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Weekend Discussion Thread: The Many Faces of MikeAlert reader Scott observes:
. 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”Commenting at Satellite News
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I know a thing or two about a thing or two!
Although not technically Mike, his puppet version was just adorable in Prince of Space, I think? Especially when he got all indignant because Tom & Crow were teasing him while he was trying to be in charge. Was that a disguised Jerry Mahoney doll?
I love the last host segment of The Thing That Couldn’t Die when Mike has Servo’s head in his hand and they are trying to scare Crow. I love it when he says “My hands are strong” just like in the movie and then makes a dopey face like the big, dumb guy in the movie. It’s great and makes me laugh every time.
Best bit for me is in Screaming Skull, when he carefully selects golf clubs while screaming. Best character? I’m torn between Morrissey and the drunk Jack Perkins.
As far as expressions, I’ll go with Mike’s Mystos face. And, for those near one of the Paley Center’s locations, check out the MST3K symposium they did with Mike, Kevin, Trace & Jim. Mike’s expression when talking about the end of the nearly-MSTed “Baffled!” is equally funny.
My favorite of Mike’s characters is Jack Perkins. He does it so well, I almost forget it’s Mike.
A very close second would be Torgo.
Servo: Just look like the big dumb guy, Mike!
Mike: What?
Servo: Great – that’s perfect!
Mike: But I wasn’t — hey!!
I always loved Mike when he was The Actor, but I couldn’t pick one great performance. So, we’ll go with the top five:
5) TIE: Jack Perkins or Brother Eddie
4) Glenn
3) You got any matches for Mikey?
2) Hugh Beaumont, CryptoDad
1) Torgo
Hands down. I especially liked his Torgo in Village of the Giants when he takes over Frank’s job. “Hold on a second – You still here?”
(Yeah, I know that’s six. Hush…)
I believe it’s in THE INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN when Mike & Kevin play cops.
I hate to admit that I have had more than a few run ins with police officers & Mike nails the “polite but hardass” sense cops like to put out.
Also, these have already been mentioned but I love his Morrisey & his alternate universe “Kirk” character.
And, of course, Torgo.
Oh yeah! Jack Perkins putting his Harvey’s Bristol Cream fueled moves on Mr. B Natural in the Turkey Day segments is always a hoot. It’s so uncomfortable, you almost forget they’re actually married.
Wait. I guess that actually makes it weirder.
I also love the “down, down” professor bit, but not so much for Mike but for Crow’s line, “Maybe you’re right Mike, but come to us with that stuff… talk to us… ’cause this, this, this is no good”.
I know it’s weird & random, but that line makes me wee myself every time I hear it.
Thank you, won’t you?
Dan
A couple more that I enjoyed;
Theater Mike, OUTLAW, in his cute little sailor suit.
Uncle Sam Mike, not sure which episode but I loved how he quickly snatched the earnings from Crow while saying “Thank you.”
That was the first host segment in The Sword and the Dragon (though IIRC it was Tom from whom he snatched the money).
Since we’re including facial expressions, I’d like to put in a good word for the host segment in The Thing That Couldn’t Die where he’s being subjected to Observation. The way he reacts to the increasingly obnoxious remarks from Paul’s Observer is gut busting in its hilarity.
Definitely got to go with his JC from The Sidehackers. He got Pataki’s voice, mannerisms and the perfect lunacy of his performance in the film.
Okay, maybe not at the tip-top, but Mike as Brad Roberts from Crash Test Dummies always makes me laugh. His Adam Duritz from Counting Crows gets an honorable mention.
You and your daughter are doomed!
Definitely Jack Perkins, but for every great Mike persona, Trace also delivered a wonderful variety of voice impersonations, from Groucho to Emo Phillips and more. I was just wondering, if it wasn’t asked before, which were your favorite Crow/Forrester vocal mimics? One favorite of mine is his occasional Ed Sullivan
ANYTHING where Mike plays a woman…..it’s almost impossible to look at.
And his Carol Channing is so bad I fall down laughing.
And while we’re talking about Mike here, Crow’s Peter Graves at the University of Minnesota is another laugh-out-crazy impersonation.
Michael Feinstein.
“And I don’t have to tell YOU TWO, gentlemen, that American musical theater was never quite the same thing.”
“OH MY GOD I’M IN SO MUCH PAIN! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME! SOMEBODY COME AND SAVE ME!”
And of course, Forrester’s reaction:
“Kill him. Better yet, I’ll kill him, you push the button.”
“Hey, Lord of the Pants, can you tear yourself away from yourself for a minute??”
And yes, by far his best is his busker in “Girl in Gold Boots”. Love the fire in teh backgroud and Tom’s little fireman hat, but of course the payoff that Mike isn’t actually playing the guitar at all is hilarious.
Gare
This is fact, not opinion: while Torgo was done extremely well and was always hilarious, Morrissey was beyond brilliant. A triumph of the human spirit. And, did he mention that he cried?
Hugh Beaumont forever.
Without a doubt drunk Jack Perkins on Thanksgiving with Michael Feinstein a close 2nd.
Morrissey was funny, especially in the MST Poopie outtakes with Trace…Also, Mike’s mean brother, “goatee” Mike and Torgo. “Mikey the Mike Sprite” was pretty hilarious, if that counts.
I thought Mike did very well as Jack Perkins and Torgo. I loved his Torgo on Danger! Death Ray and San Francisco International. I also loved his J.C..in Sisehackers. My favorite sketch of Mike playing himself is the sketch in Hamlet where he stymies Crow and Tom’s attempts to pose as his dead relatives.
Hard to pick one, Jack Perkins is one of his best. Shame he doesn’t do skits on Rifftrax anymore.
I’m partial to Mike obliviously accepting a “full-time position” from Dr. F at the end of Mitchell.
Gah. That’s supposed to be Sidehackers not “Sisehakers”. Also I loved Mike as Tolberone at the end of Escape 2000 he had the character’s ridiculous accent and mannerisms nailed. I also liked Mike in the first host segment of The Blood Waters of Doctor Z where he has to deal where Crow tries to intimidate him via insane rambling and Mike is just seems bored with the whole enterprise.
Mike’s various assortment of characters throughout the yrs are hysterical, yes…
(“This is a song I wrote at a time in my life when I was very sad …breakfast, actually.”)
ha…but as odd as it may seem, there is one single line that he delivers in Red Zone Cuba that, for whatever reason, sums it up for me re his humor:
“I’m runnin’ down the road tryin’ to loosen my load, I got Coleman Francis on my mind”
…now, maybe he didn’t even come up with that one(?) although I suspect it’s ’cause we have on an oldies/classic rock radio station here at work all day, and so I subsequently end up hearing that particular Eagles tunes fairly regularly. Whenever it comes on, I always sing that line aloud.
Adam Duritz from Counting Crows, from 809 8-)