Show 908: The Touch of Satan

Check the freshness date on it.
Freshness dating is a relatively recent innovation among beverage makers. One of the first to use it was the Boston Beer Company, back in 1985. Pepsi famously followed suit in 1994, with a major ad campaign proclaiming its commitment to freshness.

There’s my Walk Me Wet Me Susan.
I could not find a specific reference to a doll of this name; it appears to be a generic reference to those dolls that simulate eating, crying, walking, wetting their diapers and other joys of motherhood for little girls.

The American Gothic people take revenge.
American Gothic (1930) is a well-known painting by American artist Grant Wood (1892-1942). It depicts a salt-of-the-earth couple standing in front of their Midwestern home, the man holding a pitchfork. The painting has become an icon of hardscrabble Americana.

Grandma Kramer!
Cosmo Kramer was Jerry Seinfeld’s tall, lanky neighbor on the TV series Seinfeld, which aired from 1990 to 1998. The character, played by actor Michael Richards, was known for his trademark dramatic entrances.

A kabuki actor’s been hit!
Kabuki is a traditional form of Japanese theater characterized by highly stylized signing and dancing and spectacular costumes. While bugaku and no theater entertained the Japanese aristocracy, kabuki was the theater of the common people. Kabuki actors wear dramatic makeup, with thick white covering their faces and their mouths and eyes starkly outlined.

Come on, Grandma dried apple head.
Dolls with heads made from dried apples are a traditional American folk craft. The doll maker carves a crude head from an apple and then allows it to air-dry. This causes the “head” to wrinkle, producing a face that looks like an old woman. The head is then attached to a body, often made of wire or soft sculpture.

The last days of Edgar Winter.
Edgar Winter (b. 1946) is an albino blues/jazz/experimental musician. He has frequently performed with his older brother, musician Johnny Winter. His best-known song is “Frankenstein,” which hit number one in 1973.

Ah, the touch of Satan. Softens your hands while you do the dishes.
Back in the ’60s, Palmolive launched its famous Madge the Manicurist ad campaign, in which a maternal beautician informs her shocked clients that they’re soaking their hands in Palmolive liquid soap. The campaign, with the slogan “It softens hands while you do the dishes,” ran for another three decades.

This is very ’70s. I’m guessing Anthony Zerbe must be in this.
Anthony Zerbe (b. 1936) is a character actor known for his villainous roles in The Omega Man (1971) and Who’ll Stop the Rain (1978), among others. He won an Emmy for his performance in the mid-‘70s TV series Harry O, which starred David Janssen (The Fugitive).

I think it’s Tony Musante as a kind of hip Satan who solves crimes.
Tony Musante (b. 1936) is an actor who has appeared in a number of movies and TV shows, including Marcus Welby M.D., Police Story and The Rockford Files.

Emby Mellay? That’s not a name—that’s a bad Scrabble hand.
Scrabble is a classic board game produced by Hasbro, in which players draw seven letters apiece and then attempt to spell words on the game board, crossword puzzle-style.

With Screwtape on kettledrum. Wormwood on harpsichord.
Screwtape and Wormwood are the central characters in C.S. Lewis’ book The Screwtape Letters. Lewis, a devout Christian, wrote the novel as a series of letters from the devil Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, containing advice on the best ways to tempt Christians.

Okay, Crow, I’m putting you on Clu Gulager alert.
Clu Gulager (b. 1928) is a character actor who has appeared in dozens of movies and television shows. He appears in several other MST episodes, including Show 322, Master Ninja, and Show 614, San Francisco International.

Oh, David Spade as Satan!
David Spade (b. 1964) is a comedian who appeared as a regular on Saturday Night Live from 1991 to 1996. He appeared in a number of movies with fellow SNL alum Chris Farley (1964-1997). After Farley’s death, he starred in several movies on his own. He is also a regular on the TV series Just Shoot Me.

The vineyards of Ernest and Julio ... Satan.
Ernest and Julio Gallo are major winemakers, with an enormous winery in the Sonoma Valley in Northern California.

He drives a Maverick? You know, I would have put the Prince of Darkness in a muscle car.
The Maverick was a model of car produced by Ford from 1970 to 1977. It was one of Ford’s most successful cars, even outselling the classic Mustang. The car Jody drives in the movie is in fact a Maverick.

[Sung.] What do you get when you fall from grace? You only get cast into perdition ...
A paraphrase of the song “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” by Burt Bacharach. The actual lyrics: “What do you get when you fall in love?/You only get lies and pain and sorrow.” Elvis Costello performed the song with Bacharach in the movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

Hasta luego, Maverick-driving clootie! –Clootie? –Yeah. It’s Scottish. I looked it up!
“Clootie” is an old Scottish name for the devil; one source says it is a reference to the devil’s cloven hooves. “Old Cloots” is a variant of this name. Also see the note on Mavericks, above.

