Torgo
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Torgo is one of the main characters in the 1966 movie "Manos" The Hands of Fate, played by John Reynolds. Torgo, though he appeared human, was actually meant to be a satyr - half goat and half human. He was the servant of "The Master," apparently charged with looking after the lodge while the Master was away.
Torgo had wild, unkept hair and a beard. He wore an old tattered Confederate uniform. Torgo had huge misshapen knees and cloven feet, though they not clearly visible onscreen, especially in the MST3K version of the movie. Because of his strange knees and feet, he walked with an awkward gait, and used a large staff with a hand on the end to help him walk. When Torgo was first seen in the film, a strange music piece played, which has since been referred to by Crow and many fans as the "Haunting Torgo Theme." [1]
Trivia
The role of Torgo would be John Reynolds' first and last. He committed suicide the year of the film's release due to emotional problems and drug abuse (not in shame over the reception the movie received, as is often incorrectly rumored).
Reynolds and Tom Neyman (who played "The Master" and was also the film's propmaster) developed Torgo's leg prosthetics and the odd gait that became Torgo's trademarks. Had they been worn correctly, may have had the effect of making Torgo's knees appear to bend backwards like a goat's do. Instead, according to Neyman, his leg appliances caused him considerable pain because Reynolds wore them incorrectly. Warren had already shot some scenes with Torgo's backwards knees featured prominently and didn't want to reshoot them. This led to Reynolds becoming addicted to prescription painkillers.
Because all the voices in the movie were dubbed in by Hal Warren and two others (including only one female voice, provided by Diane Mahree (Margaret in the film)), it is not Reynolds' voice that is heard when Torgo speaks.
After the film turned out to be a flop, Torgo faded into obscurity until the early 1990's, when Manos: The Hands of Fate was showcased on Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 1992. Due to the popularity of this MST3K episode (experiment #424, the season 4 finale), Torgo developed a large cult following. In the episode in which Manos was featured, "Torgo" (played by Michael J. Nelson) appeared at the end of the last host segment as a pizza delivery man. He delivered the pizza, but forgot the drinks. In a subsequent episode, "Torgo" returned with the drinks, which TV's Frank rejected. In a later episode (experiment #624, Samson vs. The Vampire Women, the season 6 finale) he became "Torgo the White" (an apparent reference to JRR Tolkien's character Gandalf the White) and escorted TV's Frank to "second banana heaven," where henchmen could live in peace without fear of reprisal from their vengeful bosses.
Torgo's garb and gimpy gait have since become a popular Halloween costume for dedicated MiSTies (devotees of the show) [2] (the "Me as Torgo" section near the bottom).
Homages
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- Torg, one of the main characters in Sluggy Freelance, is named in honor of Torgo.
- In Wing Commander, a star system is named Torgo. The system thus named is a regional headquarters for the Confederation military.
- In Escape Velocity, a planet called "Torgo Prime" has a description which alludes to the character's slurred speech and prosthetic knee joints.
- A documentary made in 2004 entitled Hotel Torgo detailed the making of the film.
Quotes
- "I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away."
- "Very well. The Master will be greatly disturbed."
- "There is no way out of here. It'll be dark soon. There is no way out of here!"
- "Just let me get your complimentary Krazy Bread..." (Mike Nelson as Torgo the pizza delivery driver)