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Episode guide: 512- Mitchell

Movie: (1975) A slovenly cop is determined to bring a mob kingpin to justice.

First shown: 10/23/93
Opening: Joel’s unveils his toothpicky creation; the bots know what they have to do
Invention exchange: The Mads are being audited, so they’ve hired a temp by the name of Mike; J&tB present the Daktari stool
Host segment 1: Gypsy overhears the Mads plotting and thinks they’re talking about Joel
Host segment 2: A worried Gypsy tries to think of a way to get Joel off the SOL; Crow and Tom are no help
Host segment 3: Mike learns of a hidden escape pod, and gives Gypsy control
End: Joel is ejected into the escape pod, leaving behind a plaque and a final word; Dr. F. is furious … until Mike presents his time card
Stinger: “Your lying through your teeth!” “Buzz off!” “No, you buzz off!” “I SAID BUZZ OFF, KID!”
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (209 votes, average: 4.78 out of 5)

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• It all starts so normally. Just another episode, right? Wrong. This is, of course, the most famous of the show’s “transition” episodes, and I’ve seen it perhaps a dozen times now. What sticks out is how well the whole thing falls together. There’s a lot going on here, but it’s all accomplished in about 15 minutes. Tight scripting, tight performances, tight editing, it’s a marvel of precision. It’s sentimental, but it doesn’t get mawkish. And it’s very funny all the way through.
• This episode was first put out as a single-disk release on November of 2001.
References.
• You want a metaphor? How about Joel building an extremely fragile creation, certain in the knowledge that it will be destroyed? Now, that’s a metaphor.
• Mike makes his first appearance as, well, Mike. Wow is he young. (Recently I saw a movie starring a young Tab Hunter, and I’d never noticed before how much a young Mike and young Tab vaguely resemble each other. Maybe it’s the square heads.)
• The Daktari stool sat in the hallway of BBI for years. It was still there when I visited the set in 1999.
• What does Joel have against Harlan Ellison? Besides the obvious, of course…
• Segment 1 features a parody of the scene in “2001: A Space Odyssey” in which computer Hal reads the lips of the astronauts. Interesting that “2001” is again parodied in another transition episode at the end of season seven.
• Segment 1 is pretty much as close to Dr. F and Frank as most of us will ever get. I remember some female fans of Trace rather enjoyed it.
• Jim does a great job in segment 2. “Breathe through your nose”?
• I love the moment when Mitchell says: “Sh—.” and Joel finishes his line with: ‘…ugar?”
• Want a connection from this movie to the Robert Blake murder case? Sure, we all do! Gary McLarty and Ronald (Duffy) Hambleton, both of whom testified against Blake when he was accused of killing his wife, had small roles in this movie. McLarty played one of Mistretta’s henchmen and Hambleton played mob boss Edmondo Bocca, who gets dropped by Mitchell just short of the green. Both testified that Blake explicitly discussed killing his wife. But, unfortunately for the prosecution, both of these guys had somewhat checkered pasts. Blake’s defense team successfully undermined the credibility of both witnesses, introducing evidence of mental illness, drug addiction, etc. In the end, their testimony may have actually helped Blake get off.
• Not mentioned in the references list, because they only do references during the movie and not during the host segments, is the “OPE” thing Gypsy is muttering. It’s a reference to the movie “Dr. Strangelove.”
• The presence of that Christmas tree in John Saxon’s house — and pretty much no other references to it being Christmas — is one of the many odd things about this movie.
• Joel seems to lose it during the “Adam Rich” scene. (Actually, the kid is played by a Todd Bass, in his second and last role in show business, according to the IMDB. It would be fun to find Mr. Bass, who must be in his 40s by now, to see what he remembers of this shoot. By the way, according to Wikipedia the kid is supposed to be the son of Linda Evans’ character! Who knew?)
• Then current reference: the forgotten movie “Cop and a Half.”
• Hamdingers suddenly took over the MSTie consciousness after this episode, but it was funny how Gypsy and Mike (and, by extension, BBI) seemed very clear on what Hamdingers were … but nobody else seemed to be. It was hard to nail down just what they were, and descriptions seemed contradictory. Some said the Swift-Premium folks made them (I believe Kevin invoked Swift Premium during an online chat). Not true. At long last, I can point to this site, which seems to solve the mystery at last.

