502: Hercules
by Wyn Hilty
Remember—today's Hercules made from genuine Steve Reeves parts.
A reference to an old series of Ford commercials, in which they would say, "Remember, use only genuine Ford brand parts!" (Thanks to Monique Berger for this reference.)
[Sung.] Sylvia Koscina says Sylvia’s …
A paraphrase of the song “Sylvia’s Mother” by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. Actual lyrics: “Sylvia's mother says Sylvia's busy, too busy to come to the phone/Sylvia's mother says Sylvia's tryin' to start a new life of her own/Sylvia's mother says Sylvia's happy so why don't you leave her alone/And the operator says forty cents more for the next three minutes.”
[Sung.] My movie has a first name, it’s O-S-C-A-R …
From an old advertising jingle for Oscar Mayer hot dogs: “My baloney has a first name; it's O-S-C-A-R. My baloney has a second name; it's M-A-Y-E-R. Oh, I love to eat it every day, and if you ask me why, I'll say, ‘cause Oscar-Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A.”
Stephen Hawking presents the Silly String theory.
Stephen Hawking is one of the world’s foremost theoretical physicists. His book A Brief History of Time was an extremely successful work on science for laypeople. String theory is a popular theory of physics that is based on string-like objects as the building blocks of the universe, as opposed to the point-based model in use for many years. Silly String was a novelty created by inventor Julius Samann in 1969. It is a non-toxic foam that comes in an aerosol can and sprays out in a “string” form when fired at an unsuspecting victim.
Hey, look—there’s the constellation Feces, right below Taurus the Bull.
In Greek mythology, the bull Taurus was actually the god Zeus in disguise, in order to seduce one in a very lengthy series of maidens. The constellation is one of the signs of the Zodiac, and, like most constellations, it bears only a passing resemblance to its namesake.
Oh, Ted Turner’s colorizing the universe now.
In the 1980s, media mogul Ted Turner announced plans to use “colorization” technology to add color to the classic black-and-white films in his library—films that included It’s a Wonderful Life, The Maltese Falcon, and Casablanca, to name a few. There was an immediate uproar, with many in the entertainment industry arguing that adding color would bastardize the original vision of the filmmakers. Turner went ahead with his plans, but colorized movies never really caught on.
[Sung.] Last night ... I think we've seen this all before ...
A reference to Show 408, Hercules Unchained. (Thanks to Joel Boutiere for this reference.)
Oh, he’s the finder of lost loves. –That’s James Franciscus.
Finder of Lost Loves was a TV series that aired for one season, 1984-1985. It starred Tony Franciosa (not James Franciscus) as a private eye specializing in reuniting people with their lost loves. James Franciscus was an actor who appeared in several TV series, including Naked City (1958-63), The Investigators (1961), and Mr. Novak (1963-1965).
Flute master Zamfir was arrested today naked and drunk, running through a goat herd …
Gheorghe Zamfir is a Romanian musician famed for his skill on the pan pipes. He has recorded a number of albums of panflute music, which were extensively advertised on television.
Flicka! Nooo!
My Friend Flicka is a novel by Mary O’Hara about a boy who takes responsibility for a young filly as it grows into adulthood. It was made into a movie starring Roddy McDowell in 1943.
Kibbles and bits, kibbles and bits, gotta get me some kibbles and bits …
Kibbles ’n Bits is a brand of dog food manufactured by Heinz Pet Products. The above line is taken from a commercial for the food.
Not since Superman died.
Superman is the quintessential comic-book hero. He first appeared in Action Comics in 1938. He has also been featured in cartoons, movies, radio shows and even a Broadway musical. In early 1993 DC Comics, with much fanfare and hoopla, killed him off (not permanently, of course).
That’s either Herc or Joe Piscopo. Can’t tell.
Joe Piscopo is a comedian who appeared on Saturday Night Live from 1980-84. After his stint on SNL, he got interested in bodybuilding and bulked up to an impressive degree, even hawking dietary supplements for weightlifters in the early 1990s.
Eddie Rabbitt!
Eddie Rabbitt was a popular country/crossover singer in the 1970s and ‘80s, with such hits as “Drivin’ My Life Away” and “I Love a Rainy Night” (both from 1980). In the 1990s he had health problems that kept him from recording much; he died of lung cancer in 1998.
[Sung.] Drivin’ my life away … huh?
