Let the experiment begin!
Experiment #108 ~ THE SLIME PEOPLE (1963) with short
Commando Cody and the Radar Men from the Moon (1952) ~ (Ch. 6) 'Hills of Death'Original Air Date: Approx. 1/90
Genre: Horror/SciFi
Studio: Joseph F. Robertson Productions
Starring: Robert Hutton, Les Tremayne, Susan Hart, Robert Burton
Directed By: Robert Hutton
Theatrical Running Time: 76 Minutes
Tagline: "UP FROM THE BOWELS OF THE EARTH COME... THE SLIME PEOPLE!"
... but FIRST! ...
Short:Title: (Chapter Six) ~
HILLS OF DEATHGenre: Action/SciFi
Studio: A Republic Picture
Starring: George Wallace, Aline Towne, Roy Barcroft, William Bakewell, Clayton Moore
Directed By: Fred C. Bannon
Chapter Running Time: 14 Minutes
Tagline: N/A
Shorts Chapter Synopsis: Retik, ruler of the Moon, continues with his preparations to invade the Earth. He orders his right-hand man Krog (and Krog's human henchmen Graber and Daly) to drop an atomic bomb into the Mount Alta, California crater, which upon detonation should be strong enough to start a volcanic eruption. ("
The present atmospheric conditions on Earth indicate the eruption should cause torrential rains, and the resulting floods should seriously disrupt transportation and defense measures.") The bomb is delivered by plane, and the rains and floods ensue. A few days later, Cody and his assistant Ted track down Krog's goons and get into another fist fight, this time in Al's Diner. The thugs kidnap Ted, but he jumps out of the getaway car and gives them the slip. Ted phones Cody and tells him where the ruffians are headed to. Cody dons his bullet-shaped helmet and rocket pack and tracks the bad guys by air. After a short-lived gun battle and subsequent foot chase, Cody finds himself cornered on the ledge of a cliff and gets pushed off the edge by Graber.
To Be Continued...... and now ... OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION!
Film Synopsis: Tom Gregory (
Robert Hutton), newscaster ("sports, mostly") and amateur pilot flies into Los Angeles through thick fog and lands at a seemingly abandoned airstrip. A station wagon carrying two young women and an older man drives up to the tarmac and insist that he get in the car and come with them.
Occupying the vehicle are Professor Galbraith (
Robert Burton) and his two daughters, Lisa (
Susan Hart) and Bonnie (
Judee Morton).
They explain to Tom that a race of "Slime People" (armed with spears) emerged from the sewers, and that after the citizens of L.A. were evacuated and the U.S. Army was defeated, the creatures began to generate a dome of fog over the city which is becoming increasingly solid. After seeing stock footage of destroyed buildings and the insinuation of masses of dead people (with spears in them), Tom becomes a believer that something terrible is happening. They all agree to head to the KTTV television station and watch newsreels to possibly learn more about what is happening.
Here they encounter a pair of looters and Private Cal Johnson (
William Boyce), a Marine Corps rifleman (that oddly enough looks a lot like Conan O'Brien) who is the sole survivor of his wiped out unit. A slime creature attacks and Tom, Cal, the Prof. and his daughters make a run for it. The quintet barricade themselves inside the studios of the TV station. The professor comes up with a plan to test various chemicals on the fog wall to try to escape their impending imprisonment. Once the wall solidifies, the 'slime people' will be able to move about at will on the surface, due to a favorable dew point and temperature.
Cal hooks up with Bonnie and Tom hooks up with Lisa, and the next day while looking for supplies they meet Norman Tolliver (
Les Tremayne), an eccentric writer who happens to be carrying a goat that he refers to as "my little love". (I say...don't ask, don't tell!). Thankfully the goat is set free, not to be seen again.
Confirming the noticeable drop in temperature, everyone realizes that they don't have long until the slime people will be able to roam freely through the rapidly escalating fog, hunting down the last human survivors in their self-generated terrarium.
After running into an angry mob of survivors, our intrepid sextet beats a hasty retreat in the station wagon until it runs out of gas. They take shelter in... what else... a butcher shop! (
Tip roast --- 0.79 a lb.!... Porterhouse steak --- 1.39 a lb.! Count me in on that deal!!!). Tolliver gets killed by the slime people, as the others take shelter in one of the store's meat lockers.