Hamdingers were a short-lived meat product produced by the Patrick Cudahy Co. out of Cudahy, WI, in the mid ‘70s … The product was sliced ham patties, about the size of a hamburger patty, and it came in a round can. Like Spam, it became a great meat to fry up with some eggs for breafast, but the great thing about Hamdingers is that it came in individually sliced portions, so you could grab a patty and fry it up for that perfect Hamdinger sandwich.

The entry doesn’t mention that they were reportedly great fish bait as well.
• I love that DOS command Mike has to type in to the “techtronic panel” (apparently this was the one and only time that the control panel in Deep 13 was called this).
• Movie comment: Toward the end of the movie, Mitchell inserts a portion of his handkerchief (there’s a lesson, kids!: always remember to carry a handkerchief; you never know when you might want to blow up a drug dealer’s car!), then screws the gas cap back on over it, so that the rest of the handkerchief is hanging down. He then drives to the meeting place and when the deal goes south he, all in a split second, whips out a lighter, lunges forward and holds the lighter to the handkerchief, which INSTANTANEOUSLY lights up. Now maybe, just maybe, the tank was very, very full and the handkerchief got nice and soaked with gasoline on the ride over. But the tank might also have been mostly empty, meaning the handkerchief could have been bone dry. That seems far more likely, doesn’t it? Which would mean it would have taken maybe ten seconds for Mitchell to light it, plenty of time to stop Mitchell. What I’m saying is that it seems unlikely that the handkerchief would immediately burst into flames in a fraction of a second like it does here. The whole thing is about as implausible as a young, sultry callgirl falling in love with Mitchell.
• Callbacks: Several references to “Eegah”; reference to rock climbing.
• Toward the end of the movie, we get Joel’s last bit of fatherly control during the bit where Tom and Crow get a bit dark and suggest Mitchell should turn the gun on himself.
• Naughty riff: “I’m huge.”
• I love the classic, low-tech use of confetti to simulate static in the Hexfield. Very Joel.
• When fans on the internet weren’t obsessing about Hamdingers, they were arguing about the correct pronunciation of “Lao” as in “Dr. Lao.” The consensus was that Joel blew it.
• Tom and Crow fall apart during the PANIC, but I think this may be one time it was on purpose.
• I love Mike’s expression as Dr. F and Frank laugh about his fate.
• Cast and crew roundup: Sound mixer Herman Lewis also worked on “Teenage Caveman,” “Viking Women and the Sea Serpent and “Night of the Blood Beast.” Score composer Jerry Styner also worked on “The Side Hackers.” In front of the camera, Buck Young also appears in “Stranded in Space,” Rayford Barnes also appears in “Beginning of the End,” Jim B. Smith also appeared “San Francisco International and Alan “Mustang hood” Gibbs did stunts for “Hangar 18.” And, of course, Joe Don Baker also stars in “Final Justice.”
• CreditsWatch: Host segments directed by Kevin Murphy. Jim Mallon is listed as a contributing writer for every episode in season 5 except this one, where he is listed as an “additional writer.”
• Fave riff: “We’re going to control the ghetto, you and I, young man.” Honorable mention: “BABY OIL??? NOOOO!!!!”

232 Replies to “Episode guide: 512- Mitchell”

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  1. GizmonicTemp says:

    A great episode with great quality riffing. I agree that the boys are a bit hard on Joe Don. I will still sing “Keep your eye on the samich!” upon the slightest request.

    Question: As someone who didn’t see the show chronologically, I always knew that Mike succeeded Joel. But as season five drew to a close, was it a sure thing that Mike would be the next human on the SOL or did the Brains keep those details under wraps?

    Click on “GizmonicTemp” above for my full review.

