have the pilot bail out…

INTERMISSION

Radar Men from the Moon:  Chapter Five - Murder Car

Original Episode:  Robot Monster

Of course just like last time Cody gets Joan to bail out at the last minute.  But we trade in a murder plane for a MURDER CAR in this instalment.  The thugs execute another heist and make a getaway.  That’s pretty much all there is to this one.

Two Cody shorts is twice as hard to swallow as one.  Neither of these are exciting and both are padded beyond belief.  The first short however is clearly the better of the two because it at least has a “chase to save the girl” storyline and more action.  The second one is all road chase and not much else.

We really paid a nickel for each of these?  I could have saved that money for a soda instead.

Two Commando Cody shorts means we’re in for some hurting today.  And yet while I anticipated these to be more tiresome as they went on, I actually found that the riffing improved a lot in the second short over the first.  They start out with par for the course “we’ve seen this all before” riffs but it somewhat evolves into something more playful, like mistaking an ambulance for an ice cream truck or an amusing intro where the Bots try to escape the theater (which is repeated many years later in Hobgoblins).  I’d dare say that Murder Car might be the funniest of the Commando Cody shorts.

Radar Men from the Moon:  Chapter Six - Hills of Death

Original Episode:  The Slime People

Jumping out of their cars before the fake-out quick cut, we are flung into this week’s single serving of Commando Cody.  This one features Cody’s pal Ted being kidnapped and escaping, anticlimactic padding this may be, it sends Cody pursuing the bad guys and getting into a gunfight.

I feel as if I’ve said my peace on Commando Cody many times over by now.  Serials are tiresome even when they’re spaced far apart like this.  When this chapter ends, I feel a bit irritated because nothing really happened.  And what’s worse is that I’m wise to it, because a serial is nothing more than thirty minutes of story padded out to twelve or fifteen chapters that last fifteen minutes each.  Now that we’re halfway through Commando Cody we’re getting to the most tedious chapters of the bunch, and they can get infuriating.

There are a lot of gags we’ve heard before, and a lot of lesser gags that we haven’t.  We’re further cementing that Commando Cody was far too ambitious a project for this early in MST’s run.  The monotonous stories and similar footage are really causing our boys to struggle.

Radar Men from the Moon:  Chapter Seven - Camouflaged Destruction

Original Episode:  Project Moon Base

As if the double trouble from Robot Monster wasn’t enough, here is another Commando Cody double feature to assault us!

When we last left Commando Cody he was flung off of a cliff!  Talk about an actual CLIFFHANGER!  Stupid us forgot he has a rocket pack, which he just turns on and flies to safety!  He soon discovers the bad guys have a new ray gun and goes in pursuit with his pilot Ted.  But the bad guys shoot down their plane with said ray gun.

TO BE CONTINUED…RIGHT NOW!

Radar Men from the Moon:  Chapter Eight - The Enemy Planet

Original Episode: Project Moon Base

Commando Cody and Ted eject in the nick of time.  In the aftermath Cody returns to the moon and disguises himself as one of the Radar Men guards, and drives off in one of their lunarmobiles.

Two Cody shorts, and mostly they kind of blend in together.  At least the second has some outer space action in it, but that’s about all I can do to set them apart.  There’s not much that’s stimulating in watching two of these in a row.   I’m just kind of numb right now.

I don’t really know how they managed to riff more than one per episode not once but twice on MST.  In season one no less.  They deserve some form of applause for that alone.  These shorts are a bit funnier than usual, due to the cast’s increased confidence in the format, but that doesn’t stop them from slipping into familiar riffs along the way.  The second short is the better of the two, with the moon setting giving them more material to work with.  We have a fun and creative “Theme Song” they sing during the opening credits, and the climax is a gas, with the cliffhanger showcasing someone’s oxygen tank getting hit only to have Joel make the claim that the helium valve was released instead!  Servo exits the theater with high-pitched screams of “Help me!” that had me giggling quite a bit.