Odd, disturbing score co-written by Mike Post and Igor Stravinsky.
Mike Post (b. 1944) is a Hollywood composer who has written music for dozens of TV shows, including The Rockford Files, Magnum P.I., Hill Street Blues, NewsRadio, Law & Order and countless more. Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was a Russian-born composer and one of the founders of modernist music; the premiere of his The Rites of Spring in 1913 touched off a riot among the audience.

Sightsee on your own time, Beelzebub!
In the Bible, Beelzebub is referred to as the prince of the devils. In the Old Testament, Beelzebub is the name given to the god worshiped by the Philistine city Ekron (II Kings 1:1-18).

Satan’s harmonica band led by Toots Thielemans.
Jean “Toots” Thielemans (b. 1922) is a Belgian harmonica player whose music has been heard in such films as Hard Rain (1998) and Jean de Florette (1986).

Mike—behind that tree! It’s Clu Gulager! –Where? –Oh, shoot—it was Monte Markham.
See reference to Clu Gulager, above. Monte Markham (b. 1935) is an actor who has appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows. From 1989 to 1992, he played Captain Don Thorpe on Baywatch. He was also a regular on Melrose Place.

What was Anne Heche doing in there?
Anne Heche (b. 1969) is a fragile blond actress who has appeared in such films as Volcano (1997) and Six Days, Seven Nights (1998). She is, however, best known as comedian Ellen DeGeneres’ (star of the Ellen TV series) lover. The pair broke up in 2000; the following year, Heche married her cameraman boyfriend and announced her pregnancy.

What with all these gas crises and Watergates, I needed a good laugh.
The 1970s saw a severe shortage of crude oil that led to skyrocketing gas prices and shortages at the pump. The first crisis was sparked by a 1973 oil embargo imposed by OPEC in retaliation for U.S. support of Israel. It was followed by a second in 1979 caused by the overthrow of the Shah of Iran. Watergate is a reference to the scandal that ultimately forced President Richard M. Nixon to resign in 1974. In June 1972, five men were arrested breaking into the Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. The widening spiral of investigation that followed led to the indictments of a number of White House aides, and it eventually became clear that Nixon had been involved in the attempt to cover up the White House’s involvement in the Watergate plot. He resigned in order to avoid certain impeachment by the House of Representatives.

Wait a minute—the gas station guy forgot to give me my Roman Gabriel cocktail glass.
Roman Gabriel (b. 1940) was a quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1970s. He retired in 1977.

Looks like a nice, private place to practice streaking.
Streaking was a popular fad during the 1970s, consisting of a young man (or several young men) taking off all his clothes and running like hell through some public place. Florida State University claims that its students invented the tradition in 1974. The most famous streaking incident occurred at the 1974 Academy Awards, when a streaker dashed across the stage behind presenter David Niven, an event broadcast worldwide.

You know, I was just thinking: that Gerald Ford is rather clumsy.
President Gerald Ford (b. 1913) became president in 1974 after Richard M. Nixon resigned over the Watergate affair. He quickly developed a reputation for being clumsy after a few high-profile incidents (he slipped coming off Air Force One; he had a tendency to hit spectators and participants with balls while playing sports). This image was enshrined in the popular consciousness with Chevy Chase’s brilliant parody of him on Saturday Night Live. Ironically, Ford was actually a talented athlete (he played football at the University of Michigan), and a number of people have suggested that his clumsy reputation was unfairly bestowed.

Thank you, Lurch.
Lurch was the name of the Frankenstein’s Monster-esque butler on the TV series The Addams Family, which aired from 1964 to 1966. Ted Cassidy (1932-1979) played Lurch in the series, which was based on the macabre cartoons drawn by Charles Addams. The series was later made into a series of feature films, in which Carel Struycken played Lurch.

I’m gonna get out my guitar and practice “Sister Golden Hair.”
“Sister Golden Hair” is a song by the folk rock band America; it was their second number one hit, in 1975.

Wow—I’m the first one at the Rainbow Gathering.
The Rainbow Gathering is an annual event that began in the 1970s and continues today. It consists of a bunch of people meeting in some part of the U.S. National Forests and conducting a group meditation for world peace. There has been considerable friction over the years between the organizers of the gatherings and the U.S. government over the issue of permits.

[Sung.] But the trees can’t help their feeling/If they like the way they’re made ...
A paraphrase of the Rush song “The Trees.” A sample of the actual lyrics: “But the oaks can’t help their feelings/If they like the way they’re made/And they wonder why the maples/Can’t be happy in their shade.”