       0 likes

  2. Paul from Philly says:

    I have had hamdingers. And I lived. They were a cross between taylor pork rolls and sausage patties. Kind of a canadian bacon with a spongy consistency. My parents, in the dark days of the 70s, used them for home made Egg McMuffins. My memory is that they were canned, in a squat circular can, but they may have just been another 70s meat product. I live in Suburban Philadelphia, so if they had them in Minnesota, too, they must have been national.

       0 likes

  3. Professor Gunther says:

    A CLASSIC episode. I hate to say it (maybe), but in my opinion they couldn’t have been hard enough on Joe Don Baker!

    Weirdly (or not), I don’t watch this one as much as some of the others, if only because Joel’s leaving makes me sad.

    Hilarious stinger!

       4 likes

  4. swh1939 says:

    I was crushed knowing that Joel was leaving … but this episode made me laugh a lot so it eased the pain. That and knowing that I had all of Joel’s episodes on tape so I could re-watch them whenever I wanted.

       4 likes

  5. swh1939 says:

    On the Dr. Lao thing … I’m a firm believer in this method. When I hear any person pronounce his or her own name, then that — for better or worse — is how their name should be pronounced. In “7 Faces of Dr. Lao” Tony Randall for whatever reason chose Lao, rhymes with show. Even though nobody else in the film uses this pronunciation, in my opinion, Lao ryhmes with show.

    Let the bickering begin. I’ve started bigger fights than this.

       2 likes

  6. Kouban says:

    I remember when the show originally aired, there was this big ad blitz for it (including Gypsy’s immortal line “They’re gonna kill Joel!”). Unfortunately, being 1993, Star Trek Deep Space 9 aired opposite it, so it was a long time before I got to see that episode (in fact, Star Trek prevented me from seeing first-run MST3K from season 5 until the move to SFC, which has contributed to my annoyance with the series to this day).

       1 likes

  7. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    Great episode. Perfect fodder for MST3K. Means, Opportuniy and Motive.

    Agree with others, impossible to be too hard on JDB. The only people more shameful are the casting directors.

    I’d heard of hamdingers pre-MST3k, never had one though. In my mind they were sort of a cross between a pre-fab chicken cordon bleu and a proto Hot Pocket.

    ‘Dr. Lao’ rhymes with ‘Dr. Wow’. Watch the film in question. The mis-pronuciation makes believe that the movie was not as important to Joel the actor as it was supposed to be to Joel the character.

    Finally, I think Joel is great and I watched the show in real-time for years before he left, but I don’t get all this teary-eyed stuff. The character went on to manage a Hot Fish Shop for crissakes. happy ending !

    ( Now, when TV’s Frank died, I did well-up and my daughter almost cried ).

       3 likes

  8. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    #5 swh1939

    good point & interesting… I’ve seen the film and distintcly remember it rhyming with Wow, but now that you mention I can’t guarantee that I remember how Lao himself pronounced it. Am I remembering only the other characters saying of the name.. ?

       0 likes

  9. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    #1 GizmonicTemp

    Sorry old man, not sure I get you. As season 5 drew to a close, Mike had been the human for 12 episodes. I think he had a permanent postion at that point.

    But as the halfway mark approached, I vaguelly rememeber suspecting, or having heard rumors, that M.N. was the new meat. The internet was in its infancy then, so it was still possible to keep a secret.

       0 likes

  10. Bat Masterson says:

    Mitchell contains my favorite MST3K moment of all time.

    “HEY!”

    “what?”

    BLAM

    “oh”

       7 likes

  11. But as season five drew to a close, was it a sure thing that Mike would be the next human on the SOL or did the Brains keep those details under wraps?

    Yes, they announced that well beforehand. I remember seeing a picture in TV Guide of Joel Hodgson and Mike Nelson together on the SOL, and wondering how this new guy would do.

       3 likes

  12. Professor Gunther says:

    I’m not a medium, I’m a petite:

    yeah, it’s crazy that I get all weepy-eyed thinking about Joel’s exit. Then again, I get all weepy-eyed when Frank doesn’t win the bear during the invention exchange on CATALINA CAPER. I make no distinctions–I’m a sap!

