Some of My
Favorite MST3K Episodes,
Sketches, Riffs, and Moments Generally
(a highly subjective list, and liable to change
frequently as I remember more things)
... in no particular order
1.
Catalina Caper (204) -- the whole episode: riffs, host segments,
invention exchange, the
Creepy Girl song, the lot.
2.
The short "Johnny at the Fair" (419s) --
especially this riff, when Johnny tries to watch a baseball game: Narrator (Lorne Greene):
But he finds a five year old can't get close enough to see anything. Tom
Servo: Besides, the Mariners are playing, so who cares?
(Honorable
mention, from Girls Town [601]:
Nun: That's St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes. Tom
Servo: Used to play for the Mariners. Tom slammed on
the Ms a lot, I've noticed.)
3.
The United Servo
Academy Men's Chorus Hymn, performed by the United Servo Academy Men's Chorus, under
the direction of United Servo Academy Men's Chorus Director Vice Brigadier Sir Thomas
"Bullhead" Servo, in The Starfighters (612).
4.
The sidehacking
play-by-play in The Sidehackers (202).
5.
Similarly, the "winter sports cavalcade" riff on the short "Snow
Thrills" (311s).
6.
Crow T. Robot's inspired performance in The Skydivers (609).
7.
Crow's riff in "The Phantom Creeps," the episode that aired with Jungle
Goddess (203):
Burn the file on the electric dance belt and pick up my manhood. It's under the chair.
(You'd have to see it in context, but it's really funny.) If any single riff made me a
MSTie, this one is it.
8.
J&TB discussing their
funeral plans in The Gunslinger (511): I'll lie in state at
the Corn Palace
while "Hooked on a Feelin'" is sung by a choir of castrati.
9.
Tom Servo's riffing on an entire auditorium of weirdoes in Warrior of the Lost World
(501).
10.
The host segments cataloging all the continuity errors and other ways the filmmakers
"just didn't care" -- specificially, those in Cave Dwellers (301) and Attack
of the Eye Creatures (418).
11.
Crow's "Killer Peck" in Space Travelers (401).
12.
The heavily-valiumed woman's laconic declaraton, "Hail to Hestia, Queen of
Atlantis," in Fire Maidens of Outer Space (416).
13.
Whenever Tom Servo's head exploded (various shows).
14.
The chasing-a-fake-priest-through-the-railyard scene in The Rebel Set (419).
15.
The Chicken Men of Krankor (816 et seq.).
16.
Joel's
return to the SOL in Soultaker (1001).
17.
And any time they cried out, We've got movie sign!
My
(former) biggest MST regret
No question: Taping over many of the
early-years MST episodes.
Granted, in many cases, I taped over them with later
episodes. But by the time I made a concentrated effort to save as many as I could, Comedy
Central wasn't showing the old ones as often any more. And then, as I said, once the show
hopped to Sci-Fi, CC stopped showing reruns altogether. While I appreciate Rhino releasing
on video the episodes they have, many episodes will never be released at all. Which means
either doing without or ... circulating the tapes!
For some reason, it had never occured to me to look for MST
episodes on eBay ("It's
like we're smart, but we're not!"). Then Sarah -- friend, co-worker, and
MSTie --
pointed out that several folks there who sell precisely that. I purchased
some VHS tapes from
Jerrod Farley,
and subsequently a bunch of DVDs from "surgekeeper".
Today, I'm happy to
report that the episodes I used to have listed here under the heading
"Episodes I most wish I could see again," are now incorporated into
the list on the next page of episodes I am
proud to own.
Finally, I should
mention that another visitor to this site kindly informed me
some time ago of the incredible truth that
217 MST
episodes are downloadable in DVD format from
the
Digital Archive Project. Making the DAP function
requires the ability to burn DVDs on your computer, so if you can do that,
give them a shot and let me know how it goes!
I am currently in the
process of copying all my MST tapes onto DVD (or, more conveniently if also
more expensively, just buying them on DVD from one of the folks mentioned
above).
The key MST link:
There used to be more MST web sites than you've had hot meals. Many were fairly lame,
but a few were really quite complex and useful. Today, a lot of these sites, both good and
bad, have disappeared. And many of the ones still online seem not to have been updated
since the show went off the air.
There is one site, though, that is still updated every day. Most of the best MST sites
are linked to here -- and most of the really great ones (IMHO) are hosted on its server.
If you're interested in MST info, including its creators and stars, the movies it
featured, and more, this is the place to go. It is:
The official Mystery Science Theater 3000
Info Club Web Site
Useful sections on the Satellite News site
include (but are not limited to):
Daddy-O's
Drive-In Dirt: Complete information on every single movie and short featured
in the whole series. Awesome research! (The underlined episode numbers on my MST pages
here link to Daddy-O's pages.)
The Unofficial MST3K
Episode Guide: Each show in all ten seasons is described here, including the
host segments.
MST3K
Merchandise for Sale.
The Official MST3K FAQ:
If you're wondering about something, chances are the answer is here.
The Umbilicus:
Links to other MST sites. My page right here is the very first one listed in the
"Not-So-Official Sites" section (ah, the miracle of alphabetization).
They recently updated this page, at my suggestion, to note that some MST
fan sites have died or gone inactive, while others are still being
updated.
And not for the faint of heart,
there's:
Ward E:
"For truly obsessive fans" (like your humble host).
Includes the lyrics to most songs performed on the show, transcripts to many of the host
segments and other riffs, lots of interesting and important lists, and other important
info. But be warned: this stuff isn't for the amateur!
Update! Also, in case you missed it on my first MST page, there
is Cinematic
Titanic and The
Film Crew and
RiffTrax!
Still not had enough MST3K? Good for
you. I've got one more page you can check out. |
