bigverybadtom Like probably most people here, I saw it during an episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000". What is it? An old advertising short for a band instrument manufacturer. Why is it creepy? Largely because it's obviously a woman unconvincingly playing a man.Yes, like many children I saw Mary Martin play Peter Pan on television. But Mary Martin was convincing as an overgrown boy. Here, "Mr. B Natural" is clearly a woman, with a woman's lipstick and makeup, and clothing that fits tight enough so that even a three-year old could see is an adult woman. And she talks in a high, unmistakably grown woman's voice. In her behavior in the advertisement, she dances around too much as well.The advertisement's intended message is that being a member of a school band is what children would enjoy becoming. One little problem-in my high school days, people who played in the band were known as "band fags"-obviously not meant to be complimentary. Whether fair or not, you could get more respect in school by joining the swim team. But that typically does not require anyone to buy expensive musical instruments.

Tobias_R Without a doubt, "Mr. B. Natural" is one of the worst "educational" films foisted upon hapless high-school students during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Purporting to inspire youngsters to study music, the film is, as has been pointed out by other commentators, a half-hour dramatic infomercial for the Conn (appropriate name) Music Company. Instead of inspiring anyone to purchase a musical instrument, this movie could convince people to gouge out their ears with a screwdriver so they'd never hear another thing again. Films of this ilk helped to put the death seal of eternal dorkiness on anything of any cultural value. Just listen to Mr. B. Natural describe the instruments of an orchestra. It would make any sane youngster think you'd have to be a pathetic, hopeless uncool, loser to want to even touch one, much less play one.All this said, I must confess I found this grotesque film mesmerizing as I watched Mr. B Natural prance around Buzz's room, knocking him over at one point. The poor kid who played Buzz looked obviously intimidated by Ms. Luster (how inappropriate a name here!)as the demonic fairy, Mr. B Natural. One almost suspects if Buzz had rejected Mr. Natural, he/she would have dragged him by his hair into the fiery pits of hell, like the statue of the Commandatore did to Don Juan. In a way Buzz was smart taking up an instrument: he got rid of Mr. B Natural and at least wasn't as lonely as he was at the start of the film.

Lee Eisenberg In one of the many so-called educational films from the '50s, a jolly, spandex-clad woman calling herself Mr. B ("Mr. B"...hmmm, is she a lesbian?) shows a tensed-up schoolboy the wonders of musical instruments and reminds him to BE NATURAL (har har). "Mr. B Natural" is exactly the sort of movie that would make anyone hate music. Maybe that's why people seem to have been getting stupider for years: this sort of junk was used as education! If that sort of woman popped up in my room, I'd ask her whether she's on speed.Fortunately, all is not lost: "MST3K" showed this movie. As Crow put it: "Oscar Wilde wished he was this gay." Too bad that they didn't make any "I Dream of Jeannie" jokes; not only is there a character named Jeannie, but Mr. B appears and disappears (and makes things appear and disappear) like Barbara Eden's famous character.So, the movie itself is 0/10, but the "MST3K" version is 9/10 (a Jeannie joke would have pushed it into 10/10).

failedscreenwriter Like everyone else, I saw this late one Friday night on MST3K. Essentially it's a really lame 1950s infomercial to help high schools recruit more band zombies. It was produced by Conn, a manufacturer of band instruments, and is (entertainingly) bad beyond belief.The essential plot: Buzz, a shy (and apparently, seriously disturbed) teen, is visited by an extra-perky and sexually confused woman in a Peter Pan suit, calling herself "Mr. B Natural." She than takes him on a magical misery tour of the hip world that is High School Band. He's under her evil spell! Slinging his trumpet like Miles Davis, our Buzz is now one of the popular kids and quite the chick magnet. Gosh, when *I* was in band all it did was get me out of P.E.!The shrill, artificial dialogue (complete with horrible puns about being natural) and "Mr. B Natural's" gyrations defy description. One IMDb reviewer compared this film to the darkest thing David Lynch ever imagined, and I must agree. All you'd need is a dwarf talking backwards and Kyle McLachlan brandishing a trombone, and I think David has his next dream sequence. Do NOT see this film while on acid; it could do your psyche serious damage. And if Buzz were in school today, he'd quite likely wander into the band room when everyone else is out selling candy, and shoot holes in the tubas with his Uzi. One of Crow's lines in response to the awesomely bad script was "Have you no shame?" No, they didn't.