Beavis and Butt-head assault America

December 19, 1996
Web posted at: 8:45 a.m. EST

From Correspondent Ron Tank

HOLLYWOOD (CNN) -- Beavis and Butt-head, movie stars?

Yep, MTV's simple-minded metal heads have leaped from the tube to the silver screen in a feature-length Hollywood epic -- well, sort of -- called "Beavis and Butt-head Do America." (1MB/33 sec. QuickTime movie)

The movie's Tinsel Town premier drew the likes of director Quentin Tarantino and TV sitcom star Roseanne, and the goofy teen-age duo has already appeared on David Letterman's show and on the cover of Rolling Stone.

It's also been an interesting time for the man who created them, Mike Judge. Especially considering his hard-to-believe "secret."

"I haven't told my mom about Beavis and Butt-head yet," said Judge, trying to keep a straight face. "She thinks I'm a stockbroker.

Judge is making money like a stockbroker, anyway. Back in 1992, while still a graduate student, he invested in a $200 camera and made a small cartoon about two 14-year olds obsessed with sex and bodily functions.

Instant celebrities

Beavis and Butt-head became almost instant celebrities when they appeared on MTV's animated show "Liquid Television." Their own, self-titled show followed.

The characters gained unwanted attention when a 5-year-old boy in Ohio set his sister on fire. Beavis and Butt-head's unabashed fascination with flames set an example the boy followed with tragic consequences, claimed the dead girl's mother.

Other parents criticized an episode in which the characters took a tumble in a clothes dryer. A harmless ride in the world of animation, but not really a good example for impressionable youngsters.

MTV learned its lesson and soon moved the show to a later hour. Now in its fourth season, "Beavis and Butt-head" has spawned countless merchandising opportunities and is the network's highest rated series. What else was left except the big screen?

On the loose

The movie's plot is simple, if appropriately ridiculous: Our heroes lose their TV and set off across country, with government agent Robert Stack in hot pursuit. Cloris Leachman of "Phyllis" fame plays an elderly lady on a plane. And then there's a familiar voice not credited at the end of the movie. Demi Moore, perhaps?

Judge won't say. He merely plugs the movie when asked who the voice is.

"Ummm, you know, you can figure it out for yourself if you go watch it," said Judge

Paramount, the studio backing the dim-witted duo, is promoting Beavis and Butt-head like major stars. And what do the two kids think of all the fuss?

If you watch regularly, you already know: "This sucks."

 

Related sites:

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• Beavis and Butt-Head Do America - "The Movie"
• MTV Online: Beavis and Butt-Head
• Beavis and Butt-Head Episode Guide
• Beavis and Butt-Head Sound Page
• Beavis and Butt-Head's Playground

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• alt.tv.beavis-n-butthead

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