Radar Men from the Moon:  Chapter Nine - Battle in the Stratosphere

Original Episode:  Robot Holocaust

Commando Cody rescues his comrades from suffocation in space, and they take off for a thrilling BATTLE IN THE STRATOSPHERE!  Except we don’t get to see it because the film breaks.  Something tells me we didn’t miss much.

With this we say goodbye to Commando Cody.  We don’t get much closure on his storyline, or what passes for a storyline.  In addition to what we didn’t see in this short, there are three more chapters to this serial.  Maybe one day I’ll be curious enough to watch the rest, but that probably won’t be anytime soon.

There’s not a lot you can say.  It only lasts a few minutes and the riffing is more workmanlike than anything.  They feel like they’re pushing through it with the desire to never watch Commando Cody again.  I guess they succeeded.

The DVD

Radar Men from the Moon was compiled as Shout Factory website exclusive bonus disc on their Volume XXV collection (which also saw chapter nine featured during the episode Robot Holocaust, released in the same collection).  Audio and video were excellent.  There was an introduction by J. Elvis Weinstein, who talks about the appeal of serials being featured on the show and why it didn't work out in the end.

615-Kitten with a Whip

Film Year:  1964

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.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXIX DVD Retrospective

Release Date:  March 25, 2014

Buy It Here!

Episodes Featured:

Untamed Youth

Hercules and the Captive Women

The Thing That Couldn't Die

The Pumaman

Mystery Science Theater fans rejoice, as one of its biggest crowd pleasing episodes has finally hit DVD.  Pumaman being released in this set was actually pretty big news when it was announced, because Shout Factory had gone on record saying they were having trouble finding the rights owners to that movie.  Pumaman turned out to be owned by Rocca Delle Macie S.p.A., which is an Italian wine farm, of all things!  The Google rating is three stars out of five.  It's based on only one review, and that review simply says "asdasd."  Thanks for clearing that up!

And here I thought Soultaker being owned by a dentist was weird.

Pumaman is undoubtedly the highlight of the set.  It's just too much fun.  The Thing That Couldn't Die comes in at a solid second, ensuring the Mike half of this set is the more memorable half.  Of the two Joel contenders, I'm going to side with the first season offering of Untamed Youth being the better of the two.  Sparse riffing or not, Mamie Van Doren on the show is a lot of fun!  Hercules and the Captive Women is fine, but it's the least of the Hercules episodes.

Average Rating (out of 4):  3

Audio and video is pretty good, though Thing That Couldn't Die shows some blemishes.  On the special features end, one of the big highlights is that the set features the unriffed version of Pumaman, making it's DVD debut!  Considering this movie was probably owned by people who didn't know they owned it, this was probably a courtesy by Shout Factory, as the film likely hasn't seen a home release in decades.  The downside to this is that the print is full screen, and very flawed.  Pumaman is in need of a restoration.

Backing up the unriffed Pumaman is an interview with Pumaman himself, Walter G. Alton Jr.  He's not the only star interviewed on this set, as Mamie Van Doren herself pops in to give a few words about Untamed Youth.  Also film-related is The Movie That Couldn't Die, an audio essay by Tom Weaver about The Thing That Couldn't Die.  More MST related, we have Joel Hodgson doing introductions for Untamed Youth and Hercules and the Captive Women, and a discussion of the Nanites.  We have also have an interview with artist Steve Vance, who creates the artwork for each episode's DVD case, and it also features a gallery of his work.  Closing out the set are theatrical trailers for Untamed Youth and The Thing That Couldn't Die.