A line from “Drivin’ My Life Away” by Eddie Rabbit (see previous note).
Oh, it’s a Dodge. Ram tough.
“Dodge trucks: ram tough” is an old advertising slogan for the Dodge trucks manufactured by Chrysler.
Why, it’s a ComfoRest adjustable rock.
ComfoRest is a brand of adjustable mattresses made by a Minneapolis-based company.
Looks like an early Baywatch.
Baywatch is a television series about lifeguards on a resort beach that aired from 1989-2001. It starred David Hasselhoff as a veteran lifeguard who watches paternally over a string of younger, extremely good-looking lifeguards.
Still, Lassie will taste good right now.
Lassie was a hyperintelligent collie who starred in an eponymous TV series, which aired from 1954-1974, as well as a series of movies.
No Pace picante sauce? Get the rope!
In the 1980s, Pace picante sauce ran a series of advertisements featuring rough-and-tumble cowpokes who are horrified to discover that their camp cook is using a salsa that is (unlike Pace) made in New York City. “Get a rope,” one of them says, preparing to string up the hapless cook.
Come on—taste it all.
“Taste it all” was an advertising slogan for Diet Coke in 1993.
I’m on Jenny Craig.
Jenny Craig is a chain of weight-loss centers located around the world. It was founded in Australia in 1983 and has grown to be one of the largest companies in the weight-loss industry.
Hey, as long as you’re over there, hook me a Primo out of the fridge, will you?
Grain Belt Premium beer, a.k.a. Primo, was a local brand of beer produced in Minneapolis until 1976. (Thanks to Minneapolis native Jeff Cech for this reference.)
[Sung.] A man named Brady …
A line from the theme song to The Brady Bunch, a TV series that ran from 1969-1974. It revolved around the adventures of a large step-family. Sample lyrics: “Here's the story, of a man named Brady/Who was busy with three boys of his own/They were four men, living all together/Yet they were all alone.”
[Sung.] Ah yes, I remember it well …
A line from the song “I Remember It Well,” from the musical Gigi. Sample lyrics: “Ah yes, I remember it well/We dined with friends/We dined alone/A tenor sang/A baritone.”
Excuse me while I have a strange interlude.
A paraphrase of a line in the Marx Brothers movie Animal Crackers (1930): “Pardon me while I have a strange interlude.” The line itself is a reference to the experimental 1928 Eugene O'Neill play Strange Interlude, in which the characters frequently interrupted the action of the play to make long soliloquies to the audience; in the film, Groucho takes a break for some crackpot philosophizing. (Thanks to Bluejay Young for the Eugene O'Neill reference.)
Hey, I found a pack of Trojans in the road!
Trojans are a brand of condoms manufactured by Church & Dwight Co.
Excuse me, are you Hector Elizondo?
Hector Elizondo is an actor who has appeared in numerous TV shows and movies, including Pretty Woman (1990) and Runaway Bride (1999). He has also done a great deal of work on Broadway.
“Swept over me like a bad omen.” Three: the final conflict.
Omen III: The Final Conflict is a 1981 horror flick starring Sam Neill as the Antichrist. It was the third in the series, which began in 1976 with The Omen.
Huh. A dark and stormy night.
“It was a dark and stormy night” is the opening line to the 1830 novel Paul Clifford by Edward George Bulwer-Lytton. It has become known as the epitome of hackneyed writing, to the extent that a Bulwer-Lytton fiction contest, sponsored by the English department at San Jose State University, is held annually to choose the worst opening sentence to an (imaginary) novel. In 2005, the winning entry was: “As he stared at her ample bosom, he daydreamed of the dual Stromberg carburetors in his vintage Triumph Spitfire, highly functional yet pleasingly formed, perched prominently on top of the intake manifold, aching for experienced hands, the small knurled caps of the oil dampeners begging to be inspected and adjusted as described in chapter seven of the shop manual.”
I dreamed I kissed Gavin MacLeod!
Actor Gavin MacLeod played Captain Merrill Stubing on The Love Boat, a TV romantic comedy that ran from 1977-1986, about a cruise ship on which a succession of washed-up guest stars found love every week.
Looks like a Jim Dine sculpture.
Jim Dine is an artist, one of the central figures in the development of Pop Art, along with Claes Oldenburg and Andy Warhol. He is known for attaching personal possessions, such as tools, shoes, and, once, a bathroom sink, to his paintings.
Anyway, this should hold till you get to Sparta.
