What movies are “canon” as suggested by repeated reference by the Brains? Three that come to mind might be “Road House,” “Mannequin” and “The Goonies.” How important is it to see these movies and why (I have seen some of “Mannequin” but not the others)?
So in other words, what (non-MSTed) movies ought a MSTie be sure to have seen in order to get most of the references? The list is going to be long, my friend.
I’m going to start with “The Wizard of Oz,” riffed on dozens of times over. But I also maintain that this movie is perhaps the last communal experience we as Americans have, so everybody SHOULD have seen it. Two riffs from 303- POD PEOPLE (the most recent episode I saw) come to mind” “I DO believe in spooks! I DO believe in spooks!” and “I can’t come back! I dunno how it works!”
What movies would you put on the list?
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@60 – Don’t think you actually need to have seen “Morgan Stewart’s Coming Home”–or “Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael”, or any episode of “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose–as it’s pretty clear Trace & Kevin hadn’t actually seen forgettable 80’s comedies with the character’s name in the title either, they just liked the inscrutably banal titles.
@68 – There has to have been a separate thread for “Favorite Ultra-specific Trek Reference” by now (from both the Joel era’s love of arcana and the Mike era’s high-school geek-bashing), but if not, why not? :)
(Also, has there been more than one Amadeus reference, besides Pearl Forrester applying for her evil grant?:
“You have shown us something….quite new.”
“It is new, isn’t it?”)
In addition to all those listed above, I’d suggest the major films of Alfred Hitchcock (Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds, North by Northwest, etc).
Hmm. Seeing a lot of comedies in the list. Comedies are difficult to riff because they are already supposed to be funny. Unfunny comedies can be good to riff, I guess, but a lot of what I’m seeing are genuinely funny movies. It also seems to me that comedies that supply a lot of MST3K references are not necessarily good riffing material preceisely because the riff, if you will, was already lifted an used in the cheese fests screened in the MST3K theater. Ah well, to each his own. So, having pontificated, let me throw in my nominees, keeping in mind my view that the best MST3K fodder are those movies that take themselves too seriously. In that vein, let me offer up a few turkeys which should be carved: ISHTAR, HEAVEN’S GATE, THE KLANSMAN (OJ in a drama …), WRITTEN ON THE WIND (I know that’s a classic melodrama for some folks, but I find it laughable) and BOBBY DEERFIELD.
Now looking at my post and the intro I see I completely misread the intro. My apologies to one and all for wasting band width.
I did not notice this anywhere above, but The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show provided many, many references to the writers through the years. The comdey team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis provided much material, so any of their films would work — doesn’t matter which one, they were all basically the same.
Wizard of Oz, All of Monty Python, and Dr. Stranglove. You’ve got more than half of all riffs right there.
For those wondering about the movie sign/worm sign connection, Joel explains it in an Easter egg extra on the Devil Doll disc in Volume XIX. To access it, simply highlight the console buttons on the main menu.
#75
Agh! How have I never connected to that W.C. Fields bit, with a
zoom in of the “hearty handclasp.” :-D
Now I’ll have to look for other W.C. Fields allusions.
#103: “WRITTEN ON THE WIND (I know that’s a classic melodrama for some folks, but I find it laughable)”
Allow me to suggest that it’s both. I love the movie and I think it’s been tremendously influential, but watching Robert Stack drink about three gallons of cheap whisky like it was soda pop then blundering off to scream at Rock Hudson, “You made me small in my father’s eyes,” is pretty funny. And those sentimental flashbacks to the ol’ fishing hole….
Should probably mention Get Smart, if only for the theme song which they often sing during shots of long hallways. They had to have also used “Missed it by THAT much” at some point, right?
This thread is very interesting! I wonder if the ‘get rate’ of fans can be measured by age. AKA, if you are around the same age as the MST crew you get more of the pop culture references. I am about 5 years yonger than Joel, Frank and Trace, and I get almost all the TV allusions, like Brady Bunch, Romper Room, Tutor Turtle, Get Smart, Bob Newhart Show etc… But I did not know Clutch Cargo or Diver Dan for example. On the other hand I missed a lot of music riffs, probably because the Brains were more adventurous in their musical taste. I did not know much about Frank Zappa for example, except for the times he was mentioned on Dr. Demento. Do you think the ‘get rate’ is dependant on age?
“Paging Mr. Herman, paging Mr. Herman…”: I love that one.
Actually, I’ve found that watching a lot of TCM has really helped me finally get some riffs that used to confuse me. It’s also nice to compare/contrast some really great films to really appreciate how crappy some of the films on MST3k are. In Manos, when the wives are wrestling, Kevin comments “This isn’t La Strada. I LIKE it, but this isn’t La Strada.” I mean, I understood what was meant by the riff, but having watched La Strada a few times since then, it just makes the riff funnier. Gigi was on TCM this morning, and I was reminded of the Fred Mertz joke from Swamp Diamonds. I chuckled every time Maurice Chevalier showed up. Yup, lots of great movies on TCM. Of course, TCM aired Bloodwaters of Dr. Z not too long ago. Hmmm.
