MST3k 814 - Riding with Death

[@KynMites]

Torrence to long beach is a 23 minute drive if anyone is curious. They have 13 hours to drive 15 miles.

[@Rasafrag]

I just looked that up too! How long have we, as a fanbase, been rewatching this episode? Hilarious!

[@ILjXYZ]

But what about when you can't get it out of 1st gear?

[@jfeldman425]

True but the highway was limited to 55 then.

[@blueseanomad7435]

That riff always confused me, but then again they never explained the joke

[@Cyraxior]

It's like the Ron White bit: "I was booked on a flight from Beaumont to Houston because my manager doesn't own a globe."

[@chocolatestraw3971]

I had a t-shirt that said, "As Elusive As Robert Denby." A kid bagging my groceries asked me, "Who's Robert Denby?" "Exactly," I said as I took my bags and left.

[@thedativecase9733]

Excellent! A worthy MST3K riposte!

[@Kur10usity]

I WANT THAT TSHIRT TOO!!

[@HersheyHemi]

That shirt would be elusive as well!

[@ScottishLeo]

That's awesome 🤣🤣

[@ethzero]

Robert Denby approves, in absentia.

[@ExhaustedElox]

I couldn't watch this movie. As soon as I started it, I saw my glasses were dirty. By the time I was done, the movie was over.

[@beaueveslage3676]

There can be no better comment on this movie. 🏆

[@tom3fitzgerald]

I'm on the air

[@ndhulse]

@@tom3fitzgerald likes on this comment are as elusive as Robert Denby

[@TheKrensada]

The hell is on these things?!

[@Axess-sv8nq]

Squeak, squeak, squeak. Dammit! I need some industrial strength glass cleaner!

[@MichaelB-jw5po]

"Sam, I'm blown to bits but I've got to finish these patent papers"

[@drewgeraci8434]

He has an unhealthy attachment to his patent papers and glasses!

[@BS-nw1qr]

"My race is pacifist and doesnt believe in war. We kill only out of personal spite" is the best damn joke of the episode.

[@JamaicanCastle]

One of MST3K's finest lines, period.

[@Azmina_the_warlock]

Brain Guy is great lol

[@ravinraven6913]

some people used to be easily amused, some of those people are still amused over anything, how simple people used to be

[@williehaller5840]

@@ravinraven6913 how old are you

[@Vaseholly]

I thought I head that right 😂😂😂

[@Andy-tw1lk]

Best thing about rewatching this movie, I get to meet Ben Murphy all over again.

[@chimpinaneckbrace]

Start seeing Ben Murphys.

[@foxbutterfly-eden8715]

This was the very first mst3k I ever saw. Changed my life

[@CreepyPersonCube.]

You probably started off thinking that Mike was some kind of unbridled lunatic considering the first two segments revolve him having a psychotic break, rather than the everyman embodiment of all that is Midwest.

[@karatepopsicle]

This is one of my favorite episodes of Mst3k.

[@graemesmith6721]

This is two episodes of a failed TV show (Gemini Man) that have been clumsily edited together into a movie for syndication. It includes a flashback to the original pilot episode, in which Driscoll was played by Richard Dysart, which is why his name appears in the opening credits. In the regular series, Driscoll was played by William Sylvester, who also played Dr. Heywood Floyd in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The first episode (originally titled "Smithereens") features some familiar faces, among them Andrew Prine ("The Centerfold Girls," "Simon, King of Witches," "The Eliminators," "Grizzly," and the first "Wonder Woman" TV movie) and Alan Oppenheimer ("Westworld," "The Six Million Dollar Man," and "Trancers 4"), and a plot recycled from "The Wages of Fear" (which would be remade a year later by William Friedkin as "Sorcerer." The second episode (originally titled "Buffalo Bill Rides Again") features veteran TV character actor Ed Nelson as the elusive Robert Denby. Country singer Jim Stafford plays Buffalo Bill in both episodes. There is also footage from the movie "Colossus: The Forbin Project" and an earlier failed TV show about an invisible secret agent called "The Invisible Man" starring David McCallum spliced in at various points.

[@timthewarlord2304]

I thought this felt more like a TV show that a movie

[@RettMikhal]

I'm glad this is why I felt so lost on why the movie wrapped up at 59 minutes.

[@tysontaggart7246]

The fact that Buffalo is a real singer blows my mind.

[@graemesmith6721]

@@tysontaggart7246 Oh yes, he wrote and performed many novelty songs, the best known probably being "Spiders and Snakes." He also had a six-episode prime-time summer variety series back in the '70s.

[@holdingpattern245]

It does contain many elements of 'Wages of Fear,' but they're strangely shuffled around. Even more strangely, there are no hijackers in 'Wages of Fear,' but there are hijackers in 'Sorcerer,' which came out shortly after the Gemini Man episode's original airdate.

[@WilliamRWarrenJr]

It's the _little_ touches that make me laugh most ... like William Sylvester cleaning his glasses and somebody on the SOL squeaking.