Sparta was an ancient Greek city-state, the chief rival to Athens during Classical Greek times. It was known for its emphasis on military prowess to the exclusion of all else.
There’s a new Sophocles play opening tonight.
Sophocles was a Greek playwright in the fifth century B.C.E. He wrote more than a hundred plays, but only seven have survived, including Antigone and Oedipus the King.
Can we stop at a SuperAmerica soon?
Speedway SuperAmerica is a chain of convenience stores located throughout the Midwest and Southeast.
Hercules now concludes his broadcasting day. Good night, and may Herc bless.
In the days before 24-hour broadcasting, "WXYZ now concludes its broadcasting day" was a pretty typical station sign-off, along with shots of sunsets, rippling flags, poems, prayers, or a patriotic blast of "The Star-Spangled Banner." “Good night and may God bless” was comedian Red Skelton’s trademark closing line on The Red Skelton Show (1951-1971). (Thanks to Bluejay Young for the station sign-off reference.)
Where is the sampo?!
A reference to Show 422, The Day the Earth Froze.
Hi. Hercules, reservation for two? It might be under Heracles.
Hercules is the Romanized name for the mythical hero; in Greek, his name is usually rendered Heracles or Herakles.
Oh, no, really, they take this cheese, they get it really hot, then they pour retsina all over the top, and then they light it and say “Opa!”
A reference to the Greek dish saganaki; the above description is pretty accurate. The owner of the Parthenon restaurant in Chicago, Christos Liakouras, claims credit for inventing the tradition.
Why, he could be Roy Rogers.
Roy Rogers (1911-1998) was a singer and actor who starred in a vast succession of Westerns between 1938 and 1959. His TV series, The Roy Rogers Show, ran from 1951-1957.
Where’s my Rémy Martin?
Rémy Martin is a brand of French cognac; it has been bottled since 1724.
Friends are visiting from Europe.
A commercial from the ‘70s starring Polish actress Rula Lenska used the line “Friends from Europe are here,” later parodied by Jambi on the Pee-wee Herman HBO special.
Right here on ESPN!
ESPN is a cable sports channel; this line was frequently used in station promos. (Thanks to Bluejay Young for this reference.)
Is it Dr. No?
In the first James Bond film, Dr. No (1962), the villain of the title, played by Joseph Wiseman, is initially shot so that you cannot see his face, a convention that has since become a cliché.
Is it the Millionaire?
On the TV series The Millionaire (which aired from 1955-1960), an eccentric rich man named John Beresford Tipton would pick random people to receive a check for one million dollars. You never saw Tipton’s face on the series, only the back of his head and (sometimes) his arm and hand.
It’s the Punt, Pass & Kick competition!
The Punt, Pass & Kick competition is a competition for children (boys and girls) held by the NFL to test their skills in various aspects of football. It is open to children ages 8-15.
It’s a Gore Vidal fantasy!
Gore Vidal (1925-2012) was an American novelist. Homosexual himself, many of Vidal’s novels feature gay characters, including his most controversial work, Myra Breckinridge (1968), in which the title character is a male-to-female transsexual.
Judd Hirsch.
Judd Hirsch is a sad-sack actor best known for playing Alex Reiger on the TV series Taxi (1978-1983).
Oh, he’s left it way right of the green, Chris, over the gallery.
“Chris” may be a reference to Chris Schenkel, a longtime golf announcer for ABC Sports. He frequently worked with fellow announcer Byron Nelson.
It ain’t over till it’s over.
“It ain’t over till it’s over” is a famous comment by baseball player and longtime Yankees manager Yogi Berra. Berra is one of the most quoted figures in sports; other gems include “It’s déjà vu all over again” and “The future ain’t what it used to be.”
[Sung.] What’s new, pussycat? Whoa-oh …
A line from the classic Tom Jones song “What’s New Pussycat.” Sample lyrics: “What's new pussycat? Whoa-oh, whoa-oh/Pussycat, pussycat/I've got flowers/And lots of hours/To spend with you.”
It’s Clay Shaw.
Clay Shaw was a New Orleans businessman who was accused of being part of the right-wing CIA conspiracy dreamed up by New Orleans DA Jim Garrison to account for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In 1967 Garrison charged Shaw with conspiring to assassinate Kennedy; two years later he was acquitted by a jury. Shaw died in 1974.
Look out, Aeschylus!
