Robert Delford Brown is Jo Jo The Human Plate (1979)
"MR. MIKE’S MONDO VIDEO", feature film vignette performance, Jo Jo The Human Hot Plate, directed by Michael O'Donoghue
Robert Delford Brown’s hilarious performance as “Jo Jo the Human Hot Plate” was a brief, bizarre interlude in his late friend Michael O’Donoghue’s brief, bizzarre and legendary cult film “Mr. Mike’s Mondo Video” in 1979. Correctly billed at the time as “the TV show that can’t be shown on TV”, “Mondo Video” was the very first (and without a doubt the most original) film ever to come out of the Saturday Night Live camp. A young Lorne Michaels was executive producer while the brilliant Mike O’Donoghue produced and directed this project that only he could envision. It was kindred spirit O’Donoghue that asked Brown to appear.Brown’s performance as “Jojo” was absurdly masterful in its simplicity. He stands subtly writheing, bare-chested in a pair of briefs, with a pile of canned spaghetti overflowing from his carefully cupped hands.
The film showcased other curious performers in other equally demented mutations masquerading as short art films, including Thomas Alva Edison’s “Elephant Electrocution, ” “ Christmas on Other Planets,” “The Church of the Jack Lord,” “Laser Bra 2000,” and “Nazi Oven Mitts.”
Originally intended to be a one-shot summer replacement for Saturday Night Live, “Mr. Mike’s Mondo Video’s” disorienting 75 minutes were never aired due to its offbeat, dark humor. O’Donoghue’s own parody of the previous cult classic “Mondo Cane” hit problems with NBC censors and, instead, received very limited theatrical distribution by New Line Cinema.
The cast included most of the SNL originals, Not Yet Ready for the Local Multiplex: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd (as the Church of the Jack Lord priest), Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner. Also featured are avant opera singer Klaus Nomi, actresses Margot Kidder, Carrie Fisher, Teri Garr, and Blondie’s Deborah Harry (In a funny piece called “Beautiful Women Love Disgusting Men” she states ”It’s cute when guys miss the toilet seat.”) There is also a comedic turn by Judy Jacklin, the woman who three years later purportedly gave the fatal shot of heroin and coke to John Belushi.
An impressive musical menu includes Paul Shaffer who wrote original music and appears as the Jack Lord organist, RootBoy Slim and the Sex Change Band and the American debut of Sid Vicious’ now infamous performance of “My Way,” well before it appeared in “The Great Rock and Roll Swindle.” Sadly, the video re-packaging of “Mr. Mike” is now missing Vicious’ audio. Scrolling titles explain that Paul Anka, who wrote “My Way” refused to give rights to the performance. The standout, in addition to Brown’s appearance as the frenetic Jojo, is an amazingly schmaltzy theme song in a deadpan rendering by Sinatra wannabe Julius LaRosa.
Watching Brown as “Jojo” cradling his warm spaghetti and presumably heating it up in the time it takes to say “Stay Tuned for Performance Art” is worth the price of admission if you don’t blink. And assuming you can find this rare, important and fascinating cult classic at your local video store.
-Mark Bloch