BORN TODAY
1893: CHRIS BEUTE, production manager for the movie in episode 409- THE INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN.
1897: JULIA HERON, set decorator the movies in episodes 801- REVENGE OF THE CREATURE and 805- THE THING THAT COULDN’T DIE, plus THIS ISLAND EARTH riffed in MST3K: THE MOVIE.
1902: FRANK HURSLEY, co-creator of the TV soap opera GENERAL HOSPITAL, episodes of which were shown as shorts in season four.
1912: RALPH BUTLER, sound man for the movie WORLD WITHOUT END, riffed in MST3K’s first live show.
1917: DOROTHY ARNOLD, who portrayed reporter Jean Drew in season two serial THE PHANTOM CREEPS.
1919: STEVE BRODIE, who portrayed Dr. Charles Vance in episode 810- THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION and Flanagan in episode 515- THE WILD, WILD WORLD OF BATWOMAN.
1920: TOM McCRORY, process photographer of the movie in episode 804- THE DEADLY MANTIS.
1927: JOSEPH CAMPANELLA, who portrayed Frank Lafferty in episode K19- HANGAR 18.
1937: GUS TRIKONIS, director/actor in the movies featured in episodes 202- THE SIDEHACKERS and 209- THE HELLCATS.
1939: JEANNOT SZWARC, producer and director of the movie in episode 608- CODE NAME: DIAMOND HEAD.

EVENTS
1962: The movie shown in episode 1009- HAMLET is reviewed in Variety.
1987: DEMI MOORE, star of episode 322- MASTER NINJA I, married actor Bruce Willis.

Death takes a holiday!

Here’s the first review we’ve seen of Volume XVI, due out in a couple of weeks, by John Wallis of DVD Talk. He likes it!

Update: Joel got interviewed on a St. Louis morning show and attempted humor on the part of the hosts ensued:

More here.

Also, here’s an Q&A with Joel.

The press has started in advance of the Cinematic Titanic show this weekend.

There’s this from the Riverfront Times…

…and there’s a brief mention at the end of this piece.

…another on-demand title with the movie and the riffing in one. The movie is 1934’s…

Due Nov 25. More info here.

If anybody goes to this, please report back…

The night before their show at the Family Arena in St, Louis next weekend, the entire Cinematic Titanic team will be part of panel discussion as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival. Says their Web site:

Joel Hodgson, creator and host of “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” and the original cast of the cult-classic TV show - Trace Beaulieu (”Crow”), J. Elvis Weinstein (”Tom Servo”), Mary Jo Pehl (”Pearl Forrester”) and Frank Conniff (”TV’s Frank”) - discuss the development of “MST3K,” the art of “movie riffing” and their new movie-riffing project, “Cinematic Titanic Live”. Moderated by Dave (”Gruber”) Allen, the program will include video clips, an audience Q&A and a signing by the cast immediately following.

It’s at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, at the Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar Blvd. Admission is $10.

BORN TODAY
1894: CHARLES ALTHOUSE, who did the sound for episode 417- CRASH OF THE MOONS, three episodes of TV’s “Rocky Jones, Space Ranger.”
1909: PIERO GHERARDI, who did the costumes for the movie in the episode 1013- DIABOLIK.
1929: JERRY HARDIN, who portrayed the desk sergeant in episode 512- MITCHELL.
1931: AARON HERNAN, who portrayed Nicias in episode 703- DEATHSTALKER AND THE WARRIORS FROM HELL.
1946: DUANE ALLMAN, member of the band The Birdwatchers which appeared in episode 207- WILD REBELS.

