Back around Season 2 or 3, I was watching the show for about the second time ever. They were rerunning Robot Monster from Season 1. At one point, the scene switched to a wide shot of an open field of tall grass waving in the wind. Just as I popped a Butter Rum Life Saver into my mouth, Servo said (in a very deadpan mock-documentary voiceover), “Sorghum: nature’s bounty!”
I swallowed that damn Life Saver whole, I was laughing so hard. Just about choked to death. I’ve been a fan ever since.
One of my favorite episodes, which I rarely see cited by others, was The Dead Talk Back. SUCH a horrible movie, SUCH great lines. (“Were you ever in jail before?” “Ja.” “What for?” Bots: “A crossbow killing…but I had nothing to do with this one!”. And the way Mike imitates the band, tiredly going “Tooty toot toot…”) Not to mention the golden “Selling Wizard” short before the movie. Love it love it.
Track of the Moon Beast will probably never be included as one of the very best episodes, but it had a couple fantastic interstitials. First, the documentary about The Band That Played California Lady was great (and that was quite a good song), and then there was the bit where Crow and Mike acted out a scene in the movie where the ingenue apologized profusely for scaring the hero, when actually the hero had just kind of looked around. It’s hard to explain, but it was just so dumb, and then when they got back to the SoL Crow pulls the same joke while Mike is eating green beans.
I agree that the Sci-Fi eps are sometimes unfairly maligned. I’m certainly more familiar with them, and I do think the humor was different (and much less obscure, as I noted upthread), but they’re funny. “Paaaackerrrrs!” Bobo was great and I loved the conceit of the first Sci-Fi season, where Pearl, Bobo and Brain Guy traveled around the universe and Mike blew up planets. (Also funny, from the first Sci-Fi ep, Peanut and Bobo greet the newly reconstituted Mike & bots, then start in with “Your movie tonight…” Mike is incredulous – the experiment’s been over for 500 years! “But, it’s Ape Law!”)
No. The MST3K Kevin Murphy apparently hasn’t worked very much lately. The Desperate Housewives Kevin Murphy wrote and produced Reefer Madness: The Musical. I thought it was the same guy, as Reefer Madness: The Musical is just the kind of genius I would have expected from an MST3K alum. I give it my highest recommendation.
You know, I can’t think of an episode I don’t like. Every line and reference you all have posted has me thinking, “Yeah, that was great!”
As for which DVDs, I’d say start with the four-episode set volume 5. It has Boggy Creek II: Etc, “Geez, Do a pushup, kid.”, Merlin’s Mystical Shop of Wonders “Rock n’ Roll Martian…”, Time Chasers (With Pink Boy!), and Touch of Satan “This is where the fish lives.”
AMEN! I only started watching when it was on Sci-Fi and at first I didn’t even know that there had been other characters before. Mary Jo was so underrated-she just has such a wonderfully expressive face. And I LOVED Brain Guy/Observer.
Or the 10th season premiere, when Joel showed up. The 'Bots are all scared, not knowing what’s going on, then the door opens and Joel’s standing there and they’re like, “Oh, it’s just Joel. JOOOOOOOEEEELLLL!!!”
(Oh, and btw, did anyone else think that Bridget Jones’s Diary involved Bridget Jones, aka Mrs. Michael J. Nelson, aka Nuveena, aka Mr. B Natural?)
D’oh, I just remembered this after pressing submit-don’t you hate it when that happens? Anyone hear the story about them and Joe Don Baker? Word is he was so pissed about Mitchell that he said if he ever saw any of the cast and/or crew, he’d kick the shit out of them. That’s why Final Justice went beyond riffing and go down right nasty.
Ever since then, whenever I catch Joe Don in a movie, I just have this uncontrollable urge to yell, “MITCHELL!!!”
This is quite a coincidence, but Mr. Legend recently found a source for MST3K episodes, and we saw that one only last night. It was filmed in our home town, which made it extra…er…special.
He TRIIIIEEEED to kill me with a fork lift! - also had best use of blonde Barbi wigs on Japanese men. “and that’s when I told them to GET OFF MY LAND!”
One of the Gamera eps (Ithink) had a nice little bit with a cockpit shot of a jet fighter pilot looking around with the dark visor down. Tom says, “I can’t see a thing!” The pilot then snaps back the visor, to which Tom replies, “That’s better.”
In Norwegine, Ski is prounounced SHEE… Crow: “I think they’re full of skit.”
Stock footage of an H-bomb explosion cut into scene of some movie, Crow: “Pretty!”
Obviously, I like the Joel era best. Even tho Mike was a co writer at the time, Joel’s delivery and presence were better.
Just about any of them on DVD might be a good way to go… but the Crawling Hand is early stuff, and may be a little unpolished (haven’t seen it yet - that’s #1.06) - and Manos is difficult even with Mike and the Bots. Wild World of Batwoman, though, had me and a friend in stitches on Tuesday - might be a good exemplifying episode.
Ah yes, Cave Dwellers. Which was originally one of those Ator movies (Conan the Barbarian rip-off type movie), with title and title sequence changed (using one from a different movie). Same thing happened with Pod People. I think it was something to do with whatever copyright permissions they had acquired.
Anyways, I don’t know if we liked the same scene, but here’s the one that cracked me up from that one.
bad guy pokes Ator in the (bare) chest, while Tom Servo makes a doorbell noise Crow: Tits all over… I mean, it’s all over for you, Ator! I know we’ve been breast… uh… best friends…
I’m still at work and trying to stifle my laughter remembering all these great lines. My cow-orkers probably think I’ve finally gone over the edge.
A few of my favs that I haven’t seen mentioned are White Goddess, I Accuse My Parents, and Sampson vs. the Vampire Women. “Ah, geez. I didn’t want to spring for the bat-chasing option and now I need it!” Plus the short about Cheating was hilarious. The first time I saw the kid reach out to his friends passing by and Crow(?) says, “Spare some change?” I nearly plotzed!
And their lyrics to the Trumpy song were too funny. “Flying over trout. Hideous control now. Idiot control now.” :p:p:p
I have one of the prequel movies. I picked it up at a truck stop last year. I haven’t worked up the nerve to open it yet. I should. In his own stupid way, Ator’s kinda cool.
The scene that almost caused my premature demise was when Ator shows up on that hang glider. The sheer ridiculous impossibility of that was obvious even to me as a kid. Bwahahahaha!!!
My cow-orkers probably think I’ve finally gone over the edge.