1 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: Hey, welcome to Weird How Cinema. Rewind. This is Rob 2 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: Lamb and I'm Joe McCormick, and today we got an 3 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: episode from the vault for you. This is Za or 4 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:18,760 Speaker 1: the Blood Waters of Dr z Uh. This episode originally 5 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:22,640 Speaker 1: aired on one April. Am I right about that? Yep? 6 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: I believe. So this one ties into the Stuff to 7 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: Blow Your Mind vault episode that we ran the other day, 8 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: so I think they pair nicely with each other. This is, 9 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: of course, one of three different Florida movies that we 10 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: discussed last year, the Florida Never Stops. Hey, everybody, sit back, enjoy. 11 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind production of My 12 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey, welcome to Weird How Cinema. This is 13 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,080 Speaker 1: Rob Lamb and I'm Joe McCormick, and I regret to 14 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: inform you right at the start here that the Weird 15 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: House Cinema tour bus has broken down in Florida, so 16 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:09,479 Speaker 1: we are still stuck in the Sunshine State. That's right. 17 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: We're continuing our look at Florida movies from the nineteen seventies, 18 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 1: movies filmed in Florida and certainly in the case of 19 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 1: today's film, and also ninety two Frogs, which we've covered previously. 20 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: Set in Florida as well, they capture a certain Florida 21 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 1: This both real and imagined. Uh. And this week we're 22 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,639 Speaker 1: gonna look at the Florida movie par Excellence nineteen seventy 23 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: ones ZU. You might know it as the Blood Waters 24 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: of Doctor z. Some of you might even know its 25 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: Hydra basically. As we'll get into it had a number 26 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: of various releases over the years under different titles, but uh, 27 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: for the most part, the one that's stuck is z 28 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: Z a a t. This movie has some thematic overlap 29 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: with other movies that we've looked at, including sort of 30 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: like Nature strikes Back movies, though this is not exactly 31 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: Nature strikes Back. This is more of a uh. This 32 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,640 Speaker 1: is more of a sort of cheap body horror, mad 33 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: science movie with some ecological themes to it rather than 34 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: just like animals attacking for revenge on humankind. Yeah, it's 35 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: I guess at hart. It's a creature feature. But like 36 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: like a lot of films that you encounter like this, 37 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: certainly like like the first big independent efforts from from 38 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:30,640 Speaker 1: filmmakers it It tries to do a lot of things, 39 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: so it's it's it's a creature feature, but it's also 40 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: like a science team adventure. It's also um, you know, 41 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:40,959 Speaker 1: it also tries to be uh in the heat of 42 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: the night a little bit and uh. It also has 43 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:47,639 Speaker 1: this nature strikes back element to it. It's also a 44 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: kind of a hippie folk musical, so it it kind 45 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: of bats itself around a lot and um. Depending on 46 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:57,799 Speaker 1: where you are in the film, you might get something 47 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: that is uh tonally different from another portion of the film. 48 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: It also has a little bit of overlap with Boggy 49 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: Creek two, and the legend continues. We can talk about 50 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:10,240 Speaker 1: some of the similarities as we go on, but uh, 51 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: but I appreciated the the similar pompous voiceover narration, though 52 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: in this case it is the voiceover of a of 53 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 1: a crazed uh spurned scientist who wants revenge on the world, 54 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:26,079 Speaker 1: whereas in Boggy Creek Too, it's just a kind of uh, 55 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: I don't know, like the town smart guy who wants 56 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:30,959 Speaker 1: to to show off all his knowledge about the river. 57 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, yeah. The voiceover narration and this is um 58 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: is sardonic to the max. Like if you took Vincent 59 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: Price's voice and you reduced it overheat for a little 60 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 1: bit until it was it was just extra ikey and gooky. 61 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: That's what you'd have in the Bloodwaters of Doctor Z. 62 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: The voiceover narration wear's joker makeup. Yeah. Now, um, if 63 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 1: you mentioned Boggy Creeker earlier, and I think this is 64 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 1: a good point to mention that this film was was 65 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 1: riffed in a episode of Mystery Science Feed or three 66 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: thousand under the title the Bloodwaters of Dr Z. And 67 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: if you're like me, that might be where you discovered 68 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 1: the film. Um, and that's a great MST episode. I 69 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: don't want to take anything away from that, but as 70 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:22,800 Speaker 1: I would watch and rewatch that episode, I found that, 71 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:26,039 Speaker 1: like a lot of MST episodes that really called to me, 72 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 1: there was something in the underlying film. There was an 73 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 1: awkwardness to it, a kind of loneliness to it. And 74 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 1: I've also grown to really appreciate the Florida ness of 75 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 1: it as well. So for this episode of Weird House Cinema, 76 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: this was the first time I watched an unriffed version 77 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: of that which rented from Atlanta's Video Drome video rental store. 78 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: And uh, you know, ultimately I encourage fans of the 79 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: MST episode to do the same, because like a lot 80 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:55,920 Speaker 1: of MST films, it was really edited, really cut down 81 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 1: for time, and so there's a there's a lot of 82 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:02,040 Speaker 1: stuff that you're missing out on, some really um walky 83 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: and at times grotesque details and sometimes just ludicrous um 84 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 1: additions to the film. This is not of the attack 85 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:13,239 Speaker 1: of the Crab Monsters School of Creature feature run time. 86 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 1: You know, it's not your sixty three minute abs this one, 87 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,040 Speaker 1: I think is it's it's actually getting close to two 88 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: full hours, isn't it. Yeah, I think it's the it's 89 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:25,040 Speaker 1: a hundred minutes long. It's a it's it's plus size 90 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 1: this one. Um, so you can you have to set 91 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 1: us out a little bit of time for it. Um. 92 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:33,359 Speaker 1: And again the pacing is is at times kind of 93 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:38,720 Speaker 1: weird but also antic um quite ludic at times. Uh huh. 94 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 1: Now we mentioned the MST episode. I think a lot 95 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: of people did discover it through that. Um. But the 96 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 1: film has has had a cult following outside of MST 97 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:52,320 Speaker 1: as well, despite only having a limited release in Jacksonville, Florida, 98 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: and New York's Street back in nine two. The uh 99 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:00,359 Speaker 1: you have the version we watched it begin ends with 100 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 1: the statement from the director where he's like people were 101 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 1: coming up to be and saying, don don You've got 102 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: to release this movie? Yes, so yeah, I think it was. 103 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: It was people really wanted some sort of release for 104 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: a long time, and luckily in recent years it has 105 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:20,599 Speaker 1: been available. Um. But yeah, this this film, like the 106 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:25,600 Speaker 1: Scorpion Fish uh and the Sargassum Fish is, it's been patient. 107 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: It knew that it would one day conquer the universe. Um. 108 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:32,159 Speaker 1: And and it has its super fans, one of which 109 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:36,600 Speaker 1: is the Atlanta artist and Jacksonville native our Land, who 110 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 1: I know we're both the fans of. Have you seen 111 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:42,320 Speaker 1: any of our Lands Zapp pieces? Joe, Oh, I don't know. 112 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: I've seen a lot of his stuff around town, a 113 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,040 Speaker 1: lot of you know, restaurants and coffee shops and stuff. 114 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:49,400 Speaker 1: We'll have our Land pieces up on the walls. I 115 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: think some of his work also, though I don't quite 116 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:53,840 Speaker 1: recall how, was featured in some adults Win shows. I 117 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 1: could be wrong about that, but no, I don't know 118 00:06:56,320 --> 00:06:58,600 Speaker 1: which the za ones are. I know his, I know 119 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 1: his piece that's like the die verse with the spear guns. 120 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:04,360 Speaker 1: Is that that related? Um? That one might not be 121 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:06,840 Speaker 1: I mean, he's he works Florida into a lot of 122 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: his pieces, but he did, Um, he did create a 123 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: number of art pieces that actually feature that he did. 124 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 1: He did a show as part of a two thousand 125 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 1: nine screening of the film at the Plaza here in Atlanta, 126 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 1: and at least some of the pieces I assume from 127 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 1: that show were that they used to hang out over 128 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: at Joe's Coffee in East Atlanta. Uh, and I would 129 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: go there and bring my laptop and work. Uh and um, 130 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: I don't know, there may still be some pieces there. 131 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:33,560 Speaker 1: I haven't been there in a in a spell, but uh, 132 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 1: there you know, images of Za and uh. He had 133 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,920 Speaker 1: some some spinoffs over the years as well, Like there 134 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 1: was one that was like a real estate sign that 135 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 1: says that did it again. Um, And then he's he 136 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 1: recently did did one at least online that was a 137 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:53,480 Speaker 1: zat or day uh thing. It was pretty amusing. But yeah, 138 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:56,120 Speaker 1: he's he's apparently a zat Mega fan and they know 139 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 1: a lot of people like him out there, you know 140 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:01,400 Speaker 1: where you see this maybe and you're younger, and something 141 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 1: about it's that it sticks in into your brain and 142 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: you can't quite get it out, all right, what's the 143 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 1: elevator pitch? On this film, a lonely mad scientist in 144 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:13,400 Speaker 1: Florida hatches a plan to raise an army of giant 145 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 1: walking catfish and avenge himself over his colleagues and also 146 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:23,200 Speaker 1: conquered the planet, perhaps the universe. Uh, and we're left 147 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: to follow him and see how it works out. Let's 148 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:33,880 Speaker 1: hear that trailer audio and now coming to this theater. 149 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:41,920 Speaker 1: One of the most incredible stories of modern time sat 150 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:51,880 Speaker 1: Invasion of the Walking Catfish. A crazed scientist Dr. Leopold 151 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 1: is convinced he can turn humans into fish. He proves 152 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:11,920 Speaker 1: it by transforming himself into a horrible oul that tells 153 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:21,160 Speaker 1: it all. You won't want to miss that, positively, No 154 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:34,720 Speaker 1: one admitted during the last minutes. Okay, now, you would 155 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:37,240 Speaker 1: not have expected a movie like this to have major 156 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 1: folk music themes. And I don't know if the trailer 157 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:43,640 Speaker 1: audio we just played had the folk music in it. Uh. 158 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:46,320 Speaker 1: If not, maybe we should insert a clip right here, 159 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:48,160 Speaker 1: just because like you've got to have this in your 160 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,120 Speaker 1: head to understand everything that comes after. Oh yeah, I 161 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:53,319 Speaker 1: mean we can go straight to the music here if 162 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 1: you like, uh this, uh, what we're about to hear 163 00:09:57,280 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: is um is a is a bit from a song 164 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: titled World War two Boy, which is a very strange, 165 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:10,119 Speaker 1: strange title. But this is from Barry Hodgen and Jamie Defrates. 166 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: They were the composers, and this is Jamie Defrate's performing 167 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:27,360 Speaker 1: the song. Alright, that's just a clip, but this song 168 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:30,840 Speaker 1: is performed in its entirety at the top of the film. 169 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: Um and it's and I actually love it. I listened 170 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:37,079 Speaker 1: to this song quite a bit, especially in the last 171 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:39,800 Speaker 1: couple of weeks leading up to this episode, because you can. 172 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:43,199 Speaker 1: You can find this on Spotify and various other streaming places. 173 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 1: If you just look up Z songs or or Jamie 174 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 1: Defrates you will find it. Uh, there's a B side 175 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:51,000 Speaker 1: and we'll get to the B side track in a bit. 176 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:54,560 Speaker 1: But these tracks are featured in the film in full 177 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:58,320 Speaker 1: no cuts, so it's almost it's almost a rock opera, 178 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 1: not quite, only only a couple of songs in the movie, 179 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:04,760 Speaker 1: but like it has musical numbers. Yeah, and I have 180 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:07,200 Speaker 1: to say, I mean, we'll get into this little bit 181 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:09,600 Speaker 1: when we start rolling through the plot, but yeah, the music. 