Aeschylus was a Greek playwright in the sixth to fifth centuries B.C.E., known for his Oresteia trilogy. According to legend, he was killed when an eagle, mistaking his bald head for a rock, dropped a turtle on him in an attempt to crack open its shell.
Bozo the lion!
Bozo the Clown is a much-beloved children’s character first introduced as the star of a series of children’s books in the 1940s. He quickly got his own television show, and soon there were Bozo shows springing up in local markets across the country. Although there were many actors who portrayed Bozo, probably the most famous was Chicago’s Bob Bell.
Come on, Bert Lahr’s a wimp! Come on!
Bert Lahr (1895-1967) was an actor who was best known for playing the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
Oh, I’m telling Joan Embery from the San Diego Zoo!
Joan Embery, the “Goodwill Ambassador” for the San Diego Zoo, has appeared on numerous talk shows, accompanied by various zoo denizens.
Either this man is dead or my sundial has stopped.
A take on a Groucho Marx line from the 1937 Marx Brothers movie A Day at the Races: “Either he’s dead or my watch has stopped.”
Whether tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune …
A line from the famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy in the William Shakespeare play Hamlet. The full line: “To be, or not to be: that is the question:/Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer/The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,/Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,/And by opposing end them?”
I love my dead Greek son!
A take on a line from the black comedy Heathers (1989), which starred Winona Ryder and Christian Slater as a couple of teenagers who begin killing off popular students and making them look like suicides, including a couple of jocks whose bodies are left in compromisingly homoerotic circumstances. The actual line: “I love my dead gay son!”
The lion takes Vanquish.
Vanquish is an over-the-counter pain reliever that contains both aspirin and acetaminophen. It is manufactured by Bayer.
Barabbas! Barabbas!
According to some Christian texts, Barabbas was the criminal whom the crowd chose to be spared crucifixion when given a choice to free Barabbas or Jesus.
Maybe I’ll call Samson—see what he’s up to.
Samson is a figure in the Hebrew bible, sort of the Jewish equivalent of Hercules. He is betrayed by a woman named Delilah, who cuts off all his hair, causing him to lose his strength. He is captured by the Philistines and blinded; in the end, he prays to God to restore his strength and pulls down the temple, killing his captors as well as himself.
James A. Michener’s Adventures of Hercules!
James Michener (1907-1997) was an American author known for his massive novels, including Hawaii and Texas. In the late 1950s, Michener created a TV show called Adventures in Paradise (1959-1962), starring Gardner McKay as a guy on a boat who helps people with their personal problems.
Shane! Come back, Shane!
Shane is a 1953 Western starring Alan Ladd as a retired gunfighter who unwillingly gets drawn into a range war. The line “Shane! Come back, Shane!” is uttered by little Joey as Shane rides off at the end of the film.
Hey, what’s for dinner, Hop Sing?
Hop Sing (played by Victor Sen Yung) was the cook for the Cartwright family on the TV series Bonanza, which aired from 1959-1973.
Howard Johnson is right!
A line from the 1974 film Blazing Saddles.
Courage.
A reference to the Cowardly Lion from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
Like Rod McKuen?
Rod McKuen was a poet, composer, and singer who was immensely popular during the 1960s. His critics derided him as simplistic and sentimental, but he remained a guru to the flower child generation and was extremely successful as a songwriter and serious composer.
Hail, Dorothy!
A line from The Wizard of Oz.
Rip Torn, ladies and gentlemen.
Rip Torn is a respected actor who has appeared in many a movie and Broadway play. His films include Payday (1973) and Cross Creek (1983), for which he was nominated for an Oscar. He also played talk-show producer Artie on The Larry Sanders Show.
I need a salty dog.
A salty dog is a cocktail made from vodka and grapefruit juice.
Live from the Fontainebleau Hotel!
The Fontainebleau Hotel is a luxury hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.
You can’t handle the truth!
A famous line from the 1992 film A Few Good Men, spoken by Jack Nicholson.
And now, funny man Morty Gunty.
Morty Gunty (1929-1984) was a comedian and the host of a children’s show in New York City from 1963-1965. He appeared as himself in the 1984 Woody Allen film Broadway Danny Rose.
Dennis Day?
Dennis Day (1916-1988) was an Irish-American singer who frequently appeared on Jack Benny’s show (both radio and television). From 1952-1954 he had his own TV series, The Dennis Day Show.