Not much to add to this thread, except to bring up the riff, “This is like an Andy Warhol movie, except it’s kinda weird.” Like Cabbage Patch Elvis said – most folk’ll get the riff by itself, but it makes a whole lot more sense if you’ve seen Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein (or, presumably, one of Andy’s other works – can’t say for sure – Frankenstein is the only one I’ve seen).
Gotta put 2001 on this list. After all, whenever something of substance occurs plot-wise, the Brains usually play with 2001 (Joel’s last episode, Dr F’s last appearance, etc.). Didn’t one of Skiffy’s (er, Sci-Fi, no I won’t refer to it as SyFy – woops) first ads for MST3K also play with 2001?
Something I initially forget in my previous comment-though the movie versions came out AFTER the end of MST3K, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Putting aside the differences between the books and the movies (there are plenty, I finished reading ROTK a few weeks ago) seeing the movies would help a non-Tolkien fan to get more references. I’m also glad to see that I’m not the only person capable of appreciating 2001: A Space Odyssey. So it’s not surprising that I own more than 20 Arthur C. Clarke books.
@59 Yeah, I’d have to warn people against actually seeing The Pope of Greenwich Village, too. Way back when, once I figured out that that was where all those “Charlie, they cut off my thumb!” references were from, I decided to watch it. And I found it … not the best movie. Now skip ahead to Gorgo where Pearl is asking Leonard Maltin to find her the worst film ever made. He says, “I think it would have to be something with Mickey Rourke in it,” and Pearl replies, “Yeah, now cross-reference that with Eric Roberts and we are in business.” When I remembered that those were the two stars of Pope, I felt like I’d gotten caught in some deep meta-game by the Brains. Well played, sirs ;-)
There’s no denying that a lot of the references they make are to things they just thought were bad, probably because they need to psychologically unburden themselves–like the callbacks they did to their own movies.
Two words: Billy Jack.
P.S. When did they make any “Goonies” references? It’s one of my favorite movies, so I should know them all, but I didn’t hear any in the episodes I’ve got.
@Troy 116: Good call on the Billy Jack. I can’t think of any other reason to actually sit through Billy Jack. I think Christmas Story, Wonderful Life, and others like 2001 are the biggies; maybe On the Waterfront too. A familiarity with Tolkien/LOTR is going to be helpful, e.g. they seem to reference Tom Bombadil a lot – too bad he gets cut from most dramatizations, so you’ll have to read the Bantam book. Now I’m going to get some Marx brothers rented so I can catch up. — OT, I was commenting over at BigHollywood.com blog and someone recognized my screen name and asked if I was a big Future War fan, so there are MSTies over there too.
GREAT idea for discussion! There’s nothing I can add at this point, but there are many great suggestions in the thread. Movies like “Silent Running” and “Soylent Green” that I should have seen but haven’t, as well as classics like “The Wizard of Oz,” “Casablanca,” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” that I haven’t watched in years but really should revisit.
Unfortunately, it seems I should try “2001: A Space Odyssey” again. That vastly overrated bore puts me to sleep every time. And “Dune” is a total P.O.S. I refuse!
I don’t think one list all the films and tv shows that are referenced in MST3K. The span of cultural entries would essentially include almost every major and minor film and TV show of the 20th century up until the show went off the air in 1999. Some riffs I think go even further back to an historical reference. Personally, being the age that I am [which is close to all of the main writers] I have seen the same general programs that the writers did in their youth. You can pick a select number of films with the most reference that were made to it but in the long run the list would end up be too huge and cumbersome.
From Parts: The Clonus Horror
These ones I love so much, but many of you might not know this…
“Parts: The Village People Horror!”
“The Longtime Companion Olympics!”
“Winner of the International Jeffrey Games!”
“Terrance McNally holds weird auditions!”
“Clonus: The Boys in the Band Horror!”
All are references to gay icons: the disco group The Village People, the film Longtime Companion, the film Jeffrey, noted gay author Terrence McNally, and the play/film The Boys in the Band.
(No “Jeffrey” was NOT a reference to Star Trek!)
Yet another thought: the old Jack Benny radio programs supply a number of riffs, e.g. references to Frank Nelson’s sarcastic salesman persona (“eeeeyyyyyeeeees?” ), to Mel Blanc’s railway station announcer (“Anaheim, Asuza, and CUC-amonga!” ), and my favorite Jack Benny riff from Beast of Yucca Flats (“It’s the KGB Mr. Benny!” in a creaky voice like Eddie Anderson’s ).
