Who here is a fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000?

[jpgray]

I loved the Joel and early Mike periods, but I lost interest sometime after the movie came out. The "Cave Dwellers" episode--just genius. :D

[thebigidea]

1. I used to be totally fucking obsessed

have them all but the first two KTMA episodes on tape.

can quote it like scripture.

it completely influenced me in the making of my early films, campy b&w drive-in type features... it made me chase down the stars/directors of Daddy-O, Incredibly Strange Creatures, Girl in Gold Boots, etc to be in my own flix.

They were a wonderful group of comedians, and its sad that their followup projects never got off the ground.

[Sagan]

5. dude, quit bogarting those episodes!

We need to compile a library and swap episodes sometime....

I'd love to see some of the KTMA ones. Help me out or I'll send MegaWeapon after you!

[Zuni]

10. maybe you better share

just kidding. I would love to send you tapes if you could copy them for me

[thebigidea]

15. oh, I used to do plenty of that... "keep circulating the tapes" after all

sadly, they are in storage on the other side of the country. The other night I had the craving, but the only eps with me are "The Starfighters" and one of the Gamera movies for some inexplicable reason.

I think I'd rather have dental surgery while listening to old Dick Cheney speeches than watch "The Starfighters" again.

All I remember was one endless refueling sequence.

So GAMERA VS. GUIRON won out.

Gamera is the friend of ALL CHILDREN. HELP US, GAMERA! HELP US! GAMERA!

[Zuni]

18. I guess you do not remember Manos, Hands of Fate

That was the WORST film I have ever seen. Even Joel and the Bots had trouble making that one enjoyable.
I heard that "Red Zone Cuba' is really atrocious, but have not seen that episode.

[thebigidea]

20. ah, Manos... "My name is... Torgo... I take care of the place..."

"when... the Master... is away..."

(cue Torgo theme)

I must've seen it at least a dozen times, and un-MSTed to boot.

Red Zone Cuba is a blast... it has a Castro with a blatantly fake beard! I have a strange affection for Coleman Francis. He died drunk and homeless, a sad sad case. His weird trilogy of films featuring small aircraft are very bizarre... plus he turns up in bit parts in other psychotronic films, even as a deliveryman in THIS ISLAND EARTH in the MST movie.

somebody did RED ZONE CUBA: THE MUSICAL in the late 90s, it was hilarious.

[Zuni]

24. You took Manos straight?

You are a real hero. I know people who fought in WWII, Korea, Vietnam but taking Manos without protection is real courage.

[thebigidea]

26. at the end of the viewing, then-President Clinton appeared with a medal

he was clearly impressed.

I've got a friend who always gets on my case about my tolerance for trashy old movies and lack of patience with Hollywood blockbusters and network sitcoms. That kind of "bad" is just.... BAD.

but a moldly old monster movie with boom mics in the shot, cardboard sets, rubber masks, bad acting, and a mad scientist? I'm in heaven.

[Zuni]

29. I love the Z-grade films

Have you ever seen Robot Monster? The one where the 'Robot' is a guy in a diving helmet and an ape suit?

[thebigidea]

32. Hu-man! Hu-man! I am Ro-Man!

the "telometer" or whatever it was that made soap bubbles? Devastating alien tech.

[Zuni]

36. what are your picks ?

I love Z-grade films. I just got one called Teenage Devil Dolls. It is anti-Drug movie, complete with a dealer who injects women with heroin to get them addicted.
It is really funny.

[thebigidea]

41. almost anything from SOMETHING WEIRD

plus...

THE WORLD'S GREATEST SINNER
WILD GUITAR
DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN
NIGHT OF THE GHOULS
EL SANTO Y BLUE DEMON CONTRA DRACULA Y EL HOMBRE LOBO
SPIDER BABY
anything by Russ Meyer

[Zuni]

43. Have you ever seen

Trick or Treat with Skippy from Family Ties, who ressurects a dead rock star by playing his music backwards? Now that is classic. Ozzy makes a cameo in it.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

27. Ohhh..."Red Zone Cuba" was horrendous...

I actually couldn not finish watching that one.
I'd rather have root canal than watch "Red Zone Cuba" or "Manos, Hands of Fate"

Doesn't "manos" mean "hands"?

[thebigidea]

28. Hands: The Hands of Fate

unsurprisingly, Torgo died of a heroin overdose some weeks after the shoot.

[Zuni]

30. I heard that a bunch of people associated with that

film died soon after if was released.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

31. Very, very weird...

Perhaps it's cursed? Hmmmmmm?
I know I feel cursed watching it.

[Zuni]

34. Death must have been a release

I rarely say a movie is unwatchable. Manos is one of the worst. Ed Wood seems like Speilberg compared to Hal Warren who created it.