182 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:13,079 Speaker 1: Music always elevates the film. If you have quality music, 183 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:18,280 Speaker 1: it can really create dimensions that would not be there otherwise. 184 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:21,560 Speaker 1: And I legitimately think that the music and Za, both 185 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:23,439 Speaker 1: the folk music and some of the other music will 186 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:25,920 Speaker 1: get to does a great job of that. Like it 187 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:32,960 Speaker 1: takes this this sort of awkward, fumbling creature feature and 188 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:35,400 Speaker 1: and elevates it to a to this level where it 189 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 1: does legitimately get caught up in your brain. Do you 190 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: ever hear that story? It was by somebody who worked 191 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:44,120 Speaker 1: on Halloween with John Carpenter. It might have been Donald 192 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:46,679 Speaker 1: Pleasants who told the story about going to see a 193 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 1: preview screening of the movie where the music had not 194 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,160 Speaker 1: been added in yet and thinking like, oh no, what 195 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:57,840 Speaker 1: a disaster. I'm so embarrassed, and then seeing another cut 196 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:00,880 Speaker 1: later when the music had been finn Ish and added in, 197 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:05,480 Speaker 1: and suddenly everybody thinks this is a horror masterpiece. Yeah, yeah, 198 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:09,200 Speaker 1: I mean it. It really does it? It? Uh, it 199 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 1: can really elevate things to to new levels. Though shocking 200 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:15,800 Speaker 1: that Donald Pleasants would find embarrassment in a film at 201 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:17,680 Speaker 1: that stage of his career, because it's not like this 202 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:21,240 Speaker 1: would have been the first the first bad movie he 203 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 1: was in. This come before after Puma. Man. Uh, I 204 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 1: don't recall. Oh, but either either way, there were definitely 205 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:33,800 Speaker 1: some Puma Man's in there before Halloween. All right, we'll 206 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 1: come back to more about the music in a bit, 207 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 1: but let's uh, let's start with the screenwriter, or one 208 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 1: of the screenwriters and the director, Don Barton, who lived 209 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:46,719 Speaker 1: ninety so he was he was very much alive to 210 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:50,839 Speaker 1: see the renaissance of of that, the resurgence of that, 211 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 1: and in fact, the disc that we watched featured introductory 212 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:59,839 Speaker 1: commentary by Don Barton thanking everyone for their support of 213 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:02,560 Speaker 1: the creature here. Yeah, yeah, he shows up right at 214 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:04,319 Speaker 1: the top of the film. And I should point out 215 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:06,240 Speaker 1: this disc. It like it's one of those that doesn't 216 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:08,640 Speaker 1: even have a menu in it. It just you just 217 00:13:08,679 --> 00:13:10,880 Speaker 1: put it in and it just plays that the only 218 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:14,200 Speaker 1: option is play. Um. But it starts with him talking 219 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:17,840 Speaker 1: and he Don Barton says, uh, in nineteen seventy one, 220 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:21,679 Speaker 1: my film production company in Jacksonville, Florida, decided that the 221 00:13:21,679 --> 00:13:24,959 Speaker 1: time was right to make a feature film, meaning this 222 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 1: was his first feature film. He'd only done one other 223 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:29,520 Speaker 1: movie before this, which we'll talk about in the second, 224 00:13:29,559 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 1: which was a short film. But he says he sat 225 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 1: down with his staff to discuss ideas quote, and we 226 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:39,240 Speaker 1: decided that our first motion picture should be a creature feature. 227 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,840 Speaker 1: Uh so this turned into an idea I think talking 228 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:46,160 Speaker 1: with some writers and associates of his about a man 229 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:50,640 Speaker 1: catfish creature that terrorizes a small town in his quest 230 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:54,360 Speaker 1: for revenge. And then Don Barton says that the initial 231 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:58,400 Speaker 1: theatrical release was very promising. He doesn't elaborate on what 232 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:03,319 Speaker 1: exactly that means, but he says that due to unspecified mishaps, 233 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 1: the film had been unavailable for like thirty years at 234 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:09,600 Speaker 1: the time that it was rereleased. So I wonder, I mean, 235 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:11,360 Speaker 1: there must have been some way people got it, because 236 00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 1: the they must have gotten a tape of it for 237 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 1: Mystery science theater. I'm not sure what. Yeah, so I 238 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:19,480 Speaker 1: think even that there was some issues, if I am 239 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:21,760 Speaker 1: to understand correctly, like there was some there was a 240 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:24,680 Speaker 1: situation where a sci fi channel I think at the time, 241 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,800 Speaker 1: aired it and then Barton's people got in touch with 242 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 1: them and there was some back and forth about like 243 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:32,560 Speaker 1: the rights, but it eventually got worked out. Okay, that 244 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:35,000 Speaker 1: that that makes sense. But um Man, when I was 245 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:38,280 Speaker 1: watching this preamble by Don Barton at the beginning of 246 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 1: the movie. I kept thinking, who does this guy remind 247 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:44,440 Speaker 1: me of his Something about his voice and the way 248 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:48,080 Speaker 1: he talks, And then I realized, he reminds me of 249 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 1: the TV news host Bill Moyers, who used to do 250 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 1: like I think he worked for Uh, he did his 251 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 1: specials for PBS, and then I think he worked for 252 00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:00,360 Speaker 1: CBS for a while. Um. But so like I got 253 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:02,880 Speaker 1: that feeling like, oh no, this is like Bill Moyer's 254 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:06,680 Speaker 1: introducing a PBS special on that it's going to feature 255 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:11,840 Speaker 1: interviews with Joseph Campbell. Yeah, it does have that kind 256 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:15,400 Speaker 1: of vibe. Now, yeah, we mentioned Jacksonville already, uh, and 257 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:19,760 Speaker 1: we will mention Jacksonville. Somemore Barton was Jacksonville based. He's 258 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:22,840 Speaker 1: a producer and director. This was his second and last 259 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:27,760 Speaker 1: directorial credit, following nineteen sixty nine They're out to Get You. 260 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 1: But he was apparently involved throughout his life in the 261 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:33,960 Speaker 1: Florida film industry, having co founded the Florida Motion Picture 262 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:39,040 Speaker 1: and Television Production Association, and he also produced documentaries, training films, 263 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:42,960 Speaker 1: TV commercials, etcetera. And this is actually more of the 264 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 1: genre that They're out to Get You. Was so They're 265 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:47,360 Speaker 1: out to get you? I was really looking for an 266 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:50,160 Speaker 1: online copy of it, and I couldn't find anything. But 267 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:53,400 Speaker 1: but if somebody out there has better sleuthing capabilities, please 268 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:56,920 Speaker 1: send this our way. Um, this is not an entertainment film. 269 00:15:56,960 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 1: They're out to get you. From nineteen sixty nine is 270 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 1: an educational short that I think was supposed to be 271 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:06,920 Speaker 1: shown to retail employees. So it's like one of those 272 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:11,000 Speaker 1: you know, harassment or ethics training video workplace videos they 273 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:12,840 Speaker 1: show you on the first day at a new job, 274 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:17,320 Speaker 1: except it is about shoplifting, and the plot of it 275 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 1: is that there's this young criminal, or at least this 276 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:22,480 Speaker 1: is the alleged plot. I had to find a summary. 277 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:26,400 Speaker 1: Somebody wrote online. There's a young criminal named Tony Alto 278 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 1: who steals cars for a living, and he gets caught 279 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: and sent to prison, And in prison, his cell mate 280 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:35,680 Speaker 1: turns out to be this, uh, I don't know this, 281 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 1: the smooth guy who's going to tell him no, no, no, 282 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:42,240 Speaker 1: stealing cars, you're doing it all wrong. Here's what's up shoplifting, 283 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 1: And he explains to him why shoplifting is a much 284 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 1: better way to to make a living by stealing, And 285 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:50,800 Speaker 1: so as you go through the narrative, I think it 286 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:54,640 Speaker 1: shows the tricks that shoplifters could be using in your store, 287 00:16:55,160 --> 00:17:00,840 Speaker 1: or your store or yours. So it also sounds like 288 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:04,560 Speaker 1: it's just in general, a shoplifting training video for very 289 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:06,919 Speaker 1: either side of the equation. Well, it's kind of like 290 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:10,399 Speaker 1: how Dare was supposed to scare kids away from doing drugs, 291 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 1: but instead it was just kind of like here all 292 00:17:12,080 --> 00:17:16,600 Speaker 1: the different kinds of drugs you could do. Alright, Well, 293 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:20,119 Speaker 1: let's talk very briefly about the additional story credits um 294 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:25,960 Speaker 1: Ron Kivett and Arnold Stevens and also Lee oh Lar LaRue. 295 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:29,840 Speaker 1: Not much to report here though. Ron Kivitt was apparently 296 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:33,359 Speaker 1: an investigator on History Channels ancient aliens at one point, 297 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:38,080 Speaker 1: so he investigating aliens, I guess or pyramids. One of 298 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:41,080 Speaker 1: it was, you know, one of the two, probably um. 299 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:44,320 Speaker 1: But that that's the main creative force behind the picture 300 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:46,280 Speaker 1: that we're going to discuss here at the top. It's 301 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:50,520 Speaker 1: time to get into the cast. And the film is 302 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:54,840 Speaker 1: initially concerned with only one human being and devotes a 303 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:59,840 Speaker 1: good twentysomething minutes to just him, and that is our 304 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 1: our signature character, our our main character, Dr Kurt Leopold, 305 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:08,240 Speaker 1: played by Marshall Grower. Now this is his one and 306 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:11,520 Speaker 1: only film role, and for a long time I assumed 307 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:14,240 Speaker 1: that he only did the physical performance that we're seeing 308 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:18,360 Speaker 1: Marshall Grower and somebody else's providing that just overly sardonic 309 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:21,000 Speaker 1: voiceover that we were talking about that again, it's just 310 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:25,439 Speaker 1: like Vincent Price turned up to eleven Vincent Price without 311 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:28,960 Speaker 1: any uh you know, humanity left in it at all. 312 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:31,760 Speaker 1: The you know, the the voice of just a uh 313 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:37,200 Speaker 1: an overacting demon. But he apparently did the narration as well. 314 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 1: Um Leopold, the character, the human character never speaks on camera, 315 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:46,760 Speaker 1: not a single time, but we have just this voiceover 316 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:51,320 Speaker 1: at length describing what he's planning to do, what he's doing, 317 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:55,320 Speaker 1: um what you know, his ultimate aspirations are, uh it's 318 00:18:55,359 --> 00:18:57,719 Speaker 1: it's a lot of fun. But I would say Marshall 319 00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:01,840 Speaker 1: Grower is is just delightful in this film because the 320 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 1: voiceover is just it's so rich, it's just so overdone. 321 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:11,080 Speaker 1: And then physically he has this weird combo of sinister 322 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:16,159 Speaker 1: awkwardness and this kind of outsider sadness, which when you 323 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:19,159 Speaker 1: throw in the sort of film quality of that, it 324 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 1: feels like you're watching a window into someone's personal hell. 325 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:26,840 Speaker 1: You know, Dr Leopold is a human with the personality 326 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:32,399 Speaker 1: of a car that's having maintenance problems. He's having trouble accelerating, 327 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:35,879 Speaker 1: he's releasing dark, foul smelling exhaust, like he needs to 328 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 1: get his catalytic converter replaced. But also the thing that 329 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:42,879 Speaker 1: I realized about him that there's a scene early in 330 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:47,120 Speaker 1: the film where he's walking along a beach, but he's 331 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:49,800 Speaker 1: not dressed for the beach. He's wearing long slacks and 332 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:52,840 Speaker 1: the shirt tucked in and his heads hanging down and 333 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:56,320 Speaker 1: this kind of like sad like puppy dog way, except 334 00:19:56,359 --> 00:20:00,320 Speaker 1: he's he's a little he's more drabbed than a puppy dog. Uh. 335 00:20:00,359 --> 00:20:03,639 Speaker 1: And you know, there's this acoustic guitar strumming in the background, 336 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:07,639 Speaker 1: and he's just this beacon of shabbiness. In some shots 337 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:12,800 Speaker 1: he's giving off strong, hairy Dean Stanton fumes. Yeah, yeah, 338 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 1: I think that's a that's a good comparison, that kind 339 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:20,160 Speaker 1: of drawn haggard appearance. Yeah. But on the other hand, 340 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:23,440 Speaker 1: he has a haircut that doesn't quite match. Because I 341 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:26,600 Speaker 1: don't know how to describe his his haircut. It's very strange. 342 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:30,640 Speaker 1: It's kind of messy and mappy in the front, but 343 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:33,919 Speaker 1: also to make it weirder. So it's a haircut that 344 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:36,840 Speaker 1: I think I've basically only seen on women before. It's 345 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:39,840 Speaker 1: a cut style this kind of puffy up in the 346 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:42,840 Speaker 1: back and raises up towards the back or the crown 347 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:46,240 Speaker 1: of the head, and then goes flat down toward the front. 