Joe's TV List Is Filled with Turtle Meat

#18: Mystery Science Theater 3000
(KTMA, 1988-1989; Comedy Central,
1989-1996; Sci-Fi, 1997-1999)

One bright summer afternoon in 1998, I returned home from a screening of Saving Private Ryan, sat down at my computer, and promptly typed up "Joe's Guide to Moviegoing," 10 tidbits of escalating obscenity masquerading as advice for my fellow patrons, along the lines of "stop @#$%ing complaining about the popcorn prices," "shut the @#$% up about having to sit through commercials and trailers," and "quit @#$%ing whining about the Jimmy Fund appeal." But my ire was most concentrated on certain emotionally stunted twits who felt compelled to supply additional dialogue to the official screenplay during key moments. But, again, this was Saving Private Ryan. Maybe I wouldn't have minded so much had it been Eegah!, Manos: Hands of Fate, or one of several Gamera adventures, and if we had been forced to watch them, as were Joel Hodgson (later Mike Nelson) and a pair of snarky robot companions. Perhaps the most arcane of comic endeavors (really, the more obscure references you can follow, the funnier it is), MST3K attracted a hardcore cult following during its lengthy run, yet always stayed true to its ultra-low-budget origins, in both its shaggy-dog ethos and its pawn-shop props and set design. Occasional episodes could drag, but when the Satellite of Love crew latched onto a turkey for the ages like Cave Dwellers ("Uh-oh, the fog's starting to obscure the action." "What action?"), well, let's just say no one was in a hurry to rescue their asses.

Comments

[Jaclyn]

MST3K is in my top ten. TV got infinitely better when 'Overdrawn at the Memory Bank' got its second coming in outerspace.

We got movie sign!