To quote a TV special shown every year at this time, Christmas time is here. Every year, I watch my DVDs of all the Christmas related shows (from MST3K, Cinematic Titanic and Rifftrax). Its an annual tradition with me. So what are your annual Christmas traditions with the show? Have a wonderful Patrick Swayze Christmas everyone.
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Weekend Discussion Thread: Christmas MST3K TraditionsOur pal Timmy writes:
24 Replies to “Weekend Discussion Thread: Christmas MST3K Traditions”Commenting at Satellite News
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It’s not a Christmas related movie, but I always watch Jack Frost at Christmastime. And, of course, Santa Claus and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.
And starting this year, I’ll wear my JOIKE sweater.
Well, as far as the show itself is concerned, I rotate the Christmas-themed episodes, which now numbers four: the KTMA version of “Gamera”, “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians”, “Santa Claus” and “Christmas that Almost Wasn’t”.
Beyond that, I also rotate alumni projects, where I have a lot more selections. And for December 30th, I watch one of the KTMA Melon drop specials, alongside “Blackadder Back and Forth” and the Paul McGann “Doctor Who” movie.
Not very much, but I have to leave room for visiting with my family, the candlelight service at church, football, Charlie Brown and Alistair Sim.
Like many of you out there I spend about half of my happy holidays in an MST3K cultural desert. My Christmas gift to those around me is to refrain from my usual MST related jargon. It cuts way down on the eye rolls and subvocal groans, but occasionally I forget and a “Time for go to bed” or (heaven forbid) “Hi-keeba!” slips out. I must confess that from time to time I can’t resist getting in a “If you’re like me, and I know I am…” just to keep a balance to the universe. Sometimes the best gifts are those that only you know about.
For years the trio of: SCCTM; Santa Claus and Jack Frost. Over the years, sprinkle in alternate (CT and Rifftrax versions of the first two mentioned) This year, added The Christmas that almost wasn’t to the list.
I watch my favorite of the Christmas movies–“Santa Claus”–three or four times. And I laugh just as hard every time. (Is this something I should worry about?) This year, I’m going to screw up my courage and watch “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” again. It must’ve traumatized me all those years ago when I first saw it: the mere title fires my inbred “not even the riffing can save it” reflex, and the only thing I remember from it is Joel telling the ‘bots about a treacly Christmas movie called “The Christmas That Wasn’t Too Bad”. (That, though, has entered my personal holiday vocabulary. Like Jay, I have to fight the temptation to share my MST3K joy with everyone at the family holiday celebration, but that will find its way into the conversation at some point.) Eventually I’ll get around to “The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t”, as well. Although that’s the movie Scrooge would’ve been forced to watch if he hadn’t been redeemed by the three spirits.
My husband and I watch all the MST3K Xmas-related eps between Thanksgiving & Xmas every year. CT & Rifftrax, too. Can’t decide if Whizzo the Clown or the Ice Cream Bunny has been more soul-damaging.
Oh, and we watch Pratchett’s Hogfather for Solstice.
Happy holidays, everyone!
Of course watching the Christmas shows… in the past I’d change them up. Back when Hulu was free, I would watch, say, the Cinematic Titanic version of SCCTM instead of the MST3K version. This year I already did my first annual watching of the now 3 Christmas episodes last weekend, watching them in chronological order of the show’s original airing — all on that Friday night. Next year, I’ll watch them in reverse order (probably not on the same night).
For New Year’s weekend, I’m watching only season 11 shows in honor of having a new season this year.
Now, I’d better work the KTMA Gamera in some time before Monday’s over…
Starting on Christmas Eve or Christmas Eve Eve depending on how much interaction I have with my mom’s side of the family.
I start with the unriffed versions of “Santa Claus conquers the Martians” and “Santa Claus” before watching the MST3K Versions. Followed by Cinematic Titanic Version of “SCCtM” , Rifftrax : Star Wars Holiday Special, and then all the other Rifftrax: Christmas/Holiday specials that have been put on dvd. Then I usually close out the night with the viewing of Svengoolie and/or Elvira version of “SCCtM”
Since I work for a school, I usually save “Jack Frost” and ” Day the Earth Froze” for when a snow day happens.
Tradition for our family every year is, the day we get together and decorate the tree, we ALWAYS put in 321 Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and watch/listen as we are decorating.
Like everyone else, we watch “Santa Claus” and “Martians”. Lately we’ve been playing the Cinematic Titanic version of the latter since I’ve seen #321 so many times. I may have a go at Rifftrax’s version of one or the other this year, but not sure.
We’ve been saving up “The Christmas that Almost Wasn’t” since April and haven’t seen it yet.
