Starring: Robert Hutton, Robert Burton, Les Tremayne, William Boyce, Susan Hart, Judee Morton. Writer: Vance Skarstedt. Producer: Joseph F. Robertson. Director: Robert Hutton. Released in 1962.
Commando Cody – Starring: George Wallace, Aline Towne, Roy Barcroft, William Bakewell. Writer: Ronald Davidson. Producer: Franklin Adreon. Director: Fred C. Bannon. Released in 1952.
Original air date: January 9, 1990
While the “The Slime People” has all the makings of a classic monster film perfect for the sharp riffings of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 crew, it’s a harsh one to get through. The biggest problem is the filmmaker’s efforts to create an eerie mood with fog and smoke, so you never know when the titular Slime People will arrive with their hunter/gatherer spears. Unfortunately, this effect renders half the movie incomprehensible, thus short on many decent jokes. Head writer Mike Nelson said they could have done this better in later seasons, which I’m sure is true. But still. As Joel says watching the film: “You know, I can’t really tell, but I’m sure it’s really action packed under all this fog.”
The good news with this episode is that the basic components of the series are down pat: witty banter on the Satellite of Love between Joel and the robots, clever invention exchanges, and letters at the end of the show. Trace Beaulieu is giving Crow a less child-like voice and Josh Weinstein as Dr. Erhardt is toning it down quite a bit. His performance was quite grating there in the beginning. Even though the jokes aren’t up to snuff with the rest of the series, it feels like it all belongs together, now.
The green tint to the silhouettes, found in the previous two episodes, is now gone. Instead of “greening” Joel and the bots, the writers tint the black and white film with a bluish hue. This technique will last quite a while.
Like the majority of the first season offerings, the episode begins with yet another entry in the “Commando Cody and the Radar Men from the Moon” serial. Once again, Commando “Nipple, Nipple, Tweak, Tweak” Cody escapes disaster at the nick of time. Once again, we’re left with a cliffhanger that’s not exciting. I’m happy George Lucas found so much inspiration from these serials for “Star Wars,” and I’m doubly happy he improved upon it. That is, until “The Phantom Menace.”
But anyway, we have Chapter Six, “Hills of Death,” presented here. The Moon Men use an atomic bomb to kick-start a volcano to bring environmental destruction to Earth and ruin the planet’s defenses for a future invention. This is the one interesting development we’ve had in this series since the first episode. Cody chases after the Moon people’s henchmen and a gunfight ensues in the mountains. The riffs are slow going from the crew, but there are a few good ones. When the Moon Man says he will get the A-bomb for the henchmen on a set that looks like a repair shop, Crow mocks, “It’s right over here by the toaster oven!” And when Cody returns to his lab to find his assistants actually working and not involved in some sort of fistfight like in every other episode, Joel says “Finally, I come in and you’re not fighting anybody.”
Like most terrible monster movies of the era, “The Slime People” is no different; silly looking monsters, strange performances and some unintentionally funny dialogue. From beginning to end, the movie is one goofy ride. Pilot and sportscaster (two professions that do not go together) Tom Gregory (Robert Hutton, who also directs) lands in Los Angeles to find it completely abandoned. After finding a scientist, Prof. Galbraith (Robert Burton), and his two available daughters, Lisa (Susan Hart) and Bonnie (Judee Morton), Gregory discovers what happened.
The city was evacuated after a race of Slime People emerged from the sewers to take over the town. Now the Slime People have created an impenetrable dome around Orange County, thanks to an elaborate fog machine, even though the extent of their weapons technology is handheld spears. The group eventually encounters a dumb Marine (William Boyce) and a crazy writer (Les Tremayne) in their fight against the Slime People. From there, many rushed and quirky romances begin.
There are several strange moments in this movie, including the director casting himself as the film’s hero, even to the point of having Gregory, the sportscaster, giving orders to the soldier. Morton’s excited performance when her father discusses the death and destruction brought on by the Slime People is way out-of-place (“Is she hopped up on sugar?” Tom Servo asks). The writer, Trolliver, has a strange affection for goats, to the point of holding one a little too close to Gregory’s head (“Don’t point that goat at me, it might go off!” Servo says). The dialogue is hilarious and long winded, too. As Prof. Galbraith revs into the gear with his explanation on the Slime People with “Now, we've always known that there are fish in the ocean,” Joel, mimicking Hutton’s bizarre expression, says “Oh, that’s a little far-fetched.” That had me laughing the hardest.
What does this film in, and eventually the whole episode, is the over use of the fog machine. I think it’s fairly obvious that an unintended consequence of the fog was the inability to see anything on the screen. But the fog renders nearly half the film unwatchable, if it was even considered watchable to begin with. Even Joel and the bots are annoyed: “Wouldn’t that be weird if they cleared that camera lens and that fog went away.” The fog makes it difficult for the writers to get a good riff rhythm going, causing slow stretches during what are supposed to be the film’s highlight. It becomes a chore to get through this one.
The skits are entertaining enough. Joel creates a funny sight gag, the cartoon eyeglasses during the invention exchange. The Mads come up screaming cotton candy, which is pretty funny. Other sketches include Joel and the bots trying Commando Cody in reality court, a discussion on how bad films become a reality, and filling the SOL up with smoke and fog.
In the end, the Mads are pleased this was such a tough movie for Joel and the bots. It’s a tough one for us viewers, too, and one I won’t be revisiting it anytime soon.
Rating: **
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