Short: (1956) While her songwriter husband struggles with a difficult tune, a newlywed dreams of redecorating her house with phones.
Movie: (1958) After his rocket crashes, an astronaut discovers he is carrying alien embryos.
Turkey Day bumpers
1: Dr. F. is at it again, planning to rule the world using his collection of MST3K experiments. His mother is stopping by later, and he wants to rule the world before she gets there. Then, Jack Perkins arrives. He explains that TV’s Frank invited a bunch of guests for Thanksgiving dinner months before he was assumed into second banana heaven.
2: Mr. B Natural pops in.
3: Pitch appears.
4: The Kitten With The Whip arrives.
5: Dr. F is unhappy until he hears piano stylings of Michael Feinstein.
6. The party continues but nobody hears Pearl banging at the door of Deep 13.
7: Pearl arrives. She’s upset that Frank is gone but joins the party.
Turkey Day host segments–aka 701T
First shown: 11/23/95
Opening: M&tB rain sports cliches on a baffled Gypsy
Intro: Dr. F.’s party continues with Pearl providing the movie
Host segment 1: Crow and Tom present: “Stuffing vs. Potatoes”
Host segment 2: “Art” and Pearl have a chat
Host segment 3: Thanksgiving dinner on the SOL and in Deep 13
End: Tom is mincemeat; Pearl’s “Turkey surprise” is a hit in Deep 13
Stinger: “Wounded animal that large isn’t good”
Regular show host segments
First shown: 2/3/96
Opening: Crow and Tom are concerned about their personal security, so they taze Mike
Intro: Dr. F. has a traumatic trombone recital, but Crow shines
Host segment 1: M&tB sing about decorating with phones
Host segment 2: Pearl makes Dr. F. apologize
Host segment 3: Crow claims he’s pregnant with shrimp babies
End: Crow’s rant about babies disrupts Mike’s attempts to read letters; Pearl wants Dr . F. to act like a baby
Stinger: “Wounded animal that large isn’t good”
(209 votes, average: 4.48 out of 5)
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• This episode, with the Turkey Day bumpers included as extras, is included in the “Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Vol. XVI.”
• We are proud to point you to our EXCLUSIVE season-seven continuation of the Amazing Colossal Episode Guide, here on this site. We paid good money to get these! You’re welcome. Read them! Mike talks about the main episode here and Bridget offers some thoughts on the Turkey Day version here. Now on with the discussion…
Turkey Day bumpers
• Of course, there’s no way any of the following Turkey Day bumper sets could ever rival the fun and delight of the first one, but these were okay. They got the job done and there were some genuine laughs.
• In the third segment, Dr. F says “I will rule the WORLD!! AHAHAHAHA!” almost exactly like he does in the opening of “MST3K:TM.”
• Mike’s song goes on too long.
• Mike is hilarious as a smitten Jack Perkins, prepared to “change teams” if necessary to the enjoy the pleasures of Mr. B Natural, and Bridget is equally funny as a guy who isn’t really into what Jack has in mind.
The Turkey Day host segments:
• According to our records, the host segments, that debuted on Nov. 23, 1995, ran three more times, on Dec. 2 (at 5 p.m.), Dec. 3 (at 10 a.m.) and Dec. 4 (at 2 a.m.). So that makes a total of four showings.
• For the record, the stretch between the end of season six and the beginning of season seven was 243 days (more than eight months!), the second-longest amount of time MSTies had to wait between episodes. (The stretch between seasons 7 and 8 was the longest.). Fans were jonesing bad.
• Of course, we have new theme song lyrics, mostly involving changing the personal pronouns from plural to singular, reflecting the departure of Frank. There’s also some great new footage in the opening.
• The opening is fun and breezy, with poor Gypsy trying to make sense of M&tB as they spout endless sports cliches.
• Why does Pearl call Crow “Art?” [Deep breath] Calling Crow “Art” is an obscure BBI in-joke. During a host segment in episode 203- JUNGLE GODDESS, Joel was introducing the ‘bots at the end of a sketch in the same manner Jackie Gleason used to use at the end of his TV show: bringing out each cast member to take a bow. In fact, when he got to Crow, he got so into the Jackie Gleason premise that he introduced Crow as “Art Crow!” much as Gleason would yell “Art Carney!” when introducing his long-time co-star. Well, apparently some little kid saw that, didn’t get the Jackie Gleason reference, and assumed that Crow’s name was actually Art. That kid wrote a letter to the show, which was read in episode 402- THE GIANT GILA MONSTER. The letter included pictures of each of the robots, and the drawing of Crow was labeled “Art.” When Pearl calls Crow “Art,” it’s a reference to that. [Exhale]
• The stuffing vs. potatoes bit is very funny. “Nature’s Bouncing Betty…”
• Although Dr. F would be browbeaten and henpecked by Pearl — to the dismay of some fans (see below) — this season, the two also seem to work reasonably well together in this episode, working together to defeat the unpleasant guests.
• I had forgotten Pearl’s hilarious “Turkey Surprise” recipe: “Bake at 200 degrees for one hour and then rub with a turtle.” Brilliant.
The regular episode:
• This was the first new episode (sort of) in six weeks.
• The riffing, both of the short and the main feature, is just hilarious. Very strong and a great start to this all-too-short season.
• If the movie’s scenery looks familiar, it should: Yes, this was another movie featuring exterior shots done in Bronson Canyon. Other movies where that location was used include: “Robot Monster,” “King Dinosaur,” “It Conquered The World,” “Viking Women,” “War Of The Colossal Beast” and “Teenagers From Outer Space.”
• Note that in the background of the redecorated Deep 13 is the projector from Deep 13 set of “MST3K: TM.”
• The opening, with the bots torturing Mike for no discernible reason, is the beginning of what will be a season 7 running theme.
• Ah, the trombone recital. The beginning of all “the troubles” in the view of some folks (again, see below). I will be honest: I laughed. I thought it was pretty funny and I think Trace and Mary Jo do a great job in the scene. But not everybody thought so. Another reason there was some dismay about this segment came later: the outtake that appeared in “Poopie 2,” when it appears that Trace actually was injured slightly during the filming. A bit disturbing.
