Customer Reviews

Mystery Science Theater 3000 - The Crawling Hand

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Joel Hodgson has always been embarrassed by his early work. After a few seasons on Comedy Central MST and CO asked that their first year work not be rerun or used for all day marathons. They are the best judges of their work, and if you're not a huge MST3K fan I'd recommend taking their advice.

However, I personally enjoy the early years of MST3K. My personal collection includes taped episodes of the original KTMA channel 23 episodes where Joel and Co got their start.

The jokes are spontaneous, by not having a heavily scripted show one can almost relax a little bit, and see for themselves the .... in all its glory. "The Crawling Hand" is also one of my favorites from the first season due to the epic amount of word play and puns. There are several solid groups of bellyaching laughter when one pun after another after another are delivered by Servo and Crow. I also like the more homey feeling of the visual aspects of the film. I grew up watching MST3K on television with poorer picture quality and I get a bit nostalgic. But like I said earlier, Joel is the best judge of his own work, and if he is unhappy with the earlier episodes, I recommend you take his advice

In this one an astronaut is coming back to earth, but is frightened he seemingly has no control over his arm, like its possessed. So after some delaying he decides to blow himself up to prevent himself from being totally taken over by whatever this is. Of course his hand survives (otherwise we wouldn't have this title), we get a young man who along with his girlfriend go to the beach and find wreckage of this crash, he finds the hand, leaves it, then comes back later to study it. Well of course it comes alive, tries to choke him and he becomes possessed and starts to go on a killing spree, though he really just lightly chokes his victims.

The movie itself does have elements of creepiness and a bit of good atmosphere, but the plooding pace and bad acting really bring it down. Even for an episode from the first season, Joel and his crew do a good job riffing it, yes Tom Servo's voice is different voiced by Josh Weinstein, so its deeper and more monotone but I actually enjoyed his version of Servo. I loved the numerous bad puns they let loose and my favorite line: "Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the kitchen". I love the relaxed pacing of the early seasons, some aren't that good but ones like "The Crawling Hand" are to me comedic gold.

It's true that this episode from Season 1 of MST3K is rough around the edges, but that doesn't mean that it's not enjoyable. The biggest flaws are long silences, some unfunny riffs ("Sure, next you'll tell me there's a ring around Uranus!"), and a couple awkward host segments (especially the intro). However, the novelty of seeing a first season episode is enough to make this episode worth purchasing, and it's actually quite entertaining. There are some really memorable riffs in this episode ("It's the Crawling Bladder!"), and at times they keep coming steadily, like in later seasons. The episode does get off to a shaky start (the intro segment is sloppy, and most of the bad riffing seems to be concentrated within the first 30 minutes), but thankfully gets much better as it goes on. I wouldn't recommend this to someone new to MST3K (get Manos: the Hands of Fate and I Accuse My Parents first), but it's a real treat for MSTies.

Although MST3K would really hit its stride as far as pacing, themes, sets, cast chemistry and joke writing in season 2, this is one of the best episodes from season 1 and it's the only one you can buy on DVD at the time of this writing. The jokes run a wide range of topics from the absurdity of an animated severed hand to the acting ability of Alan Hale, Jr. Although the humor is not as dense as in some later episodes like Cave Dwellers or Pod People, there is still no shortage of humor tossed at this B grade science fiction/horror film. If you love MST3K, you'll want to see this early gem.

I am a huge fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000, but I was disappointed with "The Crawling Hand". At first I thought it was really cute because this episode was taken from the first season, so it was interesting to see the really corny sets and even cornier special effects. However, as I watched the episode more, the more bored I became. Granted, "The Crawling Hand" is not the most exciting movie to watch, but it just didn't seem as though Joel and the bots were as funny. Tom Servo had a completely different voice and Dr. Forrester had a different assistant.

I know that this episode is a part of MST3K history and for that I give it respect, but I personally just could not get into this episode. I would suggest it, though, to other fans of the series so they can make their own decisions about it. Like I said, since it's one of the first episodes, it should be watched, but don't expect to be rolling on the floor laughing very much.

I've loved MST3K ever since I rented Pod People- thinking it was about a fuzzy alf-like alien (I was 12 at the time)- and laughed myself into tears.

That having been said, I've been raised on a Murphy servo. When Servo said 'Hey there Joel' during the opening credits of The Crawling Hand, I nearly fell out of my chair in shock. I'm also used to Mike, and prefer him to Joel, but it doesn't make a huge difference. Still, half the movie I was thinking to myself "Murphy's servo is so much better", and "Mike would have put more feeling into that riff."