DIED TODAY
1959: SYLVIA LOPEZ (age 28), who portrayed Queen Omphale in episode 408- HERCULES UNCHAINED.
1972: GERARD HEINZ (age 68), who portrayed Dr. Lembach in episode 901- THE PROJECTED MAN.
1975: WILLIAM BAGDAD (age 54), who portrayed Marty in episode 1002- GIRL IN GOLD BOOTS.
1984: FREDERICK WEST (age 81), cinematographer for the movies in episodes 311- IT CONQUERED THE WORLD, 503- SWAMP DIAMONDS, 511– GUNSLINGER, and 808- THE SHE-CREATURE.
1987: WILLIAM L. COOPER JR. (age 65), editor of the American releases of the Japanese TV shows shown in episodes 306- TIME OF THE APES and 314- MIGHTY JACK.
2002: ARTHUR H. WOLF (age 85), producer of the shorts SPEECH: USING YOUR VOICE (shown in episode 313- EARTH VS. THE SPIDER), CHEATING (shown in episode 515- THE WILD, WILD WORLD OF BATWOMAN), WHAT ABOUT JUVENILE DELINQUENCY? (shown in episode 518- THE ATOMIC BRAIN), WHY STUDY INDUSTRIAL ARTS? (shown in episode 609- THE SKYDIVERS) and SPEECH: PLATFORM POSTURE AND APPEARANCE (shown in episode 619- RED ZONE CUBA).

EVENT
1937: JACKIE COOGAN, who portrayed Hank Johnson in episode 906- THE SPACE CHILDREN, married actress Betty Grable.

EPISODE PREMIERES
1993: episode 516- ALIEN FROM L.A. first shown.

Download it here. Free sample here.

In a piece pegged to the arrival of the new “Twilight” movie, Jeremiah Magan at the Cal State Fullerton Daily Titan discovers how RiffTrax takes the pain of “Twilight” away. Or lessens it, anyway.

First shown: 8/2/97
Opening: M&TB are into “extreme” things
Intro: Mike is put on trial for crimes against the universe!
Host segment 1: Pearl and Bobo give their opening statements
Host segment 2: The bots give their video depositions
Host segment 3: Observer takes the stand
End: Crow and Tom hold a candlelight vigil, and the judge gives his verdict and sentence
Stinger: Spaz chop!
(65 votes, average: 4.43 out of 5)
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Let me start by just saying: panties, panties, panties, panties…
• This is another one of those episodes where the segments kind of overwhelm the movie and the movie riffing. I hadn’t seen this episode in a while, and my memory of it was that the movie just kind of laid there and didn’t give them a lot to work with. I liked the movie segments more on this viewing, but still I think the segments are the real standout element. Kevin and Mary Jo are both terrific.
• Bill’s take is here.
• As Bill notes, that’s Bill as judge, except when Paul fills in at one point.
• References.
• This was the episode in which Patrick took over as Gypsy—and with his arrival every single actor who had been an on-camera regular when the show began had been replaced with other performers. Has that ever happened on any other show?
• I believe the opening segment features the first mention of Mike’s love of rice.
• As somebody noted in the comments, Mike is really not responsible for the first two planets being destroyed. The monkeys destroyed the first one and the nanites destroyed the second one. Camping Planet is on him, however.
• The one henchman looks vaguely like Prince, and that’s enough for an avalanche of Prince references. Mike tries to put an end to it, but then HE does one a little while later!
• The preppy looking henchman also prompts a lot of funny preppy voiced riffs.
• The last time we saw Brad “Little Amish Boy” Keeley on camera was in episode 507- I ACCUSE MY PARENTS when he played Rodney the exotic cake dancer.
• Annoying commercial: A spot for Frutopia that bafflingly chooses as its catchphrase the line every frat boy has ever used on every drunken freshman girl: “We just want to make you feel good.” Bleah.
• Also amusing: a Dell commercial for a computer with a 3.2 gig hard drive. Wow!
• Oh, and: my copy has a commerical for Sci-Fi Channel’s “extra-sensory summer” that includes a mention of the “Making of MST3K” documentary.
• My copy also has a commercial for a repeat of episode 803- THE MOLE PEOPLE.
• Daleism: As Dr. Stefanik dies, he holds his hand up: Crow: He thought he was Dale! Note: This may in fact be the final Daleism. It’s the last one I have a notation for.
• The whole intergalactic trial thing is a great idea, and yields a great bunch of segments.
• Fave line: “They’re out of fumar! Now what do we do?”

Alert reader David Finn writes:

Last weekends topic of the Russo-Finnish films generated a universally loved idea for a DVD box set of the 4 films. This got me thinking about other ideal groupings of MST episodes. Granted this is mere wishful thinking as neither Shout nor Rhino have used common themes to organize previous sets. But we can fantasize…
A few to start us off… juvenile delinquents, hypnotism, made-for-TV, Corman, Lippert, kaiju…

All good ideas! Let hear some more!