[@dougjb7848]

They were *very* dirty.

[@KaladinVegapunk]

Haha they may have perfected their style with rifftrax and made stuff 1000 times funnier and less disjointed, but these classics crack me up just as much 20 years later, mike and bill are legends

[@marctronixx]

10:22 did it for me! LOL

[@burgundyyears]

@@dougjb7848 They're still filthy!

[@joabrhooke]

I had a day off and just wanted to drop in here and mellow out with some MST3K. Yep, everything is cool and no one's getting uptight or having any hang-ups. No baggage here. I just gonna hang in there and do my thing. That's what being Ben Murphy is all about.

[@A-small-amount-of-peas]

Joab Hooke TURKEY!!!!!

[@ProjectRedfoot]

Right-on, man. Solid gold

[@zomg1337h4x]

Hope you're still mellow, friend.

[@GrixieKong]

Ten-four, partner. You do your thing. I’ll do mine. It’s all copacetic!

[@gusbuckingham6663]

I was being so mellow I didn't realize two years had passed since this comment was made. Right on.

[@thejamnasium6447]

"Peter Fonda IS Richard Petty in 'The Marcel Marceau Story" is an all time genius riff

[@SFGiantsfan_in_NC]

Mime humor never disappoints

[@paulmarr7873]

Top 10 all time for me, so good.

[@ryanwiseman9141]

I watched this one about 20ish times, that and the filthy glasses bit, always kick my ass

[@richardschaffer8740]

Can you explain it to me?

[@thejamnasium6447]

@@richardschaffer8740 the guy doing the bad pretend-wrestling with an invisible man looks like former NASCAR driver and hall of famer Richard Petty. he ALSO looks like the actor Peter Fonda from Easy Rider, son of Henry Fonda. and Marcel Marceau is the most famous mime of all time, because it looks like the guy is doing a mime act.

[@bibfortuna298]

1:23:30 "HURRY THE TIME IS INCREASING" I spit my drink out

[@RanMouri82]

I love how Buffalo Bill is actually helpful in the first episode--er, movie half--but spends the latter half with sudden losses to his intelligence, fighting skills, and ability to function like a normal human.

[@electricbayonet2]

I'm still baffled as to why they even used Buffalo Bill for a second time at all. I know the awful ADR about how this is his last route as a trucker before going into stockcar racing was meant to justify why he had switched professions when only a month had elapsed between the first and second episodes (sorry, I meant to say 'halves of the film'). But if this had actually been made into a TV show...what on Earth is the justification for using Buffalo Bill for what may as well be a completely different character? It's like you say: he loses basically all the strengths he exhibited in the first half of the film, and the only holdovers of actual character are 'likes singing' and 'knows how to drive.' Even if Sam really needed to get into Denby's crew, he wound up getting one of the least-skilled jobs among them (pumping gas), so...why would he need Buffalo Bill's support to get such a low-tier job? And even THAT was pointless because HE CAN TURN GODDAMN INVISIBLE. WHY DOES HE NEED A COVER JOB TO SNEAK AROUND WHEN HE COULD JUST TURN INVISIBLE THIS MOVIE IS LIKE AN ONION OF LAYERED INCOMPETENCE

[@RanMouri82]

@Robert Jindra Good question! They called the device a DNA stabilizer, but its only apparent function was to make him visible. Once he recovered from the satellite explosion he was fine.

[@LTPottenger]

I think it's mandatory that tv shows all white southerners as having sub 80 IQ, pretty sure it's in the constitution.

[@JamaicanCastle]

@@RanMouri82 I think in the TV show they said that if he was invisible too long (15 minutes?) he would die. But then they forgot to mention that in the "movie".

[@RanMouri82]

@@JamaicanCastle Guess it wasn't important enough for the backstory database.

[@sertorrhenclegane]

"My race is pacifist and does not believe in war. We only kill out of personal spite." I love you, Brain Guy.

[@ProjectRedfoot]

That should be on our Bill of Rights

[@specialpatrolgroup92]

"Nobody ever made it goin' over 30! What's your speed?" "170, is that a problem?"

[@CycolacFan]

No truck ever had a 150mph speedometer 😄

[@henrygoodbar9477]

Not never?!

[@CycolacFan]

@@henrygoodbar9477 maybe not never but highly unlikely when most would do just about 100mph in perfect conditions.

[@williammatthews693]

No it shouldn't be a problem. You'll be fine.

[@MkeKen67]

@@CycolacFan - I was thinking that, too. Would make more sense if it was kilometers per hour.

[@SteelyBud]

This film left an indelible mark on America's vocabulary. I remember when Osama bin Laden was killed, the sub-headline of the Daily News read, "For 10 Years, bin Laden Was Elusive As Robert Denby."

[@pronkb000]

I remember President Obama's historic announcement: "It can't beeee? He's DEEEEEAD?"

[@SteelyBud]

HAHA! That made literally LOL.

[@rafaeltrivino1790]

In can't be you're invisible.

[@Laceykat66]

LOL !!! That is the best thing I have read all week. Way to go Captain.