348 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:50,240 Speaker 1: Do you do you know what I'm talking about? Um, 349 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:52,680 Speaker 1: I'm having a hard time picturing his hair in my head. 350 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:56,800 Speaker 1: I all my pictures that face and then later that 351 00:20:56,800 --> 00:21:02,440 Speaker 1: that bod Uh we'll get to. Uh. Well, anyway, he's 352 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:06,760 Speaker 1: a he's a profound screen presence. Imdbat is not list 353 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 1: birth and death dates for Grower, but I was looking 354 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:13,800 Speaker 1: around and I think I found him as being listed. 355 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:16,960 Speaker 1: Is buried in a a cemetery in Jacksonville, and he 356 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:20,920 Speaker 1: lived nineteen two through And uh, if I have the 357 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 1: right guy here, and I'm pretty sure I do, he 358 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,360 Speaker 1: was he was pretty active in the Jacksonville theaters, so uh, 359 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 1: and I would not be surprised if that's where Ultimately 360 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,320 Speaker 1: a number of these actors come from, actors that in 361 00:21:31,359 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 1: many cases have no other movie credits listed to them. 362 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:38,840 Speaker 1: Thinking about this guy being active in Jacksonville theater got 363 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 1: me off on a tangent that I actually think about 364 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:43,600 Speaker 1: a good bit when we're watching these B movies, especially 365 00:21:44,359 --> 00:21:48,840 Speaker 1: locally produced B movies, movies that are, you know, not 366 00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:51,320 Speaker 1: a product of l A, but you know, come out 367 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:53,960 Speaker 1: of Florida or somewhere else in the country. Uh. And 368 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:57,640 Speaker 1: it got me thinking about how acting talent translates across 369 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:01,040 Speaker 1: from stage to screen and and the connect that can 370 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:05,159 Speaker 1: occur when somebody spans these two worlds. Because I was 371 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:08,359 Speaker 1: thinking about a story where a longtime close friend of mine, 372 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:11,520 Speaker 1: he used to do some local theater directing in Tennessee, 373 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:15,480 Speaker 1: and he was at one point directing. This was years ago, 374 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:17,679 Speaker 1: but at one point he was directing an adaptation of 375 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:20,719 Speaker 1: a Tennessee Williams play, I think, and he ended up 376 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:23,760 Speaker 1: working with this actor who, according to him, was just 377 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:26,560 Speaker 1: magical on stage, you know, one of the best actors 378 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:28,639 Speaker 1: he had ever worked with, and and it was it 379 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:31,920 Speaker 1: was spell binding. But we found out this guy had 380 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:34,480 Speaker 1: also been in a few movies and I don't recall 381 00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:37,040 Speaker 1: the exact titles, but they were just like z grade 382 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:40,679 Speaker 1: horror movies, you know, Chuo Pacabra, Rampage nine or something 383 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:44,880 Speaker 1: like that, And so we we watched these and this 384 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:49,120 Speaker 1: amazing local theater actor was, you know, just not especially 385 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:53,240 Speaker 1: impressive in a direct video horror context. And I remember 386 00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 1: having a kind of revelation at that point that like, oh, 387 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:59,720 Speaker 1: you know, stage talent and screen talent are not always interchangeable. 388 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:03,399 Speaker 1: End context really matters. Like somebody who can be a 389 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:06,520 Speaker 1: very good actor when they've got good material to work with, 390 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:07,840 Speaker 1: Like a lot of a lot of the people who 391 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:10,080 Speaker 1: do these Z grade horror movies are probably a lot 392 00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:13,560 Speaker 1: of times doing Shakespeare or something, you know, in local theater, 393 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,560 Speaker 1: or they're or they're they're doing Tennessee Williams plays or 394 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:19,040 Speaker 1: something like that. But then when you put them in 395 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:24,280 Speaker 1: in a catfish monster movie, the whatever talents they've developed 396 00:23:24,359 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 1: for those other acting contexts just don't really translate. But 397 00:23:30,359 --> 00:23:33,639 Speaker 1: there's a good chance in any given B movie that 398 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 1: there are plenty of members of the cast who are 399 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:38,159 Speaker 1: no names in the film world, but they're like the 400 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:41,360 Speaker 1: best actor in their local theater group and they're used 401 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:44,160 Speaker 1: to doing Shakespeare or whatever. Yeah, I mean, I guess 402 00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:45,879 Speaker 1: there are so many different ways you can cut it. 403 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:47,959 Speaker 1: I mean, on one hand, it's the difference between the 404 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:51,840 Speaker 1: stage uh and being told by director. Yeah, we're filming 405 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:56,400 Speaker 1: this next scene in the basement of this building. Um 406 00:23:56,720 --> 00:24:00,080 Speaker 1: or or just walk on the beach for a little bit. Yeah, Now, 407 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:01,919 Speaker 1: I don't know what your motivation is, just you know, 408 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:03,840 Speaker 1: just just walk on the beach and we'll fill you 409 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:05,919 Speaker 1: in a bit. We're still writing that part, you know, 410 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,840 Speaker 1: so stuff like you can imagine that the distance between 411 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:12,080 Speaker 1: the two projects. On top of just how you know, 412 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:16,000 Speaker 1: colossal and undertaking any level of film is not to 413 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:18,360 Speaker 1: take anything away from a stage production, which of course 414 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:23,240 Speaker 1: is also a colossal undertaking in so many regards. But um, 415 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:26,240 Speaker 1: but but but yeah, yeah, the the tools that that 416 00:24:26,359 --> 00:24:30,840 Speaker 1: aid you in one dimension, uh might not aid you 417 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:35,080 Speaker 1: as well without some re tinkering uh in the other. Yes, 418 00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:38,040 Speaker 1: certainly true. But I mean just I think it's important 419 00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:40,200 Speaker 1: that people should always keep in mind if you are 420 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:42,919 Speaker 1: a fan of z grade horror movies and and the 421 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,440 Speaker 1: kind of stuff we talk about on this show, should 422 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:47,760 Speaker 1: always remember that whenever you're watching one of these films, 423 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:50,640 Speaker 1: there's a good chance that the actor who is completely 424 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:53,840 Speaker 1: failing in front of you right now is actually great 425 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:58,720 Speaker 1: in some other context. Now, um, Leopold will eventually turn 426 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:00,800 Speaker 1: into a monster and will detail all that at length, 427 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:03,399 Speaker 1: but when he is a monster, he is played by 428 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:07,640 Speaker 1: someone else. The monster is played by Wade Popwell, who 429 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:10,160 Speaker 1: lived through two thousand and six. This was his only 430 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 1: film role, and he apparently answered a newspaper call for 431 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:16,480 Speaker 1: tall actors who were also experienced scuba divers. Oh yeah, 432 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:18,199 Speaker 1: this was a funny thing I read as one of 433 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:21,280 Speaker 1: the mini trivia facts claimed about this movie. I guess 434 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:23,359 Speaker 1: I'll cite several of these throughout the episode. There are 435 00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:26,720 Speaker 1: a number of interesting facts that are claimed on the 436 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:30,960 Speaker 1: IMDb page for this uh for this movie that are unsourced, 437 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:33,119 Speaker 1: so I can't verify them, but at least the claim 438 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:36,719 Speaker 1: is that he was recruited through a newspaper ad. Like 439 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:39,000 Speaker 1: you say, it was basically like, we need a really 440 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:42,160 Speaker 1: tall person who's going to play a monster, and they 441 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:46,399 Speaker 1: got like tons of responses, like people were Florida was 442 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:51,520 Speaker 1: into this alright. The next acting credit to highlight here, 443 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:55,480 Speaker 1: Gerald Cruz played marine biologist Rex. He doesn't have a 444 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:58,320 Speaker 1: last name as far as I know. Um. This was 445 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:01,280 Speaker 1: his only film role, which ultimately surprised me because I 446 00:26:01,280 --> 00:26:03,800 Speaker 1: thought he had a nice screen presence in this as 447 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:07,000 Speaker 1: the the African American Marine biologist who is the first 448 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:10,480 Speaker 1: to realize that something is wrong. Yeah, this movie does 449 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:13,359 Speaker 1: something that a lot of these creature feature nature strikes 450 00:26:13,359 --> 00:26:16,760 Speaker 1: back type movies do, which is there's somebody who's like 451 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:19,400 Speaker 1: the voice of reason, you know, the the cooler head 452 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,560 Speaker 1: who's putting together the evidence while everybody else around them 453 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:25,919 Speaker 1: is just sort of like reacting erratically and emotionally. And 454 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:28,120 Speaker 1: he plays the cool head in this movie like he's 455 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:30,320 Speaker 1: some He's the person who's out there saying like, oh, 456 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:33,040 Speaker 1: there's pollution in the water, and oh, here's this report 457 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:36,119 Speaker 1: of a catfish and this wound on the victim looks 458 00:26:36,119 --> 00:26:39,159 Speaker 1: like a giant catfish claw mark. I think he at 459 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:41,800 Speaker 1: one point concludes, I'm not sure that really lines up 460 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:43,879 Speaker 1: with reality, but like that's the role he plays in 461 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:46,919 Speaker 1: the movie, and he's set opposite uh. For example, this 462 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,480 Speaker 1: sort of like redneck sheriff who's always got a piece 463 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:51,360 Speaker 1: of straw hanging out of his mouth or a guess, 464 00:26:51,359 --> 00:26:53,800 Speaker 1: a piece of hay, and he's always like, well, I 465 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:59,520 Speaker 1: don't believe in monsters. And that is Sheriff leu Krantz 466 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 1: played by Paul Galloway, who lived um like everybody, and 467 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:10,199 Speaker 1: this wasn't in tremendous much else, but he played garage man, 468 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:13,159 Speaker 1: which I assume as a bit part in the in J. 469 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:16,679 Speaker 1: D's Revenge from ninety six and New Orleans crime drama 470 00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:21,880 Speaker 1: starring Glenn Turman and Louis Gossett Jr. Um In this film, however, yeah, 471 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:28,639 Speaker 1: he plays the small town sheriff who is lazy, um 472 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:33,639 Speaker 1: and largely incompetent, but in the later portions of the 473 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:35,960 Speaker 1: film shows a little bit of hustle, but not quite enough. 474 00:27:36,359 --> 00:27:38,639 Speaker 1: He's one of those characters who is uh not the 475 00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:41,159 Speaker 1: antagonist of the film. He's not a bad guy, but 476 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,560 Speaker 1: he's just sort of he's a roadblock. He's just sort 477 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:45,960 Speaker 1: of getting in the way of what what needs to 478 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:48,960 Speaker 1: happen happening. Yeah, Now, another thing I should point out 479 00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:50,720 Speaker 1: that this is one of those movies where you see 480 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:54,720 Speaker 1: a few repeats during the credits. For example, Paul Galloway here, 481 00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:57,359 Speaker 1: who plays the sheriff, he was in the cast, but 482 00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:00,480 Speaker 1: he was also a unit manager. And then I saw 483 00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:02,680 Speaker 1: in the credits that Ron Kivitt, who was one of 484 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:05,640 Speaker 1: the writers of the film, was also the technical director 485 00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:08,720 Speaker 1: and did some of the costuming. And I think there 486 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:10,720 Speaker 1: were a few others like this, so it's not all 487 00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:14,880 Speaker 1: the way to Neil Breen or Coleman Francis Tire where 488 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:18,240 Speaker 1: the directors also getting credits for catering and events, security 489 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:21,440 Speaker 1: and stuff. But the but there is some some repetition 490 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:24,800 Speaker 1: going on, all right, uh. A couple of other actors 491 00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:30,440 Speaker 1: that will mention Uh. Santa Ringhaer plays Agent Martha Walsh. 492 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:34,800 Speaker 1: Dave Dickerson plays Agent Walker Stevens. Both of these actors 493 00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 1: these were their only film roles, but these two will 494 00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 1: come back to them. There are Molder and Scully and 495 00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:43,000 Speaker 1: that they know they work for a shadowy organization known 496 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:47,120 Speaker 1: as in Pit. Yeah, they get called in by Rex, 497 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:50,160 Speaker 1: the marine Biologist. I could not have told you these 498 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:53,200 Speaker 1: characters names that for me. They were just Inpit Agent 499 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:57,560 Speaker 1: one and Inpit Agent two. Yeah. Now another character that 500 00:28:57,760 --> 00:28:59,880 Speaker 1: the character is barely worth mentioning. And there's a dep 501 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:02,040 Speaker 1: the sheriff in this, but it's played by an actor 502 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:04,840 Speaker 1: by the name of Rich Valerie, who lived fifty two 503 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:08,880 Speaker 1: through was only in eight films, but they included small 504 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:14,760 Speaker 1: roles in Jaws three, The Road to Wellville and Night 505 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:17,480 Speaker 1: of the Hunter. Well he was a Knight of the Hunter. 