Creator, writer, inventor and actor Joel Hodgson of MST3K fame holds a special place in my heart.
Over two and a half decades have passed and we’re still captivated by him and his bots. His character, Joel Robinson, is quirky, darling, and a touch melancholy. A mix that you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere else.
He may have handed over the reigns to Mike Nelson in season five, but he has been and always will be the father of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
I don’t know about you, but depending on what day you ask me, my favorite episodes of MST3K will morph and change. One day, it’s all 1980’s space movies, the next 1950’s sci-fi. It would be difficult for me to say that these are the final word as to what my favorite Joel episodes are. So, instead I’ll just call them five of my favorite episodes hosted by Joel.
In The Beginner’s Guide to MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 , I suggested that you watch Pod People and Mitchell.
And guess what? I still do!
However, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I love these five just as much.
The guys start off Manos: The Hands of Fate with one of my favorite shorts, Hired! The first portion of Hired! aired on the previous episode, Ed Wood Jr.’s Bride of the Monster. In Manos we resume with part two. Joel and the bots are firing on all cylinders, making Hired! one of my favorite shorts.
You can check out both parts one and two below, because darnit, it’s just so perfect.
Manos begins with a family on vacation who can’t seem to find their way, just as many horror films before it and after it have begun.
The patriarch of the family, Mike, refuses to ask for directions which results in them ending up at a strange home in the middle of nowhere. A twitchy, fantastically awkward sort-of monster man named Torgo meets them at the door. Finally willing to shelve his pride, the father asks for directions. Torgo informs them that it’s almost dark and in an ominous manner concludes there’s no way out. Weird negotiations ensue and somehow they settle on the solution of staying there for the night. Because if someone told me there was no way out, I’d immediately make accommodations to sleep there.
With my family.
Whom I “love.”
Eventually the remaining “normalcy” unravels. Torgo makes clumsy come-ons, the master who prays to Manos bullies Torgo and does somewhat evil things. The master has a bunch of wives who predominantly sleep, fight, and wrestle. The “plotline” wanders drunkenly, but it makes easy pickin’s for Joel and the bots.
Watch for the final host segment, where Mike Nelson makes a guest appearance as Torgo.
Essentially, Manos: the Hands of Fate makes for, in what is in my humble opinion, one of the most favored classic episodes.
Notable Riff: “Torgo wobbles, but he won’t fall down.”
Fun Fact: It’s rumored that part way through production the disillusioned crew for Manos: The Hands of Fate began calling it Mangos: the Cans of Fruit.
Tormented
Bert I. Gordon’s Tormented has consistently been one of my favorite episodes. Joel and the bots are on top of their game and supply consistent laughs.
The movie itself begins atop a lighthouse with Tom Stewart, a successful jazz pianist, breaking up with his hot toddy of a girlfriend, Vi. He explains to her that he has plans to marry someone else, Meg. Just as he finishes severing their relationship Vi leans against the railing, falls, and catches herself momentarily.
Although he has the option to save her, he chooses not to and she plummets to the jagged rocks below. Spooky events begin to plague the pianist. Bodies turning to seaweed, phantom footprints, and floating heads for starters. Will Tom finally marry Meg? Will Vi allow them to?
Tormented is caught between a soap opera and a horror flick. In theory, it’s a noble idea, but the execution is not so much. However, as we all know sub-par movies make for stellar MST3K episodes.
My favorite riffs consist of Servo imitating the Crypt Keeper, poking fun at the not totally kosher relationship between Tom and Meg’s MUCH younger sister, as well as the recurring “Sessions Presents” commercial jokes.
Notable Riff: “Honey, I’m ho- Oh, yeah you’re dead.”
Fun Fact: Richard Carlson, who plays Tom Stewart, also starred in the classic Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Teenagers from Outer Space
Derek, a handsome young alien, lands with his crew upon Earth. They’ve come here to see if Earth is habitable enough for their food source, the Gargon.
