“ | “Look! There’s the proof: There’s no God. Not a single God…” | ” |
The Movie[]
- Main article: Devil Doll (film)
Synopsis[]
A sinister stage magician whose act features a mysteriously independent ventriloquist figure targets a wealthy young woman for seduction and death.
The Episode[]
Host Segments[]
Prologue: It's Friday at the dorm! Mike and the bots have an open window frat house party, which consists only of a window - no music or booze (though the window can be cleaned from the inside!).
Segment 1: Mike wants Tom to send the window back to the store, but a delusional drunken Crow smashes it, shouting “Debbie!”
Meanwhile, in Rome, after coming to the conclusion that a toga party lacks panache in these circumstances, "Apearlo" and "Brainguyus" liven up a dull Roman gathering with pants!
Segment 2: Crow expresses interest in Pitch’s line of devil dolls. Mike disapproves.
Segment 3: The bots have set up a British pub, with an impossibly stout ale on tap. Tom and Crow crank English stereotypes to the extreme.
Segment 4: Pitch helps Crow transfer Tom’s soul. Mike disapproves.
Segment 5: Tom's soul has been transferred into a giant toaster strudel with great legs. Crow has dressed Mike up as Hugo and built a cage around him. Mike disapproves.
Meanwhile, at the Lesser God Day celebration at the Coliseum, Pearl and Brain Guy recognize the featured strong and brave Gladiator - Bobo!
Stinger: Hugo kicks Vorelli's ass.
MST3K cast[]
Regular cast
- Michael J. Nelson - Mike Nelson
- Mary Jo Pehl - Pearl Forrester
- Bill Corbett - Crow T. Robot / Brain Guy
- Kevin Murphy - Tom Servo / Professor Bobo (voice)
- Patrick Brantseg - Gypsy (credit only)
Guest cast
- Kevin Murphy - Callipygeas
- Bridget Jones - Flavia
- Patrick Brantseg - Roman Day Player
- Paul Chaplin - Julius / Pitch
- Beez McKeever - Octavia
Trivia[]
- As the Roman Times segment begins, Kevin Murphy is singing “And now to Eden” from the Star Trek episode “The Way to Eden”.
- The window bit obliquely refers to Andersen windows, which were novel for allowing the outside portion to be pulled inside and cleaned, though the feature is now common in other brands.
- This is the only time when a guest character from a Comedy Central-era movie (Pitch) appeared in a SciFi-era host segment.
Callbacks[]
- "Pants!" (Hercules Against the Moon Men)
- The appearance of William Sylvester prompts several “Robert Denby” riffs. (Riding with Death)
- Pitch returns. (Santa Claus)
Quotes & References[]
- "You'll never win... You'll always lose." "You're Harold Stassen."
Harold Stassen was governor of Minnesota from 1939–1943, but he is best-known for running unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for president a record nine times.
- "George Stephanopoulos has really sunk low."
George Stephanopoulos was both Bill Clinton's Senior Advisor and Communications Director. He later became a political correspondent and news anchor for ABC News.
- "Am I a mod or a rocker?"
Question posed to Beatles drummer Ringo Starr (with appropriate syntax adjustment) during a press conference in the film A Hard Day's Night. "No, I'm a mocker" was his Solomonic reply.
- "Let's all go to the lobby, let's all go to the lobby..."
Referencing a famous short film shown in theaters during intermissions to boost concession sales.
- "A dummy? Drinking wine?" "Spo-Dee-O-Dee?"
"Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee" is a blues song co-written and originally recorded by Stick McGhee. Covered by Jerry Lee Lewis, it reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- "When is he gonna smash watermelons?"
Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr., known mononymously as Gallagher, was an American comedian known for smashing watermelons as part of his prop comedy act.
- "Arthur C. Clarke!"
Arthur C. Clarke was an influential science-fiction writer best known for co-writing the screenplay of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was inspired by an earlier short story of Clarke's called The Sentinel.
- "Give me a call sometime when Max von Sydow here isn't around."
