Amazing Stories (TV Series) Miss Stardust (1987) User Reviews

The beauty pageant

[sonnyschlaegel · 5/10 · 20 June 2007]

PR-man Joe Willoughby has organized the 'Miss Stardust' beauty pageant. On the evening of the pageant, a 'Cabbage Man' from outer space is beamed to the venue. He claims that he holds the copyright for 'Miss Stardust' beauty pageants and demands that the show be canceled or accept contestants from space...

This one is among my least favourite episodes from this series. There are some jokes that I liked, but there could have been more, and the story isn't very amazing in my opinion. I think the series would have deserved a better conclusion; they should have shown the episodes in a different order, so that a better episode would have been the last one to be shown. Perhaps the makers knew that there would be no third season and didn't care much about a good season finale.

This one wasn't really bad and it wasn't really good in my opinion, so I have given it five points. I liked the episodes best that had more horror, mystery, or sci-fi, and I think they should have made more of those. Episodes like, for example, 'You Gotta Believe Me' (#2.5), 'Thanksgiving' (#2.9), and 'Mirror, Mirror...' (#1.19). (This one is a sci-fi story only on the surface; it's rather from the comedy genre.)

Not With a Bang, But a Whimper

[Hitchcoc · 5/10 · 2 June 2014]

"Amazing Stories" had some promise. Unfortunately, the writing and creativity were lacking. Many of the stories were just childish and sentimental. They also attempted humor and at times it worked. The final episode has Dick Shawn playing a small time producer who commiserates with a bartender, telling him of his latest project. He decided to have a beauty/talent pageant (how original) called "Miss Stardust." As the evening approaches, an alien, played by Weird Al Yankovic comes beaming in. He looks like a cabbage and many of the jokes are about vegetables and cabbage references. He claims that he owns the title of the pageant and unless there is representation from the rest of the Solar System, he will destroy the host and his trusty executive secretary, played by Larain Newman. Enter Misses Mars, Venus, and Jupiter, rubbery things that one would expect in something like this. They don't move. They are just mocked up creations. They sing, but no lips move or is there any animation. Cheap, cheap, cheap. It's sad that the anthology series has died for the most part but it does present challenges financially as well as in casting. You also have to have "the story." This series crawls off embarrassed.

Just nearly terrible...

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 24 June 2015]

Dick Shawn plays a public relations man whose life took a HUGE change when some guys approach him with the idea of a Miss Stardust beauty pageant. The idea sounds good and the guys promised him lots of money...so what's the problem? Well, a giant Cabbage Man (Weird Al Yankovic) arrives in the midst of the pageant and cries foul! After all, the contestants are all human and don't at all represent all of space! Either change the name or allow aliens to compete is his demand! He finally vows to bring three NEW contestants--all from this solar system. And, if one of them doesn't win, he implies there will be serious trouble! Yet, despite this, a secretary (Laraine Newman) may just hold the key for saving everyone.

This is not a terrible episode...just a nearly terrible one. While I love Weird Al and am planning on going to one of his concerts in a few weeks, here his acting was just too broad--as was the direction. Choosing to insert lots of goofy sound effects into the show also was a sign that the series was moribund...and fortunately, it turned out to be the final episode for one of the most uneven and often poorly written anthology shows ever made.