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in: MST3K Episodes, Season 4, Directed by Jim Mallon

MST3K 403 - City Limits

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“ 'City Limits'? Sounds like a clothing store for high school girls. ”
- Joel


The Movie[]

Main article: City Limits (film)

In a post-apocalyptic dystopia, rival gangs of youths fight for dominance.

The Episode[]

Citylimitshost

Joel screams "ping-pong balls!"

Host Segments[]

Prologue: Joel says "ping-pong balls" just like Captain Kangaroo, with similar results.

Segment One (Invention Exchange): Tom Servo's head is full of ping-pong balls, and he has somehow acquired Crow's eyes. Joel shows off his Mr. Meat & Potato Head toys. The Mads demo Pop Star Tupperware - currently featuring "Morrissey".

Segment Two: Deeply smitten, Crow sings an ode to Kim Cattrall, appropriately titled "Oh, Kim Cattrall!". With the help of Joel, Tom Servo, and Gypsy, Crow them attempts to re-enact a sequence from Cattrall's 1987 film Mannequin, with predictably shambolic results.

City Limits Superhero

Tom, Crow, and Joel invent comic book superheroes

Segment Three: Tom, Crow, and Joel invent comic book superheroes.

Segment Four: Tom, Crow, and Joel invent even more superheroes.

Segment Five: Joel and the bots try to play the City Limits trivia game, but they can’t remember anything about the movie. They read some letters instead. In Deep 13, the Mads have had enough of "Morrissey".

Stinger: Remote-controlled airplane attack!

Obscure References[]

  • "I've got Crow T. Robot eyes."
Sung to the tune of award-winning song "Bette Davis Eyes", originally written and composed by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon in 1974, but made popular by American singer Kim Carnes in 1981.
  • "Get on with the invention exchange, Crocodile Kangaroo."
Dr. Clayton Forrester may be referring to The Monkees episode "Captain Crocodile", in which the band meets an amoral children's TV show host who is a parody of the wholesome Captain Kangaroo. It might also be a reference to Uncle Croc's Block, a comedic Captain Kangaroo parody starring Charles Nelson Reilly as a cynical and acerbic kid's show host.
  • "Meat is murder, Frank."
Meat Is Murder is an album by The Smiths featuring Morrissey.
  • "Is it wrong not to always be glad?"
The only actual line from a song written by Morrissey in the Invention Exchange, from the song "Sheila Take a Bow". The Smiths have a song called "Girlfriend in a Coma" and there is a Morrissey song called "Hairdresser on Fire", but no Smiths or Morrissey song is called "Hairdresser in a Coma").
MST3k John Stockwell, Darrel Larson, Kim Cattrall in City Limits

Cast of "City Limits"

