A classic episode of the cult television series (in which an amiable space janitor and his metallic pals are forced to watch and deliver a sardonic running commentary on terrible movies), "Eegah" stars the gargantuan Richard Kiel (who would later become known for his sensitive portrayal of Jaws in a couple of the Bond films) in the title role as a still-kickin' Neanderthal looking for a little love in swinging 1960s California. One of the worst (or best, depending on your point of view) films ever to be featured on the show, this excruciating waste of celluloid provides ample fuel for Joel and the 'bots to deliver a wildly diverse, sustained barrage of hilarity (including an in-depth discussion of the widowed dad dichotomy of '60s sitcoms) at the source material's full expense. Enjoy, and remember to "watch out for snakes." (You'll understand after viewing.) --Andrew Wright
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: A perfect MST3K vehicle Comment: Very funny, and a good place to start for a new Mystery Science Theater viewer.
This was a schlocky 60's teen film where caveman Eegah(a desert sulfur spring serving as his fountain of youth) falls head over heels for Roxie, the teen heroine. (Personally, I thought Roxie was rather skankish, probably pushing 30, and I thought one of the Bots made a good remark about her being "shaped funny" during her bikini scene).
Teen hero played by dorky Arch Hall Jr. is lampooned mercilessily and justifiably by the MST3K crew. Speaking of dork -- Roxie's dad is played by real life father Arch Hall Sr. The apple didn't fall far from the tree in that family.
Lots of delightfully wierd stuff . . . the caveman has his mummified dead family propped up in the cave . . . Dad basically hands his daughter over to the pawing, hormone gushing neanderthal . . . and how about the uncomfortably inappropriate scene where Roxie sings to her Dad while shaving him! YIKES!! I found myself trying to see what he was doing with his hands!
The Bots were also on their game during the commercial breaks. They set up a machine to transform Joel's face to look like Arch Hall Jr. And Tom Servo freezes Crow down to absolute zero . . . and he disintegrates.
Customer Rating: Summary: SO Funny! Comment: This is one of the best MST3K episodes with Joel in my opinion. I usually like the later episodes the best, but this particular episode just never has dull points. How could a movie with a cabbage patch Elvis be unfunny? Highly reccomend Eegah! Customer Rating: Summary: 'Watch out for snakes' Comment: Nuff said really! Love this film
As Egah rips out and holds aloft swimming pool steps: 'That's a strange thing to weild.' Customer Rating: Summary: A must have for all MST3K fans. Comment: Joel and the 'bots at their best.
Oh this movie deserved this kind of riffing. Customer Rating: Summary: Two Clubs Up For Eegah Comment: "Eegah" is a deliciously contrived, pointlessly filmed movie about a caveman run amok in downtown Palm Springs. Roxy Miller (a girl who is all thorax) runs into the neanderthal one night with her car. She seeks solace from her oily father, Robert Miller (played by Arch Hall, Sr., the man who also wrote and directed this festering blister of a film), and her equally oily boyfriend (Arch Hall, Jr., proving that creepiness may actually be hereditary), who agree to help her find this mysterious mammoth-man, played by Richard Kiel (better known as Jaws from "The Spy Who Loved Me"). What ensues are a variety of hi-jinks (or low-jinks, as the case may be), more than a few whiny musical numbers, and an ending that is lackluster, shoddy, and pretentious.
Perfect! Joel and the bots have struck comedic gold with this gargantuan bit of cinematic gristle. The riffs and jokes rarely let up, and swing around the typically-diverse mistie range. There are avant-garde quips, kooky observations, obscure cultural references, witty inside jokes, and, of course, running gags ("Watch out for snakes!"). In between enduring horrific clips of this nauseating foolishness, the Joel and the bots wax philosophic about evil's more insidious forms, the plight of early sitcom single parents, and how the incidental music was made for such shows as "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Petticoat Junction" (hint: it involves unprocessed bacon).
The movie is just bad enough to be fertile ground for funnies, but there are also almost unendurably disgusting moments, including the icky relationship between Roxy and her father, Arch Hall, Jr.'s face (he has the skin texture of a grapefruit, the complexion of magma, the facial features of a ferret, and hair like a bleached oil slick), and a seriously sick scene involving shaving foam (I was eating nachos at the time and, no fooling, I almost had to excuse myself). In between this are lackluster beach part musical numbers, girls screaming, and Joel getting jiggy to a dune buggy overdub.
Buy it, watch it, love it. Laugh. And, as has been said many times before, watch out for snakes.
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