[thebigidea]

35. Ed Wood! Oh no.

I actually shot a feature based on one of his paperbacks, "Devil Girls."

And then ANOTHER feature based on an unfilmed screenplay. Thankfully, we realized perhaps there are some areas man should not tamper in - it was shelved, where it remains today... unable to cause more damage.

[Zuni]

40. You have to Love Ed Wood's films

Tor Johnson is great, even without Wood like in The Beast of Yucca Flats.
I love how they managed to drag Bela Lugosi out, and to even use him in movies after he died.
Ed Wood is the B-Movie master. Plan 9 is so bad, but so good that you have to love it. Glen or Glenda is another classic.

[thebigidea]

44. Bela!

"I love how they managed to drag Bela Lugosi out, and to even use him in movies after he died."

that was one of the reasons we shelved "The Vampire's Tomb" - it was a screenplay meant for Lugosi, and we shot everything but the Lugosi bits. Initially Paul Chaplin (!?) of MST3K was gonna do the bit, then we thought to use Bela stock footage - but I thought it was kinda lame to have an impersonator dub the voice... and ghoulish... though Wood did the same, and Lugosi probably would've loved it. One day I'll take the flick out and figure out what to do with it. Until then, I'll just get pestered via email by it by internet obsessives a coupla times a year.

One fun side effect of that whole Wood ordeal was amassing a collection of his paperbacks - he wrote over a hundred incredibly lurid pulp books that are just as bezerk as his films.

[Zuni]

49. That is really interesting

Wow---you are a real conossieur of bad cinema. I hope you do find a way to recreate Ed's movies. They are without parallel in modern history. Imagine a producer today cutting corners like Ed Wood did. I honestly believe Ed Wood was cinema's best bad film maker ever. No one could put out such good crap.

If you do ever end up working on Ed Wood's stuff, let me know, because I would love to see it.

[thebigidea]

53. oh, I did

DEVIL GIRLS was finished and played a few festivals and had a limited video run.

VAMPIRE'S TOMB is on a shelf, I'd probably be editing it now if Bush didn't steal the election and change my priorities.

The whole project was really a kinda weird experiment in trying to recreate 1950s conditions today, trying to make a film in 4-5 days on a Wood(en) schedule, from the same source material.

It was interesting, but in the end - people probably want to see a good movie, not be impressed by your minor technical feat.

Plus, talk about niche market! If you don't have an intimate knowledge of all of Wood's films, the new ones leave you beyond cold.

I consider them my "paying my dues" student/apprentice type films - and a lesson in Why You Shouldn't Adapt Anything. Half the reviews said I wasn't true to Wood. The other half said I was TOO true to Wood. You can't win, so stick to your own ideas.

[Gemini Cat]

68. Yes, several did die after Manos was made.

The guy who played Torgo OD'ed in '66, the woman who played the wife, the girl who was kissing in the car (who's leg was broken during the time the movie was being made) and several of the wives. Also after the movie was made, Debbie was never heard of again and Debbie's poodle went on to become Tony Blair. That last part about the poodle is true.

[Zuni]

71. The curse of Manos

Very spooky indeed.

[tridim]

48. There's a store in Denver called: "Manos"

and the awning has a picture of a hand on it. I LOL every time I drive by. :)

[Melodybe]

117. Manos sucessfully put me, my husbadnd, and my younger brother to sleep...

and it was in the middle of the afternoon and none of us remember being tired. Don't forget those knees!

[NightTrain]

2. There a lot of MiSTies at DU

And I'm one of 'em, baby! :hi:

[Cush]

3. see my sig

:-)

[Nazgul35]

4. that show had a line...

that made me laugh the hardest in my life...

The reason being that it was a delayed joke by Crow and I got it about the same time Joel did and spent the next fifteen minutes laughing in tears trying to tell everyone in the room what was so funny....

gotta stop cause i'm starting to get that crazy smile just thinking about it...

[AngryYoungMan]

6. Which line?

Crow T. Robot is a comic genius.

[Zuni]

14. he is played by the same guy who does Forrester

I always have been partial to TV's Frank. He is such a goofball. What the hey, they are all great, even gypsy.

[jpgray]

25. Those two did a great parody of the Renaissance festival

They had those inflatable punch-dolls for each of the annoying "character"/shopkeeps they have those fairs. One of the one-liners:

"Take THAT you community-theater reject!"

Man, that had me rolling on the floor with laughter.

[Castilleja]

7. Me, Me!

So are my kids. We need to get some DVD collections or something.....

[Melodybe]

8. Volume 2 is by far their best box set...

Cave Dwellers, Angels Revenge, Pod People, and Shorts each is primo MST3K! Now only if you could get Sqirm and Mitchell. My hubby was able to find almost all of the episodes at dapcentral.org. They have a DVD project now.