  • "Fifteen years from now, Dick Clark will still look the same."
Dick Clark was an American television personality who was often satirized for his seemingly ageless, handsome appearance.
  • "Well, they still have SuperAmerica."
SuperAmerica was a chain of American gas stations popular in the Upper Midwest. Stores were rebranded as Speedway in 2018.
  • (gunshot) "Oh, *Austin* City Limits!"
A riff on the enduring Old West reputation of Texas, home to the live music TV program Austin City Limits.
  • "This is CNN. Get off my land!"
James Earl Jones' first appearance prompts Crow to utter the CNN tagline he recorded.
  • "It's the Doc Severinsen Gang."
Doc Severinsen is a retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show and was known for appearing in outlandish attire.
  • "Hey, I found Ed Begley Jr. can I keep him?"
Mick's tousled blonde hair resembles that of actor Ed Begley Jr..
  • "Oh, there's no place like home for the holocaust."
Servo cheerily sings a post-apocalyptic version of "Home for the Holidays".
  • "Petticoat...Junction."
A shot of a railroad water reservoir is compared to the opening titles of TV sitcom Petticoat Junction.
  • "Guess you could call this Cheesy Rider."
Easy Rider is a 1969 drama about the lives of two motorcycle vagabonds.
  • "Goldfinger!"
The title sequence theme music is repeatedly mocked for its similarity to the song "Goldfinger", sung by Shirley Bassey, from the 1964 movie of the same name.
  • "Looks like the sets were designed by Edward Hopper."
Edward Hopper was an American realist painter, famous for capturing glimpses of Americana in iconic works such as Nighthawks.
  • "Soundtrack by Gerry Rafferty."
The soundtrack's moody rock style is compared to hits by the late Scottish singer and songwriter Gerry Rafferty.
  • "It's the Orkin Army!"
Advancing goons are dressed in jumpsuits and hardhats, similar to commercials by pest control company Orkin.
  • "Courageous Cat and Motor Mouse!"
Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse is a 1960s children's animated TV series.
  • "He's being terrorized by the cast of Fame."
The Clippers' attire is riffed as resembling that of characters in the 1980 movie Fame.
Roach coach is a long standing slang term for food trucks. "La Cucaracha" translates into "The Cockroach".
  • "Uh oh, it's the Leno Gang."
Jay Leno is an American comic who boasts an extensive collection of motorcycles and automobiles.
  • "I come from the desert." "On a horse with no name?"
Joel references the #1 hit song "A Horse with No Name" by folk rock group America.
  • "I come a lot of miles!" "For a lot of Camels!"
The phrase "I'd walk a mile for a Camel" was a long-running slogan of Camel cigarettes.
  • "Oh, that's Michelle Shocked!"
A Clipper's hairstyle resembles the boyish look of singer Michelle Shocked.
  • "So, like, do you think you could get your dad to sign my Big Bambu album?"
Big Bambu is a comedy album by Cheech & Chong. Tommy Chong is Rae Dawn Chong's father.
  • "It's the guys from Kansas."
Two scruffy DA bikers vaguely resemble members of the rock band Kansas, notably Rich Williams who wears an eyepatch.
  • "Guy's a big Who fan."
Whitey's overcoat is comprised of pieces of the Union Jack, much like a coat worn in the early 1960s by Pete Townshend of rock group The Who.
  • "I want it, I want it, I want it..."
Servo and Joel riff the soundtrack's percussion by singing part of "Magic Bus" by rock group The Who.
  • "CHiPs - fifteen years from now."
CHiPs is an American crime drama centered on two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol.
  • "Sounds like every Kenny Loggins song." "Footloose!"
Joel mocks the soundtrack as resembling the many hits of American pop star Kenny Loggins.
  • "Purple rain, purple rain..."
Servo sings a bit of the chorus to "Purple Rain" by Prince during a shot of a motorcycle backlit in fog, similar to the poster for the 1984 film of the same name.
  • "Us? Are we feeling a little cranky, Sybil?"
Sybil is a 1973 book about a woman undergoing treatment for dissociative identity disorder, previously known as multiple personality disorder.
  • "Days Inn, where all our rooms are do-not-disturb."
The Sunya Corporation logo is riffed as resembling that of hotel chain Days Inn.
  • "We're having a game." "'Husker Du?' in Norwegian means "Do you remember?"."
Hūsker Dū? is a memory board game introduced in the 1950s.
  • Theme from Hogan's Heroes (sung)
Servo, Joel and Crow riff the soundtrack's drum cadence by singing the theme music to TV sitcom Hogan's Heroes.
  • "They're Paul Revere & the Raiders."
A DA gang member dressed in colonial military garb lends to the group resembling American rock band Paul Revere & the Raiders.
  • "Hello. I am Inigo Montoya."
As Ray meets Mick formally again Servo riffs the repeated greeting of character Inigo Montoya in the 1987 film The Princess Bride.
  • "Lady, nobody gets nothing for nothing." "Except Billy Preston."
Billy Preston was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter who had a #1 hit with the song "Nothing from Nothing".
  • "It's a Beefeater!" "I'll buy you a gin and tonic after this."
A Clipper is dressed in a red robe and tall black hat, similar to the garb of British Yeomen of the Guard depicted on bottles of Beefeater Gin.
  • "It's not a museum, it's the cover of The Far Side Gallery."
