For those of you who didn’t read it, with the exception a few deeply disturbed fans, it was the general consensus that “Manos” is not, as one commenter put it, a “bunny slope” episode. Not for newbies, in other words.
Which begs the question: What IS a good episode to use to introduce people to the show?
Before anybody says it, let’s just agree that the winning answer is: “pick almost any short.” The reason: The two-hour length of the show (or 90ish minutes if you’re cutting out or fast-forewarding through the commercials) is one of the things people have to get used to.
My experience is that newbies have a great time with the show for about 45 minutes, their patience starts to wear thin at about 60 and they start to get really antsy at about 70.
To get over that, the movie needs to be visually interesting and yet stupid, the host segments, for the most part, need to be sufficiently wacky and the riffing needs to be strong.
So, let’s not only hear what your favorite introductory short(s) is/are, let’s also hear the full episode you have had the most success with.
As for shorts: I find “Home Economics” and good ol’ Mr. B do well for the Joel era. In the Mike era, I’ve had success with “A Date with Your Family,” and “Last Clear Chance.”
As for full episodes, I noted recently, for a while, it was “Day the Earth Froze.” After the Joel era ended, I had a good deal of success with “Outlaw.” “Girls Town” also has worked well.
As for the Sci-Fi era, I’ve found “Werewolf” and “Puma Man” both do the trick nicely.
What about you?
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1008, Final Sacrifice or Soultaker. probably more FS than ST, because nobody forgets Zap Rowsdower.
…..Rowsdower?
I think Girls Town is, by far, the best episode to introduce newbies. A watchable movie, no slow spots, tons of hilarious riffs. For a Joel episode, I’d usually go with Cave Dwellers. For the Sci-Fi era, I’d pick Space Mutiny, if only for the priceless moment when Thick McRunFast screams at the end. I’ve yet to meet a person that hasn’t laughed out loud when they see that.
Mr. B Natural is, also by far, the best introductory short. Cheating is also a good one.
For shorts, I’d go with one of the following:
– “Mr B. Natural”: no-brainer
– “Catching Trouble”: again, a no-brainer
– “Here Comes The Circus”: A good exposure to how dark humor can still be funny
For full episodes, I can only recommend “time of the Apes”. It was the first one I ever saw and I was hooked instantly. It’s also one of the only episodes my sister has ever watched (not a big fan of the show), but she still occasionally quotes Johnny to me (“I don’t care!”).
It’s helpful to match the movie to the newbie.
“Cave Dwellers” is great for friends who love fantasy. Break up your Lord of the Rings marathon with Ator and his kite made of string and sticks and bamboo…
For newbies with a variety of interests, “Catalina Caper” is a bad movie with something for everybody, great bad songs, great bad acting, and the host segments are top notch (tank tops, creepy girl, tupperware party.)
I’ve also had success getting friends interested in MST3K through Rifftrax, specifically, “Phantom Menace.” It’s cathartic.
Well Mr. B is the one I’ve shown to most of my friends first, but some others that work well would be
– “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” and
– “The Creeping Terror”. They should hold their attention throughout the entire movie.
!Movies not to show your friends first!
– “Manos” – been said, but still
– “The Starfighters” – It may be even worse to show this movie to them because Manos at least has a plot of some sort to keep them interested.
Ooh, this is a good discussion thread.
Shorts: the more absurd, the better. I’m particularly enamored of the reaction I’ve gotten from “Out of This World.” When they realize somebody actually made a short film about bread route delivery, they really begin to appreciate the insanity that pervades bad movies in general.
As for starter episodes, there are a ton of good ones. My first full episode was Alien from LA, and the next was Night of the Blood Beast (I suppose I should add “Once Upon a Honeymoon” to my recommended shorts, because it’s just as insane as “Out of This World”). I’ve started people on the show with Deathstalker: And the Warriors From Hell and I Accuse My Parents (though I would not add “Truck Farmer” to my list of shorts). My sister started with Swamp Diamonds, but I wouldn’t recommend it to most newbies.
