MST3K (702)

702 - The Brute Man (w/ The Chicken of Tomorrow) - Jean Yarbrough: the Coleman Francis of the '40s? Maybe I'm being too hard on the guy? I've really only seen two of his 107 movies. Considering this film, in which a poor man with a bone disease wanders around dark alleys in-between chatting monosyllabically with a blind woman, and the worst werewolf film ever made, She-Wolf of London, I bet my assessment is close to the truth.

My favorite part of this episode by far happens during the infamous "cranky grocer" scene. The owner of the grocer store inexplicable spends a solid five minutes just berating a hapless delivery boy. Never has a crankier gentleman walked the earth. Halfway through the grocer's rant, Mike starts cracking up in his chair. He's not chuckling quietly to himself; he's laughing normally, rocking a bit back and forth in his chair. The guy must've seen this movie a half dozen times before filming started and this crotchety old man still made him laugh. I love it when unscripted bits of fun like that make it into the show. "Creeper, creeper, creeper... you give me the creeps!"

So far so good. I've read others complaining about the Mother Forrester bits in this season, but they're not bugging me at all. In fact, I rather liked the hideously true-to-life quality of single mom Pearl bringing home some scuzz-bag date. Best character Paul has played on the show so far, with apologies to Pitch. I dig the cheap, costume store chicken costume for when Paul was "transformed' into the chicken of tomorrow, eye slits and all.

"Lick your eggs or have a friend lick them." (7/10)

film d. Jean Yarbrough (1946)
short d. ?? (1948)
mst d. Kevin Murphy (10 Feb 1996)