We have yet another stock art for the outer case, with Shout Factory's trademark style of the MST logo in the upper left hand corner and the theater seats down below, with the roman numerals "XXIX" painted in orange in the center.  But we turn to our special features interviewee Steve Vance for the internal individual episode art, which is much more special.  Untamed Youth features Servo jamming on a guitar while Crow is all dolled up as Mamie Van Doren and dancing to the beat.  Hercules and the Captive Women sees Servo as Hercules, battling a giant horned dragon, while Crow is helplessly trapped inside of a wall.  The Thing That Couldn't Die features Servo dressed up as the female lead, holding up the disembodied head of Crow, who hypnotizes all who meet his gaze.  Pumaman features Crow as Pumaman glaring up at Servo, who sits above the logo with the golden mask.

Disc art is Shout's traditional episode logos against a starry backdrop.  Disc menus continue Shout's playful CGI Crow and Servo skits.  Untamed Youth features Crow and Servo picking cotton in the cottonfields, while Mamie Van Doren is sexually harassed by Mr. Tropp.  Hercules and the Captive Women changes things up by turning Steve Vance's artwork into a motion menu, feturing Servo as Hercules battling the horned dragon.  The Thing That Couldn't Die switches back to the traditional CG figures and features Crow and Servo opening the titular Thing's box and sticking his head in a microwave, popping it like popcorn.  Pumaman rounds out the menus with Crow and Servo dressed up as Donald Pleasence's bad guy, and they combat Pumaman with the golden mask.

As one of the most popular episodes of the series, Pumaman is a must own episode and anything else is just gravy.  Luckily The Thing That Couldn't Die holds its own and Untamed Youth is one of the better first season entries, ensuring this is a set that delivers.  I definitley recommend it.

805-The Thing That Couldn't Die

Film Year:  1958

Genre:  Horror

Director:  Will Cowan

Starring:  William Reynolds, Andra Martin, Jeffrey Stone, Carolyn Kearney

MST Season:  8

The Movie

*I HAVE SURVIVED WATCHING THIS MOVIE UNRIFFED*

As if the Brain That Wouldn't Die wasn't bad enough, now we got another immortal head giving us shit...

One of Universal International's last gasps of in-house horror in the 1950's, The Thing That Couldn't Die is about a group of ranchers that use their psychic youngling Jessica to find water for their ranch.  Jessica accidentally discovers a mysterious box buried beneath the soil instead.  Thinking they've struck gold, Jessica's family unearths it only to discover a disembodied head inside, which can control people at a glance.

Let's be frank, it's not very good.  The Thing That Couldn't Die feels half-baked at every corner.  It feels like half a concept cooked up with minimal effort, likely thrown together just to make use of ready sets and to have a product to sell.  The story isn't very interesting, though the film has a bit of sex appeal in its lovely leads Andra Martin and Carolyn Kearney, who will keep a red-blooded male's attention with their good looks.  Unfortunately the script doesn't really give them anything to do except be the objects of male desire.  Kearney is supposed to be the lead, but she doesn't really do anything but look pouty, yell, and change into a nighty.

The horror of the piece lies in how terrifying you find the head, which just stares at people wordlessly.  Supposedly this head is the "Thing that COULDN'T die," but in the end it dies anyway.  Rather easily too.  It doesn't really sell itself as a threat in this movie, making it one of the lamest movie monsters in Universal's long history.  I've seen quite a few of Universal's trademark horror pictures, and there is an argument that can be made that The Thing That Couldn't Die may be the worst of Universal's long legacy of horror.  It is genuinely at the bottom of the heap.

The Episode

One can feel something of a dirty mind in the writers room while writing for The Thing That Couldn't Die.  The riffs are oddly sexually charged, as it seems to pick up on the idea that one of the primary appeals of the movie is how busty the leads are, and it just wrings it for whatever laughs it can.  There are admittedly more than a few shots where the film lingers on the chest of the main actress, supposedly showing her necklace but more likely showing her neckline, and the jokes about cleavage and breasts come about.  Probably the most blatant example of projecting sex onto the film is that there are a bizarrely large amount of scenes featuring two women in bed together during this movie, to which Crow and Servo seem very ready, willing, and able to imply a Sapphic fantasy on, much to the joy of hormonal 13-year-old boys everywhere.  But the biggest laugh from any of this is when the head monster hypnotizes one of the lady leads, then Servo has him kindly ask his minion to insert him into her cleavage.  Both Bots are pretty horny throughout this riff.