Abe Lincoln looks cheesed here, huh?
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was the 16th president of the United States, who guided the nation through the Civil War (1861-1865) and was assassinated shortly after its end by disgruntled Southerner John Wilkes Booth. In 1860, when he was first running for president, a young girl wrote to him advising him to grow a beard because he would get more votes; he took her advice and grew the beard (without a mustache) that has since become iconic.
Twelve angry Greeks.
12 Angry Men is a 1957 movie about a panel of jurors who must decide the guilt or innocence of a young man accused of killing his father. The movie featured an impressive ensemble cast, including Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, and Jack Klugman.
Geez, you’ve got to take orders from Pete Townshend in a dress.
Pete Townshend is a rock guitarist best known for his work with the Who, although he has also had a very successful solo career.
[Sung.] C&H pure cane sugar …
“C&H pure cane sugar, that’s the one” is an old jingle for C&H sugar.
Attack of the Mary Martins!
Mary Martin (1913-1990) was a stage and screen actress who performed in many musicals, including The Sound of Music and South Pacific, but she is probably best known for her portrayal of Peter Pan in the musical of the same name.
“Follow me.” [Sung.] Where I go, who I am, what I know …
A line from the John Denver song “Follow Me.” Sample lyrics: “Follow me where I go what I do and who I know/Make it part of you to be a part of me/Follow me up and down all the way and all around/Take my hand and say you’ll follow me.”
It’s a wacky sitcom. –Or a wacky Satyricon!
The Satyricon is an ancient Roman satire written during the reign of Emperor Nero by the respected author Petronius. The fragments that survive tell of the misadventures of a trio of friends; it is sometimes considered an early precursor of the novel. Federico Fellini made a film version of the tale in 1969.
Hey, Skipper, look what I found!
An imitation of Gilligan from the TV series Gilligan’s Island, which aired from 1964-1967. The part was played by Bob Denver.
She’s an Ellen Jamesian!
The Ellen Jamesians were a group of women in the John Irving novel The World According to Garp. Out of empathy for an 11-year-old girl named Ellen James, whose rapist cut her tongue after attacking her so that she could not identify him, they have had their tongues surgically removed and communicate by writing on small slips of paper.
It’s the Andrea Dworkin memorial cemetery.
Andrea Dworkin (1946-2005) was a radical feminist known for her fierce crusade against pornography, which she argued encouraged violence against women. She claimed that depictions of heterosexual intercourse in Western culture had created a climate in which sex itself was used to subjugate women, an argument that has often been oversimplified as “All heterosexual intercourse is rape.”
“Who said life sometimes hangs by a thread?” Bil Baird?
Bil Baird (1904-1987) was a puppeteer who formed his own company in 1934, touring the world for decades. His most famous puppet was Charlemane the lion.
Who are you, Bobby McFerrin?
Bobby McFerrin is a jazzy pop singer best known for his 1988 hit “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”
It’s the Bataan Sex March!
The Bataan Death March was a forced march of American and Filipino prisoners of war during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in World War II. Of the 70,000 prisoners who set out on the march from the Bataan Peninsula to a POW camp, only 54,000 arrived; the rest died on the way or escaped into the jungle. After the war, the Japanese commander in the Philippines was executed for his role in the march.
It’s Little Big Man.
Little Big Man is a 1970 film starring Dustin Hoffman as Jack Crabb, an old man who recounts his past fighting with General George Custer at Little Big Horn.
Oh, they’re gonna carve Mount Rushmore.
Mount Rushmore is a mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota that features the gigantic heads of four presidents, each about 60 feet high, carved out of the granite of the mountain: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt. Work on the memorial began in 1927 and was finished in 1941 under sculptor Gutzon Borglum.
Land of the Bea Arthurs!
Bea Arthur (1922-2009) was an actress who became famous in the 1970s for her portrayal of the acid Maude Findlay on the TV series All in the Family and later in her own spinoff, Maude. She also appeared on the TV series The Golden Girls in the 1990s.
Guess what’s for dinner? –Manwiches.
Manwich is a brand of canned sloppy joe mix made by Hunt’s, and made famous by the 1970s slogan “A sandwich is a sandwich but a Manwich is a meal.”
It’s the Percy Faith Orchestra.
Percy Faith (1908-1976) was a bandleader known for his lush orchestral arrangements. Famous songs included “Moulin Rouge” and “Theme From a Summer Place.”
