MST3K/Rifftrax

[Chairman Kaga]

I did a search but I did not see a post dedicated to this fantastic show of a bygone era. I have been dubbing old vhs copies of the SciFi years to dvd and after re-watching most of the episodes I figured we could use a thread here in the Zone. If you have never seen this show before (I have no idea if this got across the pond) I highly recommend it. Check out Amazon which seems to be running a good deal on the first 5 boxsets at around $28.

[Brocktune]

i am always surprised by how few people that liked and watched this show have actually seen joel episodes. there is no fucking contest. mike is funny, but once joel left, the show was never as good. and once tv's frank left, well i wont even bother with those. ok, i will, but i bitch the whole time. jo-el forever, mikey never!

[Bob Samonkey]

i am always surprised by how few people that liked and watched this show have actually seen joel episodes. there is no fucking contest. mike is funny, but once joel left, the show was never as good. and once tv's frank left, well i wont even bother with those. ok, i will, but i bitch the whole time. jo-el forever, mikey never!

So very true. It was a sad day the day he left. The movie was funny though

[Chairman Kaga]

I saw no significant drop in quality though there was an obvious shift what with dropping the invention exchanges etc. Considering Mike was the head writer I thought it stayed pretty consistent just the delivery changed.

[papalazeru]

It was a damn fine series that had a longer run than most.

I wish they would do more films with some bigger Sci Fi classics.

Oooo...What could they do to Star Wars....The mind boggles. Or how about "Forbidden Planet"...Would be awesome.

[Brocktune]

when it first happened, thats what i was thinking as well. after all, mike was the head fucking writer, so it should stay as good, right? but sadly for me, the whole tone and feel of the show changed. and it just didnt seem to be as funny. and in fact still doesnt. maybe its because joel was a total stoner.

[Chairman Kaga]

I loved the Summer Movie Previews they did on the SciFi channel just mocking big budget flicks trailers.

[DennisMM]

I'm a Mike fan because Joel couldn't act. Hodgson was a good writer, but his delivery was far too dry and detached. Maybe because, as Brock said, he was stoned most of the time. Also, the character-based sketches of the Mike era were more interesting, to me at least, than the frequently media-centered host segments of the Joel years. Post-Joel the host stuff became almost meta sometimes. The riffing had a rough period in the first couple of SciFi seasons but was strong in season ten. I do wish they'd been permitted to do more non-sf/fantasy stuff the last three seasons, though Girl in Gold Boots and Hamlet may have indicated the way they'd go.

My wife and I are unofficial sponsors of the university MSTies Anonymous club. Friday is the sixth annual program of shorts:

X Marks the Spot
Alphabet Antics
Mr. B Natural
Appreciating Your Parents
General Hospital (they haven't told me from which experiment)
Circus on Ice
Body Care and Grooming
What About Juvenile Delinquency?
Design for Dreaming
Young Man's Fancy
Progress Island, USA
The Chicken of Tomorrow
Robot Rumpus (A Gumby Adventure)

I write the posts that go out to student and faculty/staff electronic announcements each day. Don't have a post for this one right now. Logged on to the 'web for some research.

So, Mike Nelson as the protagonist and Comedy Central for the period. I like both the Mads and Mrs. F and her boys, though I lean towards the latter because I'm in love with Mary Jo Pehl. Also, I disliked what little I saw of season one with Josh Weinstein as Dr. Larry and the voice of Tom Servo.

[Chairman Kaga]

I wish I could get my hands on some season 1 stuff or better yet some of the KTMA ones though I bet they are really rough.

My wife and I are unofficial sponsors of the university MSTies Anonymous club. Friday is the sixth annual program of shorts:

X Marks the Spot
Alphabet Antics
Mr. B Natural
Appreciating Your Parents
General Hospital (they haven't told me from which experiment)
Circus on Ice
Body Care and Grooming
What About Juvenile Delinquency?
Design for Dreaming
Young Man's Fancy
Progress Island, USA
The Chicken of Tomorrow
Robot Rumbus (A Gumby Adventure)

I love the shorts. My fave is the one attached to Squirm A Case of Spring Fever about the springs and lack there of.