506 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:23,080 Speaker 1: Wait that Night of the Hunter Joe made for TV 507 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:27,200 Speaker 1: Night of the Hunter, starring Richard Chamberlain and featuring Burgess 508 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:31,360 Speaker 1: Meredith and Ray McKinnon in a small role. Okay, that 509 00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:33,000 Speaker 1: would make sense now for him to have been in 510 00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: the original Night of the Hunter, he would have to 511 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:38,719 Speaker 1: have been I guess three years old when he started 512 00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:41,320 Speaker 1: in it. The original Night of the Hunter is is 513 00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:44,520 Speaker 1: a scary movie, man, talk about spell binding actors. That 514 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:46,760 Speaker 1: that is one of the old time greats for me 515 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:49,960 Speaker 1: in terms of a screen presence that you cannot take 516 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:52,520 Speaker 1: your eyes off of. Robert Mitchum in that movie is 517 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:57,160 Speaker 1: scary as hell. Yeah, But what if we remade it 518 00:29:57,240 --> 00:30:02,240 Speaker 1: in the early nineties with Richard Chamberlain in the role? Okay, 519 00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:06,600 Speaker 1: that's supposedly awful. Um Okay, now, uh, that's enough with 520 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:09,600 Speaker 1: the cast. That's enough with the humans, uh and the monsters. Uh. 521 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:11,320 Speaker 1: We we need to talk to just a little bit 522 00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:13,800 Speaker 1: about the music and then the next few people of 523 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:15,920 Speaker 1: note are responsible for the music of that and the 524 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:18,120 Speaker 1: music is that is is pretty great, even if it's 525 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:20,160 Speaker 1: a bit all over the place as well, which is 526 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:24,600 Speaker 1: kind of suitable. Uh. It encompasses more traditional late sixties 527 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:28,160 Speaker 1: early seventies film score work. Um, which some of that 528 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:33,640 Speaker 1: I suspect is um is stock music. Um. But but 529 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: then it also has um uh like folk rock. It 530 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:41,520 Speaker 1: has ambient synth in there. Um. Yeah, so there's some 531 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:44,040 Speaker 1: uncredited stock music and there PERI I am dB by 532 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:46,960 Speaker 1: Trevor Duncan, So Um, it's kind of all over the place, 533 00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:50,600 Speaker 1: but there's some some really interesting stuff in there. I 534 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:53,880 Speaker 1: was not really won over by the electronic music and 535 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:56,320 Speaker 1: this one, which mostly just took the form of like 536 00:30:56,520 --> 00:31:01,040 Speaker 1: kind of painful, high pitched noises and screech. Oh really, 537 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:06,200 Speaker 1: I ultimately really like yeah, mll it is like that. 538 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:08,360 Speaker 1: It is kind of noisy at times. It kind of 539 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:11,760 Speaker 1: gets into that Doctor X territory where, uh, you know 540 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:14,280 Speaker 1: we discussed in that film there are these these these 541 00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:17,640 Speaker 1: scenes that have ambient mad science noises in the background. 542 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:21,840 Speaker 1: It sounds a lot like it is some manner of 543 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:28,000 Speaker 1: like modern post industrial electronic score, and so that definitely 544 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:31,280 Speaker 1: has that vibe going on. Um. But but I actually 545 00:31:31,280 --> 00:31:34,880 Speaker 1: really liked it. It's um in my opinion, I thought 546 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:37,720 Speaker 1: it was pretty effective. It's synthy, kind of noise ambient 547 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:40,760 Speaker 1: and the electronic music like this in the film, and 548 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:44,400 Speaker 1: I suspect some of the background. Electronic Weirdness is the 549 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:49,200 Speaker 1: work of Jack Tamill, a Floridian synth musician and um 550 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:52,800 Speaker 1: if you look him up on Spotify and other digital 551 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:56,440 Speaker 1: platforms like that, you'll find some rather haunting nature ambient 552 00:31:56,480 --> 00:32:00,000 Speaker 1: recordings that he's done, such as Voices of the Everglade 553 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:03,520 Speaker 1: of Everglades State Park and Gator Bellows and the Everglades, 554 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:08,240 Speaker 1: both the collaborations with James T. Miller. But he also 555 00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:11,320 Speaker 1: also put out some excellent space music in the nineteen 556 00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:14,720 Speaker 1: eighties and nineties, including the Referee Has Vanished from nineteen 557 00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:21,040 Speaker 1: eight six, meditative Massage from synthe Synthist Synthist I think 558 00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:24,840 Speaker 1: it is from nine two, and then a religious affiliation 559 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:28,680 Speaker 1: I'm a syntheist. And then there's a nineteen eighty album 560 00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:32,720 Speaker 1: you put out titled Electroacoustic like Electro slash Acoustic, which 561 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:36,480 Speaker 1: was released on Spectrum Records. UM. I can't. I couldn't 562 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 1: find any of these available in the normal places online, 563 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:44,200 Speaker 1: but I did find a YouTube upload that consists of Electroacoustic, 564 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:49,920 Speaker 1: The Referee has Vanished and sounds from from from Zat's audio. Uh, 565 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:51,560 Speaker 1: and you can also look like you can still pick 566 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:55,800 Speaker 1: up electroacoustic used on vinyl um. I was listening to it. 567 00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:59,040 Speaker 1: It's uh, it's it's pretty good. I enjoyed it. Um. 568 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:03,120 Speaker 1: Also not surprising the number one YouTube comment on that 569 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:07,400 Speaker 1: on that track that I mentioned, it's our land chiming 570 00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:12,240 Speaker 1: in and saying thank you for putting this commenting with 571 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:16,440 Speaker 1: his real name. Yeah. If you know another Jack Tamill track, 572 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:20,600 Speaker 1: if you can look up um on band camp, there's 573 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:24,120 Speaker 1: a comp titled Escape from the Cage Volume two, Into 574 00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:28,520 Speaker 1: the Underworld, originally released by Oracle Music in nineteen nine. 575 00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:31,800 Speaker 1: If you look that up, he has a track on there. 576 00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:36,440 Speaker 1: It's called Ember Days and I thought it was rather nice. Anyway, 577 00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:40,440 Speaker 1: that's Jack Tamill. That's the the electro uh you know, 578 00:33:40,520 --> 00:33:44,680 Speaker 1: synth noise background that you hear. But again the folk 579 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:47,560 Speaker 1: music that comes to us from Barry hodgen And and 580 00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:51,080 Speaker 1: Jamie de Frate's um and and that their story is 581 00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:54,520 Speaker 1: kind of interesting as well. According to to the blog 582 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:58,520 Speaker 1: Bill Etric's Place, Bill is an o'calla based writer and 583 00:33:58,560 --> 00:34:01,960 Speaker 1: blogger in Florida. Uh Defrate's lived in Jacksonville at the time, 584 00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:05,680 Speaker 1: and he was a traveling musician, having a supposedly open 585 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:09,760 Speaker 1: for the likes of Willie Nelson, h Janice Ian, uh 586 00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:13,319 Speaker 1: Little River Band. You know, it's said various people that 587 00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:15,520 Speaker 1: were making the rounds in those days. And he ran 588 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:19,200 Speaker 1: a recording studio in Jacksonville and is still active. I 589 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:22,879 Speaker 1: looked him up. He has a or had a website. Uh, 590 00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:24,480 Speaker 1: some of these guys, their websites kind of come in 591 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:27,759 Speaker 1: and out. But yeah, Jamie defrates. So you can look 592 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:30,719 Speaker 1: him up on on Spotify and you can find the 593 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:34,839 Speaker 1: music from Zach. It's pretty it's pretty nice. Interesting. Well, Rob, 594 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:38,279 Speaker 1: I I regret having having yucked your your your your 595 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:40,799 Speaker 1: delicious synth music, or maybe I should give it another shot. 596 00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:43,200 Speaker 1: I just recall when I was watching it, there was 597 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:47,680 Speaker 1: frequently like a just high pitched noise that was starting 598 00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:52,120 Speaker 1: to kind of make me feel a little woozy. Well, 599 00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:54,839 Speaker 1: but but then again, you have to remember, like that's 600 00:34:54,920 --> 00:34:56,520 Speaker 1: kind of what the music is supposed to do in 601 00:34:56,560 --> 00:34:58,440 Speaker 1: a film like this. It's to build that sense of 602 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:04,040 Speaker 1: unease and uh an alienation and flurid Ian weirdness. Well, 603 00:35:04,239 --> 00:35:06,600 Speaker 1: I'm there, Seth. Give us just a little taste of 604 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:08,919 Speaker 1: some of that Jack Tamil music before we move onto 605 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:28,080 Speaker 1: the plot. All right, Joe let's get into the plot 606 00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:30,839 Speaker 1: of this baby. Yes, let us tell the story of 607 00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:33,279 Speaker 1: of a man who dreamed he was a catfish? Or 608 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:36,279 Speaker 1: was he a catfish dreaming he was a man? A 609 00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:41,520 Speaker 1: true tale of metamorphosis of mythic proportions. Absolutely So the 610 00:35:41,600 --> 00:35:44,160 Speaker 1: movie starts, of course, the version we watched has that 611 00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:46,879 Speaker 1: that great intro from Don Barton again with the Bill 612 00:35:46,960 --> 00:35:50,319 Speaker 1: Moyers energy for me. But uh, then it gets right 613 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:53,239 Speaker 1: into the film with stock footage. I doubt this was 614 00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:55,760 Speaker 1: shot for the film it was. It looks like something 615 00:35:55,800 --> 00:35:59,880 Speaker 1: from a nature documentary where he's showing off sargassum seaweed 616 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:02,840 Speaker 1: as we have just discussed on the core episode from yesterday, 617 00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:05,960 Speaker 1: and uh and in a real nice, prickly looking fish 618 00:36:06,040 --> 00:36:08,800 Speaker 1: and we when we get voice over that at first 619 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:11,560 Speaker 1: I thought was a poem. It really sounded like he 620 00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:16,440 Speaker 1: was reciting a poem because he says, sargassum the weed 621 00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:22,440 Speaker 1: of deceit, sargassum fish, mighty hunter of the deep. Okay, 622 00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:25,160 Speaker 1: so that's almost like a close and near rhyme there, 623 00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:27,719 Speaker 1: so you think he's developing a poem. But then the 624 00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:30,040 Speaker 1: stuff he starts saying after that doesn't really fit. He 625 00:36:30,080 --> 00:36:33,120 Speaker 1: starts saying, what an inspiration you have been in my plot, 626 00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:37,839 Speaker 1: your life of hiding, waiting, stalking your prey at just 627 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:43,239 Speaker 1: the right moment attack. I love you. What are you 628 00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:46,359 Speaker 1: the poetry police, Joe? You're saying this isn't poetry. Oh 629 00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:49,480 Speaker 1: I don't know. I mean what I was trying to 630 00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:52,160 Speaker 1: figure out was whether the movie thought it was a 631 00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:56,200 Speaker 1: poem or whether just talking. I mean, yeah, anything, anything's 632 00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:59,440 Speaker 1: a poem. If you say it is, now it is. 633 00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:02,439 Speaker 1: It is such a startling start to this picture because 634 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:05,200 Speaker 1: again it's it's clearly stock footage, and that then the 635 00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:08,560 Speaker 1: voiceover is just amazing. And I do love the idea 636 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:12,800 Speaker 1: of somebody on early nineteen seventies forty two Street in 637 00:37:12,840 --> 00:37:15,640 Speaker 1: New York City walking into this picture, um, you know, 638 00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:18,680 Speaker 1: thinking they're getting some sort of sleazy monster movie, and 639 00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:22,759 Speaker 1: they're hit with documentary footage right off the bat, and 640 00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:25,120 Speaker 1: just the guy who sounds kind of like Vincent Price 641 00:37:25,320 --> 00:37:29,479 Speaker 1: telling this fish that he loves it. Yes, I love you, 642 00:37:30,560 --> 00:37:33,200 Speaker 1: and then he goes on to admire various other species 643 00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:36,440 Speaker 1: for minutes at a time. You know, the shark, I 644 00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:42,160 Speaker 1: admire you. Soon I'll swim with you. They'll be afraid. Yeah, 645 00:37:42,320 --> 00:37:47,520 Speaker 1: very good and the scorpion fish and objectively ugly beautiful fish, 646 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:50,400 Speaker 1: like a fish that is beautiful in how ugly it is, 647 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:54,239 Speaker 1: and he's like, you are gorgeous. They think I'm insane. 648 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:59,080 Speaker 1: They're the ones who are insane. Yeah, it's it's pretty tremendous. 649 00:37:59,280 --> 00:38:01,920 Speaker 1: Another thing that cool, though, is that actually the stock 650 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:04,600 Speaker 1: footage they select, I don't know what it's originally from, 651 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:08,240 Speaker 1: but whatever nature documentary it is, that got some cool footage. 652 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:13,480 Speaker 1: Because Monster Science moment here they catch a sargassum fish 653 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:17,080 Speaker 1: eating another fish whole, like just spreading its mouth wide 654 00:38:17,120 --> 00:38:20,400 Speaker 1: and clamping down over this fish's body, and the fish 655 00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:23,640 Speaker 1: that it eats is almost as big as the sargassum 656 00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:27,720 Speaker 1: fish itself. This reminds me that in the actual science 657 00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:31,520 Speaker 1: episode we recorded yesterday about this organism, I neglected to 658 00:38:31,560 --> 00:38:36,480 Speaker 1: mention that apparently sometimes when it eats another fish, uh 659 00:38:36,680 --> 00:38:39,720 Speaker 1: it's since it's it's you can actually see the prey 660 00:38:39,880 --> 00:38:43,680 Speaker 1: inside of it through its semi translucent skin. So yeah, 661 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:46,279 Speaker 1: I've seen that. So that's so wonderful. I love it. 662 00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:49,439 Speaker 1: I don't want to be it like like Dr Leopold here, 663 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:51,759 Speaker 1: but but I do like it a lot. Oh well, 664 00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:53,719 Speaker 1: I don't know if we mentioned that's how he follows up. 665 00:38:53,760 --> 00:38:55,919 Speaker 1: So he's looking at the sargassum fish and he's saying 666 00:38:55,960 --> 00:38:59,080 Speaker 1: I love you, but then he says, I hope I'll 667 00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:03,959 Speaker 1: be a good m a tater. Yes. Um. Basically he's 668 00:39:04,040 --> 00:39:07,239 Speaker 1: he begins to lay this out through you know, ultimately 669 00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:10,680 Speaker 1: like twenty minutes of narration. Uh that that he is 670 00:39:10,719 --> 00:39:16,080 Speaker 1: going to draw inspiration perhaps behavioral but also genetic uh 671 00:39:16,239 --> 00:39:20,480 Speaker 1: inspiration from these organisms as part of his master plan. 672 00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:23,680 Speaker 1: I think you already mentioned this, but we should stress 673 00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:27,719 Speaker 1: it's like twenty three minutes into this movie before you 674 00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:30,400 Speaker 1: see a human being who is not a mad scientist. 