Mystery Science Theater 3000

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988?1999), usually abbreviated MST3K, is a cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson featuring a man and his robot sidekicks supposedly trapped on a satellite in space and forced to make fun of particularly bad movies. Series creator Hodgson originally played the stranded man, Joel Robinson. When he left in 1995, series head writer Michael J. Nelson replaced him as new B-movie victim Mike Nelson, giving the show a somewhat different approach.

Premise

Two mad scientists, Dr. Clayton Forrester, played by Trace Beaulieu, and his sidekick Dr. Laurence Erhardt, played by Josh Weinstein, launch Joel Robinson (Hodgson), a janitor working for the Gizmonics Institute, into space and force him to watch truly horrible B-movies. They do this in order to measure how much bad movie-making it takes to drive a person crazy, and to pinpoint the perfect B-movie to use as a weapon in Dr. Forrester's scheme of world domination. (The sycophantic TV's Frank, played by Frank Conniff, replaced Dr. Erhardt in the second season premiere following Weinstein's departure from the series.)

Related Topics:
Dr. Clayton Forrester - Trace Beaulieu - Sidekick - Dr. Laurence Erhardt - Josh Weinstein - B-movie - TV's Frank - Frank Conniff

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Trapped on board the Satellite of Love (S.O.L.) ? a reference to a song by rock legend Lou Reed ? Joel builds the robots that populate the ship (ostensibly because he is lonely, and as an homage to the 1970s film Silent Running). The robots are Tom Servo (voiced first by Weinstein, then by Kevin Murphy) and Crow T. Robot (voiced by Beaulieu), who accompany Joel in the screening room; Gypsy (voiced by Jim Mallon), who does not appear in every episode but handles the "higher functions" of the S.O.L.; and Cambot, the recorder of the experiments who is never visible but occasionally interacts with the others. Also making intermittent "appearances" in the show's early years is Magic Voice, a disembodied female voice whose primary role is to announce the start of the first commercial break in each episode.

Related Topics:
Satellite of Love - Lou Reed - Robot - 1970s - Silent Running - Tom Servo - Kevin Murphy - Crow T. Robot - Gypsy - Cambot - Magic Voice

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Joel has no control over when the movies start. As the movies play, the silhouettes of Joel, Tom, and Crow are visible at the bottom of the screen, wisecracking and mocking the movie (a practice they often referred to as "riffing") to prevent being driven mad.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Just before or after commercial breaks, Joel and the bots sometimes perform skits, songs, or other short sketch pieces (called "host segments") that are often related to the movie they are watching. These segments sometimes even feature "visits" by prominent characters from the movie, such as Torgo from '. But before too much frivolity can transpire, the "movie sign" lights flash, signaling the resumption of the movie.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Most of the early episodes also include screenings of unintentionally hilarious short films or "shorts" ? propaganda-style films from the 1950s ? such as a training film for Chevrolet sales managers, and films intended to teach children about posture or personal hygiene.

Related Topics:
Propaganda - 1950s - Chevrolet - Children - Posture - Hygiene

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~