The Mads seem more in tune with Earth logic than just about every real-life temp boss I had, in the years after the series went into hibernation. To paraphrase this movie, what they mean, they say. It’s still amazing to me after all this time how few bosses can manage even that much.
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I’ve always enjoyed this one, though the shorts only so/so, the feature’s a lot of fun and inspired plenty of funny from the riffers.
I’m glad that we got a picture upgrade with the SHOUT reissue, those tape hits on the Rhino release were awfully distracting + we got extras from SHOUT, the one for the Dead is included in this month’s Halloween Vault Pick.
Adam Walks Around episode 40 has an interesting segment on the movie’s locations, and an interview…
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I like this episode. The movie is on the border between dull and interesting. There’s a mystery, but very little tension. Mr. I’m Not A Medium has a sort of Kermit-like voice that I enjoy. And I love the final plot twist that turns the “police use psychics to solve difficult crimes” (which is a popular but false trope) nonsense on its head. All in all, you get a movie that’s not painful to watch but is ripe for riffing, and it’s great.
Same goes for the short, pretty much. It does a good job of explaining the features and utility of the products it’s selling, which, frankly, I’d never given much thought. (Although as a kid I did wonder how it’s able to keep the food frozen with an open top or front.) But if you’re not a grocery store owner considering your options for selling frozen food (a very small and niche target audience), it’s boring and plodding enough to leave plenty of room for great riffs. I also like watching the wizard confidently point her wand at the correct part of the rotating sign that’s out of her field of vision. You can tell she put hours of practice into getting the angle and timing just right, and there are still a couple of points where she’s visibly questioning herself.
I have to admit, though, that I’m not a huge fan of Crow’s interminable Jerry Garcia guitar solo. “It’s funny because it’s really annoying and it doesn’t end” is not my favorite genre of running gag. (Although it did kind of work in Thor: Love and Thunder…)
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So I guess you’re not a fan of this episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast?
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Odd as it may seem, we have a unique instance where the color short does not overwhelm the black and white feature. Much of this is due to the short being a far cry from the lunacy of the likes of Mr. B Natural and Design for Dreaming. Despite the presence of what Servo refers to as the Pizza Dominatrix, it’s a rather dry presentation on freezer display cabinets. In fact, it’s so unmemorable that it was the only Jam Handy short screened on MST3K that goes unmentioned in the Ballyhoo documentary Jam Handy to the Rescue.
The feature is another of those X Meets Y movies. In this case, the X is Dragnet and the Y is Inner Sanctum, complete with the supernatural element being revealed as a hoax. Mind you, the narration by Lt. Lewis gets into all sorts of obsessive minutiae. Certainly, Joe Friday never yammered on the way this guy does (though I should probably note that my Dragnet familiarity is mostly with the radio version).
The movie itself has an unusual history. Shot back in 1957, it spent the next thirty-seven years collecting dust. It’s quite probable that its screening on MST3K was the first time it was seen by the general viewing public. What a way to premiere. Another curious aspect involves Aldo Farnese, the actor who portrays spirit radio inventor Henry Krasker and spent most of his career hosting a children’s show on a Philadelphia TV station (Pennsylvania, not Illinois). Apparently, he died two days before this episode first aired (insert Twilight Zone music should you so desire).
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The Dead Talk Back is one of my guilty pleasure episodes. Its not quite top-20 material because the lead spots are full … but its a solid runner-up and definitely in my top-50. Its a movie so bad that it needed three different narrators to make it work. Dr. Krasker may be a kermit-voiced, overly-dramatic scientist … but he does some heavy lifting in this movie and it wouldn’t be half as fun without his antics and delivery. The porkpie wearing angry-cop with his forehead forward running style and desired to beat up nerds is fun. The Joe Friday Genericop with his “minutes to live” countdowns and such give plenty of opportunities. And every secondary character in the show is legitimately making an effort, while at the same time MOST of them really aren’t particularly good actors so its easy to take shots. All in all its a solid 7 out of 10 episode for me. Not the best MST has to offer … but definitely above average.
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I can’t believe I watched the whole video. This was such a cool show back in the day!
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Yay! I really liked watching this when I saw it last year. But then I couldn’t plug it again here because I forgot its name. 
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The home video release was also very limited. I have no idea how Frank got ahold of it, but it could have disappeared down the memory hole forever very easily.
I would love to know more about the film (the Adam Walks Around video has a little, but not much). Unfortunately, everyone involved in the film in a position to really be able to talk about it in detail is likely dead now.
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I did love Space Ghost: Coast to Coast back in the day. Have not rewatched. But that was, indeed, not my favorite episode of the show.
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All true and it’s a shame. The Dead Talk Back (1957) is one of the most fascinating experiments ever on MST. The why to it sitting unreleased for decades truly boggles the mind. Were I gambling man, I’d wager unpaid post-production costs were the reason. It’s only a guess though.
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Makes you wonder what else might be out there.
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Exactly. What remaining treasures we haven’t seen laying in a vault somewhere. Probably destined to stay hidden. Like Krasker’s afterlife discoveries.
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Thanks Jake on sharing this!
You said it Bruce, it’s ageless and I can slip right into it.
I don’t know why but the episode is like comfort food to me. It’s not my favorite, probably not even top five. But for some reason I never get tired of it. I can put this one on anytime and totally enjoy it! Definitely a favorite of season six. The short is underrated, the pizza dominatrix and her scabby knee make for great riffing! The movie has some really weird characters. Krasker and his “machine”, the creepy guy that works at the record shop, the little German guy, and the overzealous religious fanatic! Just a fun episode all around!
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Let us not ignore the photographer!
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One of my favorite bits of riffing comes at the end of The Selling Wizard where Tom pretends to be an executive at a company that would buy those freezers talking about how the woman was sexy but it’s time to get down to business.
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Crow’s “She likes me” when The Selling Wizard winks near the end and the Ed McMahon Hiyoos put a smile on my face.
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This is definitely a season 6 standout for me, but not quite my favorite, probably sits around #3 for the season. Another movie that straight up lies to you with the title. There are no dead people talking back in this movie, but that doesn’t keep DJ Ray from cracking under the pressure in the end. Of course, he probably would have done the same thing if you stuck him in an interrogation room for 5 minutes, but go… umm… team fake psychic?
The short itself is rather forgettable, but the riffs are great (“The selling revolution will not be televised”). It does have an odd premise, but it doesn’t go for broke with it like so many other shorts they have riffed. That’s fine though, because this movie really embraces the weird. Dr. Krasner is over the top, and I get the feeling that the narration was added simply because some of his dialogue was just too out there for them to keep. There is a time or two where the narration is paraphrasing his dialogue as he is speaking it, and then the narration drops midway through his line to let him continue on. No wonder this did not see the light of day for decades after it was filmed.
I really like the host segments on this one. Those dead are definitely ready for some football! I know some don’t like the Grateful Dead bit, but I absolutely love it. I need to record all of Crow’s solo, and get it queued up for the next time my Deadhead buddies start arguing over which live version of Dark Star is better. Then I will break in with, “Sure, that’s great, but have you heard this version of Cosmic Freight Train?”
I will probably get in a good minute or two before they figure out that it’s not Cosmic Charlie.
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I’ve seen this one a couple times, but it’s one that’s more of a miss than a hit for me. Maybe I miss something because all the actors chew as much scenery as they possibly can.
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