Duel (1957) Review

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(More customer reviews)I just finished watching Errol Flynn's THE DUEL for the first time--THE DUEL IS ERROL FLYNN'S BEST MOVIE!!! I don't usually like watching black and white tapes, but THE DUEL is a hell of a look back for anyone at a time when movies were made for one reason--to entertain!
THE DUEL has no endless list of credits, no wasted scenes or token characters, and no baloney as Errol Flynn plays a ruthless English lord who has murdered a man 10 years before and now wants to intimidate the man's daughter--who has been living in his home as his ward--into marrying him for one reason that he actually tells her:he has gambled away his fortune and wants her money! But Flynn knows that she wants to marry a young English soldier and has a contingency plan that he tells her, too:he is a master with pistols and will trick the young man into a duel!
Errol Flynn isn't as young and dashing in THE DUEL as he was in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD or CAPTAIN BLOOD, but even in his 50s he's still tall, rugged, and handsome enough to make a terrific villain, and there are plenty of subtle references to his well publicized private life that help to add to the momentum leading to the movie's exciting final scene. And all this in only 30 minutes!!!
IN LIKE FLYNN--THE DUEL IS ERROL FLYNN'S BEST MOVIE!!!
Chari Krishnan RESEARCHKING

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The Milton Berle Collection Review

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(More customer reviews)I was disappointed in this set of 5 DVDs. Most descriptions on the Internet of this DVD set state "Here's Uncle Miltie at the top of his form on the classic Texaco Star Theatre!" The Texaco Star Theater aired from 1948 to 1953. This DVD set does NOT contain any of The Texaco Star Theater shows. Instead, this set of DVDs is actually five shows from The Milton Berle Buick Show which aired from 1953 to 1955. Like many people, I think a little Milton Berle goes a long way. But, The Texaco Star Theater shows were historic television and worth viewing. Those early shows are what earned Milton Berle the nickname "Mr. Television," with his trademark entrance to each show and the vaudeville-like format of the show-including impressive guest star appearances, in many cases by stars making their debut television appearances. And, it was these early shows that were responsible for the rapid increase in television sales. By 1953, the year of the shows featured on this DVD set, television variety shows had matured, Milton Berle's writing staff had changed, and the format of his show was very different. I would recommend waiting for DVDs to be released (hopefully) that feature the early Texaco Star Theater shows.

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I Love Lucy - The Complete Fifth Season (1951) Review