I highly suggest checking it out.

[Zuni]

11. I just bought that

for Thanksgiving, to recapture the fun of a 'Turkey day' marathon.

Shorts is without a doubt the most fun video in the series. 'A Date with Your Family' is just too much.

[Zuni]

9. HUGE fan here

I love that show. I just bought a set that has the Cave Dwellers on it. My favorite episodes are some of the Gamera ones, the Creeping Terror, the Pod People, the Beatniks...gosh, I could go on all day.

[AngryYoungMan]

12. "I Accuse My Parents"

...was my favorite for a while, but I also liked "The Phantom Creeps" and "Warrior of the Lost World," and "The Cave Dwellers" and "Double 007" (or whatever it was called) and "E-gah" and the rest of the Joel classics.

[Zuni]

16. Eegah

That one is too funny. I remember something about a daughter shaving her father.

[thebigidea]

19. Oh my god, I got the greatest gossip about the making of that

from the cameraman, Ray Dennis Steckler... who was thrown in the pool by Eegah and later shot/wrote/starred in "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies" that MST got around to later...

Anyway, the father was one hell of a character. A hard drinkin' egomaniac who tried to live through his son, who wanted NOTHING to do with movies. You can kinda tell, the kid isn't very enthusiastic.

Apparently he flies commercial airliners these days.

"Watch out for snakes"

[jpgray]

13. "Gamera is really neat

he has no legs arms or feet
he is full of turtle meat"

right?

:D

I really missed TV's Frank when he left.

[Cush]

17. Kenny!

[Norbert]

54. One of the Gamara movies

had a boy in it (didn't they all). About three times there was a guard in it trying to stop the boy by saying, "Boy! Boy!" Crow, Tom and Joel would then chime in, "Crazy boy!" I was on the floor laughing.

Funny stuff. I liked the Joel episodes a little better.

[tridim]

57. Did he look like a fisher price character?

n/t

[tridim]

56. Did you know Gamera has a media room in his shell?

It's true!

Sandy Frank, Sandy Frank
He's the source of all our pain!

[thebigidea]

58. Sandy Frank, Sandy Frank... gads about the house all day...

apparently Mr. Frank took issue with their treatment of him, and steadfastly refuses to renew the rights to the films he owns. So guard those tapes!

[MinnFats]

21. "How much Keefe is in this movie?"

....

"Miles O'Keefe."



one rare example of true TV/film/comedic genius.

I'm trying to build a little library....I have 'cave dwellers," and a few others.

Cave Dwellers is pure genius...

i wish the re-runs were on at a time people could actually watch 'em.

[jpgray]

22. Hey, and they're Minnesota boys, if I remember (nt)

[thebigidea]

23. with some Wisconsin and Illinois thrown in

but definetely with a uniquely Midwestern sense of uh, "niceness" - their crowd was COMPLETELY different from the NYC/LA media/entertainment mileu... no wonder they felt out of place... they were TOO NICE!

[MinnFats]

85. yep. the episodes were shot in the Twin Cities....

....I was fortunate to see Joel do his stand-up act in a little Minneapolis club before he got started wi/MST3K. He was trying out a lot of gadgets then. It was a riot.

Also saw the "live" version of "This Island Earth" at the State Theater in Mpls. It was fantastic. My rib cage ached for days.

[thebigidea]

87. I was there too!

completely glorious. I was high for a week, especially when they did that hysterical version of Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love".

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

33. "Oh..."

"Your cape is FABULOUS!!!"
Cave Dwellers is simply my favorite MST3K ever.

[thebigidea]

37. we must find the Geometric Nucleus!

And what the heck WAS the Geometric Nucleus for, anyway?

"Geez, this thing has more pauses than a Pinter play!"

[scarlet_owl]

38. Meeee!

I love me some "Mitchell". Great to watch while stoned.

[Hogarth]

39. What happened to Joel?

I was told by a friend that he was ousted by the producers and ended up being reduced to working in a fast-food joint.

[jpgray]

42. He hosted some lesser comedy show--he was my favorite human (nt)

[Zuni]

45. No, he quit---the head writer replaced him

Because he was too shy to be on TV and attract attention. He did not like the limelight and wanted to try other things. The head writer, Mike Nelson came to replace him.

I think Mike is unjustly hated by many. He was funny, nice and did a good job.

[jpgray]

47. Mike was great! But if I had to pick one... (nt)

[RandomKoolzip]

69. I like Mike better than Joel...

I seriously don't understand some of the antipathy towards Mike. I think the show deinitely tightened up and became hellaciously funny after MIke took over, whereas with Joel it was sometimes a little too rinky-dink and precious (although still genius enough to make me watch it religiously!)....