I wish Best Brains would put out a new edition of the Amazing Collosal Episode Guide including the SciFi eps.

[DennisMM]

Mr. B remains my favorite short because it seems as if everyone involved must have been drunk from script through editing. A Case of Spring Fever is great stuff.

I, too, would like a new edition of the episode guide, but the program's failure to appear in reruns anywhere makes it unlikely. I've heard they no longer have broadcast clearance for many of the movies that were riffed, though DVD rights are still in power for many movies from the SciFi years. I downloaded the text from the web pages for seasons 7-10 and will, in time, create a print version for those years. I also will make a title index for the movies in the first six seasons. I hate that there is no way to locate a movie without scanning through all the seasons.

[Chairman Kaga]

It's a shame how complicated the rights can get for showing these awful films thus limiting syndication.

[Brocktune]

i think thats what keeps SNL out of the complete season DVD sets that many of us are holding out for.

[DennisMM]

i think thats what keeps SNL out of the complete season DVD sets that many of us are holding out for.

I've heard it's all about the music clearances. Geez, Devo doesn't want "Jocko Homo" on DVD?

[bamf]

I remember in the early series Joel would explain certain elements of film production, Mike was more about the bits. I first learned what exactly a foley artist was while watching MST3K. I still remember the props he used, and I was pretty young then.

[colonel_lugz]

Finally! some MST3K love!

Yes Kaga, It did get across the pond. Im a massive MSTie fan. I Have to say thought that I do prefer mike to Joel, he just comes across as a much better actor for one ( like Dennis said) I much more prefer the shows after Joels departures.

This will make you all jealous: Im going to an all night MST3K screening on Saturday as part of Sci Fi London, 4 of the best eps played back to back through-out the night. I cant fucking wait!

[Lady Sheridan]

I LOVED this show. I need to break down and buy some of them on DVD. I still crack up when thinking of that short "Learn to play an instrument" or whatever...god, I loved the shorts.

The highlight of Thanksgiving for me was the all day marathon!!

I still remember the song:
We gather together
To watch cheesy movies
On comedy central
On Thanksgiving Day

I used to know the lyrics to the Waffle song, and "PANTS!" but all I can remember is:

PANTS!
Sing the praises of pants
They always tuck in my gut
They always cover up my butt...

[The Vicar]

Just loved this program.
Liked Joel better, but I hate recasting in general ( unless its Dr Who).
I always thought it would be fun to do something like MST live, in a real theatre with three wise asses miked in the front row.
Then again, I like pie.
Go figure.

[austenandrews]

I always thought it would be fun to do something like MST live, in a real theatre with three wise asses miked in the front row.

I think this is not uncommon these days. In Austin we have a regular troupe that performs at the Alamo Drafthouse. They used to call themselves Mister Sinus Theater but apparently they got nailed for trademark violation. Now they're the Sinus Show.

I voted for the Comedy Central years (wasn't it the Comedy Channel back then?) because it was so weird and fresh. You could still catch standup clips of Joel as a prop comedian back then. His deadpan was ironic where Mike's delivery was more campy. Plus you can't replace TV's Frank.

Whatever happened to Joel Hodgson, anyway?

[The Vicar]

He's in a film coming out, sometime this year, called Darkstar. Sketchy details available at IMDB.

[Vegeta]

I personally loved Joel! I kinda stopped watching when he left , so Joel/Comedy Central years for this boy.

[DennisMM]

I LOVED this show. I need to break down and buy some of them on DVD. I still crack up when thinking of that short "Learn to play an instrument" or whatever...god, I loved the shorts.

That's "Mr. B Natural," a shill for Conn (KHAAAAN!) brass instruments, from 1957. Betty Luster (apparently a dancer, not an actress, and it shows) plays Mr. B. I've always thought she sounded more like "Mr. F. Sharp" because of her horribly shrill voice.

There are four shorts collections, three from Rhino and one sold directly by Best Brains, "Mr. B's Lost Shorts." Unfortunately, none of the shorts collections is available on DVD. Julia and I have dubbed several dozen shorts into thematic collections, such as safety and romance, and are seriously considering buying a DVD recorder (we have one on our computer but no appropriate way to upload) so we can save our tapes before they disintegrate.