Actually, I would suggest that good starter episodes are often the ones with shorts at their start — not always, obviously — because they not only have a short, but they address, to a degree, the problem of getting people to watch a 90-minute show.
For shorts, I like “Mr. B,” “Catching Trouble,” and “Home Economics.” In a pinch, I think most rookies find something enjoyable in the posture, public speaking, etc., shorts.
I’ve gotten through to friends in Vermont with “Time Chasers” because the movie takes place in Rutland, Vermont, and features a reenactment of the Battle of Hubbardton, which took place in Vermont on the date with too many sevens in it. (A geographic link is nice and I assume “Spider Invasion” would hook folks from central Wisconsin.)
Lastly, I think Japanese movies (or edited episode-movies) like “Gamera”, “Star Force,” or “Prince of Space” work well because the movies are so unintentionally funny without riffing.
Hmmm…
For the Sci-Fi era, I’ll agree that “Werewolf” would probably be a good choice, as would ‘Prince of Space”. From the CC era, I’d go with “Operation Double 007” and I’ll second “Human Duplicators”. All feature good riffing and host segments, along with movies that are goofy enough to be enjoyable.
For the shorts, I think “Here Comes the Circus” and “Snow Thrills” might be good choices. They’re relatively short and very funny.
Actually, a good choice might be MST3K-TM. The movie is pretty good and the short run time and lower number of riffs serve as good introduction to the concept, before moving on to the hard stuff.
I wouldn’t recomend “Final Sacrifice” thats such a hard episode to get through, I always have to force it down like bad medicine. For a Joel ep I’d say “Crash Of The Moons” or “The Killer Shrews” those were some of the very first ep’s I saw and they hooked me. Plus Shrews has the great short “Junior Rodeo Daredevils” For a CC Mike I think that “Laserblast” would work. The movie is goofy and funny on its own. I’m not a huge Sci-Fi fan but I would recommend “Girl In Gold Boots” or “I Was A Teenage Werewolf” would be great.
Pod People.
However, I intro’d the show to my niece with Alien from LA. I think that’s a good one. REally, not a terrible movie but certainly one that can be laughed at on its own.
Oh, for sci-fi I’d say Devil Fish or Space Mutany.
When bringing new MST3K fans into the world, I’ve always found either of the Master Ninja Episodes to be pretty handy.
Even though it’s just another chopped up TV show made to look like a movie, the sheer spectacle of Lee Van Cleef portraying an aging ninja alongside the inscrutable Timothy Van Patten is enough to spark the interest of even the most skeptical friend.
The riffing in the show is pretty great. I always like the episodes where Joel and the Bots seem to have a genuine dislike for one of the actors (The Paper Chase Guy, etc.) and Timothy Van Patten definitely earns their scorn.
Also, there are cameos by Demi Moore and George Lazenby (both in different episodes), which should keep a casual observer interested.
A friend showed me “Jack Frost”- I’ve been hooked ever since.
As for the shorts, “Once Upon a Honeymoon”, is so bizarre and dated that a newbie could get into it and wonder why the wife just didn’t drag her putz of a husband out the door. That short where the phantom and the women drive the highway of tomorrow and the follow up skit by Bridget would be another quirky way to get someone started on mst3k.
For an introductory short, either What to Do on a Date or Robot Rumpus (though Mr. B would be sure-fire).
Pod People from the Joel era, Angels Revenge from the CC Mike years, Space Mutiny from the SF period. (But I know people who were hooked instantly with a Gamera or Godzilla film.)
“Bride of the Monster,” because most folks know who Ed Wood is, so there’s a frame of reference. “Giant Spider Invasion,” because everyone loves a Volkswagen covered in yak fur.
Master Ninja I & II. Not only hilarious, but easy-to-follow, plus if you can sense that your friend is getting antsy, you can show them the eps in one hour chunks.
I’d like to go off the board, if I can, and tell all of you what my least likely choice would be for a first-timer…. “Hamlet”. I can’t even watch that one again. I hate to say it but it was , I think, one of the worst choices ever for an episode.
