Do you remember this logo?

I don’t know what it was that put it into my head, but the other day I got to wondering about the old Mystery Science Theater 3000 show that swept through the cable tv underground in the late 80’s.

Affectionately known by its fans as “Misty 3K,” the show developed true cult status.  The cornball humor was just hilarious and it would literally keep you laughing out loud throughout the entire program.  In fact, the commercial breaks were welcomed so that you could get a break and rest your laugh muscles.

The producers of the show would dig up the most horrible and nutty Grade B movies, usually the science fiction type,  and show them with a running commentary by the three creatures in the front row, a man and two little “robots” that he had made.  It was the commentary that grabbed you….so hilarious that you would lose track of the movie plot completely and get absorbed with the almost-out-of-control antics of the kibitzers.

The basic premise of the show was convoluted and not really important, but it involved a man, Joel, being held captive on a space ship and forced to watch horrible movies so that a mad scientist could find the formula for movies so bad that he could use them to overwhelm people and take over the world.  Or something like that.

The show would start with one of the best opening/closing doors sequence ever filmed as Joel and his two robot friends, Servo and Crow (and later a third, Gypsy), would enter the theater and sit in the front row to watch some great flicks like Manos, The Hands of Fate; Horrors of Spider Island; and Attack of the Giant Leeches.  Once the movie started, it was off to the races and you were crippled with laughter for the next hour.

The series began in 1988 as a local show on station KTMA in Minneapolis.  After running 13 episodes they caught the attention of the people who were starting up a new cable channel now known as Comedy Central, and the show moved over to there where it ran for seven seasons.  Comedy Central was carried by a limited number of cable systems at first and that added to the cult aura of the program.

After a management change at CC knocked MST3K off the air, they moved over to the Sci-Fi Channel for another four years.  Altogether they made 198 episodes and won a Peabody Award in 1993 along with two Emmy nominations in 1994 and 1995.  The last original program was shown on August 8, 1999.

They might be finished with original productions, but the shows are being re-issued on DVD’s with a batch of four episodes on most of them.  Amazon.com has 28 offerings listed.  If you’re a true MST3K aficianado, then you can read a good, comprehensive history of the program on Wikipedia HERE.  There is also a clip on YouTube showing the program’s campy intro with a portion of the “doors” sequence right at the end HERE.  We have also added a brief film clip in the video box at the top of the right sidebar.

But first, we’d better get this equipment checked out.  I’ll see you at the coffee table.

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