MovieChat Forums > 20 Million Miles to Earth Discussion > MST material

MST material

posted 19 years ago by rmouts
11 replies | jump to latest

I enjoyed the movie for its '50s campiness but couldn't keep myself from laughing at times at some of its unintended funny scenes. For example, after Col. Calder is released from the hospital, he meets with Maj. Gen. McIntosh in the Maj. Gen.'s office. In previous scenes, Calder is hatless while McIntosh usually has his Army cap on. But in this scene, all of a sudden McIntosh is hatless and Calder is wearing an Army cap. It just looks like McIntosh had said to Calder, "You've been on a long and life-threatening space mission, and it's probably been awhile since you've worn an Army cap. Here, you can wear mine." It's just funny, is all. Then later, during the scene in the barn when Ymir attacks the farmer, the film cuts back to all the guys, with guns drawn, watching the attack going on.....except there among the guys is that same farmer! Ooops, editing mistake. Anyway, it was a good time to watch this thing, and I liked it when Ymir was on the loose and everybody was feeling threatened, and then the Col. and the dame would take time out to flirt, i.e., "Look out, you might be killed.....but I sure wish we could find time to be alone!"

Okay, one more before I go....after Ymir escapes from the lab at the zoo, everyone runs out. including the dame and her grandpa. Run away, they are told. So everybody hightails it out of there. Then the Col. jumps in a car and drives around following Ymir to and fro. Finally, the Col pulls his car over and gets out and walks over to....the dame and her grandpa! So, just where did the Col. go? I mean, the dame and grandpa were on foot and they got to their destination before the Col., who was in a car! Maybe he stopped off for a fine Italian meal before continuing the pursuit....

[–] Jasons_Argonaut 19 years ago

Any old movie would make for fun on Mystery Science Theatre. Even This Island Earth, a good classic in it's own right, was funny on the show. Still, I don't agree that this movie or any like it were campy. Campy is something done on purpose for the camp effect. This may come across as campy to you in light of today's movie making standards, but for it's time it was in no way meant to be campy. Editing mistakes aside, this is a solid film and still well received by many today.

[–] FangsFirst 18 years ago

My how I tire of people insisting on quality classic films being considered for MST...
Oh the younger generations, how they mock their elders without taking note of their wisdom.

(And if we're picking on editing mistakes, pick a movie, any movie, 10 to 1 it has editing mistakes.)

[–] youroldpaljim 18 years ago

Unlike those of us over 30, most of have a good knowledge of film history. People who watch Misery Science Theater 3 Klods do not.

[–] MilesAhead 18 years ago

This film is a classic does not deserve the MST treatment. If anything it should be remade. I think a modernized Ymir would be more interesting than watching an overgrown gorila.

Walking through the cow pasture of life you are bound to step in some truth

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] dougk-8 18 years ago

...and don't forget to put your spaces after comma's Andy.

[–] free_games_for_may 18 years ago

So, what's the deal with that apostrophe?

[–] FangsFirst 18 years ago

Whoops:
I'm under 30 (by about 8 years) and watch Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Most of it, anyway. Generally I don't take issue with their film choices, either...though This Island Earth didn't feel right to me.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] retromaster2000 17 years ago

I am only 24 & pick Stop-Motion over CGI anytime place or day. I am really into stuff like 20 Million & others. I appeciate good classic cinema whatever it might be for that matter. Your an *beep* none of Ray Harryhausen's Movies deserve that treatment that's why they were never on there. The movie MST3K was really bad This Island Earth (1955) is one the best 50's Sci-Fi with some of the best special effects for a 50's Sci-Fi Film. This Island Earth (1955) is ranked as one of the best up their with The War Of The Worlds (1953) & Forbidden Planet (1956). Most of the films MST3K send up don't belong on their. I have nothing against the show. There is just a fine line & Harryhausen's films without a doubt don't deserve that treament.

[–] turbo445 17 years ago

I am 46 and would be watching MST3K right now, if it was on. As it is, I have AVIs of every available episode of the show, and even own some of the movies MST3K lampooned (Beast of Yucca Flats, etc), out of a collection of approximately 1,700 videos and DVDs. I know a LOT about "movie history", so the above poster would be better served to not engage in over-generalization too much.

The reason MST3K: The Movie used "This Island Earth" as its "target movie" is the execs at Grammercy Pictures informed Mike Nelson and crew no one would sit through a BAD, old Sci-Fi Movie in this day and age (not to mention it was getting harder and harder to find movies whose owners were willing to LET them be leased and inevitably, unmericfully satirized), even if it was being relentlessly skewered, which is what the guys did to any movie they showed on the TV show. Nor could they pick a B & W movie; Grammercy said no one would come see a B&W Comedy. Also, Kevin Murphy had to throw a couple mild swear words into the script so they could avoid the kiss-of-death "G" rating.

If you are familiar with the show, in Season Seven, the Season AFTER the movie was made, in one episode's host segments (the parts which DIDN'T take place in the movie theater), Trace Beaulieu and Mary Jo Pehl play Dr Clayton Forrester and his mother, Pearl, respectively. They contact Mike and the Bots and inform Crow T. Robot (also animated and voiced by Trace) that they sold one of his spec scripts, "Earth vs. Soup" to a major studio, with a budget of $30 million, but due to overhead costs, the shooting budget is only $800 and the studio insists on Kevin Bacon to star. Later it was revealed this whole host segment bit (which carries over from one segment to the next) was MST3K's take on the whole "MST3K: The Movie" ordeal, trying to work with producers at Grammercy who had no idea why MST3K was so popular, and only paid attention to focus groups and opinion polls.