675 00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:35,480 Speaker 1: Up until up until then, it is exclusively uh Dr 676 00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:39,160 Speaker 1: Leopold looking like Harry Dean Stanton shuffling around on the 677 00:39:39,200 --> 00:39:42,480 Speaker 1: beach and through the ruins of a marine park and 678 00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:46,120 Speaker 1: uh and like stock footage of animals from the sea, 679 00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:49,759 Speaker 1: and then a monster just sort of rambling around. Yeah. 680 00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:51,640 Speaker 1: Most films, you know, they'd probably start off with you 681 00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:55,080 Speaker 1: like a teenage couple meeting. They're relatable, and then they're 682 00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:58,480 Speaker 1: killed by a monster or something like that. Not this film. No, 683 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:02,400 Speaker 1: it's just it's Dr Eopold in stock footage of fish. 684 00:40:02,440 --> 00:40:05,120 Speaker 1: From the get go, we do get a teenage couple 685 00:40:05,160 --> 00:40:07,320 Speaker 1: fooling around. Later in the movie when the monster is 686 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:09,920 Speaker 1: on a rampage, there's this, uh, this young couple that 687 00:40:09,920 --> 00:40:12,000 Speaker 1: are like on a porch swing and they're making out 688 00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:15,000 Speaker 1: and the guys like, I don't believe in monsters. And 689 00:40:15,040 --> 00:40:17,000 Speaker 1: then of course an hour and a half into the 690 00:40:17,080 --> 00:40:20,520 Speaker 1: picture you get what he's probably an opening segment in 691 00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:24,680 Speaker 1: most films. Yeah, um, but yeah, how to describe that 692 00:40:24,920 --> 00:40:28,960 Speaker 1: there is there is a powerful emotional resonance to the 693 00:40:29,040 --> 00:40:32,160 Speaker 1: opening of this film when you first see Dr Leopold 694 00:40:32,239 --> 00:40:34,239 Speaker 1: wandering around. I mean, I guess we've already tried to 695 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:37,040 Speaker 1: describe it nine different ways. But yeah, it's it's Harry 696 00:40:37,040 --> 00:40:41,560 Speaker 1: Dean stanton Ish, it's it's shabby, it's drab, it's sad, 697 00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:45,799 Speaker 1: it's lonely. He is failing and and he is going 698 00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:49,160 Speaker 1: to do science to fix it. Oh and of course 699 00:40:49,280 --> 00:40:51,520 Speaker 1: we should mention that while we see him wandering on 700 00:40:51,520 --> 00:40:53,600 Speaker 1: the beach, this is when the World War two Boys 701 00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:55,840 Speaker 1: song is playing, and one of the lines in the 702 00:40:55,880 --> 00:40:57,759 Speaker 1: song that is just a kiss on the top of 703 00:40:57,800 --> 00:40:59,799 Speaker 1: the head from the Sun God. It's the part where 704 00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:07,120 Speaker 1: he's Sace Sace through the sarcasm. Yes, the I could 705 00:41:07,160 --> 00:41:09,359 Speaker 1: go on and on about just how wonderful that song 706 00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:12,960 Speaker 1: is because the lyrics at once, the lyrics sound like 707 00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:16,800 Speaker 1: lyrics that were composed after half watching part of the film, 708 00:41:16,880 --> 00:41:19,439 Speaker 1: you know, just sort of like trying to loosely figure 709 00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:22,040 Speaker 1: out what the plot is like it refers to your, um, 710 00:41:22,080 --> 00:41:26,279 Speaker 1: your calendar research, which it seems like a strange description 711 00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:28,080 Speaker 1: of what appears to be going on in the in 712 00:41:28,120 --> 00:41:31,920 Speaker 1: the motion picture. But also it ultimately, like I don't know, 713 00:41:31,960 --> 00:41:34,520 Speaker 1: it ends up giving Leopold more depth because he's talking 714 00:41:34,520 --> 00:41:38,920 Speaker 1: about you know, you know about you know, how he's 715 00:41:38,960 --> 00:41:42,960 Speaker 1: wanting to change himself, um outside you change yourself to 716 00:41:43,040 --> 00:41:45,560 Speaker 1: be inside what you already see, you know, which I 717 00:41:45,560 --> 00:41:47,480 Speaker 1: guess it is kind of like you know, which is 718 00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:51,080 Speaker 1: as yeah, they say, already a giant catfish. I don't know, 719 00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:53,480 Speaker 1: it like it it ends up working for some weird reason, 720 00:41:53,520 --> 00:41:56,640 Speaker 1: it just works very well. The true catfish was inside 721 00:41:56,640 --> 00:42:00,640 Speaker 1: you all along. Yeah. Uh no. So I've a question 722 00:42:00,680 --> 00:42:05,040 Speaker 1: about how a filming location here matches up with reality. 723 00:42:05,040 --> 00:42:06,799 Speaker 1: I don't know if you have any insight on this, 724 00:42:06,840 --> 00:42:09,400 Speaker 1: but I'm wondering. So after we see Harry Dean Stanton 725 00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:13,239 Speaker 1: here wandering through this desolate beach landscape while the World 726 00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:16,520 Speaker 1: War two boy plays. He wanders into a place that 727 00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:21,440 Speaker 1: looks to me like the ruins of an off brand 728 00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:25,560 Speaker 1: sea world. Like if if a Marine World type attraction 729 00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:29,480 Speaker 1: was abandoned for years and just you know, things collected 730 00:42:29,560 --> 00:42:32,040 Speaker 1: all over it as as the seasons came and went, 731 00:42:32,480 --> 00:42:35,360 Speaker 1: that's what we'd be seeing that he walks through. I 732 00:42:35,440 --> 00:42:37,880 Speaker 1: know that part of this movie was filmed at Marine 733 00:42:38,040 --> 00:42:40,160 Speaker 1: Land of Florida, but from what I can tell, I 734 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:43,080 Speaker 1: think it was actually in operation at this time, not 735 00:42:43,160 --> 00:42:45,640 Speaker 1: like an abandoned ruin. So I'm not sure exactly what 736 00:42:45,680 --> 00:42:48,839 Speaker 1: we're seeing. Yeah, Like there's a scene where he's walking 737 00:42:48,880 --> 00:42:52,479 Speaker 1: around or through what looks like what's previously a tank 738 00:42:52,520 --> 00:42:54,759 Speaker 1: of some sort. Uh, and now it's just empty and 739 00:42:54,800 --> 00:42:57,799 Speaker 1: as leaves and clutter in it. Um. I guess my 740 00:42:57,880 --> 00:43:01,239 Speaker 1: thinking is is two fold on this. First of all, Um, 741 00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:03,560 Speaker 1: just because Marine World was up and running didn't mean 742 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:05,560 Speaker 1: there were parts of it that maybe had fallen into 743 00:43:05,600 --> 00:43:08,040 Speaker 1: disuse or weren't being used, you know, the outskirts of 744 00:43:08,040 --> 00:43:11,200 Speaker 1: the facility, that sort of thing. Um, Like, I think 745 00:43:11,239 --> 00:43:13,279 Speaker 1: if you go to any any player. You go to 746 00:43:13,320 --> 00:43:15,600 Speaker 1: your local zoo or botanical garden, there's going to be 747 00:43:15,600 --> 00:43:17,520 Speaker 1: a part of the property where you could probably film 748 00:43:17,520 --> 00:43:20,319 Speaker 1: a scene for a monster movie, you know. Um. On 749 00:43:20,360 --> 00:43:22,759 Speaker 1: the other hand, it could just be off season. I mean, 750 00:43:22,800 --> 00:43:25,600 Speaker 1: maybe it looks that bad just as the winter. That's well, 751 00:43:25,640 --> 00:43:27,640 Speaker 1: that's the other thing. Like we have to remember that 752 00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:31,560 Speaker 1: Florida is Florida and it is a jungle, so um, 753 00:43:31,600 --> 00:43:34,200 Speaker 1: you know that we're talking about just like a few 754 00:43:34,239 --> 00:43:37,760 Speaker 1: months without anybody paying attention to the maintenance of a place, 755 00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:40,759 Speaker 1: and it will look like absolute ruin, you know, um, 756 00:43:40,920 --> 00:43:43,080 Speaker 1: which I think is one of the appeals of certain 757 00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:46,920 Speaker 1: Florida movies as well, the Florida Ruins. Yeah. Okay, so 758 00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:49,520 Speaker 1: I'm going to guess that this is actually part of 759 00:43:49,560 --> 00:43:52,880 Speaker 1: Marine Land, Florida, um, which which is a place that 760 00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:55,360 Speaker 1: has operated off and on and I think was also 761 00:43:55,400 --> 00:43:59,719 Speaker 1: a filming location for Revenge of the Creature. A very strange, 762 00:44:00,360 --> 00:44:04,280 Speaker 1: a very strange floor toa movie. Indeed. Yeah, probably the best, 763 00:44:04,880 --> 00:44:07,839 Speaker 1: uh Creature from the Black Lagoon movie, if one can 764 00:44:07,960 --> 00:44:10,320 Speaker 1: can say such a thing about Creature from the Black Lagoon. 765 00:44:10,560 --> 00:44:13,040 Speaker 1: It's the sequel to Creature from the Black Lagoon, and 766 00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:17,400 Speaker 1: I think it's the one where the creators have realized that, like, oh, 767 00:44:17,440 --> 00:44:22,239 Speaker 1: in the original Creature, the humans were definitely the bad guys, right, 768 00:44:22,280 --> 00:44:24,720 Speaker 1: Like the creature didn't do anything, it was just living 769 00:44:24,719 --> 00:44:27,040 Speaker 1: in its own place, and then humans showed up and 770 00:44:27,040 --> 00:44:29,600 Speaker 1: they were like, let's shoot at it. And we're supposed 771 00:44:29,640 --> 00:44:31,800 Speaker 1: to think that the humans are good for just going 772 00:44:31,840 --> 00:44:35,359 Speaker 1: to a place where a monster lives and and killing it. Yeah. Yeah, 773 00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:39,440 Speaker 1: I mean the creature was the character that we we 774 00:44:39,520 --> 00:44:43,200 Speaker 1: all relate to and associate with then, and I think 775 00:44:43,200 --> 00:44:45,479 Speaker 1: a certain similar thing is going on in this film 776 00:44:45,480 --> 00:44:47,160 Speaker 1: as well. I mean the creature from the Black Lagoon 777 00:44:47,800 --> 00:44:50,120 Speaker 1: or that they are both literally fish out of water. 778 00:44:50,480 --> 00:44:54,160 Speaker 1: You know, they're they're they're they're they're literally outsiders, and 779 00:44:54,880 --> 00:44:57,080 Speaker 1: you know that's that's the sort of thing you often 780 00:44:57,920 --> 00:45:01,040 Speaker 1: relate to in a film like this. Though, I will 781 00:45:01,080 --> 00:45:03,000 Speaker 1: say I will make a strong distinction, which is that 782 00:45:03,080 --> 00:45:05,360 Speaker 1: I fully side with the creature because he's just hanging 783 00:45:05,360 --> 00:45:07,480 Speaker 1: out in his place and they come there and start 784 00:45:07,840 --> 00:45:12,319 Speaker 1: attacking him. That is the aggressor that that is is 785 00:45:12,360 --> 00:45:14,920 Speaker 1: trying to work out scores in a way that is 786 00:45:14,920 --> 00:45:17,439 Speaker 1: not productive. He could have like if he was mad 787 00:45:17,520 --> 00:45:20,440 Speaker 1: at his former coworkers. Coworkers, he could have written them 788 00:45:20,440 --> 00:45:22,440 Speaker 1: a letter saying like, here's what I think are are 789 00:45:22,560 --> 00:45:25,719 Speaker 1: unresolved issues. Instead, he's like, no, I'll turn myself into 790 00:45:25,719 --> 00:45:28,120 Speaker 1: a catfish critter and and come to your house and 791 00:45:28,239 --> 00:45:31,160 Speaker 1: kill you. Right. He's very clear on this. It's not 792 00:45:31,239 --> 00:45:34,440 Speaker 1: just I want to restore ecological balance. No, No, he 793 00:45:34,480 --> 00:45:37,879 Speaker 1: wants to basically all but wipe out the human race, 794 00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:42,800 Speaker 1: um hunt the remaining humans for sport, and proclaim himself 795 00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:47,560 Speaker 1: ruler of not merely the Earth, but the universe. Uh 796 00:45:47,760 --> 00:45:51,439 Speaker 1: so he has some grandiose plans here, Dr Leopold, you 797 00:45:51,440 --> 00:45:53,879 Speaker 1: you are asking for more than as your due? Yes, 798 00:45:54,920 --> 00:45:57,120 Speaker 1: But of course, so we see Dr Leopold still in 799 00:45:57,200 --> 00:45:59,359 Speaker 1: human form at the beginning. He goes back to his lab, 800 00:45:59,400 --> 00:46:02,840 Speaker 1: which I think are probably some some places at Marine 801 00:46:02,920 --> 00:46:05,160 Speaker 1: Land of Florida. I'm not sure, but there are places 802 00:46:05,200 --> 00:46:08,120 Speaker 1: with like hooses attached to the ceiling and stuff like 803 00:46:08,160 --> 00:46:10,759 Speaker 1: that kind of equipment that you would imagine might be 804 00:46:10,800 --> 00:46:13,799 Speaker 1: in an actual marine biology lab or and I don't know, 805 00:46:13,840 --> 00:46:18,600 Speaker 1: an animal marine veterinary clinic or something. Yeah. And I 806 00:46:18,680 --> 00:46:20,759 Speaker 1: think they coppled together a lot of stuff too, um 807 00:46:21,320 --> 00:46:23,640 Speaker 1: like there's a black light some black light stuff back 808 00:46:23,920 --> 00:46:26,439 Speaker 1: not black light dark room, um equipment in the back. 809 00:46:26,480 --> 00:46:28,799 Speaker 1: It went one point, you know, so clearly you know 810 00:46:29,120 --> 00:46:32,080 Speaker 1: they took some initial clutter. They filled it up with 811 00:46:32,120 --> 00:46:35,319 Speaker 1: some other technological stuff, but it ends up looking looking good. 812 00:46:35,360 --> 00:46:37,719 Speaker 1: I felt like it if I feel like this is 813 00:46:37,800 --> 00:46:43,040 Speaker 1: an adequately lonesome and mad science e layer. Yes it is. 814 00:46:43,080 --> 00:46:45,640 Speaker 1: It is very dingy, it is very damp. It is 815 00:46:45,760 --> 00:46:48,360 Speaker 1: very dank. It is it doesn't look like a place 816 00:46:48,360 --> 00:46:51,399 Speaker 1: you'd want to sleep. Uh. And of course we get 817 00:46:51,440 --> 00:46:54,839 Speaker 1: some classic mad scientist dialogue while he's fiddling around with 818 00:46:54,880 --> 00:46:58,880 Speaker 1: his equipment. He he says, the formula. They all laughed 819 00:46:58,920 --> 00:47:02,640 Speaker 1: at my little jim Z. And we find out that 820 00:47:02,800 --> 00:47:06,640 Speaker 1: that is a it's like a formula. It's like Z 821 00:47:07,120 --> 00:47:12,359 Speaker 1: sub a a sub t. I think, yes, okay, so 822 00:47:12,400 --> 00:47:14,600 Speaker 1: it's like a it's a it's a mathematical or chemical 823 00:47:14,680 --> 00:47:18,000 Speaker 1: formula of some kind. Um. But he he tells the 824 00:47:18,440 --> 00:47:21,520 Speaker 1: through the voice over. He says it's very powerful. Uh, 825 00:47:21,560 --> 00:47:25,200 Speaker 1: they'll have fish the size they've never seen before, walking 826 00:47:25,280 --> 00:47:30,840 Speaker 1: fish who like human flesh. So he wanders around the 827 00:47:30,920 --> 00:47:33,759 Speaker 1: labs a lot. He stops to tickle an octopus, which 828 00:47:33,800 --> 00:47:36,120 Speaker 1: I liked. He just reaches into the tank and kind 829 00:47:36,120 --> 00:47:39,000 Speaker 1: of like touches it a little bit um and then 830 00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:42,640 Speaker 1: he starts doing voiceover about this one species of catfish, 831 00:47:42,880 --> 00:47:46,680 Speaker 1: the walking catfish, which according to this is another one 832 00:47:46,680 --> 00:47:49,520 Speaker 1: of those claims that was listed on IMDb unsourced. But 833 00:47:49,880 --> 00:47:55,239 Speaker 1: according to the claims of the Kivet, one of the writers, uh, 834 00:47:55,280 --> 00:47:58,200 Speaker 1: he got the idea for this movie by reading an 835 00:47:58,320 --> 00:48:01,560 Speaker 1: article about this specie is of catfish, the so called 836 00:48:01,640 --> 00:48:05,840 Speaker 1: walking catfish or clarius but track us. But anyway, this 837 00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:09,720 Speaker 1: voiceover about the catfish, I wondered if this was actually 838 00:48:09,800 --> 00:48:12,640 Speaker 1: written for the film, because it sounds like he is 839 00:48:12,760 --> 00:48:17,000 Speaker 1: reading from an encyclopedia or a field guide entry. Uh. 840 00:48:17,040 --> 00:48:18,879 Speaker 1: And I was wondering if somebody could find the text. 841 00:48:19,000 --> 00:48:22,120 Speaker 1: But I was googling sections of what he says in quotes, 842 00:48:22,160 --> 00:48:24,879 Speaker 1: and I came up with nothing. But I wonder maybe 843 00:48:24,880 --> 00:48:26,920 Speaker 1: I'm just not looking for it quite the right way. 844 00:48:27,520 --> 00:48:29,799 Speaker 1: But then he goes on I rant about how there's 845 00:48:29,840 --> 00:48:32,440 Speaker 1: a problem with the walking catfish, which is that it 846 00:48:32,560 --> 00:48:35,319 Speaker 1: is too small, and he tells it that you are 847 00:48:35,360 --> 00:48:38,879 Speaker 1: not ready to battle humans. But then he says, soon 848 00:48:38,960 --> 00:48:42,680 Speaker 1: the whole world will know and respect us. Uh and 849 00:48:42,760 --> 00:48:44,920 Speaker 1: I saw. I'm a little confused about his plan because 850 00:48:44,960 --> 00:48:47,160 Speaker 1: he's he's going on about how all the humans will 851 00:48:47,200 --> 00:48:49,839 Speaker 1: be killed, but then he also says that they will 852 00:48:49,880 --> 00:48:52,840 Speaker 1: finally respect him, So I don't know, Maybe it's that 853 00:48:52,880 --> 00:48:56,600 Speaker 1: they'll respect him before they are killed. Um, yeah, I 854 00:48:56,680 --> 00:48:58,560 Speaker 1: guess at the very least. But also, you know, he 855 00:48:58,600 --> 00:49:00,719 Speaker 1: does allude to the fact later on this humans will 856 00:49:00,760 --> 00:49:03,920 Speaker 1: be alive, possibly, so maybe those are the ones who 857 00:49:03,960 --> 00:49:07,040 Speaker 1: will respect him. Alright, well, no more screwing around. It's 858 00:49:07,080 --> 00:49:09,200 Speaker 1: just time to inject myself with the giant needle. And 859 00:49:09,239 --> 00:49:12,920 Speaker 1: that's what he does. He grabs this needle that is huge. 860 00:49:13,040 --> 00:49:15,840 Speaker 1: It's like a you know, it's like a feather duster 861 00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:18,360 Speaker 1: sized handle, you know, so it looks like it was 862 00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:21,239 Speaker 1: designed for saltwater crocodiles, and it's full of some kind 863 00:49:21,239 --> 00:49:24,120 Speaker 1: of green gatorade looking liquid and he just jams it 864 00:49:24,280 --> 00:49:26,840 Speaker 1: straight into his arm. But that's just phase one of 865 00:49:26,880 --> 00:49:31,440 Speaker 1: the transformation. First is the injection. Next comes the kind 866 00:49:31,480 --> 00:49:33,919 Speaker 1: of a baptism. Yeah. Yeah, he's got to get into 867 00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:36,520 Speaker 1: a tank. So he gets undressed. He's wearing these huge 868 00:49:36,520 --> 00:49:38,759 Speaker 1: blue box or shorts with his butt kind of hanging 869 00:49:38,800 --> 00:49:41,560 Speaker 1: out and that's funny. And then there's this pool of 870 00:49:41,640 --> 00:49:44,640 Speaker 1: water and uh, I think there are there is some 871 00:49:44,760 --> 00:49:47,359 Speaker 1: blood mixed in with the water, and then there are 872 00:49:47,360 --> 00:49:50,319 Speaker 1: these Geiger counter sound effects in the background. So I think, 873 00:49:50,360 --> 00:49:53,800 Speaker 1: suppose something is supposed to be radioactive, that this pool 874 00:49:53,800 --> 00:49:57,160 Speaker 1: of water may be. It could be that it's supposed 875 00:49:57,160 --> 00:50:01,440 Speaker 1: to be heavy water, because later on, uh, some characters 876 00:50:01,440 --> 00:50:04,840 Speaker 1: talk about how his laboratory. Dr. Leopold's laboratory used to 877 00:50:04,840 --> 00:50:09,200 Speaker 1: do heavy water experiments. Ties right into previous episodes of 878 00:50:09,200 --> 00:50:10,960 Speaker 1: stuff to ball your mind. Yeah, I mean, as we 879 00:50:11,040 --> 00:50:13,399 Speaker 1: discussed in that episode, as soon as you get into 880 00:50:13,440 --> 00:50:16,320 Speaker 1: a pool of heavy water, you turn into a catfish creature, 881 00:50:16,440 --> 00:50:21,279 Speaker 1: so that the science checks out. But then he gets 882 00:50:21,360 --> 00:50:24,120 Speaker 1: himself into this kind of winch gurney thing. I don't 883 00:50:24,160 --> 00:50:26,080 Speaker 1: know how best to explain this. It's like it looks 884 00:50:26,080 --> 00:50:31,439 Speaker 1: like a device that would be used for airlifting comatose dolphins. Yeah. Yeah, 885 00:50:31,560 --> 00:50:37,480 Speaker 1: it's fittingly awkward and ritualistic. It's um, it's an unsettling 886 00:50:37,520 --> 00:50:40,240 Speaker 1: scene because he didn't just climb in. Yeah, he lowers 887 00:50:40,320 --> 00:50:43,799 Speaker 1: himself into it on this thing. Yeah, so he gets 888 00:50:43,800 --> 00:50:46,279 Speaker 1: in the gurney, he lowers himself into the water with 889 00:50:46,320 --> 00:50:49,720 Speaker 1: a rope, and then we get electronic beeps and Geiger 890 00:50:49,760 --> 00:50:53,279 Speaker 1: counter clicks, and then finally he emerges and he is 891 00:50:53,440 --> 00:50:56,360 Speaker 1: the creature. Uh, and then we will never want we 892 00:50:56,400 --> 00:50:58,400 Speaker 1: will never again the rest of the movie. See the 893 00:50:58,440 --> 00:51:01,640 Speaker 1: actor who plays Leopold, he has just gone that's right. 