|
Q: Old Joel-era episodes were running on one of the regular broadcast stations
in my area a while back. Why were they there, and where did they go?
A: BBI had a one-year deal with syndicator Tradewinds Television (a division of Action Media Group), which
sold a package of 23 episodes from the series' second, third and fourth seasons to local broadcast stations in
dozens of markets across the country (about 75 percent of the U.S.). Episodes began airing in September, 1995.
Unfortunately, due to financial difficulties at Action Media, the deal was dropped a year later.
Q: Which episodes were shown?
A: Here's the list:
212- Godzilla vs. Megalon
213- Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster
301- Cave Dwellers
303- Pod People
305- Stranded in Space
309- The Amazing Colossal Man
317- Viking Women and the Sea Serpent
319- War of the Colossal Beast
321- Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
322- Master Ninja I
324- Master Ninja II
401- Space Travelers
402- The Giant Gila Monster
404- Teenagers from Outer Space
408- Hercules Unchained
410- Hercules Against the Moon Men
411- The Magic Sword
412- Hercules and the Captive Women
414- Tormented
415- The Beatniks
417- Crash of Moons
422- The Day the Earth Froze
424- "Manos" the Hands of Fate
Q: The show that was running in my area was only an hour long. What's the deal?
A: In 1993, CC began running something called The Mystery Science Theater Hour, which took some full-length
season-two, -three, and -four episodes and divided them into two one-hour shows.
Both CC and BBI had good reasons for wanting to create The Hour, as it was known. CC programmers claimed it was easier to
find slots in its schedule for a one-hour show. And it gave BBI's syndicator an alternative product to sell to
stations who did not want the two-hour series. About seven minutes from the original shows were
removed from the hour-long versions. The Hour was dropped by CC in 1995, but some syndication markets liked the format and used it.
Q: Who was that guy introducing The Mystery Science Theater Hour?
A: That was Michael J. Nelson under a ton of makeup. Although he is simply referred to as "The
Host," he is supposed to be reminiscent of the Jack Perkins character Mike portrayed in episode
310- Fugitive Alien. The tweedy Perkins hosted several programs on the A&E cable channel.
ABOUT THIS
FAQ | THE
BASICS | LYRICS | COMEDY
CENTRAL | THE
SCI-FI
CHANNEL | CANCELLATION | SYNDICATION | BEHIND THE SCENES | OTHER MEDIA | MST3K -
THE
MOVIE | MSTIE
CYBERSPACE |
CONVENTIONS | MSTIES | JOEL VS. MIKE
DISCUSSIONS
| LEGALITIES | PARTS: THE BOT BUILDING HORROR
| SUBTLETIES | WHERE ARE THEY NOW? | AWARD
NOMINATIONS
| BRIEF EPISODE
GUIDE | GUEST
STARRING
ROLES
|