For me, you can't beat season 7 episodes like Deathstalker or Esacpe 2000. Those are some of my favorites.

"Leave the Bronx!"

[thebigidea]

72. ah, the eternal Joel vs. Mike debate

Joel, being the creator, tends to create some crazy loyalty in fans. Perhaps the nostalgia clouds minds, but I agree: the Nelson episodes are MUCH faster, wittier, and funnier in general. They really hit their stride in those years...

But the Joel years are helped by Dr F/Frank around all the time... I never found Pehl funny as Ma F. She was a great writer and good occasional performer, but very grating as a regular.

All of them are great, though. Well, except for the Josh Weinstein ones. What a goofball!

(even so, I'll still be amused by the KTMA eps... it was even MORE "precious" back then, with Crow doing a babyvoice thing and Joel as even more of a father figure... but the cardboard ambience was really charming.)

[RandomKoolzip]

77. Agreed about Mary Jo.

SHe can't carry the burden of evil like Clay and Yard ape did. Doesn't have the oily charisma the original mads exhuded.

I have a theory that when Joel was the honcho, the host segments were the focus of the show; the writing for the Joel host segments is sometimes far better than the commentary in the theater. Indeed, the host segments for the Joel episodes were almost alays the highlights for me. Of those with Mike, the focus must have been on the theater commentary, because the host segments often seemed perfunctory while the quips during the movie were just 100% zingers all the time.

I'm sorry though, Joel loyalists: Joel was a genius, but Mike Nelson is the funniest man I've ever seen or heard. His books are amazing, too.

And Trace Beaulieu...damn, what a funny guy. Corbett is truly up to his standard, though, I believe, from just watching four of the Sci-Fi episodes.

[thebigidea]

78. ah, definetely right on re: host segments

"writing for the Joel host segments is sometimes far better than the commentary in the theater."

definetely, the songs were always spot-on.

The Mike years host segments got pretty corny, the whole "travelling through time and space" thing didn't work as well as the Deep 13 thing as a setup. Though the Observers were a hoot.

[Zuni]

79. The Pod People Episode

Has some of the best song bits of any episode. They do their imitation of the rock band featured in the movie and it was so funny! I was rolling. TV's Frank even imitated a charecter in the film, wearing an 'I'm A Virgin' T-Shirt.

[thebigidea]

81. that was completely brilliant

SACK OF MONKEYS IN MY POCKET, my sister's ready to go -

HIDEOUS CONTROL NOW!
IDIOT CONTROL NOW!
HEAR THE ENGINES ROLL NOW!

[Zuni]

84. one of the best skits ever

Sack of monkeys in my pocket.

Dr F-- hey, he's really good
Frank---He's the best. (in a gay voice)

Joel-- it sucked.

[RandomKoolzip]

88. Steady as she goes, we're flying over trout.

I literally peed on myself the first time I saw that.

[jpgray]

83. It was cheesy, but my friends and I loved the "Master Ninja theme song"

I would kill for a copy of that episode.

[RandomKoolzip]

89. PM me if you want a copy of that.

n/t

[jpgray]

102. Hey, great! You're a most respectable DUer, you are! :-)

I'll send it off tomorrow--now must go to bed. :)

[thebigidea]

92. cuz those Van Patten bruthaaaaas are sooo headstrong...

for the Master Ninja Theme SONG! Boomchikkaboomboom!

[tridim]

104. Side hackin' is the thing to do!

"Side hacking, side hacking
Really a gas
The favorite sport
Of cheap white trash..."

[thebigidea]

105. and it doesn't hurt if you got a low IQ...

[Zuni]

107. Rommel, you magnificent bastard

I read your book!

[RandomKoolzip]

108. Chili peppers burn my gut....

I wonder if anyone cn get a copy of that original Sidehacker film...according to the Episode Guide, they cut out a big chunk of the film that had a graphic rape sequence. Not that I'd like to see a graphic rape sequence....just that...oh, never mind.

[thebigidea]

110. I think its out (or was out) on video

I have a pressbook for SIDEHACKERS that's fucking hilarious, full of ridiculous sidehack-related gimmicks to draw customers in.

Ah yes - the Great Sidehacking Fad.

I wonder how the California Sidehacker's Association is doing today?

[RandomKoolzip]

112. How come you rock so hard?!

I wish I was you, man. (tHat's not a Then Came Bronson reference, though.)

Do you really think there WAS a sidehacking fad? Seems like an odd hobby to get into. Why not stick with a side car? Having the guy on the platform shift his weight back and forth...seems inefficient, in retrospect, doesn't it?

