Rattlers

CT12 - Rattlers
Release Date	July 17, 2012
Movie Director	John McCauley
Year	1976
Cast	Sam Chew Jr. Dan Priest Tony Ballen Darwin Joston
Preceded by	War of the Insects

The Movie

Synopsis

A herpetologist named Dr. Parkinson discovers that a colony of rattlesnakes that have been affected by an experimental military nerve gas that was abandoned in a mine shaft. The snakes attack local residents and Dr. Parkinson must stop them.

Information

• Features Tipp McClure in a small role as a plumber.
• This is one of only two films directed by John McCauley, and the only film credit of co-writer Jerry Golding.
• Actors Elisabeth Chauvet (Ann) and Ron Gold (Captain Delaney) both had relatively short careers as performers, each with only five professional acting credits.

The Episode

Prologue: Dave "Gruber" Allen introduces the cast and they take their seats.

Quotes & References

• "I married one of those fat pigeons." "Snooki?"

Nicole Elizabeth "Snooki" Lavelle (née Polizzi) is one the stars of the MTV reality series Jersey Shore and its spin-offs. Her weight has fluctuated, but her physique has tended towards the heavyset.

• "Note to self- Stop hiring from the cast of Deliverance."

Deliverance is a 1972 film about a group of river rafters who get brutalized by the rural (and supposedly inbred) people whose territory they enter.

• "And what about that old man?" "River."

"Ol' Man River" is a popular song from the musical Show Boat by Jerome Kern.

• "Welcome back to CSI: Middle of Nowhere."

The CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) franchise of popular television dramas expanded from the original series into several spin-offs set in different locales, including CSI:Miami and CSI: New York.

• "I'm a herpetologist who can climb a mountain. Now I'm on a horse."

Josh is referring to popular series of surreal commercials for Old Spice Deodorant featuring the character The Man Your Man Could Smell Like. In an early commercial, The Man inexplicably materializes on a horse and comments on it.

• "He's like a David Hartman action figure..."

David Hartman is an American actor and television personality. He known for having an authoritative but stiff demeanor. He appeared in the TV movie San Francisco International, which was later used on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

• "Hey, I think I found Bin Laden's porn stash!"

Osama Bin Laden was a leader of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda which was responsible for the attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001. Bin Laden reportedly had a number of hidden shelters through the deserts of Afghanistan.

• "Barney Fi-i-ife! Come out and pla-a-ay!"

Barney Fife was the bumbling rural Deputy played by Don Knotts on the TV comedy The Andy Griffith Show. "Come out and pla-a-ay" was a taunt leveled by a rival gang member in the urban thriller movie The Warriors.

• "Mitchell!"

Mitchell was a 1975 police/crime thriller starring Joe Don Baker as an unlikely action hero. It was used as the final experiment during Joel Hodgson's time on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

• "Poor guy's built like Woody from Toy Story."

In the animated Toy Story film series, Woody is a cowboy doll. He's slim and lanky.

• "...by snakes." "On a plane?"

Joel is referring to the 2006 film Snakes on a Plane which starred Samuel L. Jackson. While originally planned as a straight-forward action-thriller, the film was mocked online for its absurd premise and on-the-nose title. It then went through a series of re-shoots that played up the ridiculous nature of the project.

• "Mel Gibson, please report for shock treatment."

In the mid-2000s, movie star Mel Gibson was involved in several high-profile controversial encounters in which he voiced a variety of racist, misogynist, and antisemitic opinions.

• "John C. Reilly? In this movie?"

Actor John C. Reilly is well-known for appearing in broad comedies (including Talladega Nights and Step Brothers), but he is all generally respected for his ability to give subtle, nuanced performances as well. He has curly hair and a large build like Tipp McClure, the actor playing the plumber.

• "Not since the O.J. chase has a Ford Bronco been so exciting."

In 1994, celebrity O.J. Simpson was a suspect in the murder of his estranged wife and a houseguest of hers. Simpson fled from police in a white Ford Bronco driven by a friend. The chase was broadcast on television nationwide.

• "Washed out for snakes."

This refers to an awkwardly dubbed line in the film Eegah, which was later used in a popular episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

• "The old man was here..." "Watching Matlock."

Matlock was a television drama starring Andy Griffith as a folksy, elderly attorney. It was supposedly very popular with older viewers.

• "...here." "In FarmVille."

FarmVille is an online computer game that debuted in 2009. In it, players maintain and operate a simulated farm. It was especially popular on the social networking site Facebook, which allowed players to share their progress and accomplishments.

• "Val-de-ree, Val-de-rah..."