894 00:51:01,680 --> 00:51:05,160 Speaker 1: All we have is this this fabulous monster. So it's 895 00:51:05,200 --> 00:51:08,319 Speaker 1: not like a where catfish movie where he's changing back 896 00:51:08,360 --> 00:51:12,040 Speaker 1: and forth. He's just he's just this creature permanently. Yeah. 897 00:51:12,120 --> 00:51:13,960 Speaker 1: And I think this is one of the things I 898 00:51:14,000 --> 00:51:16,799 Speaker 1: always that always captured my imagine vation imagination about the 899 00:51:16,800 --> 00:51:20,560 Speaker 1: film is that instantly we look at this and we're like, oh, sweetie, 900 00:51:20,600 --> 00:51:24,040 Speaker 1: you have you have really done it? Now? This is 901 00:51:24,120 --> 00:51:27,160 Speaker 1: this is not good. Um. But but he has different 902 00:51:27,160 --> 00:51:29,120 Speaker 1: thoughts about it. Oh yeah. So as soon as he 903 00:51:29,120 --> 00:51:31,040 Speaker 1: gets out of the water, he looks at himself in 904 00:51:31,040 --> 00:51:33,760 Speaker 1: a mirror and he you think for a second he's upset, 905 00:51:34,480 --> 00:51:37,320 Speaker 1: but but no, he turns it around. He says nothing 906 00:51:37,400 --> 00:51:43,239 Speaker 1: at all like a catfish. But it's beautiful. And what 907 00:51:43,400 --> 00:51:45,480 Speaker 1: is he talking about? Well, I would say that he 908 00:51:45,640 --> 00:51:50,279 Speaker 1: looks like a cross between Grido and Alf, except he's 909 00:51:50,280 --> 00:51:53,560 Speaker 1: got a sort of like dirty or texture than either 910 00:51:53,560 --> 00:51:55,600 Speaker 1: one of them. So it's like if you cross Grido 911 00:51:55,760 --> 00:51:58,880 Speaker 1: and Alf, but then have that creature fall into a 912 00:51:58,880 --> 00:52:01,799 Speaker 1: puddle of mud and dead leaves that gets stuck to 913 00:52:01,920 --> 00:52:05,600 Speaker 1: him and then uh, and then he's also got green 914 00:52:05,920 --> 00:52:08,879 Speaker 1: fur around certain parts of his upper body. I think 915 00:52:08,920 --> 00:52:11,839 Speaker 1: it's the parts where the sort of shirt part of 916 00:52:11,840 --> 00:52:14,520 Speaker 1: his suit comes together, because it's it's similar to the 917 00:52:14,560 --> 00:52:17,600 Speaker 1: white fluffy parts of a Santa suit. Yeah, he looks 918 00:52:17,640 --> 00:52:19,960 Speaker 1: a little bit like the Grinch at times, you know, 919 00:52:20,080 --> 00:52:23,360 Speaker 1: and he has kind of like Grinch physique. Yes, he does. That. 920 00:52:23,480 --> 00:52:25,359 Speaker 1: That's a very good comparison. I didn't think of that. 921 00:52:25,440 --> 00:52:28,080 Speaker 1: Some parts of his body have a kind of peter 922 00:52:28,280 --> 00:52:32,240 Speaker 1: pan garment shingled leaf texture, or maybe the Green Giant 923 00:52:32,360 --> 00:52:36,120 Speaker 1: has some clothes that look like this, the shins in particular. 924 00:52:37,080 --> 00:52:40,200 Speaker 1: But also he has a snout that ends in a 925 00:52:40,320 --> 00:52:43,120 Speaker 1: leech mouth. Well, it's kind of like a leech mouth. 926 00:52:43,200 --> 00:52:46,680 Speaker 1: It's like a red circle with with teeth in the middle. 927 00:52:46,719 --> 00:52:50,319 Speaker 1: But they're not those circular leech like teeth. They're more 928 00:52:50,360 --> 00:52:53,160 Speaker 1: just kind of like a dog's teeth with canines. It 929 00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:56,839 Speaker 1: is not even remotely articulated though, like no, no, no 930 00:52:57,719 --> 00:53:01,680 Speaker 1: painted on teeth basically, and according to the writer Ron Kivett, 931 00:53:01,760 --> 00:53:04,560 Speaker 1: this is another one of those IMDb trivias. Uh. The 932 00:53:04,640 --> 00:53:07,000 Speaker 1: monster has this mouth that looks kind of like a 933 00:53:07,120 --> 00:53:10,800 Speaker 1: leech's mouth because in an earlier version of the script, 934 00:53:11,120 --> 00:53:13,680 Speaker 1: he was supposed to suck blood out of his victim, 935 00:53:13,760 --> 00:53:16,520 Speaker 1: so he was going to be a vampire catfish monster. 936 00:53:17,080 --> 00:53:20,120 Speaker 1: But I think they scrapped the sucking blood, but the 937 00:53:20,200 --> 00:53:24,359 Speaker 1: costume was already made, I suppose. Okay, so he's transformed. 938 00:53:24,400 --> 00:53:26,680 Speaker 1: And then we get to a part that I legitimate 939 00:53:26,760 --> 00:53:29,200 Speaker 1: laugh out loud part of the movie, which is when 940 00:53:29,200 --> 00:53:31,920 Speaker 1: he goes to his big to do list on the wall. 941 00:53:32,080 --> 00:53:35,960 Speaker 1: He's got this wall how did It's like this giant 942 00:53:36,640 --> 00:53:41,840 Speaker 1: disc shaped wall calendar that he's got his upcoming tasks 943 00:53:41,920 --> 00:53:44,480 Speaker 1: written on. And we see him go up to the 944 00:53:44,640 --> 00:53:49,680 Speaker 1: cell on this calendar labeled self transformation and he crosses 945 00:53:49,719 --> 00:53:51,960 Speaker 1: it off like oh, there's one thing off my to 946 00:53:52,000 --> 00:53:55,080 Speaker 1: do list. And then the next item on the list 947 00:53:55,400 --> 00:53:59,120 Speaker 1: is another instance of the word transformation, but it is 948 00:53:59,200 --> 00:54:02,200 Speaker 1: next to a drawing of the outline of the state 949 00:54:02,200 --> 00:54:05,680 Speaker 1: of Florida, and this this drawing is labeled f L 950 00:54:05,760 --> 00:54:09,800 Speaker 1: A period, which is which is the correct AP styling 951 00:54:09,920 --> 00:54:12,640 Speaker 1: of abbreviation of Florida, which makes me think we may 952 00:54:12,680 --> 00:54:16,799 Speaker 1: have a journalist decorating this set um because I don't 953 00:54:16,840 --> 00:54:18,440 Speaker 1: know if you remember, I mean that we we used 954 00:54:18,480 --> 00:54:20,400 Speaker 1: to have to know AP style when we were writing 955 00:54:20,400 --> 00:54:23,000 Speaker 1: for How Stuff Works, and uh yeah, yeah, I still 956 00:54:23,040 --> 00:54:25,480 Speaker 1: I mean, it's it's hard to shake. Yeah. Everybody just 957 00:54:25,560 --> 00:54:28,400 Speaker 1: uses the postal abbreviations now, or maybe they didn't have 958 00:54:28,440 --> 00:54:31,520 Speaker 1: the postal abbreviations in nineteen seventy one. I don't actually 959 00:54:31,560 --> 00:54:35,319 Speaker 1: know what any rate. This is the calendar research that 960 00:54:35,719 --> 00:54:38,920 Speaker 1: Jamie Defrates was referring to, and I don't know, Joe, 961 00:54:38,920 --> 00:54:40,359 Speaker 1: I think this is just how you had to do 962 00:54:40,440 --> 00:54:44,879 Speaker 1: things before modern project management software. I have to keep track. 963 00:54:44,920 --> 00:54:48,680 Speaker 1: You just had to have a giant, uh circular uh 964 00:54:49,120 --> 00:54:52,600 Speaker 1: calendar chart on the on the wall taking up enormous 965 00:54:52,640 --> 00:54:55,239 Speaker 1: real estate and your mad science layer. Yeah, you had 966 00:54:55,239 --> 00:54:58,680 Speaker 1: to draw pictures of the state that you're going to transform. 967 00:54:58,800 --> 00:55:02,720 Speaker 1: So you draws Florida transformation. I guess of Florida. Another 968 00:55:02,920 --> 00:55:05,920 Speaker 1: hilarious thing about this is that next to the drawing 969 00:55:05,960 --> 00:55:08,960 Speaker 1: of Florida, there's a label of the ocean, and it's 970 00:55:09,000 --> 00:55:13,840 Speaker 1: just labeled Atlantic Ocean. But like, who's going to be confused? 971 00:55:13,920 --> 00:55:18,120 Speaker 1: Wasn't he just making this for himself? Well maybe he 972 00:55:18,160 --> 00:55:21,160 Speaker 1: wasn't sure, you know, after the transformation, you know, his 973 00:55:21,200 --> 00:55:25,680 Speaker 1: brain might be a little foggy. That that's a good point. Yeah, 974 00:55:25,680 --> 00:55:28,799 Speaker 1: Like he couldn't predict his future mental state. So he's like, 975 00:55:28,880 --> 00:55:30,880 Speaker 1: maybe I will be confused and I will need to 976 00:55:31,040 --> 00:55:34,920 Speaker 1: relearn geography at any rate. It looks it looks weird 977 00:55:35,040 --> 00:55:37,719 Speaker 1: and um, and I like it. I actually made a 978 00:55:37,800 --> 00:55:40,560 Speaker 1: Christmas tree ornament based on it. At one point. Oh 979 00:55:40,560 --> 00:55:44,319 Speaker 1: that's good. So the Leo, the Leopold catfish monster goes 980 00:55:44,360 --> 00:55:46,640 Speaker 1: out on the town. He goes out equipped with a 981 00:55:46,680 --> 00:55:49,920 Speaker 1: spray bottle and just starts spraying nature I think with 982 00:55:50,040 --> 00:55:54,360 Speaker 1: the ZA formula. So sprays snakes and frogs, and he 983 00:55:54,440 --> 00:55:57,759 Speaker 1: sprays reads at the water's edge. He goes swimming and 984 00:55:57,800 --> 00:56:01,360 Speaker 1: then uses the spray bottle underwater to spray an octopus 985 00:56:01,360 --> 00:56:03,280 Speaker 1: and a crab. You see them literally with the spray 986 00:56:03,280 --> 00:56:07,200 Speaker 1: bottle like under the water, squeezing it. And now, yeah, 987 00:56:07,520 --> 00:56:10,600 Speaker 1: so we have some some underwater photography going on in 988 00:56:10,640 --> 00:56:12,960 Speaker 1: this sequence and then in some sequences to come, and 989 00:56:13,040 --> 00:56:14,400 Speaker 1: I don't know if you noticed, Joe. But we have 990 00:56:14,520 --> 00:56:19,120 Speaker 1: some very clear underwater sequences here, and I believe that's 991 00:56:19,120 --> 00:56:22,160 Speaker 1: because they were filming in the various springs of Florida, 992 00:56:22,840 --> 00:56:25,640 Speaker 1: which which even today they're not as clear as they 993 00:56:25,719 --> 00:56:27,920 Speaker 1: used to be due to environmental reasons and run off 994 00:56:28,080 --> 00:56:31,719 Speaker 1: and so forth. Um, which is uh, you know, depressing, 995 00:56:31,800 --> 00:56:34,839 Speaker 1: but but but even now, very clear waters and back 996 00:56:34,840 --> 00:56:37,799 Speaker 1: in seventy one, Yeah, perfect place to shoot your monster movie, 997 00:56:37,800 --> 00:56:40,239 Speaker 1: even if you were doing so on a budget. Okay, yeah, 998 00:56:40,480 --> 00:56:42,759 Speaker 1: I should have noticed that they really did not look 999 00:56:42,800 --> 00:56:45,799 Speaker 1: like the cloudy, stagnant pond water I would imagine in 1000 00:56:45,800 --> 00:56:57,800 Speaker 1: in most North Florida. Yeah. So yeah, we are twenty 1001 00:56:57,840 --> 00:57:00,840 Speaker 1: three minutes into the film before we find only introduced 1002 00:57:00,960 --> 00:57:06,040 Speaker 1: non Leopold humans and actual dialogue one car human character 1003 00:57:06,080 --> 00:57:10,000 Speaker 1: talking to another human character. Unbelievable. So here we introduced 1004 00:57:10,120 --> 00:57:13,319 Speaker 1: the sheriff and Rex, the marine biologist, and if it's 1005 00:57:13,360 --> 00:57:16,520 Speaker 1: not clear at this point, it becomes clear that they 1006 00:57:16,520 --> 00:57:18,640 Speaker 1: were sort of going for in the heat of the 1007 00:57:18,760 --> 00:57:21,680 Speaker 1: night thing here. Uh. This is based on a novel. 1008 00:57:21,920 --> 00:57:25,880 Speaker 1: Nineteen sixty seven movie directed by Norman Jewison saw a 1009 00:57:26,040 --> 00:57:29,640 Speaker 1: small town southern sheriff played by Rod Steiger teaming up 1010 00:57:29,680 --> 00:57:33,440 Speaker 1: with an African American homicide detective from up North played 1011 00:57:33,440 --> 00:57:37,880 Speaker 1: by Sydney Potier, And um, yeah, that is nowhere near 1012 00:57:38,120 --> 00:57:40,520 Speaker 1: in the Heat of the Night in terms of serious 1013 00:57:40,600 --> 00:57:43,720 Speaker 1: drama and cultural commentary. But it seems to be like 1014 00:57:43,800 --> 00:57:46,320 Speaker 1: that's what they were going for here. Uh, they were 1015 00:57:46,360 --> 00:57:48,000 Speaker 1: they were they were thinking, hey, what if it was 1016 00:57:48,080 --> 00:57:49,840 Speaker 1: like in the heat of the night, except there was 1017 00:57:49,880 --> 00:57:52,600 Speaker 1: also a giant catfish. Yeah, this is something we've seen 1018 00:57:52,640 --> 00:57:55,960 Speaker 1: in in a number of these other like ecological monster 1019 00:57:56,040 --> 00:57:58,680 Speaker 1: movies from the seventies. They also seemed to try to 1020 00:57:58,920 --> 00:58:02,320 Speaker 1: inject some so sal commentary in there. It's often kind 1021 00:58:02,320 --> 00:58:04,480 Speaker 1: of light and not super deep, but yeah, I think 1022 00:58:04,520 --> 00:58:06,960 Speaker 1: that is probably what they're attempting, is is Rex the 1023 00:58:07,000 --> 00:58:09,840 Speaker 1: marine biologists also supposed to be from out of town. 1024 00:58:10,080 --> 00:58:12,160 Speaker 1: I don't recall if if that was the case, but 1025 00:58:12,560 --> 00:58:14,680 Speaker 1: I don't remember if it's expressly stated that it, it 1026 00:58:15,280 --> 00:58:18,640 Speaker 1: feels implied that he's he's not from around here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 1027 00:58:18,640 --> 00:58:21,880 Speaker 1: And so there's a general suggestion that there's this this rigid, 1028 00:58:22,240 --> 00:58:28,000 Speaker 1: uh parochial, local white conservative infrastructure that does not process 1029 00:58:28,160 --> 00:58:33,600 Speaker 1: the introduction of knowledge about pollution causing monster attacks. Uh, 1030 00:58:33,960 --> 00:58:38,320 Speaker 1: being it does not incorporate that information well, and it 1031 00:58:38,400 --> 00:58:42,720 Speaker 1: sort of requires the expertise of somebody who provides a 1032 00:58:42,880 --> 00:58:45,680 Speaker 1: different perspective. And so it's got in this case an 1033 00:58:45,760 --> 00:58:48,600 Speaker 1: African American scientist who may or may not be from 1034 00:58:48,600 --> 00:58:51,520 Speaker 1: out of town, but at least as reacted to that way. 1035 00:58:52,320 --> 00:58:55,200 Speaker 1: And of course, as we said earlier, the redneck sheriff 1036 00:58:55,200 --> 00:58:57,439 Speaker 1: and this is literally chewing on a on a hay 1037 00:58:57,480 --> 00:59:00,440 Speaker 1: stock when we first met him, and generally seems to 1038 00:59:00,440 --> 00:59:05,640 Speaker 1: be derisive of the concept of science and expertise. Yeah, yeah, 1039 00:59:05,760 --> 00:59:09,600 Speaker 1: he's kind of uh, he's kind of a Floridian Wigham 1040 00:59:10,040 --> 00:59:13,000 Speaker 1: from the Simpsons. Yeah. Yeah. In fact, the sheriff, there 1041 00:59:13,000 --> 00:59:14,520 Speaker 1: are a lot of people in this movie that the 1042 00:59:14,560 --> 00:59:19,520 Speaker 1: sheriff shows, um, he does not respect, and that includes hippies, 1043 00:59:20,200 --> 00:59:22,680 Speaker 1: the press. At one point we have a reporter who's 1044 00:59:22,720 --> 00:59:25,000 Speaker 1: trying to cover the issue, but the Sheriff's just like 1045 00:59:25,080 --> 00:59:28,120 Speaker 1: somebody ought to smash you flat. And then of course 1046 00:59:28,120 --> 00:59:31,480 Speaker 1: he's not fond of out of towners scientists. He I 1047 00:59:31,520 --> 00:59:37,120 Speaker 1: think he he represents um Southern cultural rigidity. But that's 1048 00:59:37,200 --> 00:59:40,200 Speaker 1: enough human stuff. Then we come back to Leopold once more. 1049 00:59:40,440 --> 00:59:43,080 Speaker 1: That's right, Leopold. He comes back to the lab after 1050 00:59:43,160 --> 00:59:46,560 Speaker 1: he's been out there spray and stuff, and he he 1051 00:59:46,840 --> 00:59:49,800 Speaker 1: goes up to another thing on his big wall calendar 1052 00:59:50,160 --> 00:59:53,880 Speaker 1: and he says, Matts and your days are numbered again. 1053 00:59:53,920 --> 00:59:55,760 Speaker 1: I think this is voice over, and we have no 1054 00:59:55,840 --> 00:59:58,680 Speaker 1: idea who Matson is. But I think the point is 1055 00:59:58,720 --> 01:00:01,360 Speaker 1: he's got a grudge against some scientists who we worked 1056 01:00:01,400 --> 01:00:04,040 Speaker 1: with who told him that his theories were too extreme. 1057 01:00:04,920 --> 01:00:06,800 Speaker 1: I think this other scientist told him he was taking 1058 01:00:06,800 --> 01:00:08,920 Speaker 1: it too personal and he didn't like that. So he's 1059 01:00:08,920 --> 01:00:11,600 Speaker 1: going to get his revenge. Yeah, and this is where 1060 01:00:11,600 --> 01:00:13,720 Speaker 1: you begin to I mean, it's it's already been an 1061 01:00:13,720 --> 01:00:17,959 Speaker 1: awkward transformation. We've watched him move around that the month. 1062 01:00:18,080 --> 01:00:20,400 Speaker 1: I mean, his name is not Zat. Sometimes I think 1063 01:00:20,440 --> 01:00:22,760 Speaker 1: of him as that, though again Za refers to the chemical, 1064 01:00:22,880 --> 01:00:26,360 Speaker 1: not the monster. The monsters just Leopold giant fish. But 1065 01:00:26,720 --> 01:00:30,560 Speaker 1: he moves around so awkwardly, certainly on land, it's really 1066 01:00:30,600 --> 01:00:33,360 Speaker 1: hard for me to buy that this is better than 1067 01:00:33,520 --> 01:00:35,959 Speaker 1: your human form. And in the water, Okay, I guess 1068 01:00:35,960 --> 01:00:38,240 Speaker 1: he's marginally better in the water than a human would be, 1069 01:00:38,320 --> 01:00:42,160 Speaker 1: but um, it's already seeming to go and kind of 1070 01:00:42,280 --> 01:00:44,880 Speaker 1: Rocky and then he's like, you know what, I also 1071 01:00:45,000 --> 01:00:47,040 Speaker 1: revenge is part of my plan. And then it's like, 1072 01:00:47,120 --> 01:00:49,480 Speaker 1: so he's not only going to attempt to unbalance the 1073 01:00:49,520 --> 01:00:53,480 Speaker 1: ecosystem and bring upon a new age of fish, he 1074 01:00:53,560 --> 01:00:56,439 Speaker 1: also has some petty revenge agendas in there. He also 1075 01:00:56,480 --> 01:00:59,200 Speaker 1: wanted to commit murder crimes. Oh, he's got several. He 1076 01:00:59,240 --> 01:01:01,120 Speaker 1: gets sidetracked and a lot of stuff. So, yeah, he's 1077 01:01:01,160 --> 01:01:03,760 Speaker 1: got revenge murders. And then at some at some point 1078 01:01:03,840 --> 01:01:06,320 Speaker 1: later on, I think he becomes lonely and he wants 1079 01:01:06,480 --> 01:01:09,960 Speaker 1: he wants a fish wife. Yeah, he goes the classic 1080 01:01:10,120 --> 01:01:13,280 Speaker 1: of Frankensteence monster route, and yeah he wants a companion. 