"John Reynolds, the actor who played Torgo, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun on October 16, 1966, a month before the film was to premiere. Reynolds was 25; Manos would be his only film appearance."Torgo: Creepy Cult Caretaker vid
1) "so the device damaged Reynolds' kneecaps, causing him chronic pain" and 2) "meaning he looked like his knees were swollen or abnormally large." and 3) "the stone altar, his massive knees pointing towards the nighttime sky." and 4) "Torgo actor John Reynolds, who wore a painful contraption to resemble goat legs" and 5) "The knee damage was permanent and caused him pain long after the film" and6) "It is speculated that the things he wore on his legs permanently injured his knees during the shoot, and that the pain later on drove him to commit suicide."
John Reynolds dubbed his own voice as did the rest of the male cast. All of the female cast was dubbed by one woman however. It was a female voice actress hired to do the voiceover but to this day they’re not sure who it was.SIX different links all agreeing that Torgo was in serious pain or had obviously huge knees...
Torgo being riffed by MST3K - vid
Using LSD for Pain Management | The Canyon thecanyonmalibu.com › blog › using-lsd-for-pain-management This may involve turning to psychedelic drugs like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or combining LSD with other pain relief efforts. While early studies suggest ... LSD for Pain Management · Does LSD Treat Pain? · How Do You Treat LSD and ... LSD Used As Analgesic | JAMA | JAMA Network jamanetwork.com › journals › jama › fullarticle Encouraging—because LSD relieves pain much longer than other drugs; puzzling—because many of the patients declined a second administration. The action of ...Manos: the hands of fate - made into a cult movie by MST3K - vid
OK - that reminds me of Dr. Andrew Weil saying while on acid he could get into yoga postures but when the acid wore off he could no longer get into the yoga postures. So the LSD and prosthesis worn backwards - thus destroying his legs - were mutually reinforcing.
Only that several studies have shown that psychedelics reduce depression and suicide https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/psychedelic-drug-use-suicide-risk-lower-mushrooms-mdma-lsd-british-columbia-center-for-excellence-in-a7712716.html being permanently crippled though is the reason given for his suicide.
"John Reynolds (Torgo) permanently damaged his legs with the satyr prosthetics, and became addicted to painkillers until his
"John Reynolds was wearing the prosthetics wrong, which caused him great discomfort and led to him becoming addicted to pain killers." https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0721786/biofavorite moments of Manos - MST3K vid
So the claim is that it was the LSD that caused him to commit suicide - NOT the alleged (but dismissed) painkillers: http://debbiesmanos.blogspot.com/2012/10/john-reynoldstorgo-story-i.html?m=1
It was the 60's and other than pot, acid was a popular past time for many people. I have read Manos mythology that says he became addicted to pain killers due to the agony of wearing the leg braces incorrectly. Not true. For one thing, he was wearing them the way they were intended and they were quite padded. Although not all that comfortable, they were not particularly painful.to wear. Another myth is that he made the braces himself. Tom made the leg braces along with designing the sets and costumes, making the costumes and providing all the artwork.So despite everyone seeing with their own eyes that John Reynolds looks clearly in pain from his leg braces - his co-actor AFTER his suicide - states otherwise - nah - they were not so painful - don't worry about it! And so the MST3K fans soak this up?
J Psychopharmacol. 2015 Mar;29(3):270-9. doi: 10.1177/0269881114568039. Epub 2015 Mar 5. "Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: a population study." Johansen PØ1, Krebs TS2.
" Abstract A recent large population study of 130,000 adults in the United States failed to find evidence for a link between psychedelic use (lysergic acid diethylamide, psilocybin or mescaline) and mental health problems. Using a new data set consisting of 135,095 randomly selected United States adults, including 19,299 psychedelic users, we examine the associations between psychedelic use and mental health. After adjusting for sociodemographics, other drug use and childhood depression, we found no significant associations between lifetime use of psychedelics and increased likelihood of past year serious psychological distress, mental health treatment, suicidal thoughts, suicidal plans and suicide attempt, depression and anxiety. We failed to find evidence that psychedelic use is an independent risk factor for mental health problems. Psychedelics are not known to harm the brain or other body organs or to cause addiction or compulsive use; serious adverse events involving psychedelics are extremely rare."
https://sci-hub.tw/10.1177/0269881114568039
So the claim is that John Reynolds was already depressed BEFORE the film. OK but taking LSD does not cause depression - on the contrary LSD is now being used to TREAT depression....
maybe he did something stupid like that [wear the braces wrong thereby causing permanent damage to his knee caps], while tripping, but the fact remains he was tripping for weeks at a time. The "something stupid" had far less impact than being that high for that long did, I'd wager.WRONG.