I would show “Angel’s Revenge” first– 70s “Charlie’s Angels” goofiness, buxom women, Jack Palance, Peter Lawford, great riffs.
A short I would add is “Young Man’s Fancy”, which I watched just the other day.
As one of other poster mentioned, it kind of depends on the individual. I think it helps a little if they have some previous experience with the movie in question (or movies like it). Rifftrax is good for that, since the movies are more mainstream. From MST, I usually point folks towards “Robot Rumpus”, since Gumby is pretty familiar to most folks. I got my musical-loving little sister into the show with CATALINA CAPER and I ACCUSE MY PARENTS. I had an Air Force buddy who was rolling on the floor during LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK II (he was a good southern boy).
Episodes I don’t reccommed:
THE STARFIGHTERS – I was in the Air Force, and this one is still tough.
RED ZONE CUBA – The plot is too confusing. It distracts you from the riffing.
MIGHTY JACK – Confusing and Dull.
Shorts: “Century 21 Calling”, “Posture Pals”/”Appreciating Your Parents” or “Mr. B. Natural,” of course.
Episodes:
“Space Mutiny,” “The Incredibly Strange Creatures” (I got a non-MST friend to sing “Schick out of Shape”) and especially “Werewolf.” I don’t have a single friend who didn’t find “Werewolf” utterly hilarious. Adrianna “Natalie” Miles is a goldmine of humor just when she talks.
Anyway, all those were good ones to spring on non-fans to make them interested in more.
I always show “Spring Fever” to first timers. After that and maybe a couple of other good shorts (none that haven’t already been mentioned) I ease them in with a couple easy episodes. I highly reccomend “PumaMan” and “Invasion of the Giant Spiders” (great host segments and easy-to-follow riffs). I’d also endorse “The Brain/Head that Wouldn’t Die” (Mike’s first episode) and “Hobgoblins” along with the movie “This Island Earth,” which got a group of about 6 kids in my Freshman dorm instantly hooked on the riffings. Another one we showed was Rifftrax’s “Raider’s of the Lost Ark” so don’t discount Rifftrax as an easy intro.
Another good intro method I’ve used was showing them the “Best of Season …” on YouTube.
Episodes I don’t reccomend to first timers:
The Undead
Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders
Godzilla vs. Megalon
I’ve had success with the short “Are You Ready For Marriage?” as an introductory, as well as “The Chicken Of Tommorrow”. As for feature length movies, “Mitchel” suprisingly works well, although the host segments did confuse a bit.
I agree with “Girls Town”. I would probably also recommend “The Beatniks”, and I knew a newbie who loved “Hobgoblins” so that may also be a winner.
As for shorts, I recommend “Why Study Industrial Arts?”.
Being as I come from the country which brought you Zap Rowsdower, I didn’t have too much access to MST3K, I *think* the first MST3K thing I ever saw was the MST3K movie, followed shortly by the Sci-Fi episode with “The Thing That Wouldn’t Die” (That’s the one with the head in the hat box right? On the ranch?) I didn’t start being able to watch a lot of episodes until Rhino started releasing them on home video and video technology and the internet made downloading episodes easy.
Through scientific study, I find that the best episodes to expose people too to get them into MST3K are the Sci-Fi era episodes. Reason being that most people who haven’t HEARD of MST3K or seen it at this late time in life probably wouldn’t be able to follow the pace and pop-culture references that were more prominant in the Joel episodes.
I find that with the Nelson/Murphy/Corbet riffing a lot of the jokes are more observational of the movie rather than making references. I find that people respond better to that than with the Joel era episodes unless they get the “Now this is (blank) all of a sudden” or “he/she looks kind of like a (adjective) version of (celebrity)”.
So I recommend in terms of movies any that feature Bill Corbet doing Crow, especially 70’s movies, and an episode where Crow has little or no patience for the movie in question (Hobgoblins, Time Chasers, Space Mutiny, Merlin’s Shop, & Final Sacrifice are all great episodes to use) But if you are trying to get them on Joel episodes, I would recomend staying away from the first season.
