Mystery Science Theater 3000: THE PUMAMAN

November 16, 2017 4:54 AM - Season 9, Episode 3

AKA "L'uoma Puma." Donald Pleasence has stolen a mind-control mask, and it's up to The Pumaman to stop him! But we don't know who that is yet! So faithful priest Vadinho throws people out of windows until he finds the one guy who survives it: must be him. Watch him soar through the air with the opposite of grace! We are all surely doomed. This is a beloved episode, the riffing is terrific throughout. The great improbability that our hero could be an Anything Man makes the whole thing ridiculous on its face, but it keeps on stretching the premise further and further. In Castle Forrester, Pearl plans a ball but Brain Guy's party to watch the new episode of Sliders is more popular. YouTube (1h32m) Premiered April 4, 1998. 23 episodes left.

Episode 903 THE PUMAMAN

Satellite News - Mighty Jack's Episode Review - War of the Colossal Fan Guide - Annotated MST3K - TVTropes

Here's Paul Chaplin's impressions in the ACEG:

I'm the only one amongst the writers who believes the people behind Puma Man intended humor in the very geeky way Tony flies, what with his unremarkable limbs waggling all over and his sad cape coupled incongruously with his J.C. Penney slacks. Everyone else believes the filmmakers were deadly serious from the get-go.
On the other hand I do agree with the other writers that it would have been unpleasant to spend much time kissing Tony Farms, an activity portrayed rather a great deal in the movie. Bridget and Mary Jo were especially vehement on this point, I recall.
I was in Mexico once and saw a coatimundi. Yep.

Movie
Daddy-O's Drive-In Dirt
Rotten Tomatoes (Critics N/A, Viewers 29%) - Wikipedia - TVTropes
IMDB (1980, 2.1 stars)
Directed by Alberto De Martino. Written by him, Massimo De Rita and Luigi Angelo. Starring Walter George Alton, Donald Pleasence, Miguel Angel Fuentes and Sydne Rome.

posted by JHarris (10 comments total)

Every we watch a couple of episodes of MST3K, including the one featured in that week's writeup. You should watch with us! It's Thursday nights at 7 PM Eastern (4 Pacific, 5 Mountain, 6 Central), at: https://cytu.be/r/Metafilter_MST3KClub.

This week's episodes are (7 PM) 208 LOST CONTINENT and (9 PM) 903 THE PUMAMAN. Hope to see you there, and then!
posted by JHarris at 4:57 AM on November 16, 2017

♫ ♬ Da Dada DaDadadada ♫ ♬
posted by paper chromatographologist at 6:22 AM on November 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

When

you want

the flavor of bacon in a dip.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 7:44 AM on November 16, 2017 [7 favorites]

Pyu-MAY-min.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:42 AM on November 16, 2017

I aspire to someday be as bald as you, sir.

I'm cool-ish on the CC era, but Pumaman is an unmitigated classic.

("NOT THAT KIND OF 'GO'!")
posted by praemunire at 11:33 AM on November 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

You can always show up for the second episode if you want! We don't mind. (Well, I don't mind.)

I considered, briefly, inventing a Call of Cthulhu adventure that's just a thinly-disguised excuse to adapt this movie. A mad cultist is roaming the city, tossing folk out of buildings, looking for someone who doesn't know he's related to an aspect of Nyarlathotep called Thep-Umaman....
posted by JHarris at 12:01 PM on November 16, 2017 [4 favorites]

Absolutely mandatory: Tommy Smothers on Pumas (in the crevasses)
full-length routine: "Take it!" "No."
Should be required to run on repeat for 15 minutes before "Pumaman".
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:03 PM on November 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

Vadinho is really the Kato of this film.

Also, Sam Elliot is Ted Turner in the Gregory Peck Story!
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 10:36 PM on November 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

When

you want

the flavor of bacon in a dip.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 10:44 AM on November 16 [4 favorites +] [!]

You guys I have literally had this in my head for this entire weekend, including throughout and after the evening where I was running music trivia. Nothing could unseat it.

I don't even want the flavour of bacon in a dip!
posted by ilana at 8:28 PM on November 19, 2017 [4 favorites]

This is a reminder, there is - NO MST3K SHOW - this week, because of upcoming Turkey Day. Instead, we'll be trying to get the stream again in the cytu.be room so we won't have to compete to be heard with ten thousand random YouPotatoes. Hope you can drop by!
posted by JHarris at 11:20 AM on November 22, 2017 [1 favorite]