Single-panel comic The Far Side often depicted humor in sterile environments such as museums. Large collections of the comics were published under the title The Far Side Gallery as numbered volumes.
  • "I claim this planet in the name of Mars."
Crow riffs the female DA biker's helmet by mimicking Looney Tunes animated character Marvin the Martian.
  • "That's coming out of your allowance until you pay back Michael Jackson every last cent!"
Pop icon Michael Jackson famously made a bid for the remains of Joseph Merrick, aka The Elephant Man, in 1987, and later addressed the scandal in a music video where he danced alongside a skeleton with an elephant's trunk.
  • "Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat!"
A reference to the short-lived TV series T.H.E. Cat.
  • "Hail Dorothy! The Wicked Witch is dead!" "Hail Dorothy!"
Lee's acceptance into the Clippers is riffed as akin to the immediate switch of allegiance by the Winkie Guards in The Wizard of Oz.
  • "It's the Bil Baird Marionettes!"
Bil Baird was an influential puppeteer who famously produced and performed "The Lonely Goatherd" sequence in the film The Sound of Music.
  • "Western Union! Doot-doo-doo doo-doo..."
Joel riffs the soundtrack by singing part of the hit song "Western Union" by the Five Americans.
  • "That proves the romance of David Bowie and Mick Jagger."
A crudely carved board bears the names "Whitey" and "Mick". David Bowie was known as The Thin White Duke. Both he and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones have denied allegations by Bowie's ex-wife Angela that she caught them having an affair [1].
  • "...and dance by the light of the Moon." (sung) "What'd you wish for when you threw that rock?"
Mick's rage against a street lamp is riffed by quoting a famous scene from It's a Wonderful Life.
  • "Born to be wild..."
The Clippers' slow motorcycle procession is riffed by a lethargic singing of the chorus to hit song "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf.
  • "The *mild* one, heh."
Servo riffs the Clippers' slow procession by referencing 1953 outlaw biker film The Wild One.
  • "I am the god of hellfire and I bring you..."
Whitey's funeral pyre is riffed by quoting the introduction to the Arthur Brown song "Fire".
  • "West Side Story Prologue" (sung)
The face-off of two gangs is mocked by an acapella singing of the instrumental prologue in the 1961 film West Side Story.
  • "Fonzie! No!"
A motorcyclist crash prompts a reference to character Fonzie's crash following a successful motorcycle jump of 12 garbage cans in the TV sitcom Happy Days.
  • "I wish...I were a fish."
Yogi's disaffected gaze is riffed as the daydreams of character Henry Limpet in the 1964 family film The Incredible Mr. Limpet, who sings about his wish to be turned into a fish (which soon comes true).
  • "Oh, you can call him Ray, or you can call him Jay, or you can call him Sonny..."
The mention of character Ray's name prompts a recital of the comic routine of the late Bill Saluga, who performed as a long-winded character named Ray Jay Johnson.
  • "I'm filled with secrets!"
In the TV series Twin Peaks deceased character Laura Palmer is seen in a vision and described as “filled with secrets”. Prior to her death she had an affair with central character James Hurley, a biker.
  • "Start seeing motorcycle movies."
A riff on the long-running motorcycle safety campaigns initiated by states such as Illinois and Minnesota.
  • "Leland!" "Sklar?"
Wickings using Lee's proper name prompts a reference to iconic rock bassist Leland Sklar.
  • "Morning on Yasgur's farm."
The aftermath of a battle is riffed as resembling the end of Woodstock, which took place at Max Yasgur's dairy farm.
  • (long harmonica note) "Supertramp!"
Crow riffs the soundtrack as akin to the introduction of Supertramp song "School".
  • "Eye of the Tiger" (sung)
The soundtrack's guitar theme is riffed by an acapella singing of the opening to "Eye of the Tiger" by rock group Survivor.
  • "Fashions by Maude." "God'll get you for that, Joel."
Crow admonishes Joel by quoting the catchphrase of TV sitcom Maude's titular character, whose attire was often unconventional.
  • "Suddenly it's Flashdance!"
Flashdance is a 1983 film about a woman who moonlights from her welding job by dancing.
  • "It’s more like Animal House, and it’s going to say "Eat Me" on the side of that thing."
Servo riffs the welding sequence by referencing the climax of 1978 comedy film Animal House.
  • "It's like MacGyver."
Joel riffs the Clipper's recycling of bric-a-brac as akin to the devices improvised on the TV show MacGyver by its titular character.
  • "Look, it's Archie Bunker's chair."
In the TV sitcom All in the Family character Archie Bunker's sitting chair, larger and fancier than his wife Edith's, was a centerpiece of the main set.
  • "Hello, Shoyl!"
A Clipper's greasy black spit curl resembles that of character Squiggy on the TV sitcom Laverne & Shirley.
  • "Hey, Suzanne Somers was in that!"
Joel mistakes Albert's 1950s Cadillac convertible for the Ford Thunderbird driven by Suzanne Somers' character in the 1973 film American Graffiti.
  • "Sounds like U2 is playing on the roof."
Joel peers upward during a street-level shot and compares the soundtrack to music by the band U2, who famously recorded a live music video on a downtown LA rooftop.