Esther Williams!
Esther Williams (1921-2013) was a swimmer and actress who became famous in a string of films in the 1940s and 1950s that featured elaborate aquatic musical numbers. She retired from acting in the 1960s and started a profitable line of women’s swimwear.
“All we want are supplies and provisions.” [Sung.] And a room somewhere …
A line from the song “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” from the musical My Fair Lady. Sample lyrics: “All I want is a room somewhere/Far away from the cold night air/With one enormous chair/Aow, wouldn't it be loverly?”
They call me Mr. Tibbs!
“They call me Mr. Tibbs!” is a line from the 1967 film In the Heat of the Night, which starred Sidney Poitier as a police detective who finds himself teamed up with a racist redneck sheriff (played by Rod Steiger). The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In 1970 a sequel, They Call Me Mr.Tibbs!, came out.
“Some men are full of kind sentiments.” Like Alan Alda.
Alan Alda is an actor best known for playing Hawkeye Pierce on the TV series M*A*S*H, which aired from 1972-1983. He came to epitomize the sensitive ‘70s male for a lot of people.
The ooooh lagoon.
The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 movie about two children who are shipwrecked on a deserted island and grow up together, ultimately falling in love and discovering sex. The film starred Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins.
I see Sparta, I see Athens, I see someone’s …
A variation on an old playground taunt: “I see London, I see France. I see [insert name]’s underpants!”
Um, I’d like to do a scene from Baywatch, if I may? –By all means.
See note on Baywatch, above.
When Congress goes swimming.
Congress has had any number of sex scandals over the years, including the one in 1976 when a secretary for Rep. Wayne Hays admitted she couldn’t even type or answer phones, although apparently she had other talents. But the most recent one when this show aired (July 1993) was Senator Bob Packwood, who resigned after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct ranging from kissing to forceful groping.
What, did we tap into the Playboy Channel?
The Playboy Channel is an adult cable channel run by men’s mag Playboy.
And so the men of the Calypso are all painted bronze. Falco cries, “When in Rome!” and dives into the water.
Albert Falco was the chief diver aboard French ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau's boat, the Calypso.
Elinor Donahue?
Elinor Donahue is an actress who played the elder daughter, Betty, on the TV series Father Knows Best (1954-60); she also played the pharmacist, Ellie Walker, on The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968).
Destiny rides again.
Destry Rides Again is a 1939 film starring Jimmy Stewart as a young sheriff who believes in solving problems without violence. The film also starred Marlene Dietrich as a dance hall girl.
That guy’s got a saggy diaper that leaks.
A reference to an old Pampers campaign that expressed sympathy for any baby stuck in “a saggy diaper that leaks.”
That’s for Gene Wilder.
Gene Wilder is a comic actor who has appeared in such films as Blazing Saddles (1974) and Silver Streak (1976). In Woody Allen’s 1972 film Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask, Wilder plays a doctor who falls in love with a sheep.
Mmm—buttery napalm!
Napalm is an incendiary weapon, made of jellied gasoline. It was first used by American forces during World War II; it became infamous during its use in the Vietnam War, when a picture of a little girl who had been horribly burned by napalm achieved worldwide fame. By 2001, the U.S. had destroyed its stockpiles of napalm.
Uh-oh, this is turning into a Porky’s, isn’t it?
Porky’s is a 1982 teen gross-out film about a group of teenagers trying to lose their virginity. It features a famous scene in which one of the boys spies on a group of girls taking a shower in a locker room.
I’m not going back, Jim!
This phrase, a reference to the Star Trek episode “This Side of Paradise,” was one of the writers’ favorites. Mary Jo Pehl’s comment, from the MST Episode Guide: “’I’m not going back, Jim’ was one of our favorite catchphrases around here, until we rented the video of that Star Trek episode and were stunned to realize that Spock never says that.”
The naked prey.
The Naked Prey is a 1966 film about a group of hunters on safari in Africa who run afoul of a local tribe. The survivor finds himself the huntee rather than the hunter, as a group of tribesmen chase him down.
Poppies!
A reference to the scene in The Wizard of Oz in which Dorothy and her friends are overcome by a field of poppies and fall asleep.
He’s growing a victory garden there.
Victory gardens were home gardens of fruits, veggies, and herbs that were grown during World Wars I and II in an effort to reduce the strain on the nation’s food supply caused by the war. They were also seen as a way to boost morale; people growing a victory garden could feel they were contributing to the war effort.