       3 likes

  13. Auntie Maim says:

    This movie epitomizes for me the dreck I saw on tv as a kid. Man, how could an entire country be so unattractive for so long?

    Thanks to this episode, I still can’t say the name “Mitchell!” without that exclamation point in my voice.

    “What? I’m just talkin’ bout Mitchell!”

       2 likes

  14. RCFagnan says:

    My favorite riff comes at the beginning of the film, during the interminable pan across the lawn: “Mitchell, will you stand up please?” (a refrence to the Python sketch “How not to be seen”)

       2 likes

  15. swh1939 says:

    # 8 – I’m not a medium, I’m a petite
    Am I remembering only the other characters saying of the name.. ?

    Yes. Check out Dr. Lao’s first scene. It takes place in the print shop. Dr. Lao causes the printer to fail, introduces himself by name (very emphatically), and pays for an ad in the local paper.

       0 likes

  16. Bat Masterson says:

    Oh yeah, I always get excited when I pass Mitchell, South Dakota, because it gives me an excuse to sing: “Mitchell (heart poundin’), Mitchell (veins cloggin’), MITCHELL!”

       1 likes

  17. Bob says:

    I have very mixed feelings about this episode.

    Positives are the excellent host segments, great story arc in the host segments and terrific jokes throughout.

    Negatives include the fact that he movie is kind of dull and drab and not one that’s very amusing on its own, even in a “so bad it’s good” way. Second, I’m never going to be excited about seeing the hilarious creator and host of the show leaving it. Funny as the show was until the last episode, it was never quite the same after Joel Hodgson left. The years before he left, when you had all of the brilliant people who helped build and create the show there (except for J. Weinstein of course) will always be the “golden years”. It was the combination of people that made it so great and the sum of the parts were greater than the whole. The consistency, charm and hilarity of the the show before Joel left were never to be matched again.

       7 likes

  18. The Professor says:

    “You guys watch Joe Don Baker films?”

    A true classic right here. By far the best of the major “turning point” episodes, it also ranks as one of my favorite episodes period.

       2 likes

  19. underwoc says:

    Thoughts:

    – I like the bit where Mike swindles Frank’s keys. Classic Abbott & Costello-type routine.

    – Daktari Stool: My initial reaction to this one was similar to Frank’s – huh? whatever. I giggle because of the hit-and-run delivery, though.

    – And now the heresy: I don’t really care much for this episode. The Brains are great – they did a great job of handling the transition from Joel to Mike. But this movie just doesn’t hold my attention well enough for me to enjoy sitting through the whole show. It may be learned behavior from my childhood, when my mom made me go out and play instead of watching Kojak, Rockford, Starsky, Hutch, Ponch, John or Sherriff Lobo…

       4 likes

  20. John D. says:

    My favorite bit was Crow’s impression of Latka Gravis during the gunfire battle. Always makes me laugh:

    “Andy Kaufman?!?!”

    “BANG!” “Yoo are so stoopid.”

    “BANG!” “Yoo are so stoopid!!”

    Mitchell then shoots his assailant with a shotgun and the man’s chest explodes. “Tank yoo veddy much!”

       4 likes

  21. Invader Pet says:

    The daktari stool now belongs to the owner of the MST Temple site.

    By the way, when Movie Sign goes off, Joel tosses the stool in the air, and it comes tumbling below behind Servo. You can clearly hear Kevin yell, “Ow!”

    Jim’s hand can be seen pulling Gypsy’s mouthpiece during segment 2, when Joel is looking for his magazine.

    Technically, we do get an “invention exchange” from Dr. F. While looking for the Mitchell tape, he stumbles upon a “Double Butt Grab” that he made in his younger days. Also, Dr. F. pulls out an old halloween Happy Meal box!

    My favorite riff: “Mitchell, would you move over please? THE OTHER WAY!”

       1 likes

  22. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    #21 invader pet

    ( I think it’s “double butt graFT” no ? )

    This was later echoed on the Simpsons, where Bart uses some kind of Mater Transference Device ( a la The Fly ) to create one critter that was the front half of a cat grafted on to the front half of a dog ( which was a nice clean thing ) and the aforementioned double butt graft out of what was left ( which was GROSS ).