The first Richard Carpenter music video.
Richard Carpenter (b. 1946) was half of the brother-sister musical team The Carpenters, along with his sister Karen. The duo released a string of soft-rock hits during the first half of the 1970s. Karen, who was an anorexic, died in 1983.

Let’s see Christopher Atkins skip a stone like that.
Christopher Atkins (b. 1961) became a teen heartthrob upon the release of the idyllic romance The Blue Lagoon, in which he and Brooke Shields starred as two children who grow up together on a desert island.

Come on, Oliver Hardy, just eat!
Oliver Hardy (1892-1957) was half of the comedy team Laurel & Hardy, which made a string of movies during the 1920s and ’30s. Hardy, a stout man, played a childish, bossy, fussy character opposite Stan Laurel’s thin, gentle incompetent.

I’m not going back, Jim!
This phrase, a reference to the Star Trek episode “This Side of Paradise,” was one of the writers’ favorites. Mary Jo Pehl’s comment, from the MST Episode Guide: “’I’m not going back, Jim’ was one of our favorite catchphrases around here, until we rented the video of that Star Trek episode and were stunned to realize that Spock never says that.”

What’s on the spit, pilgrim?
A reference to cowboy actor John Wayne (1907-1979), for whom “pilgrim” was a perennial catchphrase. A sampling of Wayne lines: “Well, don’t fret about that, pilgrim.” “You’re a persistent cuss, pilgrim.” “Thanks for saving my life, pilgrim.”

All right, you selling Herbal Essence or Irish Spring?
Herbal Essence is a line of beauty products produced by Clairol: shampoos, conditioners, hairsprays and so on. Irish Spring is a scented soap manufactured by Colgate-Palmolive.

Want half a Mr. PiBB?
Mr. PiBB is a soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company to compete with Dr. Pepper. The drink was first produced in 1972; however, in 2001 the company announced plans to phase out the drink over the course of a few months.

Yeah, keep on truckin', I guess. You’ll do your thing and I’ll do mine. Yep, whip inflation now! Bye.
“Keep on truckin’” was a classic slogan coined by underground cartoonist Robert “R.” Crumb (b. 1943) in 1968; it was popular throughout the 1970s. “You’ll do your thing and I’ll do mine” is a paraphrase of the “Gestalt Prayer,” which was written by therapist Fritz Perls (1893-1970) and became popular during the 1960s (“I do my thing and you do your thing./I am not in this world to live up to your expectations/And you are not in this world to live up to mine.”). “Whip inflation now” was a slogan launched by President Gerald Ford’s administration to boost public confidence in an era of rising prices.

In sort of a floppy Rhoda way, I guess.
Rhoda was a TV sitcom (1974-1978) starring Valerie Harper as the title character. Rhoda was a spinoff of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, where Harper played the same part from 1970 to 1974.

Man, if she doesn’t love him after riding in his Maverick, she’s a total ice princess.
See note on Mavericks, above.

You catch Kotter last night?
Welcome Back, Kotter was a TV series that aired from 1975 to 1979. It starred Gabe Kaplan as a teacher in an inner-city high school. The show gave Hollywood leading man John Travolta his big break, playing student Vinnie Barbarino.

“Hello, Jody.” Or should I call you Buffy?
Jody and Buffy were two of the children on the TV show Family Affair, which aired from 1966 to 1971. (The third child was named Cissy.) The show starred Brian Keith as Bill Davis, a carefree swinging bachelor who suddenly found himself in custody of three orphans, whom he cared for with the assistance of his supercilious valet, Mr. French.

Herbert von Karajan is not pleased with that.
Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989) was a controversial conductor who insisted on technical perfection in his orchestra—at, some would argue, the expense of emotion. His membership in the Nazi Party during World War II elicited protests when he performed in America after the war. Von Karajan led the Vienna State Opera and the Berlin Philharmonic.

“Hello, Jody.” How’s Uncle Bill?
See note on Family Affair, above.

“Oh, bosh!” Oh, Hieronymous!
Hieronymous Bosch (c. 1450-1516) was a brilliant Northern European painter in the years before the Renaissance. He is best known for his painting The Garden of Earthly Delights, a triptych depicting the creation of Eve, the temptation of Adam and Eve, and the fall of man—all this taking place in a surreal and boldly painted landscape filled with fantastical creatures.

You know, with Mitchum you can skip a week—did you know that?
A variation on the classic deodorant ad slogan: “With Mitchum you can skip a day.”