[@quester09]

Captain Bud Sturguess if only they'd added "Mitchell!!!"

[@MarkLipka]

"My patent papers are at a slight angle, Sam. What's going on?"

[@mayhaps1]

"How do you spell patent?"

[@GrixieKong]

SAM, my patent papers are wondering why we've stopped!

[@joeyoconnor4476]

can i have money 4 a hot dog? lmao

[@greedyd5524]

Mark Lipka 10 million dollars,Mark. 10 mill

[@mattszegda]

Stop bothering me!

[@myfavoritecolorisrage]

Fun fact, air brakes lock if you cut the brake line.

[@Igarappappa]

That's handy.

[@LeadSurge3000]

*Wait, are you suggesting that the geniuses who wrote this ALSO didn't jack about trucks?*

[@upscaleshack]

When someone starts a statement with "Fun fact" you can be certain the fact that follows is not fun.

[@andrewgeraci8798]

Didn't know that!

[@garydonnelly5030]

Actuators.

[@SNESdrunk]

"Boy I sure hope it never stops being the 70s or we'll all be in trouble"

[@frankrohr41]

Cool to know you watch mst3k , Mr.Drunk, considering I frequent your channel as well :) It totally makes sense

[@sporedoutofmymind]

I hope you have a great rest of your day

[@gsxerwhite]

I wish I get married to my new boyfriend Sam Casey

[@joelpaprocki85]

SNES drunk! Fancy seeing you here!

[@RIVALContentJammerz]

I get Wolverine. You can be Dazzler.

[@dpr424]

"Sam, I'm blown to several thousand bits but I've got to finish these patent papers."

[@GenY42]

"Sam, don't come back here, I'm, uh, doing naked burpees"

[@brockshelves5288]

"Based on a novel by H.G. Wells." Yeah, my favorite part of "The Invisible Man" is all the stock car racing. And, who could forget H.G. Wells' incredible femme fatale, Cupcake.

[@kendromeda42]

And his most elusive antagonist: Robert Denby

[@andrewfrankovic6821]

@@kendromeda42 alias . . . Jack the ripper.

[@AdamWestish]

I read a bit of Wells, and somehow I don't remember any of this...

[@andrewfrankovic6821]

@@AdamWestish Memory loss is a side effect of time travel. Wells may have forgot to mention that. I thought Republicans had Muslimism banned in Texas.

[@mattpedone6649]

And his bizarre obsession with turkeys.

[@MikeJMcAllister]

I was 10 or 11 when this aired and I taped it. I watched it several times. Now I rewatch it as an adult, and my jaw hits the floor when I finally get the riff “The Matthew Broderick Story.” So dark and I love it for that. I love when that happens with MST. It shows how well it plays to all ages.

[@satyr1968]

13:04 As a lifelong wearer of glasses, I gotta say, it often takes this long to get them streak-free.

[@williehaller5840]

I was thinking the same thing lol

[@kftc88]

I would give everything I own for Kevin Murphy to release a CD of his historical decade songs.

[@minxstole93]

And Mike should have a track singing like a hick about how America is for Americans and sending all the Indians back to Africa! 😂

[@winonafrog]

YES! So endearing, so catchy.

[@analogkid01]

Ahh, but the irony is that Driscoll *thought* he witnessed Denby stealing national secrets, when it was in fact just a smudge on his glasses. So the story came full-circle, the glasses being a metaphor for the endless futility of life itself.

[@gsxerwhite]

He wasn’t as elusive as Sam

[@bobn2056]

He's so elusive!

[@kokosnood]

"Smudge on the lens?" Rick and Morty :)

[@caliscribe2120]

"Smudge on the lens" would be just the kind of fake alibi that Robert Denby would use.

[@Amerikaner25]

"my race is pacifist and does not believe in war, we only kill out of personal spite"

[@sgtbaker2072]

One of my all time fav lines.

[@janetlieb2507]

Brain guy is a cute nursie!!!!.❤

[@alexdionisos]

Bill Corbett's delivery cracks me up every time I hear it

[@JamaicanCastle]

@@alexdionisos The way he glares at the camera/Mike and the bots when he says it. Hasn't forgotten who blew up his planet!

[@johnnycats5157]

"Just between you and me, my glasses are filthy" still makes me cry with laughter.

[@GenY42]

"Man, I could just *hear* the filth on his glasses"

[@notinspectorgadget]

"What is _on_ these things?"

[@37view37]

Really good episode. Tom’s songs about the ‘70s and ‘50s are hilarious - one of my favorite MST host segments. Kevin Murphy is the BEST comedic singer in or out of Intersect.

[@gsxerwhite]

It’s my favorite decade

[@docholliday1112]

As long as he's got his C.B. he's on there, I said he's on there

[@noahkarpinski1824]

If that's still the case, after they finished MST3K, the guys went on to create a new series called Rifftrax, where Kevin Murphy makes music to this day The newest one to be put on KZbin was just yesterday kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZ7cepaQe9aje80

[@FeralPatrick]

My dream is a duet between Kevin Murphy and John Castelinetta. Imagine the exquisite harmonies of Homer and Servo. And if Tom's got that trucker bod... Chef's kiss!

