Entertainment
 

The Human Duplicators

From MST3K

420 - The Human Duplicators
Air Date December 26, 1992
Movie Director Hugo Grimaldi
Year 1964
Cast Richard Kiel, Hugh Beaumont, George Nader, Barbara Nichols
Preceded by 419 - The Rebel Set
Followed by 421 - Monster A-Go Go


Contents

The Movie

Synopsis

In 1965, a "huge, untalented alien" in gold lame (Dr. Kolos, played by the mumbling, monotonic Richard "Eegah" Kiel) travels to Earth (well, southern California) in a "Christmas ornament" to carry out his micromanaging bosses' "Galaxy Domination Program". He commandeers the unwilling aid of distinguished retired cybernetic physicist Professor Dornheimer (George Macready) and starts making android duplicates of key people in the basement lab of Dornheimer's criminally overdecorated mansion, killing or imprisoning the originals.

A trusted high-level government physicist, Dr. Munson, who is actually an android, infiltrates a secure facility in broad daylight to steal ordinary transistors for use as android parts. In making his escape he is undeterred by four bullets that are direct hits. Later, his body is located at the bottom of a cliff, cause of death: electrocution some time before the robbery. The National Intelligence Agency dispatches light-hearted NIA agent Glenn Martin (George Nader, who was also in MST's Robot Monster) to investigate.

Martin links "android" with "Dornheimer", whose house is nearby the crash scene. Unable to find out much by visiting the residence, he breaks into the house at night and discovers the entire android operation before being captured, imprisoned and duplicated himself. The duplicate of Martin returns to NIA headquarters and awakens the suspicions of his secretary/colleague/love interest, Gail (Bambi Hamilton). She begins to tail him.

Kolos develops tender feelings for the teeny, blind, skeletal, Chopin-playing niece of Herr Professor, Lisa (Delores Faith, who played Zetha in MST's "The Phantom Planet"). He daringly deviates from his strict bosses' project plan by failing to have her duplicated according to standard procedure.

It turns out the androids have a design defect. They start back-sassing Kolos and even take him prisoner, although he doesn't put up much of a struggle. They seize Lisa and prepare to duplicate her, which, we infer, is apparently an unpleasant experience for the subject.

Will Martin escape the basement cage where he and Dr. Dornheimer have been confined? Will the aliens succeed in their "Galaxy Domination Program"? Will the androids triumph in their rebellion and present an additional, separate threat to Earth even worse than the aliens themselves?

Don't miss one of the looniest fight scenes ever in the anticlimactic final clash between the androids (on one side) and Kolos and Martin. Also catch the "shocker" ending - is Dr. Kolos who we think he is?

Hugh Beaumont (who has nothing to do) and 'Bambi' Hamilton (who has a voice like a rusty brass dagger) round out the cast.

Information

The Episode

Host Segments

Prologue: The Bots make suggestions to Joel about ways they could be improved. Gypsy wants a cab forward design, Crow wants more capacity to love, and Tom has a few suggestions for himself.

Segment One (Invention Exchange): The Mads have the sillies because of their ridiculous invention, the William Conrad Fridge Alert. Joel demonstrates his awesome-looking beanie chopper, which unfortunately doesn't live up to expectations.

Segment Two: Joel asked the Bots make spaceships from ordinary household items. Gypsy's shows her resourcefulness, Tom's shows his slackerness, and Crow's shows his workmanship. Joel makes one too, and Crow is insulted.

Segment Three: Tom Servo takes a cue from the movie and duplicates himself many times over. Alas, his clones are pretty non-responsive.

Segment Four: A grumpy government agent-esque Hugh Beaumont revisits via the Hexfield Viewscreen.

Segment Five: Crow and Tom come out of the robot closet after reading through "Robot Nation". Joel is unsurprised. A letter is read and Tom calls out the MST3K Info Club address. William Conrad actually shows up in Deep 13.

Stinger: Two doppelgangers are laughing as they choke each other

Other Notes

Guest Stars

Obscure References

  • "We serve fun at Shakey's!" "Also pizza!"

The Shakey's Pizza chain was popular in the United States during the 1960s and '70s, but its restaurants are now found mainly in Asia.


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