No, I’ll just tell Leatherface you’re here.
“Leatherface,” played by Gunnar Hansen, was the villain in the classic horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Leatherface, who wears a creepy stitched-together mask and has a fondness for power tools, is part of a family of cannibals that takes apart a carload of hapless hippies in 1970s Texas. The story is loosely based on the true tale of Ed Gein, a serial killer in 1950s Wisconsin; Alfred Hitchcock based his film Psycho on Gein, and Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs bore a certain resemblance to Gein as well.

Hallmark Hall of Fame presents ... The Touch of Satan.
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology drama series that has aired sporadically on television since 1951. It specializes in deeply wholesome, classic dramas, with much tugging of heartstrings.

[Sung.] Come sit with me/And Satan too/He’s your friend and mine.
This may be a reference to the Love song “Your Friend and Mine (Neil’s Song),” but I was unable to confirm the lyrics.

In a Ron Palillo sort of way, sure.
Ron Palillo (b. 1949) is best known for playing Horshak on the TV show Welcome Back, Kotter.

Now he’s rubbing his Ryan O’Neally face all over hers ...
Ryan O’Neal (b. 1941) got his start on the TV soap opera Peyton Place. He became a 1970s heartthrob thanks to his part in Love Story, in which he and Ali McGraw played a doomed couple. He also acted in the film Paper Moon (1973) with his daughter Tatum O’Neal. He and actress Farrah Fawcett were together for nearly 20 years, separating in 1997.

There’s tons of varnished bread laying around in there—just push it out of the way.
Deeply obscure. May refer to the kids’ craft of making modeling clay out of bread dough; the dough is molded into shapes, baked, painted and varnished to produce ashtrays, Christmas tree ornaments and so forth. Or it may just be a non sequitur from the deepest recesses of the writers’ brains.

Hey—Beelzebub, Kali and Lucifer!
See note on Beelzebub, above. Kali is the Hindu goddess of destruction, usually depicted brandishing weapons and wearing a necklace of severed heads. In Christian mythology, Lucifer was the name of Satan before he rebelled and fell from heaven.

A signed copy of the Necronomicon here.
The Necronomicon is a possibly apocryphal book that has been variously described as a grimoire, a book of necromancy, or a history of the pre-Flood days written by the “mad Arab” Abdul Alhazred. Horror writer H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) publicized (and possibly invented) the Necronomicon. Opinion is divided on this point.

Excuse me—I think I left a Sustacal back in the corner there.
Sustacal is a liquid nutritional supplement produced by Mead Johnson. It is similar to Ensure and Boost, and is marketed primarily to seniors.

Is Captain Hook there?
Captain Hook is the villainous pirate in J.M. Barrie’s classic kids’ tale Peter Pan. He is so called because he wears a hook in place of his hand on one arm.

I haven’t understood anything since McKinley went down.
William McKinley (1843-1901) was the 25th president of the United States. On September 5, 1901, McKinley gave a speech at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. The following day, the president was shaking hands with a crowd when an anarchist named Leon Czolgosz shot him twice in the chest and abdomen. He lived for a week after the shooting, dying on Sept. 14. His vice president, Teddy Roosevelt, succeeded him as president.

You know, there’s a delightful scene later in this movie where this old woman raps.
A reference to the 1998 Adam Sandler film The Wedding Singer, which contains a famous scene in which a little old lady (played by Ellen Albertini Dow) raps at a wedding.

I just wanted to give her a Werther’s.
Werther’s Originals are a rich butterscotch candy sold in grocery stores around the country.

Oh, man—now a withered old Billy Zane is going to come in and give her a withered old Coeur de la Mer ...
A reference to the 1997 film Titanic by James Cameron, which contains a scene in which Kate Winslet is sitting in front of a mirror when her fiance (played by Billy Zane) gives her a priceless necklace called the Coeur de la Mer (Heart of the Ocean). Replicas of the necklace were popular for a time after the staggeringly successful movie came out.

She turned into Cecilia Bartoli.
Cecilia Bartoli (b. 1966) is an Italian soprano who is considered one of the leading lights of the operatic world. She has appeared in a number of operas around the world as well as solo concert tours in the United States and other countries.

I miss my Eddie Munster widow’s peak.
Eddie Munster was the young son on the TV series The Munsters, which aired from 1964 to 1966. He was played by actor Butch Patrick (b. 1953).

Well, back to being Swifty Lazar.
Irving “Swifty” Lazar (1907-1993) was a legendary Hollywood and literary agent known especially for his spectacular post-Oscar parties at Spago.

Mom looks like Ron Popeil.
Ron Popeil (b. 1935) is an inventor and infomercial mainstay who founded the company Ronco, manufacturer of such classic gadgets as the Dial-O-Matic, the Veg-O-Matic, and the Mince-O-Matic.

