I Love MST3K

Yesterday I was in a MST3K mood, so I had a mini marathon of some of my favorite episodes: The Wild, Wild World of Bat Woman, The Brain That Wouldn't Die, Mitchell, and naturally, Pod People ("Good? He's the best!"). For those not familiar with the cult TV show, here's a quick synopsis, courtesy of DVD Empire: Mystery Science Theater 3000, America's only show that makes fun of really bad B movies from the comfort of a spaceship floating above Earth. Joel Hodgson, along with his mechanical companions, wisecracking Crow and well read chick magnet Tom Servo, make suffering through Hollywood's worst films a breeze. Adding their own dialogue, barrage of witty remarks, and an occasional colorful skit, the nest hour and a half will fly by like it were only 90 minutes. There are no ushers with flashlights, crying babies, or women with big hair to spoil the fun.

I remember first seeing this show, late one night, when I first moved away to college. I was initially attracted by the cheesy monster movie, then totally sucked in, once I saw that they were making fun of it by adding their own dialogue and/or comments. Completely hilarious. If you enjoy the 'B' horror and sci-fi movies of the 50's-80's, then you're sure to love the show. I remember watching it on Comedy Central back in the mid-late 90's, and often looked forward to their Thanksgiving Day marathon: Turkey Day Marathon. Eventually, the show was removed from Comedy Central and new episodes starting showing up on Sci-Fi Channel. I used to get up every Saturday morning at 8, just to watch it. And now, the show is no longer on the air (not that I'm aware of, anyway). Oh, how I miss it.

For those who may have missed it, during its' run on television, there are the DVDs: 10 individual episodes, 5 box sets (roughly 3-4 episodes per set + bonus Shorts*), 2 NEW box sets coming August and September 31st, and, of course, the holy grail of out-of-print-DVDs: Mystery Science Theater: The Movie, which I am proud to say is part of my collection. The movie was just a big-screen adaptation of the television show concept, featuring one of my sci-fi faves This Island Earth. Absolutely hilarious. A must see, even if you just rent it.

Sometimes, before the actual feature film begins, the cast will watch what is called a "short." The shorts usually consist of ephemeral films from the 50's, and on their own are hilariously outdated and humorous. But once Mike (or his predecessor/show creator, Joel) and the 'bots get a hold of it, it's laugh-outloud-funny. I have a lot of the shorts, in their entirety on CD-ROMS and/or other DVDs, aside from the ones shown on MST3K, since I am a lover of ephemera. Two of the favorite shorts, that have been shown on MST3K, have been Junior Rodeo Daredevils and The Home Economics Story. The scene that had me laughing so hard, I almost choked to death, was during The Home Economics Story and the short's narrator says something about Judy having a five pound potty (some 50's reference to Judy's new engagement ring) and Joel goes "Five pound potty? Somebody had a big breakfast!" I cracked up! OMG, it's still so damn funny to watch. Another favorite short was A Date With Your Family, where a model 50's family displays the behaviors that are to be avoided at the dinner table: The robots chime in: Sister asks herself, "I wonder if I should have washed my hands after handling that dead woodchuck?"