There are three reasons why this episode is my personal favorite:
1)Restraint on Get Smart riffs
With the appearance of Edward Platt(Chief), there was the possibility of going a little crazy, but I only counted a handful of them, including one 'Sorry about that, Chief!' and one mention of Larrabee(Agent 13, the master of disguise).
2)The writing was top-notch
This is a good example of one of the best episodes of, in my opinion, the best of the Joel era seasons. The Brains are at the top of their game here.
3)The movie lent itself to the writers
It was full of pauses and non-talky scenes where the writers could put in their comments, especially the one where the robbers got rid of the evidence of their crime.
The plot had a crook named Tucker(Platt) who runs a beatnik coffee house as a front for planning a heist on an armored car in Chicago. He recruits three of his best customers: a wanna-be actor, a wanna-be writer and the ne'er-do-well son of a Hollywood star to help him. They take a cross-country train trip to do this, and Johnny the actor's wife tags along, unaware of the robbery. Tucker disguises himself as a priest and double-crosses two of his accomplices and Johnny (the hero by default) chases him down, giving Joel and the 'bots a chance to do several priest jokes. Also riffed is the short Johnny At The Fair, in which a little boy gets lost as a pretense to show the activities at the Canadian National Exhibition.
The 'bots want scary stories, so Joel gives them Life's Little Instruction Book. Then they invent a Mark Rothko paint-by-number kit, but it only has one color. Frank invents a quick primp kit for use when you are in a hurry and standing in line, but never uses it, which makes Dr. Forrester angry. Crow takes acting lessons by record, the crew wonders what they would do during a train layover in Chicago, the 'bots try to write stories like Merritt Stone(but they are all about trains), and Tom tries to solve The Great Merritt Stone Mystery, but all that happens is his dome implodes and Frank goes mad. A true classic for the Brains.moreless
Episode Summary
EDIT
Three beatniks help a con artist rob an armored car, while the crew ponders what to do in Chicago.
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Trace Beaulieu
Crow T. Robot [0-7] & Dr. Clayton Forrester [0-7]
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Mary Jo Pehl
Magic Voice [4-7] & Pearl Forrester [7-10]
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Kevin Murphy
Tom Servo [2-10], Professor Bobo [8-10] & Cambot
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Joel Hodgson
Joel Robinson [0-5]
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Jim Mallon
Gypsy [1-8]
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Frank Conniff
TV's Frank [2-6]
Watch Online
Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
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TRIVIA (1)
ADD TRIVIA-
Watch Gypsy fall asleep during Crow's oration on Chicago; her "eye" goes out and Joel nudges her awake. Crow goes on and on, causing Cambot to pause before going down the hallway; he continues as they enter the theater.
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QUOTES (49)
ADD QUOTES-
(Tucker, in his priest outfit, jumps from one roof to another) Crow: Father Mannix! Joel: Da-dum-da-dum! Tom: Amen! (a few seconds later, Johnny does the same jump) Crow: Father Mannix, wait! Joel: Da-dum-da-dum! Tom: Amen.
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Crow: (as the gang gets rid of their guns and other things) Movie's not over and they're striking the set!
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Dr. Forrester: Clive Barker says, 'I have seen the future of horror, and it's Everything I Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarden.'
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(the movie's opening scene, an upright bass is being player) Tom: Hey, there's a Mingus among us!
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Joel: (in the short, over a shot of Johnny's feet) Half the pain of having feet is Red Goose Shoes!
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Frank: Who is Merritt Stooooonnnnneeeee??????
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Crow: Edward Platt will be back in Shaft In Africa!
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Tom: So, all this happened because Johnny got lost at the fair? Joel: Mm-hmm.
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(as George's casket passes by) Mrs. Leland: I'm a mother. Crow: Check that.
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Tucker: Newark, I'd know it anywhere. Tom: Even if I wasn't in Newark, I'd know I was in Newark.
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(as a cop appears with his back turned) Tom: I have no face. Joel: It's Officer Not-Appearing-In-This-Scene.
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Joel: Thanks for being so supportive of my acting career that I took to a life of crime!
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Joel: (after Ray throws his typewriter off the train) I wish Bret Easton Ellis would do that with his typewriter.
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(as a gloved hand puts a "Do Not Disturb" sign on a door) Crow: Mickey Mouse! Joel: M-U-R, D-E-R.
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Crow: This is just like Treasure of Sierra Madre, only it's not good.
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Conductor: You know, everybody I've told about my memoirs says... Crow: Shut up!
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Crow: (as Tucker comes on the train dressed as a priest) Platt Point!