“That means a great deal to me, Luther.” I mean Mr. Vandross.
Luther Vandross (b. 1951) was one of the premier R&B artists of the 1980s. In addition to recording his own albums, he has produced albums for other R&B artists, including Aretha Franklin. His hits include “Power of Love” and “Endless Love,” a duet with Mariah Carey.

[Sung.] Is this the little demon I carried ...
A paraphrase of the song “Sunrise, Sunset” from Fiddler on the Roof, a successful Broadway musical that was made into a movie in 1971. The actual lyrics: “Is this the little girl I carried?/Is this the little boy at play?”

Hey, wanna play Pitchfork Bug?
This may be a reference to Punch Bug, the classic road game designed to keep kids amused on long car trips: the first child to spot a Volkswagen Bug and shout out “Punch bug!” or “Punch buggy!” (there are a number of variants) gets to punch the other kids in the car.

Well, now, Andy, I think there was a demon in the car!
An imitation of Don Knotts (b. 1924) as Barney Fife, the hapless deputy on The Andy Griffith Show, which aired from 1960 to 1968.

He’s got two huge Sudafed on top of his car.
Sudafed is an over-the-counter decongestant manufactured by Pfizer Inc.

Hi—have you seen the other Village People?
The Village People were a campy group from the heyday of disco, designed to appeal to a gay audience. Each member wore a costume: Indian, cowboy, biker, soldier, construction worker and policeman. Hits that are still played today include “Macho Man” and “Y.M.C.A.”

Would he even fit in the Iron Maiden?
An Iron Maiden was an instrument of torture principally used in Germany, possibly as early as the sixteenth century. It consisted of a box crudely shaped like a human being and lined on the inside of the doors with spikes. When the doors were closed slowly, the person inside was impaled on the spikes, although not deeply enough to kill them immediately; one thief reportedly lingered for two days. An Iron Maiden was featured to lurid effect in the 1999 Tim Burton film Sleepy Hollow.

“He’s running around over in Newport like he was J. Edgar Hoover.” Pretty dress, though.
J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972) was the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1924 until his death. He was known for his loathing of “radicals” of any stripe and launched notorious investigations of Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lennon. At the same time he was investigating civil rights activists and musicians, he allowed the Mafia to operate virtually with impunity. However, he also built the FBI into a professional and effective police force. Rumors of homosexuality dogged Hoover all his life, and in 1993 author Anthony Summers claimed he was a cross dresser, an image that quickly caught on in the popular imagination.

She’s gonna go buy a whole bunch of Procter & Gamble products.
Procter & Gamble manufactures an enormous range of consumer products, including Pampers diapers and Downy fabric softener. In the 1970s, a rumor cropped up in the southern United States that P&G’s logo—the man in the moon surrounded by 13 stars—was a satanic symbol. Fliers began circulating that claimed 10 percent of P&G’s profits went to the Church of Satan and that the company’s president had admitted as much on national television (which, needless to say, was not true). Finally, in 1985, the company retired the logo, but the rumors occasionally persist.

I like this place because they have bulk eye of newt.
Eye of newt is a classic ingredient for witches’ brews, immortalized in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth: “Eye of newt and toe of frog/Wool of bat and tongue of dog.”

Hey, they’ve got a sale on mismatched beer! Steinlager, Pete’s ...
Steinlager is a beer produced in New Zealand; “Pete’s” is referring to Pete’s Wicked Ale, a microbrew made in Minnesota.

I do it out at Kinko’s.
Kinko’s is a national chain of photocopying stores.

You know, if she had another one of these, she could be Melissa “Two Sheds” Strickland.
A reference to a classic skit from Monty Python’s Flying Circus, in which a host is interviewing composer Arthur “Two Sheds” Jackson and drives the poor musician into a frenzy by only wanting to know about his nickname rather than his music. Some sample dialogue:
Host: May I just sidetrack for one moment. This—what shall I call it—nickname of yours.
Jackson: Ah, yes.
Host: “Two Sheds.” How did you come by it?
Jackson: Well, I don’t use it myself, but some of my friends call me “Two Sheds.”
Host: And do you in fact have two sheds?
Jackson: No, I’ve only got one. I’ve had one for some time, but a few years ago I said I was thinking of getting another, and since then some people have called me “Two Sheds.”
Host: In spite of the fact that you have only one.
Jackson: Yes.
Host: And are you still intending to purchase this second shed?