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(More customer reviews)Over 50 years ago during the early years of broadcast television, the very inspired talents of Lucille Ball (1911-1989) and her then husband Desi Arnaz (1917-1986) were showcased on their hilarious television show "I Love Lucy". TV execs had initially rejected the plausibility of the show because of Desi and because they intended to tape the shows. However, thanks to the tireless efforts of Lucille Ball and Desi's obvious talents, the show first aired in 1951 and quickly became one of the most successful TV shows during all six of its regular seasons. As Lucy and Ricky Ricardo on "I Love Lucy", Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were joined by William Frawley (1877-1966) and Viviane Vance (1909-1979) as their best-friends/apartment landlords of Fred and Ethel Mertz.
The fifth season of "I Love Lucy" that aired between 1955 and 1956 has 26 memorable episodes:
1. "Lucy Visits Grauman's": With Ethel's help, Lucy steals John Wayne's footprints from Grauman's Chinese Theater.
2. "Lucy and John Wayne": Lucy and Ethel try to return the footprints that they stole, but they break; so Ricky enlists the help from John Wayne (himself) to make a new set. More than one may be needed.
3. "Lucy and the Dummy": After Ricky backs out of a party where Lucy wants her big break, Lucy makes a dummy of Ricky to dance with at the party.
4. "Ricky Sells the Car": After Ricky sells the car, Fred & Ethel think they'll have to ride a motorcycle back to NYC; but Ricky buys train tickets for all.
5. "The Great Train Robbery": Thinking there's a jewel thief on board the train to NYC, Lucy can't stop pulling the emergency brake cord. (Train conductor played by Frank Nelson, 1911-1986.)
6. "Homecoming": Upon returning to NYC, Ricky is a big star, but Lucy initially doesn't share in everyone's worship of him.
7. "The Ricardos Are Interviewed": Ricky & Lucy consider moving and Ricky is to be interviewed on a prestigious show.
8. "Lucy Goes to a Rodeo": After Ricky can't help Fred with a rodeo-themed show for his lodge, Lucy & Ethel volunteer to help.
9. "Nursery School": After Lucy's fear of Little Ricky getting sick at nursery school comes to pass, she is determined to stay with him at the hospital.
10. "Ricky's European Booking": When Ricky can't afford to take Lucy on his European tour, she & Ethel dream up a raffle to help the "Ladies Overseas Aid", which they think is themselves.
11. "The Passports": Lucy can't find her birth certificate so that she can get her passport.
12. "Staten Island Ferry": To help Fred overcome seasickness, Lucy takes him onto the Staten Island Ferry; but she gets seasick herself and may be late to the passport office. (Passport clerk played by Charles Lane.)
13. "Bon Voyage": When the ship leaves port for Europe, Lucy is inadvertently left behind; so she'll have to get to ship via a helicopter. One of the best fifth-season episodes!
14. "Second Honeymoon": Lucy wants the Atlantic cruise to be a second honeymoon, but Ricky is too busy with the band.
15. "Lucy Meets the Queen": After Lucy misses seeing the queen at Buckingham Palace, Ricky gets invited to met the queen, but not Lucy. Of course, when has "no" ever stopped Lucy?
16. "The Fox Hunt": Bragging that she can ride, Lucy gets to show how well she can actually ride a horse in a fox hunt.
17. "Lucy Goes to Scotland": Lucy wants to travel to Scotland to meet her distant McGillicuddy relatives. The dream sequence that unfolds is unforgettable.
18. "Paris at Last": Not having any French currency, Lucy, Ethel & Fred exchange money with a so-called French artist (Shepard Menken, 1921-1999), who turns out to be a counterfeiter. The translation sequence is priceless, as is Lucy's introduction to escargot!
19. "Lucy Meets Charles Boyer": Lucy & Ethel are star-struck when they encounter Charles Boyer (himself) at a sidewalk cafe.
20. "Lucy Gets a Paris Gown": When Lucy goes on hunger strike to force Ricky to buy her an expensive French-designed dress, Ricky & Fred have dresses custom-made out of burlap. (A fantastic episode!)
21. "Lucy in the Swiss Alps": Lucy, Ricky, Fred & Ethel get trapped in an avalanche while mountain climbing until they here "La Cucaracha" being played.
22. "Lucy Gets Homesick in Italy": In this heart-warming episode, Lucy misses Little Ricky during his birthday, so a little Italian shoeshine boy (Bart Bradley) and his friends get to celebrate with her.
23. "Lucy's Italian Movie": In one of the best episodes of all time, Lucy takes "getting some local color" a little literally when she travels to an old-fashioned Italian winery to press grapes to impress an Italian film director. (Italian wine stomper played by Theresa Tirelli, 1907-1989).
24. "Lucy's Bicycle Trip": Lucy has trouble crossing back into France when she can't find her passport.
25. "Lucy Goes to Monte Carlo": When Lucy picks up a chip in a Monte Carlo casino, she inadvertently wins thousands of French franks.
26. "Return Home From Europe": To sneak home a 30-pound cheese, Lucy dresses it up as baby to fly home to NYC; but the passenger (Mary Jane Croft, 1916-1999) next to her flips out when the cheese disappears.
Paramount Home Video's superb job of packaging all 30 episodes of the fourth season of "I Love Lucy" onto 5 DVD's is a good indication as to how they will similarly package the fifth season onto 4. Overall, for superb packaging and a great price, I rate the "I Love Lucy: The Complete Fifth Season" DVD box set with an anticipatory 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it!

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It's I Love Lucy's fifth hilarious season, as Lucy manages to find trouble in Hollywood, Manhattan, Paris, London, Rome, and everywhere in between. Before leaving Tinseltown, Lucy bags the ultimate souvenir—John Wayne's cement footprints from Grauman's Chinese Theatre! Then, on board the train back to New York, Lucy can't resist adding a few unscheduled stops—courtesy of the train's all-too-convenient emergency brake cord. Next, Lucy goes to extremes to catch a luxury ocean liner when it sets sail for Europe with Ricky and the Mertzes aboard—but with Lucy still on the dock. On the Continent, Lucy's madcap escapades include getting thrown in a Parisian jail, modeling a French "designer" potato sack, causing an Alpine avalanche, hitting an accidental jackpot in Monte Carlo, and—in one of TV's funniest scenes ever—soaking up a whole lot of "local color" in an Italian grape-stomping vat!

