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Weekend Discussion Thread: The Many Faces of Mike

Alert reader Scott observes:

Mike did all kinds of characters and celebrity impressions on the show over the years. What do you think were some of his best? Or what impressions do you wish he’d tried? Personally, I loved his Morrissey

.

I talked about this in the episode guide entry for “Wild World of Batwoman” but his look of guileless delight as a clearly mustachioed Crow arrives with soup is one of my all-time favorite Mike faces.

Yours?

Please keep sending those WDT ideas!

77 Replies to “Weekend Discussion Thread: The Many Faces of Mike”

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  1. goalieboy82 says:

    his Captain Janeway was the best.

       16 likes

  2. robot rump! says:

    the ‘Full Metal Jacket: he-llo joker.’ riff on ‘Alien from LA.’

       6 likes

  3. Crow T Robot13 says:

    His Carol Channing was dead on. It was like she was right there – alive and in person. Marvelous, marvelous performance. ;)

       9 likes

  4. Gobi says:

    He was great as Hugh Beaumont.

       15 likes

  5. robot rump! says:

    ‘did You bRIng MATches for MIkey?’

       17 likes

  6. Torque the Dorque says:

    Mike’s best was the “Gesture Professor” even though the bots didn’t like it and made Mike feel “Down, down, down…”

       18 likes

  7. Rip McStudly says:

    My first thought was the NPR style classical music host that Tom enraged in Starfighters, but someone with more Minnesota knowledge is going to have to put a name to him.

       5 likes

  8. DarkGrandmaofDeath says:

    I always thought Mike was fabulous as a woman. He was lovely as the murmuring woman from Horrors of Spider Island, and as the ’50s girl group singer performing “Where, oh, Werewolf” (with that kicky scarf!).

       13 likes

  9. David Mello says:

    Glenn Manning, of course, especially when he read a fan letter, along with that nearsighted thug in “Daddy-O”

       13 likes

  10. Apollonia James (yeah, right) says:

    Mike’s glasses-mediated transformation to wimpy Mikey in Teenage Strangler always cracks me up. I also like his reaction when the bots try to play “This is Your Life”.
    “Hi Mike, how ya doin’?”
    “I WAS doing fine…”

       14 likes

  11. Jay says:

    Pearl’s Couch –

    “We just can’t have nice things”. MIke in footie pajamas jumping on Pearl’s new couch was such a hoot, but it was the look on his face of fear turning to unhappiness at getting caught that made the moment. A genuine little boy moment.

       15 likes

  12. Gary Bowden says:

    When he was the bunny and the bots were woodland creatures…

    When he was listening to classical music and putting sugar in his tea when the bots were in the escape pods…

       9 likes

  13. Murdock Hauser says:

    For me Mike turning into a Werecrow from Warwelf was absolutely fascinating.

       15 likes

  14. bellerian says:

    I have two : him as Morrissey and his second visit as Hugh Beaumont in Eht Numah Srotacilpud

       8 likes

  15. Torque the Dorque says:

    @8 I agree, his Valaria was stellar.

       5 likes

  16. Ro-man, aka one of several possible Steves says:

    A lot of great ones, but he NAILED Jack Perkins.

       31 likes

  17. Kansas says:

    Torgo. “They always do that”.

       21 likes

  18. Pemmican says:

    One word: “BOOOOLD?!!”

       11 likes

  19. Sitting Duck says:

    I too am a fan of his Jack Perkins. But for Good Old-Fashioned Nightmare Fuel, nothing compares to him dressing as Marie Antoinette in Kitten with a Whip.

       7 likes

  20. M. Thibault says:

    Mike (wearing bald wig, rumpled jacket and tie) “Down, down,” as Dr Frank C. Baxter, The Mole People.

       7 likes

  21. JPo says:

    Urkel, did he really do that!?

       14 likes

  22. sol-survivor says:

    Evil Mike in The Last of the Wild Horses. :-D :-D :-D

       18 likes

  23. MSTie says:

    Call me easy to please, but I always loved his Torgo. Seems like that would be a hard impression to do without overdoing it.

       20 likes

  24. ck says:

    Mike Nelson’s playing the piano (at a Turkey Day marathon?), including his touching
    recreation of Cole Porter’s reaction to his horse falling on him and breaking his legs.

    And he didn’t steal no bike, neither!

       11 likes

  25. courteous martians says:

    The first time I saw Mike do Jack Perkins I thought it really was Jack Perkins. He did an awesome Torgo too.

       13 likes

  26. Franklyn Hart says:

    Ro-man, aka one of several possible Steves:
    A lot of great ones, but he NAILED Jack Perkins.

    I love to watch the MST Hour episodes. His Jack Perkins is such a believable character that no matter how carefully I watch the performance, my mind cannot accept that this character is being played by Mike Nelson.

    It’s like watching Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove: I have no problem at all seeing Mr. Sellers as Lionel Mandrake or Dr. Strangelove – and both of those are great performances. However, I find it impossible to detect that President Merkin Muffley is in fact being played by Peter Sellers.

    Maybe it’s something about playing balding, milquetoast characters. It’s kind of the opposite of the usual tricks used in character acting.

       10 likes

  27. Franklyn Hart says:

    JPo:
    Urkel, did he really do that!?

    That, on the other hand, was not good.

