Summary: EPISODE SIXTEEN: IT AIN’T SO SWEET, LOOKING BACK ON IT<br> The Gearheads attempt to enjoy the first “Film Friday” episode, and in honor of this being the first week of Summer, made a grave error.<br> We watched “Corvette Summer.”<br> Three of the Gearheads rented it on Amazon; one went right on ahead and purchased it on iTunes. Buyer’s remorse? You’ll have to listen to the episode to see just how deep that rabbit hole goes. There’s nostalgia, kitsch, and, well, this movie. It makes you wonder if they had stuck with the title The Hot One, or its working title Stingray (which was registered for another cruddy film that also had a Corvette).<br> <br> “Luke, join me or you’ll star in CORVETTE SUMMER.”<br> – Mike Nelson, MST3K, episode 513<br> <br> IT’S AN INTERACTIVE EPISODE – HOW THIS ALL WORKS<br> You can join the Gearheads, and watch along with us! Simply grab a copy of the movie (you can <a href="http://a.co/a6afxyC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rent or purchase it here</a> on Amazon, or <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/corvette-summer/id286034659" target="_blank" rel="noopener">purchase it on iTunes</a>, too), cue that bad boy up as described in the podcast (get to the :10 mark, and let ‘er rip when we do!), and enjoy. We’d suggest having a beverage handy, and leaving your expectations outdoors. If you haven’t seen this one in a while, you may have some preconceived notions about what it’s like.<br> So did we.<br> <br> THE GEARHEADS REFLECT ON THE FILM THROUGH A HAZE OF METALFLAKE<br> Rather than even try to break the show down to just some bullet-pointed notes, we thought it best to just jot them down here. Except for Alex. He went all bullet happy. Either way, you’re welcome.<br> BRIAN SAYS:<br> Between the release of Star Wars Episode Four, A New Hope, and Episode Five, The Empire Strikes back, actor Mark Hamill was involved in a car accident.<br> This film is that accident.<br> I honestly don’t recall it being this bad. I mean, the only thing that saves it is Annie Potts. The rest is terribly written at best, poorly acted when at its worst, and just plain poorly filmed the rest of the time. Inflicted with major gaps in the storytelling, this thing is like some foreshadowing to latest Star Wars movie on more than just a few levels. The title of Beck’s song “Corvette Bummer” kind of sums it up neatly. It’s the discount store version of a car movie; heck it even has a Great Value edition Willem Dafoe played by Kim Milford.<br> The good stuff: As poorly written as this film is, there is a lot to be said for establishing exposition by way of a few simple scenes with the car. However, it all gets blown apart over and over again by some very blatant Achillean themes. I mean seriously, between the bizarre teacher/student relationship and so forth, it’s uncomfortable to watch. And I attended Catholic school. Case in point, the shop teacher, played by Eugene Roch is just effing bizarre.<br> ALL THINGS ARE DELICATELY INTERCONNECTED. EVEN HERE.<br> Weirder still, Roche played “Captain Tim Greenwood” in Steven J. Cannell’s TV series Stingray (episode 11, season 2)! Continuing his connection with weird-looking red cars, he was also in Hardcastle and McCormick. Let’s go even weirder, why not? He was in an episode of Taxi named “The Road Not Taken,” an episode of Night Court entitled “Hit the Road, Jack,” two episodes of Webster (“Rearview Mirror, Parts 1 & 2”), four episodes of Perfect Strangers (but only two could be tied in, car-wise with “The Break-In” and “The Horn Blows at Midnight”), and weirdest of all, considering the character relationship in this monstrosity, a Priest in the TV movie A Friend to Die For in 1994 AND another in 2003’s The Di...