Servo here does indeed sound like he's on the verge of a coma, and the timing is very off. The sets are cheap, Joel and the 'bots seem unenthused, but this video is a little slice of history. I won't bother telling you the plot, as others already have.

This would have gotten a three, but the historical value of this episode warrents an extra star. The Shatner sketch and a riff involving 'smoking' are great tidbits. Definately buy it if you're a fan, but if you're new to the show, start with 'Pod People' or 'Manos'.

The Crawling Hand(1963) is dated, sci-fi/horror trash at its best. An astronaut runs out of oxygen and is killed when his spaceship blows up! Debris from the ship lands on a beach and a teenage kid keeps parts of it. The astronaut's severed hand and the teenage kid are infected by a space virus that motivates people to kill! A sheriff(Alan Hale Jr.) and two FBI agents try to control the situation. The FBI agents may have been prototypes for Mulder and Scully on The X-Files. Sirry Steffen plays the teenage kid's sexy, Nordic girlfriend. The teenage kid looks like a raccoon or Sid Vicious with black make up around his eyes!
The Crawling Hand is cheesy, but it's more fun than some of today's CGI-driven, boom fiestas from Hollywood. During the first season of Mystery Science Theater 3000, they were still struggling to refine the show, but their hearts were in the right place. Josh Weinstein was the voice of Tom Servo and he played Dr. Forrester's lackey, Dr. Erhardt. Weinstein left the show; Kevin Murphy played Tom Servo for the rest of the show and Frank Conniff played TV's Frank. Dr. Forrester also dropped his fake British accent by season two. The out of print Rhino DVD had the MST-ied version of The Crawling Hand and the original, uncut version.

Ahhhh, the first season of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" -- cheap sets, weird inventions, slightly green silhouettes, and a comic rhythm that hadn't quite settled into place. One good example is "Mystery Science Theater 3000 - The Crawling Hand," an early episode that roundly spoofs a hysterically bad sci-fi movie about... well, a crawling hand.

You know the drill: Joel, Dr. Laurence Erhardt and evil Dr. Forrester do a spirited "invention exchange" (and Joel actually psychs out his "two evil overlords"). Then Joel and the robots head into the theater to watch "The Crawling Hand."

The plot is simple: a moon expedition goes horribly awry, and the people in charge are forced to blow up the rocketship before it can land... apparently because the astronaut has become afflicted with excessive eye makeup. OOH, sinister.

However, the explosion flings his arm down to a California beach, and from there it attacks and strangles various townspeople nearby (no, we never find out WHY). It also infects a young man (Peter Breck) who becomes possessed by an extraterrestrial... thingy, and goes on a strangling spree that somehow fails to kill ANYBODY. Least. Effective. Space Threat. Ever.

"The Crawling Hand" is really a deliciously bad old movie, and prime fodder for the Mystery Science Theater guys. You've got stupid ideas (a disembodied HAND THAT KILLS?), scientific impossibilities (space germs that KILL!), really long boring stretches of talking, a low budget (alien possession is depicted as looking like goth-rocker), and a really bad lead actor who either acts like a zombie or a sixth-rate James Dean clone.

But it's worth noting that this isn't exactly the best episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" -- it's funny and has lots of great lines ("That hand. Can't eat, can't sleep, all I do is think about it!"), and it's obvious there was lots of fun being had by the guys. But it's not quite the BEST stuff these guys turned out. The one-liners aren't as deliciously zingy as their later work, and Josh Weinstein's Tom Servo just... eh, he just isn't quite as funny, and that DEEEEEEEEP voice is offputting.

"The Creeping Hand" is a truly wretched sci-fi flick, and the MST3K guys obviously had lots of fun tap-dancing on its many flaws even though their comic talents hadn't quite flowered yet.

There is an incredible divergence of styles in this.....On the one hand (unintentional), the total lack of presence and being of Alan Hale Jr. as he blunders through another character. Take a 180 and you're face to face with the over the top, shirt partially unbuttoned, arms flailing wildly for no apparent reason method and style of Peter Breck. It's a wonder he took the time to smoke....

Smack in betwixt is a male lead who seems incapable of getting really excited about anything....A disengaged hand, a scantily-clad girlfriend on the beach....this guy is asleep at the wheel.

Too funny for words. That part where Syd Saylor as the soda jerk, just has me on floor, everytime. " No dancing, not allowed." " No rats, not allowed." Ha ha Hee Hee Ho!!