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MST3K 404 - Teenagers from Outer Space

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“ W-well, what about TORCHAA?! ”
- Servo


The Movie

Synopsis

Alien beings who are the products of a Huxley-esque dystopia (with a real zest for killing and torture) land on Earth. Among them is the suspiciously sensitive Derek. When conflict arises over the plan to colonize Earth with 'gargons' (their food source), Derek escapes to a nearby town and soon meets the friendly yet altogether too trusting Betty Morgan.

Chaos ensues when the crabby and short-fused Thor follows Derek into town, leaving a trail of vaporized victims in his wake. After Thor is seriously injured, the gargon left behind by the other aliens starts to grow dramatically. Derek eventually discovers that he is the son of his planet's ruler, and sacrifices himself to destroy his people's invasion fleet.

Information

File:Teenspace1.PNG

Teenagers from Outer Space

  • Although Warner Bros. distributed this film, it was not a Warner Bros. production. The studio needed a genre film to play as the second feature with the Godzilla sequel it was releasing under the title Gojira No Gyakushû (English title: Godzilla Raids Again) (1955) and bought this from producer Tom Graeff.
  • Tom Graeff wrote, produced, directed, edited, and acted in the movie. Contrary to popular belief, Tom Graeff’s stage name was not ‘David Love’ (the actor who played ‘Derek’) but rather ‘Tom Lockyear’ (who played Betty’s reporter friend ‘Joe Rogers’). Not much is known about actor Chuck Roberts (credited as 'David Love', who played Derek), but it IS known that he was Tom Graeff's lover at the time.
  • The film's producers could not afford to construct a giant monster, so only its shadow is seen - cast (most likely) by a normal-sized lobster. The trim on the aliens' costumes is made from masking tape, and their space boots are men's dress shoes covered by socks. The ray gun prop was actually a Hubley's "Atomic Disintegrator" toy bought at the local store. (Original Hubley's "Atomic Disintegrator" toys are quite valuable today.)
  • The entire movie is an extra on the 2005 PS2 video game Destroy All Humans!. It becomes available once the main story campaign is completed.[1]
  • This is one of seven MST3K movies which used Bronson Canyon for exterior shots. The total: Robot Monster, It Conquered the World, Night of the Blood Beast, Earth vs the Spider, Teenage Cave Man, Teenagers from Outer Space, and Eegah.
  • Has nothing to do with the role-playing game of the same name (which is a comedy about aliens enrolling their children in human high schools).
  • There is a website dedicated to the exploits of Tom Graeff and his under-appreciated magnum opus.

The Episode

Host Segments

Teenspace2

Resusci-Annie Dummy

Prologue: Joel conditions the Bots with electric shocks to stop them from making NBC Mystery Movie jokes every time they see a flashlight.

Segment One (Invention Exchange): Crow and Tom Servo did the invention this week, the Scratch-N-Sniff Report Card to take the edge off of bad grades by helping parents remember how rotten their days in school were; it comes in both public and private school versions. The Mads foresee ventriloquism as the wave of the future, and respond with the Resusci-Annie ventriloquist dummy, which works until Annie needs resuscitation.

Teensspace4

Reel to Real

Segment Two: The SOL crew does a "Reel to Real" segment comparing events in the movie to what would really happen in real life. Joel carries the concept a bit far.

Segment Three: The crew jettisons snacks into space to reenact the feature presentation trailer from General Cinemas.

Segment Four: Crow speculates on the nature of space while Joel and Tom play "Red or Black", until Crow spots a Skull Cruiser! Joel and Tom don't believe him until it crashes into the ship. Alas, the inhabitant turns out to be kind of lame. Tom's Tri-Star Pegasus logo turns out to be a cow.

Teenspace3

Dr. Forrester's date with Resusci-Annie

Segment Five: The gang presents a fashion pageant combining everyday wear with duct tape! Crow calls it off when his pictures get a little risque. Letters are read. In Deep 13, Dr. Forrester's date with Resusci-Annie is going well.

Stinger: "The high court may well sentence you to TORCHA!"

Other Notes

Trivia

  • This was the first episode to feature the episode title card before the start of the Love Theme.
  • Mary Jo Pehl joined the writing staff with this episode.
  • Joel's season 2 green jumpsuit makes its last non-opening credits appearance, modified with red duct tape as one of the outfits he wears in the fashion show.
  • Harvey B. Dunn , who plays 'Grandpa,' also appeared in Bride of the Monster as the cop with the pet bird. He later appeared in The Sinister Urge as the concerned citizen.

Obscure References

  • "Run, Toto, Run!" and "Auntie Em, Uncle Henry, and you were there..."

