They Saved Hitler's Brain
Encyclopedia
They Saved Hitler's Brain is a 1969 science fiction film
that was adapted for television from a shorter theatrical feature film
, Madmen of Mandoras, directed by David Bradley
. The film was lengthened with about twenty minutes additional footage shot by UCLA
students at the request of the distributor. As the original footage was shot several years earlier, the differences in costumes and production values are rather obvious.
is over, and Nazi
officials remove Adolf Hitler
's living head and hide it in the fictional South America
n country of Mandoras, so that they can resurrect the Third Reich
for the future. It fast forwards into the 1960s, and the surviving officials kidnap a scientist in an attempt to keep Hitler alive. Various intelligence agencies, aware of the evil plot, recruit secret agents to bust the Nazi officials.
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
that was adapted for television from a shorter theatrical feature film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Madmen of Mandoras, directed by David Bradley
David Bradley (director)
David Shedd Bradley was an American motion picture director, actor, film collector, and university instructor....
. The film was lengthened with about twenty minutes additional footage shot by UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
students at the request of the distributor. As the original footage was shot several years earlier, the differences in costumes and production values are rather obvious.
Synopsis
World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
is over, and Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
officials remove Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's living head and hide it in the fictional South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n country of Mandoras, so that they can resurrect the Third Reich
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
for the future. It fast forwards into the 1960s, and the surviving officials kidnap a scientist in an attempt to keep Hitler alive. Various intelligence agencies, aware of the evil plot, recruit secret agents to bust the Nazi officials.
Cast
- Walter Stocker as Phil Day
- Audrey Caire as Kathy Coleman 'K.C.' Day
- Carlos RivasCarlos RivasCarlos Humberto Rivas Torres is a retired football midfielder from Chile who played for Colo-Colo.-International career:Carlos Rivas played for Colo-Colo, a Chilean football team, from 1978 to 1982....
as Camino Padua / Teo Padua - John Holland as Prof. John Coleman
- Marshall ReedMarshall Reed----Marshall Reed was an American supporting actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1943 and 1978. He was born in Englewood, Colorado.-Career:...
as Frank Dvorak - Scott Peters as David Garrick
- Keith Dahle as Tom Sharon
- Dani Lynn as Suzanne Coleman
- Nestor PaivaNestor PaivaNestor Paiva was an American actor of Portuguese descent who portrayed the innkeeper on Walt Disney's live-action television series Zorro by ABC and its feature film The Sign of Zorro which was shot in Burbank's Walt Disney Studios.-Career:Nestor appeared in motion pictures and television shows...
as Police Chief Alaniz - Pedro RegasPedro RegasPedro Regas was born in Sparta, Greece and was the brother of actor George Regas.A veteran Greek stage actor, Regas was spotted on the Broadway stage by Mary Pickford who persuaded him to go to Hollywood and be in pictures, which he did in 1920 and continued to play in films for 50 years.Regas...
as Presidente Juan Padua - Bill Freed as Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
In The Simpsons
- The twenty-second tenth season episode "They Saved Lisa's BrainThey Saved Lisa's Brain"They Saved Lisa's Brain" is the twenty-second episode of The Simpsons tenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 9, 1999. After writing a thoughtful letter to the Springfield Shopper, Lisa is invited to join the Springfield chapter of Mensa...
" is a play on the film's title. - The episode "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish" features Abe Simpson remembering a moment during World War II when he had Hitler in his sights. He had muttered "Heh heh heh, now they'll never save your brain, Hitler" but the shot went astray through the clumsy intervention of fellow Hellfish squad member Montgomery BurnsMontgomery BurnsCharles Montgomery "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer and previously Christopher Collins. Burns is the evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and is Homer...
. - In the episode "Marge Be Not ProudMarge Be Not Proud"Marge Be Not Proud" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1995. In the episode, Marge refuses to buy Bart the new video game Bonestorm, so he steals it from a local discount store...
", one of the games in the store "Try-N-Save" is titled "Save Hitler's Brain." - In the episode "DufflessDuffless"Duffless" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons fourth season and originally aired on the Fox network on February 18, 1993. After getting arrested for drunk driving, Homer tries to remain sober, at Marge's request. Meanwhile, Lisa attempts to prove that Bart is dumber than a hamster after he...
", one of the items on the conveyor belt is Hitler's head in a jar. - Simpsons Comics referenced the title in the story "They Saved Homer's Brain" in 1996.
In other media
- In 1986, the movie was featured in an episode of the Canned Film FestivalCanned Film FestivalThe Canned Film Festival was a nationally syndicated late night television comedy series that aired in the United States for a single season in the summer of 1986. With only a one-letter difference in the spelling, the name is an intentional play on the name for the Cannes Film Festival, the...
. - Upon learning he was dying of radiation poisoning due to the constant exposure from his kryptoniteKryptoniteKryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
ring, Lex LuthorLex LuthorLex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
stages his own death and has his brain preserved in a jar while wired to a computer, while a new body is cloned for him. He then re-emerges as his alleged illegitimate son Alexander Luthor, Jr.Alexander Luthor, Jr.Alexander Luthor Jr. is a DC Comics character who turned from a hero to a villain. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Alexander has a prominent role in the DC Universe storylines Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis....
. The comic arc was titled "They saved Luthor's Brain". - In Flaming Carrot ComicsFlaming Carrot ComicsFlaming Carrot Comics is a surrealist comic book series by cartoonist Bob Burden. The character first appeared in Visions #1, a magazine published by the Atlanta Fantasy Fair in 1979. Flaming Carrot can be seen as a parody of various aspects of the superhero genre...
, The Flaming Carrot is menaced by an army of disembodied clones of Hitler's jackbooted feet. - Hitler's brain is a character in the Irregular Webcomic!Irregular Webcomic!Irregular Webcomic! is a webcomic created by David Morgan-Mar, an Australian physicist. The comic is illustrated photographically, primarily with Lego figures, although a few of the story arcs use role playing game miniatures. The comic debuted on 31 December 2002 and ended on 29 October 2011,...
series of comic strips. - The Dead Kennedy's Song "We Have a Bigger Problem Now" references Hitler's brain in a jar. The supposed formaldehyde used to preserve Hitler's brain is an ingredient of a fictional cocktail drink along with Jack Daniels and purple Kool-Aid.
- In the comic book series Savage DragonSavage DragonSavage Dragon is an ongoing American comic book series created by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics and taking place in the Image Universe. The comic features the adventures of a superheroic police officer named the Dragon...
, Hitler's brain was attached to a gorillaGorillaGorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
body to become the villain Brainape. After being separated from the gorilla, the brain forms legs and runs away. - An episode of the US cartoon DuckmanDuckmanDuckman: Private Dick/Family Man is an American animated sitcom that aired from 1994–1997, created by Everett Peck and developed by Peck. The sitcom is based on characters created by Peck in his Dark Horse comic...
was entitled "They craved Duckman's brain", based on the premise that Duckman, after falling asleep in an active CAT scanner, developed an isotope in his brain that could cure cancer, but getting to it would kill Duckman. - In honor of the film, the area of the now defunct PointlessWasteofTime.com forum set aside for serious discussion was ironically titled "We Saved Hitler's Brain." It, along with the rest of the PWOT forums, was migrated to Cracked.comCracked.comCracked.com is a humor website that was spun off the last attempt to revive Cracked magazine. It began in its current form in 2007.-Attempted relaunch of Cracked:...
when editor David Wong was employed by Cracked.com as Senior Editor. - Unnatural Axe's 1978 song "They Saved Hitler's Brain" was inspired by the last 5 minutes of the film.