I really wish the filmmakers had stuck to documenting the Sidehacking "phenomenon" rather than forcing the characters into a plot that required them to act like psycho meth-crazed denim addicts. Now theres a film that degenerated fast after its opening sequence.


"That's a number five!!!!" is the best Non-Sidehacking part of that film.

Promotional materials?!?!

[thebigidea]

113. seems damn foolish in retrospect

Man, I'm lovin' this thread. Where else would I get to almost BRAG about having dinner with Ted Mikels and posessing ridiculous promotional material for a stupid biker movie?

[RandomKoolzip]

119. Some of us think you're neat!

I really admire the fact that you have the huevos to follow up on the fetishized cultural artifacts a handful of us worship from a distance and actually MEET and investigate the particulars of said objects. I'm too busy working to full time jobs to ever do that.

Going to bed now. G'night, wonderful thread!

[RandomKoolzip]

86. ...I'm thinking specifically about "Hercules vs. the Moonmen"

and the opening host segment. A Mike-led staff probably couldn't have come up with something that brilliant (shit, I dunno!) But the cast while Joel was at the helm could not have given us the gutbusting viciousness need for dealing with "Escape 2000."

Often during the Mike years at Comedy Central, the host segments seemed like excuses for dressing up or using oversized props or blowing something up, wile under Joel, the host segments were erudite and often lasted for several minutes. I like oranges better than apples, though.

Damn, now you've dropped hints of what happened in the Sci-Fi episodes! Not fair.

[Zuni]

90. I remeber watching that episode

I wish I had it, dammit. I used to have tapes that I would let roll on Thanksgiving on Comedy Central to tape the marathon. Sadly, like my Simpson's tapes, they are all long gone. I am not even sure what happened to them.

[RandomKoolzip]

91. PM me, and I'll dub you that tape, if you want.

Send me some blanks and we'll trade or something.

[Zuni]

93. awesome

Let me know what you want in exchange. I'll even pay $$ for some episodes.

[RandomKoolzip]

94. Josh weinstein...ick.

The season one eps with Weinstein are very odd. His voice is an umpleasant insrument and none of them seem very psyched about being there. Weinstein...I can't tell if he's funny or not. He ultimately outed himself as a pud though by doing America's funniest Home Videos commentary. Sheesh!

If you have KTMA episodes, I'll make all your enemies die for their sins to get my hands on those.

[thebigidea]

96. on the one hand, you gotta give him some slack because he was 18

on the other hand, he's as funny as a baby with cancer.

The "suave tom servo" act gets old quick.

"He ultimately outed himself as a pud though by doing America's funniest Home Videos commentary. Sheesh!"

and got poor Trace a job there as well! He hasn't done ANYTHING else since... just that bad comic, a few Freaks and Geeks appearances... what a shame, as he's so tremendously talented.

KTMAs - yeah, I have 'em all but the first two. They mostly do a lot of Sandy Frank stuff, but there are a few strange movies not done in later seasons. Bad tv disaster flix which were kind of fun... City on Fire, SST Death Flight. Also probably THE worst movie they've ever done, a strange Czech scifi piece called HUMANOID WOMAN... featuring a woman with velco hair, Hitler moustaches, and not much else.

When I get my west coast stuff back (or move back, not sure yet) I'll be up for tape swapping, there are probably a few CC eps I lost.

[RandomKoolzip]

98. He was 18?

He looks like someone who went straight from the boy scouts into a NAMBLA orientation league. A lecherous sweaty type of man, it's doubtful that guy ever went on a date with anyone his own age. Yes, Tom Servo's "old" voice really, really gets on my nerves. None of them really developed a talent for mimicry until about the third season, IMHO...and you could probaly criticize Crow's voice for being a little too childish up until that point too.

Man, dig those KTMA eps out and we'll have a tree stump of fun! I'll be waitin'.

[Zuni]

101. I remember Servo's voice being weird

in some episodes---is that Weinstein?

[RandomKoolzip]

103. Yep, that's season one.

Servo's old voice, when compared to later episodes, is like a Chevette with fan belt troubles.

[Zuni]

76. I do not have a favorite

I am a serious fan and I like them both. I never understood the hatred towards Mike because he could be really f-in funny. Joel sometimes made comments that did not make any sense, but Joel seemed so stoned all the time that you had to love him.
thebigidea was right--Joel was helped by always having Dr. F and TV's Frank instead of Pearl, who never was as good as DR.F, and when DR. F left, so did the voice of Crow and one of the best writers.

To me it doesn't matter if I am watching a Mike or Joel episode.

[thebigidea]

46. he does live fx on Jimmy Kimmel's awful show

I'd rather work in fast food, though.

He tried to get lots of different projects off the ground, but none came to anything. There was a neat b&w campy feature called STATICAL PLANETS that looked interesting, but it slipped into oblivion.