[@winonafrog]

Really superb, I need an EP of them

[@SoCalledSpaceAge]

Man I've been looking for this episode on the internet forever. IT'S AS ELUSIVE AS ROBERT DENBY.

[@winonafrog]

Lucky for you, I’m Denby’s main man

[@pronkb000]

@@winonafrogYou LIKE Robert Denby?!

[@winonafrog]

@@pronkb000 53:02 ok im catching up, keeping mellow… 55:58 and we got there-yep, im his main man

[@RainshadowDesert]

"Were they Butterballs?" I laughed for like twenty minutes at this for some reason...I don't even think it's the best joke in the movie but I just could not stop...

[@AsYourCruiseDirector]

"Day 3 of his 40-mile trip."

[@andrewgeraci8798]

That made no sense, unless the exploding liquid could only be lugged at a careful 40 mph.

[@williamtecumsehsherman9447]

"My oft-complimented Peterbilt is rhythmically nudging your sweet honeypot"

[@passiveincomeproject3901]

CROW!

[@undoneonion90]

🤢Crow!

[@ericcantwell5582]

So this movie is about a truck driver with invisible powers who is hauling a water jug of explosive Yoohoo. His boss is sort of chasing him in a helicopter while doing his paperwork, so he hooks up with racecar driver that sings country songs at bars on weekends. Wow, now that is a great plot.

[@65willb]

Eric Cantwell It was supposed to be 13 episodes of a TV show called “Gemini Man” ...but the network rejected the show, so to recover the expenses of filming it, they edited it and crammed the episodes into a movie and released it.

[@iaincowell9747]

@@65willb It was actually 11 episodes & 2 hour pilot. It wasn't rejected by the network, it was cancelled after 5 episodes were shown.

[@ladymsthing6056]

Eric Cantwell no, it was smurf pee.

[@rockhopper01]

Eric Cantwell pfft, this plot is so over done.

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

@@65willb Seems the 2019 movie of the same name didn't fair much better!

[@ericcantwell5582]

Science meets country music, truck driving, and race cars. This is a bold movie.

[@Laceykat66]

Yep, years ahead of its time.

[@jamesnoble8205]

It's very Burt Reynolds-esque

[@ericcantwell5582]

@@Laceykat66 Ha ha ha, YES!

[@JonathanRobertAlexander]

"Is it bold? Heck yes, it's bold!"

[@JamaicanCastle]

@@JonathanRobertAlexander How 'bout it Clay, is it bold?

[@beavobeave]

"This can't BEEE, You'RE deAD!" Mike: "No I'M nOT!

[@DiggitySlice]

I think someone put some question marks in the script that didn't belong.

[@daffers2345]

Buffalo Bill's stupid whooping IS funny, but I always thought that this line would have been way better for the "kicker" at the end. It's just so weird! XD

[@gabrielboorom9778]

beavobeave In hindsight, I'm so glad they didn't cut that take so the actor could do his line right.

[@MkeKen67]

@@gabrielboorom9778 - I agree. That line reading is perfect for this "movie."

[@Mrsthallium]

"Now THERE'S an interesting line read."

[@angbandsbane]

So, apparently Dr. Hale went on to have a slightly more dignified villain career as the original Skeletor. (Curse you, Ben Murphy! Nyaaa!)

[@nathanbarger3449]

He also played the mayor on Mama's family too.

[@AlsoMeowskivich]

after about 50 minutes, I've lost the plot with no hope of finding it again.

[@analogkid01]

+Imageflexion Cartoons Well that's about the time the second epis--errr, the second *half of the movie* starts.

[@MrBigcityal]

+Imageflexion Cartoons It was funny or weird that Mike and the bots didn't reference this at all.

[@stirnersretrowave5094]

And yet the plot still isn't nearly as elusive as Robert Denby.

[@lindah3954]

This might help : Deuterium is one of two stable isotopes of hydrogen. The nucleus of deuterium, called a deuteron, contains one proton and one neutron, whereas the far more common protium has no neutron in the nucleus.

[@treerat7631]

That because it is chopped from two tv espoibdes

[@williammatthews693]

"I have become death: destroyer of portable radios." I love it when MST3K forces the audience to remember something from their education and not just pop culture references, though those are fun too.

[@analogkid01]

Well...to be honest, I only knew of that quote because of The Hunt for Red October.

[@williammatthews693]

@@analogkid01 You got me there!

[@cm9241]

You don't think that Bhagavad Gita quote is in the popular culture? I am become death is parodied constantly.

[@d.s.parentsr6502]

Does this movie ever end?! I feel like I've binge-watched an entire season of "Riding with Death."

[@cabooseresurrected5183]

More like a made-for-TV movie.