MST3K references to old Lucky Strikes commercial slogans (e.g. “So round, so firm, so fully packed!” ) might also be indirect Jack Benny riffs, because Benny’s sponsor for much of his show’s run was the American Tobacco Company and their Lucky Strike slogans were frequently written into the show’s jokes.
Tab Hunter, the other half is all David Lynch Movies: Eraserhead, Elephant Man, Dune, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks.
Night of the hunter.
And sorry, but 2001 is a ****ty movie. You need to be medicated if you think that crap is a “classic” movie. Truly dreadful to watch.
#116 – I strongly believe you can find one in Gamera vs. Guiron. After Brother and Richard Burton have arrive on the planet, and they’re farting around in the alien compound full of moving sidewalks, Tom launches into an extended narration done in mock dubbed English style, which he concludes by saying (to the effect of) “We are having an adventure, as did the Goonies.”
So there, there’s one.
I cant believe nobody mentioned Gilligan’s Island yet. I recall many Jim Backus and Alan Hale Jr. (the Skipper) jokes in many episodes. Even a Gilligan’s Island skit in the “Time Chasers” And Crow and Servo shouting Gilligan and Skipper back and forth when ever a scene takes place in a jungle.
Son of Bobo beat me to “The Three Stooges”, but after an admittedly cursory run through the other posts, I don’t think I saw “The Little Rascals” mentioned.
@123 Terri Jones: Hmmmm. I guess it takes all kinds. . . . . . . . . .?
I tried to skim the entire thread, so forgive me if I missed it:
THE PRINCESS BRIDE!
I put that in FULL CAPS because I never saw that movie until, like, last year, after I asked a riff question and another poster admonished me to go see the thing already.
The entire catalogue of Monty Python.
I’m quite surprised no one has mentioned Lord of the Rings (the books) or many Mel Brooks movies, particularly Blazing Saddles and The Producers.
RE: 125
We’re trying to forget “Gilligan’s Island.” :-)
And we never did get Pearl’s John Agar film festival…
JOEL: Okay, I call no singing the Gilligan’s Island theme.
I think that was either “Lost Continent” or “King Dinosaur.”
:heh:
I know this isn’t technically a movie, but Rod Serling himself and several episodes of the Twilight Zone get nods through the run of the show. In fact, Frank’s famous, “I’m the god!”, line is from the Twilight Zone episode entitled, “The Little People”, which was also the basis for a Halloween episode of The Simpsons where Lisa inadvertently grows a colony of small people for a science project.
I know that Frank used the line himself quite a bit, but I also remember hearing it said in the theater as well.
Surprised nobody has mentioned PeeWee’s Big Adventure yet. “paging mr herman.” “Mad dog!” “I like you, Dottie. LIKE.”
@132
It was in Mitchell as the bad guys were in their charming little Key Largo-style boat.
I don’t think there could be a definitive list of movies, but some seem to get more references than others–notably:
The Wizard of Oz
2001
It’s a Wonderful Life
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Terminator
Citizen Kane
North by Northwest
Jaws
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Psycho
The Birds
Blue Velvet
Planet of the Apes
Soylent Green
Dune (the long version)
Dr. Strangelove
One that seems to have gotten a lot of references early in Season 3, but then just sort of disappeared was “Silence of the Lambs”. I’m guessing it was released about the time those shows were written and probably seen by most of the writing staff. Who can forget “It puts the lotion on it’s skin”.
I don’t know about essential but I don’t think that “The Odd Couple” has been mentioned yet.
“Oh Oscar Oscar, Oscar”
and
“It’s not spaghetti, it’s linguini.”
To those fans who can’t stand sitting through 2001, try self medicating yourself before you watch the movie. It’ll take the experience of time out of the equation.
Now it’s GAHBAGE!
Oh, and Murray! Use a coaster!
“snowdog says:
June 11, 2011 at 10:15 am
Of course, if you going to watch Wizard of Oz, you have to pull out your copy of Dark Side of the Moon and start it at the second roar of the MGM Lion. That’s a lot of work.”
It’s been done. I downloaded a DVD copy with the “Dark Side…” album synchronized. I haven’t watched it yet because that dreary old English rock (Pink Floyd et al) drives me batty.
Dark Side of the Moon was the first RiffTrax!
I am surprised that most people aren’t even mentioning the Firesign Theatre, which is the origin of the show’s rather unique (well, except for the Theatre itself) sense of humor.
In terms of getting most of the riffs down, just listen to “Nick Danger” and “Don’t Touch that Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers” both of which may be found on Youtube.
I haven’t checked in here for a while since I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are really good quality so I guess I’ll add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend. :)