1105. The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956)

Leaving the Rockies for Mexico. A story concept by Willis O’Brien. This is the earliest mashup of cowboys and dinosaurs in movies. Currently the oldest film spotlighted in the Netflix or Gizmoplex seasons, The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956) defies true badness till the final reel. The Disco Cannon, The Titanic Hot Water Cannon, Tom and Crow’s Monster Pitches, the Mexican Themed Fashion Show. “More brains!”, “Stephen King’s Children of the Maize”, “Aista La Vista, Baby.” “Establishing Shot: The Motion Picture” or “Or They’re Coming to Get You Barb- I Mean Sarita”?

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Anybody remember this horrifying yet funny host segment?

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“I’m bored making this cowboy movie. Let’s throw in a stop-motion tongue with a dinosaur attached!”

I’m sure we’ve talked about it elsewhere, but the two cowboys have so much more chemistry than the female love interest. Maybe one of them wanted a beard to make it easier to fit in.

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I love this segment because Jonah Sells it like he’s in a horror film.

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This was the first episode I ever got to write on and when we were filming I had no idea of any of my jokes made it in. When we got to the first one I remember writing, I just about burst out a blubberin’. Always have a soft spot for this one. And as a fan of westerns was happy to write on it.

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It’s a slow bloomer. The picture and the experiment. The further you’re exposed the greater your enjoyment. Westerns are that way too. The nature of the western is to absorb it and digest it slowly. Then there’s the monster movie in the closing moments. This film is akin to subbing the wrong meat into a recipe. A Chicken Big Mac or Kentucky Fried Corned Beef. It excited me you did a western. Were there any requests in the writing room to specifically pursue certain references up front? Given how rare it is to riff one?

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Love how the stampede consists of footage of the beeves going at a trot being sped up, making it look like they’re speed walking.

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i thought i saw a clip from this film in The Sparks Brothers documentary, but only saw it one time

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“He has the sassiest walk.”

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My favorite host segment of all time!

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The host segment was great and all, but it was also terrifying. And I agree with Jonah and the Mads right there!

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I think you’re just covering up that that wasn’t a sketch. Jonah wandered onto the set while the camera was running and just found those Things there.

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Hands down my favorite episode of Season 11. It totally has the feel of the Comedy Central era and just thinking about it gives me the warm fuzzies all day long.

(Second-favorite of that season: The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t. What can I say? I’m an iconoclast.)

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Host segments were really great in this episode… but I just can’t do westerns. Least fav of the jonah era.

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It’s Western Loaf. Parts of Western and giant lizard chunked and formed into a movie-like substance.

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This segment is a favorite of mine.

I really dug this crazy episode, but I haven’t rewatched it and I should. The movie was so folksy and quaint.

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I love this episode and I… I don’t really know why?

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Is it because of the host segment where everyone’s freaking out?

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I don’t think so, though that segment does have a sort of Lynchian weirdness that I am drawn to.

I think it has something to do with the sheer earnestness of the movie. Like, the acting is actually pretty good! And then they throw in a claymation dinosaur. Which I guess is also a kind of Lynchian weirdness.

Maybe that’s it.

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Eh, kind of. Whenever I saw the fisticuffs with the villian I just kept thinking, Y’know this might be about more than just cattle rustling. Which you could say about any Western, really. Just ask Willie Nelson. :wink:

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