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Ray Bradbury Theater Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the exact same product at the DVD set listed as the "Ray Bradbury Theater Complete Series" but for less money and comes with a collectible tin. This was $18 vs. $31 for the other version. When you open the tin up, the package inside looks exactly the same as the picture for the other version, and even lists the copyright date as 2004.
I haven't watched all the episodes yet, but if you like Ray Bradbury, you can't beat this set for this price. The complete series on 5 DVDs with all 65 episodes for under $20-you can't go wrong.

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Traffik - Miniseries (1990) Review

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(More customer reviews)Traffik is one of the most memorable viewing experiences I've ever had. Not only does it give a very clear view of the economic necessity that is the driving force in the lives of the people who cultivate the poppy fields, but it also gives sharply focused insights into how ill-informed politicians make hay on a hot-potato issue. It's only when the effects of drug abuse come home--to Bill Paterson, the splendid Scottish actor who plays a member of parliament whose daughter falls victim to addiction, and to Lindsay Duncan, the wife of the importer--that we see the lengths people will go to, for all sorts of reasons, to engage in the traffic, going one way or the other. Duncan is extraordinary in this series; her transformation from innocent wife to determined conspirator is stunning. This, the original Traffik, makes the film version look small and choppy and incoherent. Benicio Del Toro's performance in the film is, without doubt, a fine one. But when it takes a viewer at least half the movie to figure out who the good and bad guys are, you've wasted a lot of time. Traffik doesn't waste a single frame. It's a breathtaking ride from start to finish and leaves the film version in the dust.
If you saw the movie and thought it was okay, see the TV series and you'll see something great. Years after the fact, there are scenes in the mini-series that will come back to haunt you. This is a profoundly affecting, deeply compelling drama.

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Chiller Theatre Review

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(More customer reviews)This DVD is actually a documentary of some "chiller theater" convention of fans. I thought I was ordering the actual video of the old Chiller Theater shows that were on TV. The description of the item is unclear about this.

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TV Golden Age Theater, Vol. 2 (1953) Review

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(More customer reviews)All four half-hour dramas in Volume #2 of GOLDEN AGE THEATER are from season #4 of "General Electric Theater." This show aired for 10 seasons (from 2/1/53 to 9/1/62) on the CBS network and was hosted by Ronald Reagan.
SYNOPSES--
THE EASTER GIFT-- A minister has his faith tested when Easter coincides with the anniversary of his son's death.
ESTABAN'S LEGACY-- A idler in a small Mexican village finds a gold coin and fears others will think he stole it, since he doesn't have a job.
THE HAT WITH ROSES-- A teacher spends her holiday with the one student that won't get along with her in class.
IN SUMMER PROMISE-- A May/December romance blossoms when a widowed Italian countess visits the Ohio town of her birth. TV GOLDEN AGE THEATER, Vol. 3 offers samples of three different half-hour drama series. Stars include Vincent Price, Charles Boyer, Ida Lupino and Lon Chaney Jr.Details below include episode numbers, original airdates and featured actors.
(#92) The Easter Gift (4/1/56) - Macdonald Carey/Robin Lawson/Michael Allen/Edward Brian
(#80) Estaban's Legacy (1/8/56) - Ricardo Montalban/David Colmans/Sid Cassel
(#98) The Hat With Roses (5/20/56) - Gisele MacKenzie/Margaret Barker/Joseph Sullivan
(#83) In Summer Promise (1/29/56) - Joan Fontaine/Scott Marlowe/Betsy Palmer

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Kung Fu: The Complete Series Collection (1972) Review

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(More customer reviews)There are lots of reviews which already talk (extensively) about why Kung Fu was such a great show, and worth owning on DVD. Instead I just wanted to make sure people know what they are getting with this set...
I hesitated to buy this set at first because it had all 3 seasons packaged together, but didn't mention anything about special features, etc. I wanted to make sure I had the commentaries & featurettes that the individual seasons boasted. Eventually, I bought this version because the price difference won me over (just before the holidays it was $35 + super saver shipping!) and I was pleased to find out that the set contained all 3 seasons as they appear individually, as well as a nice little slip cover to store them all together. The individual seasons & this package are the same, except that this one costs far less.