[@winonafrog]

Seriously 😹 the movie ends at 52 minutes then theyre just killing time

[@othertalk3313]

I wouldn't be surprised if this really was produced as 2 episodes of a TV series originally, and then it got rejected by the networks (obviously) so they just smooshed the episodes together for a movie. It introduces so much nonsense that goes nowhere, and way too many unnecessary characters, which would only make sense if they thought this was going to be a series. Edit: I guess I should've read some more comments first... this really was 2 episodes of the TV series Gemini Man (cancelled after half a season). Bonus quote from an iMDB review: "The best episode was 'Minotaur' that had a huge killer robot patrolling a vast complex. It was the creation of a mad scientist upset about something." 😏

[@winonafrog]

@@othertalk3313 smooshed

[@quester09]

🎼🎶do you remember the 50s, when Emperor Claudius died...🎶

[@jengasias]

😂sing it!!

[@JamesofLinHood]

The "New England Journalists" bit gets me every time. 😂🤣

[@jrny20]

Who needs Thanos or Galactus? They should get Mike Nelson, he is the true destroyer of worlds!

[@TheBonkleFox]

Thanos needs the infinity stones to destroy planets, yet all mike needs is baking soda and vinegar.

[@ZodiarkBlade]

BRING ME MIKE!!!!!!!

[@corechil]

This script went through some more rewrites, was animated, and became Cars 2.

[@toolguyslayer1]

That was so anal retentive that I had to laugh LMFAO just for the record I'm laughing with you not at you LOL

[@kylestubbs8867]

Which, if you can forgive the massive genre shift, wasn't _too_ bad a movie.

[@c.c.gamerz2802]

Lol.. yep.. thats hilarious 🤣

[@disneyboy3030]

@@kylestubbs8867 which movie you are referring too.

[@kylestubbs8867]

Disney Boy You heard me. I don’t think Cars 2 was terrible. Nothing I’d nominate for an Oscar, granted, but okay for a casual viewing.

[@makim-k5850]

This is by far my favorite mst3k episode.

[@undoneonion90]

Sam, I'm blown to several thousand bits, but I've got to finish these patent papers!

[@Insanalyst]

Robert Jindra I almost sprayed tea out of my nose.

[@MAXBLAYLOCK]

Every guy wanted to be Ben Murphy and every girl wanted to be Ben Murphy as well. He was just that cool.

[@troywright359]

43:45, girls didn't want to breastfeed jars of explosive?

[@MrRyan-wu4jx]

His coolness inadvertently invented transgenderism.

[@RanMouri82]

​@@troywright359 No, we just didn't feel like interior decorating the back of the truck. Tough to get genuine Amish quilts!

[@limalepakko6074]

I’m a girl and I kinda want to be him. Those biceps, man

[@dougjb7848]

And he knew how to chase off the turkeys.

[@samuelstephens6163]

Servo's Song About the 70's is lit.

[@janetlieb2507]

Love the vesuvius song!!!!!!!❤tom you rock!!❤🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋

[@gsxerwhite]

@@janetlieb2507 Vesuvius blew her top OWWWWW!!!

[@maxrockatansky1271]

Rock it you turkey!

[@rickyrehbein9241]

Tom Servo's song about the 70s made me laugh so hard I hurt my stomach.

[@tagginos]

Somewhere, William Sylvester is STILL cleaning his glasses.

[@DemstarAus]

*squork* *skweeer* *squik* *squik* *skweeork*

[@jpl3k]

As seen in MST3K 909 "Gorgo"

[@wadecarmen7501]

Let's play the William Sylvester Trivia Game!

[@wadecarmen7501]

Gorgo and Mormo.

[@rebekahgribble8808]

So true!

[@giraffemonsoon]

My favorite all-time greatest episode. Riding With Death is the perfect one to introduce the show to a new viewer. Even if they under the age of 30.

[@KaladinVegapunk]

Hahaha idk man, space mutiny, future war.. there's a lot of classics Basically all mid-late Mike era I know super fans like joel but he's like sooo dry and not as funny as Mike is, and the movies were still waaay too dull to really save, and new viewers are almost always put off in my experience since the early 2000s showing it to people They definitely figured out the best blend of having movies with good material to work with in addition to the bits by RWD Although I'd say Rifftrax is the best to show people for the format haha, they've perfected it Btw no matter how many times I see this it still cracks me up how blatant the ADR is forcing in the lines here about part 2, the racing and Robert Denby hahaha, they don't even try to match the audio, it's so obvious Let's take two unrelated episodes of a failed show and jam together a movie

[@lookbovine]

Teen-age Crime Wave is the BEST introductory episode.

[@BryonYoungblood]

@TheDirtdirt The movie was my first real experience in MST3K for sure :)

[@whoohaaXL]

@@KaladinVegapunk honestly the only Joel episode that I like is mitchell. I mean when they do the Johnny Mathis bit? Along with the "hey you! Yes? Gunfire! Oh"! Yeah that's pure gold but I think Mike was way way Whittier and even Joel said so himself that if he was to find a replacement Mike would be his first choice because he was head writer even when Joel was in the show. I like them both but I will say I like Mike a bit better. ;-)

[@mikezylstra7514]

@@lookbovine I Accuse My Parents is best. You gotta start soft.