Since I only have the original MST3K episodes I can only watch “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” and “Santa Claus” which is still one of the creepiest Christmas movies I have ever seen(those laughing mechanical reindeer). I never though of “Jack Frost” as a Christmas movie but it is one of my favorite episodes.
Back when it was on free Prime, I’d used to rotate the Titanic Martians into the higher numbers alternately with my Rhino MST3K disk–I tried watching some of RT’s, but seemed like half the riffs were RT’s low-tolerance attention-spans for scenes that ran on a fatal second too long (“Okay, Santa, you’ve said enough goodbyes, will you just go??“), and I’d go back to MJ’s Titanic riff about the food pills and Joel’s Pia Zadora line.
El Santa is on my short list of watchable Mike era episodes (no, Lupita!), so I’d rotate that in occasionally if I’d started the Christmas videos early enough that month, but if RT tried to graverob that one for public domain, I probably wouldn’t be interested.
Tried watching RT’s “I Believe in Santa Claus”–just because I remember seeing it unriffed, and hoped Titanic or Jonah could have wrangled it–but it had the usual problems. Same with Jonah&tB’s Wasn’t, which I’m pretty sure the group has an overwhelming consensus on what was the one disappointment about that one.
(As for Whizzo’s Christmas Circus, lord help me, I’d seen that unriffed on Prime before RT got their hands on it, and I haven’t sought out the RT because I don’t think this needs anyone pushing self-aware jokes at it…)
You continue to be pompous and insufferable. I suppose it’s reassuring in a way to know that, whatever changes may take place in our turbulent world, you are a touchstone of dreariness, your sole purpose in life being to tell us why we shouldn’t enjoy what we enjoy.
My two favorites at Christmas are “Santa Claus”, and the RiffTrax Christmas shorts live show. Then I’ll also put on SCCTM, Santa & the Ice Cream Bunny, and then maybe one of the other Christmas-themed RT DVDs.
Personally, I prefer the TV movie with George C. Scott as Scrooge (Marley you magnificent bastard, I’ve audited your books). I particularly recall the scene of Marley’s arrival freaking me out as a kid.
That’s my favorite version of “A Christmas Carol” as well. Frank Finlay (The Deadly Bees!) was mesmerizing and scary as Marley’s Ghost.
Anyway, I have no particular MST3K Christmas traditions because hubby is not on board with the show much, and we’re busy with other movies and activities. That’s OK; I get to watch it all year long.
That’s my favorite version too, and it has another MST3K connection. David Warner (Quest of the Delta Knights) does a good job playing Bob Cratchit.
While RT has worn out its welcome in this house I still think their 2010 Live Christmas show (with the unforgettable “I need you Rudolf!” audience breakup) is one of the funniest things to watch and we try and watch it each year (but did not this year).
I actually tried showing some of the newer RT Christmas shorts to our friends but they kind of hated them and, to be frank, so do I (I really think RT went off the rails around three years ago — but perhaps even before that). Because Season 11’s MST3K Christmas show was one of their best it will probably make its way into the rotation next year — this year we just hardly had enough time to watch our favorite non-riffed movies.
And, yes, SC and SCCTM are always part of our rotations (but, again, not this year — next year we’ll get a better jump and make sure all three of the classic MST3K shows are there).
While we’re on the subject of Christmas Carol adaptations, let’s see if anyone can recognize this one. I have some vague memories of having once seen an adaptation on TV many years ago set in modern times with an all black cast (or at least predominantly black). One bit which particularly sticks is the arrival of the Christmas Yet to Come spirit through a full length mirror, which may be partially responsible for my fear of being in a darkened room with an uncovered mirror. Sound familiar?
A DIVA’S CHRISTMAS CAROL (VH1, 2000) with Vanessa Williams as Ebony Scrooge?
Perhaps I should have clarified that I saw this back in the Eighties (can’t recall the specific year). Any other ideas?
For Christmas, you could make so many people happy. Please consider actually giving back to the community, and at long last: Delete your account.
I don’t remember the mirror scene, but I remember some of the TV movie “John Grin’s Christmas” (1986), starring the very talented Robert Guilluame. Perhaps that was it.
If it is, 1986 might have been a big year for “scary stuff in the mirror,” as that was also when the excellent short episode “Mirror, Mirror” of the TV show “Amazing Stories” was broadcast. Starring Sam Waterston and directed by Martin Scorcese, it scared the heck out of me even though I was an adult at the time. Tim Robbins plays the phantom whose face you never see.
Not so different from previous posters except that of all the versions of SCCM, I play the CT version last. I always get a kick out of Trace trying to escape the viewing due to multiple previous viewings that he endured.