[Sung.] Times like these were made for …
This is an advertising jingle from a series of commercials for Taster’s Choice coffee that ran during the 1980s.
The Solid Gold dancers!
Solid Gold was a syndicated TV series that ran from 1980-1988. It usually featured snippets from the Top 10 hits of the week, played while the Solid Gold dancers performed; it also sometimes had musicians as live guests.
Mike Brady!
Mike Brady was the dad on the TV series The Brady Bunch (1969-1974); the part was played by Robert Reed.
Can I get another Grolsch over here?
Grolsch is a brand of beer from Holland.
It’s a Who from Whoville!
A reference to the Dr. Seuss book How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, in which the sour old Grinch plots to destroy the Whos’ Christmas; it was made into a classic animated TV special in 1966. The book begins with the line, “Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot.”
Grapefruits: they’re not just for breakfast anymore.
“Orange juice: it’s not just for breakfast anymore” is the tag line to a series of commercials for Florida oranges that ran during the early 1990s.
Delicious juicy lemon pulp.
Possibly a reference to the wildly rambling labels on bottles of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap, which in addition to Deep Thoughts on Adam and Eve, "God's spaceship Earth," the Moral ABCs, bees, beavers, owls, and about seven hundred other topics, offered this helpful recipe for a contraceptive douche: "So, absolute clean, apply vaseline, oil, butter or cream, insert teaspoonful juicy lemon pulp, pH2. O.K.! Next day, douche with qt. soapy water, pH8, restoring pH5 balance God made!" Incidentally, don't do this. The citric acid in lemon or lime juice can severely irritate delicate vaginal tissue, leading to dryness, redness, tenderness, and (shudder) peeling. (Thanks to Bluejay Young for this reference.)
[Sung.] So long … farewell … auf Wiedersehen …
A line from the song “So Long Farewell” from The Sound of Music. Sample lyrics: “So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night/I hate to go and leave this pretty sight/So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu/Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you …”
It’s a Gap jeans commercial.
In the 1990s the Gap clothing stores ran a series of extremely hip commercials that revitalized the chain. One of the ads featured a percussion group beating on various objects, like trash cans. I’m not sure if it was actually the iconic group Stomp, but it was certainly a reasonable facsimile.
Maybe if we get higher up we won’t hear Gordon MacRae down here.
Gordon MacRae (1921-1986) was an actor and singer who appeared in a string of musical films during the 1950s; he frequently worked with Doris Day and Shirley Jones.
Maria Callas!
Maria Callas (1923-1977) was an operatic soprano who was one of the leading performers during the 1950s and 1960s.
Let me live it as a blonde!
“If I have only one life to live, let me live it as a blonde” is a line from an old Clairol commercial from the 1960s.
It’s the Swiss Family Papodapoulos.
Swiss Family Robinson is a 19th-century novel by Johann Wyss about a shipwrecked family. It has been made into a movie several times, with the most famous probably being the 1960 Disney version.
Hey, Commando Cody!
Commando Cody was the star of a serial that MST ran as shorts on various episodes during Season 1, starting with Show 102, The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy.
Hey, it’s the Jim Ignatowski/Tommy Chong/Gilbert Gottfried/Gino Bonelli tribe.
Reverend Jim Ignatowski was the wild-eyed, wild-haired character played by Christopher Lloyd on the TV series Taxi. Tommy Chong is a comedian, half of the stoner comedy team Cheech and Chong. Gilbert Gottfried is a gravelly-voiced comedian and actor best known for his portrayal of the parrot Iago in the Disney animated film Aladdin (1992). Gino Bonelli was an Italian operatic tenor during the 1950s and 1960s.
Yeah, I mean, on top of that, they all look like the Nutty Professor.
The Nutty Professor is a 1963 film starring Jerry Lewis as a nerdy professor who invents a potion that transforms him into a suave ladies’ man. A remake starring Eddie Murphy was released in 1996.
Gymkata! Gymkata!
Fresh from his triumph at the 1984 Olympics, gold-medal-winning gymnast Kurt Thomas made an enjoyably bad movie called Gymkata (1985), in which he offers to go to a country called Parmistan and wrestle a bunch of ninjas and fight off zombies armed with pitchforks so the American military can plonk down a missile base over there. Fortunately for him, the country has a lot of gymnastic equipment just lying around in alleys and open fields that he can use to defeat the bad guys.