Of course, while the riff tends to get pretty blue, it stays pretty funny.  The movie has no shortage of material to work with, from its terrible script to its laughable monster.  The latter, in particular, gets its share of attention, with a grand share of head gags being thrown at the film.  The characters can be pretty scummy too, and its often pointed out how greasy and unappealing they can be.  They can even turn it into campfire songs at the best of times.

The host segments find us reaching the planet of the Observers, making this the first appearance of the final Mad of Pearl's crew, the Observer lovingly called "Brain Guy" by us fans, played by Bill Corbett.  In his debut, he is one of three Observers (played by Michael J. Nelson and Paul Chaplin) who intercept Pearl, Bobo, and the Satellite of Love.  They observe (natch) and study, knowing they are superior to these lesser beings but curious about how much lesser they are.  A lot of these bits see them putting Pearl and Bobo in comforting surroundings as they prepare their future testing for them, while Paul's Observer pops up to the Satellite to study Mike in one of the most amusing segments of the episode ("I hate him...").  Paul also pops up to the Satellite again, this time as someone Mike accidentally conjures up from a memory due to a power the Observers bestow upon him, and then he promptly beats the crap out of him.  I don't know why this segment tickles me the way it does, maybe it's because the attack Paul lays on Mike is so unprovoked, and then Mike tries to conjure up different people (the Bots beg for Adrienne Barbeau, played by Bridget Jones), only to have the same result.  The sole segments that have nothing to do with the Observers feature Crow presenting a Civil War documentary and Tom Servo as an artist depicting Crow as an evil authoritarian.  They're so-so.

Concluding our early eighth season quest through the Universal International catalog, we find ourselves faced with yet another winner.  The Thing That Couldn't Die isn't the home run that The Deadly Mantis is, but it's at the very least on a par with The Leech Woman.  It's a fun episode and a great debut to the Observers, proving once again that the Sci-Fi run could be every bit as good as the Comedy Central run.  Of course, maybe five Universal International films in a row may be a bit much, but that would all come to an end soon.

Good

The DVD

This Thing didn't die as a part of Shout Factory's Volume XXIX collection.  Video was spotty, but audio was swell.  Bonus features featured Tom Weaver discussing the film's history in a documentary called The Movie That Wouldn't Die, chronicling how the film was conceived and put into production during a troublesome time at Universal's studios causing it to be a cost saving effort.  Casting is overviewed, and while poor reviews are skimmed through, Weaver points out that the film was mostly successful, thanks to a double bill with the far superior Hammer film Horror of Dracula.  Also featured is a theatrical trailer for the film.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXXIX DVD Retrospective

Release Date:  November 21, 2017

Buy It Here!

Episodes featured:

Girls Town

The Amazing Transparent Man

Diabolik

Also featuring:

Satellite Dishes

Poopie!

Poopie II!

Poopie Parade of Values

This is the end, beautiful friend.

This is the end,  my only friend.

Maybe.

Shout Factory went above and beyond my expectations for amount of episodes that could be released on the format.  The minute they started tapping big name studios for physical release was the moment I knew that we were probably going much further in the series in these volumes than I could have ever hoped for.  This box set sees them tapping Paramount for the first time for Girls Town and Diabolik, and while there are three more episodes that Paramount owns the film rights to, those particular films were tied up with another third party label and weren't available for licensing at the time of this set's release, leaving the idea of a Volume XL up in the air.