[colonel_lugz]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMitchel!!!

[Chairman Kaga]

He's in a film coming out, sometime this year, called Darkstar. Sketchy details available at IMDB.

It's a CD-Rom game. It also features Josh Weinstein, Mary Jo Pehl, Trace Bealieu, Frank Coniff.....Hell Mike and Kevin Murphy seem like the only people who aren't in it.

[colonel_lugz]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMitchel!!!.

[colonel_lugz]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMitchel!!!.

[colonel_lugz]

im really staring to lose my cool with the bugs in this place

[Chairman Kaga]

Unfortunately, none of the shorts collections is available on DVD. Julia and I have dubbed several dozen shorts into thematic collections, such as safety and romance, and are seriously considering buying a DVD recorder (we have one on our computer but no appropriate way to upload) so we can save our tapes before they disintegrate.

Not exactly true. The boxset I just bought Volume 6 Features Mr. B Natural's Lost Shorts which is one of the main reasons I purchased it.

[The Vicar]

He's in a film coming out, sometime this year, called Darkstar. Sketchy details available at IMDB.

It's a CD-Rom game. It also features Josh Weinstein, Mary Jo Pehl, Trace Bealieu, Frank Coniff.....Hell Mike and Kevin Murphy seem like the only people who aren't in it.

I stand erected...um...corrected.
Unless I've become a very sloppy reader, IMDB didn't mention this salient piece of information.
Douches.

[DennisMM]

Unfortunately, none of the shorts collections is available on DVD. Julia and I have dubbed several dozen shorts into thematic collections, such as safety and romance, and are seriously considering buying a DVD recorder (we have one on our computer but no appropriate way to upload) so we can save our tapes before they disintegrate.

Not exactly true. The boxset I just bought Volume 6 Features Mr. B Natural's Lost Shorts which is one of the main reasons I purchased it.

My humblest apologies.

[DennisMM]

He's in a film coming out, sometime this year, called Darkstar. Sketchy details available at IMDB.

It's a CD-Rom game. It also features Josh Weinstein, Mary Jo Pehl, Trace Bealieu, Frank Coniff.....Hell Mike and Kevin Murphy seem like the only people who aren't in it.

I stand erected...um...corrected.
Unless I've become a very sloppy reader, IMDB didn't mention this salient piece of information.
Douches.

They have been working on that thing for freakin' YEARS. It was announced on a parent site back in 2001, I think. Financing was probably tight. I wonder if they'll ever make some serious inroads on Statical Planets?

[DennisMM]

I always thought it would be fun to do something like MST live, in a real theatre with three wise asses miked in the front row.

I think this is not uncommon these days. In Austin we have a regular troupe that performs at the Alamo Drafthouse. They used to call themselves Mister Sinus Theater but apparently they got nailed for trademark violation. Now they're the Sinus Show.

MSTies of Colorado got permission from Best Brains to do a live show a couple of years back. Rather than use a cheesy movie they commissioned a play by a local guerilla-theater company. The riffing was done by three actors/fans in character as Joel and the 'bots, with decent voice impressions. They even had home-made 'bots, very well done. Dr. F also made an appearance. I have a DVD of it. Unfortunately, the sound quality sucks and you can't see Joel and the 'bots at all because they were not lit. Also, the play wasn't just cheesy, it was boring and downright bad. Not entertainingly bad, either.

[LeFlambeur]

I miss that show so much. I loved the way they turned what were probably the biggest wastes of celluliod the medium has ever seen and resurrected them in to something watchable and even entertaining. There should be a law that every shitty movie must have an MST3K commentary track feature when it's released on DVD.

[DennisMM]

FYI, Mike Nelson has a series of DVDs with movies he riffs on his own, including Carnival of Souls and Plan 9 from Outer Space.

[Chairman Kaga]

It's a show that should have never ended.

[colonel_lugz]

Any Uk Zoners who are interested (i know your not but I thought I'd try anyway): There are only 8 tickets left for the MST3K all nighter this saturday night/sunday morning. Tickets are only £22 and thats a whole lotta MSTie for that price.

if anyone is interested then head over to http://sci-fi-london.com/ to get the box office number.

