MST3K
Register
Advertisement


"She died like she lived... failing algebra"
- Mike


The Short

Synopsis

File:Violentyearsshort.jpg

Young Man's Fancy

A story sponsored by the Edison Electric Institute that encourages use of a number of home appliances. Teenage Judy is less than excited about her brother’s visit from college until she sees that her brother is accompanied by his roommate, Alexander Phipps. Judy is attracted to Alex (he makes her feel “squishy!”), but Alex seems only interested in engineering and time study. So Judy prepares dinner all by herself, using modern household appliances and electricity to impress him.

Information

The Movie

Synopsis

Violent years

Paula Parkins (played by Jean Moorhead) from The Violent Years

Paula Parkins (Jean Moorhead), the spoiled daughter of a well-to-do newspaper editor father and a socialite mother, gets her kicks by organizing and directing a gang of bored young women like herself. The gang dresses in men's attire, robs gas stations, and terrorizes habitués of a local lovers' lane—even raping a young gentleman (off camera) after tying up his girlfriend.

As a newspaperman, Paula's father has some inside information on police plans to capture the gang, so the girls are able to avoid capture with Mr. Parkins' unwitting complicity. After a make-out party with a few local gangsters, Paula and her pals agree to wreck a few classrooms — and destroy the American flag — in a public school at the behest of Sheila, a female crime boss. (It is implied that this is part of an anti-American Communist plot.) The girls perform the job with gleeful competence until the police arrive and a deadly shootout takes place, claiming the lives of two of Paula's gang while Paula shoots and kills a policeman. Seeking refuge from the police, the girls return to Sheila's to demand their payment for wrecking the school. But Sheila, not wanting to be involved or arrested for their crime, starts to call the police until Paula fatally shoots her. While leading the police on a car chase, Paula crashes the car into a store's plate-glass window, injuring her and killing her last gang member. Paula is captured and convicted, then dies in the hospital giving birth to the child she conceived during the rape. The judge in Paula's case denies her parents custody of their granddaughter, based on the neglectful way they raised Paula.

Information

  • The Violent Years was written, but not directed, by Ed Wood. It made some money at the box office, but Wood had sold his rights and collected no residuals.
  • Jean Moorhead, who plays Paula, was Playboy’s Miss October 1955.
  • The song “So What” by Ministry uses several samples from this film.

The Episode

Host Segments

Tomv

Tom with a ventriloquist dummy head

Prologue: Servo’s new head from a ventriloquist dummy is disturbing.

Segment One: The Mads unveil their theme music, "Livin' in Deep 13". They demand theme songs from Mike, Tom, and Crow. Tom is ready with his Orff-inspired theme music. Crow and Mike are completely unprepared, and it shows. In spite of this fact, Frank really likes Mike's song.

Madstheme

The Mads perform "Livin' in Deep 13"

Segment Two: The Mads proudly introduce their new radio station called Frank! "Turn your crank to Frank!" Mike and the bots are reluctant to turn their cranks to Frank.

KeanuMike

Crow's one man show about Keanu Reeves - starring Mike

Segment Three: Tom reenacts a tearful scene from the 1976 movie A Star is Born

Segment Four: It's rehearsal time for Crow’s one man show about Keanu Reeves - starring Mike!

Violentyearshost

Crow and Mike reenact the gas station robbery

Segment Five: Mike and Crow reenact the enthralling gas station hold-up scene from the movie. It takes a while, so Tom and Gypsy read a graduation invitation in the interim. The Mads are still on their "Turn your crank to Frank!" kick.

Stinger: Lying in her prison hospital bed, Paula says, "So what!"

Other Notes

Miscellanea

  • Unusual credits: Over "Mighty Science Theater", TV's Frank continues to name artists for radio station Frank, which starts out very country and proceeds into very random.
  • This is the final episode with Charles A. Zimmerman listed as an editor.
  • Tom’s theme song is set to the music of “Carmina Burana”.
  • In Host Segment Two, the Mads appear briefly in the Hexfield Viewscreen. This was unusual as they typically only communicated with the SOL via an off-camera viewscreen near Cambot. The exact nature of the communication system between the SOL and Deep 13 would not be revealed until Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie.