Come back to us, Joel!

[Zuni]

52. I hate Jimmy Kimmel

he annoys the heck out of me.

I would love to see Joel, Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Trace Belieu, TV's Frank and the other's that make up the MST3K dream team try to cut a few new episodes.

[Hogarth]

75. Jimmy Kimmel was Funny ...

... when he played second-banana to Ben Stein, then he just had to challenge the Peter Principle and now I can't stomach watching him on either of the other shows.

[tinrobot]

64. Joel is around...

He mostly writes and produces with his brother.

I saw a test they did for a movie concept they were pitching a while back. Can't say too much about it, but it was hilarious... I hope it gets made.

[banana republican]

50. MS 3000 screws up

some good films. I really dislike to comments and added video on MS 3000. a lot of those films were soo bad that they were good.

[jpgray]

51. Some of the box sets include the uncut films, I think (nt)

[thebigidea]

55. so why not just buy the original movie?

[RandomKoolzip]

59. I always get to the good threads late!!!

Listen, Pay attention:

I have (almost) every Comedy Central episode on VHS and WILL TRADE with anyone for some of the Sci-Fi channel episodes.


I am an obsessive MST 3K FREEK. They, for me, represented a beacon of hope in a dark world. I saw my first episode ("Alien in LA" with Kathy Ireland!) at a bad time in my life- my father had died a week or two before from a long and difficult illness, then Frank Zappa (my all-time most inspirational figure) died. Seeing that episode provided me with the first real laugh I'd had in a long time, and made me feel like there was a lifeline out there for me to hold on to. After that, I subscribed to cable to get every episode on tape.

I'm a Mike kinda guy; some Joel-era humor makes me cringe (especially when Tom says "you can't be too rich or too thin!" or some really corny shit like that) but the Mike episodes (especially toard the end of their run on Comedy Central) make me throwup blood from laughing so hard. On the whole, the entire series just sets my brain on fire.

Anyways, after the show got cancelled on Comedy Central, my local cable dealership upped their rates and I was forced to do without cable for a long time, and couldn't watch the Sci-Fi channel episodes. Sinc I had 100+ episodes on tape by that point, I just convinced myself that that as enough. However...

I NEED THOSE SCI_FI episodes!!!!! Please, anybody who has any of those episodes on tape, I will set up a trade with you for them. Please PM me if you are interested. I'm already taping a boatload of episodes for Catwoman (HEy, they're in the mail tomorrow, Catwoman!) and would love to expand my collection, or even dub some episodes for newbies.


Huzzah!

[thebigidea]

60. ha! thought so

Definetely a beacon of hope for me, too.

"then Frank Zappa (my all-time most inspirational figure) died"

Did you see that touching little tribute they did to him? "Let me be Frank about Frank"? With the simple little photo after the film instead of the usual stinger? Kevin Murphy is a HUGE Zappa freak.

I'd help you out with tapes if i had access to mine. If you still need them in a few months, and still remember, shout.

[RandomKoolzip]

66. Yeah, Village of the Giants, right?

Very cool. bigidea, you are my hero. I've had convos with you about the Firesign Theater, Zappa, and now MST 3K. Let me ask you something:

Do you have the other half of this amulet?

Hell, yes, if in a few months you get them out of storage, I'll gladly pay or trade (and I can trade other stuff too, you're probably into the smane stuff I'm into, and I'm a bootleg collector of all kinds of bands) for those Sci-Fi episodes. I just bought the DVD COllection Vol. 4, with Girl in Gold Boots, Hamlet, Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, and Space Mutiny...and I'm kicking myself now for abandoning this show when I did! Overdrawn at the Memory Bank...oy gevalt! That's the best time I've had in a long time, watching that...


"I'm as clumsy as a stupid repulsive anteater!"

"You know, Mike, it's eeerie watching Fingal create his reality simulation around him...."

Help a brother out, somebody!

[thebigidea]

70. poor, poor Raul. The "Fat Man" in that... "Mother... my nuts..."

actually, the amulet has been shattered into a 7 pieces and spread throughout the Fred Williamson-populated countryside. We're going to need the Warrior of the Lost World to find them all.

Space Mutiny was a fucking blast as well.

Girl in Gold Boots: I have a signed poster from that over my computer, the director is such an affable old coot. With a salvador dali moustache, too... Ted Mikels is still making movies in Vegas, his most recent one is the direct result of a dinner suggestion of mine: a sequel to "Astro-Zombies".

After watching the sequel, I don't know if I want to take credit for it any more.

[RandomKoolzip]

73. I really am not worthy....

Maybe Deathstalker can help us find the amulet's pieces, right after he finds Niscious and the third stone.