I’d also have to say staying away from gladiator, or Sandy Frank (ie, the Gameras) or Godzilla movies. But movies like Teenagers from Outer Space, Mitchell, Pod People, Ring of Terror, and I Accuse My Parents are great.
In terms of Shorts… Any of the Centron films (Cheating, What is Juvinile Delinquancy?, Why Take Industrial Arts.. Etc.) are a great start, usually the “how too” shorts are more entertaining than the ones like “Circus on Ice” or “The Selling Wizard”… My favorites though are “Cheating”, “Mr. B Natural” and “Case of Spring Feaver”
Heck if you want to get people started on Rifftrax or the Film Crew, I’d recommend showing them “Reefer Madness”, “Hollywood After Dark” or “Killers From Space”… I’d stay away from those last two Film Crew ones for starters…
And well Cinematic Titanic… Since the Oozing Skull is the only one available yet… Might want to wait on my opinion just yet. Although I have to say that I’m looking forward to the Doomsday Machine (I watched the Elvira’s Movie Macabre version of the movie, and it is certainly a stinker, and it has this really surreal “getting sucked out of the airlock” scene….)
I usually introduce people with the shorts “Why Study Industrial Arts?” and “Speech: Plattorm, Posture, and Appearance.” As for feature episodes, I go with something like “Space Mutiny” or “Mitchell.” A friend of mine was introduced to the show with “Eegah” (not by me, though). What I reccomend is, if you have the DVD, let a friend borrow it and watch it at their own lesiure, since, as you said, it can be a bit of an ordeal to sit through if you’re unfamiliar with the show.
I think it all depends on whom you are watching the eps with.
“Attack Of The The Eye Creatures” can be a good portal to MSTness, as can “The Mole People”, Killer Shrews”, and “Secret Agent Super Dragon”. Some who are more in touch with their inner lunacy can use “Santa Clause Conquors The Martians”, “The Violent Years”, “The Beatniks”, “The Brain That Wouldn’t Die”, and “The Skydivers” as their gateway drug to MST addiction. No one is ever prepared for Coleman Francis.
But there are definately a large number of eps. where the newbie sitting next to you, watching you cackle at a spot on riff while in the midst of, say “…Mixed Up Zombies”, and they’d think “why would anyone do this to themselves?”.
I’ve tried to introduce people to this little cult of insanity we share, but they almost all fail to catch on–and the two that did are total jerks. I’ll now only deal with those who find MST3K, RT, TFC, or CT on their own. However, there were at least 50 people on hand when Mike and Kevin came to town a few years ago, so there is a small glimmer of hope for Las Vegas and environs.
For this topic, I already recommended “The Beatniks” and “The Killer Shrews” from my discussing “Manos: The Hands of Fate”. For shorts, obviously “Mr. B Natural”, “Johnny At The Fair”, “Junior Rodeo Daredevils”, “A Case of Spring Fever” (w/the ensuing segment), and “Uncle Jim’s Dairy Farm” (a very underrated short!)
There are also afew from the Sci-Fi era, like “Space Mutiny”, “Jack Frost”, and “Hobgoblins”.
The Final Sacrifice was the fourth episode I saw, and the one that turned me from mildly interested to devoted fan. It’s never failed me whenever I use it on someone else.
My choice is Pod People. Or if it’s between Thanksgiving and New Year I’ll try to slip in Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.
The number one ‘Introduction to MST3K’ movie (at least, for me) is Pod People, hands down.
It’s a great bad movie, in color, and the guys were really on their game with the riffs. Just a few I can think of off the top of my head: the one man show, Leslie Nielson, Leslie Nielson, Leslie Nielson; flannel sale? where?; look, we paid for the van, we’re gonna film it; what is he, an LA cop?; what is it about the gates of hell that makes people want to go into them?; “Chief? McCloud!”; and of course, the immortal “hazah!”
Plus, it had the great stuff in the movie that ended up being the basis of great host segments: the immortal “idiot control now” which I still laugh at every time, and the great, kooky flying stuff sequence. In fact, all of the host segments for this one were just really on for some reason, including the classic “clowns in the sky.”
