Sunday, December 15, 2013

"Hobgoblins" parking scene tally

A poster on www.mst3kinfo.com reminded me that I had once taken count of all the parking scenes in the episode "Hobgoblins" and the reason I decided to do this in the first place is because Tom Servo says, "that's 30 parking scenes, I counted," and I wondered whether he was telling the truth.  Well, it turns out that he was not correct, but it sure feels like it could be right.  So many parking scenes.

I love spreadsheets and data lists, so I re-did my count on a spreadsheet and noted each instance where a vehicle either comes to a stop or begins to move on-screen.  I also noted where the movie itself references a vehicle arriving and implies that one had just stopped, which makes the list a little longer but I felt these should be included as well.  I think it counts to include when the car falls off a cliff, too.  One could argue that as being a parking technique.

There are only 11 instances of a vehicle pulling up and parking, and 4 of a vehicle pulling away.  In the episode, the film has a run time of roughly an hour, so this is an obscene amount any way you look at it.

By my count, technically there are 17 instances where a vehicle comes to or leaves from a stopped position.  So here they are.


Instance# 1, Parking
(16:57)
Parking count: 1
Vehicle: Kevin's Camaro
 Kevin pulls up at home in prune-colored muscle car
"I resign,' the best words I ever said." -Servo (as Kevin)

Instance# 2, Parking
(17:56)
Parking count: 2
Vehicle: Nick's Van
Nick (and his van)'s first appearance at the house
"Scram, it's the owner of the house.  We have to shoot the movie somewhere else." -Mike

Instance# 3, Parking
(27:21)
Parking count: 3
Vehicle: Studio Cart
McCreedy gently stops the studio golf cart in pursuit of silent film star Dana Gould
"I'll get that guy, but first I'll just stop at the Bishop's Buffet." -Mike (as McCreedy)

Instance# 4, Technically neither
(32:51)
Vehicle: Studio Cart
The Hobgoblins bail from the golf cart (offscreen)
"Here.  Try some pole dancing." -Servo (as McCreedy)

Instance# 5, Leaving
(37:05)
Leaving count: 1
Vehicle: Kevin's Camaro
Kevin drives away from the studio
"Huh…  He never asked me about my grandchildren." -Mike (as McCreedy)

Instance# 6, Technically neither
(38:04)
Vehicle: Technically, none
Daphne assumes Nick has arrived
"That car horn, I'd recognize it anywhere." -Daphne

Instance# 7, Parking
(40:48)
Parking count: 4
Vehicle: Nick's Van
Nick arrives at the "dangerous loner" model home and nearly tosses a grenade in the living room
"You know, Nick's a fun guy, but he parallel parks so slowly." -Mike

Instance# 8, Parking
(42:24)
Parking count: 5
Vehicle: Kevin's Camaro
Kevin pulls up at home in prune-colored muscle car to shut the lights off
"Aha, and what brisk witticism will this chappie have to offer?" -Crow

Instance# 9, Leaving
(48:46)
Leaving count: 2
Vehicle: Kyle's Hatchback
Kyle leaves with Fantasia in hatchback
"Do we have some time to get Pop Rocks and whipped cream?" -Kyle

Instance# 10, Leaving
(49:27)
Leaving count: 3
Vehicle: Kevin's Camaro
Kevin backs away from home to pursue Kyle
"Now, see here we see him leaving a parking space. It's an entirely different kind of shot." -Mike  "It's a good movie." -Servo

Instance# 11, Parking
(50:21)
Parking count: 6 
Vehicle: Kyle's Hatchback
Kyle and Fantasia pull up to Reputation Road
"Again, we see the director falls back on parking." -Servo "It works," - Mike

Instance# 12, Both
(50:49)
Parking count: 7; Leaving count: 4
Vehicle: Kyle's Hatchback
Kyle pulls up a bit more, in order to go "all the way"
"This is a really well thought-out makeout spot.  They must get public funding." -Servo

Instance# 13, Parking
(53:54)
Parking count: 8 
Vehicle: Stock Footage Sedan
Kyle's car turns into a Lincoln and crashes into the ravine
"Look at that guy wave that gel in front of the light!" -Mike

Instance# 14, Parking
(54:28)
Parking count: 9 
Vehicle: Kevin's Camaro
Kevin and Kyle come back to the house (although the backdrop after they get out looks like a big industrial building) and Kevin hits a Hobgoblin with a wrench in Nick's van, because Kyle is unable to do this for some Hobgoblin-related reason.
"That's thirty.  Thirty parking scenes.  I've been counting." -Servo

Instance# 15, Parking
(56:01)
Parking count: 10
Vehicle: Nick's Van
The gang pulls up to Club Scum
"Thirty-one!" -Servo

Instance# 16, Technically neither
(1.18:23)
Vehicle: Nick's Van
Kevin starts the van to leave Club Scum
"Nick's a smoking husk right now; he won't mind if we take his van." -Crow

Instance# 17, Parking
(1.18:55)
Parking count: 11
Vehicle: Nick's Van
The gang in Nick's van pulls up at the studio where Kevin rematches with Dana Gould
"Hey, it's a common man with his common van." -Crow