[@Mrsthallium]

My new smartwatch came in today and I was severely disappointed that it didn't not, in fact, come equiped with the Riding with Death invisibility app.

[@thedativecase9733]

Hey send it back. :)

[@RaoulDuke77]

This will forever be my favorite MST3K episode, there's just something about it that gets me laughing every time. Also, leave Robert Denby alone!

[@RaoulDuke77]

Absolutely, another great old episode.

[@rri12]

William Sylvester is three time offender. He was also in Gorgo.

[@LordPyro25]

Is Robert Denby really that elusive if he appeared in two other movies? ;P

[@Drforrester31]

There's something about the riffing that perfectly meshes with the goofy tone of the movie. Every aspect of Riding With Death gets ridiculed, the movie, the actors and the era it was made

[@kevindouglas5333]

You like Robert Denby?

[@jerzychris78]

I found a video where a fan meets Dr Hale (Alan Oppenheimer, who went on to do lots of voice work, including "The Neverending Story") at a convention. He makes him sign a ton of stuff, including a copy of this "movie". He was completely unaware of MST3K. He also makes him say "patent papers", and talks about being confused with Gavin McLoed.

[@MrWolfTickets]

Please post a link, that sounds awesome

[@whoohaaXL]

And he's actually the third cousin of Robert Oppenheimer!

[@Firguy_the_Foot_Fetishist]

At the time of this writing: Alan Oppenheimer is 91 years old.

[@pronkb000]

@@Firguy_the_Foot_Fetishist And still doing voice work! He was the original voice of Skeletor and had a role on the Kevin Smith He-Man revival as well.

[@yaywhewclips242]

Was an actual TV show "GEMINI MAN" circa 1978. It was on NBC only 13 eps, I watched it & liked it (I was 12.)

[@treerat7631]

So they chopped too make this

[@dndboy13]

This film is set in a timeline where the 80s was just an extension of the 70s. Keep on Truckin, turkey

[@kenetickups6146]

dndboy13 sounds like a horrible tl

[@meeklet]

For those of us whose formative years were in the early to mid 80s, this is in fact largely true, due to daytime (and sometimes evening) reruns of 70s prime-time during the summer and holidays.

[@AngelCintiaRockgirl]

Yeah, sometimes I miss it.

[@MarkLipka]

This is my #1 favorite episode of all.

[@analogkid01]

Not a bad choice, it's some episode.

[@MarkLipka]

+analogkid01 - yep, and Abby's some gal.

[@Retired_Gentleman]

I want my cupcake.

[@jennifermc809]

Mark Lipka if you like this one, you'll love Legend of Boggy Creek and Squirm. They are my faves and I they make me double over laughing.

[@aykfc]

Jennifer McHan I saw the little creature.

[@Somebronysomewhere]

Credit where it's due, the musical noodling that opens Riding with Death is actually kinda catchy.

[@winonafrog]

1:26:15 〰️〰️

[@charleslaughton8092]

RIP Clu Gulager 1928-2022

[@knownfact4905]

But San Francisco International will always be with us

[@garydonnelly5030]

Return of the Living Dead wouldn't be the same without him.

[@Laceykat66]

The glory days of independent stations. They took a lot of failed TV shows of the 70s and turned them into "Made for TV" movies and sold them to independent UHF style stations. Saturday afternoons were heaven for us TV geeks.

[@TysonNeil]

I miss independent stations a lot.

[@esmokems]

Problem is the premise is wrong because the main factor graduated with a PhD in 1983.

[@notinspectorgadget]

seems like hell to me

[@em_birch]

God. No wonder this movie never made freaking sense to me. XD It wasn't until MST3K that I realized that was something they did back then.

[@Desslar]

Not just for selling TV movies to independent stations, but also to international markets. In some cases, repackaged U.S. TV shows were given theattrical releases in Europe. I think The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is one such example.

[@NewRetroServo3K]

There’s days at work where I can’t help thinking “I’ve gotta be at my Ben Murphy-ist!” Always makes me smile 😀

[@Bantoo00]

"Sam my patent papers are wondering whats going on" that gets me every time.

[@fanningfx]

Another one of my favorites at 40:39: "My patent papers are at a slight angle, Sam. What's going on?" 😂

[@DRChupacabrah]

"Sam, how do you spell 'patent'?"

[@control_the_pet_population]

I'm not in a helicopter!!

[@dougjb7848]

@@DRChupacabrah I think the i goes before the e.

[@control_the_pet_population]

ding dong. trick or treat for pantsuits!

[@namebrandmason]

The best part was; I actually did have a faculty adviser named Robert Denby. And I did have a hell of a time finding him during office hours.

[@greedyd5524]

mason s. You like Robert Denby?

[@scheidch]

Leave Bob Denby alone!

[@tmac3019]

@@scheidch leave , robert denby ALONE!!!!!