Well, hey! A frog that’s not deformed!
In 1995, a group of students in Minnesota found a large number of deformed frogs. After the Washington Post ran an article on the frogs, it quickly became clear that it was a widespread problem in the state. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency began investigating, and has discovered deformed frogs in about two-thirds of the state’s counties. Scientists believe environmental contamination—such as pesticides—is to blame, but the exact cause has not yet been isolated.

Here’s your Allegra.
Allegra is a prescription allergy medicine manufactured by Hoechst Marion Roussel.

Now I’ve gotta go over and bust Grandpa Walton for raising pot.
Zebulon “Grandpa” Walton was a character on the classic family TV drama The Waltons, which aired from 1972 to 1981. He was played by actor Will Geer until Geer’s death in 1978.

Well, right about then them Duke boys showed up.
An imitation of the folksy narrator from the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard, which ran from 1979 to 1985. The narrator, dubbed “The Balladeer,” was played by country-music artist Waylon Jennings, who also performed the show’s theme song, “Good Ol’ Boys.”

At least they didn’t chain him to a Baldwin brother.
A reference to the 1996 film Fled, which chained good actor Laurence Fishburne to mediocre actor Stephen Baldwin; the two played escaped convicts on the run from the law. Baldwin is a member of the acting family that also includes brothers Alec, Daniel and William.

Hey—there goes Don “The Snake” Prudhomme.
Don “The Snake” Prudhomme is a legendary drag racer who hit his peak during the 1970s. He earned his nickname from his lightning-quick reflexes at the starting line. Prudhomme retired in 1994.

You know, from the back she looks exactly like David Cassidy.
Actor/musician David Cassidy played Keith Partridge on the TV series The Partridge Family, which ran from 1970 to 1974. Within a year of the show’s premiere, Cassidy had been on pretty much every teen magazine cover, had a number-one hit, and was officially ranked as a teen heartthrob.

Why don’t they just call Harvey Keitel over to fix things?
Harvey Keitel (b. 1939) has appeared in nearly 100 films and TV shows. The actor is known especially for his work in Martin Scorcese films, including Mean Streets and Taxi Driver. The role referred to here is his part in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), in which he played Winston Wolf, a “fixer” who is called in to dispose of an inconvenient corpse.

Did all the actors drink a quart of Robitussin before shooting?
Robitussin is an over-the-counter cough syrup manufactured by Whitehall-Robins. Some varieties of Robitussin contain dextromethorphan, which if consumed in sufficient quantities acts as a hallucinogen and relaxant; popular among teenagers.

Oh, you mean STAY!
A reference to Show 806, The Undead.

I’ve seen his food cake.
Devil’s food cake is a classic chocolate cake recipe popular in America.

“I’m possessed by the devil.” Michael Eisner?
Michael Eisner (b. 1942) is the chairman and CEO of Walt Disney Productions. He is one of the richest and most powerful men in Hollywood.

He sang “Lend Me a Tenor.”
Lend Me a Tenor is a Broadway farce about a missing opera singer that is extraordinarily popular among community theater groups. It was written by Ken Ludwig.

Lesson: Never ask Kelsey Grammer to get your gloves out of your car.
Kelsey Grammer (b. 1955) is a comic actor who played Dr. Frasier Crane on the TV show Cheers and later on the successful spinoff Frasier. Grammer has reportedly had a history of problems with alcohol and drug addiction. In 1996 Grammer flipped his car in an accident; shortly afterwards, he checked himself into the Betty Ford Center for treatment.

Check it out: she’s dressed like Ed Ames.
Ed Ames (b. 1927) is a musician and actor who first rose to fame in the musical group the Ames Brothers. From 1964 to 1968, he played Mingo on the TV series Daniel Boone, which starred Fess Parker.

Time to go be a general in the Michigan Militia.
The Michigan Militia came to national attention in 1995, after Timothy McVeigh bombed the federal building in Oklahoma City. McVeigh’s associate Terry Nichols apparently had ties to the militia, although the group has denied any involvement in the bombing. The militia movement began in the early 1990s and quickly spread among conservatives who were deeply suspicious of the government and fearful of the “New World Order.” Some advocated armed resistance, while others were involved in the white supremacist movement.

Oh, I made a terrible sock monkey.
Sock monkeys apparently first became popular around 1900. They are stuffed animals that can be made with a pair of socks—specifically, the Red Heel Monkey Socks manufactured by Fox River Mills. The socks even reportedly come with instructions for making a sock monkey.

It’s the Loneliest Firefly ... and his friends.
Probably a reference to the children’s book The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle, who has also written The Very Busy Spider and The Very Quiet Cricket.

Oh, and go Packers, too, but mostly burn the witch!
The Green Bay Packers are a professional football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The phrase “Go Packers!” features prominently in Show 810, The Giant Spider Invasion.

