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Movie Summary  Movie: The Beginning Of The End:  A young couple out for a night of sweet necking is attacked by something off camera. Cops find their destroyed car; then they find the entire city of Ludlow, Illinois, demolished, and all the inhabitants gone. The authorities cordon off the area, but they can't stop ace reporter Audrey Ames from discovering that scientist Ed Wainwright (Peter Graves) is growing big honking tomatoes with radiation stored carelessly in a mini-fridge. Turns out some grasshoppers got into his supply and, having drunk lustily, are now growing and reproducing and growing and so look out! Good-bye, Peoria! Adios, Rantoul and Joliet! The hoppers are headed to Chicago; the military's about to drop the Bomb. But Wainwright, torturing a captive hopper, figures out their mating call. A guy with a bullhorn broadcasts the call from Lake Michigan and every single hopper drowns, unfulfilled. — Paul Chaplin Host Segments  Prologue:  The White Trash Lady calls the SOL, looking for someone named Arnie. "Look, I know Arnie's there, you don't need to cover for him, he just needs to get over here and sign these papers..."  Invention:  Dr. F. tucks Frank into the super-comfy Re-Comfy Bike, It's so loaded with accouterments, Frank can't move it. The SOL designs new playing cards, like the eight of Chris Lemmon.  Segment 2:  Mike calls the Mads, just for the heck of it, and we catch a disturbing glimpse of their personal lives. Frank, in a mud mask and robe: "Oh, hey!! Vicki is on in a few minutes!"  Segment 3:  A performance of Crow's screenplay, starring Crow, based on Peter Graves' years at the University of Minnesota. "Hi. I'm Peter Graves, and I wonder if you could direct me to the natatorium, as I'm attending a swim meet... Thank you. I'm Peter Graves."  Segment 4:  Servo is a stand-up comedian, riffing on the differences between grasshoppers and locusts. "And have you checked out the ovipositors on female grasshoppers?"  Segment 5:  A demonstration of the film's special effects using rubber grasshoppers and postcards. Frank and Forrester box, as evidence of their manhood. Frank fells Dr. F. with a kidney punch.  Stinger:  Officer orders his men to their death. Reflections Bert I. Gordon movies often come laden with music by Albert Glasser, and unfortunately this film is no exception. There's a bombastic theme that repeats and repeats through the film: seven or eight rising quarter notes blasted by a trombone orchestra. Notes played loud—that's Albert Glasser. Glasser themes: Bom bom bom bom bom bom bom bom bom, bom!! Bom bom bom bom bom bom bom bom bom, bom!! Another one: Da da da da da, da tadala da da da da da, da tadala da da da da da, da tadala da da da da da, da tadala— Bom bom bom bom bom bom bom bom bom, bom!! — Paul Chaplin