[@sgtbaker2072]

No fucking way hahahahaha that's too perfect omg

[@dougwalters8003]

OK that made me laugh out loud!!

[@jhlogue]

The continuity of the this film is as elusive as Robert Denby.

[@greedyd5524]

John Logue you like Robert Denby?

[@Omgirrl]

Ow, Ow, uh uh, Ow Ow Back in the funky 70s The party didn't ever stop The city of Pompeii was doing all right But Vesuvius blew her top Ow, Ow Back in the superbad 70s The Roman Empire still reigned supreme Emperor Titus came to power And they finished up the colosseum

[@jasonsgroovemachine]

I don't know if this was ever mentioned but the breaks of that truck are air breaks. Those breaks, essentially, work backwards from what you'd find in a car. The air pressure builds and lets you release the breaks. You press the pedal and it bleeds the breaks which stops the truck. Cutting the line would bleed the system which would mean the breaks would be on all the time. The truck wouldn't be able to move. The exact opposite of what happens in the show here.

[@mjjoe76]

Seems like lazy writing was a hallmark of pre-internet television.

[@GenY42]

10:24 for some reason that "ehhh" sound for the tire squeal just makes me lol

[@carlycaye90]

this is my favorite part of the episode, I laugh so hard every single time XD

[@bluedingo1186]

OMG that nearly killed me!!

[@Go_EZ-ier_On_Us_And_Enjoy]

How excited I get when MST is on: 😆 1:13:04 I just noticed - my glasses 👓 need cleaning too! 😆 Have a fantastic day everyone! 🌝

[@t1p9d]

I've seen this episode probably 20 times and I still have no idea why he stops at the gas station where the mechanic cuts his brakes.

[@mattpedone6649]

Especially as he's supposed to be "stepping on it" to make up time he lost somewhere (presumably mellowing out the "black barts"). I guess for Ben Murphy, "stepping on it" means accelerating for a bit, then moseying into a service station for some reason. Go faster, but keep it mellow.

[@MrSoopSA]

I wonder if the reason was cut to splice the two episodes together for run time.

[@mmsL125]

Probably needed to get some pens for all those patent papers

[@erikjohnson9112]

It is actually explained in the bits they cut out. I will paste a KZbin link in a followup (not pasted here because some channels don't allow links). I have also seen this many many times, so you will appreciate seeing all the differences. You can search for this on YT (in case my link doesn't post): gxv3-rCq5UM

[@erikjohnson9112]

Here is the original: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nanZZGCoeNZoi68

[@mrcydonia]

She may be evil, but Cupcake is pretty darn cute.

[@Razorgeist]

That makes it even better.

[@paulmarr7873]

"I'll be your candle on a pile of papers" is a throwback to Pete's Dragon "I'll be your candle on the water"

[@sheldoncabrera-miller2357]

53:40 "Millie!" "Yes Vanillie!" Gets me every time

[@MkeKen67]

14:58 "So they have 13 hours to drive from Torrance to Long Beach??" LOL!

[@moneyjay2450]

Lol

[@petergray2712]

Maybe the 405 was even worse in the 1970s?

[@gartharizona6705]

Have you driven SoCal, recently? They may need every second of that 13 hours.

[@surf101-]

And where they drove, was nowhere near Torrance and Long Beach. All suburbs.

[@crowt.robot.6199]

wait, they blew up a military jet as a test for the real plot of blowing up an amateur race car? what did I miss?

[@MrBeastsHiddenWorld]

*Riding with Death* "Hey, the Matthew Broderick story." Ooh ouch.

[@collinsnider4179]

or the Laura Bush story

[@jayallen81]

Ted Kennedy

[@jayallen81]

@Ray Riley Buckle up, Buckaroos.

[@kev3d]

Rebecca Gayheart

[@ac8911]

Yeah I cringed at that one too, I didn't think MS3TK went for the jugular like that lol

[@velveetaslingshot]

"Intersect. Making lines meet for over 50 years."

[@Tafsman]

I have this episode on VHS that I taped off of Sci-Fi back in '97 when I was living in my first apartment. Had two of roommates watch it (neither were fans of MST3K). Both of them were in stitches, I mean rolling on the floor laughing their asses off the whole time! This is one is just the best in my humble opinion!

[@davidhemphill2409]

Putting this on my calendar for next year to watch this on Thanksgiving. TURKEY VOLUME GUESSING MAN!

[@Doobydoobydoo1974]

That was a great handshake man. This is a pretty mellow top-secret operation. Nobody’s getting uptight, everything’s cool, no baggage or hang-ups. I’m just gonna hang in their baby, you bet your sweet bippy. I’ll do my thing, they’ll do theirs. Just gotta keep mellow. That’s what being Ben Murphy is all about and I’m Ben Murphy. Thank you. 25:02 and “Peter Fonda is Richard Petty in the Marcel Marceau story.” 10:36 Awesome lines.

[@sbeers88]

I've watched this episode every day for the last week. I need help.