Im going with about five people so I wont be on me tod, but would be great to get some Zoners along.

C'MON!

[Brocktune]

FYI, Mike Nelson has a series of DVDs with movies he riffs on his own, including Carnival of Souls and Plan 9 from Outer Space.

i have the "Reefer Madness" that he does. its hilarious.

in addition, on the dvd of STAR WAIT there is some commentary by joel, trace, and josh weinstein. its funny

[Lady Sheridan]

Any Uk Zoners who are interested (i know your not but I thought I'd try anyway): There are only 8 tickets left for the MST3K all nighter this saturday night/sunday morning. Tickets are only £22 and thats a whole lotta MSTie for that price.

If I was in England, I would SO be there. I haven't seen an episode of MST3K in years, and this would fulfill my glaring need!!

Goddamn you, America!! I reject you as my native land.

ETA: Post #600!!

[Brocktune]

congratulations, lady!

although, im sure thinking of yourself as "grando" must not be too flattering. oh well, all the more fire to get to 700, eh?

[Chairman Kaga]

Any Uk Zoners who are interested (i know your not but I thought I'd try anyway): There are only 8 tickets left for the MST3K all nighter this saturday night/sunday morning. Tickets are only £22 and thats a whole lotta MSTie for that price.

If I was in England, I would SO be there. I haven't seen an episode of MST3K in years, and this would fulfill my glaring need!!

Goddamn you, America!! I reject you as my native land.

ETA: Post #600!!

If I am ever in your neck of the woods I will swing by with some tapes.

[DennisMM]

Any Uk Zoners who are interested (i know your not but I thought I'd try anyway): There are only 8 tickets left for the MST3K all nighter this saturday night/sunday morning. Tickets are only £22 and thats a whole lotta MSTie for that price.

If I was in England, I would SO be there. I haven't seen an episode of MST3K in years, and this would fulfill my glaring need!!

Goddamn you, America!! I reject you as my native land.

ETA: Post #600!!

Lady S, CHECK IT OUT!

I know Fort Collins is a bit of a drive, but it's fun! It's free! It's MSTies Anonymous of Colorado! Tentative fall schedule:

FALL 2006 Schedule
All Shows are Free & at 7:00 pm in the
Lory Student Center Senate Chambers
Unless Otherwise Noted

8/25 #621 – The Beast of Yucca Flats
w/ short: Money Talks!

9/1 #301 – Cave Dwellers

9/8 #415 – The Beatniks
w/ short: General Hospital 2

9/15 #809 – I Was A Teenage Werewolf

9/22 MST3K Braini-antics
#518 –The Atomic Brain
w/ short: What about Juvenile Delinquency
#513 – the Brain that Wouldn’t Die

9/29 #1002 – Girl in Gold Boots

10/6 #624---Sampson vs. The Vampire Women

10/13 #411 – the Magic Sword

10/20 #317 – Viking Women and the Sea Serpent
w/ short: The Home Economics Story

10/27 MST3K Horror VII prize for best costume!
#424 – Manos: the Hands of Fate
w/ short: Hired, part 2
#912 – The Screaming Skull
w/ short: Robot Rumpus

11/3 # 320– The Unearthly
w/ shorts: Posture Pals and Appreciating our Parents

11/10 # 619–Red Zone Cuba
w/ short: Speech: Platform Posture and Appearance

11/17 MST3K Ye Olde Pestilence
#1009 – Hamlet
#913 – Quest of the Delta Knights

12/1 #422 – The Day the Earth Froze
w/ short: Here comes the circus

12/9 #521 – Santa Claus

Look at 10/27 -- prize for best costume! It's right up your alley! Sure, it's a bit of a drive, but once in a blue moon? Go nuts. Julia and I attend rarely because she has hip problems and the theater seats can be painful, but who knows, we might run into you.

Congratulations on post 600.

[DennisMM]

Man I wish we had something akin round these here parts..

Some dude from Panama City Beach just emailed me asking about screening rights. That's not much good to you, but quite the coincidence, eh?

[Chairman Kaga]

Man I wish we had something akin round these here parts..

[Chairman Kaga]

That's only like 4 hours away...depending.