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 - The Beginning of the End (1957) Review

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(More customer reviews)One of my favorite MST3Ks: a great example of the mid 1950s "atomic monster" genre, with laughable special effects. Giant mutant grasshoppers attack the mountains and deserts of central "Illinois," before moving on to destroy Chicago by crawling up picture postcards of the Wrigley Building and being lured into Lake Michigan by electronic grasshopper mating calls made by a young Peter Graves ("Hi, I'm Peter Graves. Tonight on 'Biography'..."), ironically the nuclear scientist responsible for the whole giant-mutation thing, not to mention his deaf-mute assistant Frank's gruesome dismemberment and death at the chomping mandibles of one seriously big mother of a locust. America's finest fighting force (the Illinois National Guard) is powerless against this giant hopping threat. Another 1957 monster classic from infamous science fiction filmmaker Bert I. Gordon, the undisputed master of movies about giant animals attacking California cities masquerading as the midwest. Don't miss the riveting post-opening credits scene: an apparently endless car-approaching sequence (Mike: "Folks, we'll start the movie as soon as our ride gets here."), and the incessant, earsplitting, marching-band music soundtrack. An early Mike Nelson episode, it's a great example of classic MST3K: bad sci-fi flick, hilarious riffing on the film by Mike and the bots, including a *seriously* weird host segment where rubber grasshoppers attack postcards Mike just happens to have lying around. I actually saw this one week before I moved to Chicago, which is all-but-destroyed in the movie, and it seriously creeped me out for a while, though I've never been able to drive by Champaign-Urbana without looking over my shoulder for giant grasshoppers.

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TV Golden Age Theater, Vol. 1 (1953) Review

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(More customer reviews)All four half-hour dramas in Volume #1 of TV GOLDEN AGE THEATER are from season #4 of "General Electric Theater." This show aired for 10 seasons (from 2/1/53 to 9/1/62) on the CBS network and was hosted by Ronald Reagan, who also appeared occasionally as part of an episode's cast.
SYNOPSES--
FEATHERTOP-- Adapted from a Nathaniel Hawthorne tale set in 1600's New England of a scarecrow that magically comes to life.
THE GOLDEN KEY-- An elderly, retired railroader develops a friendship with a young boy. This one has an interesting supporting cast. Kenny Delmar portrayed Senator Claghorn on radio in the "Allen's Alley" segment of "The Fred Allen Show." Mel Blanc adapted Delmar's Southern accent and voice for the Foghorn Leghorn rooster cartoons produced by WARNER's. Van Dyke Parks (a small boy here) is best known for his musical collaborations in the late 1960s with Beach Boy Brian Wilson. Their "Heroes and Villains" was a Top 40 hit in 1968.
THE HONEST MAN-- A piano tuner gets caught up with fast women, gangsters and stolen jewels.
LET IT RAIN-- A ghost story set in a small Southern town that well recalls its Civil War past.TV GOLDEN AGE THEATER, Vol. 2 features four more season #4 "General Electric Theater" episodes that star Ricardo Montalban, Joan Fontaine, Macdonald Carey and Gisele McKenzie. Details below include episode numbers, original airdates and featured actors.
(#75) Feathertop (12/4/55) - Natalie Wood/John Carlyle/Carleton Carpenter
(#99) The Golden Key - Joe E. Brown/Kenny Delmar/Van Dyke Parks
(#86) The Honest Man (2/19/56) - Jack Benny/Charles Bronson/Zsa Zsa Gabor/Jack LaRue
(#77) Let it Rain (12/18/55) - Ronald Reagan/Cloris Leachman

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The Outer Limits Original Series Complete Box Set Review

