Mystery Science Theater 3000: GIRL IN GOLD BOOTS

February 21, 2018 1:28 PM - Season 10, Episode 2

"VIBRANT... UNPREDICTABLE... She hungered for fame... the men in her life offered love, danger, excitement!" "She murdered for fame, but the price tag was too much!" Michele is a dancer with big dreams: to work as a go-go girl in a seedy restaurant called EAT. Her meteroic rise is troubled by the conflicting attractions of EAT's janitor (name of "Critter"), and Buz, EAT's drug dealer. Will she be able to keep her pretty pretty mind? Will you? There are only four Sci-Fi Channel era episodes that don't have to do with sci-fi, fantasy or horror, and this is the first. Although the horror could come from all the slime dripping off the film, which is off-putting to sane people. This episode kicks off the "Mad Scientist accreditation" subplot in Castle Forrester, which would last to the end of the show. Episode 1002 can be found on YouTube. Premiered June 27, 1998. 11 episodes left.

Episode 1002

Satellite News (thinks the episodes is good except for high movie sleaziness) - Mighty Jack's Episode Review (thinks it's one of the best!) - War of the Colossal Fan Guide (likes it okay) - TVTropes

Paul Chaplin's reflections from the online section of the Amazing Colossal Episode Guide:

The whole mad scientist accreditation sub-plot has an interesting history. Our overseers at Sci-Fi, both of whom are long gone, fooled themselves into thinking that if we were somehow able to build an over-arching plot into our show, people would start watching it. We didn't like the idea, since the new shows are usually presented several weeks apart and then never again shown in order; and we seem to write better when we don't have to pay attention to stuff like plot. But, we had to do it. It seemed sort of sad, really, because by this time we were already pretty sure we were writing the last season.
We all loved Leo, the club owner. He joins our pantheon of oily guys, where he's welcomed by the likes of the oily guy in a sweater dress, from Attack of the Eye Creatures, way back in the Other Years.
The nightclub is called The Haunted House, and has an odd dragon hovering over the stage, emitting smoke from its nostrils. I assume this place actually existed, back in the '60s. Anybody out there remember it?

Movie
Daddy-O's Drive-In Dirt
Rotten Tomatoes (Critics N/A, Viewers 13%) - Wikipedia - TVTropes
IMDB (1968, 2.2 stars)
"A young woman leaves her job as a waitress and travels to Los Angeles, where she strives to become the top star in the glamorous world of go-go dancing."
Directed by Ted V. Mikels. Written by Leighton J. Peatman, Art Names and John T. Wilson. Starring Leslie McRay, Tom Pace and Jody Daniels as the Critter.

Notes:
This movie contains a character named Critter, and he's not the most loathsome person in the movie. Consider that for a moment.

One of the most blatant editing errors in MST history happens here, right up there with "Look out for snakes!" from Eegah. There's a scene where Michele and (ugh) Critter are sitting in a restaurant booth, and because of an editing error, colleague Buz suddenly appears beside them. Watch for it! Apparently this is because of the specific edit MST got for use; in the original movie the mistake isn't there.

The early host segments are a joke on the once-popular-for-some-reason "WWJD" bracelets, which stood for "What Would Jesus Do?"

A couple of sources note that the bongo player in the band is Preston Epps, who had a top-40 hit single "Bongo Rock" once. He's actually listed in the opening credits as "That Bongo Rock guy."

IMDB lists this memorable exchange:
Leo: Well well my educated janitor, you look half human with that beard gone.
Critter: Don't let that fool you.

TVTropes says this is Mike's favorite episode.

posted by JHarris (17 comments total)

". . . with special thanks to EAT."
posted by Countess Elena at 3:58 PM on February 21, 2018

This is the only episode I avoid rewatching. The title song is so horrible and such an earworm.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 6:17 PM on February 21, 2018

Ok - heres a question - which of these two is worse at their chosen art form?
posted by wittgenstein at 6:46 PM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]

The guy who played Leo was briefly married to Judy Garland!

Anyway - I like this ep, but it is one of the few I'm not comfortable showing to my kids. Ick.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:20 PM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

I just stumbled onto an episode of the Cartoon Network kids' show "OK KO (Let's Be Heroes)" that is titled "Mystery Science Fair 201X" (the full 11 minute toon there). Sadly, the title appears to be the only MST3K reference, but it may be silly enough for an intermission feature on Thursday.
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:35 PM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

The guy who played Leo was briefly married to Judy Garland!

I mean, we all knew she made some questionable choices, but jeez
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 2:55 AM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

Years ago, I picked up the cd box set Where the Action Is! L.A. Nuggets, full of garage rock and psychedelia from the late '60s. The liner notes included photos of the bands and fliers for shows, including the Haunted House, which I've gotta assume is the club from the movie. Kinda wish it was still around.
posted by cottoncandybeard at 7:21 AM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

Tonight it's MST Club! Each week we watch two episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000, that week's featured show and another one from the Joel years. This takes place at 7 PM Eastern and 9 PM Eastern (4 PM and 6 PM Pacific, respectively), at https://cytu.be/r/Metafilter_MST3KClub, and you should JOIIIN UUUS....