Max von Sydow is a Swedish actor particularly remembered for his roles in many of Ingmar Bergman's most renowned films. Pitch could be referring either to his role as Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told or as Father Merrin in The Exorcist.
- "Smile...though your heart is breaking..."
"Smile, though your heart is aching/Smile, even though it’s breaking" are lyrics from "Smile", a song based on an instrumental theme used in the soundtrack for Charlie Chaplin's 1936 film Modern Times. It was composed by David Raksin and Chaplin, and John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons added the lyrics and title in 1954. It has been recorded by numerous artists including Nat King Cole, Jimmy Durante, and Michael Jackson.
- "Hey look! She has Hasidic wallpaper!"
Marianne's wallpaper appears to have the Star of David patterned all over it. It is the most prominent symbol of Hasidic Judaism.
- "Kubrick saw this scene and said: 'We found our Heywood Floyd!'"
William Sylvester was the actor who played Dr. Heywood Floyd in 2001: A Space Odyssey. This riff also references the film's director Stanley Kubrick, whose name Tom mispronounces as "Q-brick".
- "I guarantee it."
Mimicking George Zimmer, the founder, former executive chairman, and CEO of the Men's Wearhouse chain of clothing stores. Beginning in 1986, Zimmer narrated and appeared in many of his company's television commercials, usually closing with the company slogan: "You're going to like the way you look. I guarantee it."
- "Later, on the set of Dark Shadows..."
Dark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that aired from 1966 to 1971. The show depicted the lives of the wealthy and psychotic Collins family of Collinsport, Maine, where a number of supernatural occurrences take place. It became popular 10 months into its run with the introduction of the vampire Barnabas Collins.
- "I gotta go; I'm a welder by day."
In the 1983 movie Flashdance, the protagonist Alex Owens (played by Jennifer Beals) is a welder in a steel mill by day and a dancer in a bar by night.
- "Hey hey! A Julie Kavner doll!"
The doll here resembles Julie Kavner's character Brenda Morgenstern from the 1974 TV comedy Rhoda. She is best-known as the voice of Marge Simpson on The Simpsons.
- "When does Mr. Lifto come out?"
Mr. Lifto was a performer in the Jim Rose Circus, who lifted objects with chains connected to his genitals, nipples, and other body parts.
- "Hey, Vorelli! I just had this corner all Feng Shui'ed!"
Feng Shui is both a philosophy and a term used to describe achieving a sense of balance and polarity with one's surroundings (Crow's pronunciation "Fang Shweed!" is uncommon).
- "All I want is my fair share. All I want is what I have coming to me."
These two lines are a quote from A Charlie Brown Christmas, when Charlie Brown's sister Sally reacts to Charlie Brown's disgust at her asking Santa for "tens and twenties" in cash instead of presents. Mike gets the line order reversed.
- "Stupid Topo Gigio was stepping all over our lines."
Topo Gigio is a puppet mouse who originated on an Italian children's show in the 1960s. In 1963, the character's popularity spread to the world after being featured on The Ed Sullivan Show.
- "And I said to my parents, is that all there is?"
"Is That All There Is?" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and made famous by singer Peggy Lee in 1969. It describes a woman who finds little joy in life.
- "Roy Clark, crossdresser."
Roy Clark was a country singer and banjo player best known as the co-host (along with fellow country performer Buck Owens) of the country variety television show Hee Haw from 1969 to 1997.
Memorable Quotes[]
- [Scene: An exterior shot of a boring office building in England]
- Crow: Oh! "Federated Incorporated Industries Limited".
- Servo: Modern architecture—efficient and beauty-free.
- [Later in the same shot]
- Crow: Meanwhile, at Stifle-Joy Co....
- [Mark English makes a phone call, slowly dialing a rotary phone]
- Servo: So, how many hours have rotary phones added to movies over the years?
- [The Great Vorelli on stage with a volunteer]
- The Great Vorelli: Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm going to suggest to this man that his life is in danger...
- Servo [as the Great Vorelli]: Then I'll be right back.
- The Great Vorelli: That he may die at any moment.