References to the film The Wizard of Oz.

  • "Bidi-bidi-bidi."

Often said by the character Twiki in the TV series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.

  • "Oh, now Michael Jackson will want to keep him."

A reference of Michael Jackson's purchase of the Elephant Man's bones.

  • "Ray Liotta?" "Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be a spaceman."

A reference to the film Goodfellas, starring Ray Liotta.

  • "I see you have a machine that goes 'Ping'!"

A line from the film Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. ('The Miracle of Birth'; view scene here .)

  • "'A Separate Peace!'"

A reference to the novel by John Knowles.

  • "Thrive, Captain, Thrive!"

A parody of the Blues Image song "Ride Captain Ride".

  • "Mort Sahl?"

Mort Sahl is a political stand-up comedian known for wearing a rumpled sweater and bringing a newspaper on stage.

  • "I'm not dead yet, I'm getting better.", "Ah, Only a flesh wound!", and "What, behind the flying lobster?"

References to the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

  • "Paging Mister Herman."

A reference to the film Pee Wee's Big Adventure, starring Paul Reubens.

  • "Gee, Davey..."

A reference to the TV series Davey and Goliath.

  • "Excuse me, is that a Sansabelt jumpsuit?"

A reference to advertisements for Bugle Boy Jeans and also a reference to Sansabelt pants ('sans', French for 'without' + 'a belt').

  • "I'm looking for Sarah Connor."

A reference to the film The Terminator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

  • "It's Vince Sutton! Sergeant Carter!"

The actor Vince Sutton played the irascible Sgt. Carter on the TV series Gomer Pyle, USMC. He had a crisp crew-cut hairstyle.

  • "This looks like a nice place to raise your kids up."

A reference to the Frank Zappa film 200 Motels.

  • "Why do you look like Hoyt Axton?!"

Hoyt Axton was a country singer and actor, best known to MiSTies for recording the theme song to Mitchell.

  • "Xanadu! Stately home of Charles Foster Kane! Cost... no one can say!" and "I'm Charles Foster Kane!!"

References to the film Citizen Kane, starring Orson Welles.

  • "It's the New Zoo Revue, comin' right at you..."

The theme song from the 1970s children's TV show New Zoo Revue.

  • "Earth girls are easy!"

The title of a 1988 film starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis.

  • "I like you Gramps, that's why I kill you last.

A reference to the film Commando, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

  • "Uh, Miss Hathaway, Jethro wants to be a rock star."

Spoken in the manner of the character Mr. Drysdale from the TV series The Beverly Hillbillies. Miss Hathaway was a his assistant, and Jethro was the dim-witted nephew of his wealthiest client.

  • "I'll be taking lunch, Hilga! I-hi-hi-hi!!"

A reference to the ghoulish host of the TV series Tales from the Crypt, the Cryptkeeper.

  • "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

A famous sketch from the TV series Monty Python's Flying Circus.

  • "And that's the way it happened." "I'm Walter Cronkite."

A reference to news anchor Walter Cronkite, who was known for saying "...and that's the way it is" at the end of reports.

  • "Suddenly it's 'Carnival of Souls'!"

Carnival of Souls was a 1962 horror film.

  • "Love is the drug for *him*!"

A reference to the Roxy Music song "Love is the Drug".

  • "Oh, Grover's in there."

A reference to the Sesame Street character Grover.

  • "This is the most unsuccessful prison transfer since Dallas '63."

A reference to the assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald, who was shot and killed during a botched prisoner transfer.

  • "What is this? A Bergman film all of a sudden?"

The shot is similar to several in Wild Strawberries, a classic Bergman film.

  • "I am the Eggman / Goo goo g'joob"

A reference to the The Beatles song from I Am the Walrus.

  • "I will pet him and keep him and call him George."

A line spoken by the Abominable Snowman in the 1961 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon The Abominable Snow Rabbit.

  • "Shannon is gone, I heard / She’s drifting out to..."

A reference to the Henry Gross song Shannon.

  • "It must be that nice Adam Rich boy, calling for his prescription again!"

​Adam Rich, the youngest cast member from the TV series Eight Is Enough , was a frequent resident at drug rehab centers , having been through treatment on five occasions by 1991.

  • "Moses... Moses?"

A reference to the Burning bush in the 1956 film The Ten Commandments.

Video Release

  • Teensfromouterspace

    Amazon Digital Cover

    Commercially released on DVD by Rhino in October 2004 as part of The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Volume 6, a 4-DVD set with Attack of the Giant Leeches, Gunslinger, and Mr. B's Lost Shorts.


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