Last year, a study published by John Hopkins University and NYU on psilocybin showed that the substance can reduce depression in cancer patients. A separate study by researchers at the Beckley Foundation psychaedlic drug think-tank and Imperial College London Research Programme found that psilocybin could help people with treatment-resistant depression.Pain Management Vol. 8, No. 3 Review Lysergic acid diethylamide and psilocybin for the management of patients with persistent pain: a potential role? Andy Whelan & Mark I Johnson Published Online:3 May 2018https://doi.org/10.2217/pmt-2017-0068
"Tentative evidence from a systematic review suggests that LSD (7 studies, 323 participants) and psilocybin (3 studies, 92 participants) may be beneficial for depression and anxiety associated with distress in life-threatening diseases. "Cancer at the dinner table: experiences of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of cancer-related distress TC Swift, AB Belser, G Agin-Liebes… - Journal of …, 2017 - journals.sagepub.com
Recent randomized controlled trials of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for patients with cancer suggest that this treatment results in large-magnitude reductions in anxiety and depression as well as improvements in attitudes toward disease progression and death …But what if John Reynolds used high doses of pain killers AFTER the movie was done?
Some people start opiate abuse in very high doses, which causes them to gain tolerance and become dependent quickly.Jackey Raye Neyman-Jones, child star of “Manos”
By M.J. Pack,
"I mean, at that age I certainly wouldn’t have known was LSD was, but I wasn’t surprised because when my dad visited he [Reynolds] was often high. He spent a lot of time that way. Especially towards the end."So that corroborates he was clearly on some drug up to his suicide. I've just posted the fact that a dozen studies have corroborated that LSD does not cause suicide but rather is an effective pain killer. So ... others have said he was on pain killers...
debbiesManos 08:26 AM 11-11-2012https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31576/late-movies-mystery-science-theater-3000-turkey-day-marathon-favorites
Hello. I played the part of Debbie in Manos and my dad was the Master. We knew John Reynolds personally and I would like to correct a few mythologies about him. John didn't design the leg braces. Tom Neyman did. I was in his studio with him while he made them from wire and foam. They were awkward but not particularly painful to wear. He was not addicted to painkillers but more interested in recreational drugs. John did not go to Berkeley. John was never married and therefore did not have a widow. MST first aired Manos on Comedy Central in 1993, which was when my dad and I discovered that the film still existed (I had been searching for it for years previously). For more Manos "truths" please visit my new blog www.debbiesmanos.blogspot.com
Contrary to Hollywood El Paso legend, John “Torgo” Reynolds did not wear his prosthetic goat-legs backwards during filming (causing painful skeletal damage and an addiction to painkillers). According to a co-star, Reynolds was already regularly enjoying the recreational drugs typical of the era prior to ever donning his costume, so his 1966 suicide might not have been strictly Manos-related.She does NOT say the below:
Later actress Jackie Neyman (daughter of the director, Tom Neyman) stated in her online blog that John was never addicted to, or even took pain killers and that this was just a myth.That's not true. So you have this waffling - one person claiming the LSD caused his suicide - when LSD is used to treat depression - so that's most likely not true.... https://www.seattlestar.net/2013/08/manos-the-hands-of-fate/
There is much Manos Mythology and I’ve picked away at it for years. One of the most ridiculous ones is that John Reynolds wore his leg braces backwards and they caused such horrid pain he became addicted to painkillers that then led to his suicide.
Then you have the claim he was NOT taking pain killers but NO ONE has said this either!!
Then you have the claim that he was NOT in pain from his leg braces! Really? When over half a dozen people say clearly his knees are huge and he looks in pain...
She says: http://jophan.org/mimosa/m30/brandt.htm
"Later I realized the reason he was so much fun on the set was probably because he was high all the time."So why do some say he was fighting depression already while she says he was having fun and yet he's clearly in pain from the contraption?
Instead, according to Neyman, his leg appliances caused him considerable pain because Reynolds wore them incorrectly. Warren had already shot some scenes with Torgo's backwards knees featured prominently and didn't want to reshoot them. This led to Reynolds becoming addicted to prescription painkillers.https://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Torgo
I have been flippant in talking about John Reynolds in the past. Yes, it's true that he was often high during filming and it's true he committed suicide one month before the 1966 premiere.
One thing that strikes me and I wonder about. John Reynolds dad retired from a long military career just two weeks after his son's suicide. What do you think about that timing? Hmmm.https://debbiesmanos.blogspot.com/2013/10/john-reynolds-as-torgo.html
So no mention about the knee pain at all?
What was the pertinent question?UnknownSeptember 23, 2013 at 8:20 AMGreat questions. I have actually learned some interesting new things about John Reynolds from talking with my dad recently. I'll write about it here in the next couple weeks. Thanks so much for asking and thanks for reading!
