414 - Tormented
Air Date	September 26, 1992
Movie Director	Bert I. Gordon
Year	1960
Cast	Richard Carlson, Susan Gordon, Lugene Sanders, Juli Reding, Joe Turkel
Preceded by	413 - Manhunt in Space
Followed by	415 - The Beatniks

Contents 1 The Movie 1.1 Synopsis 1.2 Information 2 The Episode 2.1 Host Segments 2.2 Other Notes 2.3 Obscure References 2.4 Video Release

The Movie

Synopsis

On an island community off the coast of New England, crappy jazz pianist Tom Stewart (Richard Carlson) is preparing to wed wealthy, wholesome Meg Hubbard (the Doris Day-like Lugene Sanders). His plans are jeopardized by his possessive former girlfriend, decidely unwholesome busty singer Vi Mason (Juli Reding), who declares "no one will ever have you but me!" and threatens to blackmail him with his old love letters. During a confrontation at the top of the island's abandoned lighthouse, the railing breaks and Vi plunges into the icy waves. Tom has a chance to save her (A Place in the Sun, anyone?) but doesn't.

Any initial relief Tom experiences at Vi's death soon vanishes when her vengeful spirit begins showing up wherever he goes. When a hipster milkman (Joe Turkel) guesses his secret and demands hush money, it's slippery slope city, and Joe's milk deliveries suddenly stop, if you get my drift.

Would Tom even go so far as to kill the litte girl who adores him to protect his secret?

Information

Susan Gordon, director Bert I. Gordon's daughter, plays the role of Sandy.

The Episode

Host Segments

• Prologue: Tom Servo and Crow set up a new home in the ventilation duct over the bridge. When Gypsy tries to join them, chaos erupts.

• Segment One (Invention Exchange): Gypsy has entangled the bridge. Joel shows off the Aunt Catherine Wheel to help people remember all their relatives. The Mads show off the drinking jacket, perfect for the fashionable lush going through the DTs.

• Segment Two: Joel tries to clean out the Crunchberries the Bots left in the vents and gets stuck; the Bots flat-out refuse to help him, trying to blackmail him for their assistance.

• Segment Three: Joel and the Bots push figurines of their least favorite pop singers out of the top of a toy lighthouse, in the same manner the man in the movie pushed his singing girlfriend off. In the end, they feel a bit guilty. Well, not really.

• Segment Four: Tom and Crow pretend to be disembodied heads to scare Joel and Gypsy. Joel outwits them by taking their bodies and leaving them in the dark.

• Segment Five: Joel and the Bots are traumatized by the film, but cure their blues by singing a song about happy thoughts. Frank joins in with his own morbid version, but Dr. Forrester leaves a live grenade beside him just before the button is pushed.

• Stinger: "Tom Stewart killed me! Tom Stewart killed me!"

Other Notes

Miscellanea

• Unusual credits: The hand grenade Dr. Forrester drops on Frank explodes as Joel Hodgson's credit appears, causing the screen to shake briefly.

Obscure References

• "Uh-oh, Crook and Chase are calling!"

Crook & Chase is a TV talk show that focuses on country music.

• "...from the mixed-up files of one Bert I. Gordon."

A reference to the children's book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

• "The Secret Storm!"

The Secret Storm was a soap opera that aired until 1974.

• "Forever in Lugenes!"

Tom is parodying the Neil Diamond song "Forever in Blue Jeans".

• "Meg..." "It will come back to you!"

A parody of the Steely Dan song "Peg".

• "They lived in that last house on the beach." "On the left?"

A reference to the 1972 horror movie The Last House on the Left.

• "Believe it...or not!"

Crow is imitating Jack Palance on the 1980s Ripley's Believe It or Not! TV series.

• "This belonged to V. I. Warshawski!"

V. I. Warshawski is a female Chicago private eye featured in a series of novels and a 1991 movie.

• "Vi ask Vi?"

A parody of "Why ask why?", the advertising slogan for Bud Dry beer.

• "This is like 'Barton Fink' now!"

Barton Fink was a 1991 film directed by the Coen brothers.

• "The original Dead Milkman."

A reference to the satirical punk band the Dead Milkmen.

• "I got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack!"

A quote from the Bruce Springsteen song "Hungry Heart".

• "Sammy Cahn is the doctor!"

Sammy Cahn was a Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songwriter.

• "Savoir Faire is everywhere!"

The catchphrase of Savoir Faire, a character from the cartoon Klondike Kat.

Video Release

• Commercially released on DVD by Rhino in June 2007 as part of The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Volume 11, a 4-DVD set with Ring of Terror, The Indestructible Man and Horrors of Spider Island.
• The DVD features a retrospective featurette in which Bert I. Gordon, Susan Gordon, and Joe Turkel discuss the making of the movie, and its appearance on MST3K.

preceded by: Season 3		MST3K Season 4					followed by: Season 5
		1992 - 1993
401	Space Travelers	1992-06-06	409	The Indestructible Man	1992-08-15	417	Crash of Moons	1992-11-28
402	The Giant Gila Monster	1992-06-13	410	Hercules Against the Moon Men	1992-08-22	418	Attack of the the Eye Creatures	1992-12-05
403	City Limits	1992-06-20	411	The Magic Sword	1992-08-29	419	The Rebel Set	1992-12-12
404	Teenagers from Outer Space	1992-06-27	412	Hercules and the Captive Women	1992-09-12	420	The Human Duplicators	1992-12-26
405	Being from Another Planet	1992-07-24	413	Manhunt in Space	1992-09-19	421	Monster A-Go Go	1993-01-09
406	Attack of the Giant Leeches	1992-07-18	414	Tormented	1992-09-26	422	The Day the Earth Froze	1993-01-16
407	The Killer Shrews	1992-07-25	415	The Beatniks	1992-11-25	423	Bride of the Monster	1993-01-23
408	Hercules Unchained	1992-08-01	416	Fire Maidens of Outer Space	1992-11-16	424	Manos: The Hands of Fate	1993-01-30