For this "supposed" final volume of the series (don't be surprised if that Volume XL happens, because it seems inevitable), Shout releases the final sixth and tenth season episodes that had never seen physical release, completing those seasons on DVD.  But the bad news is that there are only three episodes on this set, mostly because that's all Shout could release.  But the good news is that one of them is the fabulous Girls Town, which is definitely worth a look.  Also here is the classic series finale Diabolik, which was our farewell to the series until 2017.  Amazing Transparent Man is also here, and it's a solid episode with a great short, so these episodes must be in any fan's collection, making this set a must-own.

But if you're upset that there are only three episodes on this set, there are some supplemental materials here that might make up for it.  There is a bonus disc called Satellite Dishes, which offers the host segments of the episodes that are unlikely to see release.  And if you bought it through Shout Factory's website, you received a limited edition bonus disc called The Complete Poopie, which featured the two Poopie! gag reels as well as the televised ad Poopie Parade of Values.  It's not a bad package, even though most of the gag reels had already been released on DVD.

Average Rating (out of 4):  3.33

Audio and video for the episodes was pretty solid, though the segments seen in Satellite Dishes were uneven.  Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster featured tape hits, while It Conquered the World had dim video and poor audio and both Terror from the Year 5000 and I Was a Teenage Werewolf look and sounds pretty lousy too, but not quite as bad.  The centerpiece features come on the Diabolik disc, which has a retrospective on the end of the series called Showdown in Eden Prairie.  Also featured is The Last Dance, which is a vintage feature-length behind-the-scenes video of the making of the final episode.  Also show related is an interview with Chuck Love, who help compose the theme to the series.  There is a mini-doc about the making of Amazing Transparent Man called Beyond Transparency, while all three films have a theatrical trailer.  There is also a documentary about the go-to DVD documentary makers, Ballyhoo, called Behind the Scream.

The box art is the Shout Factory norm, featuring the logo in the upper left hand corner and the theater seats down at the bottom looking up at the roman numerals "XXXIX" painted in orange.  And as always, the highlights are the interior case artwork by Steve Vance.  Girls Town features Tom Servo as Mamie Van Doren and Crow as a nun, as they rock out above the film logo.  Amazing Transparent Man has Crow as the Transparent Man being zapped into transparency by scientist Tom Servo.  Diabolik has Crow as the title thief climbing a rope over the film logo, up to Servo as Eve, holding a necklace of emeralds.  Satellite is mostly a portrait of the main characters of MST3K, with Joel, Mike, and the Bots hanging out on the bottom, while the group of the Mads look down at them over the "Satellite Dishes" logo (the only Mad missing is Dr. Erhardt).  The Complete Poopie features Crow and Servo wrestling with film stock and a pair of scissors.

While disc art is the standard movie logos against starry backdrop, the menus change things up for this final release.  Shout decides to ditch both the CG robots and mini-puppets and instead do menus with little cutouts of characters wagging around.  I kind of like the aesthetic of it, but like the puppets, they feel a bit limited.  But they still take the audio from episodes to create little skits.  Girls Town has Mamie Van Doren crashing the Satellite of Love bridge to sing the Girls Town theme.  The Amazing Transparent Man has Tom Servo zapping Crow with a transparency ray.  Diabolik has Diabolik tricking Mike into pressing a button that celebrates the end of the show.  Satellite Dishes features stills of the segments being presented in a little mini-theater as the closing theme plays.  The Complete Poopie has the disc title against a starry backdrop as the theater seats sit at the bottom.

By the time this supposed final volume was released Mystery Science Theater 3000 had already aired its eleventh season on Netflix, and were prepared to announce a twelfth season during that year's Turkey Day marathon.  And just before I wrote this review, they had successfully funded a new season on the Gizmoplex.  Even if this is the "conclusion" of the classic series on DVD, it's good to know it isn't the end.  But with three great episodes gracing us with their DVD presence, this collection is a must own, even if it is bittersweet.

Poopie Parade of Values (MST3K Special)

*Warning:  Offer No Longer Valid.  Phone number may or may not be phone sex hotline now.