... said Madeline.
Madeline is the main character in a series of children’s books written by Ludwig Bemelmans; the first book appeared in 1939. Madeline herself is a young schoolgirl in Paris. Several movies based on the books have been released.

It’s Paula Cole, I think.
Paula Cole is a singer-songwriter of the Tori Amos/Sarah McLachlan school. Her 1996 single “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” was all over the radio, and she won a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1998. Cole was one of the original artists in the traveling Lilith Fair.

Pretty casual—it’s more like a Lake Wobegon witch burning.
Lake Wobegon is a fictional town in Minnesota created by National Public Radio favorite Garrison Keillor. Keillor has been telling stories about Lake Wobegon on his show, Prairie Home Companion, since the 1970s. He has also published several books about the town, including 1995’s Lake Wobegon Days.

Hey, Hoss has lost some weight!
Eric “Hoss” Cartwright was one of the Cartwright boys on the TV show Bonanza, which aired from 1959 to 1973. The character was played by actor Dan Blocker until his death in 1972.

You been hittin’ the booze again!
A reference to Show 810, The Giant Spider Invasion.

Left her at Gymboree.
Gymboree is a chain of children’s clothing stores with locations across the country.

“I can only assume ...” ... that I’m Franz Schubert.
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) was an Austrian composer during the transition period from Classical to Romantic music. He is known especially for his lieder (songs).

Neil Young!
Neil Young (b. 1945) is an influential singer/songwriter. For a time in the early ‘70s he played with the band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and he has frequently recorded with the California garage-rock band Crazy Horse. Although commercial success has sometimes eluded him, he has amassed a devoted cult following.

Let’s burn some Beatles records instead!
The Beatles were a staggeringly influential British rock band, consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They produced a lengthy string of number one hits, inspired countless bands, caused riots among female teenage fans, annoyed the Establishment and generally set the stage for the rock & roll revolution of the 1960s.

Hold on—I’m getting a call from Margot Adler.
Margot Adler is a National Public Radio correspondent and the author of Drawing Down the Moon, a classic study of neopaganism. She has been a priestess of Wicca for more than 25 years.

This is the weirdest Big Valley ever.
The Big Valley was a television series that aired from 1965 to 1969. It starred veteran actress Barbara Stanwyck as the head of a ranch in 1870s California. The valley of the title was the San Joaquin Valley.

Maybe this was once fast-paced and someone spilled a Grape Nehi on it and it got all gummy.
Grape Nehi is a purple, grape-flavored soda manufactured by Royal Crown.

Who, Marilyn Manson?
Marilyn Manson is a shock rocker, considered by some a crusader for free speech and by others as the poor man’s Alice Cooper. He is known for his religious imagery, androgyny and elaborate makeup. Manson has been the frequent target of attacks from the religious right, which pickets his shows and spreads dire rumors about him.

“You drove down our road yesterday because you wanted to see what was at the other end.” Just like that chicken.
A reference to the old joke: “Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.”

 [Sung.] “Amazing grace...” ... and Chuck.
Amazing Grace and Chuck is a 1987 film starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Gregory Peck. The movie is about a young boy who goes on strike from his Little League team to press for nuclear disarmament; a professional basketball player follows his example, and soon athletes far and wide are refusing to play ball.

[Sung] It’s that witchcraft/Wicked witchcraft.
A line from the song “Witchcraft” by Frank Sinatra: “Cause it’s witchcraft, wicked witchcraft/And although I know it’s strictly taboo ...”

Aren’t there any Jesuits in the phone book?
Jesuits are members of the Society of Jesus, a priestly group in the Catholic Church. They emphasize missionary and educational work. The priest played by Max von Sydow in the 1973 film The Exorcist was a Jesuit.

Wow—Poopdeck Pappy getting all upset here.
Poopdeck Pappy was Popeye’s father in the series of short cartoons by the same name.

They turned me down for that policy—they said it couldn’t happen!
“Seniors cannot be turned down” appears to be a popular slogan in the insurance industry; I found variations on a number of insurance company sites, including Colonial Penn.

“Melissa.” Crossroads seem to come and go.
These are lyrics to the song “Melissa” by the Allman Brothers. A sampling: “Crossroads seem to come and go, yeah/The gypsy flies from coast to coast.”

Man, she’s getting into Strom Thurmond country.
Retired Senator Strom Thurmond died in 2003 at the age of 100. He had served in the Senate since 1954; in 1948 he ran for president on a strict segregationist, anti-civil-rights platform, and he only got cuddlier after that. Reportedly in his last few years in office he became rather frail, and some questioned before his retirement whether he was still fully capable of carrying out his duties to the people of South Carolina.