I was watching this with my sister and her husband, who had never seen MST3K, and when it cuts to Frank wearing the “I’m a virgin” t-shirt they both just about fell out of their chairs.
The near universal reaction I’ve seen to MST3K virgins watching this one is that the movie can’t possibly be real, and therefore must be some kind of fake, like it was made just for the show or something. Once they accept that this is a real movie, and that the world they live in is one where movies such as this can be made, it tends to change their entire view of life. It’s like their eyes are opened to a whole new level of crappiness that they didn’t even know existed.
Although that could be said of many MST3K movies.
There are lots of other great intro episodes mentioned here, but I’ll always go with Pod People because it had everything that you want in MST3K in just the right proportions: great music, great riffs, great host segments, and a movie that is bad in just the right way.
Plus the immortal tag line,”it stinks,” which just about sums up the gestalt of the entire series.
I have to agree with Thomas K. on “Werewolf”. What he didn’t mention, however, was the Ted Dansonesque villain changing hairstyles every time the camera cuts away from him. Some other great intro episodes that haven’t been mentioned yet are:
Parts: The Clonus Horror (Dick Sargent and Doctor Super Mario Brother!)
Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (“At least I’m not a stupid, repulsive anteater…”)
Touch of Satan (“Emby Mellay?! That’s not a name, that’s a bad Scrabble hand!”)
Hercules Against the Moon Men (DEEP HURTING!)
I also find Godzilla vs Megalon to be a good introduction, particularly for the big end-of-movie showdown and the surreal Orville Reddenbacher commercial. As for shorts, anything with Tom singing at any point is aces; Circus on Ice is a perfect example.
I’ve never really tried to hook anyone else on the show, as I really don’t think they’d be able to appreciate it in the same way that you guys do. I dunno, maybe I need better friends.
I do know that my very first brush with MST3K was The Movie. Even though some of the Brains consider it an inferior product, I think the movie is interesting enough yet goofy enough to work, and the riffs are accessible to the average viewer. That, and the film is in color. I think having a color film is really important, because I think for someone that is coming into the show completely cold they need that extra bit of attention holding that a color film can provide.
My first official episode was Giant Spider Invasion, and I was hooked after that. I think it’s hysterical, but I would probably choose Space Mutiny over it when introducing a Sci-fi episode.
When I did further research on my new found obsession, I came to learn that there had been a previous host…some guy named Joel or something… :lol:
I thought for sure he couldn’t be as funny as Mike, so I avoided his episodes for a while. But I finally caved, and my first Joel episode was Cave Dwellers. Well, call me converted! Though I don’t know if I would pick that as a first Joel ep for anyone else. I Accuse My Parents was pretty awesome…maybe I’d do that.
Hobgoblins has never failed me.
I had mild success with the one with the head in the box on the dude ranch. The Thing That Wouldn’t Die, I think? It was never a favorite of mine really but I happened to show it to a small crowd once and it went over pretty well. Much better than I had expected, actually.
Ditto Prince of Space.
My friends never like the Joel ones.
I usually go use “Angel’s Revenge”, an episode with top-notch riffing and a very accessible movie. Also, any of the latter 4 of season 7 work well- “Deathstalker & The Warriors From Hell”, “Incredible Melting Man”, “Escape 2000”, and “Laserblast”- all great episodes from when the team was at the top of their game. Movies from the 70s and 80s I think good to get people interested.
I usually start people off with Eegah! and move from there to Pod People and Final Sacrifice.
I found people warm up to the “Watch out for snakes!” jokes VERY easily and quickly… and the more you say that around them AFTER they have seen that one epsiode, the more the desire for more grows inside of them. :twisted:
Short: A Date With Your Family or Cheating.
Movie: Space Mutiny, Werewolf, or Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders.
These never fail me!
“MST3K: The Movie” is an excellent introduction. As others have noted, it’s only 75 minutes long — perfect for newbies with shorter attention spans. Also given the general lack of obscure cultural references, your average newcomer might be more likely to get most of the jokes.