Probably one of the slighter little corners of Mystery Science Theater history is Poopie Parade of Values, a little infomercial Mike, Kevin, and Trace put on for Turkey Day 1995, which advertised home video products being sold by Best Brains Inc. directly.  Up for sale is the half hour MST3K blooper reel tape Poopie! and in addition to it is the MST Scrapbook tape of series highlights and behind the scenes footage, and if you buy both you can have them for the low, low price of only $30 (a $37.50 value)!

Being the comedians that they are, Mike, Kevin, and Trace don't just sell their tapes, but put on a delightful little parody of infomercials in general.  Kevin puts on his best Bob Vila fake laugh and smile while Mike enters and they mock the phony pleasantness of the artform in between sharing clips of the Scrapbook and blooper reels.  But things really spice up once Trace enters the picture, as he puts on the fakest of Australian accents and demonstrates how the tapes perfectly fit into a VCR, much to Mike and Kevin's amazement.  While the rest of the infomercial was pleasant enough, that was the one moment where I let out an audible laugh.

Outside of historical curiosity, there isn't much in Poopie Parade of Values to actively recommend.  It's just a scant 17 minutes long and a fairly amusing look at these guys selling products that are now out of print.  But Best Brains would branch out a bit, selling more tapes of their own making to fans.  They would start doing host segment compilations, tapes of popular songs from the series, and in some cases full episodes themselves.  This was only the beginning of MST on home media, as the following year Rhino Home Video would begin releasing VHS tapes of the series into retail stores (including Poopie!), which would begat them releasing episodes on DVD, which would begat Shout Factory acquiring the DVD license, which would begat Shout Factory buying the series outright, which would begat the show's revival in 2017.  In a weird way Poopie Parade of Values is the beginning of a domino effect that would ensure Mystery Science Theater 3000 would endure for years to come.

And Poopie Parade of Values may not be much, but it's a testament to the fact that we wanted to immortalize this show on home media way back in 1995 if nothing else.

Satellite Dishes (MST3K Specials)

Well it was bound to happen, Shout Factory ran out of episodes.  Almost.  Rights issues has backed Shout Factory into a corner, as remaining episode titles had certain entanglements that prevented them from being released (as of Volume XXXIX).  I'll spare you the legal mumbo jumbo, maybe I'll get into it at a later date, but Shout came up with the solution of if we can't have the entire episode, then maybe we can at least have the host segments!  Host segment compilations aren't new, as Best Brains used to sell video tapes titled Tom Servo's All-Time Favorite Host Segments, which were rather popular among MSTies in the mid-90's.  This one is just devoted to episodes that may never see the light of day on DVD.

Though that final statement needs an asterisk next to it.  It's looking likely one day Quest of the Delta Knights will see a physical release, as it has already been released digitally.  There is also a shot that Fire Maidens of Outer Space, The Deadly Bees, and The Space Children will see the light of day as well, while the others are more in the "When hell freezes over camp."  So one day a good chunk of this set will be obsolete, but until then, enjoy!

Interestingly enough, this compilation doesn't include the episode Godzilla vs. Megalon.  Technically this episode did see a DVD release, but it was infamously pulled due to Rhino Home Video (MST's then-home-media-distributor) failing to properly secure the rights to the movie, while Shout never released the episode at all.  It feels like it should be included here, but is left out for whatever reason.  There might have been an issue with footage of the movie being used in the Rex Dart:  Eskimo Spy sketch, but that might be a grey area and I don't know whether or not that's fair use (the use of Godzilla in the opening credits seems to be unchallenged, so...).