  • Oh, you're coming up for this scene, Norton!"
Characters emerging from a sewer hole are riffed by a reference to the job of character Ed Norton on the classic TV sitcom The Honeymooners.
  • "They brought a biffy."
The mysterious crate in the back of Albert's car is riffed as being a portable outhouse.
  • "We're so sorry, Uncle Albert."
"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" is a 1971 song by Paul and Linda McCartney.
  • "Schools out, forever!"
Clippers escaping from their forced reprogramming is riffed by a rendition of hit song "School's Out" by Alice Cooper.
  • "This is the ending of Planes, Trains and Automobiles."
Albert and Frankie carry the mysterious crate each holding one handle, similar to a scene in the 1987 comedy film Planes, Trains and Automobiles in which two beleaguered travelers carry a heavy trunk.
  • "I once shot an elephant in my pajamas."
A Clipper fires a shot wearing a bathrobe, prompting Crow to mimic a famous quote by Groucho Marx.
  • "Now we're in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. all of a sudden." "Open Channel D." (whistle)
The sterile interior of Sunya headquarters is compared to interiors in the TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E..
  • We're out of the woods, we're out of the dark, we're out of the night..."
The restoration of power to a spotlight prompts a pastiche singing of "Optimistic Voices" from the movie The Wizard of Oz.
  • "They just shot one of the Mummenschanz guys!"
Sunya goons are dressed in black body suits with highlighted limbs, similar to certain performance attire of Swiss theater group Mummenschanz.
  • "Point Break. 100 percent pure adrenaline."
Sunya goons in theater masks are compared to the disguises worn by characters in the 1991 drama Point Break (which later became a RiffTrax Live presentation).
  • "I'm Charlton Heston for ConTel..."
A reference to an ad campaign in which Charlton Heston endorsed Continental Telephone.
  • "Burger Chef! He's incrediburgible!"
Burger Chef was a fast food chain that went defunct in 1982. Their eponymous mascot, voiced by Paul Winchell, was described by his sidekick Jeff as "incrediburgible."
  • "It's the BART system!"
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is the official name of the San Francisco subway system.
  • "I'm dead now."
In a posthumously-aired, anti-smoking PSA filmed shortly before his death from lung cancer, actor Yul Brynner said, "Now that I'm gone, I tell you... don't smoke." One of Brynner's notable physical characteristics was his completely bald head.
  • "I don't care what you do. Just take me with you!"
Tom is roughly quoting the 1984 song "Take Me With U" by Prince and the Revolution.
  • "It's the New Power Generation!"
The New Power Generation was the name of Prince's backup band in the early 1990s.
  • "Gary Busey sold it to me."
Actor Gary Busey suffered severe head injuries in a motorcycle accident in the late 1980s.
  • "Then Came Boredom!"
A play on the title of the short-lived 1969 TV series Then Came Bronson. In the show, Bronson becomes a vagabond who rides a Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycle.
  • "Now it's American Hot Wax!"
American Hot Wax is a 1978 movie about Alan Freed, the Cleveland DJ who first coined the term "rock 'n' roll".
  • "Look Smithers, I'm Davey Crockett!"
Tom is quoting Mr. Burns from The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror II", in which he wears a human brain on his head with part of the spinal cord dangling down behind him, resembling a coonskin cap.
  • "Hey! Sonny Corleone's final destination!"
Referring to the toll booth scene from The Godfather in which Sonny Corleone is brutally gunned down.
  • "Sing it! It worked for Mel Tillis."
Mel Tillis was a famous country singer who spoke with a stutter due to a case of malaria he caught when he was sixteen.
  • "He is a master of the universe no less than the trees."
Said of the logo on the back of a gang member's jacket. This is a parody of a line from "Desiderata": "You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars." Masters of the Universe is a popular toy line and media franchise that launched in the 1980s.
  • "When I grew up and went to school, there were certain teachers who would shoot the children..."
The music playing in the background during the scene is similar to the Pink Floyd song "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" from their 1979 album The Wall.
  • "If God's in heaven, he's driving a red Cadillac."
"If there's a God in heaven/He's got a silver Thunderbird." is from the 1991 song "Silver Thunderbird" by Marc Cohn.
  • "Stalag 90210."
Stalag 17 is a 1953 war film about a group of allied POWs trapped in a German prison camp. Beverly Hills, 90210 is a television drama about high schoolers in an affluent California city which aired on the FOX Network from 1990 to 2000.
  • "Jim Henson's Flying Leatherneck Babies!"
Flying Leathernecks is a 1951 movie about Marine aviators in World War II. Jim Henson's Muppet Babies is a 1984 animated television series that imagines the Muppets as toddlers.
  • "He's humming the Roger Ramjet song!"
Roger Ramjet is a 1960s Saturday-morning satirical cartoon about a comedic superhero. The Roger Ramjet theme is set to the tune of Yankee Doodle. The show was used on MST3K sister show The Higgins Boys & Gruber.

