The Monster That Devoured Las Vegas

As the Kids get ready for a big show which Steven Speilberg is attending, Mr Morloch whistles backstage which is seen as bad luck.

As the start of the show approaches strange things begin to happen to the kids, Doris is locked in the pantry, Leroy gets trapped in the heating system, Nicole gets the hiccups. 

Meanwhile Danny is being chased around the school by 2 thugs he inadvertently insulted and Cleo is racing around town to get an important prop for the show.

Only Mr Morloch can save the doomed show by standing on his head and singing "Give Mt Regards To Broadway" and he's refusing to do that.

This is another great ensemble episode that has it's tongue firmly in it's cheek. I guess it can border on being a little silly at times and I know people that aren't keen on it but I find it just a really fun episode with lots of great humour in it.

The best line for me has to be when Morloch is complaining "If I only had a blow torch" so he can open the pantry door. Mrs Berg comes in and informs him that Steven Spielberg has arrived. Then behind the door Doris quips "Did he bring a blow torch". It's so funny and always makes me laugh out loud.

Lydia is also great when she says "Oh no we're doomed" and I do enjoy Doris' sniping with Suzi. Although is it a little out of character for Doris to be mean about someone? I guess it stems from her feeling jealous of Suzi and having insecurities about herself. I like that by the end the two of them have sorted out their differences and seem to be friends. It's a nice moment when Leroy tells Doris that her name comes up in the locker room as much as any of the other girls.

I like Shorofsky talking to camera and his little piano solo in the dance room is good fun too.

The constant references to Steven Spielberg and people looking up to the sky add to the humour and it's nice continuity that we find out that Cassidy is a sci fi fan because this gets carried through a couple of other episodes this season too. Some how it really fits his geeky character.

The music in the episode is also pretty good. I love Nia singing "So Many Dreams", it's a great song and I feel really expresses Nicole's character wanting to be a success but not quite knowing if it will happen. The preceding scene where Lydia finds Nicole trying on Doris' costume is also really nicely played. Although are Doris' and Nicole really the same size?

"Suspense" is also a good song. I really hoped when Lydia says she will "mark it" with Nicole that Debbie would join in the singing too and was a little disappointed that she didn't. Doris and Suzi are definitely not doing the same dance as Nicole and Lydia. Also one of the dancers loses some of her fruit midway through the number. I never knew until recently that this song was originally done by Toni Basil, although some are the lyrics are changed here to fit more in with the show. I found a 12 inch mix of it by Toni on you tube which was great.

The only things I'm not too keen on are Chris' routine where he is supposedly telling jokes as I don't find any of that funny at all. Also I'd prefer it if Fred didn't have the chance to sing as I don't really see the point of it. I would much rather Danny had the opportunity to sing as we haven't really heard from him so far this season.

There are a few strange things that stand out about the episode, perhaps more inconsistencies than any other episode but I do let most of them go because it's so much fun:

If Suzi is one of the leading ladies, why isn’t she already there for the dress rehearsal and why isn’t she on stage during the finale? They do say she’ll be late because she’s signing her record deal but what’s the point of a rehearsal if the leading lady isn’t there?

What exactly is Leroy planning to do by going into the heating vent? It still doesn’t open the door to get the girls out. How does he even know that he could even see into the pantry from the vent? Although its good fun to have Leroy stuck so he can take part in the girls conversation it really doesn’t make much sense.

How many times does Danny have to run into the cafeteria? In a school that size surely he could have found somewhere to hide. One time he runs in through one of the double doors at the end of the room and out of the door next to it which leads to the same corridor, then seconds later Miltie and Fred enter through the door Danny just entered but why didn’t they see him in the corridor?

The Pantry seems much larger on the inside than the corresponding space on the outside, is it a TARDIS? Also Suzi gives the door a really good pull to close it when she and Doris enter which seems a little unrealistic most people would just leave the door open.

Those pies that Mrs Berg has made really don’t look like food at all and it was so obvious that they would end up throwing them at each other.

The girls are covered in the cream stuff and when they finally get out there is only 5 minutes until show time but Doris manages to wash all the cream out of her hair and from her face and get changed in time.

Fred pushes Cassidy on the trolley down into the cafeteria. I only ever recall seeing a lift door at that end of the room so how did he get into the corridor heading towards the steps in the lobby? Even if there was a door there he would have been outside the auditorium doors and not at the end of the corridor.

Jesse asks Cassidy if he can ditch the glasses his character is wearing and Cassidy agrees but when he first starts to sing at the end he's still wearing them. 

Original  air date in U.S.A 10th November 1984

Original  air date  in U.K. 11th March 1985,  Repeated on The Children's Channel  Broadcast Autumn 1992

Original air date in Italy 27th August 1986

Original  air date in France 26th January 1996