After that, “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” would be a wonderful pick. This is one of the few bad movies MST3K did which is reasonably entertaining on its own even without the riffing. With the riffing, this episode positively hums.
I’m surprised only one person’s mentioned “Overdrawn at the Memory Bank”. Truly one of the best episodes ever, and Raul Julia’s welcome presence would probably make the movie more bearable to someone new to the show.
As for shorts: “Mr. B Natural” stands apart from the rest.
“It’s like their eyes are opened to a whole new level of crappiness that they didn’t even know existed.”
Wow, Weather Servo Nine, what a terrific description!
oddly enough, ‘Gamera Vs. Guiron’ proved to be a sure-fire first episode. first of all, it’s in color- wacky, mind bending color. the grotesque cartoon nature of the title creatures seems to relax people and allow their inner kid to manifest. the gruff New York-ish accents that Crow assigns to the monsters makes them giggle; the crazy eye-candy of the ‘Pink Lady’ aliens with their deep-dish Midwest dialects and their goofy planet/ship et al works too. most people are familiar with the Japanese monster genre which allows accessibility to this film so Gen X can laugh as hard as a Boomer. ‘Laserblast’ is one of my very favorites, but I wouldn’t choose it as a first. the 70s references would sail past my Gen X friends. ‘Girl in Gold Boots’ would be a good Mike-era first choice. again, color; a bouquet of bizarre unlikable characters, a hilariously ridiculous story-line; lots of hot girls to watch. [I’m still puzzled over the inexplicable buggy-ride.]
for shorts I would not choose ‘Mr. B Natural.’ I think this one is a little too hardcore for MST virgins. ‘A Date With Your Family’ is a good choice, as this short opens a window into a time capsule of the glorified American Fifties-again, in a cartoonish way. ‘A Case of Spring Fever’ would be another first pick. who can resist a cranky, sharp voiced animated spring? one more: ‘Progress Island U.S.A.’ this fast-moving nugget of ridiculousness has a ton of riffs and the vertigo-inducing editing will grab them. [‘even “Spiss-pss” is here.’]
personally, I think that MST3K transcends age groups, as brilliance always shines, no matter what the current era. however, when picking a first episode, demographics are a factor.
I sent a friend of mine a couple of episodes for his birthday. one we had watched together- ‘Squirm’- and he is from Georgia, so I knew he’d watch it again. the other was ‘Laserblast’ because it’s riff-packed and his older brother could decode the 70s references. to my surprise, he has still watched neither episode- and his birthday was in March! it always puzzles me that a lot of folks just don’t feel the way I do about this show. to be totally honest, I usually watch at least two episodes a day, and one day a week is an MST3K marathon while I am writing or doing housework, etc. I’ve found I need to keep a spare DVD player as a back-up when my main one overheats and won’t play anymore. somewhere out there, beyond my means probably, is an industrial-strength player with slots for ten episodes that will play from dawn till dusk… [sad, really.]
My biggest successes for turning people on to the show started with The Movie, followed by Mr. B. Natural, followed by a few other shorts, followed by Skydivers.
The Movie is the best starting point because the film itself is decent enough that even the slow parts of the riffing aren’t too boring. Skydivers makes a great segue to the rest of the series because the movie is so horrendous, yet almost all of the jokes hit the mark.
I can’t believe no one’s mentioned the Amazing Collosal Man yet. The movie so legendary they named the show’s episode guide after it. It was one of the first full episodes I watched (due to it being one of the first episodes released on video). It’s got everything: a bad, but watchable movie, strong riffs all the way through, and host segments that are all top-notch. (I especially love the opening segment, with Crow and Servo’s cardboard clubhouse that Joel isn’t allowed in, AKA the Super Secret Chocolate Fudgey Cardboard Batcave.)
The first episode I watched is probably the perfect paradigm for a great introductory episode: Gamera vs. Guiron version 2. It was plain and ridiculous, yet was eye-catching, flowed well, and was genuinely funny. The same goes for Eegah, Stranded in Space, and It Conquered the World.