The comes from the chorus of the folk song "The Happy Wanderer" (aka "My Knapsack on My Back"). It is commonly associated with scouts and hikers.

• "Richard Speck, USMC."

Frank is substituting the name of mass murderer Richard Speck for that of Gomer Pyle, the unsophisticated Marine Corps trainee who was the main character on the TV comedy Gomer Pyle, USMC.

• "I'd better bring my purse along in case they're selling that yogurt that makes women poop."

Frank is apparently referring to Activia, a line of yogurt from Dannon that was promoted as a digestive aid specially formulated for women. Actor Jamie Lee Curtis was the spokesperson in 2009.

• *Josh sings over footage of a helicopter*

Josh is mimicking the closing credits music from the TV show M*A*S*H, which was set in an army hospital during the Korean war. Helicopters were often used to transport patients.

• "Georgia O'Keeffe's leftovers..."

Georgia O'Keeffe was an American artist known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes.

• "Buffy Sainte-Marie the Vampire Slayer."

Frank is combining the name of folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie (whom actress Elisabeth Chauvet resembles) with the title of the post-modern horror-comedy film and TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

• "Is someone making Jiffy Pop?"

Jiffy Pop is a brand of popcorn meant to be cooked over a stove or a fire. It consists of pre-portioned popcorn and oil packaged in a disposable metal pan, the lid of which expands into a dome as the popcorn cooks.

• "This reminds me of that night of passion I spent with Tito Puente!"

Tito Puente was a musician who played Latin jazz, which often features castanets.

• *Frank sings over footage of a helicopter*

Frank is singing the melody of the song "Ride of the Valkyries" from the opera The Valkyries by Wilhelm Richard Wagner. The song was later used in the Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now during a scene of a helicopter attack.

• "Horse hockey, Radar!"

Another reference to M*A*S*H. Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly was the aide to the hospital's commanding officers - Col. Henry Blake and later Col. Sherman Potter - either of whom could have employed a colloquialism like "horse hockey" (meaning nonsense). Trace's voice makes it unclear which character he is imitating.

• "Leonard Nimoy albums."

Leonard Nimoy was an American actor famous for playing Mr. Spock in the Star Trek franchise (among many other roles). He released a number of music albums throughout the 1960s and 70s. Some of songs were earnest and some were humorous. The albums were not well-received, but some fans appreciate them as novelty items.

• "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Barnaby Jones audition."

Barnaby Jones was a TV detective show that aired 1973 to 1980. It starred Buddy Ebsen (of The Beverly Hillbillies) as Barnaby Jones, an elderly private detective. Actor Sam Chew Jr. (who played Dr. Parkinson) appeared in an episode of Barnaby Jones in 1975, the same year that Rattlers was released.

• "It's the Squidbillies live-action movie!"

The Squidbillies is an animated series that is part of Cartoon Network's adult-oriented Adult Swim programming block. It depicts the lives of a family of dim-witted, vulgar, often violent anthropomorphic squids that live in the American south.

• "Wow, her tent is like the TARDIS on the inside!"

On the long-running British science fiction TV series Doctor Who, the main character travels through time and space in a vessel called the TARDIS (an acronym for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space), which is bigger on the inside than the outside.

• Doctor: "There are better ways to go, I suppose." Josh: "Ask David Carradine!"

Actor David Carradine died as a result of an accident involving auto-erotic asphyxiation.

• Doctor: "Heinz!" Joel (laughing): "Get the 57 sauce!"

The H.J. Heinz company produces a variety of sauces and condiments. Their successful advertising slogan claimed that they produced 57 varieties of pickles. The number 57 has now come to be closely associated with the Heinz company (which is now best-known for its tomato ketchup).

• "Indy! Throw me the idol!"

In the film Raiders of the Lost Ark, archaeologist/adventurer Indiana Jones (aka "Indy) and his guide find themselves in a collapsing cave. The guide offers to give Jones his whip (which will allow Indy to swing across a chasm to safety) if Indy will throw him the valuable gold idol that they have acquired.

• "It's Whackin' Day, laddies!"

Whacking Day was a holiday in the fictional town of Springfield on the animated TV comedy The Simpsons. It was an annual event in which the townsfolk would club snakes to death. Josh seems to be mimicking the voice of the Scottish character Groundskeeper Willie, who enjoyed the holiday as an excuse for violence.

Video Release

• A DVD of a live performance was made available on July 17th, 2012. The DVD is no longer in production but is available second-hand through several online venues.
• A Boxed Set with all Cinematic Titanic recorded presentations was released by Shout! Factory in 2017.
• It can be streamed for free at shoutfactorytv.com