Mystery Science Theater 3000: GAMERA VS. BARUGON

April 30, 2015 2:28 AM - Season 3, Episode 4

aka Daikaijû kettô: Gamera tai Barugon. (1966, Color, Gamera, Kaiju, Monster, Japan, Sandy Frank) Gamera made it out of the Z-Plan Rocket from the first movie, but now is challenged by giant, stick-tongued, rainbow-beamed gator-dog Barugon for his position on top of the monster heap. There's a subplot involving jewel thieves, but at least there's no obnoxious kids this time. It is the only Gamera movie Joel and the 'bots would get of which this could be said. Watch for Tom Servo's "Fightin' Men and Monsters" toy commercial, a joy to behold. YouTube (1h37m) First aired June 22, 1991.

Daddy-O - MST3K Wikia

IMDB (4.2 stars)
"A giant monster that emits a destructive ray from its back attacks Japan and takes on Gamera."
Directed by Shigeo Tanaka. Written by Nisan Takahashi. Starring Kôjirô Hongô, Kyoko Enami and Yûzô Hayakawa.

posted by JHarris (15 comments total)

The projected showtime is, again, at 9 PM Eastern (a time at which means I'll miss an early showing of Avengers: Age of Ultron, I'll have you know -- I am prepared to give up much to satisfy my mania for Mystery Science). The URL, as has been usual, is http://sync-video.com/tv/rodneylives.

I've been showing a preroll of MST3K shorts, but even at 30+ items and set for shuffle, it was getting a big log in the tooth. Well, I've expanded that play list. It now contains every MST3K short (excluding Commando Cody), plus some other minor items and RiffTrax "best of" collections. It's now got over 150 items, including some things that haven't been in our prerolls up to this point. Hope to see you there.
posted by JHarris at 3:47 AM on April 30, 2015

I seem to remember this Gamera making even less sense than usual.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:47 AM on April 30, 2015

I'm rewatching from the beginning so I can earn my Certificate of Deep Hurting, and the Gamera ones were always my favorite. Everyone have a great time tonight!

Today's episode? Black Scorpion.
UGH.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 11:02 AM on April 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

The Fightin' Men and Monsters playset commercial is such a treasure. (Not included.)
posted by ob1quixote at 2:14 PM on April 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

Gamera's arms and head turning into rockets to spin, which is how he gets around, gets me every time
posted by hellojed at 11:32 PM on April 30, 2015

He's basically a gigantic amphibian Hero's engine.

KERBAL MOVIE-WATCHING PROGRAM MISSION REPORT*:

We got about 10 unique non-me people in tonight. I think we lost one when he hit a bit of turbulence, Sync-Video-related, right before the first host segment, which unfortunately is one of the all-time great segments, Servo's toy commercial. We had an interesting discussion when hellojed thought he caught sight of a Unico figure. Unico, I took the opportunity to lecture, is a character created by Osamu Tezuka. Wikipedia revealed it couldn't have been a valid sighting, because the movie came out ten years before Unico hit manga pages. From there wittgenstein and I ended up talking about Tezuka and (somehow) Jack Kirby, to the annoyance and distraction of all.

(C'mon now. You just know this is how they watch movies on, or rather soaring high over, Kerbin.)

Next week we visit the TV Movie world orbiting opposite the Earth, aka the Planet of the Chryslers, site of the ominous Ward E, in episode 305 STRANDED IN SPACE.
posted by JHarris at 2:10 AM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

I fell asleep!
posted by Room 641-A at 6:13 AM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

I'm glad we're moving on from Gamera, at least briefly, because there are only so many Gamera/Barugon puns I can make, and they were probably decreasing significantly in quality by the end, there.

Gamera, he flies like a (rocket-powered) moron?
posted by ilana at 9:15 AM on May 1, 2015

Gamera is a much more competent flyer than ^the Pumaman.
posted by JHarris at 2:30 PM on May 1, 2015

I love watching this with my kids.
posted by Nevin at 7:30 PM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Here's a cross-section of Gamera.
posted by Nevin at 7:31 PM on May 1, 2015

And another.
posted by Nevin at 7:32 PM on May 1, 2015

My kids have memorized the Gamera Song:

Gamera is really neat
He is filled with turtle meat
We've been eating Gamera!
posted by Nevin at 7:33 PM on May 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

The Gamera movies are probably among the most kid-friendly MST episodes (with the exception of vs. Barugon probably, because dullness, although that toy commercial is aces). Hm, I wonder what would be other good episodes for the 12-and-under set?

- Most of Sandy Frank's other movies, except maybe Mighty Jack (which is barely okay for adults, because extreme confusion). Fugitive Alien (a.k.a. Star Wolf) especially has a certain vibe that appeals to the anime-watching set I think.
- The Russo-Finnish movies (The Day The Earth Froze, The Magic Voyage of Sinbad, The Sword and the Dragon, Jack Frost). They're terribly strange, but oddly watchable on their own.

I can't think of too many more oddly, other than the show in general. Any ideas?
posted by JHarris at 1:20 PM on May 2, 2015

Puma Man is another one. I'm also a Joel fan, so we tend to watch those ones.
posted by Nevin at 1:17 PM on May 3, 2015 [1 favorite]