Entertainment
 

It Conquered the World

From MST3K

311 - It Conquered the World
Air Date August 24, 1991
Movie Director Roger Corman
Year 1956
Cast Lee Van Cleef, Peter Graves, Beverly Garland
Preceded by 310 - Fugitive Alien
Followed by 312 - Gamera vs Guiron


Contents

The Short

Synopsis

A Sport Parade newsreel focuses on winter sports and activities that probably would result in any number of lawsuits nowadays. The fun includes ice skating, ice yachting, dog sledding, polar bear swimming, skiing (pronounced "schiing"), cross-country "schiing", ice fishing, "schi" jumping, "schi" joring (pronounced "horing"), and bobsledding.

Information

The Movie

Synopsis

One of several remaining members of its race, an alien from Venus is guided to Earth by disgruntled scientist Tom Anderson (Van Cleef), who tells it which humans it should attach mind-control devices to. Among them is his old friend, fellow scientist Paul Nelson (Graves). Nelson, after killing a flying bat-thing which carries the device, finally persuades the paranoid Anderson that he's been wrong to ally himself with an alien bent on world domination. They hurriedly leave when they discover Tom's wife (Garland) has picked up a rifle and gone to the alien's cave to try to kill it. [1]

Information

Monster-builder Paul Blaisdell originally crafted the monster as a short, dense thing because of Venus’ heavier gravity, but soon found that a two-foot-high alien invader wasn’t very intimidating – especially after Beverly Garland laughed at it and knocked it over with a single kick. So he added a three-foot tall conical head. Unfortunately, that only managed to make it look sillier (and more pickle-like). During filming Beverly Garland kept telling herself that the design wasn’t finished, and it would get better. But of course it never did.

The Episode

Host Segments

Prologue: Joel attempts to use Crow as a ventriloquist dummy to get on to Star Search.

Segment One (Invention Exchange): Crow and Joel switch roles, the Mads create instant hanged men costumes, and Joel demonstrates the Sony Seaman which imitates the soothing sounds of the ocean.

Segment Two: Joel and the Bots do their own version of the winter sports seen in the short.

Segment Three:The gang does their own extra-bitter version of the coffee scene from the film.

Segment Four: Based on confusion over the relation of James Arness and Peter Graves, Joel and the Bots sing the "Celebrity Siblings Song".

Segment Five: The crew and the Mads watch Peter Graves' stirring end speech from It Conquered the World and read letters.

Stinger: "He learned almost too late that man is a feeling creature..."

Other Notes

Miscellanea

  • Unusual credits: Peter Graves' speech from the end of the film is played instead of "Mighty Science Theater".

Episode Airings

  • This is one of the episodes affected by the glut of Penn Jillette voiceover promos, which was played over the end credits in spite of the repeatition of Peter Graves' speech.

Obscure References

  • "Hardcastle and McCormick!"

Hardcastle and McCormick was a TV series from the mid-1980s.

  • "It's the 'Agony of Defeat' audition!"

A reference to the opening credits sequence from Wide World of Sports, in which the narrator mentions "the agony of defeat" over footage of a ski jumping accident.

  • "It's the Sled of the SubGenius!"

A reference to the satirical pseudo-religious movement the Church of the SubGenius, whose "prophet" is named J.R. "Bob" Dobbs.

  • "Say, whose line is that, anyway?"

Referencing the improv comedy series (and fellow Comedy Central show) Whose Line Is It Anyway?.

  • "James Arness will return in 'Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song'!"

A reference to the "James Bond will return in..." taglines that frequently appear during the closing credits of James Bond movies, and to the blaxploitation film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.

  • "Barney. Paris. They'll help me."

Peter Graves, who plays Dr. Nelson in the movie, performed the role of Jim Phelps in the original Mission: Impossible TV series. Barney and Paris were members of Phelps' IMF team from the show, played by Greg Morris and Leonard Nimoy respectively.

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