[@analogkid01]

I lived in Boston for five years, and I became a *huge* fan of the New England Journalists...I loved going to see games at Front Page Field...

[@jb281723]

Cub reporter day was also alot of fun

[@williehaller5840]

I'm digging the mellow running joke. I legit think I might start saying that. "mellow out, bra. No need to pop a gasket Daddio"

[@monkeymouse]

"This teletype is from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police." "It says 'NELL!'" LOL

[@AgentLane13]

Wait, is that a Rocky and Bullwinkle reference?

[@DiggitySlice]

Good thing secret agents use their real name for everything.

[@JamaicanCastle]

It was the 70s, it wasn't like you could look somebody up on Google.

[@backedup39]

"This goes out to all my friends in the Posse Comitatus" "SUPERCRACKER!!!" This was the episode that got me into MST3K.

[@deuceydee3506]

"Whoa, the acid kicked in" I absolutely lost it at that part XD The running joke with Casey's device is like a spiritual successor to Radar Men from the Moon's nipple tweak joke "Brain Guy, take the wheel!" Could this be a pre-cursor to the infamous Carrie Underwood song? After all, Brain Guy is himself an all-knowing being, a pacifist, no less...

[@sporedoutofmymind]

Riding with Death: The natural successor to shaking hands with danger.

[@dougjb7848]

Which was itself preceded by “nodding at minor annoyance.”

[@HoryShiitMan]

Synchronized car exiting needs to be in the next olympics

[@dougjb7848]

I’m pretty sure Jim Stafford was completely hammered during the filming of the second episode of this movie.

[@mrpieceofwork]

"Oh I HATE being badgered by pharmacists."

[@KIRA-EL]

I love how random Sam's flashback is it's like you know they just shoe horned that backstory scene in there.

[@tomh.2405]

And that whole flashback looked like it was filmed through orangeade...

[@esmokems]

I love Tom's song about the literal 70s.

[@ashrishaw5435]

This whole movie felt like an episode of Knight Rider

[@daffers2345]

And yet _Knight Rider_ is intensely more enjoyable than this film X)

[@RanMouri82]

Like it tried to be Knight Rider and failed super hard.

[@kellyweingart3692]

“KITT, activate the invisibility cloak” “Right away, Michael”

[@ChibiPanda8888]

That's what I was thinking.

[@kellyweingart3692]

with discount David Hasselhoff

[@Zoomer30]

The movie won an Emmy and an Oscar for "Longest Continuous Scene with Someone Cleaning Their Glasses". To think that guy was the main scientist on 2001 Space Odyssey.

[@Auteckre]

“Death rides comfortably with Central Moving and Storage.”

[@amandahood7809]

"Keep on trucking. Peace. Ben Murphy." 😂

[@PatTheBatmanFan]

So many amazing riffs in this one... but one of my favorite parts of this actually feels more like a real-life reaction from Bill than a riff. After the badly dubbed "I'll put you back on the Denby case" line his response is simply: "Nice ADR". To me it sounds like he drops out of character and is simply reacting as himself, not Crow. It really comes across as an industry professional bemusedly noting- with a hint of sadness and disgust- the sheer incompetence of another. It's a very real sounding reaction. I love it when the movies are so bad it breaks the guys. There's another moment like that, after Sam's "She's some gal" line, where Kevin can't help it and just bursts out laughing at the brazen stupidity of it.

[@RichardBirdsall]

When they make one another laugh in spite of knowing what's coming, those moments make my heart so very happy and I have no idea why!!

[@FreshSpecimens]

Richard Birdsall Same here. There are for sure times when you can tell they are genuinely chuckling over something one of the others said and it’s awesome!

[@EmoJones13]

@@RichardBirdsall Because it's so genuine! My absolute favorite example is in "The Brute Man" when Crow is mocking the old grocery store owner and Mike keeps cracking up. 😂

[@RichardBirdsall]

@@EmoJones13 you nailed it! Those genuine moments shine through with a belly laugh haha! I'd love to know if there were any jokes they still remember after all this time, those must be good if they stick out!

[@EmoJones13]

@@RichardBirdsall They throw in old jokes from MST in their Rifftrax episodes all the time! I love the nudge-wink they give to the old-school fans. I have a link to a great collection of them if you're interested!

[@MrRevoltOfficial]

I'd like you to consider Scientology... I nearly pissed myself.

[@morbidlyo7114]

My favorite episode of all time. I've watched for years and I still haven't found an episode that I love as much as I do this stupid thing.

[@daffyphack]

So after a quick Google search, I found that Torrance and Long Beach, if the route is taken by car, are fifteen miles apart. Why didn't they just walk?

[@ericspero996]

daffyphack cause they only had 1 hour of tv time!

[@Kyavata]

daffyphack The speed limit was lower back then...!

[@JamesWilson-vr3ql]

Nobody walks in L.A.🎼🎵🎶🎸

[@chinatype2bassrocker809]

True and it was filmed in Westlake which is thirty miles the opposite direction.

[@mmsL125]

Cause they had to finish those patent papers