Damn, how is it you are present for such cataclysmically history making events? Imagine...dinner with *shudder* Ted V. Mikels...Och! The mind reels.

"All I can eat? The joke's on them..."

[thebigidea]

74. the secret revealed

"Damn, how is it you are present for such cataclysmically history making events? "

being a pushy bastard! The old "I wanna do an interview" thing always works, too. One of these days I'll actually transcribe the miles of tape around me and throw a book together.

Ted's dream project is BEOWULF.

with... with...

pause for incoming laugh....

PETER GRAVES.

I sincerely wish I could help him do it, the mind reels.

[RandomKoolzip]

80. Wow. Just wow.

"Peter Graves IS Beowulf! Thrill as he asks Grendel about seeing grown men naked!"

Why not Leslie Neilsen instead?! Is Peter Graves the best guy for the job, him being like 160 years old by now?

Just for the space-time continuum-shredding helplessness of it all, I think you SHOULD try to get that made. Think of what you'll tell your grandkids! They'll ask you, "Grampaw, did you ever know Ted Mikels?" and you'll blow their little minds.

[thebigidea]

82. the script is the size of a very large bible

and sadly, I can't fully fulfill my apprentice/mentor relationship with Mikels because I CAN'T FUCKING STAND BEOWULF!

I had some pretty good Graves gossip, but I can't remember it right now... all I can recall is his frightening performance in PARTS: THE CLONUS HORROR.

And of course, Crow's award-winning Peter Graves at the University of Minnesota screenplay.

[RandomKoolzip]

95. Well, one thing I know about Peter Graves...

Is that he learned too late that man is a feeling creature.

Ooooh...Graves gossip. Now try and convince me that's not tantalizing!


No, I can't stand Bewoulf, either. But a Mikels Beoulf...ooh la la.

[thebigidea]

97. And because of it, the greatest in the universe...

at one point, I could rattle off the whole thing. That was a killer ending for the episode, just repeating the speech OVER AND OVER again. On the SOL, in Deep 13, through the credits, during the stinger.

I was on the floor...

[RandomKoolzip]

100. That was a great one.

I was so psyched to fianlly see the monster Zappa tlaked about on Roxy and Elsewhere, and it did not disappoint. And you're right, that ending was push-button gold.

I'm mad, though, because I had that one and Stranded in Space and Rocket Attack USA on one tape, and my VCR ate the fucker. Sad? You bet.

[jpgray]

109. I LOVE that episode as well!!!

I know I said I was going to bed, but the giant evil carrot from Venus deserves another post. RandomKoolzip, if you also have that episode, I will offer up to you my firstborn as your indentured servant in return for both of them. :)

edit: Just saw your above post. How cruel fate can be sometimes. I had that one on tape too, but lost it somewhere or taped over it.

[Zuni]

63. The first time I ever saw MST

I was home from school after being knocked over and spraining my ankle by a bully. I was a bit of a twerp in 7th grade and got picked on a lot. It was when it first came on Comedy Central, actually when Comedy Central first came on.
But I am so glad I was picked on because I saw that show for the first time the next day. It was an episode that had Tor Johnson in it, but I do not remember the movie's name. It was black and white and set in a castle or a mansion. If you could help me, I would be greatful.

[thebigidea]

The Unearthly with John Carradine - "Time for go to bed"

or Ed Wood's BRIDE OF THE MONSTER with Bela Lugosi.

[Zuni]

67. I think it was the Unearthly

It rings a bell. Thank you very, very much. Now I have to find that episode.

[Gemini Cat]

61. MST3k is Great!

I love MST3k and I've been a "MSTie" since 1997.

My favourite episodes are Mitchell, Manos, Pod People, Eegah, I Was a Teenaged Werewolf, Fire Maidens, Giant Spider Invasion, The Brain That Wouldn't Die, I Accuse My Parents and of course, MST The Movie.
I know there are others and as soon as I post this, I'll remember all of them!

I must be :crazy: because I would actually like to see Manos unMSTed...!



KCTT

[ComerPerro]

62. Who here ISN'T???

Holy crap, I love that show.

MITCHELL!!!!!

[Zuni]

65. Ms. Beasley

--MCCLOUD

[HEyHEY]

99. I LOOOOVVVVEEE THAT SHOW!!!!

[Zomby Woof]

106. Cave Dwellers sits proudly on our shelf!

:D

[Red State Rebel]

111. "Touch of Satan"...softens hands while you do dishes.....