Callbacks

Obscure References

  • (SHORT, shot of boys approaching house) "Geez, it's Chip and Dale!"
Servo is actually referring to Warner Brothers' Goofy Gophers (who are often misidentified as Chip and Dale due to the latter's popularity).
  • (SHORT) "Let me guess, you're the twin without the Toni."
A rare example of an obscure reference uttered within a film. Toni was one of the first home permanents, and an ad showed two women with curls and challenged readers to guess which of the twins had a home perm and which had it done by a stylist.
  • "The Bobby Knight Story!"
Bobby Knight is a college basketball coach known for his volatile temper.
  • "The Peggy Noonan Gang!"
Peggy Noonan is a veteran Republican speechwriter.
  • "Turn your crank to Frank!"
This is a parody of the Twin Cities' mid-90's country-format radio station BOB 100 and its catchphrase "Turn your knob to BOB!"
  • "Everyone forced to write with the Palmer Method"
The Palmer Method is a handwriting method, once popular in the US, that, among other strict regiments, forced left-handed people to write with their right hands. Its supporters also purported to be able to reform delinquents with its strict regimentation.
File:MST3K 610 Promo
  • *As Judge walks into the court room* "Here Come Da Me!"
Reference to Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham's signature courtroom mockery routine, which started with "Here Come Da Judge!". It later became a song entitled "Here Comes the Judge". Shorty Long recorded a completely different song based on the routine, also entilted "Here Comes the Judge".
A reference to a recurring feature in Penthouse magazine in which people write in to relate (somewhat dubious) details of their sexual exploits.

Catchphrases

Memorable Quotes

A Young Man's Fancy (short)

[Over the opening title]
Crow: Young man's fancy crinkle-cut potatoes.
[Judy is shoveling bacon into her mouth.]
Judy: Mmmm . . . I just love bacon so crisp and crunchy like this.
Mike: Yeah, evidently.
Mrs. Adams: Honey, stop wolfing your food! No one's going to take it away from you.
Judy: Sorry, sweetie, but it's really your fault. You shouldn't make them so good.
Crow [as Judy]: Whatever happened to my pet Vietnamese potbellied pig?
[Judy primps in front of a mirror.]
Mike [as Judy]: There. Now I look like Mom.
Crow [as Judy]: Thank goodness for my electric dress!
[The phone rings as Judy and her mom serve lunch to the boys.]
Crow: Hey, the electric phone!
[Judy talks about Alex on the phone with a girlfriend.]
Judy: Did he arrive? Man, he's positively frantic!
Servo [as Judy]: He runs around screaming!
. . .
Judy: And when he looks at me, I get . . . you know, squishy!
Mike [as the person on the phone]: Well, that's nice, ma'am. I'm just trying to sell my magazines.
[Mrs. Adams demonstrates the whirring electric dishwasher to Alex.]
Mrs. Adams: There. Nothing to it.
Servo: AND IT'S QUIET, TOO!
[Judy walks around the kitchen, rattling an eggbeater in an empty bowl to try and get Alex's attention.]
Crow: Um, has anybody noticed that the daughter is psychotic?
[Judy, pretending her mixer doesn't work, opens the kitchen door slightly to get Alex's attention from the next room.]
Servo [as Judy]: [coughs] OH DEAR!
Judy: Oh, me!
Servo: [laughing] Did I call that?
[Alex plugs in Judy's mixer.]
Alex: There we are.
Crow [as Alex]: God, you're dumb.
[Judy gazes adoringly at Alex as he explains the benefit of the electric kitchen appliances.]
Mike: Judy: Beyond Thundersquishy.
Alex: I thought, maybe . . . how'd you like to go dancing?
Judy: Dancing? Oh, Alex, how dreamy!
Crow: [begins whimpering and panting like an excited puppy]
[Over the closing credits]
Servo: This film was brought to you by the Nerd Council. Support your local nerd!
Mike: And a generous grant from the Mom Corporation. The incredible power of Mom.

The Violent Years (movie)

[Zoom to close-up of back of Paula's head, then dissolve to same back of head]
Mike: Ladies and gentlemen, your screenwriter: Ed Wood.
[After character gets shot in the classroom by police]
Mike: She died like she lived... failing algebra.
[Several spinning newspaper headlines are shown after the male rape scene. Everybody starts making up headlines]
Crow: Refuses to Press Charges!
Servo: Says: "ThankYouThankYouThankYouThankYou!"
Mike: Hundreds of Men Flock to Crime Scene!
[Police car is searching for the girl gang]
Mike [as a cop]: You said you knew where the chase was!
Crow [as a cop]: No, you said you knew where it was!
Mike [as a cop]: Well, I never!
Judge: Some people think that newspapers exaggerate juvenile crime...
Mike: We don't! Can we go?

Video releases

Violentyearsdvd

MST3K DVD cover

Advertisement