       1 likes

  23. very sad, very funny episode, ridiculous movie! I mean what were the producers thinking? Hey let’s make an overweight, sloppy, drunken Dirty Harry! Greenlighted!

       0 likes

  24. Kenneth Morgan says:

    Joel certainly left on a high note, with one of the best episodes.

    It is disappointing, though, that they had to edit out John Saxon’s final scenes in the movie. They are certainly riffable.
    In fact, during the 2000 Gateway Convention in St. Louis, attendees got to watch the full, unMSTed version of “Mitchell” and were allowed to riff away. Without giving too much away, it invloves Saxon’s goons trying to kill Mitchell with dune buggies. I got a laugh from the audience when I reasonably asked, “Why don’t they just shoot him?” Then, moments later, I was truly topped when a buggy exploded and a couple of girls behind me chimed in with, “Unsafe at any speed!”

    Oh, did Harlan Ellison ever try to take apart MST3K as he has “Star Trek”, “Star Wars” and nearly everything else?

       1 likes

  25. jason says:

    I can’t believe mitchell 2 never came out. This is in my opnion, but i think this was the greatest episode they ever did. it was a great way of sending off joel and saying hello to mike. I seen this so many times an i always laugh.
    call back reference they forgot to mentioned. oh no it’s catelina caper when they bad guy run toward their boat.
    I also saw the tv guide annoucing joel was leaving and mike was being the knew guy. I never knew how they were going to do away with joel. i was afraid they would do a bewitched or a james bond and just have mike be joel, and act like nothing happen.

       1 likes

  26. Skenderberg says:

    The host segments for Mitchell are fantastic (Mike’s explanation of why he needed Frank’s keys is particularly good), but enjoyment of the movie depends on your tolerance for Joe Don Baker.

    If anything Baker’s Mitchell deserved more abuse than he got. Perhaps the Brains felt this way too. I suspect this is why his character in Final Justice got pounded so hard as well. Sheriff Geronimo was pretty loathesome, but not as loathesome as they were making him out to be.

       1 likes

  27. >The years before he left, when you had all of the brilliant people who helped build and create the show there (except for J. Weinstein of course)

    …He was never brilliant!

    Ba-dum-ching

       1 likes

  28. Astaroth says:

    Joel leaves on a real high note. The riffing is really strong, with the opening credits being a highlight. “Joe Don Baker Is Martha Mitchell”

       1 likes

  29. Chris Waters says:

    Thanks for reminding me about this episode.

    *Will replace my mIRC quit quote now with “Baby Oil!? AAAAUGH!”

    Also, interesting story: I didn’t get a chance to see this episode when it first aired, I admit. When I finally got to see it, two things happened:

    1)When the bad guys first get to the boat (shortly after Tom says “Oh no…no…not Catalina Caper!”) I was humming the Gilligan’s Island theme…JUST before Joel says “OK guys, I call no singing the Gilligan’s Island theme”

    2)As I had a computer near the TV when I first watched this, I was looking around some fan sites…and during the episode I stumbled onto the MST fan-fic “3000: A Space Oddity”. For those that don’t know what that is, it served as a between-quel for “Mitchell” and “The Brain That Wouldn’t Die”, telling what happened to Joel. Keep in mind the story was written YEARS before “Soultaker”.

    Oh, and a riff I like besides the classic “Baby Oil” line:

    He sleeps with me, then busts me.
    (as Mitchell)First thing’s first!

       0 likes

  30. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    I guess we have to feel bad for Linda Evans as well…. things must have been pretty thin in 1975.

    6 years after The Big Valley and 6 years before Dynasty. Very symmetrical. Right in the middle she ‘does’ Mitchell.

    SHUDDER !