Thick fog pretty much intermittently obscures most of the action in the last reel of the film, but... Bonnie gets kidnapped by the slime creatures, Tom and Cal rescue her, the professor discovers that sodium chloride --- (
table salt) --- will penetrate the fog wall and everyone accomplishes what the entire U.S. Army could not do... destroy the fog dome and defeat the slime people!
Intro: Joel and Tom are not 'morning people', however Crow apparently is. Joel once again explains the premise of the show.
Invention Exchange: Joel presents 'Cartoon Eyeglasses'. (Like... when something amazing happens, a cartoon characters' eyes will 'bug out'. You get the idea). Dr's. E. and F.'s extensive genetic research allows them to present 'Screaming Cotton Candy'. (It screams in pain when one takes a bite of it.
"OW! That's my HEAD! OW!").
Host Segments:Host 1: Judge Joel Reality Court. On the docket today... 'Bots vs. Commando Cody'. Prosecutor Crow will attempt to prove the defendant is guilty of the following charges: Failure to follow a proper flight plan, reckless endangerment of the public, breaking the laws of physics (and gravity) and acting as an officer of the law (and simply bad acting). Tom Servo, acting as Cody's defense attorney, pleads hardship. (
"Commando Cody has more than paid his debt to society by being trapped in a pathetic serial. Not to mention he has kept the world safe from Krog and his 'death ray'!"). The courtroom is innundated by millions (well, dozens) of letters from children who believe Commando Cody is real.
Host 2: The Bots question Joel as to how this movie ever got made. Joel explains that the beauty is that it actually
was made. (
Joel):
"The guy that made it wasn't a complete fool. He just convinced some people with money that it was a good idea and worth making."(
Tom):
"Oh, so it's the gullibility of people that allows things like this to exist. Okay. I've got a good idea for a show. This guy gets stranded on a desert isle. He makes little mechanical friends from parts of his boat, and all day long they have to watch reruns of bad TV shows like 'Supertrain' or 'Greatest American Hero'!"(
Crow):
"And how about if two evil Commodores send them the shows!"(
Joel):
"Naw, it's too illogical. It'll never fly."Host 3: Inspired by the movie, the Bots rig Gypsy's thermal conducer tube and fill the bridge of the 'SOL' with "thick, billowy clouds of terrifying slime smoke."
End: Joel bakes a pie, but Gypsy eats it as it's cooling on the windowsill. Joel reads a fan letter. The Mads are indifferent as to the results of this weeks experiment. Dr. E. "files it".
Items of Note:~ No noticeable additions or renovations to the set.
~ No Tom Servo in the 'End segment'.
Personal Notes:~ The screaming cotton candy bit is funny... but I really just don't understand it.
~ There are only 3 slime people seen on screen at any given time.
~ The fog machines used in the film make it nearly impossible to distinguish any action in the last reel of the movie.
The 'Riffs':~ (
Tom): "It is sort of hypnotic, isn't it?" (
Crow): "Hip. Not! Ick."
~ (
Tom): "You know, the '
Cessna Skyhawk' is usually your best choice for bombing missions!"
~ (
Crow): "My case on Cody is based on heresy and rumour!" (
Judge Joel): "Really? I thought it was shoddy planning and poor thought!
~ (
Crow): "Oh! Tasting my daughter, I see! Well.., I'll just stare at the curtains!"
~ (
Joel): "This fog is thicker than Grandma's mustache!"
~ (
Tom): "Ew! Kissing you is like plunging my tongue into a vat of shiitake mushrooms!"
Pop culture references ranging from Braniff Airlines, 'Miracle on 34th Street', Kurt Gowdy and... well... that's about it. With a moronic film combined with a mindless short, and fairly uninspired 'Host' segments (except for the cleverness of 'Host 2'), this is an exercise in tedium and patience. I can't even come up with a clever unit of measure to rate it.
Rating: 1-1/2 'Slime People' out of 5
"Keep Trading the Discs (and Tapes)"
The opinions expressed herein are those solely of the reviewer and do not necessarily reflect those of 'Jonja.net' nor it's owner. MST3K, it's characters and situations are copyrights and trademarks of Best Brains, Inc. and no infringement is intended.We do reviews and updates of projects of Sci-Fi movies, television, and books. As well as Horror, Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Anime.
Please feel free to sign up and post your own comments. We would love to hear your opinions, and feel free to join in on our collection of over 1000 free flash games and compete with other users for the high score. We also have a great chess system that allows users to compete against one another online.
