Product Details

• Actors: Joel Hodgson, Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, Kevin Murphy, Arch Hall Jr.
• Directors: Arch Hall Sr.
• Writers: Joel Hodgson, Arch Hall Sr., Bob Wehling, Frank Conniff, Mike Gandolfi
• Producers: Arch Hall Sr.
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Rhino / Wea
• VHS Release Date: August 26, 1997
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1566053455
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #204,953 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best episodes! WATCH OUT FOR SNAKES!, March 23, 2004

By 

Claude Avary "West Coast Reader" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Eegah (DVD)

This DVD from Rhino offers up one the most side-splitting, hilarious episodes of the legendary TV show "Mystery Science Theater 3000," in which they take on a 1962 caveman movie where an awful teen singer, his beehive hair-do girlfriend Roxy, and her fashion-impaired father go searching in the Palm Desert for a caveman named Eegah (played by 7'2" Richard Kiel, who would later plays Jaws in two James Bond films). The movie is horrible, but it'sm the perfect piece of stupidity for the MST3K writers and actors to take on, and the result is one of best episodes ever. This is the kind of episode that will make newcomers fall in love with this brilliant show.

And for those of you who are newcomers: "Mystery Science Theater 3000," (MST3K for short) it is a ninety-minute show featuring a silhouette of a man and two robots (Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot) in movie theater seats projected in front of a bad movie. The hosts provide hysterical, satiric, and culturally-savvy wisecracks to accompany the movie. The episodes also include sketches and songs and add up to some of the most hilarious comedy in television history.

"Eegah!" (what a title!) is from episode #506, during the last days of Joel Hodgson's run as the show's host (Mike Nelson took over in mid-season). The show was at the peak of its comedic genius, and "Eegah!" is one of the masterpieces of the Joel years. The film is utterly cheap, icky and gross, with some of the most repellent actors ever seen on screen...and Richard Kiel! (Bada-boom! Thank you, thank you, I'm here all week!) It ranks with "Manos: The Hands of Fate" for sheer unpleasantness. As Tom Servo says at one point: "I'm being punished for something, I know it. What did I do? I DIDN'T ASK TO SEE THIS MOVIE!"

So what the heck IS this oddly named, nasty little crumb of cummy cinema? "Eegah" was shot in the Palm Desert by Arch W. Hall, Sr., under the pseudonym Nicholas Merriwether. He also plays Mr. Miller, the adult lead, under the name William Watters. He cast his son, Arch Hall Jr., as the romantic teen lead, one of the worst casting choices in history. Kiel may play a big ugly caveman (with an obviously false beard), but Arch Hall Jr. is a pudgy, sun-burnt, gross, greasy, bleached-bond little creep. (In one sketch, Tom and Crow turn Joel in Arch Hall Jr. by giving him the look of a sun-burnt baby, inhuman play-dough colored skin, and mumpy cheeks.) Arch also `sings' a couple of awful tunes while strumming two chords on the guitar -- his dad apparently thought he was an up-and-coming rock star. When Eegah finally decks the kid, you'll cheer along with the MST3K boys as he hits the sand.

But there's so much else that's wonderful here (wonderfully bad, that is) that the hosts' wisecracks never let up: The sickening scene of Roxie shaving her father while singing, the generally wrong relationship between Roxy and her father (were they off-screen lovers?), Arch wandering through the desert endlessly screaming ROXIEEEEEEEE! ("Well, back to another day of whining,"), the dune buggy racing through the desert sands while Roxy screams "Wheeee!" (Tom's comment: "Stop saying `wheee!' Nobody says `wheee!'"), Eegah's minor rampage in Palm Springs, and the classic line that suddenly comes out of nowhere, with nobody on screen seeming to speak it: "Watch out for snakes!" This became an MST3K running gag in many later episodes.

This DVD is a laugh riot, and an essential Joel episode. Tom, Crow, and Joel have rarely been so funny and so sharp while watching a film. It's one of the classics, hysterical from beginning to end, with funny host segments as well. It feels like plunking down on the couch and watching a film with your best buddies; I think that's the main charm of the Joel years of the show.

The Un-cut, un-MST3Ked version of the film is available on the same side as the MST3K episode; I don't recommend watching the film without the MST3K boys -- you'll suffer brain damage. However, this DVD has an interesting extra that shows up on none of the other Rhino MST3K DVDs. You can switch on an option that makes an icon of Crow appear in the corner of the screen during the MST3K version to indicate a place where a scene was cut from the original. If you hit the ENTER key on the DVD remote when the icon is on screen, you'll be branched out to the cut scene, and then returned to the MST3K version when it's over. A very clever feature, and I wish Rhino had taken more creative approaches like this with their other MST3K DVDs.

So, "Watch out for Snakes"...and watch this episode! Newcomer, or old fan, you'll be on the floor laughing (when you aren't averting your eyes from the horror that IS... ARCH HALL JR.!)

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MST3K 2 for one!, May 1, 2000

By 

Timothy E. Jones (Phila., PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Eegah (DVD)

I just received my MST3K EEGAH tape in the mail and lookedthrough it, and I got WA-AY more than I bargained for! The DVDversion has not only a crystal clear MST3K version of the movie BUT the full length unMSTied version as well for the MST-it-yourselfers like me!

It is a great bargain for TWO versions of the movies, I only hope they do all of the episodes on DVD now.

As for the central movie itself, EEGAH! Evolves around this caveman who is found along the side of the road, and this teenaged girl comes across him. After the girl tells her father about him, daddy goes a huntin' for EEGAH to study him (as he is some sort of an anthropologist), but vanishes. The girl (Roxy) and her boyfriend search for daddy, where Roxy is now kidnapped, EEGAH wants to do the nasty with Roxy, Roxy escapes, EEGAH tracks them to this pool side party, he tries to take Roxy back, but is fatally shot and puts the pool to good use.

P.S.: Watch out for the snakes and the Cabbage Patch Elvis!

The original full length movie is 90min long

The MSTied version (with all of the host segments) is 92min long

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hell works better when it's subtle, November 29, 2001

By 

Andrew S. Rogers (Stamford, Connecticut) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mystery Science Theater 3000: Eegah [VHS] (VHS Tape)

As Joel Robinson points out in one of this episode's host segments, Hell is most insidious and destructive when its effects are sneaky and subtle. 'Eegah!' is a lot like that.

MSTed-movie veteran Richard Kiel returns as the eponymous caveman, who wanders into town in search of the lovely Roxy, whom he had previously kidnapped and briefly held hostage along with her boyfriend and father. Creepy romance is afoot (especially when you realize that Roxy's father and boyfriend are played by Arch Hall Senior and Junior, respectively), along with strange pool parties, strange dune-buggy races, and strange songs sung by Arch Junior. In all, it's just a strange, and kind of icky, movie.

Fortunately, Joel and The Bots are there to lead America back from the foaming mouth of the abyss. Thank you. Thank you. The host segments here are good ones (I've always liked the porkerina), but where J&TB really shine is in the theater, where they spare no effort to give this flick the riffing it deserves.

In all, this is a great addition to any MSTie's shelf.