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(More customer reviews)This is my second review in as many that has given a zero to the poor packaging and contents and higher marks to the show itself.Let's take a look at the show first and then we'll take a look at the rest.
This is one of the top Sci-Fi shows ever to appear on television.Created by Leslie Stevens and Joe Stefano the show made its' premiere in Sept. of 1963 and WHAT a premiere it was."The Galaxy Being" certainly scared the living begeesus out of me and I will never forget that.The whole look and feel was totally different and it definitely was not The Twilight Zone but a deep and darker version of it.Nothing that intense had been seen on TV before and nothing would equal it's impact for many years.The show was directly helmed by the team of Stefano and Stevens with Dominic Frontieres' great scoring in the background through all of season one.When Season two arrived all three had departed and were replaced by others.The format underwent minor changes but it basically stayed true to its' roots.The entire story is detailed wonderfully in the "Outer Limits Companion" by David Schow and Jeff Frentzen.
Some prefer one season over the other but there is much to recommend both.Season one has its' "Galaxy Being","The Zanti Misfits","Second Chance" ,"Production and Decay of Strange Particles" and "A Feasibility Study".Season Two "The Inheritors-Parts 1&2","Keeper of the Purple Twilight" and one of the entire series top eps "The Demon with the Glass Hand".The series is filled with many well known actors like Cliff Robertson,Ted Knight,Robert Culp,Ed Asner,Eddie Albert,Robert Duvall and so many more.There is also a huge Star Trek connection as William Shatner,Leonard Nimoy and James Doohan would all make appearances,along with many of the future shows supporting actors.The ep "Production and Decay..." contains at least five future Trek actors at once,including Leonard Nimoy!
The show never had a big budget and many of the shows today look dated as a result but in quite a few like "Demon...",the props are totally minimal and it is the great script,direction and acting that more than compensate for any shortcomings in the special effects department.That the show could do so much with so little at times,is a testament to the skill of everyone involved.
It is so unfortunate it only lasted two short seasons as the show should have gone many more.As one ep in the first season states:"Maybe young people are the only ones who listen and understand-you can't reach a closed mind".And so it was,as the almighty ratings beast dictated to the head network honchos just how they ought to proceed with shows;promising or not.The biggest shows' fans were the younger gen of the time who did write in frequently praising the show but it was the adults in the end who controlled the decision making of what to watch and they weren't generally impressed with the show;at least not enough for ABC to continue with it.To top this,in the second season it was put up against the ever popular(among the entire family) Jackie Gleason Show;and Gleason wasn't going anywhere.The show may have been cancelled but it has continued in syndication ever since staying in the collective memories of those who first saw it and gaining new fans along the way.
Now let's look at the presentation.The one thing positive about this new set is the price.The original release about eight years ago broke the series into two release sets and both at the same price(at least $10 higher than this set per season!).Everything else goes down hill from here.MGM has decided in their "wisdom" to re-release this set again in the double sided disc format.BAD choice,period.As I stated in my other recent review Universal and MGM(among others) have a fondness for this type of release;it is cheap and yields the greastest profit.DVDs are notoriously scuff and scratch prone and that alone should preclude any such release of this type if these companies actually cared about the product and consumers.
The second thing about this "new" set is...that it isn't.I do not see any difference in the transfer of this product onto DVD from the original release sets."A Feasibility Study" was particlularly grainy in the first release and it remains so in this one and all other eps with any excesses in this area are also the same.So the question presents itself:"Why?".Why would MGM not remaster these eps like they should be,after all this time?
I can certainly recommend the series itself as a groundbreaking one of its' day,as many of the eps still hold up very well,despite the budgetary restrictions.But it gets a zero as far as release presentation goes.It certainly is cheaper than the original release sets but it is just a simple re-packaging of the material on hand.Shame on MGM.