Callbacks[]

Memorable Quotes[]

Joel: Every time you see a flashlight it’s not the NBC Mystery Movie!
Crow: You programmed us, weiner.
Crow: Great! They lapped the plot! We're back at the beginning!
Joel: Hey, who invited the stinky guy? Smells like Pussy Nibbles.
Joel: I thought that Side Hackin’ really was bad, I thought The Mighty Jack really made me mad,
I thought Pod People really was the pits, but this stupid movie was the biggest piece of...
Servo: Shut your mouth!
Joel: I'm just talkin' about City Limits!

Behind-the-Scenes[]

MST3K Cast[]

Regular Cast Regular Cast

Guest Cast

MST3K Crew[]

TBD

Notes[]

Citylimits

Joel's way of covering nudity

  • Though this is the first episode without a "Turn Down Your Lights (Where Applicable)" screen before the opening credits, it's not the first to regularly feature a title slate instead. The title slate did air for it at least once on a later repeat, and is featured on the DVD release, but the vast majority of airings of this episode cut straight to the opening.
  • Tom Servo's hands aren't painted white (they're Caucasian flesh-tone) from this episode through Episode #406.
  • At one point Joel stands up with an umbrella which he uses to block a female actress' nudity.
  • The opening scene is later revealed to be a How We Got Here.
  • Dr. F's name is still spelled "Forrestor" in the credits.
  • Ellen "Ellie" McDonough joins the show with this episode.
  • When Kim Cattrall appeared at ConventioCon ExpoFest-A-Rama 2: Electric Boogaloo in 1996, she shared this story: "I was in my hotel room and was channel surfing. And what do I hear but my own name being sung by a small golden man. And it just went on like that. I yelled for my boyfriend to come in and see this. We were just in shock. A few minutes later, one of my lesser accomplishments came on: City Limits. I called my publicity agent and asked him if Mystery Science Theater 3000 was a real show. He said yes. I called my florist and had an odd request: to send a bouquet of flowers to a Crow T. Robot."[2]
  • This episode aired fifth during Turkey Day '92.
  • The AV Club did a piece on this episode for their "A Very Special Episode" feature.[3].

Video Releases[]

MST3K City Limits (DVD)

MST3K DVD Cover

References[]

  1. ↑ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/jagger-bowie-wife-rumor/
  2. ↑ Convention coverage on msties.com
  3. ↑ "A Very Special Episode: Mystery Science Theater 3000, 'City Limits'"
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