Oh, wait, I think they said Golden Grahams, not golden ram.
Golden Grahams are a brand of graham-cracker-flavored cereal manufactured by Nestle.
Hey. [Sung.] I feel the earth move under my feet …
A line from the Carole King song “I Feel the Earth Move.” Sample lyrics: “I feel the earth move under my feet/I feel the sky tumbling down/I feel my heart start to trembling/Whenever you're around.”
Going down, Mr. Hercules?
A reference to the Aerosmith song “Love in an Elevator,” which begins with a sultry woman’s voice asking, “Going down, Mr. Tyler?”
Malcolm X is over there.
Malcolm X (1925-1965) was a radical black leader during the 1960s who preached racial pride and black separatism, as opposed to civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., who wanted to see blacks better integrated into mainstream (read: white) society. In 1965 he was shot to death during a rally; three Black Muslims were convicted of his murder.
Actually, it’s Thinsulate.
Thinsulate is a brand of insulation used in clothing and footwear; it is manufactured by 3M.
Man, it must be South Central police.
In 1992, the riots in Los Angeles that followed the acquittal of four white police officers in the beating of black motorist Rodney King began in South Central Los Angeles, a mostly black neighborhood that had harbored years of resentment against what they perceived as a racist and violent police department.
Ha! Missed me. Now you’re gonna kiss me.
“Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me” is an old playground taunt.
He’s just invented the weed whipper!
A weed whipper, a.k.a. a string trimmer, is a gardening device that cuts grass and weeds with a whirling length of string, usually a plastic line.
Chains don’t kill people. Hercules kills people.
“Guns don’t kill people. People kill people” is a slogan of the National Rifle Association, a national organization dedicated to promoting gun ownership. It is a powerful lobbying organization, successfully and fiercely resisting any and all gun control measures.
Taste it all. Diet hemlock.
See note on Diet Coke, above.
I have a delicious poison in the morning, and … that’s it.
A paraphrase of the ad campaign for the Slim-Fast diet plan, which instructed participants to consume two Slim-Fast shakes plus a “sensible dinner” every day.
“Men sometimes make mistakes, and now mine have caught up with me.” That’s what Michael Milken probably said.
Michael Milken was a Wall Street financier who created the market for high-yield bonds, better known as junk bonds, in the 1980s. In 1989 he was charged with racketeering and fraud in relation to a series of questionable financial moves. He ultimately plea-bargained down the charges, paid $900 million in fines, and served a brief sentence in prison. He was banned for life from working in the securities industry.
[Sung.] School’s out for summer!
A line from the Alice Cooper song “School’s Out.” Sample lyrics: “School's out for summer/School's out forever/School's been blown to pieces …”
The National Guard was called in to help quell the violence.
Probably a reference to the tragedy at Kent State University in 1970, when the National Guard was called in to an anti-war protest at the school that had turned violent. The Guardsmen, many of whom were poorly trained, opened fire on a crowd of students, hitting thirteen and killing four; two of the dead were bystanders who were not involved in the protest. No Guardsmen were convicted of a crime in connection with the shootings.
Oh, man, if this were in Sensurround this would be so great.
Sensurround was a gimmick, like Cinerama and Smell-o-Vision, designed to lure audiences into theaters. It was used to hype the 1975 film Earthquake by promising to use high-decibel sound to literally shake the audience; unfortunately, the effect bled over into neighboring theaters and disturbed patrons, which discouraged any repeat performances.
[Sung.] Bali hai …
A line from the song “Bali Hai,” from the musical South Pacific. Sample lyrics: “Bali Ha'i may call you/Any night, any day/In your heart, you'll hear it call you/’Come away … Come away.’"
Iole did data entry at Fingerhut.
Fingerhut is a direct-sales company (catalogs, web site, etc.) based in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Then Herc went through rehab and he started selling Kirbys door to door.
Kirby is a brand of vacuum cleaners sold exclusively through in-home demonstrations.
Jason? He sold the fleece and bought himself a Rupp minibike.
Minibikes are a kind of smallish motorcycle that became popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Rupp was a popular brand of minibikes created by Herbert Rupp III.
Then he was killed in a tragic boating accident involving the Argo—you know, there were some [something] crew mates and there was a case of St. Pauli Girl …
St. Pauli Girl is a brand of German beer.