Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985)

Dr. Otto grows a hand out of the top of his head and tries to destroy the world.

Director:

John R. Cherry III

Writers:

Daniel Butler (additional dialogue), John R. Cherry III (as John Cherry)

Stars:

Jim Varney, Glenn Petach, Myke R. Mueller

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Varney	...	Dr. Otto / Rudd Hardtact / Laughin' Jack / Guy Dandy / Auntie Nelda / Ernest P. Worrell
Glenn Petach	...	Otto's Head Hand
Myke R. Mueller	...	Lance
Jackie Welch	...	Doris
Daniel Butler	...	Slave Willie / Kegler
Esther Huston	...	Tina
Tina Goetze	...	Rhonda Sue
Jennifer Wood	...	Monique
David Landon	...	Bank Pres. Rutherford
Mac Bennett	...	V.P. #1
Winslow Stillman	...	Lance's Dad
Mary Jane Harvill	...	Lance's Mom
Irv Kane	...	Herr Vonschnick
Leslie Potter	...	Mme. Vonschnick
Bill Middleton	...	Man at Autoteller

Storyline

Ernest P. Worrel tries out a strange contraption he bought cheaply called the Changing Coffin. The machine turns him into his opposite - a mad scientist and supervillain bent on world domination called Dr. Otto. He plans to use his Gloom Beam to render all the computers that keep people's financial records and bank accounts useless which would make him the only one with access to all this dough. Bumbling hero Lance Sterling and his cautious sidekick Doris are sent to Dr. Otto's lair to stop him. There, they must face various scary alter egos of Dr. Otto as well as his manservant, Willie the Robot.

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Plot Keywords:

cult film | robot | madness | madman | insanity | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 July 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dr. Otto

Filming Locations:

Tennessee, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carden & Cherry,Studio Productions,Sweet Equities

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Doctor Otto is what inspired the villain of The Marvelous M Show (2011), Dr. Mac.

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Quotes

Dr. Otto: [as Willie destroys the science projects] Notice if you will, the robot's lifelike movements, his ability to understand spoken tongues, and a vocabulary of nearly 700 words, such as: "ATTACK, WILLIE!", "SEARCH AND DESTROY!", "TORA! TORA! TORA!"

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Crazy Credits

[Closing message] We're sorry Elmo - if we get to film another one, we'll make it up to you.

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Connections

Followed by Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)

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Soundtracks

Meet Me At The Rainbow Grill
Written by Craig Roads
Sung by Turley Richards

User Reviews

Jim Varney alone is worth the viewing...

The only reason that the movie is considered to be part of the Ernest P. Worrell series is because the character of Ernest appears for 2 minutes at the beginning and end of the film. But you should not track down a copy of the film only to see Ernest. The best part of the movie is the very dark, very funny characters that come right out of Jim Varney's imagination.

This is a very dark comedy about an evil, dispicable, deformed guy named "Dr. Otto Von Schnick-ick-ick-ick". He had a horrible childhood which he blames on his parents (whom prayed nightly that Otto would run away), and on his days in High School. Now, he hates everyone and everything, and hopes to destroy the world with his "gloom beam". He is heard to remark, 'my gloom beam will level entire cities, and maybe, hopefully, take out a couple homeless orphans and their puppies as a bonus!!'

Varney also plays 4 other characters in the film. A stuttering Australian mercenary that runs a Day Care Center for teaching children how to become militia. A Pirate with a parrot permanently on his shoulder who calls everyone "Jim". The old woman with the neck brace (who appears in every Ernest movie) who complains about her sons who no longer care for her. And 'Jim Dandy'- the richest man on Earth.

this is a must for any Ernest fan, and for everyone else, watch the movie, but fast forward whenever Jim Varney isn't on screen.