As for Mike episodes and the Sci-Fi time – most of which is always third tier, in my view (2nd tier being the KTMA episodes…) – I would have to go with Devil Fish, Laserblast, and Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders. Although, any of the 2nd half of Season 5 (except for tepid Beginning of the End.) will due.
I always wondered wether the 2nd half of Season 5 was a way to test Mike on making fun of movies since he was brand new? The movies there were just so easy to make fun of!
TIME OF THE APES. Curse you Sandy Frank!
From the Joel era really old “Teenagers from Outerspace and “The Amazing Colossal Man” are always winners from Mike’s run “Boggy Creek II” and “Santa Claus” are always great ones. Shorts I really enjoy showing are “Last Clear Chance”, “Home Economics”, “What to do on A Date” and “Catching Trouble”. I’d never show “Hamlet”, “Alien from L.A.” or “Overdrawn at the Memory Bank” to a frist timer.
Almost any of the shorts are great. The ones with the most “huh?” factor are usually the best, though occasionally straightforwards ones work well, too. “Mr. B Natural” is a favorite to show to newbies of course, but I also like “Once Upon a Honeymoon” and “Robot Rumpus”. I also saw a bunch of new fans created a couple of weekends ago at an anime convention with the “Keeping Clean and Neat” short.
As for whole episodes, the two best I feel are Gamera vs. Guiron and I Accuse My Parents. The former is one of my favorites because it was my first episode, and the weirdness of the film itself holds a lot of new fans in, although I admit I usually fast-forward through the host segments, especially the eons-long Richard Burton one. Parents is surprisingly effective; it has solid riffing, a semi-amusing short, some great segments, and an absurd movie that holds it all together very well; I got several family members hooked through this episode. If you have a fan of bad sci-fi movies, Pod People and Hobgoblins are also good choices.
I remember MST3K the Movie was my first exposure to the show- it was airing on Starz or somesuch network. Though it pales in comparison to even an average-quality MST3K ep, I thought it was hilarious at the time, and a pretty standard rundown of the show’s premise. Also, this might just be me, but the tiny size of the silhouettes made them somehow more intriguing, as I had tuned in midway through the first movie segment. One thing that kept me watching was my curiosity as to what those odd shapes were supposed to be and whether or not they’d reveal themselves. Also, yes, a visually engaging, color film might be better for mst3k newbies than say, a long, boring ordeal like Red Zone Cuba or Skydivers.
Other than MST3K: TM, I’d say Boggy Creek II or Time Chasers.
I introduced a friend of mine to MST3K through the one ep I had on tape at the time: Teenage Caveman.
The whole ep, including the commercials from the first airing.
He was hooked afterwards.
Guess the short Catching Trouble helped.
It’s difficult to pick a single go-to episode for introducing the show to newbies. I find that I usually start with The Movie because it’s in color, the This Island Earth plot is followable, and the whole thing begins with Dr. F explaining the premise to the viewer right at the start. It also runs shorter than an actual episode, so the concept doesn’t run long and bore people on their first time out. A lot of this is by design if I remember my MST lore correctly. As much as we tend to look down on the studio for relying heavily on focus group results, in the end I guess they succeeded when it comes to bringing in new audiences.
The hardest thing I’ve found about introducing the show is getting people past the first host segments. I tell people they’re going to see a movie and the first thing they get is a man and his puppets gadding around a cheap set. This really wears on people, so much so that even if they do become fans of the riffing, they want to fast-forward through the host segments. They’re not invested in the characters at all and only want the movie segments.
To that end, I try to start with episodes that have shorter host segments that connect with the film somehow. Moreover, host segments with songs are the kiss of death, it seems. A man playing with puppets? Meh, maybe… But a man singing with puppets? No go. Some people just can’t get it. Their loss.
Jack Frost is definitely a bunny slope episode. Or really, any Ruso-Finnish co-production…
Either Manos or Eegah they were the ones that introduced me and i turned out okay.