Rocketship X-M

I laughed often during the host segments, which introduce us to Tom Servo's new voice and TV's Frank, replacing the now MIA Dr. Erhardt.  Frank in particular is quite hilarious here, as he plays the role of an awkward trainee at a fast food restaurant who doesn't quite know what he's doing.  The biggest laugh of the episode is the very end in which the very first "Push the button, Frank" happens, and Frank can't quite figure it out.  This bit actually is probably funnier now than it was then, since Frank wound up pushing that button many times in his career and seeing him learn it for the first time is quite a treat.  On the Satellite, we're given one treasure of a host segment as Joel quizzes the Bots on things that are funny floating in space, meanwhile the salute to reporters segment is quite fun too.  The big loser to single out is Mike's cameo as Valaria from Robot Holocaust, which starts nowhere and somehow gets lost along the way.

Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster

The best segment is the catchy Godzilla Genealogy Bop, which chronicles the thunder lizard’s family tree.  The space madness sketch has some laughs, and there are a lot of cool drawings in the final sketch.  The Invention Exchange is a simple delight, as Joel and the Mads invent new types of guitars that look really neat (Joel’s is mind controlled while the Mads’ are made of squeak toys).  Probably the closest to a dud is the visit from Mothra, which is neat but never really takes off.  Mike does the voice of the giant moth, but his turn as Gamera next season is much more memorable.

The Amazing Colossal Man

The host segments are a fair standard.  They're all charming and there's not really a loser in the bunch.  Mike has a wonderful guest spot as Glenn the Colossal Man and Crow and Servo get some wonderful pot shots at Joel during an exchange where they learn about tact ("And we know if you HAD breath mints you'd use them!").  The Invention Exchange offers a cute magic trick turning Kevin into a talking plant, while Joel turns a children's toy into a "Non-Permanent Tattoo" device.

It Conquered the World

The host segments are mostly forgettable, with top prize being the solid skit where Servo narrates a Snow Thrills parody.  There’s an intentionally off-key song that doesn’t really rank among the series’ best, however that particular segment does include a fourth wall “wink-wink” where Servo questions the direction of the skit and Joel whispers to him that the movie is running short, so they need to pad the episode out.  Lackluster segments include a Servo and Crow bicker session and Joel trying to use Crow as a ventriloquism puppet named Peanut (and if this episode weren’t from the early 90’s, I would have sworn the “puppet named Peanut” was a reference to comedian Jeff Dunham).  The episode closes out with Peter Graves final speech being repeated over and over again, which is one of those gags which is funny at first, grows tiresome, then becomes funny again because of how long it goes on.  Invention Exchange involved a hanging man’s noose Halloween costume and the Sony Sea-man.

Fire Maidens of Outer Space

There is a dark force invading the Satellite of Love...a dark specter named Timmy has taken the form of Crow and creeping around.  Timmy initially acts like Crow's friend, but acts increasingly more hostile as the episode goes on:  attacking Cambot, telling Crow the wrong things to say, and messing with the controls to everything in existence.  The theater segments even get in on letting the story unfold as Timmy sneaks into the theater and sits in silence for most of the third theater segment, eventually attacking Tom Servo.  All of this leads to a host segment that parodies Aliens where Joel fights Timmy ("Get away from him, you bitch!") and blasts him out the airlock.  This is really one of the most enjoyable host segment arcs in the history of the show.

Also as a minor note of episode importance, the letter read at the end was written by a girl named Ashley, who compares Tom Servo to her brother.  Ashley grew up to be a musician and was invited by Joel to participate in the Kickstarter that helped relaunch the series during the 2015 Turkey Day as well as the concluding Kickstarter live telethon.

Attack of the The Eye Creatures

The only host segment I’d say goes the full mile is the “They just didn’t care segment!” that closes out the episode, with a montage of visible flaws in the movie (“Take a look at this guy!  Take a good long look!”).  I mostly enjoyed the prop comedy of the third segment, however the Rip Taylor impressions make it feel loud and overly long.  I also kind of enjoy Tom’s desire to make out, even if I felt it kind of dwindled.  The rest of the host segments flounder.  The Earl Holliman segment just doesn’t do it for me, and while Joel’s funny gag fax machine ends with a cute Three Stooges style gag, the Invention Exchange is a bit of a loser (though I do like the creativity of the Router Ouija Board).