• Crow’s solo is the same song — “Getting Sentimental Over You” — that our hero plays at the end of Mr. B Natural. And, hey! Crow’s arms work!
• Nice job on the prop trombone that constantly shoots spit.
• Pearl again calls Crow Art.
• Pearl makes several references to wishing Clayton had been a girl, topped with the announcement that Dr. F’s two middle names are “Deborah Susan.”
• The short is a gem: One of those weird promotional things that never actually comes right out and says what they’re selling.
• The little song “Line em up against the wall and pop goes the weasel,” is from “Duck Soup.”
• Crow mispronounces Ray Manzarek’s name.
• During the riffing they do a parody of Eddie Bauer — “comes in loden, pant and twerp” — that they would expand on in a later episode.
• I love Tom singing the sign in the movie.
• One riff, “We learned not to send Polacks into space” caused a small kerfuffle after the episode aired. Some felt it was an uncharacteristically mean-spirited riff.
• A couple of times they make a reference to “undercupping.” Visit this site, for an explanation of what that term means.
• Callback: “The Beast of Yucca Flats.”
• The whole “Steves” running gag was funny and all, but there was only one character in the movie named Steve. Don’t really see where it comes from, is all…
• I want to address what happened in the fan base when Pearl arrived and the whole dynamic in Deep 13 changed. What happened, I believe, was an unfortunate disconnect between the writing staff and the fans, and although the fans might have made more of an effort to understand what was happening, I must lay most of the blame at the feet of the writing staff. Let me lay it out for you.
In the writing room, it’s clear they felt they were running out of fresh comedic permutations for the characters. I think they felt they’d taken these characters in every direction they could possibly go. And I got the sense that they were thrilled at the arrival of Pearl, and the chance to “shake things up” — a phrase they would use often later on, when fans began to ask them what the hell was going on. From the writers’ point of view, Dr. F and Pearl were simply characters on a page, representing a whole new set of comedic possibilities.
But for a lot of fans, Dr. F was not a concept on a page, to be played with any way the writers liked. He was an established character, a personality they had come to love and appreciate. And when the writers took that established character and began to take it in new directions, some fans didn’t like it. Put simply, they liked to see Dr. F. evil and in charge. They didn’t want to see him henpecked and timid, even if that allowed the writers to try new comic ideas. It was really one of the first times on this show that the fans and writers parted company.
In public appearances and interviews, Mary Jo and Trace expressed genuine confusion when fans questioned the direction they were taking Dr. F (and that’s when the “we just wanted to shake things up” explanations began coming out). It was pretty clear they simply didn’t see any reason not to change the characters any way they liked, as long as they thought it was funny.
In the end, for most fans, it wasn’t a deal breaker (though for a few it was). But it was something new for a show where, previously, the cast and the writers could virtually do no wrong.
• Cast and crew round up. I am not going to do the Arkoff or Roger Corman litany again. Producer and story writer Gene Corman was also the producer of “Attack of the Giant Leeches.” Director Bernard L. Kowalski also worked on “Giant Leeches.” Cinematographer John Nicholaus worked on “Giant Leeches” and “High School Big Shot.” Editor Jodie Copelan worked on “Ring of Terror” and “Laserblast.” Editor Richard Currier also worked on “The Unearthly.” Makeup guy Harry Thomas also worked on “The Unearthly,” “High School Big Shot,” “The Mad Monster,” “Project Moon Base,” “Bride of the Monster,” “Invasion USA” and “Racket Girls.” Production Manager Jack Bohrer also worked on “Giant Leeches” and was assistant director on “Teenage Caveman” and “Viking Women and the Sea Serpent.” Art director Dan Haller also worked “Giant Leeches” and “The Girl in Lovers Lane.” Prop master Karl Brainard also worked on “It Conquered the World,” “Teenage Caveman,” “The Undead” and “The She Creature.” Sound guy Herman Lewis also worked on “Teenage Caveman,” “Viking Women and the Sea Serpent” and “Mitchell.” Score composer Alexander Laszlo also worked on “Giant Leeches,” “Manhunt in Space” and “Crash of Moons.”
In front of the camera: Michael Emmet was also on “Giant Leeches” and “Untamed Youth.” Ed Nelson was also in “Teenage Caveman,” “Swamp Diamonds,” “Riding with Death” and “Superdome.” He was also a costumer for “Giant Leeches.” Tyler McVey was also in “Giant Leeches. Ross Sturlin was also in “Teenage Caveman,” “Viking Women” and “Giant Leeches.”
• CreditsWatch: Beginning with this episode, Best Brains began to behave in a way they hadn’t had to behave in several years: When they got an order for episodes, they assembled a crew and pumped them out. When the order was complete, they laid people off and closed down the studio until another order came in. In other words, there were a lot of new faces. And many longtime regulars had departed.
Gone from the season six list of writers are Frank Conniff and Mike Dodge. Gone from contributing writers is Colleen Williams. The Turkey Day host segments were directed by Jim Mallon. The regular episode segments were directed by Trace Beaulieu. Replacing Jann Johnson at production manager (the separate job of production coordinator goes away completely) is Wendell Jon Andersson (formerly an intern–something that rarely happened!). In the job of “production assistant,” held by the departing Sarah Wisner since season four, is Mary Banovets and Michael D. Parker in the Turkey Day episode. Parker took over the job by himself during the regular season. With the departure of Toolmaster Jef Maynard, the new job of “prop master” appears. One Dean Trisko did the job for the Turkey Day segments. During the regular season the job was held by Helena Espinosa. There was also a new “prop assistant” job. One Beth McKeever first appears in the credits in that role for the Turkey Day episode, along with a Wilson Webb. Beez was also an intern for the first two episodes of the season. Dean Trisko was in the role for the regular episode. The “audio” credit is gone. Tim Paulson no longer appears under “Editors” leaving Brad Keeley in that post alone. Jann and Ellen McDonough are both gone from the “post-production coordination” job and in their place are Wendell and Brad. Andrea DuCane did hair and makeup for all episodes this season except 704. Working as an intern both on the regular show and the Turkey Day segments was Debra Baxter. Danika King and Kelly Schrandt worked as interns for the entire regular season. The “additional original music written and arranged by” credit, which went to Mike for all of season six, again goes to him for the Turkey Day segments and for the rest of the season, but not the regular episode, where Kevin’s name appears instead. Barbara Tebben appears in the credits for the first time, with the title “assistant poobah,” as Julie Walker began to eye the exit. The “special makeup effects” credit for the turkey day segments went to Crist Ballas and Gary Bohem.
