Episode 1008-
Final Justice
Movie
Summary: The story of a large
sweaty man who goes to Malta to sweat.
Directed by Greydon Clark, who brought you Joy Sticks and
Satan's
Cheerleaders, it stars Joe Don
Baker as Geronimo, a bitter, unappealing sheriff who likes
to kill. Geronimo is given the task of escorting a mob boss
back to his home in Malta, a job he whizzes almost
immediately. He then fumbles about the tiny island yelling
at people, eating, running into folks, burping, being
flatulent, spitting, discharging phlegm, rubbing earwax on
things, hurting feelings, soiling items, staining other
things, breaking railings, tracking mud, insulting people,
committing fraud, breaking dishes, being urpy, eating off
other people's plates, running by the pool, swearing,
kicking dogs, making kids cry and occasionally killing--but
mostly, he aggravates the Dorf-like Superintendent Mifsu.
Still, we love him, because he lives large! He's the
quintessential American.
Watch for the scene where he chases a man dressed like a
monk...for nearly 14 hours!! Yes, it's only a 90 minute
film, I don't know how they do it. I do know that chasing a
monk is something we've all had to do at some time, and
perhaps this is why the scene hits home for many of us.
Prologue: Servo gives his opinions on the Yes song,
"Owner of a Lonely Heart." Special emphasis is given to
comparing an owner of a lonely heart to owners of other
things.
Segment One: After being plagued by the "Owner of a Lonely
Heart" orchestra hit, Pearl calls and shows them the value
of humor in the workplace. Bobo tries his own brand of humor
and Pearl loudly and harshly shuts him down.
Segment Two: In order to mock a repeated shot in
Final Justice, Mike and the 'Bots go to some trouble,
including having Mike trip in the exact same manner, about
400 times.
Segment
Three: The lovable Maltese
puppet Goosio* visits the ship. The robots, thinking it's an
invention of Mike's, kill it.
Segment Four: Crow goes a little funny and starts insulting
the character and physical characteristics of Maltese men.
Segment Five: Having seen Joel escape right after watching
the Joe Don Baker film Mitchell, Mike
assumes it's his turn to escape. The robots have to talk him
down. In the castle, Pearl and Bobo are playing funny
dress-up to keep things loose. Brain Guy shows up looking
very leathery and informs them that he's not dressing up, he
simply has a date. Wow.
Stinger: Joe Don's signature line from the film.
Reflections: I
can't tell you how delighted we were at the prospect of
another Joe Don Baker film. Mitchell was a joy to do, and
many people have told me how much they enjoyed watching our
treatment of it. Final
Justice on the other hand, was
like having a knitting needle pounded slowly into your
knee-cap, and I wouldn't be surprised if people approach me
after viewing it and simply slap my face indignantly, like
that woman in Jaws did to Sheriff Brody.
As for the host segments, all went smoothly, and the only
thing I can remember is that we had some new interns, sharp
people, who picked up on our love for meat. We would get
huge stacks of meat for breakfast! Shaved beef and turkey,
spiced gently, lovingly and piled high on clean, white
plates by eager and talented young men and women! I wish you
could have been there. Some enterprising young Turk even
took to placing a slice of meat on a bare, flat palm,
spreading it with flavored cream cheese and simply rolling
it up. A "meat roll-up", we'd call it.
Anyway, that's what I remember about Final Justice. -
- Mike Nelson.
*(as seen in
Final Justice)
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