1081 01:01:13,600 --> 01:01:15,760 Speaker 1: And so that's addition. You know, it's just the budget 1082 01:01:15,800 --> 01:01:18,480 Speaker 1: on this plan is just getting blown out of proportion, right, 1083 01:01:18,520 --> 01:01:21,280 Speaker 1: he decides he needs to at the last minute adding 1084 01:01:21,360 --> 01:01:25,320 Speaker 1: a bride of catfish action item and that that that's 1085 01:01:25,320 --> 01:01:28,400 Speaker 1: how things really go off the rails. Um. But so 1086 01:01:28,560 --> 01:01:31,160 Speaker 1: at first we just see him creeping around on various people. 1087 01:01:31,160 --> 01:01:33,960 Speaker 1: He creeps on Rex, the marine biologist, while Rex is 1088 01:01:34,000 --> 01:01:37,560 Speaker 1: out taking samples of nature. He creeps on a woman 1089 01:01:37,600 --> 01:01:41,360 Speaker 1: who's painting beside the lake. He creeps on a family 1090 01:01:41,440 --> 01:01:44,040 Speaker 1: while they're fishing, and then he ambushes them, sort of 1091 01:01:44,080 --> 01:01:46,840 Speaker 1: flips over their boat, and I think kills the dude. 1092 01:01:47,160 --> 01:01:49,920 Speaker 1: And I think the dude who was fishing was one 1093 01:01:49,960 --> 01:01:53,880 Speaker 1: of the scientists who doubted him. Yeah, yeah, that that 1094 01:01:53,920 --> 01:01:56,520 Speaker 1: seems to be the case. One of the problems is 1095 01:01:56,560 --> 01:01:59,760 Speaker 1: that we get less and less narration from Leopold as 1096 01:01:59,760 --> 01:02:02,240 Speaker 1: we and I don't know if that's by design, like 1097 01:02:02,280 --> 01:02:04,600 Speaker 1: he's becoming less and less human so there's less of 1098 01:02:04,600 --> 01:02:07,200 Speaker 1: that voice in there, or if they just ran out 1099 01:02:07,200 --> 01:02:10,200 Speaker 1: of time. I don't know, but we're increasingly on our 1100 01:02:10,240 --> 01:02:12,440 Speaker 1: own to figure out what he's doing and why he's 1101 01:02:12,480 --> 01:02:16,000 Speaker 1: doing and and even if he's doing something successful. Yeah, 1102 01:02:16,040 --> 01:02:19,280 Speaker 1: and so at some point he Leopold attacks another one 1103 01:02:19,360 --> 01:02:21,680 Speaker 1: of the scientists who doubted him, but he attacks him 1104 01:02:21,800 --> 01:02:24,760 Speaker 1: in his house, not in the water. And I was 1105 01:02:25,080 --> 01:02:27,960 Speaker 1: just noticing at this point, like, wait a minute, does 1106 01:02:28,040 --> 01:02:31,480 Speaker 1: Leopold even really have any catfish powers? I mean, I 1107 01:02:31,480 --> 01:02:33,360 Speaker 1: guess you were sort of alluding to that a minute ago, 1108 01:02:33,400 --> 01:02:35,840 Speaker 1: but like, this murder could have just been done by 1109 01:02:35,840 --> 01:02:38,440 Speaker 1: a big human. He just attacks the guy in his 1110 01:02:38,520 --> 01:02:41,880 Speaker 1: house and chokes him. I think, Yeah, the only possible 1111 01:02:41,920 --> 01:02:44,880 Speaker 1: answer I can think of. There is that human Leopold 1112 01:02:44,960 --> 01:02:48,400 Speaker 1: does look kind of shambily and puny. I'm not sure 1113 01:02:48,400 --> 01:02:49,880 Speaker 1: if he could have pulled this off. So I guess 1114 01:02:50,040 --> 01:02:55,200 Speaker 1: arguably monster form is better, okay, But also at some 1115 01:02:55,280 --> 01:02:58,960 Speaker 1: point here evidence starts mounting that something weird is going 1116 01:02:59,000 --> 01:03:02,280 Speaker 1: on with pollution the water, and the Leopold attacks, and 1117 01:03:02,360 --> 01:03:05,520 Speaker 1: Rex is on the case. Rex starts putting the pieces together. 1118 01:03:06,000 --> 01:03:08,640 Speaker 1: At one point he's out collecting data with a net 1119 01:03:08,960 --> 01:03:11,920 Speaker 1: and Leopold is swimming in the water underneath his boat 1120 01:03:12,000 --> 01:03:15,840 Speaker 1: and he tears up the net, and Leopold's like, nets 1121 01:03:15,880 --> 01:03:19,640 Speaker 1: are harmful to fish, we will use them for humans 1122 01:03:19,960 --> 01:03:23,560 Speaker 1: if any survive. Yeah, it's like, let's not get ahead 1123 01:03:23,560 --> 01:03:29,800 Speaker 1: of ourselves, Leopold. Yeah. But Rex ends up summoning these 1124 01:03:29,920 --> 01:03:33,560 Speaker 1: uh people we talked about before, the INPIT agents. INPIT 1125 01:03:33,760 --> 01:03:35,960 Speaker 1: I think is an acronym. I don't know what it 1126 01:03:36,000 --> 01:03:38,400 Speaker 1: stands for. I tried to look it up, and there 1127 01:03:38,480 --> 01:03:40,680 Speaker 1: is something called INPIT, but I don't think it is 1128 01:03:40,720 --> 01:03:43,560 Speaker 1: what is being referenced here, So I really don't know 1129 01:03:43,560 --> 01:03:45,880 Speaker 1: what it is. What would you say is the deal 1130 01:03:45,960 --> 01:03:51,040 Speaker 1: with them international nature police information technologies? I'm not sure. 1131 01:03:51,840 --> 01:03:54,280 Speaker 1: I guess they're kind of like they feel like they've 1132 01:03:54,360 --> 01:03:57,440 Speaker 1: arrived from a TV show, Like there's a TV show 1133 01:03:57,480 --> 01:04:01,000 Speaker 1: where they investigate strange nature happens. They have their own van, 1134 01:04:01,120 --> 01:04:04,440 Speaker 1: they have jumpsuits. By god, it's like the A team 1135 01:04:04,520 --> 01:04:07,440 Speaker 1: is here. Yeah, they're the professionals. They're here just to 1136 01:04:07,480 --> 01:04:09,760 Speaker 1: get stuff done. But it does it does feel like 1137 01:04:09,800 --> 01:04:13,320 Speaker 1: they're coming from an entirely different television show and in 1138 01:04:13,320 --> 01:04:16,240 Speaker 1: in in indeed, they may feel like this if you're 1139 01:04:16,240 --> 01:04:18,919 Speaker 1: watching it unriffed for the first time, because a lot 1140 01:04:18,960 --> 01:04:22,080 Speaker 1: of the inpit stuff was cut from the Bloodwaters of 1141 01:04:22,160 --> 01:04:27,240 Speaker 1: Dr Zu. Addition, on MST three k Okay. Now, they yeah, 1142 01:04:27,320 --> 01:04:31,400 Speaker 1: they arrive in this big camper like RV basically, and 1143 01:04:31,600 --> 01:04:35,800 Speaker 1: they are dressed in these red uniform jump suits, so 1144 01:04:35,880 --> 01:04:37,600 Speaker 1: they look kind of like they stepped out of Flash 1145 01:04:37,760 --> 01:04:41,480 Speaker 1: Gordon or something. And they compare notes with Rex and 1146 01:04:41,520 --> 01:04:43,680 Speaker 1: they talk about all the pollution he's found and how 1147 01:04:43,720 --> 01:04:48,439 Speaker 1: this might be affecting the mutant marine life attacks and uh, 1148 01:04:48,480 --> 01:04:52,000 Speaker 1: and so they start putting the pieces together along with Rex. 1149 01:04:52,560 --> 01:04:56,600 Speaker 1: Now we mentioned that unfortunately Leopold gets distracted from his 1150 01:04:57,120 --> 01:04:59,880 Speaker 1: transform everybody into fish. Well, I don't know if that's 1151 01:04:59,880 --> 01:05:02,320 Speaker 1: what he's ultimately his whatever it is he's doing. He 1152 01:05:02,320 --> 01:05:05,560 Speaker 1: gets distracted by deciding that he must make a bride 1153 01:05:05,560 --> 01:05:08,800 Speaker 1: of catfish. Um. So he goes back to the lady 1154 01:05:08,920 --> 01:05:11,520 Speaker 1: who's painting by the lake, who's still there it seems 1155 01:05:11,560 --> 01:05:14,720 Speaker 1: like maybe days later, and he kidnaps her and takes 1156 01:05:14,720 --> 01:05:17,120 Speaker 1: her back to the lab to turn her into bride 1157 01:05:17,160 --> 01:05:21,000 Speaker 1: of catfish. And it doesn't work. Yeah, it is um 1158 01:05:21,280 --> 01:05:26,600 Speaker 1: a lonesome and disastrous episode in the ascent of Dr 1159 01:05:26,720 --> 01:05:31,400 Speaker 1: Leopold here where yeah, she dies half transform still in 1160 01:05:31,520 --> 01:05:36,080 Speaker 1: the the baptism cage thing and uh. And then afterwards 1161 01:05:36,120 --> 01:05:38,000 Speaker 1: he has to get rid of her body. And this 1162 01:05:38,040 --> 01:05:40,080 Speaker 1: is another this is another sequence that was cut from 1163 01:05:40,080 --> 01:05:42,440 Speaker 1: the MST version. What does he do to get rid 1164 01:05:42,440 --> 01:05:44,360 Speaker 1: of her body? Does he feed her two fishes or 1165 01:05:44,400 --> 01:05:46,919 Speaker 1: anything like that. Nope, he dissolves her in a big 1166 01:05:46,960 --> 01:05:51,360 Speaker 1: old vat of Hollywood acid or old friend. Yeah, it's 1167 01:05:51,400 --> 01:05:53,720 Speaker 1: a great sequence. We have some like weird you know, 1168 01:05:53,760 --> 01:05:56,720 Speaker 1: the weird Tamil electronic music going on in the background. 1169 01:05:57,000 --> 01:05:59,280 Speaker 1: When we see him test the acid on a fish, 1170 01:05:59,320 --> 01:06:01,360 Speaker 1: he dips off ish in the asset and it eats 1171 01:06:01,360 --> 01:06:04,000 Speaker 1: away half of it. This film is not concerned with 1172 01:06:04,080 --> 01:06:07,240 Speaker 1: wasting anybody's time there. They know that we're gonna we're 1173 01:06:07,240 --> 01:06:09,480 Speaker 1: gonna do some an acid scene and we're going to 1174 01:06:09,880 --> 01:06:12,480 Speaker 1: spend about fifteen minutes doing it. We've got to make 1175 01:06:12,520 --> 01:06:15,200 Speaker 1: sure that our catfish monster is doing quality assurance on 1176 01:06:15,240 --> 01:06:19,560 Speaker 1: his acid. Um. So we see Rex in the inpit 1177 01:06:19,720 --> 01:06:23,120 Speaker 1: agents set up traps for the monster. I guess at 1178 01:06:23,120 --> 01:06:26,040 Speaker 1: this point they suspect there's a giant catfish monster somehow, 1179 01:06:26,120 --> 01:06:28,280 Speaker 1: and they set up traps and then they chill in 1180 01:06:28,320 --> 01:06:31,040 Speaker 1: a camper. And this part also reminded me of Boggy 1181 01:06:31,080 --> 01:06:33,600 Speaker 1: Creek two. And the legend continues where they will set 1182 01:06:33,640 --> 01:06:35,880 Speaker 1: up traps in the woods and then chill in an RV. 1183 01:06:37,360 --> 01:06:41,320 Speaker 1: But eventually the catfish monster attacks them and they somehow 1184 01:06:41,360 --> 01:06:43,959 Speaker 1: scare it away I think with a camera flash. Uh. 1185 01:06:44,240 --> 01:06:46,440 Speaker 1: They end up getting photos of it, and it's a 1186 01:06:46,480 --> 01:06:49,280 Speaker 1: really good photo. If this is another place where is 1187 01:06:49,360 --> 01:06:52,160 Speaker 1: that I mean ductor Leopold is just really messing up, like, 1188 01:06:52,200 --> 01:06:56,440 Speaker 1: oh my goodness, now you're come being completely photographed and 1189 01:06:56,440 --> 01:06:59,240 Speaker 1: it's crystal clear. Yeah yeah, So they get perfectly good 1190 01:06:59,240 --> 01:07:02,760 Speaker 1: photos of him. Uh. And there's one part somewhere in 1191 01:07:02,760 --> 01:07:05,400 Speaker 1: here where Leopold is I think sad and defeated, and 1192 01:07:05,400 --> 01:07:07,960 Speaker 1: he goes back to his lab, and you see that 1193 01:07:08,000 --> 01:07:10,280 Speaker 1: he is sad. I think about the fact that he 1194 01:07:10,360 --> 01:07:14,480 Speaker 1: failed to successfully turn the woman he kidnapped into into 1195 01:07:14,520 --> 01:07:17,960 Speaker 1: bride of Catfish, and so he starts drawing her. But 1196 01:07:18,040 --> 01:07:20,360 Speaker 1: the picture he draws of her does not look like 1197 01:07:20,400 --> 01:07:24,200 Speaker 1: the woman that he kidnapped. It looks like Elvira. Or 1198 01:07:24,200 --> 01:07:26,400 Speaker 1: maybe you're supposed to be drawing somebody else. And did 1199 01:07:26,400 --> 01:07:29,080 Speaker 1: he have like a long lost love? Is that implied 1200 01:07:29,120 --> 01:07:32,160 Speaker 1: in the movie. I don't think that's even implied, Okay, 1201 01:07:32,280 --> 01:07:34,240 Speaker 1: but but you know, we're left to figure out a 1202 01:07:34,240 --> 01:07:35,840 Speaker 1: lot of this on our own. So maybe it is. 1203 01:07:35,960 --> 01:07:37,640 Speaker 1: Or maybe he just was like, this is my this 1204 01:07:37,720 --> 01:07:41,520 Speaker 1: was my one shot at romantic happiness, and the kidnapping 1205 01:07:41,520 --> 01:07:44,280 Speaker 1: and forced transformation did not work, so I've got to 1206 01:07:44,280 --> 01:07:47,200 Speaker 1: do this alone. Maybe it was Elvira, or I guess 1207 01:07:47,200 --> 01:07:49,720 Speaker 1: at this time it would maybe it was Vampira. He 1208 01:07:49,880 --> 01:07:53,200 Speaker 1: was like Vampira, Yes she could have she could have 1209 01:07:53,240 --> 01:07:56,280 Speaker 1: been my companion in the fish world. But but alas 1210 01:07:56,640 --> 01:08:00,959 Speaker 1: at any rate, the the main experiment continues, right, so 1211 01:08:01,240 --> 01:08:04,040 Speaker 1: Rex and the inpit agents they end up making the 1212 01:08:04,080 --> 01:08:07,640 Speaker 1: connection to Leopold, one of the inpit agents. I guess 1213 01:08:07,640 --> 01:08:14,160 Speaker 1: agent Walsh. She figures out that Leopold was working on 1214 01:08:14,200 --> 01:08:17,599 Speaker 1: a lab that was conducting secret experiments with heavy water, 1215 01:08:18,240 --> 01:08:21,479 Speaker 1: and he is attacking his former co workers from the 1216 01:08:21,560 --> 01:08:24,240 Speaker 1: lab he worked at, and so they asked the sheriff 1217 01:08:24,320 --> 01:08:28,080 Speaker 1: to check on those researchers. And uh. Then then, so 1218 01:08:28,120 --> 01:08:30,120 Speaker 1: I guess they're doing that. But then we spend a 1219 01:08:30,160 --> 01:08:33,920 Speaker 1: long time with the monster going out for a walk, 1220 01:08:34,360 --> 01:08:38,400 Speaker 1: just wandering around the streets at night. His posture as 1221 01:08:38,400 --> 01:08:41,200 Speaker 1: he walks, you've you've mentioned that his posture is awkward, 1222 01:08:41,240 --> 01:08:43,799 Speaker 1: and it really it's amusing in a way that's difficult 1223 01:08:43,800 --> 01:08:46,759 Speaker 1: to describe. It's kind of like a drunk guy trying 1224 01:08:46,800 --> 01:08:49,360 Speaker 1: to walk through the sand and flip flops, you know, 1225 01:08:49,600 --> 01:08:52,720 Speaker 1: or it's like hard to get solid footing and you've 1226 01:08:52,720 --> 01:08:55,439 Speaker 1: got things coming off your feet. So it's that kind 1227 01:08:55,439 --> 01:08:58,720 Speaker 1: of walk. Um. But another thing about this movie is 1228 01:08:58,760 --> 01:09:02,400 Speaker 1: that it does not followed the Jaws rule, you know, 1229 01:09:02,640 --> 01:09:04,880 Speaker 1: the rule that you should not show too much of 1230 01:09:04,880 --> 01:09:08,160 Speaker 1: your monster until the final act. This movie, the monster 1231 01:09:08,320 --> 01:09:12,840 Speaker 1: is on screen constantly full view, bright lights. You see 1232 01:09:12,840 --> 01:09:16,160 Speaker 1: the whole thing for minutes at a time, it's just 1233 01:09:16,320 --> 01:09:20,240 Speaker 1: alf Grido, uh, front and center, wandering through the empty 1234 01:09:20,280 --> 01:09:22,960 Speaker 1: streets at night. You see him break into a drug 1235 01:09:23,000 --> 01:09:25,280 Speaker 1: store to get some kind of medicine. He smashes a 1236 01:09:25,320 --> 01:09:27,880 Speaker 1: bunch of stuff, I think, because that's because he's yeah, 1237 01:09:27,880 --> 01:09:30,559 Speaker 1: well he's um. He becomes injured at one point, so 1238 01:09:31,120 --> 01:09:33,719 Speaker 1: so so not only does the experiment seem to be failing, 1239 01:09:33,800 --> 01:09:38,200 Speaker 1: he becomes perhaps mortally wounded or at least like heavily 1240 01:09:38,240 --> 01:09:40,440 Speaker 1: wounded to where he's having to break into a pharmacy 1241 01:09:40,439 --> 01:09:44,400 Speaker 1: and wreck the place and steal some drugs and so like, 1242 01:09:44,560 --> 01:09:47,639 Speaker 1: the whole plan seems to just be going completely off 1243 01:09:47,640 --> 01:09:50,840 Speaker 1: the rails at this point. Now one of my favorite scenes, 1244 01:09:50,880 --> 01:09:53,479 Speaker 1: and this one I laughed out loud at this one. Uh. 1245 01:09:53,520 --> 01:09:55,680 Speaker 1: This is a scene that that was cut from the 1246 01:09:55,800 --> 01:09:58,479 Speaker 1: MST treatment of the film. Uh, and it's ultimately a 1247 01:09:58,479 --> 01:10:01,080 Speaker 1: lost because it's hilarious. There's would have probably been a 1248 01:10:01,080 --> 01:10:03,920 Speaker 1: lot of fun riffing on this one, but it's it's 1249 01:10:03,920 --> 01:10:06,240 Speaker 1: what I think of as the hippie parade. So the 1250 01:10:06,280 --> 01:10:08,759 Speaker 1: sheriff here he goes to check on folks in town 1251 01:10:09,160 --> 01:10:13,479 Speaker 1: and find the youth enjoying a little folk music. Clearly 1252 01:10:13,479 --> 01:10:16,360 Speaker 1: and like some sort of abandoned building and they're hanging 1253 01:10:16,360 --> 01:10:19,519 Speaker 1: out with none other than the actual real life Jamie 1254 01:10:19,520 --> 01:10:23,599 Speaker 1: de Frate's who is performing a song the B side 1255 01:10:23,680 --> 01:10:27,280 Speaker 1: to World War Two boy Running Don't Make You Free. 1256 01:10:28,280 --> 01:10:30,760 Speaker 1: And so anyway, the sheriff, you know, he comes under 1257 01:10:30,760 --> 01:10:32,320 Speaker 1: in the midst of this. He sets down and he 1258 01:10:32,360 --> 01:10:35,000 Speaker 1: listens for a spell, you know, perhaps proving that he 1259 01:10:35,040 --> 01:10:37,639 Speaker 1: can hang you know, and he looks like he's enjoying 1260 01:10:37,640 --> 01:10:39,880 Speaker 1: the music. Yeah, it looks like he's enjoying. It's like, yeah, 1261 01:10:39,920 --> 01:10:42,160 Speaker 1: this is good. I can I'm seeing eye to eye 1262 01:10:42,160 --> 01:10:45,760 Speaker 1: with the young folk. Now. Um, but quickly. Another thing 1263 01:10:45,800 --> 01:10:47,920 Speaker 1: that made me laugh in the scene is that for 1264 01:10:48,040 --> 01:10:51,040 Speaker 1: just a moment, Leopold arrives and is watching through the 1265 01:10:51,080 --> 01:10:55,000 Speaker 1: window the monster, and he's also ambiguously kind of grooving. 1266 01:10:55,160 --> 01:10:57,320 Speaker 1: But then he just moves on. It's almost like it 1267 01:10:57,400 --> 01:10:59,240 Speaker 1: was meant to be a music video for this song, 1268 01:10:59,320 --> 01:11:02,719 Speaker 1: you know, because again, uh this these songs are featured 1269 01:11:02,760 --> 01:11:06,639 Speaker 1: in their entirety. Nothing is cut. Um. So the sheriff, 1270 01:11:06,760 --> 01:11:08,240 Speaker 1: you know, he enjoys it for a bit, but he's 1271 01:11:08,240 --> 01:11:10,200 Speaker 1: there with a purpose. He has to he has to 1272 01:11:10,240 --> 01:11:14,280 Speaker 1: protect these hippies. So the sheriff uh you know, gets 1273 01:11:14,360 --> 01:11:18,000 Speaker 1: up and leads the hippies all mid song on a 1274 01:11:18,080 --> 01:11:22,679 Speaker 1: police escorted parade through town with with the with Jamie 1275 01:11:22,680 --> 01:11:25,200 Speaker 1: de Frate's playing the guitar the whole time and singing. 1276 01:11:25,560 --> 01:11:27,800 Speaker 1: And then so they have this procession through the small 1277 01:11:27,840 --> 01:11:32,599 Speaker 1: Florida town and then right into the sheriff's um office 1278 01:11:32,720 --> 01:11:37,120 Speaker 1: and then right into a jail cell and um. It's 1279 01:11:37,200 --> 01:11:39,519 Speaker 1: then explained that this is to keep them safe and 1280 01:11:39,560 --> 01:11:41,640 Speaker 1: that the hippies seem okay with it, but it's not 1281 01:11:41,760 --> 01:11:43,479 Speaker 1: clear for a moment, and it I found it kind 1282 01:11:43,479 --> 01:11:46,519 Speaker 1: of perversely humorous. It's like he he you know, the 1283 01:11:46,520 --> 01:11:48,680 Speaker 1: old sheriff. You think he's uh, he's you know ce 1284 01:11:48,760 --> 01:11:50,559 Speaker 1: an eyed I with the young folks and he's looking 1285 01:11:50,560 --> 01:11:53,960 Speaker 1: after them. Now he's just arresting all of them. Um, 1286 01:11:54,040 --> 01:11:57,040 Speaker 1: so they don't seem bothered by it, Like they all 1287 01:11:57,080 --> 01:11:58,800 Speaker 1: just go into the jail cell and they're just like 1288 01:11:58,840 --> 01:12:02,080 Speaker 1: cool man. Yeah, yeah, pretty much, and they're locked up 1289 01:12:02,120 --> 01:12:05,760 Speaker 1: and you never see them in the film again. Yeah. 1290 01:12:05,960 --> 01:12:07,479 Speaker 1: So a lot of the rest of the movie is 1291 01:12:07,560 --> 01:12:12,679 Speaker 1: just Leopold stalking around looking at things and menacing people, 1292 01:12:12,920 --> 01:12:16,439 Speaker 1: and then Rex and the inpit agents trying to track 1293 01:12:16,560 --> 01:12:19,280 Speaker 1: him down. That they're on his trail at this point 1294 01:12:19,280 --> 01:12:22,240 Speaker 1: and they're trying to find him. But at one point Leopold. 