This week's episodes are
403 CITY LIMITS
1002 GIRL IN GOLD BOOTS
posted by JHarris at 11:10 AM on February 22, 2018

When it first aired, I noticed that the bongo party scene had a lot of repeated footage (especially the bongo players), which I didn't think too much about given it was a low budget film and drawing things out to feature length is the name of the game. When the DVD was released, however, the party footage had changed and a shot of Michele being given a joint and her smoking it was added. I'm guessing the Sci-Fi Channel desired that the footage be changed and Best Brains made it happen.

In short: Censorship is weird.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 6:48 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]

Ah, a correction. The restaurant that ended up employing everyone later in the movie is The Haunted House. "EAT" only figures earlier in the movie.

We had a substantive Youtube Potluck this time, so here's the links:
I'm Number One from Muppets Most Wanted, proving that after all this time, the Muppets can still do a wonderful and hilarious song.
School's Out with Alice Cooper and a Muppet band from The Muppet Show.
The Muppets Analytical Computer appeared again, it's like at least the third time we've shown it but it's still a classic. I think this kind of short-form sketch was the Muppets' natural format, as seen in countless talk and variety show appearances, Muppet Show and successor sequences and Sesame Street situations. (There, that's what you call alliteration.)
Rowlf on the Jimmy Dean show, contributed by foop, is a good example. It's a little culturally insensitive though, since it dates from an age when people in the US thought Japan and Korea were pretty much just far-off foreign places where people talked funny and broke up boards with their hands.
Huga Wuga doesn't mention the Planet Koozebane, but you just know the planet's named that on the Muppet internal production scripts.
John Cleese's final bit on his brilliant Muppet Show episode, where he basically plays with the the personality of Basil Fawlty throughout.
Mystery Science Fair 201X was another foop contribution, chosen mostly for the name, an episode of Cartoon Network's hit show that they show once in a blue moon when they aren't showing yet more Teen Titans Go. It's a bit lore-heavy, but also contains a number of Dexter's Lab references (which are mentioned in the "The End" card).
At the end it was down to TV's Ilana and oneswellfoop, so I showed the first episode from the cult French cartoon and Nick show Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea, but in its original French with English subs as Les Mondes Engloutis, with is filled with shots that could be put on one of those hallucinogenic album covers. Then I showed the Menudo alternate theme song, which isn't bad at all but tonally different from the show, which already has an iconic theme song and English translation of it.

I've got a few more Muppety links now, but I'll save those for next week. BTW, we are now going to start mixing in some Comedy Central Mike episodes with the Joel shows for the early show. Hope you can make it next week. BTW, only 11 episodes left....
posted by JHarris at 5:55 AM on February 23, 2018

Other stuff....

• A member suggested doing some alternate riffing stuff after we finish with MST's run. MST has enough episodes that we could still show random eps even after we finish the tour, but showing alternate riffing stuff also makes sense. The exact suggestion that was made was classic Doctor Who, but I'm sure we could easily find other things.
• I've been meaning to bring up with everyone the possibility of others taking over running some of the evenings. While I still enjoy putting these things together, there are sometimes when it'd be nice to have a Thursday off, and I'd also like to open the show up to other voices and idiosyncratic interests than just mine. Maybe a rotating kind of thing among some of the regulars? If you're interested you can leave a comment here.
• There's this streaming app called Pluto.tv that not only has a 24 hr streaming channel of classic MST3K, but also has a 24 hr channel of semi-random Rifftrax! Those are really really nice because most of us haven't watched them to death as we have MST. The main catch is, depending on where and when you watch it, you can sometimes get hit with an inundation of advertising there. Still, it exists, and it's a way to watch a lot of RiffTrax you've never seen before legally and in a way that benefits the performers.

posted by JHarris at 6:53 AM on February 23, 2018

I spend much of my evenings lately watching either the MST3K or RIFFTRAX channel of Pluto TV using my Fire Stick. The commercials are the same each break, and they are not that obtrusive.
posted by wittgenstein at 4:37 AM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]

Oh god I love this movie - it’s a non sci-fi, non horror movie about the seddybunderbelly of the sex and drugs world! It’s a great time capsule of L.A at the time where a haunted house themed burlesque revue could thrive
posted by The Whelk at 6:02 AM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

"EAT" as the name of a restaurant may have been a good idea in 1968, but it's unfathomably bad now. Try concocting a Google query that gets you information about a restaurant called EAT. The fact there's a real chain in England called EAT notwithstanding.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 6:03 PM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

I assume the proprietor of EAT picked up eat.com early on and retired off the proceeds from selling the domain to Hellmann's.
posted by ckape at 9:00 PM on February 24, 2018

I'm not sure the movie's EAT would have a website. Or even a phone.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:32 PM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

"Well what do you expect? He's a child."
posted by Saxon Kane at 7:43 PM on February 25, 2018