[ Post a Response | EVEN DeepER Blurting! ]
Posted by Kenneth Morgan
on 10/27/2008, 9:37 pm, in reply to "DBNS Extra: Encyclopedia "Titantic"-a (Pt. 1)"
Okay, that’s the prelims. Here’s the main event.
On Saturday evening, I got a ride on the hotel’s courtesy shuttle to the State Theater, along with some friendly Canadian tourists on their way to see Cheech & Chong at the nearby Pantages Theater. I arrived early, so I didn’t have to rush to my seat. I stopped by a table in the lobby and bought a CT DVD (“Doomsday Machine”, recently reviewed for DBNS). I saw the tour dates listed on the CT T-shirts available and told the young lady at the table that, having come all the way from New Jersey, I’d have been a bit annoyed if they were doing a show in the Tri-State area soon; that got a chuckle. (No shows in that area, by the way.) Unfortunately, buying the DVD left me a bit short of cash, since I might need cab fare, so I couldn’t go to the refreshment counter (which also sold alcohol, which was a slight surprise).
The theater itself is an old-style movie palace that first opened in the 1920’s and has been fully restored. It’s pretty impressive, especially for those like me who are more used to the “black box” design of your average multiplex theater. I’d gone to the State Theater in 1994 for the ConventioCon I live show, so this was another revisit. There was no apparent ban on flash photography, so I got a couple of pictures of the stage and surrounding area (like the spot where Frank had the popcorn). I then put the camera away as the show started, since I didn’t want to distract the performers and/or get thrown out.
The show began with a brief warm-up routine by “Todd Carlin”, whom I later learned is in fact Dave “Gruber” Allen, of TFNWSRN regulars The Higgins Boys & Gruber. He was pretty funny, giving the audience a few rules to go observe, reading funny haikus (backed by J. Elvis/Josh on bass) and singing a fairly sharp song about clowns (a frequent target on MST3K). Then, JE/J (that saves some typing) complemented us on our attention spans, since we’d watch a show lasting two hours, and continue to follow it ten years after its cancellation. This led into a pretty funny bit about radio station KADD, “Your Favorite Parts of Your Favorite Songs”, which showcased JE/J’s considerable singing and impersonation skills. Afterwards, Frank arrived on stage and performed the theme for his proposed new Saturday morning cartoon show, “Convoluted Man”. Again, another funny routine. (Now, it’s my understanding that JE/J’s and Frank’s bits are both part of their stand-up act, so you may be able to find footage of them somewhere on the ‘Net.)
After a brief intermission, the show proper started, with the “Cinematic Titans” (JE/J, Frank, Mary Jo, Trace and Joel) taking the stage amidst widespread applause. After a quick intro from Joel, the cast took their places and the movie began. In this case, the movie was “Blood of the Vampires” (original title: “Ibulong Mo Sa Hangin”) a Philippine-made horror movie from 1966, and released in the U.S. by Hemisphere Pictures in 1971. Set apparently in Spain (or maybe the Philippines) in the late 1800’s, it’s about a highly-dysfunctional family dealing with lack of communication, parent/child conflict, and your standard vampire curse. There were also some ghostly appearances thrown in, as well as some heavy Roman Catholic imagery at the finish. And, oh dear, was this movie bad. How bad, you ask?
Let me put it this way: the family is portrayed as having several black household servants. The producers, in their dubious wisdom, didn’t hire black actors for these roles. Instead, they used Filipino actors in dark makeup. Now, I’d seen the movie several years ago on TV (haven’t seen it on since, though), so I knew what to expect, but from the reaction I heard, I think many in the audience didn’t know what they’d be seeing. I’m sure there was a fair amount of disbelief at the insensitivity of the filmmakers. (I’ve since seen some reviews praising the film for its atmosphere and acting, but I don’t agree.)
As for the riffing, the CT crew was utterly spot on, with very few clinkers and a lot of top-notch lines. Like when the name of director Gerardo de Leon appeared in the credits (“Didn’t he discover the Fountain of S**t?”), or when a female vampire falls towards the camera while being whipped (“I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeSade!”). There were also a lot of jokes regarding the “black” actors, like referring to three serving maids as The Jolsonettes or, upon seeing a perspiring servant, using the quip, “I’d better be careful not to sweat off my ethnicity.” They also threw in a Sarah Palin reference that may very well be thoroughly dated by late next week, as well as a few jabs at the Catholic Church (the latter made me a bit uncomfortable, but I’ll let them slide). They even had a couple of call-backs to MST3K, which I won’t spoil here. (Explanation in a moment.)
When the show ended, a table was set up in the lobby for autographs from the cast. As I’ve noted before, I tend to shy away from such things; I don’t want to bother them with my gawking, though by accounts they were quite gracious to the fans. In any case, I had an early flight the next day, so I called the hotel for a ride back and settled in for the night. And, the following day, high winds and snow flurries didn’t delay my departure and I returned home to the Garden State (of Confusion, to quote local radio host Jim Gearhart).
Now, you may wonder why I didn’t go into a whole lot of detail regarding some of the riffs, since this was pretty much a one-time thing. Well, first of all, I didn’t take notes. And, second, I have little doubt that “Blood of the Vampires” will soon be released as a new CT DVD, so I don’t want to spoil you. I’m sure I’ll pick it up if it is, if only to spot any differences between it and the live show. (Shades of the ConventioCon II live show and MST3K-TM.) In addition, I understand that there are still a couple of dates left on the tour, so you might be able to still catch it. Check on “Satellite News” for an update.
All in all, I had a good trip. There were a few problems (a crucial stop on the city’s light rail system was closed for repairs), but things turned out OK on balance. There are even a few things in the area I missed, giving me some options for a future visit. Of course, it’ll take a bit for me to pay off all the related expenses, but I figure it’s worth it.
So, that’s about it. Any ideas on where I can go next year?
CONTENT NOTE: As you could tell from a couple of items, the CT live show would probably rate a PG-13 for language. I’m not sure if that’ll carry over to any DVD version; I’ll let you know. The movie itself was rated GP (the predecessor of PG), most probably for adult situations and violence, and maybe for a stunning lack of taste, as well.
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