1295 01:12:22,320 --> 01:12:24,200 Speaker 1: A lot of what Leopold does is like look through 1296 01:12:24,200 --> 01:12:26,920 Speaker 1: the windows at people and spy on them. And at 1297 01:12:26,960 --> 01:12:30,800 Speaker 1: one point he observes the two Inpit agents kissing. He 1298 01:12:30,880 --> 01:12:33,120 Speaker 1: spies on them through a window, and I guess he 1299 01:12:33,120 --> 01:12:36,960 Speaker 1: gets jealous, so he decides at this point to kidnap 1300 01:12:37,040 --> 01:12:40,759 Speaker 1: Agent Walsh, one of the two Inpit agents, and create 1301 01:12:40,800 --> 01:12:44,360 Speaker 1: another bride of Catfish. Bride of Catfish two point oh right, 1302 01:12:44,760 --> 01:12:48,880 Speaker 1: So again really veering off schedule here with with with 1303 01:12:48,920 --> 01:12:52,120 Speaker 1: the whole plan because he's again heavily injured at this point, 1304 01:12:52,200 --> 01:12:55,800 Speaker 1: having to self medicate with stolen uh pharmacy drugs. But 1305 01:12:55,840 --> 01:12:57,559 Speaker 1: then he's like, I'm gonna I'm gonna try it again. 1306 01:12:57,600 --> 01:13:00,679 Speaker 1: I'm gonna try and transform this woman who is hunting 1307 01:13:00,720 --> 01:13:04,479 Speaker 1: me into my bride. Yes, So he kidnaps her from 1308 01:13:04,520 --> 01:13:06,599 Speaker 1: her house, takes her back to the lab and then 1309 01:13:06,720 --> 01:13:09,960 Speaker 1: and then Rex Walker and the cops Walker is the 1310 01:13:09,960 --> 01:13:13,080 Speaker 1: other Inpit agent. They figure out what's going on and 1311 01:13:13,120 --> 01:13:16,160 Speaker 1: they're chasing the monster down and that they split up 1312 01:13:16,200 --> 01:13:19,559 Speaker 1: to chase him and the other Inpit Agent, Walker uses 1313 01:13:19,600 --> 01:13:23,080 Speaker 1: this hilarious looking amphibious vehicle that looks kind of like 1314 01:13:23,080 --> 01:13:26,120 Speaker 1: a power wheel. It's very small. It's very cool, I 1315 01:13:26,360 --> 01:13:29,400 Speaker 1: assume from the non existent in Pit television series that 1316 01:13:29,479 --> 01:13:32,400 Speaker 1: I'm imagining in my head. Yeah, and and coming up 1317 01:13:32,400 --> 01:13:34,519 Speaker 1: as a scene where you see this Inpit Agent sort 1318 01:13:34,520 --> 01:13:37,320 Speaker 1: of wading through a swamp and he gets bitten by 1319 01:13:37,320 --> 01:13:39,639 Speaker 1: a snake. And this is another one of those IMDb 1320 01:13:39,760 --> 01:13:43,880 Speaker 1: trivia claims. It claims that the snake bite was not scripted. 1321 01:13:44,040 --> 01:13:46,960 Speaker 1: It was just something the guy actually got bitten by 1322 01:13:47,000 --> 01:13:49,280 Speaker 1: a snake while they were filming the scene, and they 1323 01:13:49,360 --> 01:13:52,000 Speaker 1: just left it in the movie. Well, I don't know, 1324 01:13:52,080 --> 01:13:54,640 Speaker 1: I feel doubtful, but it looks kind of real. It 1325 01:13:54,720 --> 01:13:57,880 Speaker 1: looks it looks realistic. And and but I also really 1326 01:13:57,920 --> 01:13:59,960 Speaker 1: like the way it plays into the ending of the picture. 1327 01:14:00,560 --> 01:14:02,280 Speaker 1: Uh so, so yeah, for a bit here we have 1328 01:14:02,360 --> 01:14:06,960 Speaker 1: this kind of double chase where where one agent is 1329 01:14:07,000 --> 01:14:10,280 Speaker 1: trying to chase down the monster and then we have Rex, 1330 01:14:10,360 --> 01:14:13,840 Speaker 1: the marine biologists, um and the sheriff. Uh. They they 1331 01:14:13,840 --> 01:14:16,960 Speaker 1: are going to check out the laboratory to see what's up, 1332 01:14:17,000 --> 01:14:19,439 Speaker 1: see what old Doc Leopold was up. To and then 1333 01:14:19,600 --> 01:14:22,360 Speaker 1: and then of course we also have Agent Walsh who 1334 01:14:22,439 --> 01:14:25,760 Speaker 1: has been kidnapped, right, So they go to the monster's lair. 1335 01:14:25,800 --> 01:14:28,920 Speaker 1: The sheriff fights the monster and loses and is strangled, 1336 01:14:28,960 --> 01:14:32,400 Speaker 1: so bye bye Sheriff. And then Rex he comes across 1337 01:14:32,479 --> 01:14:36,599 Speaker 1: Leopold's notes and he, I think, wants to understand them 1338 01:14:36,640 --> 01:14:38,640 Speaker 1: so we can understand what was going on here. You 1339 01:14:38,920 --> 01:14:41,679 Speaker 1: wonder if it's like that scene in the movie where 1340 01:14:41,720 --> 01:14:45,960 Speaker 1: where one scientist discovers what the mad scientist is doing, 1341 01:14:46,040 --> 01:14:48,960 Speaker 1: Like the good scientist is momentarily tempted. It's the last 1342 01:14:48,960 --> 01:14:51,639 Speaker 1: temptation of the good scientist, and it's like, oh, it's 1343 01:14:51,680 --> 01:14:57,559 Speaker 1: it's genius. Yeah. Um, but of course that shows up 1344 01:14:57,960 --> 01:15:01,400 Speaker 1: and uh and in violence and sus he ultimately tries 1345 01:15:01,439 --> 01:15:05,559 Speaker 1: to save Agent Walsh, and I guess to a certain 1346 01:15:05,600 --> 01:15:08,000 Speaker 1: degree succeeds because what Za tries to do is he 1347 01:15:08,040 --> 01:15:10,559 Speaker 1: puts her in the cage as well. He forced he 1348 01:15:10,600 --> 01:15:13,120 Speaker 1: injects her with the green stuff. Uh, and then he's 1349 01:15:13,120 --> 01:15:16,760 Speaker 1: going to lower her into the za baptismal font um, 1350 01:15:16,800 --> 01:15:22,040 Speaker 1: but Rex disrupts that and then Rex is injured, possibly 1351 01:15:22,120 --> 01:15:25,640 Speaker 1: killed by the monster. And the monster. Yeah it's so 1352 01:15:25,760 --> 01:15:29,360 Speaker 1: I wonder do all the main characters die, because we 1353 01:15:29,439 --> 01:15:32,479 Speaker 1: have this chase at the end where Rex tries to 1354 01:15:32,520 --> 01:15:35,400 Speaker 1: save Walsh. You see him get injured and then fall down, 1355 01:15:35,600 --> 01:15:38,200 Speaker 1: but I guess you never see him after that. A 1356 01:15:38,240 --> 01:15:40,920 Speaker 1: similar thing happens to the other in Pit Agent. He 1357 01:15:41,000 --> 01:15:43,200 Speaker 1: sort of gets injured and falls down and at the 1358 01:15:43,280 --> 01:15:45,240 Speaker 1: end of the movie, I think we see him not moving, 1359 01:15:45,320 --> 01:15:47,800 Speaker 1: but it's not clear if he's dead or alive, And 1360 01:15:47,920 --> 01:15:50,479 Speaker 1: you think, well, at least Agent Walsh has been saved, 1361 01:15:50,520 --> 01:15:53,760 Speaker 1: as she did not get turned into a catfish, but 1362 01:15:54,320 --> 01:15:56,599 Speaker 1: something bad happened to her. I don't know exactly what 1363 01:15:56,600 --> 01:15:59,120 Speaker 1: it is. She is not upgraded to fish level, but 1364 01:15:59,320 --> 01:16:03,479 Speaker 1: she is sort of turned into a zombie human. Yeah, 1365 01:16:03,479 --> 01:16:05,599 Speaker 1: so I think she got half the treatment right. She's 1366 01:16:05,640 --> 01:16:08,800 Speaker 1: injected with with the ZAT but then she's not actually 1367 01:16:08,880 --> 01:16:12,560 Speaker 1: lowered into the zap baptismal font to transform her body. 1368 01:16:12,680 --> 01:16:16,080 Speaker 1: Um and so yeah, the the ending of this film, 1369 01:16:16,120 --> 01:16:18,920 Speaker 1: I think is is actually pretty effective. It's it's haunting 1370 01:16:19,360 --> 01:16:22,160 Speaker 1: and kind of pitch perfect because throughout the whole film, 1371 01:16:22,200 --> 01:16:26,720 Speaker 1: we've watched Leopold stumble awkwardly around his grandiose dreams and 1372 01:16:26,840 --> 01:16:31,200 Speaker 1: voiceover so mismatched with his new body, his actual abilities, 1373 01:16:31,320 --> 01:16:35,200 Speaker 1: his focus, his mixed results. But in the end, against 1374 01:16:35,280 --> 01:16:38,400 Speaker 1: all odds, he achieves his goal for the most part, 1375 01:16:38,479 --> 01:16:42,200 Speaker 1: he he wants. He strug struggles and stumbles into the 1376 01:16:42,200 --> 01:16:46,160 Speaker 1: ocean with his zap formula like two tanks of it. Meanwhile, 1377 01:16:46,200 --> 01:16:48,800 Speaker 1: one of the male agent that was Snake that is 1378 01:16:48,840 --> 01:16:51,400 Speaker 1: like shooting at him with a rifle and seems to 1379 01:16:51,439 --> 01:16:54,240 Speaker 1: at least wing him, possibly kill him. But he gets 1380 01:16:54,600 --> 01:16:58,280 Speaker 1: that Za into the ocean. And then meanwhile, even though 1381 01:16:58,280 --> 01:17:04,200 Speaker 1: he's unable to completely transform Agent Walsh into his catfish princess, 1382 01:17:04,200 --> 01:17:07,120 Speaker 1: she does. She wakes in the zombified state. She she 1383 01:17:07,240 --> 01:17:09,840 Speaker 1: wanders out onto the beach, and the other agent tries 1384 01:17:09,880 --> 01:17:11,680 Speaker 1: to call to He's like, oh, thank goodness, you're all right, 1385 01:17:11,840 --> 01:17:15,640 Speaker 1: But she just wanders into the water, just just like 1386 01:17:15,720 --> 01:17:19,519 Speaker 1: a like a zombie. And yeah, we're left to pieces 1387 01:17:19,560 --> 01:17:21,400 Speaker 1: together because then we we kind of zoom out and 1388 01:17:21,479 --> 01:17:25,479 Speaker 1: some haunting music plays. Uh, so we just don't know, 1389 01:17:25,680 --> 01:17:28,800 Speaker 1: like did she is she? And is she transformed enough 1390 01:17:28,840 --> 01:17:32,559 Speaker 1: that she'll survive in the water or she about to drown? Um? 1391 01:17:32,760 --> 01:17:35,080 Speaker 1: Did enough Za get into the ocean to bring about 1392 01:17:35,080 --> 01:17:38,800 Speaker 1: this new age of giant fish and bring down humanity. Um, 1393 01:17:39,200 --> 01:17:41,040 Speaker 1: I don't know, but it seems like that might be 1394 01:17:41,080 --> 01:17:44,639 Speaker 1: the case. So it seems like, uh, you know, despite everything, 1395 01:17:45,320 --> 01:17:49,320 Speaker 1: Dr Leopold has one. Yeah. I think the implication is 1396 01:17:49,360 --> 01:17:52,400 Speaker 1: that all the human characters die and he succeeds in 1397 01:17:52,520 --> 01:17:55,400 Speaker 1: throwing his formula into the ocean to create a race 1398 01:17:55,439 --> 01:17:59,360 Speaker 1: of atomic superfish that will conquer the world. Yeah, it's 1399 01:17:59,400 --> 01:18:02,320 Speaker 1: it's quite an ending. It ends on a really good 1400 01:18:02,360 --> 01:18:04,120 Speaker 1: note where you where you kind of forget some of 1401 01:18:04,160 --> 01:18:08,679 Speaker 1: the awkwardness and weirdness and mismatched tonal choices. Now. Another 1402 01:18:08,680 --> 01:18:10,960 Speaker 1: one of the many claims about this movie online is 1403 01:18:11,040 --> 01:18:16,960 Speaker 1: that apparently the movie was originally supposed to end with, 1404 01:18:17,160 --> 01:18:19,000 Speaker 1: or at least include I think this would be at 1405 01:18:19,040 --> 01:18:23,200 Speaker 1: the ending, giant fish attacks like a giant catfish that 1406 01:18:23,360 --> 01:18:27,360 Speaker 1: was like rampaging around and destroying the town and uh. 1407 01:18:27,400 --> 01:18:30,720 Speaker 1: And apparently they filmed some versions of this, I think 1408 01:18:30,720 --> 01:18:33,439 Speaker 1: with miniature models of the town. But then they realized 1409 01:18:33,760 --> 01:18:35,679 Speaker 1: this does not look good, so they cut that part 1410 01:18:35,720 --> 01:18:39,120 Speaker 1: out of the movie. But one shot from the sequence 1411 01:18:39,200 --> 01:18:42,439 Speaker 1: allegedly made it into the film, which is yeah, which 1412 01:18:42,479 --> 01:18:45,280 Speaker 1: is where a catfish, like a little catfish is squirming 1413 01:18:45,320 --> 01:18:49,200 Speaker 1: next to a fence. Yes, I I I saw this 1414 01:18:49,280 --> 01:18:52,760 Speaker 1: when I did my recent viewing of of that uncut, 1415 01:18:53,200 --> 01:18:56,200 Speaker 1: and and yeah, like suddenly there's this brief sequence that 1416 01:18:56,320 --> 01:19:00,799 Speaker 1: looks like like poor effects test footage of a walking 1417 01:19:00,840 --> 01:19:04,760 Speaker 1: catfish flopping around on a model of of like some landscape. 1418 01:19:05,320 --> 01:19:07,720 Speaker 1: So yeah, that seems to match up with what we're 1419 01:19:07,760 --> 01:19:10,880 Speaker 1: seeing here, but there's no context for it. When it 1420 01:19:10,920 --> 01:19:12,960 Speaker 1: actually shows up in the film, you just go like, what, 1421 01:19:12,960 --> 01:19:16,320 Speaker 1: what was that? So I guess we mentioned the fact 1422 01:19:16,360 --> 01:19:20,760 Speaker 1: that when uh Dr Leopold first transforms and looks at 1423 01:19:20,880 --> 01:19:25,760 Speaker 1: himself in a mirror, he says, uh, nothing like a catfish, 1424 01:19:26,000 --> 01:19:30,320 Speaker 1: but it's beautiful. And I wonder was it intended that 1425 01:19:30,360 --> 01:19:33,000 Speaker 1: he would look nothing like a catfish even though he 1426 01:19:33,120 --> 01:19:36,160 Speaker 1: is half man half catfish or did they just get 1427 01:19:36,200 --> 01:19:38,880 Speaker 1: whatever costume they could get and then they're like, oh, 1428 01:19:38,920 --> 01:19:41,200 Speaker 1: we better add a line and here sort of acknowledging 1429 01:19:41,240 --> 01:19:44,200 Speaker 1: that this doesn't look like a catfish. Yeah, maybe that's 1430 01:19:44,200 --> 01:19:46,919 Speaker 1: how it went down, or maybe that's what they told themselves. 1431 01:19:46,920 --> 01:19:48,640 Speaker 1: You know, they're like, no, this isn't quite what we 1432 01:19:48,680 --> 01:19:51,920 Speaker 1: went for, but it is beautiful. Let's devote oodles of 1433 01:19:51,920 --> 01:19:54,720 Speaker 1: of screen time to it. So weirdly, this is not 1434 01:19:54,840 --> 01:19:59,519 Speaker 1: the only killer catfish movie that I've ever seen. It's 1435 01:19:59,520 --> 01:20:01,439 Speaker 1: been many years now, so I don't I've forgotten a 1436 01:20:01,479 --> 01:20:03,599 Speaker 1: lot of the details about it, but I'm pretty sure 1437 01:20:04,360 --> 01:20:07,840 Speaker 1: that I watched a killer catfish movie about six or 1438 01:20:07,920 --> 01:20:11,600 Speaker 1: seven years ago called Beneath that's about people trapped on 1439 01:20:11,640 --> 01:20:14,000 Speaker 1: a boat who are being stalked on a lake by 1440 01:20:14,040 --> 01:20:17,519 Speaker 1: a killer catfish, and I recall it having a really good, 1441 01:20:17,520 --> 01:20:19,240 Speaker 1: subtle sense of humor. I think it might have been 1442 01:20:19,240 --> 01:20:22,519 Speaker 1: a Larry Fessenden movie, but oh yeah, I just looked 1443 01:20:22,520 --> 01:20:24,600 Speaker 1: it up and it and it is. Larry Fessenden h 1444 01:20:25,680 --> 01:20:29,040 Speaker 1: quite a filmmaker. He's made some very interesting genre pictures. 1445 01:20:29,120 --> 01:20:31,200 Speaker 1: The main moment of this movie that stuck with me 1446 01:20:31,400 --> 01:20:34,200 Speaker 1: is that there's one point where I think one of 1447 01:20:34,200 --> 01:20:36,080 Speaker 1: them has just been attacked by a catfish, and the 1448 01:20:36,120 --> 01:20:39,639 Speaker 1: people remaining alive on the boat. One of them gets 1449 01:20:39,720 --> 01:20:42,559 Speaker 1: up and yells in the direction of the catfish, what 1450 01:20:42,600 --> 01:20:48,519 Speaker 1: do you want from us? Well, clearly, it's muck. They're 1451 01:20:48,560 --> 01:20:51,800 Speaker 1: here for the muck catfish one. Why would catfish want 1452 01:20:51,840 --> 01:20:53,960 Speaker 1: to eat humans? Aren't they They just sort of like 1453 01:20:54,000 --> 01:20:55,920 Speaker 1: suck up mud? And I don't know it should have 1454 01:20:55,960 --> 01:20:59,200 Speaker 1: looked up something about a catfish feeding behaviors before I 1455 01:20:59,240 --> 01:21:01,240 Speaker 1: opened my mouth on that. But but it's not a 1456 01:21:01,280 --> 01:21:05,280 Speaker 1: sequel to that, not that I can tell. No, it's 1457 01:21:05,320 --> 01:21:07,800 Speaker 1: just like it doesn't look anything like the Grito elf. 1458 01:21:07,880 --> 01:21:12,720 Speaker 1: It is just a gigantic Google eyed catfish. Well in 1459 01:21:12,760 --> 01:21:15,400 Speaker 1: the end that there's there's nothing else quite like it. 1460 01:21:15,400 --> 01:21:19,240 Speaker 1: It is u It is quite an impressive film, all 1461 01:21:19,320 --> 01:21:23,640 Speaker 1: the everything, and it comes together awkwardly but kind of perfectly. 1462 01:21:23,720 --> 01:21:26,000 Speaker 1: You know, it's it's like it's it's it's the monster 1463 01:21:26,080 --> 01:21:29,120 Speaker 1: itself as film. Now you might be wondering where can 1464 01:21:29,160 --> 01:21:32,479 Speaker 1: I watch that? Well, that has been out on DVD 1465 01:21:32,520 --> 01:21:34,920 Speaker 1: and Blu Ray for years, but it's sadly looks like 1466 01:21:34,960 --> 01:21:38,320 Speaker 1: it's out of stock everywhere at this moment as we're 1467 01:21:38,320 --> 01:21:41,320 Speaker 1: recording this. Hopefully that will change in the future. It's 1468 01:21:41,360 --> 01:21:43,800 Speaker 1: also been available I think on Amazon Prime in the 1469 01:21:43,840 --> 01:21:47,240 Speaker 1: recent past, but it's not there right now. But you 1470 01:21:47,400 --> 01:21:51,760 Speaker 1: can watch the MST version Bloodwaters of Dr Zu. You 1471 01:21:51,800 --> 01:21:57,160 Speaker 1: can digitally obtain that most places, including Amazon Prime. Uh 1472 01:21:57,200 --> 01:21:59,360 Speaker 1: For for our copy again, we rented our copy from 1473 01:21:59,360 --> 01:22:02,519 Speaker 1: atlantis om Video Drome And if you're in Atlanta. You 1474 01:22:02,520 --> 01:22:05,679 Speaker 1: can go there and rent various DVDs and blue rays 1475 01:22:06,280 --> 01:22:08,240 Speaker 1: or buy some cool merch And you can also check 1476 01:22:08,280 --> 01:22:11,680 Speaker 1: them out online at video Drome dot tv and you 1477 01:22:11,720 --> 01:22:13,679 Speaker 1: can buy stuff and they'll ship it to you, which 1478 01:22:13,720 --> 01:22:17,800 Speaker 1: is pretty cool. They should make Dr Leopold head motorcycle helmets, 1479 01:22:18,040 --> 01:22:20,600 Speaker 1: so you know, it's it's the zap Monster, but it 1480 01:22:20,640 --> 01:22:23,040 Speaker 1: goes on for the bike ride. In fact, you can 1481 01:22:23,080 --> 01:22:24,880 Speaker 1: do the whole thing, like the leather jacket is a 1482 01:22:24,960 --> 01:22:27,880 Speaker 1: zat jacket. Yeah, well, you know, speaking of that, because 1483 01:22:27,880 --> 01:22:29,680 Speaker 1: that sounds like exactly the kind of thing that our 1484 01:22:29,760 --> 01:22:32,280 Speaker 1: Land would potentially do. If you're listening to this and 1485 01:22:32,320 --> 01:22:34,519 Speaker 1: you don't know the art of our Land, you can 1486 01:22:34,560 --> 01:22:37,960 Speaker 1: go to our Land art dot com and you can 1487 01:22:38,040 --> 01:22:40,840 Speaker 1: check out some of the stuff that he creates. All right, 1488 01:22:40,880 --> 01:22:43,880 Speaker 1: So there you have it. Um, that's episode two and 1489 01:22:44,040 --> 01:22:48,200 Speaker 1: uh and and what maybe a Florida movie trilogy we'll see, Um, 1490 01:22:48,240 --> 01:22:49,880 Speaker 1: I'm not I'm not sure if we'll be back next 1491 01:22:49,880 --> 01:22:52,320 Speaker 1: week with another Florida movie or the week after that. 1492 01:22:52,360 --> 01:22:55,040 Speaker 1: It kind of depends on on Joe's tolerance for all 1493 01:22:55,120 --> 01:22:59,000 Speaker 1: the Florida ness. Uh. These these motion pictures, oh, you know, 1494 01:22:59,040 --> 01:23:01,880 Speaker 1: I'm generally all right, We'll say, you know, sometimes it's 1495 01:23:01,920 --> 01:23:04,640 Speaker 1: nice to have a palate cleanser sometimes between films. So 1496 01:23:04,640 --> 01:23:06,599 Speaker 1: I don't know. Well, we'll see, we'll figure it out 1497 01:23:07,479 --> 01:23:09,120 Speaker 1: in the meantime. If you would like to check out 1498 01:23:09,120 --> 01:23:12,240 Speaker 1: other episodes of Weird How Cinema, we published this every 1499 01:23:12,240 --> 01:23:15,200 Speaker 1: Friday in the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast feed 1500 01:23:15,520 --> 01:23:19,040 Speaker 1: were primarily a science podcast, uh, and so are our 1501 01:23:19,080 --> 01:23:25,559 Speaker 1: primary episodes on scientific topics like the sargassum, seaweed, the organism, 1502 01:23:25,560 --> 01:23:29,520 Speaker 1: and the environment. Uh. Those published on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 1503 01:23:29,560 --> 01:23:32,960 Speaker 1: We publish listener Mail on Mondays, and the listener Mail 1504 01:23:33,000 --> 01:23:35,640 Speaker 1: covers like everything Weird How Cinema, but also stuff to 1505 01:23:35,640 --> 01:23:39,320 Speaker 1: Blow your Mind. 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