       2 likes

  31. DrFysh says:

    I may be the only one who has thought there is more to the joke about the Daktari Stool. (Tho i’ll admit it’s a little gross.) I remember reading on certain medications side effects and the info you get with them, sometimes they cause irregularity and bowel problems. Specifically quoted was that you should inform your doctor if you experience any ‘Dark, Tarry Stools’. Coincidence? Read the book…

       1 likes

  32. Lou Stoolz says:

    Just found this via Wikipedia…makes sense now:

    “Daktari (Swahili for “doctor”) was a television series that aired on CBS from 1966 to 1969, featuring Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy, a veterinarian at the fictional Wameru Study Center for Animal Behavior in East Africa.”

       0 likes

  33. swh1939 says:

    # 31 DrFysh – ‘Dark, Tarry Stools’

    Oh, poopie. :lol:

       1 likes

  34. pablum says:

    Great, but tragic episode. The loss of Joel changed the show for me, as I’m sure it did for most. And in ways I’m not so much a fan of. Not sure if the Sci-Fi series would have been so different had Joel stuck around.

    Anyway, to the movie. Hilarious constant jabbing at Joe Don. And then there’s that exploding gas tank. The car actually flipped onto its top after the scene cuts back to it. Must have been one hell of an explosion for everybody to walk away from.

    The John Saxon plotline the Brains cut out oddly enough got mentioned when one of the bots wonders aloud what happened to Mr. Saxon. Made for a good riff, but it was a riff they created due to time constraints.

       3 likes

  35. DamonD says:

    Not only does Tom lose his head in the PANIC!, but it’s hysterical how Crow quite literally shakes himself to pieces in sheer terror.

       3 likes

  36. Q says:

    My favorite joel era episode. Its a bit odd that its the last…

       0 likes

  37. MikeK says:

    I really enjoy this episode. I watched it recently in my new “view the episodes by movie decade” pattern. Mitchell is a rotten movie about a rotten character. He’s not even good as an anti-hero. Obviously the people who made this movie wanted to cash in the popularity of Dirty Harry, and failed. Between Mitchell and Sheriff Geronimo, I think the Jon Don Baker bashing is well placed.

       1 likes

  38. GizmonicTemp says:

    Medium #9 – BIG oops on my part! I meant “as the Joel era came to a close”. Proofreading? What’s that?

    Re: Dr. Lao – It’s pronounced “Donaldson”. (Any “Spacecamp” fans out there?)

       0 likes

  39. John M. Hanna says:

    Can you blow up a car with a hankerchief sticking out of the gas cap?

    I think its time to call “Mythbusters”!

       2 likes

  40. GizmonicTemp says:

    Medium #9 – Oh, and I’m 37. I’m not old. Now see the violence inherent in the system! (Holy Grail anyone?)

       1 likes

  41. Green Switch says:

    A classic, I loved it. Great endnote for the Joel era.

    It was a solid passing of the torch from Joel to Mike as well. When they introduced the Mike Nelson character, there was no doubt that the hosting duties would be left in great hands.

    For some odd reason, Crow’s cry of “Oh, Mitchell, no!” when Mitchell gets out of the car at the pier always makes me crack the hell up.

    The “eye on the sammich” song is a highpoint of the episode, too. No matter how many times I’ve seen it, it always makes me laugh.

    All the random yells of “Mitchell!” made for a fun running gag, too.

    My favorite riff, though? “Big, buttery moon up there… the sidewalk looks like ice cream if you squint hard enough… streets look like cake…”

    A close second is: “Oh, it’s a stream of consciousness, now! He stopped singing about Mitchell five minutes ago.”

       3 likes

  42. Simplefan says:

    “My my my my GOD!” might be the second hardest I ever laughed at an MST line.

    (Grand champ is Tom’s frustrated “EACH OF YOU WILL ENTER A SPACE CAPSULE!” from Prince of Space. I seriously thought I might need a doctor.)

       2 likes

  43. Omega says:

    Wait, I never noticed the Daktari stool landed on Kevin. Once again they kept rolling.

    By the way I think the Brains loved being so harsh on Joe Don Baker. After all, they just had to do another one of his movies five years later.