• Fave riff from the short: “What would Liberace do? Oh, better not do that!” Honorable mention: “What rhymes with blue balls?”
• Fave riff from the movie: “No more questions! More boobies!” Honorable mention: “You ever seen stroganoff?” and “Honey! You’re taller than you were last year!”
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I’m one who was in the “Brains could do no wrong” corner, and I took to Pearl with no issues at all. I like Dr F’s beaten, seething fury-and-fail attitude during season 7. I suppose maybe I’m in the minority, there. But then, I always liked Pearl’s upcoming ‘Clay-den! Clay-den!” skit.
Gypsy’s song was great. Her whole line about “I want a thing, with the thing, and a thing on top!” still runs thru my head on occasion.
EVERYONE’S NOT NAMED STEVE!!!
Oh, and I love 80’s-Hair-Girl.
Tom’s parrot noises, anytime bloodbeast is on the screen always kills me.
Bloodbeast is one of my faves, and I love every season 7 episode. I think they’re all in my top 20.
Definitely need both host segemnt versions on the DVD release of this one.
I like season seven very much. Never really had any problems with the new dyanamics of the cast ( I LOVED Clayton’s middle names…surely he’s not the only one to have his mother tell him she would have rather had a girl). The bots relentless taunting of Mike? He kinda brought it on himself with that Anne Boelyn thing he did back in season six…
Short:
I love the short. It’s another vague, 1950s short that’s about something and nothing all at once. It’s in the same company as “A Young Man’s Fancy” and “Out of This World.” Like Sampo, I to have, “What would Liberace do? Oh, better not do that,” as my favorite riff from the short.
The movie:
First, I’d like to point out that “Night of the Blood Beast” stars the actor who go on to play “the elusive Robert Denby” in “Riding With Death.”
The movie itself is dull, and yet it somehow goes by fast. It probably helps that Roger Corman only produced the movie. I like the animated microscope visual effects. It sure beats using stock footage of parameciums.
My favorite riff is, the apparently controversial, “Don’t send Polacks into space.” It’s just a good riff. They are speaking for the character in the movie. (I’m sure that particular type of riff was covered in the Riff Taxonomy discussion.)
As for Season 7, I like it. Dr. F. was pretty much broken in this episode, but I think it worked. Pearl did treat Dr. F. rather poorly when she made a guest appearance during Bloodlust. The rest of the season does make up for this episode.
The Turkey Day host segments are great. I like Mike as Jack Perkins and bawdy tune that he sings at the piano. Everyone is good as their respective characters.
I watched the TD and non-TD versions today, and I gave them a 5. maybe the movie alone is a 4, maybe a 5, but both sets of host segments are gold and guarantee a 5 all around.
I loved the addition of Pearl, loved their dynamic. It is also a lot darker, as if we are watching a double feature of Frankenstein followed by Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf. Both scary, but in different ways.
Dr F is great but the The Movie shows that he can’t carry Deep 13 by himself. I don’t think anyone could. The dual ensembles are one of the quantum leaps that seperate MST3K from traditional hosted movies.
The final TD scene… touching in a wierd creepy sort of way. And I have used the Turkey Suprise recipe ( only in theory ) many times.
( and I wonder if I am detecing the faint stench of misoginy )
I don’t fully understand the whole love/hate thing when the show dynamics changed. I have always thought the core base of the show was riffing bad movies….everything else is just gravy whoever is doing it….therefore I accept the entire series as a whole. every episode is worth viewing regardless of the players.
Bigal:
I agree that the riffing if definitely the core of the show. But, the Beatles analogy I used best describes my feelings on it.
I used to love every moment of an MST3K episode. From the opening theme to the closing credits. I couldn’t wait to see the invention exchange with Joel and the Mads or whatever Mike was up to that week. The movie was clearly the key, but, I adored the moments before, after and in between.
You have to understand…I absolutely loathe Pearl. She’s the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard for me. I don’t find her funny, winning, or interesting. And not only was she a part of the show now (Season 7), but, her role expanded as it progressed! Even the tacked on “did I tell you my mother’s here?” was like a fresh kick to the groin. She slowly intruded on every aspect of the show. First, she was Dr. F’s sidekick and had that little bit in the theme song. Then, she SANG a large portion of the theme song and was elevated to the head Mad. Then, she started appearing in a ton of host segments beyond the traditional beginning and ending skits.
It just got worse and worse….
I really like this episode, particularly the movie, because the writing for the riffs really seemed to start clicking in a new way. It started towards the end of season 6 and really begins to take off here. What I am referring to here is how the frequency of Mike & the Bots laughing at themselves really jumps up starting with season 7. I don’t know why I enjoy this so much, but usually I find myself falling apart in laughter when they are giggling as well. This becomes a regular minute to minute occurrence in the Sci-Fi episodes, but when I first saw this episode it was a really new and fresh thing to me.
I like both Joel and Mike episodes, but for my money starting with this episode in the series the riffs really turn a corner. They become a bit more sharp edged, and perhaps even a bit more polished (I’ve seen an interview where Mike & Kevin say in the later seasons they really started practicing the riffs a lot, as opposed to what they had formerly done). Keep in mind both are great, but suddenly it seems the guys found there own jokes funny. I just didn’t see that as much with Joel or the early Mike shows.
As for the host segments, these are certainly some of the weaker ones they ever did, however I’m here for the movie primarily so it doesn’t bother me all that much. Not that I am going to be a father though I find myself paying more attention to Crow’s Baby rant!
Sorry – should have said “Not that I am going to be a father . . .” Poopie!
DANG IT! The word I wanted to say was “NOW”. I’ll get my act together someday :grin:
For me, the Dr. F vs. Pearl setup was not only a big change from a beloved and hilarious dynamic, on its own merits it was never even close to being as funny as what it replaced.