Does anyone know what may have lead him to take his own life?https://indie-outlook.com/2016/11/09/jackey-neyman-jones-on-manos-the-hands-of-fate/
He and my dad were actually pretty good friends. John was deeply troubled. He was 24 years old and my dad was 31, but they both shared a deeply creative soul. They also both battled depression at a time when men weren’t supposed to have emotions. It was the ’60s, and John used drugs a lot. He ended up committing suicide almost one month to the day filming ended and a month before the premiere. He got talked into “Manos” and like everybody, he was hoping that it would lead to something more. If someone who is passionate about their art is given an opportunity to expand on it, they are going to take it. I can imagine what a huge disappointment it was for everyone involved. It’s pretty obvious to most people that John was high during filming, and it’s even more obvious in the restoration. He was a very serious Method actor, and though nobody has confirmed this theory, I doubt that he got high for other performances. I think he saw the handwriting on the wall.
I had met John several times when he would come over to visit, or my dad and I would go over to check on him. He just lived three blocks from us. On set, he was very shy when he wasn’t performing. He was shy around women, and he wasn’t very tall—he was like 5’ 9’’—but he was more comfortable around me and seemed like he could relate to me more than pretty much anybody else on the set. When he wasn’t off by himself or he didn’t have to be on camera, he would hang out with me. He’d do some magic tricks such as coin tricks, and he’d act silly and do pratfalls to entertain me during the down time. I remember him being a very sweet, gentle man.https://indie-outlook.com/2016/11/09/jackey-neyman-jones-on-manos-the-hands-of-fate/
"I can imagine what a huge disappointment it was for everyone involved. ...He was a very serious Method actor, and though nobody has confirmed this theory, I doubt that he got high for other performances. I think he saw the handwriting on the wall."She's implying he off'd himself because the movie turned out so badly!
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:4aFqqis_hTAJ:https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/entertainment/movies/2016/11/18/50-years-later-manos-bad-film-legacy-endures/93927332/+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-b-1-d
Yes but you CAN get addicted in 30 days - or sooner - if you are taking strong doses. So Neyman doesn't RULE OUT his possible use of pain killers...There was plenty of weird mythology and rumors surrounding the film, which Neyman Jones said she's worked to clarify and correct. She said the weirdest rumor she heard surrounding it was about actor John Reynolds, who played Torgo in the film and committed suicide a month before the movie premiered. The rumor stated that Reynolds had gotten addicted to painkillers after using painful metal braces on his legs during filming."We filmed in eight days. You can’t get addicted to painkillers in eight days," Neyman Jones said.
Voidisyinyang Voidisyinyang dude, I've shown you how psychedelics CAUSE mental instability and suicide attempts....Now explain to me why someone who wasn't on painkillers, was tripping balls BEFORE putting the knee braces on, and wore them correctly without pain was suicidal a week and a half after coming down from his trip? Also, that part about being high as hell BEFORE wearing the leg braces puts a pretty big kabutz on your pain killers theory. If for a second I grant that it was true, that's not why he was taking LSD. It was purely recreational. This is akin to arguing that all pot smokers have cancer, because weed has been shown to ease the side effects of chemotherapy. Again, correlation does not equal causation. You seem to be having a lot of trouble with this particular fallacy. I mean, I have a theory..... Something something, BAD TRIP, something something FITS THE DATA, something something....You keep fixating on one study yet meanwhile I've already posted a DOZEN studies showing that psychedelics (which increase serotonin levels) are now considered to treat depression! So here is more details on the study you can't get past:
"For the remaining 290 women, 11 percent reported suicidality during subsequent followups over the next four years.
Nevertheless, Argento found that lifetime psychedelic use (that is, whether or not sex workers had taken a psychedelic at some point in their life) was independently associated with a 60 percent reduced risk of suicidality."
Now you are claiming that John Reynolds did NOT use pain killers. That's not true! We do not KNOW that. All we have is an 8 year old whose dad MADE the knee-cap debilitating devices (and therefore she obviously has a bias to clear) - and she is arguing that over an 8 day filming period John Reynolds could NOT have become addicted to Pain killers. Yes but it all depends on dosage levels - since he off'd himself a month AFTER filming. The same person does admit that her dad reported John Reynolds was "high" up to the point of his death - but she does not explicitly state that it was LSD. And if it WAS LSD - again LSD is now proven to decrease depression, not increase depression.
And so in the end what does the daughter then claim?
"I can imagine what a huge disappointment it was for everyone involved. ...He was a very serious Method actor, and though nobody has confirmed this theory, I doubt that he got high for other performances. I think he saw the handwriting on the wall."
She's implying he off'd himself because the movie turned out so badly!