       1 likes

  28. Blonde Russian Spy says:

    sol-survivor:
    Evil Mike in The Last of the Wild Horses.

    Yum! I’d also go with Glenn Manning, or the Lord of the Dance. Really, any time Mike was shirtless was a treat for me. :-)

       10 likes

  29. Norman says:

    Agua!!!

       7 likes

  30. EAG46 says:

    #19: But that red dress was so pretty on him! Also, when I showed my sister “Racket Girls”, she really liked Mike’s wrestler outfit that he wore at the end. I did too. [Wonder if Bridget asks him to wear it sometimes…]

       6 likes

  31. MarcusVermilion says:

    His appearance at the end of “Escape 2000” as Toblerone.

       12 likes

  32. Remmie Barrow says:

    Mike definitely OWNS Torgo.

       16 likes

  33. trennerdios says:

    Others have already mentioned him as Hugh Beaumont and Torgo, so I’ll go with one of my other favorites and say his portrayal of Winky. That bit of him in the basement always cracks me up.

       6 likes

  34. edward says:

    I love the Torgo and Jack Perkins impressions but my favorite “Mike face” is from the opening credits where he’s spinning the clipboard on his finger. It’s such a smart-ass, “Yeah, I did that” look, that I always chuckle.

       10 likes

  35. In the girl band singing “where-o-werewolf”.

    Also, when he had grizzled old prospector syndrome. I loved the way he kept stroking his beard.

    Nope, that was a surly truck farmer. Mighty darned good kisser though!

       14 likes

  36. Dr. Erickson says:

    Much as I’ve always loved Will Farrel’s James Lipton from ‘Inside the Actor’s Studio,’ I have to say Mike’s was pretty great too. “Joe Pesci’s mother made you weep. HOW?”

       10 likes

  37. Raigely says:

    Related to #11, Mike’s growing dismay as he realizes he’s been had in “Hamlet” is wonderfully pitiable, especially his stuttering “b-b-but we, the”…

    On another note, as noted in the episode guide entry for “Sinbad”, Mike doesn’t sound like Old Blue Eyes necessarily, but embodies the ballsy authority in that voice. You don’t got movie sign til I say you got movie sign, and all.

       10 likes

  38. MissT3K says:

    One of my favorites is when he “finds the sweet spot” while listening to the theme from “The Creeping Terror”. To act as if there were a “sweet spot”, knowing he had heard that tune at least 100 times while writing the episode to the point that it had to be torture, amazing!

       11 likes

  39. monkeypretzel says:

    Oh, his best hands-down was Abe Vigoda.

    No, I can’t lie. It’s really Jack Perkins for all-around nailing it. But I have to admit the increasingly off-the-wall Nick Nolte RiffTrax bits always make me laugh, as well as every time Mike imitates a cheesy hair band singer, like during the end credits of Megaforce.

       10 likes

  40. Troy says:

    Jack Perkins without question, though any time Mike went full-on crazy with the costuming and makeup was a sight to behold.
    Let me just say, here and now, that Michael Nelson *IS* Lord Of The Dance.

    It’s too bad that multiple split screens were just a little bit beyond their production values. I would have loved to see a Deep 13 party where Perkins, Toblerone, the Gesture Professor, and Morrissey all decided to show up.

       15 likes

  41. John Hanna says:

    Top Ten Best Mike Impressions

    1. Torgo
    2. Evil Mike
    3. Hugh Beaumont
    4. Captain Janeway
    5. Jack Perkins
    6. Michael Feinstein from ‘Gamera Vs Guiron’
    7. Glen Manning
    8. Toblerone
    9. Mikey The Mike Sprite from ‘A Case Of Spring Fever’
    10. Observer #3

       8 likes

  42. Troy says:

    Oh, and I almost forgot Winky and his incredibly hot girlfriend.

       4 likes

  43. Droppo says:

    Mystos!

       7 likes

  44. RedZoneTuba says:

    Most of my favorites have been mentioned, but two more I didn’t see…

    The maudlin folk singer longing for Crow as the SOL burns in Girl in Gold Boots

    The gas station attendent who is very…slowly…assaulted in Teenage Crime Wave (I still don’t know how he kept a straight face that long)

       11 likes

  45. radioman970 says:

    all the best ones already said. you guys should have to stick with ONE each!!! :p

    Was going to say Janeway but of course it’s #1. LOVE that one so damn much. lmaa

       5 likes

  46. Patrick says:

    My favorite was when he had issues with the baking soda. Classic!

       8 likes

  47. DrBlood says:

    Nobody’s mentioned Mike’s stern-faced Max von Sydow impression in ‘A Joke by Ingmar Bergman’.

       13 likes

  48. edge10 says:

    I’d have to go with Mike as Michael Feinstein singing about Gamera:

    ‘It sort of sneaks up on you, “boo” it says.’

       20 likes

  49. Ro-man, aka one of several possible Steves says:

    John Hanna: 6. Michael Feinstein from ‘Gamera Vs Guiron’

    This is another one of my favorite Mike moments.

    Every time I watch the delivery of this bit it kills me:

    “It sort of sneaks up on you. ‘Boo!’ it says.”

    :rotfl:

       12 likes

  50. Steve K says:

    Who can forget his portrayal of his brother Eddie in Time Chasers?
    Although I must admit, he had a great assist by Kevin as sycophant TOm Servo in that…

       16 likes

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