This is not a criticism of the performers, both Trace and Mary Jo are hilarious (Mary Jo detractors need to see Cinematic Titanic, all doubts will be dispelled by that, she’s GREAT). It’s just that the Dr. F and Pearl dynamic was simply not good comedic use of the actors’ or the writers’ talents. What sounded like real-life bitterness and anger was never going to come close to the fantasy fun and hilarity of the “mad scientist abuses hapless assistant” parody of Dr. F and TV’s Frank.
For one thing, the gag that Dr. F repeatedly maims or kills his assistant (and occasionally, vice versa) was great parody of many of the situations actually found in the grade-B science fiction films used on the show. Second, there was real chemistry between the performers and the sanitzed violence and mad-cap adventures of the two of them were part of the charm of the show.
Of course, the writers could never have had Dr. F abuse Pearl the way he did Frank, that would have had a genuinely mean and sinister tone to it that it didn’t with two males, so they reversed the dynamic and had her abuse him. But the situations were never rich in comedic possibilities and they lacked the kind of originality that made MST3K a cult favorite with fans looking for something different. Pearl maltreating Dr. F was too close to situations on “regular” TV sitcoms to be great or worthy of MST3K.
Interestingly, the Pearl character seemed to work better on the Sci-Fi Channel shows, with her abusing goofy “sci-fi” based assistants. It still was no replacement for the greatness of Dr. F and Frank, but it was good.
My wife and I stayed with MST3K through all the changes to the very end. Even on its last episode in season 10 it was the best thing on TV, but with each major change in cast over the years the show did lose a bit and for us nothing will ever equal the greatness the show had in the early days with Joel at the helm, Dr. F and his assistant in Deep 13, and Mike playing hilarious characters on the “hexfield view screen”.
That said, whatever episodes are released on DVD, we’ll buy them. Shout Factory, we want them ALL!
Knowing that Dr F. had that in his past is one thing. Having to sit through it is another.
The trombone scene was brutal and unfunny. It felt like being at a friend’s house and having to listen while his mother demeans him. Some of the other host segments were better, but this one nearly ruined the show for me.
Fortunately for me, I own the Turkey Day version.
I like the animation for the microscope scene. It sure beats some stock footage from a sixth grade science class.
The short is great. It’s a vague subject matter, in the same class as “Out of This World” and “A Young Man’s Fancy.”
Favorite quote: “What would Liberace do? Hmm, better not do that.”
The movie is dull, but it goes by quickly. I’d like to point out that the future “Elusive Robert Denby” is in “Night of the Blood Beast.” The host segments are good.
As for Season 7, I like it a lot. Sure, episode one has a henpecked Dr. F., but rest of the season more than makes up for it. One episode has Pearl and Dr. F. working together as movie producers. Another has Pearl locked up in a kid’s playhouse.
I love this episode. I have the Turkey Day host segments that I got from Sky, but I didn’t watch them for this discussion, so I kind of forgot most of them. I’m familiar with the regular episode.
That short was really out there, man. (Remember everyone to decorate with phones!) What a stupid song! Shorts from the fifties were so lame. And whoever came up with the decor for that house – ick! That was supposed to be nice? Blech.
Fave lines from the short:
“Here’s how far I got – ‘LA’.” – Crow
“Honey, your cocaine is all over the phone.” – Crow
The copy I have of this ep is one that I cut out all the commercials, and I’m missing part of the opening, so I don’t remember Crow and Servo torturing Mike. It cuts in at the end of Dr. F playing trombone.
I, too, have trouble with Pearl’s chemistry with Dr. F. It was better with Bobo and Observer in later seasons, even though I really hate Bobo. And it’s weird, cuz I like Mary Jo, I know she has good comedic timing and can deliver the lines, it’s just that the CHARACTER of Pearl never really did it for me.
But, anyway —-
The beginning of this movie had me laughing (well, the riffing), though it dragged a bit in the middle.
Loved the running Steve gags.
There are way too many lines that I liked to list them all here but here are a few:
“Dick Currier – when Dick absolutely, positively has to be there over night.” – Crow
“The rest of NASA rushes to the scene.” – Mike
“NASA’s fruit truck makes a delivery.” – Crow
“I’ve never seen a man so dead.” – Servo
“What I’m about to say may sound strange, but I think we should eat this corpse.” – Mike
“Steve – Steve and I have something to tell you.” – Mike
(When Dr. “Steve” Wyman says of Johnny “Steve”, “He alone stood on the threshold of our future”) Mike adds, “And he peed it down his leg.”
“There’ll be other Steves.” – Servo
“Another long scene in here should help.” – Mike
“Oh – Steve’s name is Johnny.” – Crow
“You think I’m STEVE, don’t you?!” – Servo
Call back: When alien “Steve” says, “We have discovered the ultimate power.” Servo says, “RADAR!”
And of course, Servo’s, “Yep – just what it is we’ll never know – we’ll never know.”
Steve out.
I saw the TD version over a decade ago, leaving the memory hazy at best, and Laserblast is the only other Season 7 I’ve seen. So while I’m hardly the most qualified to say what the pros and cons of Season 7 are, all I have to say after reading so many complaints is,
Repeat to yourself: It was just 6 episodes!
Well, six and a half.
I can’t even think of a fair way to compare it to any other season; it must have more parallels to the 4-7 episode arcs of Season 8. Having seen every SciFi ep multiple times before even reading synopses of 702-706, I’ve come to regard it just kind of a transitional period, like the show’s dynamic was closed for remodelling and we had to take that class in one of those rented trailers for a few weeks which meant no powerpoint presentations; we still learned six essential lessons for the course. Okay, so for all anyone who was there at the time knew, our school was just going to be torn down in the end, sort of like what happened to Wonderland Mall in Livonia a few years ago, and now this analogy strayed away from any logic it had at the beginning, but I guess what I mean is that I like Season 7 having a distinct feel. Like how out of all the family vacations I ever took to the U.P., the one that stands out most in my mind is that short, choppy one we were sort of forced to make by the blackout in 2003, which just happened to be on my birthday.
Oh, and I know I’ve seen the trombone skit, but can’t remember if it was in Favorite Host Segments or Poopie. So, Dr. F doesn’t bleed in the actual take? Meaning it’s possible that was real blood and not a capsule? Yikes. I know that if you don’t warm up before playing a brass instrument, blasting a really powerful note can split your lip. I never had that problem since I played the tuba, whose mouthpiece you sort of compress your entire mouth into in order to play, so I imagine the risk increases as the horns get smaller. I hope Trace didn’t have to get stitches.
Bigzilla (#58) – Yeah, I love it when they laugh at their jokes too. It may seem unprofessional (see Jimmy Fallon on SNL) but I enjoy it when the MST crew take a less rehearsed approach to the riffing. And it may seem like sacrilege, but I’m a person who comes for the theater and if a sketch is good then great, but if it’s bad then who cares – I’ll move on.
I’ve weighed in on the Pearl/Clayton dynamic before. While I don’t like their interactions, I don’t think it’s at all out of character for Dr. Forrester. Even though he torments Frank and has megalomaniacal leanings, he is fundamentally pathetic and that’s part of what makes him funny. I recall his tirade in Killer Shrews about “the book dumpings after typing class” and other past shames that “fueled his badness.” He is the archetypal basement-dwelling, revenge-plotting loser. There is a strong impression that, aside from Frank and other henchmen-types (eg, Torgo), the rest of the world simply laughs at Forrester. All that being said, watching Pearl browbeat Forrester just isn’t very fun. Pearl’s screeching and Clayton’s whining becomes grating very quickly.
I think the show was trying to find direction during Season Seven. This was compounded by the distraction of the movie and uncertainty about the show’s continued status. However, the show was wonderfully resurrected with a fresh face on SciFi. Pearl proved a great replacement for Clayton, supporting my earlier assertions that the two characters have too strong a stage presence to share the screen together.
While a lot of the host segments are very weak during Season Seven, I still find it very enjoyable. This episode is great and probably has the strongest host segments of the season. The short may be my favorite, or possibly second to “A Date With Your Family.” There were some very odd marketing attempts in the 50’s; the attempts to deify consumer goods and make high sales a divine mandate is creepy. Still, Trace gets some great Charles Nelson Reilly impressions in at the expense of Wilbur the Angel.
Bigzilla #58: What I am referring to here is how the frequency of Mike & the Bots laughing at themselves really jumps up starting with season 7. I don’t know why I enjoy this so much, but usually I find myself falling apart in laughter when they are giggling as well.
I love this. This, to me, makes the show feel like “three funny guys who are watching a movie for the first time and just flinging stuff at the screen” more than “three guys reading from a carefully-timed script”. It feels looser, more casual, and more fun. Let’s face it… if you’re doing this at home with ttwo other people, unscripted, and someone lets loose with a good zinger, you’re gonna laugh. I always felt better when Joel was failing at suppressing his snickers and laughter in earlier episodes. That, to me, told me a joke had really hit its mark.
Next episode has the ultimate “break up with laughter” moment for me along these lines….
i actually really like Pearl in later seasons, it’s almost as though Mary Jo and the others are just trying to find a good groove with the character. either way, it does fit with Dr. F’s badness…nothing like a domineering mother to make you want to do evil things ;)
what really makes the trombone bit work though is how painful it is to watch if you ever had a music recital as a kid. it sounds about as bad irl and i swear i lost it as soon as Dr. F starts in with the extremely exaggerated foot taps for timing. too funny.
I wasn’t completely onboard with the Pearl/Dr F dynamic at first, but I loved it years later when I revisited it. In this episode, in particular, I love the “blood, mother… BLOOD” offscreen after Dr F gets shot. (At least I think that was in this episode?) The trombone recital and apology were also GOLD.
I first came to the show in Season 8, so everything preceding that was just one discovery after another. Therefore, the jump from Frank to Pearl did not really have any effect on my enjoyment of the series. It was simply different all the time. And I always enjoyed all the incarnations (though it took me a while to appreciate Josh as Dr. Erhardt).
BTW, who’d have EVER GUESSED that Wilbur from “Honeymoon” is the same actor as the copilot in “Lost Continent?”
Oh, it’s true.
I always get the feeling that Pearl got the short end of the stick. She had to serve as a follow-up to five full years of the TV’s Frank/Dr. F team that fans were so familiar with. Mary Jo had to jump in as a foil to Dr. F for six episodes and then just as she was getting her feet wet in that role, she had to carry the “evil” end of things for the rest of the show’s run. She didn’t even get a chance to be in as many episodes since SCI-FI canceled the series. Who’s to say what kind of stuff Pearl could have done in Seasons 11 and 12?
I think it would be interesting to try and compare Season 7 to the first six episodes of Season 2 and compare the SCI-FI Era to #207-417. What about the fans who were introduced to the show with Pearl episodes? Did they immediately fall in love with the Frank and Forrester team at first introduction, or did they just accept them as another part of the show’s attempt to explain the movie segments?
My fav line is when song guy is angry at the piano, grabbing his head and Servo says “Pull hard enough and I can snap my head off HRNNNN”. I’ve been stuck creatively like that before and that’s approximately where my thoughts go.
As for Pearl/Dr. F, meh. I remember a thousand years ago raging for a bit when Frank came in, so another change wasn’t such a big deal for me.
I think the major problem is that Dr. F being the victim worked better as the exception rather than the rule. Pearl’s evil flowed more smoothly with more sympathetic people for her to bully.
Watching the short again thanks to the miracle of internets, the riffs seemed fairly dark even by shorts standards.
Incredible episode…some of the best riffing ever done.
I love the scene where the elder doctor is speaking with his female, er, counterpart. He pats her on the shoulder gently and Mike pipes up,”Condescend, condescend…”
I also love the part where Steve?/John?/Dave? discovers his truck has been tampered with by the beast. He looks up and has a Clint Eastwood-esque look in his eye. Mike says, with perfect timing, “Time to dance, bloodbeast.”
Wouldn’t it be nice to get the TD version of this, with some more Thanksgiving marathon bumpers, and the Mexican Santa Claus movie on DVD? A perfect holiday pack–DIY TD marathons and 2 Xmas movies to watch!
Another not-so-fan of Pearl here. I don’t hate her character, except during certain host segments in Deathstalker, but the character of Dr. Forrester did change for the worse. It just made me yearn for Frank that much more when I saw what became of the Mads. And then as if to end the suffering of Clayton (and some of the fans), he’s gone in six episodes. Although that will create another problem for me when the dust of 706 settles and 801 begins.
It seems emminently clear through analysis of the comments found here and other like themed entries relative to the relationship between the Forresters, that those who rejected said relationship were, in fact, in complete denial over their OWN feelings regarding their relationship with their own mater, yes?
To illustrate this point, I direct your collective attention to the episode wherein Mrs Forrester is ill and continually calls out for her son (CLAYTONCLAYTONCLAYTON…). Thousands of fanboys who reside in the basements of their mothers house were immediately hearing their own mothers plaintive (SIGGYSIGGYSIGGY…) and repeated demand for their sons exclusive attention. The waves of resentment towards their own mothers were, in fact, then redirected to Mrs Forrester to whom they could express their pent up matricidal tendencies in a safe, non-confrontational, fiscally secure enviorment. This is the seed of discontent, yes!?
Once Clayton is REMOVED, Pearl is then inrtacting with her own peer group rather than the paternally imbalenced relationship. Thus reduced in the eyes of the fanboys her character is then becomes more pallatable, less controversial, less threatening. Peace and good cheer is once again restored.
I must go now, I have to massage mother’s feet.
Oh come on– enough about Pearl and Dr. F. and all this chemistry and dynamics stuff– where’s all the comments about “undercupping”??? Maybe we can start a thread identifying our favorite “undercupping” moments/characters in MST3K history!
Who’s with me?
Um…. MSTies…. who’s… with… me?
Careful… what…. you wish for…
Depending on how one feels about “Samson” and “Yucca Flats”, this is the first good ol’ monster movie in a while; one that really hearkens back to the Joel era. I could totally see this as a great Joel episode.
And I guess I kind of forgot how many episodes Ed Nelson is in.
Not so elusive after all!
Oh yeah, the problem of getting both versions on the same DVD…
A friend who was collecting all the Dragonball Z DVDs when Funimation first released the Cell Saga said they allowed you to switch between the American and Japanese opening and closing sequences with angle options. I’ve never played a disc that utilized that feature myself, but it sure seems like a way to include every host segment without making the disc 2-sided.
I’m sure they’ll solve this little problem long before the one about how to please fans who want every Sandy Frank episode to also include the KTMA version, at any rate. I’m a completist who wants a legit DVD of every last ep, so I say Shout! and the ex-Brains had better think long and hard about that one…
“This is how far I’ve gotten: laaa.”
One of my favs. The short is awesome and never fails to make me laugh.
The movie, another classic. Goofy in it’s own right. Add the excellent riffing and it is pure gold.
“Don’t say rub or grind or moist or hard or gristle.”
I’m Polish and thought “We learned not to send Polacks into space” was hilarious. And count me in as someone who loved Mike, Kevin, and Trace laughing at their own jokes in Season 6 and 7. It made me laugh more and who can blame them? They were hilarious.
I didn’t take full advantage when posting my comments. I should’ve changed my handle to Steve of Great Power for that one.
I’ve only seen the Turkey Day version, is there a DAP copy of both versions?
I’d give this one a solid 4 stars. Fine movie riffing + The short is bizarre, I love the part where the guy starts playing a piano melody and Mike sings over it “Every body was kung-fu fighting” .. the melody is totally different but he pulls it off perfectly. WTF are they selling in this short? Appliances? Telephones?
The Stuffing vs. Potatoes debate is pretty funny – “The Potato … Nature’s Bouncing Betty”
BTW, I agree with those who have commented that regardless of the cast changes MST3K was always a kick-ass funny show. Sure, I was actually SAD when Frank left & the dynamic between Trace and Frank was excellent … but even though I was less fond of Pearl, the show was still the absolute best thing ever on TV. Cast changes were difficult but with each change they managed to stay funny and creative. Some episodes are better than others but my favorites span the full run of the show, it NEVER ‘jumped the shark’.
Easily one of my all-time favorite MST3k episodes. The riffing is dead-on hilarious in the short and the movie, and you get twice as many host segments to enjoy! I’ve used this as an introductory episode for so many people I’ve hung out with.
I really hope Shout Factory can license this.
“Has anybody seen my hairbrush?”
Migel #85
Yes, there are DAPs of both. The ones I circulated down this week were titled thus :
MST3K – 0701 – 20010607 – Night of the Blood Beast
MST3K – 0701(TD) – 20011119 – Night Of The Blood Beast
Zee#16: “Poopie Moments I wished they actually used in the episode”
I smell a weekend discussion thread… I know which I’d vote for — and it’s a Dr. F. moment.
DON3k#51: “EVERYONE’S NOT NAMED STEVE!!!”
The important ones are… :wink:
My favorite bits:
“Peppercorn Mace” Yum!
“Hey, now they’ll get Immaculate Reception”
As for Pearl, every time the cast changed, it took several episodes for the new dynamic to gel. In this case, Pearl and Clayton never got the chance. That’s the way I see it.
Season Seven couldn’t be short enough for me. Pearl’s arrival was the conclusion of what had been a slow degradation of Dr. F’s character since the departure of Joel. Some of that had to do with Mike’s lack of respect for the Mads. Part of it, no doubt, was due to the writers getting tired of writing the same kind of stuff over and over.
Regardless of what had brought them there, by the time Pearl arrived, Dr. F had already lost a lot of the edge that made him a great character. Pearl just removed the last shreds of dignity attached to him with one fell swoop.
Thankfully, he’s pretty much restored to his former self in his final appearance (Pearl’s barely there) and gets the best darned send off the show ever had. Pearl herself would be redeemed as a character once she had her own supporting cast on Sci Fi.
To me, this is one of those eps where the short is waaaaaayy more interesting than the movie. Favorite line: “It’s probably the Pope about the one sexual position.” The songs themselves are pretty catcy as well.
Oh, and I liked the 3rd host segment (regular version) called back to Godzilla vs. Megalon; the one about Crow’s inability to get pregnant because he doesn’t have a womb.
I always viewed Season 7 in regards to a favorite store of mine that’s under renovation: a part of it is still open, but sections of it are closed off. In other words, it exists but its an incomplete entity, and therefore shouldn’t be judged on comparisons. I think, if given a longer body of time to work on it, the relationship between Dr. F and Pearl would have balanced itself out. Clayton would have had opportunities to get back at his mom for past grievances. It’s all moot at this point, though. The choice of movies for this shortened season are very good, overall; in fact, in my opinion this week’s experiment is the weakest of the six.
I hadn’t seen this in awhile, and I knew I only had the Thanksgiving version, but I was suprised to find that I had taped most of the bumpers previous to the start of NotBB. They’re pretty good, especially Mike’s take on “Peter Graves Jr.”, as Forrester calls him.
The short is another gem – they do so well with these 1950’s ads that dwell in subliminal advertising (phones). Some of my fav comments from that include:
– (when the title appears) Servo says: “The number of times Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie have had sex!”
– (while wife is singing about wishing) Mike: “Well, wish in one hand and crap in the other, and see which piles up first!”
– (while wife is in bedroom, singing “wish I may, wish…I…might”) Servo’s sings the lyrics ahead of her.
The movie is less inspiring for jokes. While Corman is the master of B-movie making, other movies of his featured on MST, such as “It Conquered the World”, “Attack of the Giant Leeches” and “Swamp Diamonds” at least have elements in them to keep the viewer’s attention, albeit for the wrong reasons. NotBB goes too slowly for me, and none of the characters are memorable. While M&tB do a decent job, they do get better than this as the season progresses.
Fav riffs from the movie include:
– Servo as Elmer Fudd: “Be careful with my hat, huh-huh-huh-huh-huh.”
-Crow (as they unload the body from the truck’s faltbed): “Well, we had to snap him in two like a frozen dog to get him out of the space capsule, but…”
– Mike (during views of the microscope): “Who ordered theirs sunny-side up?”
Also, there’s a then-current reference that made me chuckle: as Joyce talks about the “cells have expanded to-“, Mike chimes “Jacksonville”, a reference to the new NFL team, Jacksonville Jaguars, who had their first season played in 1995.
I can’t wait for the review of “Brute Man”! One of my absolute faves during the Mike era.
I wonder, does anyone know definitively if Trace mouth started bleeding because of Mary Jo hitting the trombone and it cutting him? It doesn’t look to be that hard of a hit, of course it doesn’t take much. But I always wondered if maybe his mouth had been injured earlier and this just reopened it.
As for the chemistry, yes it wasn’t as good as he had with Frank. I don’t know the reasons behind it.
But, I think one of the reasons the chemistry doesn’t seem there is it seemed to me Trace had grown tired of the role of Dr. Forrester at that point during Season 7. As Dr. F he just didn’t seem to have the same energy that he had in previous seasons. T
here’s a bit on Poopie 2 between him and Mary Jo where she’s portraying Pearl as being sick and Trace stops the filming for a second, his whole demeanor in that bit just make’s it seem that he’d rather be anywhere else than there at that moment.
I don’t know maybe it’s me, but the fact he left at the end of Seaon 7 I think supports my feeling that one of the reasons the chemistry doesn’t click is I think he was ready to move on and was simply tired of doing it at that point and wanted to move on… which he did. I don’t know I could be wrong.
For the record, I love Mary Jo as Pearl. And her work with Kevin and Bill during the sci fi years is as good as the work Trave and Frank brought.
Whaaaaaat this is my favourite season ever! I think it’s some of the strongest writing of the series.
As for this one… the microscope cartoon had me literally rolling on the floor first I saw it. Plus despite his wonky eyes, I think Johnny’s sorta cute in a way. And the dopey girl too. Maybe I’m just weird. Whatever.
As for Pearl/Dr. F? Weird combo but I like them too much as characters to hate. But I love Pearl way more later. She becomes my favourite character of ALL then.
Plus it does explain a lot.
And I don’t really think it would’ve worked if it ended up being his *daughter* in season 8 (though that’s actually how I assumed they were related at first!). More than anything… he’s always seemed a bit, well, *light in the loafers* to me, if you know what I mean. Again, maybe that’s just me.
I prefer the regular segments to the Turkey Day ones. I like the dynamics on the SOL better than Deep 13, and I felt the Turkey Day edition spent too much time down in Deep 13. Plus, why wasn’t Torgo at the Thanksgiving party?!
This starts out strongly enough on the SOL. I like the personal security opening. You have to admit that Mike can sure act scary!
Then we get to Pearl. I’m going to say that I didn’t mind her introduction. Did Trace and Frank make a really great comedy team? Absolutely. But let’s face it we’ve already (somewhat) shaken it up before. When Joel left and took the invention exchange with him the dynamic in Deep 13 changed. Dr. Forrester and Frank lost the driving force of the majority of the Deep 13 screen time. When Joel was there the Mads presented their invention and introduced the movie. Since they rarely returned to Deep 13 until the end of the show there was little else for them to do. With the demise of the invention exchange the Mads were shaken up quite a bit. We saw a lot of the their “home life” and an effeminate relationship was developed. So now the team is broken up and things change further. I have no problem with turning the tables on Dr. Forrester because I think that is interesting.
As for her opening sketch trombone recital… Well it begins to establish their relationship but it was lacking a bit on the funny, but back-story often does.
The apology sketch picks up a bit. When Clayton asks if the topic is poop related I chuckle.
All in all a good episode. The movie itself had that solid if not quite spectacular riffing I love. It was very workmanlike. I thought the introduction of the new characters was interesting.
Now the Turkey Day segments do give a completely different feel to Pearl. She doesn’t seem evil at all and the rapport with Art is really fun. We’d see that a few more times but it is a bit of a shame it wasn’t more common.
Favorite Riffs:
Short:
Angel “Something is coming up in exactly 30 seconds.” Mike makes noises like fighting back vomit.
Sits down at the piano. Mike “What would Liberace do? Oh wait, I better not do that.”
Movie:
Dave “he was supposed to come back alive.” Tom “stupid jerk.”
The body is examined. Mike “did he have a skull when we sent him up?”
Steve “When we pulled your body out of the compartment we thought you were dead.” Tom “What do you mean compartment?”
Crow “No more questions. More boobies.” As Steven collapses on female Steve’s chest.
Female Steve “He’s not dangerous. Not to me.” Crow “Except when the Packers loose.”
Steve “How about a Molotov Cocktail.” Mike “Well it is a little early.”
Bloodbeast “Do now be afraid. I’m not here to harm you.” Mike “Just kill you.”
‘we had to snap him in two like a frozen dog.’
the mutant hell beast suit has taken a beating in it’s appearances. burned to a crisp in this showing and have a deranged Ray Stevens drop a large rock on it’s head in yet another movie.
I have very little to add to what I said before. The Dr. F on display here is a shadow of the brilliant character that had previously been on view. I’m not sure I agree with those who think Trace was tired of the character. I think it’s just as likely he was tired of the whole grind, especially since the production had become so uncertain. The disappointment of the movie had to weigh heavily, as well.
I will agree that the TD segments pale in comparison to the originals, but who thought they wouldn’t? Again, though, the Perkins/Mr. B shipping *was* fantastic and spot-on because (unlike the uncharacteristic shift for Dr. F), they both stayed true to the way BB had portrayed them previously, just in a new context.
The movie, I barely remember. It’s blotted out by the horrors of the host segments as I watch one of the greatest characters in the history of television slowly sapped of the last, desperate vestiges of his persona. (Quick example: How did the Dr. F who had simply and callously had Michael Feinstein killed just a few seasons earlier become a fawning, panting fanboy? A lack of fidelity to the basic nature of the character, that’s how.)
If the writers got flack for what they did to the character, they deserved it.
I applied the Bechdel Test to this film and the result was a Fail. At no point do Julie and Donna (the sole female characters) speak to each other.
Personally I prefer the Turkey Day host segments and am glad that Shout gave us the option to choose whichever set you want.
bad wolf #76: Wouldn’t it be nice to get the TD version of this, with some more Thanksgiving marathon bumpers, and the Mexican Santa Claus movie on DVD?
Weird how that’s exactly what happened. That’s what it is. Weird!
Troy Thomas #94: Why wasn’t Torgo at the Thanksgiving party?!
Would you really want to have Torgo at your Thanksgiving dinner? I know I wouldn’t. Especially if he brought the green bean casserole. Real world reason, because Mike was already doing two characters, so a third would be a bit much.
Why is Heaven so often protrayed as bureaucratic? You’d think that would be more of Hell’s deal.
I thought A Young Man’s Fancy was oblique as regards to what it was about, but it’s a model of clarity compared to Once Upon a Honeymoon. Tom summed it up perfectly when he said, “What the hell was that about anyway?”
What do the Bots have against potatoes? But I do agree that mincemeat pie is gross.
Then-current riff: “The amorphic cell structures have expanded to…”
Jacksonville!
Favorite riffs
You know, I had an angel rotting in my chimney once.
The rest of NASA rushes to the scene.
Before this decade is out, we will put a man in a pickup truck and bring him safely to Mendicino County.
Did he have a skull when we sent him up?
But you’re a girl doctor.
This is a stupid space program. I’m gonna work for my uncle’s space program.
Maybe they shouldn’t have launched a rocket while the dryer was running.
“At least we won’t freeze.”
Unless it gets really cold.
Saw a huge, bloodsucking alien. But I didn’t think it was important, either.
Be vewy quiet. We’re hunting Bwood Beast.
Can you be dead again?
No more questions. More boobies.
And God bless Grandma, and please don’t let the alien babies eat me in my sleep. Amen.
“I’m not here to harm you.”
I just want to kill you.
its hard to trust a guy not named ‘steve’…
I have something I need to say before we go any further: I love Season 7! I know it has its detractors, but to me, this season is just as brilliant as what’s come before it. All six episodes, in my opinion, are some of the funniest the Brains ever did. And the fact that they were staring down possible cancellation and still managed to be sidesplittingly funny is a real testament to their talents.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays – it evokes pleasant memories of big family dinners and the movie marathons that were always on TV afterwards. So for that reason, I generally prefer the Turkey Day version of this episode. It’s oddly nostalgic for me, despite the fact that I never saw it on its original airdate.
But I can do the next best thing – this past Thanksgiving, I re-enacted the entire 1995 Turkey Day marathon, bumpers and all. I actually prefer these bumpers over the ’91 ones, since there’s a much wider breadth of characters to play off each other. Trace, Mike, Bridget, Paul, Kevin, and Mary Jo are all brilliant throughout. “Is it money you want?” :D
I also think the host segments in the episode proper are stronger in the Turkey Day version. Don’t get me wrong, the regular ones are good too (“Was it that time I ate the bag of wool?”) but few things in the history of the show are funnier than Crow and Servo’s stuffing vs. potatoes sketch. I still look for opportunities to drop “The skin, or jacket, of the potato is incredibly poisonous, and can kill in an instant!” into regular conversation.
I love Pearl’s Patton-style prayer: “Lord, I’d like to thank you for my health…the occasional good massage…oh, and my son, I guess.” :)
“Meanwhile, soldiers are dyin’ in the mud in North Korea…” Once Upon a Honeymoon is an insane little short, and the guys rip it apart. I still double over laughing every time I hear “Honey, I can’t stop smiling! I’m in hell!”
As Mike puts it, this movie has been thoroughly Cormanized. Everything you’d expect is here – spaceships, cheap alien suits, big chunky white guys in lab coats talking about nothing – but Night of the Blood Beast also has a healthy dose of goofy, which makes it go down a lot easier. Those fried egg things in the microscope are hilarious. “What I’m about to say may sound strange, but I think we should eat this corpse.”
What’s up with Donna’s hair in this movie? I like it, don’t get me wrong, but her Farrah Fawcett ‘do seems a little out-of-place for 1958, don’t you think?
“This is helping!” :D
Speaking of lines I like to drop in casual conversation, I must remember to use “Just what it is we’ll never know, we’ll never know” more often.
Overall, a great way to kick off an unfortunately truncated season. There’s not a lot to Season 7, but I enjoy every little drop we got.