On occasion back in the early days, obligations to other projects would prevent some of the members being present for each episode of the show. Therefore, at times, the seats of the auditorium would not be filled with our intrepid trio. This is one of those times. Josh Weinstein is obviously in the metropolitan area, and was able to voice Servo for the host segments, but Servo does not appear in the theater. Trace is also M.I.A. and Joel has to endure the movie solo.
Let the experiment begin!
Experiment #K05 ~ GAMERA (1965)
Original Air Date: December 11, 1988
Genre: Sci-Fi
Studio: Daiei Motion Picture Co., Inc.
Starring: Eiji Funakoshi, Harumi Kiritachi, Junichiro Yamashita
Directed By: Noriaki Yuasa
Theatrical Running Time: 80 Minutes
Tagline: "See Gamera... Destroy Entire Cities! Attack from Outer Space! Fight the Mightiest Armies!"
Film Synopsis: After a military aerial dogfight downs a fighter plane carrying atomic weapons, Gamera (a giant, flying, fire-breathing turtle) is released from deep within the arctic ice. A young boy named Kenny (who is obsessed with turtles) is befriended by Gamera, even while the monster is on a destructive rampage. After it is determined that Gamera cannot be destroyed, the military implements "Plan Z", containing Gamera in a capsule and launching him into outer space.
Intro: It's Christmas time on the Satellite of Love. Crow(?) appears to be cryogenically frozen as a Christmas tree. Joel claims that viewer response to last week's experiment 'Gamera vs. Barugon' (
K04) was very positive, so Joel went into the archives to find the original 'Gamera' film.
Host Segments:
Host 1: Joel contemplates using Servo as a 'Frosty the Snowman' lawn ornament next Christmas, and fastening him to the hull of the ship. A caller wants to know who does Joel's hair. Joel runs the end credits. (Hair Stylings by
'Mr. Crow of Beverly Hills').
Host 2: A young caller asks Joel why he doesn't hire Godzilla to be on the show. Joel coaxes Gypsy and she agrees to do her Godzilla impersonation.Viewers are invited to participate in a phone survey dealing with Ted Turner colorizing classic films. Q1: "Is Ted Turner dumb enough to colorize the beginning of "The Wizard of Oz"? Q2: "Does it bother Ted Turner that people watch his colorized films on black and white TV?" Q3: "Given Ted's obsession with colorizing things, is it possible that he is the unwanted love child of Ike and Tina Turner?"
Host 3: Joel and Servo listen to fan messages. One caller who claims to be a member of 'the coalition of friends for giant mutant turtles' expresses his fondness for giant turles who breathe fire and sh*t. A member of the "coalition of giant slimey lizards" complains that the fight between Gamera and Barugon last week was rigged. Joel and Tom debate whether the films fight scenes look fake or not.
End: Joel thanks everyone for calling in. Joel re-runs the footage of Crow going into suspended animation. Gypsy sings a holiday song, 'O Tannenbaum' with Joel.
Items of Note:
~ Joel watches the film by himself.
~ Many minutes of film go by with no riffs.
~ Even though Servo is in the host segments, he does not appear in the auditorium during the film.
~ Call 623-7655 (no area code given) and "talk to JOEL!'.
Personal Notes:
~ The version shown on American TV features added footage starring Brian Donlevy (
'The Quatermass Xperiment') and Albert Dekker (
'The Wild Bunch').
~ This was the last Kaiju ('Giant Monster') movie to be filmed in black and white.
~ Trace Beaulieu (
Crow) was apparently out of town for this episode.
~ Why Servo never appears in the theater is never explained.
~ This film will be revisited, much more favorably in 'Experiment #302'.
The 'Riffs':
"There is nothing more tragic than a war in an Eskimo village."
Not a riff, but a great line of dialog - (Professor Murase) " Our ancient legends did mention fire eating turtles".
Rating: 1/2 "Lone Soldier" 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 500 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.