       0 likes

  44. I’m not a medium, I’m a petite says says:

    #40 GizmonicDennis

    OK, you’re a mere child ( I’ve got a decade on you ) :lol: I will rescind my ‘old man’ for now. But don’t ever forget that strange women lyin’ in ponds distributin’ swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

    And now back to your regulary scheduled topic.

       2 likes

  45. underwoc says:

    Did I just hear someone being repressed?

       1 likes

  46. Rhys says:

    #42

    3rd would be Tom just screaming at frustration at the whole Mitchell/kid exchange.

       0 likes

  47. Vornoff says:

    From Sampo:
    “Interesting that “2001” is again parodied at the end of season seven”

    Are you forgetting the parody in _MST3K: The Movie_ or is that what you mean by “the end of season seven?”

    From swh1939:
    “I’m a firm believer in this method. When I hear any person pronounce his or her own name, then that — for better or worse — is how their name should be pronounced. In “7 Faces of Dr. Lao” Tony Randall for whatever reason chose Lao, rhymes with show.”

    Your thesis would make sense, if Dr. Lao was a creation of Tony Randall, but he was not. He was introduced by Charles G. Finney in the book, _The Circus of Dr. Lao_. Anyone read it? Any comment on pronunciation?

       1 likes

  48. Cornjob says:

    I loved all the post-Mitchel MST episodes, and Rifftrax, and Cinematic Titanic. The only complaint I have about Mike’s performance as host is the fact that he wasn’t Joel. Season 2 through episode 512 will allways be the golden age of MST3K to me.

       3 likes

  49. Dave says:

    There are so many great moments that have already been mentioned, but one that hasn’t stands out for me. I never fail to bust a gut when Mitchell sticks his sausagey fingers seemingly knuckle deep into the smack/baby powder and Joel says “Jeez Scarface didn’t do that much blow.”

       3 likes

  50. crow-rhymes-with-show-schmo says:

    Baby oil! Nooooo!

    This is one of my favorites (and least favorites). Last Joel ep! Nooooo!!

    There was a lot to like about the host segments and the riffing, but no matter how many times I watch, the movie part just makes my brain go fuzzy. Still can’t figure out who the hell these people are and what they’re doing. Mistretta? Galano? (insert violent head shake).

    Something to do with drugs.

    I love how in the opening segment Joel makes it seem perfectly sane that he has plenty of toothpicks to make his model of Monticello:
    “What, are you kidding? We’re on a spaceship. The place is crawling with toothpicks.” Makes sense to me.

    Was that Daktari stool made of Styrofoam? I guess it had to be. (Dark, tarry stools – I’ll bet that WAS what they were thinking -nice catch).

    Some fave lines:

    In the opening credits, it says Essex Films, Crow says, “Hey, a sex films.”

    Joe Don Baker is Mittens (when they can’t quite read the title yet).

    Joel does a, “This is Carleton, your doorman,” joke from the old “Rhoda” series. (He sounded more like Kermit the Frog, though).

    When John Saxon’s character shoots that intruder and the cops are looking over everything: Crow: “You’re rich and white. I don’t see a problem with it.”

    Harlan Ellison get arrested.

    When Linda Evans shows up at Joe Don’s apartment, that whole exchange is hiarious. He offers her beer. Crow: “You like ’em half empty? Some of ’em got cigarettes in ’em.” Then: “There’s chips under the cushion, help yourself.”

    Then he spills beer on her leg and says “Do you want a towel?” Crow: “No, I’ll use the CURTAINS.”

    Then the gun slips down his pants and J&TB are like “What the..Nooo!!!”

    I liked the REALLY obscure code phrases they make two of the bad guys use when they’re meeting on the park bench.
    Joel: “The spotted cuckoo bird is flying backwards.”
    Crow: “It’s a cold day for pontooning.”

    And that guy that was REALLY Italian, and SO from Italy.

    When Mitchell is in the car with that old lady and Crow makes her say,”I felt the balloon break.” Ouch.

    Okay, this is getting really long. Let’s just say, I liked this ep, watch it, then insert everything they say into this reply, basically.

    KKRO – it’s Crow radio!

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