Mystery Science Theater 3000: TIME OF THE APES

May 14, 2015 12:29 AM - Season 3, Episode 6

Originally Saru No Gudan. (1987, Color, Japanese, TV Movie, Apes, Post-Apocalyptic) Two moppets and a lab assistant are flash-frozen by Science Machines during an earthquake and wake up hundreds of years later when APES RULE THE WORLD. They team up with the enigmatic human Godo and fight against their simian overlords to find a solution to their plight. The first of the cable run of MST3K's non-Gamera Sandy Frank films, and the origin of the Sandy Frank song, a mocking tribute to the American producer who brought us Japanese shows edited together as movies. One of the best episodes! Host segments explain "Why doesn't Johnny Care (a film by Bell Labs)" and introduce the Miracle Growth Baby. YouTube (1h37m) First aired July 13, 1991.

Daddy-O - Basil's Blog - Annotated MST3K - MST3K Wikia

TIME OF THE APES was mentioned by the AV Club as one of ten essential MST3K episodes.

IMDB (2.0 stars)
"Three bumbling morons accidentally stumble into a cryogenic freezer and end up in the future, where monkeys populate the Earth." (That is uncharacteristically judgmental for the IMDB's synopses.)
Directed by Kiyo Sumi Fukazawa and Atsuo Okunaka. Written by Sakyo Komatsu, Kouji Tonaka, Aritsune Toyota and Keiichi Abe. Starring Reiko Tokunaga, Hiroko Saito and Masaaki Kaji.

posted by JHarris (10 comments total)

Show should again be at 9 PM ET, at http://sync-video.com/tv/rodneylives.
posted by JHarris at 4:02 AM on May 14, 2015

I just find these Sandy Frank films so incomprehensible.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:10 PM on May 14, 2015

Sandy Fraaaank, Sandy Fraaank
posted by hellojed at 4:19 PM on May 14, 2015

I needed that one in my life. All this time, I guess I was just waiting for Godo.
posted by ilana at 7:41 PM on May 14, 2015 [4 favorites]

Thanks for coming out everyone! An exceptionally weird movie with exceptionally good riffing! Up to 10 unique visitors tonight.

Note, there's a good chance I'll have to take next week off, but when we get back it'll be 307 DADDY-O. See you next time!
posted by JHarris at 7:49 PM on May 14, 2015

This one was some high quality goofiness. I think I'll be rewatching it this weekend, since I missed the first half hour or so.
posted by tchemgrrl at 9:02 AM on May 15, 2015

Thanks again JHarris!
posted by Room 641-A at 4:31 PM on May 15, 2015

Sorry to do this again, but at the last second it seems like I am actually going to be able to make it to the IRDC (International Roguelike Developers Conference) after all, and so it looks like I won't be able to hold a showing this week. Next week should pose no obstacles though.
posted by JHarris at 2:58 AM on May 28, 2015

I'm glad you get to go but selfishly, I am disappoint.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:18 AM on May 28, 2015

Incidentally, this does mean that the weekly viewing is now in synch with the MST3K Info episode of the week.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:37 AM on May 28, 2015