- [The Great Vorelli turns to the volunteer]
- Crow [as the Great Vorelli]: Your life is in danger and you may die at any moment. THANK YOU!
- [On stage, ventriloquist dummy Hugo whines about wine]
- Hugo: I want some! Give it to me! I know what wine is! I've had wine before. I want some wine! Why shouldn't I have some wine?
- Mike [as Hugo]: All I want is my fair share! All I want is what's coming to me!
- [During Vorelli's act, Hugo gets up and crosses to the refreshment table, where Vorelli is eating ham.]
- Crow [as Hugo]: You think he likes ham? Wait 'til you see me like ham!
- [Vorelli takes control of Hugo after Hugo attempts to knife him.]
- Vorelli: Say you're sorry!
- Servo [As Hugo]: Look Vorelli! Jump up my wooden butt!!
- Hugo: I...am...sorry...
- Mike [As Hugo]: You're...all...so...UGLY!! Ha ha ha!
- Hugo: Ladies...and...gentleman.
- Vorelli: And me?
- Mike [As Hugo]: Yeah what's up Ron? I mean..."The Great Vorelli!"
- Hugo: I...
- Servo [As Hugo]: ...Need...Changing!
- Vorelli: Yes!? SAY IT!!
- Hugo: I...Am sorry.
- Vorelli: "Master!!"
- Mike [As Hugo]: Look I don't even want the damn sandwich anymore alright!?
- Hugo: ....Master!
- Servo: So his act is to get up there and bicker with his doll!
- [German dancer and former Vorelli assistant Mercedes tells the two reporters about the original Hugo]
- Mercedes: He did not move for t'ree months — just lay there and...looked at the ceiling. Then...he died. He died.
- Mike [as Mark]: Did he live?
- [The Great Vorelli holding a knife looking at Hugo in the cage]
- The Great Vorelli: Hugo...
- Mike [as the Great Vorelli]: Have you been shaving your legs with this again?
- [The Great Vorelli is seducing a woman in direct line of sight of his dummy]
- Mike [as Hugo]: Please cover my cage...
- [Mark English (played by William Sylvester) is sleeping]
- Servo: You know, Kubrick saw this scene and said "We found our Heywood Floyd!"
- [Hugo sits in his cage while The Great Vorelli answers the door]
- Hugo: Attica! Attica!
Video releases[]
- Commercially released on DVD by Shout! Factory in November 2010 as part of Volume XIX, a 4-disc set along with Robot Monster, Bride of the Monster, and Devil Fish.
- The DVD includes the Ballyhoo Motion Pictures feature Puppetmaster: Richard Gordon on "Devil Doll" and a theatrical trailer.
preceded by: Season 7 | MST3K Season 8 | followed by: Season 9 | ||||||
1997 | ||||||||
801 | Revenge of the Creature | 1997-02-01 | 809 | I Was a Teenage Werewolf | 1997-04-19 | 817 | Horror of Party Beach | 1997-09-06 |
802 | The Leech Woman | 1997-02-08 | 810 | The Giant Spider Invasion | 1997-05-31 | 818 | Devil Doll | 1997-10-04 |
803 | The Mole People | 1997-02-15 | 811 | Parts: The Clonus Horror | 1997-06-07 | 819 | Invasion of the Neptune Men | 1997-10-11 |
804 | The Deadly Mantis | 1997-02-22 | 812 | Incredibly Strange Creatures... | 1997-06-14 | 820 | Space Mutiny | 1997-11-08 |
805 | The Thing That Couldn't Die | 1997-03-01 | 813 | Jack Frost | 1997-07-12 | 821 | Time Chasers | 1997-11-22 |
806 | The Undead | 1997-03-08 | 814 | Riding with Death | 1997-07-19 | 822 | Overdrawn/Memory Bank | 1997-12-06 |
807 | Terror from the Year 5000 | 1997-03-15 | 815 | Agent for H.A.R.M. | 1997-08-02 | |||
808 | The She-Creature | 1997-04-05 | 816 | Prince of Space | 1997-08-16 |