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Tucker: All the guns go into the hole as well. Crow: Fire in the hole.
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Crow: Ah, the Blue Ridge Mountains of Chicago!
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Cop: Some dope run me right off the road. Tom: That's part of the plan...oop!
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Crow: (seeing the stopwatch) And now, A Few Murders With Andy Rooney.
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Tom: (as the stopwatch first appears) I'm Ed Bradley and this is 60 Murders.
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Joel: Tonight's episode: 'Milk: It Does A Body Dead.'
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Joel: (as George climbs a hill with the rifle) So just behind this grassy knoll here, boss? Okay.
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Crow: Empire State Building on Nutri-system. Tom: No, no, no. Tribune Tower.
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Jeannie: John, I'm your wife! Tom: I'm glad you brought that up, honey. Technically, you're my wife, but...
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(as a tower appears) Joel: It's The Flying Nun! Crow: It's Vertigo! Tom: It's Roman Holiday and much, much more!
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Karen: I'll never trust Sidney again, that, that...h-e-a-l! Crow: She's Danielle Quayle.
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Ray: Hail, the noble thespian has arrived. Tom: Hey, I'm as hetero as the next guy!
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King: I am bugged! Joel: God of facial hair!
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King: It has no content. Crow: Much like this film.
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Tom: (describing King Invader) Old One-Eye is back.
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Tom: (describing Johnny) He's an actor/vampire; he can't see his ego in the mirror.
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Mr Tucker: I don't believe in breaking small laws. Tom: There are no small laws, just small criminals.
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Mr. Tucker: Before I go into the details... Crow: Let's have a song!
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(seeing two people dance) Joel: They remind me of Fred and Ginger. Crow: Yeah, Fred Travelina and Ginger Baker.
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Joel: Hey, the more I drink, the more talented you become.
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Sidney: You know what the trouble with you beat guys is? Joel: You're so '50's!
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Joel: My Three Sons go beat. Tom: All of them?
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George: How'd you get into the act? Crow: I replaced Gummo.
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Crow: (seeing the cafe) You know, this is the hippest Red Lobster I've been to.
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Johnny: Bernie! Crow: How's Bridget?
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Johnny: It's the law of averages. Tom: I'm average, I'll make it!
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Jeannie: Love conquers all. Tom: That is such a lie!!!
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Crow: (seeing Johnny) Oh, great, another oily unlikeable character.
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Sidney: Leland's nothing but a young wild punk. Crow: He's my wild young punk.
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Joel: (seeing tightrope walkers) Boy, they're tough on drunk drivers in Canada.
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Narrator: Johnny can't read the words "Chemical Wonderland..." Joel: Oh, we've all been there.
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Crow: (over a crowd shot) Prozac at work in today's society.
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NOTES (2)
ADD NOTES-
The running bit about Stone/Roth was because the writers got confused over it was Merrit Stone or Gene Roth as the conductor.
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There were lots of priest jokes after Tucker dressed as one after the robbery.
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ALLUSIONS (6)
ADD ALLUSIONS-
Blade Runner: As a loudspeaker blares in a scene, Tom throws in a reference to "the off World colonies" quoting a frequent advertising slogan from the 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner.
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Marty Allen: Tom notes that there is a picture in the background that looks like Marty Allen, to which Crow says, "Hello, dere!" Marty Allen and Steve Rossi were a comedy team of the 60s. Rossi, the straight man, would introduce Allen as various characters and Allen would always greet him and the audience with his trademark "Hello, dere!"
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Mark Rothko: Refrenced in Joel's invention exchange, Mark Rothko was an abstract expressionist painter(though he rejected that title) who did not use many colors, and those that he did use were large and intense. Joel's version of a Rothko painting used just one color.
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Charles Mingus: Refrenced by Servo at the beginning of the movie, Charles Mingus was a legendary jazz musician who played the upright bass. One of his most famous songs was Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, referenced in The Wild, Wild World Of Batwoman.
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Red Goose Shoes: Mentioned by Joel in the short, Red Goose Shoes was a brand of children's shoes. Their slogan was 'Half the fun of having feet is Red Goose Shoes,' hence Joel's line.
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Dan Quayle: Karen said "I'll never trust Sidney again, that, that...h-e-a-l!", which Crow followed with "She's Danielle Quayle." Karen misspelled "heel" like then Vice-President, Dan Quayle, who once told a child that he had misspelled "potato", noting that the boy had fogotten the final "e".
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Help identifying an episode
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Films in need of a good riffing.
02/27/1219
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02/07/1223
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Worst films featured on MST3K
02/05/129
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