Terror from the Year 5000

The host segments are all delights, including the lovely song "When I Held Your Brain in My Arms" by the Observers.  Other amusing Observer bits include the Observer's forcing Pearl and Bobo to fight while failing to make Mike and the Bots do the same and also their evolved food in pill form (which honestly tickles me to no end).  Meanwhile, Crow acquires a time machine and uses it to woo Mike's ex-girlfriend Ginger Sssssssssssssssssnapop and the Terror, as played by Beez McKeever.

I Was a Teenage Werewolf

Pearl has shut off the Satellite of Love's protective systems so she, Bobo, and the sole surviving Observer can go camping, which leaves Mike and the Bots fending for themselves against alien infestation.  These segments delight with their parodies of the Alien franchise, featuring Servo with a facehugger before going full space marine and climbing into the ducts to fight more creatures (before breaking down and crying), while Mike tries to deal with all the alien eggs by making a giant omelet.  These segments are really fun and a genuine highlight of season 8's story arc.  

The Deadly Bees

The Bowler Hat Guy from the movie becomes a recurring gag during the end scenes, in which Jim Mallon wanders into the host segments with a Bowler Hat and interrupts them, tipping his hat as he walks by.  What does he interrupt?  Not a whole lot on the Satellite, which is mostly just random, goofy skits like Mike portraying the body movement of bees or Crow reading a sonnet to Hargrove's wife.  At Castle Forrester, it's another story, as the Observers return to take our Observer with them to rebuild their society.  I like the idea of this storyline, but I feel it's underdone.  It's told with minimal screentime and mostly seems to be present so they can set up a silly song in the middle of the episode (which isn't particularly great, in my opinion).  I thought the climactic mind battle between the observers was cute, but I can't help but feel there could be more done with this story and it became mostly a throwaway.

Highlighting the host segments is the intro segment, which dishes out "Previously on the Satellite of Love..." while Mike and the Bots play out a bunch of cliched soap operatics that would have happened if the show were a drama.  It's probably one of the best host segments of the entire series.

The Space Children

Host segments are a mixed bag.  They get stronger as the episode goes on, with an alien trying to take Servo’s nuke being the highlight of the episode for me, though Crow’s Jackie Coogan fashion show is pretty funny as well.  Servo’s kissing booth is a middle of the road “I don’t really know what to make of this” segment, while the big clunker of the lot is Mike imitating the guy from the short.

Quest of the Delta Knights

Host segments are definite highlights, and they obviously lead off the episode gimmick of Pearl being in the theater.  Pearl is unhappy with the pain that Mike is receiving from the movies and wants to witness what is wrong from the inside.  Meanwhile Mike pals around with Bobo and Observer with some “guy talk” and gossip.  Other segments prove to be just as good, with a song from an all Servo choir and a visit from Leonardo da Vinci (who hates Servo).  My favorite segment is the intro, in which Crow breaks down and Mike and Servo are forced to use a “Loaner Crow.”  Loaner Crow may be one of my all-time favorite characters on the show with what little screen time he has.

The DVD

Satillite Dishes was brought to us on Shout Factory's Volume XXXIX collection.  Audio and video quality was uneven.  Most of the footage looks fine, but It Conquered the World, Terror from the Year 5000, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, and The Deadly Bees look and sound fairly below par, with dim video and scratchy audio.  Meanwhile Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster has tape hits abound.

There was a bonus feature on the disc, called Behind the Scream.  This is an interview with Daniel Griffith, who creates the Ballyhoo documentaries for the MST DVD box sets.  He talks about getting into documentaries by creating one on K. Gordon Murray, and attracting the attention of Shout Factory and creating these little documentaries for the DVD releases.