[St. Alphonzo]

Circus on Ice

Featuring the greatest moment in MST3K history. Two girls iceskating while Tom sings the following pleasant little ditty:

These two girls they make quite a pair
They both come from your worst nightmare
They will haunt your soul forever
And now, when you see pink, you're gonna think
We're doomed.
They are agents of Satan.

The only thing that could rival it is:

This is the song right after the chase scene
This is the fight: Rocky and Ken
He tried to kill me with a forklift
Ole'!

Extra credit if you can name that episode!

[Lady Sheridan]

Look at 10/27 -- prize for best costume! It's right up your alley! Sure, it's a bit of a drive, but once in a blue moon? Go nuts. Julia and I attend rarely because she has hip problems and the theater seats can be painful, but who knows, we might run into you.

Congratulations on post 600.

Ooooh!! You know, I will find a way to go...especially if there's a costume contest!! You know me too well, Dennis.

Funny you should mention it--there is to be another Tarantino Party tomorrow night. I just put my costume together tonight. 8)

And a fall schedule is perfect, since my life will be a really empty wasteland by then...!

[DennisMM]

I hope you're feeling a little better now, LS.

Most of the costumes in our little contest are SF or fantasy oriented, or just MST related. (Did you see the pics in Photo Album? Did I post them there? My brain hurts.) FYI if you do show up six months from now.

I didn't post them in that topic, so here they are:


Highlights of the 2005 costume contest: Joel Robinson, MSTies President Colin, Caesar on a bad March day, a Medieval maiden and some manga/anime girl. I can’t remember which book/show.


A tribute to “MST"'s presentation of “’Manos’â€

[Lady Sheridan]

Those are awesome pictures, Dennis!! Those are all great costumes, it looks like I may have met my matches!

My mind is swimming with possibilities...this looks like a really fun crowd!!

[colonel_lugz]

Last night was the MST3K All Nighter that I have been bleeting on about for weeks. After all that hype I was giving it could it live up to expectations?

Fucking Hell Yeah!!!!!..............Last night was one of the best cinema experiences I have ever been involved with....it was absolutly brilliant.

The atmosphere was incredible, it was quite a small venue (about 100 seats) and It was completely sold out (Kirk even came down to try and get a ticket but sadly he had no luck) and full of MSTie fans all of whom were completely geeking out at what we were about to see. Quite a few americans had come over for the event which was cool, especially the two guys who bought full size working puppets of Tom Servo and Crow and sat them in the two seats on the right hand side at the front.

The event kicked off at about mid night where we had a great introduction from Loiue, the Sci-Fi-London organiser. He was really geeking out cos he hadnt expected the All Nighter to be so popular. He talked about his love for MST3K and through out a load of DVDs into the crowd (I managed to catch season 1 of the Bionic Woman!!) We were all so all given a goodie bag with a ton of cool crap in, including Maniac Cop 2 on DVD.

Then began the films............We were very priveliged to be shown first a 15 minute making of featurette of the nights first MSTie; Time Chasers. The making of was so terrible it had every one giggling straight away. It was a great way to get the crowd warmed up.

Then came the episode which we had all gathered there for....they were: Time Chasers, The Brain That Wouldn't Die, Prince of Space and Space Mutiny. I had only seen half of Time Chasers and none of the others before this and I have to say these are some of the best episodes I have ever seen. Being in a room full of other MSTies was an amazing experience and made each episode so much more funny, people were literally screaming with laughter and falling out of their seats.

I wish some of you Zoners could have made it, it was truely a great night. Because it was so successful they have all ready penciled it in as the main feature for next years festival and they have garaunteed that Kevin Murphy (Tom Servo) will be in attendence...................Im most deffinatly gonna be there.

There are gonna be reports, photos and video clips of the event at http://www.sci-fi-london.com in the near future.

[colonel_lugz]

you are too kind Brock

[Brocktune]

fuck the corona.
lugz, you are now officially the coolest motherfucker at the table.

glad to hear it was a blast. but i expected nothing less, to be honest. glad that people across the world are keeping the midnight movie (which this is basically an extension of) a living tradition. representing for geeks everywhere! awesome.