John Quincy Adams!
John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He was known for his command of foreign policy and his determined opposition to the expansion of slavery.

Grandma used to work for the LAPD.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) earned a reputation for extreme violence after four white police officers were videotaped vigorously beating a black driver named Rodney King. The police officers’ acquittal (by an all-white jury) on aggravated assault charges caused serious rioting in LA in 1992. The department’s reputation was further sullied in 2000 when a police officer in the Rampart division came clean on a history of framed suspects, unjustified shootings, and criminal activity by his comrades.

Oh, and Grandma’d just gotten a job as a greeter at Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart, the immense discount-store chain, employs people to work as “greeters”: employees who stand at the front entrance and cheerily welcome customers to the store. Many of these greeters are retired seniors.

Aww—now she’s Melissa “No Sheds” Strickland.
See note on Melissa “Two Sheds” Strickland, above. In the same skit, the interviewer continues to plague Jackson about the shed:
Host: I see, I see. And you’re thinking of buying this second shed to write in!
Jackson: No, no. Look. This shed business--it doesn’t really matter. The sheds aren’t important. A few friends call me Two Sheds and that’s all there is to it. I wish you’d ask me about the music. Everybody talks about the sheds. They’ve got it out of proportion—I’m a composer. I’m going to get rid of the shed. I’m fed up with it!
Host: Then you'll be Arthur “No Sheds” Jackson, eh?

Man, never let Edie Sedgwick borrow your lake cabin.
Edie Sedgwick (1943-1971) was an actress who appeared in a number of artist Andy Warhol’s experimental films. She lived at the Chelsea Hotel in New York, where she once created a stir by setting her room on fire. Sedgwick suffered problems with anorexia, mental illness and substance abuse, and reportedly died of a barbiturate overdose.

Grandma’s flashpaper bathrobe turned out to be a mistake.
Flashpaper is a special paper used by stage magicians that flares brightly, burns quickly and leaves no ashes behind.

Could you drop me off at Tanglewood? I’m conducting Mahler’s Tenth this weekend.
Tanglewood is the summer concert home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. “Mahler’s Tenth” is a reference to Symphony No. 10 in F-sharp Major by composer Gustav Mahler (1860-1911).

Oh, and don’t join Al Pacino’s law firm.
A reference to the 1997 film The Devil’s Advocate, in which Al Pacino plays the head of a law firm who turns out to be Satan.

Where the heck is that village smithy?
The poem “The Village Blacksmith” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow opens with the lines “Under a spreading chestnut-tree/The village smithy stands ...”

We’re back at the beginning! This film is a Moebius strip!
A Moebius strip is a piece of paper that appears to have only one side. It is named after its discoverer, A.F. Moebius (1790-1868). You can make your own: take a long strip of paper, twist one end 180 degrees, and glue the two ends together. Then put your finger on the outer side of the strip at any point and trace along its length. When you return to your starting point, you will find that your finger is now on the inner side of the strip—without ever having left the paper!

The only known shots of Bigfoot in a T-shirt.
Bigfoot, a.k.a. Sasquatch, a.k.a. the Abominable Snowman, a.k.a. Yeti, is a legendary apelike creature. Sightings have been reported in the Himalayas, northern California, the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere. One famous piece of film shot in northern California purports to have actually captured proof of the creature, but skepticism remains widespread.

“I love you, Melissa.” Almost as much as I love wide-wale corduroys.
Wide-wale corduroy pants were very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. All corduroy has raised lines running lengthwise along the fabric; wide-wale refers to the width of those raised lines.

I’ve turned into Gloria Stuart at last.
Gloria Stuart (b. 1910) played the heroine Rose as an old woman in the 1997 film Titanic, a performance that earned her an Oscar nomination. She appeared in an immense string of movies in the 1930s and 1940s before largely retiring from acting.

“What’s wrong with my face?” Nothing, if you like Eubie Blake.
Eubie Blake (1883-1983) was a ragtime musician, composer and actor. His best-known works include “I’m Just Wild About Harry” and “Shuffle Along.”

I’ve become Sigourney Weaver.
Sigourney Weaver (b. 1949) is a Hollywood leading lady who is best known for her portrayal of Ellen Ripley in the popular Alien series of horror movies. She has also appeared in The Ice Storm, Ghostbusters and Working Girl, among many others.

You’re 127 years young.
A paraphrase of the Today show’s Willard Scott, who every Tuesday and Thursday wishes happy birthdays to centenarians, referring to them as “100 years young.”

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Last updated: 08/20/03.