While testing the Gargon’s health, Derek sees his opportunity for change and flees. He wanders off into town and becomes enthralled with the American way of life. He decides to rent a room from a kindly old man and falls madly for his granddaughter, Betty. One of Derek’s crew, Thor, is unabashedly jealous of him for being a royal descendant. Thor tries to track him down to bring him back and face punishment for going AWOL.
In the process, he murders people with his death ray, leaving many a skeleton in his wake. The film climaxes with a Gargon fight. A Gargon fight is also known as a giant screaming lobster fight.
I love this episode and chose to include it on this list for two reasons. The end of Teenagers from Outer Space is the epitome of the 1950’s sci-fi B-Movie. The other reason being I actually love movies like this to begin with.
The fact that the guys chose to riff it makes my little heart sing.
Notable Riff: “Stay, grandpa. Stay!”
Un-Fun Sad Fact: The man who plays Derek, Charles Robert Kaltenthaler who used the pseudonym David Love in this film, has not been seen or heard from by his family since 1962.
Gamera
First of all, Joel’s invention exchange is adorable. An unending take out salad bar.
Second, it’s freakin’ Gamera.
Gamera was released from an iceberg via an atom bomb explosion. Although Gamera was awoken from his hibernation in the Arctic Circle, he makes a beeline straight for Japan. Somewhat out of the way if you ask me.
Gamera is one multitalented, huge, freak turtle. Not only does he have the ability to walk on two legs, he is also able to fly. In addition to these un-turtlelike talents, he also breathes and eats fire. Isn’t that kind of on par with eating your own vomit? I digress.
At the same time, a young boy, Kenny, is separated from his pet, Tibby, who is coincidentally a small turtle. Because of the deep, deep loss Kenny suffered, he develops an affinity for Gamera. The climax of the film revolves around Kenny trying to keep the Japanese troops from killing Gamera.
As for the guys, they kick comic butt in this one noting especially bad dubbing, cracking jokes at the expense of awful American actors, and singing an Ode to Tibby.
Notable Riff: “Kids come running for the rich taste of Gamera!”
Fun Fact: There was originally a scene shot where Gamera attacks a couple of strippers, but it didn’t make the final cut. Seeing as this was marketed towards children, I wonder why?
I Accuse My Parents
This episode begins with a short from 1954, The Truck Farmer (2nd Edition). We learn about the many amazing technological advancements used in year round vegetable farming. Thanks to migrant workers, chemical cultivation, and fancy “modern” machinery we can decimate loads of trees to make way for crops! Without Joel and the bots, this short is just depressing and, at best, mildly interesting. Because of the guys, it becomes both laughable and enjoyable.
I Accuse My Parents is about a young, hopeful student, Jimmy. Despite his drunk mother and absent father, he perseveres and wins the essay award at school! Jimmy gets a job at a shoe store where he meets a total babe named Kitty. He offers to buy her a pair of shoes and deliver them to her house. To repay the favor, Kitty offers an invitation to the nightclub where she sings.
Throughout the film, she sings forgotten classics like “Are You Happy in Your Work?,” “Love Came Between Us,” and “Where Can You Be?” All of which have an alarming amount of little to no rhyming. A series of lies and a chance meeting with a mafioso at the nightclub turn Jimmy down the wrong path and eventually lead him to accuse his parents.
Not entirely sure why the MST3K crew chose this one seeing as it’s not mystery, science, or horror. However, the god awful musical numbers and Jimmy’s unrelenting naivete are laughable even without the riffing. The host segment where Joel, Tom, Crow, and Gypsy recreate “Are You Happy in Your Work?” is truly a treat. I can easily say that this is one of my favorite host segments across the board.
Notable Riff: “Can I just tell you about my mom once?”
Fun Fact: In a 2010 interview, Joel had said that I Accuse My Parents was one of his two favorite episodes. The other being Hercules Unchained.
So, there you have it. Five of my favorite episodes hosted by Joel.
You want to know something? I have more up my sleeve.
So, stay tuned for the next Robot Roll Call when we cover five of my favorite Mike episodes!
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