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Zane Grey Theatre Complete Season One Review

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(More customer reviews)I remember seeing this show in syndication years ago as a child and teenager, and I had no idea Mr. Powell had had such a diverse career. Starting out as a crooner in Busby Berkeley musicals in the 1930's, evolving into a star in film noir, and then transitioning to television in a number of shows including this one from the golden age of TV westerns in the 1950's. He was in good company with other stars such as Robert Montgomery, who hosted his own first-rate TV show in the 1950's.
This show is not really a series. Instead it was in the mold of the weekly playhouse kind of show that was so popular in the 1950's. Each episode stood alone and featured different stars each week, some being quite popular figures from the silver screen. The show first used material from Zane Grey, but as time passed material had to come from elsewhere as well. The following is a listing of the episodes of that first season as well as the stars that were featured.
1.01 - You Only Run Once- Robert Ryan, Cloris Leachman
1.02 - Fearful Courage- James Whitmore, Ida Lupino
1.03 - The Long Road Home - Mr. Powell, Ray Collins
1.04 - The Unrelenting Sky - Lew Ayres, Phyllis Avery
1.05 - The Lariat - Jack Palance, Constance Ford
1.06 - Death Watch - Lee J. Cobb, Bobby Driscoll
1.07 - Stage for Tucson - Eddie Albert, Mona Freeman
1.08 - Quiet Sunday in San Ardo - Wendell Corey, Gerald Mohr
1.09 - Vengeance Canyon - Walter Brennan, Ben Cooper
1.10 - Return to Nowhere- John Ireland, Steven McNally
1.11 - Courage is a Gun - Mr. Powell, Beverly Garland
1.12 - Muletown Gold Strike - Rory Calhoun, Barbara Eiler
1.13 - Stars over Texas - Ralph Bellamy, Gloria Talbott, James Garner
1.14 - Three Graves - Jack Lemmon, Nan Leslie
1.15 - No Man Living- Frank Lovejoy, Margaret Hayes
1.16 - Time of Decision - Lloyd Bridges, Diane Brewster
1.17 - Until the Man Dies - Stuart Whitman, John Payne
1.18 - Backtrail- Mr. Powell, Catherine McLeod
1.19 - Dangerous Orders - Jack Elam, Mark Stevens
1.20 - The Necessary Breed - Sterling Hayden, Jean Willes
1.21 - The Hanging Tree - Robert Ryan, Cloris Leachman
1.22 - Village of Fear- David Niven, George D. Wallace
1.23 - Black Creek Encounter- Ernest Borgnine, Jan Merlin
1.24 - There Were Four- John Derek, Dean Jagger
1.25 - Fugitive - Eddie Albert, Celeste Holm
1.26 - A Time To Live - Ralph Meeker, Julie London
1.27 - Black is for Grief - Mary Astor, Beulah Bondi, Chester Morris
1.28 - Badge of Honor - Gary Merrill, Tom Tully, Robert Culp
1.29 - Decision at Wilson's Creek - John Forsythe, John Dehner
1.30 - Man on the Run - Scott Brady, Nancy Hale
Each episode is 30 minutes in length and features such diverse talent as James Garner at the beginning of his career and Chester Morris near the end of his career. Mr. Powell stars in three of the thirty episodes. VCI, though not widely known, has taken part in some quality restorations before, so I am hoping these great western dramas will be carefully restored.

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The Ray Bradbury Theater, Vols. 1 & 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)This combined set of all 26 episodes of The Ray Bradbury Theater offers a interesting dramatization of Bradbury's short stories, some obviously coming off better than the others. Bradbury himself, was featured in the opening credits in each episode.
Some of the better interpretations include Cyril Cusack in the celebrated "The Small Assassin," although the screenplay and direction could have been better handled, and one of my favorites, "The Veldt." But sadly, many of the more popular short stories are not included here.
With this series don't expect the quality or the emotional impact seen in Francois Truffat's film "Fahrenheit 451." Of course, the books and the stories are much better as you would expect, but for those who are unfamiliar with Bradbury, this televised series might just convince you to pick up some of his more celebrated novels like "The Martian Chronicles" (see my review of the 1979 TV mini-series), or "The Illustrated Man" soon to be released on DVD. "The Veldt" was better handled as a vignette in the feature film "The Illustrated Man" starring Rod Steiger.
I purchased my set at Ross for only $6.99, rather than the $12.99 list price indicated here. Be sure to shop around and see what deals are available.

