The Brain That Wouldn't Die

Season 5, Episode 13, Aired

Episode Summary

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8.7
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Movie Plot: The Brain That Wouldn't Die A mad scientist keeps the head of his fiance alive in a dish in his lab while he looks for a new body for her. Intro: The 'bots train Mike on how to riff movies. They test him on riffing (Sid Melton=Little Monkey Boy). Segment One: Mike invents an umbrella with gutters. Dr. Forrester invents a machine that pops balloons of kids. Segment Two: Mike tries to get him and the 'bots back to Earth. He cuts a line of processed cheese, but Gypsy says it isn't cheese. Segment Three: The crew tries to find the right hat for Jan, the head from the movie. Included are a crown roast, a lazy Susan and a carafe hat. Segment Four: Mike confesses about a childhood trauma and the 'bots blab it all over. Segment Five: Jan visits the SOL. She makes jokes about her condition. The 'bots join in, but when Mike does, Jan gets mad and leaves. Dr. Forrester tries to decapitate Frank. Stinger: Sultry Man/woman: "Who's to tell me to blow if I don't want to?"moreless
  • Oh please, Laurel Records; let us use "The Web", c'mon!

    7.5
    "Good"
    [#39]

    In a car crash, a scientist's fiance is decapitated, but her head survives. He stays the head put on a pan, until he can find a new body for her. Then, out of nowhere a closet monster strikes here and there for some stupid reason. Filmed in Tarrytown, it's The Brian that Wouldn't Die, either from 1959 when it was made or 1962 when it was released. You decide!

    Ugh! Is this movie a pill or anything? Because the movie fails to scare (no attempts were even made), and succeeds to bore. This is Mike's first episode and you can tell the differences with him and Joel. Joel's riffing style is smooth and sleepy, while Mike's style is alert, awake and sometimes random. Either way there're still both funny. Here Mike learns to riff in the first host segment with help from the Bots and he tries to an invention exchange (which lasted until 519) and succeeds. Since I have no problem with a different guy in the middle seat in the theater, I bought the era for what it was. The riffing here has funny moments, mostly the beginning like the cheesy car crash, but the movie went on a snails' pace and it affected the riffing, which isn't good. I got sleepy with the flick, but had some nice laughs here and there. So, due to the sluggish pace of the film, the riffing overall is good, not great. I did like the host segments, the best being the visit by Jan-in-the-Pan. So, there's enough funny bits for a recommendation.

    B-moreless
  • After a firey car crash, a strange doctor decides to keep his fiancee alive by keeping her head in a dish of goo.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    This is the only movie that I ever saw in the original version before I saw the MST version. Strangely, I don't think the movie is any worse than any other 50's 'monster' flick.

    But as usual, the guys make the movie higly watchable by adding their oh so spot-on comments. "The Brain (Head?) That Wouldn't Die" is Joel's last appearance on the show, and so there is a sub-plot in the host segments that Gypsy comes to the conclusion Joel is going to be killed and must find a way to get him off the ship. She does, hidden away in a secret stash of hamdingers, and the Mads, dejected by the loss, replace Joel with Mike, the temp they've recently hired.

    But on to the movie. The most autrocious part of it was the makeup, especially in regards to the "thing in the closet" who, when he escapes, is so obviously a man in a mask that we can see the strings behind his head. Then there is the infamous "Jan in the Pan"...how a head can live in only "neck juice" without organs God only knows, but the best parts are when her boyfried, the doctor, goes in search of a new body for his beloved.

    He rejects a gnarly man-woman at a strange sort of Dennys/stripclub, and eventually settles on an old girlfriend with a great body, but a bad owie on the side of her face. With promises that he can "fix" her, he lures her into his lab and drugs her. Proving that you really never can trust men.

    Meanwhile, in probably the best scene of the movie, the assistant (whose name escapes me) is killed in agnozing slowness by having his one good arm ripped off by the masked monster in the closet. Actually, it is very obvious that it's hiding in his coat, but you're not supposed to notice that.

    All in all, ranks up there in my top ten episodes. Definitely wortha look-see.moreless
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