I know I posted some of my favorite eps of my second-favorite show (after The Simpsons) in the earlier thread, but I might as well do another, 'cause it's fun. I don't prefer one guy over the other (I never understood the whole Joel vs. Mike debate), and I don't prefer one era (The Comedy Channel/Comedy Central vs. Sci-Fi Channel) over another. So here are SOME of my favorite episodes (and I've seen almost every one) from MST3K, in no particular order:
Catalina Caper - onetime Disney child star Tommy Kirk appears in this odd beach party flick, featuring Little Richard.
The Sidehackers - I still wonder...is sidehacking a
real sport?
The Castle of Fu Manchu - Christopher Lee starred in five Fu Manchu flicks from 1965-1969. This is easily the worst (and last); even watching it without the MST3K commentary, it's still a chore to get through.
Mitchell - Joe Don Baker + MST3K = comedy heaven.
Final Justice - see above.
Monster a Go-Go - another one that's painful to watch as a stand-alone: the original director shot some of this film in the early 60s; he ran out of money and left it unfinished. Cut to 3 or four years later. "Godfather of Gore" Herschell Gordon Lewis bought the raw footage, and shot new material with different actors supposedly playing the characters who appeared in the earlier film.
Eegah! Caveman (Richard Kiel, who played Jaws in two Roger Moore Bond films) falls in love with girl; it's up to the Pillsbury Dough Boy (I mean Arch Hall, Jr.) to save her. Watch out for snakes!
Jack Frost - Russian "kid's film" about the mythical Jack Frost, a fair maiden, and a vain young man whose head turns into the head of a bear by "Father Mushroom." "I thought Jerry Garcia was Father Mushroom?"
The Touch of Satan - early '70s horror flick about a young man who falls in love with a young woman who is actually an ancient witch. Oh, and a psychotic, mumbling granny who crashes through doors like Kramer from Seinfeld. The film features one of cinema's most memorable lines: as the young couple walk lovingly by a river, the girl sighs, gestures to the water, and says, "this is where the fish lives."
I Was a Teenage Werewolf - whenever Michael Landon hears a schoolbell, he sprouts hair and fangs; hey, who doesn't? !
Godzilla vs. Megalon - memorable for the classic Orville Popcorn host segment.
Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders - cuddly grandpa Ernest Borgnine tells his annoying, mush-mouthed grandson an inappropriate bedtime story about Merlin, a woman who isn't able to conceive, a psychotic toy monkey, a guy who literally turns into an infant, and a lot of other random junk...although this was the last new episode of MST3K ever to air, it wasn't the last produced episode; that was:
Squirm - your average killer-worm movie; oddly, the line, "you gonna be the worm face!" makes more sense in the original, uncut version, but it's still something silly to say; includes the classic short, "A Case of Spring Fever." This was the swan song for the SOL, with Mike and the Bots finally coming back to earth to be subjected to...bad movies.
Hamlet - dreary German TV adaptation of the Bard's immortal play.
Girl in Gold Boots - a waitress goes to L.A. to become a go-go dancer; hilarity ensues!
The Horror of Party Beach - mutant sea monsters go on a rampage, wrecking slumber parties; hilarity ensues!
This was actually shot close to where I live...I swear I recognize some of the exteriors.
Hobgoblins - Ah, Club Scum! So is it "Pig Liquor"? "Fish Picker"? "Kid Snickers"? Oddly Rick Sloane, the director of this mess,
gave MST3K his film to lampoon; the gang are especially vicious with their commentary, even putting down Sloane himself, as someone with "rat droppings" for brains.
Time Chasers - who knew the future was so dull?
Red Zone Cuba - Coleman Francis (who resembles Curly from the Three Stooges) confection about the Bay of Pigs...or something. Oh, and some dude in a cheap, obviously fake beard, who's supposed to be Castro. Hollywood character actor John Carradine has about five minutes screentime at the very top of the film. He also sings its theme song! "No wonder they called Carradine The Voice!"
Manos: The Hands of Fate - Torgo! The Mmmaster wwwouldn't aapprove...
Kitten with a Whip - Ann-Margret in a rare, bad-girl role!
Bloodlust - remake of The Most Dangerous Game, with a young Mr. Brady (Robert Reed) as one of the hunted!
Pod People - E.T. meets ALF! Except ALF didn't exist when this was made...but Trumpy does kinda look like ALF...
Operation Double 007 - the name's Connery...
Neil Connery, Sean's brother, in one of the many Bond imitation films of the 1960s; features Bond regulars Bernard Lee (M) and Lois Maxwell (Miss Moneypenny). Plus
Thunderball villain Adolfo Celi!
Overdrawn at the Memory Bank - shot-on-tape PBS film with Raul Julia; somehow "Casablanca" is worked into the plot; good host segments, spoofing pledge drives, especially the duet between Pearl and Brain Guy.
Then there's
The Painted Hills (starring Lassie),
Cave Dwellers, Daddy-O, The Beast of Yucca Flats (more Coleman Francis!),
Werewolf, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (aww...an MST3K Christmas!),
I Accuse My Parents (your standard 1940s "warning" film about a good boy who goes down a bad path) and the great
The Wild World of Batwoman, which features a Mexican wrestler-like character prowling around, and a goofy lab chase.
Good times!