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The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 9 (Women of the Prehistoric Planet / Wild Rebels / Sinister Urge / The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-up Zombies) (1966) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the ninth 4-disc MST3K collection from Rhino Video. It features two shows hosted by creator Joel Hodgson and two hosted by head writer Mike Nelson. This wonderful collection plumbs the creative depths of the show from its first season all the way to season eight. Three episodes come from the Comedy Central years, while the fourth show is from the first season of the show produced for the Sci-Fi Channel. Here is a synopsis of each episode:
104- WOMEN OF THE PREHISTORIC PLANET
"Hi-keeba!" This is the episode from which the most popular MST3K catch phrase of all time originates! It's a 1966 color science fiction (SF) film wherein a spaceship crashes on a primordial planet inhabited by primitive savages. Time dilation while traveling faster than light causes the rescue crew to arrive eighteen years later. By then, all of the crash survivors are dead, but one of their offspring, a young man named Tang, survives. One member of the rescue crew, Linda, meets Tang and falls in love.
This disc has a brief extra feature, wherein Irene Tsu, who played Linda in the movie, provides a short introduction to the film.
This is one of the best episodes from MST3K season one. If you haven't seen a season one show before, be warned that the show's sets were much cheaper looking than in later seasons and Josh Weinstein voiced Tom Servo; Kevin Murphy was still working only behind the scenes at this time. However, the cleverness of the MST3K concept, talent of the performers and the quality of the writing came together well for this episode and the results are quite hilarious. Listen for the terrific running gag, "Tang, it's not just for breakfast anymore."
207- WILD REBELS
In this 1967 biker film, a small motorcycle gang plans a bank heist. When they attempt to enlist a stock car racer to be their getaway car driver, the police recruit the racer to infiltrate the gang and inform on them. This movie has some premise issues to say the least. There are many hilarious plot oversights and credibility stretches in this film for you to discover.
This was the first episode of MST3K I ever saw and it is a real winner and still one of my favorites. Dialogue like "You're so square you're like a box, baby," will amuse you throughout. The movie is lively and entertaining compared to some of the slower films used on the show. The host segments are all top-notch and hilarious, especially the "Wild Rebels Cereal" commercial. Watch this one repeatedly "for the kicks, baby."
613- THE SINISTER URGE (with short: KEEPING CLEAN AND NEAT)
Ed Wood, who also directed Plan 9 From Outer Space and Bride of the Monster, directed this 1961 crime drama about the "smut" industry. It is very tame by today's standards. A series of young women are murdered and the police suspect the crimes are related to the "smut" (i.e., naked photographs) industry. Gloria, the front woman for the smut racketeers, figures prominently as she and her henchman continue to lure gullible, innocent young women to their dirty business and get rid of those who threaten retaliation. Look for Harvey B. Dunn (who played Grandpa in Teenagers From Outer Space and Capt. Tom Robbins in Bride of the Monster) as Mr. Romaine.
Conrad Brooks, who played Connie in the film, provided a brief introduction as an extra feature.
This episode also contains the fun hygiene short, "Keeping Neat and Clean." Host segments, possibly out of a sense of good taste, eschew the film in favor of other elements. In this case, they center on some antics concerning TV's Frank.
812- THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE CREATURES WHO STOPPED LIVING AND BECAME MIXED-UP ZOMBIES
In this surprising surreal, slow low-budget picture from 1964, a young man named Jerry acquiesces to his girlfriend's request to visit the fortuneteller at a carnival. The fortuneteller gives him unhappy news, so he wanders off to see the fortuneteller's sister, who is an exotic dancer. During this visit Jerry is deliberately entranced into becoming an unwitting killer. Soon, Jerry's friends become suspicious and try to get to the bottom of the nefarious plot.
This film is legendary for it's "incredibly strange" and extremely long title. It used to make it onto UHF channel programming back when independent TV stations showed low-budget SF and horror movies to fill much of their airtime. Although at times dull, confusing, or both, there are a few elements of creativity in the film, mostly concerning the rich use of color and surreal imagery.
Host segments in this episode focus on the film, including a segment in which Crow and Tom try to read Mike's fortune.
In summary, there is GREAT comedy to be had in this set, with a wide variety of film genres and periods of MST3K being represented across four hilarious episodes. Don't be square; get it now "for the kicks!"

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 9 (Women of the Prehistoric Planet / Wild Rebels / Sinister Urge / The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-up Zombies) (1966)

Click here for more information about The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 9 (Women of the Prehistoric Planet / Wild Rebels / Sinister Urge / The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-up Zombies) (1966)

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