[Kool Kitty]

114. And in honor of the holiday season-

how about a chorus of "A Patrick Swayze Christmas", from the Christmas showing of "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians", with a 4- or 5-year old Pia Zadora? I don't remember all the lines, but here's a few-"..I'll have to bust your kneecaps if you bastards touch my car", and "it will be the haziest, it will be the Swayze-est, Christmas of them all..." (It WAS funny, even if it doesn't sound like it written here, really.) That always kills me, that song and the "Creepy Girl" song that Tom Servo sang about the creepy girl in "Catalina Caper". And the "Tibby" song, again sung by Servo to a little turtle that was part of one of the Gamera films. And "Rocket Attack USA", about the nuclear destruction of NYC. "And the blind man said, 'Help me'? What the hell was that supposed to mean?"-comment from Crow T. Robot, in the "Rocket Attack" film. And what about "The Pod People", where the little kid was feeding the space alien (who was called Trumpy, and looked a little like Mr. Snuffelupagus from "Sesame Street") peanuts and Joel said, "I hope Trumpy doesn't sneeze or he's gonna pistol whip that kid with peanuts." Again, this was funnier when you were watching the film. Jeez, I miss that show.

[thebigidea]

115. or the Mexican "Santa Claus" - oh MAN!

"No, Lupita, No!"

"Ah yes, the ancient struggle between Good and... The Narrator."

[Kool Kitty]

118. OMG-that was too funny.

I don't remember much about the first season shows, but two bits I do remember fondly: 1. Joel and Crow got a blender and Tom Servo fell in love with it. He pushed one of the blender's buttons and it made the standard blender racket and Tom said, "Oh, and a lovely singing voice!" 2. When the devil dogs came into their airspace and started attacking the SOL because it was shaped like a giant bone. (Didn't they have those little devil dog props for sale after that?) I really liked "Rocket Attack USA" for another reason, too-the train station featured in the film, the sign read HAZLET. That is the next town here. I just thought it was cool that someone shot that scene there, maybe the guys that made it were local. I dunno, I just liked the "almost" connection of it.

[thebigidea]

120. Hazlet? You in NJ too?

"Didn't they have those little devil dog props for sale after that?"

and they ebayed them off, too. Ah the great ebay sale! I admit I was suckered into buying Crow's Womany Sunglasses from DANGER: DEATH RAY.

Nelson: "Don't you think these are a little... womany?"

Crow: "But they're for MEN!"

[Kool Kitty]

121. Am I in NJ?

Why, soitenly! In Matawan (Aberdeen section) in Monmouth County. Where are you?

[thebigidea]

122. currently in the Howell section of... yes, Monmouth County

If you ever see some goofy guy with an Eraserhead haircut running around with a camera, do run up and kick him in the crotch. Its for the best.

[Kool Kitty]

123. I'll do that!

Jeez, you're right up the road, or down the road from here. I'll keep an eye out for you. And if you see a short redhead with lots of inappropriate cat hair on her coat, that'll probably be me.

[thebigidea]

124. tread carefully. The ensuing MST quoting that would ensue could doom us

Or at the very least, annoy every one for miles around.

At least I wouldn't have to make a comment about the cat hair on MY coat.

[Zuni]

125. this concert is dedicated to the treble clef

from the Creeping Terror.

Oh, I must have had a baby while I was waiting.

[thebigidea]

126. The Creeping Terror! Oooo, scary.

Was that the one shot without sync sound? Oh man.

preeeeetty bad. though probably not as bad as "Monster A-Go-Go!"

You can't top that ending:

"There was no monster."

[Zuni]

127. I don't know

the Narrator talks through the whole time. There is very little dialogue.
The Monster is the one with a couple of guys under a rug. It is a Mike episode and it is one of the funniest ones I have ever seen.


I know I have seen Monster A Go Go, but honestly do not remember which one it was. The name sounds so familiar though.

[thebigidea]

128. absolutely NOTHING happened in the movie

shots of a guy walking.
a capsule.
more walking.
big tall guy.
walking...

walking...
walking.
walking.

In one scene, a phone rings. Its LITERALLY a guy making a "brrrring" sound with his mouth. It is one of the most astonishing bits of "They Just Didn't Care"-ism I've ever seen in a movie.

[Zuni]

129. I love that

Have you seen the film House of the Dead? For a multimillion dollar budget, they really put no effort at all into it. It is so sublimely awful.
The director even adds little bits from a video game to link shots or scenes together. Yes, video games.

[neuvocat]

116. ME!!!

[SideshowScott]

130. Ahhh the obligitory Monthly MST thread..hehehe

I LOVE IT..I get a smile on my face when i see an MST3k thread in the lounge..BIG time MST fan here..I have many on disk and still watch em..One of the BEST shows of the 90's!

[FireHeart]

131. I'm surprised that no one...

has mentioned the positively worst MST3000 movie ever made. "The Horror Of Spider Island". Now that was BAD. :evilgrin: