Mine, has to be from episode 506- EEGAH!, when Frank had his blood replaced with anti-freeze. Great performance–funny and even a little poignant.
What’s yours? (You’re allowed to have more than one.)
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Weekend Discussion Thread: Favorite Frank MomentsSo, last week I put up a list of all the threads we’ve done so far, and “Crowschmo” noticed that we haven’t done a “Favorite Frank moments” thread yet! Unimaginable! So let’s rectify that one right now.
105 Replies to “Weekend Discussion Thread: Favorite Frank Moments”Commenting at Satellite News
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I loved Frank’s confession in The Dead Talk Back. Dr. Forrester’s expressions really sold it.
So many great options, but I’d have to go with Sidehackers. “Push the button Frank” “I will.”
Honorable mention to the scene from Mitchell. “Why did you need my keys?” “Your lights were on.” “Oh, I see…Hey! I don’t have a car!” “Then why did you give me your keys?” “I don’t know; I thought my lights were on.”
Ditto # 22 on Frank & Dr F doing “The Mike Douglas Show,” complete with those asterisk-flower logos that made it official. Another favorite Frank moment includes the exchange of bazookas that spewed either breakfast or creamy baked goods. Slightly of the subject, a favorite Frank moment occurred circa 1996 on an episode of “Sabrina, the Teen-aged Witch.” I happened to be watching this as at random when I noticed Frank was on the show in which (no pun) his character who’s named Rudy was a little boy who was turned adult via witchcraft that Sabrina was babysitting, so he’d be easier to watch. However, the adult version portrayed still had the mentality of a small child. Soon as I saw Frank, it was so great that I lost it. Press the button Frank…
Frank’s sobbing as Dr. Forrester presented his “Hard Pills To Swallow”.
“The children!!!!”
Chock off another for the mad bomber Frank. I love that he owned a good prtion of the episode.
There are so many great Frank moments already mentioned…
Tug McGraw, confessing to everything, hard pills…
some of my faves.
Village of the Giants…’Let me be Frank about Frank.’
I was a huge Zappa fan and I was relieved to see frank staying
and booting Torho out at the end, but when they did the song over
the credits and put up the Zappa epitaph, I almost choked up.
Viva T.V.’s Frank!
Tough to name the best, but two of my faves were his imitation of the “he’s the Best!” guy in Pod People, and his imitation of Gooch in Side Hackers. They both kill me every time! And of course the button malfunction in Daddy-O is a classic.
Along with the ones mentioned above (so many great moments) One of my favorites is the end of Daddy-O when Frank can’t seem to get the button to work, and we keep returning to Deep 13. That, and Frank’s reaction to the Killer Shrew’s Drink: Frank-“it’s ladies night and the feelings right, woooo!” Dr. F-“New rule Frank, don’t ever touch me!”, Frank proceeds to “not touch him”. Still a funny bit.
Definitely Frank’s Lederhosen-hosen induced breakdown from Operation Double 007: “I just wanted to be Bavarian for one brief, shining moment. Is that so wrong???!!!” :lol:
A big fave that nobody’s mentioned yet is at the end of The Unearthly, when Frank is wolfing down oatmeal and talking like a Bowery Boy… and he gets Dr. F in on it. That scene just makes me grin.
“Babylon 5 was on last night.”
“I don’t fink on soul brother.” Yeah, lots of good Frank moments in Poopie.
Not the greatest singing voice ever, but I love NummyMuffinCoocolButter, Livin’ In Deep Thirteen (“I had a void in the shape of you”), plus he inspired the wonderful song The Greatest Frank of All. He had a great onscreen presence and really worked the Marlon Brando/Jor-el hairdo, even in that one where he was bald (?) but still had the little curl upfront.
There are lots…
1) When he’s unemployed in 523 (Village of the Giants) and just lounging around in his underwear. Or eating a burrito in a broom closet. He fits this role really well.
2) Organizing comic books with Dr. F, when all of the sudden some women show up!
3) That one time he answers Joel and does a very aimless introduction. “Come in Joel, my little space guy. My little guy who’s trapped in space, who we control… in a funny kind of way!” Then Dr. F pops up and Frank is very surprised.
4) As the compassionate executioner in 424 Manos.
Way too many…
Everyone above, plus “Unearthly”‘s hard pills to swallow. Frank crying uncontrollably – can’t get enough of it (especially when you can tell it almost throws Trace completely off-script)
“Terry, no!”
“Terry, yes. Now turn, Frank….and cough…”
-Square Master (especially the “Shemp-area” demo)
-Hard Pills To Swallow
-Johnny Longtorso (“One doll alone, naked and afraid”)
and, of course, my all-time favorite, the Patches the Leech rant:
“No! I am the sum of my vices! I am my pain, my happiness, my losses, my love, my struggles, my hobbies, MyLanta, I want to live and love and learn and live!”
“But this won’t hurt a bit!”
“Okay.”
Nummy Muffin Coocol Butter
Hands down, my favorite Frank moment is from Alien from LA when Dr F. steals his Liver and puts it in the vend-o-gut. Franks groan in the very last segment after Dr. F makes him lose count and start again is priceless.
Top 2:
I can’t remember what episode it’s in but Dr. F. asks Frank to put on the costume and Frank looks at him excitedly and says “The lizard costume?” And Dr. F. says “No, the other one.” And Frank walks away disappointed.
When he beats up the punching bag in Giant Gila monster and says “Sample my fist you community theater reject!” and starts jumping on the punching bag in the background while Dr. F. introduces the film.
There were so many but the one that sticks in my mind is his one act play to help sell Dr. Forrester’s designer bio-hazard throw pillows in The Magic Sword. “Dr. Clayton Forrester, I love you.”
One of my favourites is from the Poopie tape, when he presents the Hypno Helio Static Stasis and the wall accidentally falls. “It is a very powerfull force!” That always make me laugh.
Another is when he says “I am the button.”
And also when he demonstartes the drinking jacket.
Hell, there are too many to list.
Two for me:
Human Duplicators: “Get me! I’m Quinn Martin!!” After years of watching it, I still think the laughter looks spontaneous.
Beatniks: “I’m going to grow out my troll patch and rail against the Establishment, man!”
I have a couple more to throw against the wall;
-“Daddy, there’s a boy outside.”
-Franks fitness equipement inventions a staircase, a row boat and treadmill on wheels so you can enjoy the outdoors while working out.
Also, SquareMaster was a great skit. However, there was one aspect of it that confuses the heck out of me. The exercise that is good for your ‘Shemp area’, running in circle while on the floors with requisite ‘nyuk-nyuk-nyuk’ is a the signature Curly Howard routine of the Three Stooges. Although Shemp is his real brother and did replace him when he got ill, this routine was never associated with him. Not a big deal but I was surprised that this fell thru the cracks as I am sure ‘Curly area’ is not OH I GET IT NOW! Never mind.
The host segments from Red Zone Cuba, where Frank is in deep to the mob for 50 large and Dr. Forrester receives the beating that was meant for Frank. The bit with Frank at Dr. Forrester’s bedside, telling him he should stop feeling sorry for himself and get out of bed. “BUT OH THAT POSTURE…” And then forces Dr. Forrester to “make the knee test”.
Without peeking at anyone else’s comments, one of my favorite Frank moments is when he and Mrs. Forrester get together in Deep 13, totally ignoring Dr. F, and they’re doing all the girl-talk stuff.
Mrs. F.: “Wait! Wait! First I have to tell about….”
Frank: “Don’t tell me! Meg’s party! (both laugh)
Mrs. F.: “Well, you’re not gonna believe this, but….”
Frank: “You didn’t!”
Mrs. F.: “I most certainly did!”
@74-Thanks for the reminder. I found ANY interaction between Pearl & Frank were terrific. They really have great chemistry together.
Golly, so many amazing, classic moments! I’ll only name the first moment that popped into my head: Auntie McFrank :D
1. the unwilling test on the “Vend-a-gut,” who just wanted to go to his ice dancing lesson.
2. Frank’s love of Monty Markham and pleading us to bring back “The Second 100 years.”
3. Tank tops – the best beach party was the one at Normandy.
I’ll always love Frank’s reaction to Peter Graves’ speech in It Conquered The World, where he keeps on bringing the food up to his mouth, stops to listen, brings it again, stops, and eventually just drops the food from the fork. The timing always cracks me up.
One last one;
“Wheres My Mock Duck?”
Chicken Fu Yung, Chicken with Mushroom, Garlic Chicken, Chicken in Blackbean Sauce, Chicken with Baby Corn, Chicken with a Distinctive Sauce, Chi…
@71
Cubby: forgot about the “bloopers” scene. The William Conrad Refrigerator Alarm was a great moment (and, given the latest fitness push, a necessity?)
Auntie McFrank
Ren-fest
Nummymuffin cocobutter
The whole Frank assumed into heaven bit.
The Tumberware skit with the mole people.
Mirror Mirror Frank.
Just tossing this out there, but did anyone else ever see any of his appearance’s on “Make me Laugh.”?
I AM the button ( as suggested earlier ).
Frank’s fanboy routine when he was in the audience of the “Crow Vs. Crow” at Dragoncon (featured on the Volume XVII DVD set) had me rolling. That segment was one of the most awesome things I’ve seen and Frank being there was just icing on the cake. So good to see Frank hasn’t lost his touch. He also was very funny in the those short segments he was in a couple of years ago. I believe it was called “The Writer’s Room.”
“I’ve been arguing about this on the internet for 20 years.”
I love Frank’s work during the invention of the Evil theme nights for Baseball from The Girl In Lover’s Lane. With his facial reactions and voice inflections, he actually lifts material that isn’t all that funny and makes it funny (you know, like the Cartuner does to comic strips). Just thinking about Frank’s delivery on “What about Poopie Night?” has me chuckling.
Second choice for me was Frank doing the virtual comedy club invention from Secret Agent Super Dragon.
“Oh, for fun!…AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!”
I can’t remember that episode but mine is the Tupperware party. I love how he keeps fumbling as Dr F “supervises” his salesmanship. Hilliarious! I love TVs Frank
Nummy Muffin…particularly when he frantically calls out “Nummy!” with his arms outstretched before a quick cut.
His entire Village of the Giants arc.
Pretending Dr. F. is dead.
Anti-freeze.
Lost Continent invention exchange.
“Urkel? That is DELIGHTFUL!”
Poopie….his outtakes were amazing.
Live performance of Greatest Frank of All.
Who is Merritt Stone?
If Chaffeurs Ruled the World
“Hike, hike, hike with the thing and…”
I could go on forever. I adore Frank. Such a huge reason why I love MST3K.
Forgot the lederhosen sketch. Again, I could probably name 100 more….but, that one is amazing.
i WILL push the button
i will PUSH the button
i will push THE button
i will push the BUTTON
I will push the button
Also: anytime he “fought the power” with Dr. F (i.e. knife fight, “I’ll cut you, man!”) or changed emotions in a split second.
What hasn’t been mentioned?
There’s Frank advancing on Dr. Forrester with a shotgun at the end of Invasion U.S.A.. “Who won the world series??” Not quite as funny, but still an amusing random moment with Frank, comes from the beginning of the episode where Dr. Forrester has decided that his “control” for his version of Harlow’s famous surrogate mother experiment was TV’s Frank, dressed as the classic tomato-shaped pin cushion.
Frank’s anger in The Day The Earth Froze when he learns that Dr. Forrester didn’t line up any sales for the “Unhappy Meals” that Frank invested in. “You took all my money you son of a–!” Even Crow takes Frank’s side.
Nothing beats Frank’s mad-bomber act in The Sinister Urge, though.
Can’t remember which episode has this segment, but the one where frank is put into a life size version of “Operation.” Always cracks me up.
I can’t remember which episode, but the one where a machine illustrated their inner true person, Dr. F was a bikini-clad woman and Frank was a clown. Apologizing to J&TB for Manos was a good moment. “You know these kids today, with their loud music, hula hoops, fax machines, here’s something they’ll really go nuts for-KARAOKE!(cue Frank’s unique vocal effect). That may be slightly misquoted. Replacing Frank’s blood with antifreeze-classic. His impersonation of a child’s horror when they put cool christmas gifts through the gift-squisher or whatever it was called, that turned cool stuff into things like socks.
Right off the top of my head, TV Frank’s revolting yet endearing fussy, whiny man-baby routine testing the ReComfy Bike in “Beginning of the End.”
“Dr. F, could you tuck me in before my ride?” YAAAAAA
All of the times listed above are my favorites as well.
Outside of MST3K, I have enjoyed his blogging at the Cinematic Titanic site. Sure, everyone’s blogging there has slacked off, but they’re keeping themelves busy so it’s cool. What’s nice is that Frank’s blogs are a great read anytime because they’re timeless. Perhaps my favorite there is one called “Too Soon?”. You’ll need to go back about eight pages to find it, but I highly recommend it.
The image that immediately popped into my head with this discussion page was Frank wearing the VIRGIN T-shirt and mocking that weird femmy guy in “Pod People”.
“That’s GOOCH!”
The hard pills to swallow sketch comes to mind. Frank’s crying really sells the invention exchange. Plus I really feel sorry for him there as that was one hell of a dark sketch.
I honestly can’t begin to pin down my favorite Frank moment. To do so would be to neglect and/or cast disparagement upon all the other moments of greatness visited upon us by the great one who’s name is T.V.’s Frank. However, despite the fact that I am also incapable of selecting my favorite cast member, I can say, without a doubt, that T.V.’s Frank is my favorite character. I’m also a big fan of Observer.
The ones I can think of are the Decorator Biohazard pillows: “Well, ehough Charles in Charge
Also at the end of Superdragon, while Forrester talks about how difficult it is to have a bad guy organization. Frank helps out as he’s really bored, then falls asleep in the next scene. You have to see it, can’t describe it well.
I have to say the Gordita in Soultaker, and the Renaissance Festival punching bags. Those are all-time classic in my book, but I could watch Frank read the phone book. Memories, golden memories…