I don’t know if something like this has been covered, but I’m wondering if we can collect a “required viewing” list of shows, movies, or music that is most often referenced in MST3K. My best example is Hogan’s Heroes – I never watched this show while MST3K was on the air, but it was one of my husband’s favorite shows from childhood that he introduced me to a few years ago and I couldn’t believe all the MST3K references I recognized after I first watched one or two episodes! Are there other movies, or tv shows – or particular episodes of tv series – that are recommended viewing for fans to understand the sources of some of MST3K’s more frequent jokes/references?
I checked and we have done required movies and required music threads, but not one for TV. So let’s get to it!
My pick is an easy one: “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” They’ve done dozens of references, so they clearly love it. The Minneapolis setting of the show didn’t hurt either. “A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants…”
What show would you suggest?
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faulty towers!! MOnty phython!!!
People really don’t read the discussion topic carefully.
Why don’t they look?
A couple of other shows that are frequently referenced which haven’t been mentioned yet are The Munsters and The Monkees.
@49 Here’s the Mary Tyler Noore theme from the first season: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RWX5K_KrJk Most of the time when Tom sings that a young woman is shown driving a car just like the first shot of Mary here.
“The Price is Right” was referenced several times, and don’t forget “The Match Game!”
That Girl with Marlo Thomas was referenced a few times, often when a character wore a hat like she did in the credits, or if she said a line like her famous ‘Oh, Donald!’
Also, anything with Charles Nelson Riley, (Match Game, Liddsville, etc…) to understand Dr. Forrester’s many mannerisms borrowed from him.
Also, “Love American Style!”
And sorry I misspelled Mary Tyler Moore up above. :shame: I definitely know better.
Trace’s version of Charles Nelson Reilly’s character from “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” shows up in the theater frequently, too.
Lots of Odd Couple references, especially Crow’s imitation of Felix: “Oscar, Oscar, Oscar!”
The musical cues from “The Bob Newhart Show” and “The Mod Squad” turn up whenever we see a 1970s high rise or three characters running, respectively.
Also: “Rat Patrol … IN COLOR!”
It’s been said before and it’ll be said again, probably because it’s fun to say : M A N I M A L
to #40 I do not know which ep “my lungs were aching for air” is from, and could not find out doing an internet search. what I did find out is something many of you know, I did Not know; that Lloyd Bridges’ character in Sea Hunt was named MIKE NELSON.
Forgive the slight digression, but this topic reminded me of something that doesn’t get mentioned often enough: Trace’s wonderful talent for character voices.
Kevin gets a lot of acclaim — deservedly so — for his beautiful singing voice, but this topic really made me remember how many brilliant, hilarious character voices Trace performs the theater.
Almost every TV reference that came to mind for this thread included Trace delivering a line in character. He’s Lucille Ball, Gale Gordon, Felix Ungar, Marlo Thomas, Miss Hathaway, Mr. Drysdale, Mrs. Livingston, Chief, McCloud, Eb Dawson, Mr. Douglas, Bullwinkle, Ronald Reagan, Charles Nelson Reilly, Brett Sommers, Floyd the Barber, Barney Fife, Gomer Pyle, Rod Serling, Lloyd Bridges, Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Angel Martin, Phyllis Diller, Colonel Klink, Sgt. Shultz … and that’s mostly just the names I came up with from shows already mentioned in this thread. (He also does several great announcer voices from TV: “And now here’s Red in the Silent Spot,” etc.) And I know that list is just the tip of the iceberg.
That’s one of the reason’s Trace is one of my favorite MST3K performers. The volume and variety of voices he brought into the theater as Crow added a whole new layer of hilarity to the show. (After he left, this type of riff became less common; no one else could pull it off the way he did.)
I’m just going to say every show made in the last 50 years.
@Edge (#45)
That particular riff is a favorite of mine, especially when applied in its variant form: “Millie Helper, no!” (Also: “Imogene Coca, no! Imogene Coca, yes!”)
Sorry, I did talk about the Wizard of Oz in my previous comment, but that was mostly to ask a question I’d genuinely like to know the answer to and to, you know, participate in a conversation with other human beings. So, my bad for that.
Since it has been correctly pointed out that this thread is about TV shows and not movies, I should add one TV show that it really helped for you to have seen when watching the show: Mystery Science Theater 3000. They constantly reference the movies in the other episodes, even sometimes referencing their own riffs from other episodes, and a few characters from the movies make recurring appearances in sketches. Someone who has never seen the Manos episode might not have any idea why Torgo walking in is funny, for instance.
Sure, you can drop in on almost any episode and get the gist of the show, but there’s a whole other dimension added after you’ve seen a few episodes and get all the call-backs and in-jokes.
sol-surivior (#53):
Thanks for the link–and all hail the Almighty YouTube. I’m not sure how far along MTM was when I started watching, although I still remember the tearful farewell. Seems there was a time when MTM-derived shows were all over the place.
I just can’t help but notice all the shows mentioned and how many hours and hours I have spent watching those very shows….no wonder I love the show so much :eek:
Agree with most of the ones here. I’ll add “Battlestar Galactica”, which I believe must be watched before watching episode 820: Space Mutiny — if only the Brains had done the same… ;-)
They made quite a few Pink Floyd references throughout the years. Also Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, a lot of girl groups from the 60s.
They referenced Shakespeare quite a bit, as well. Lord of the Rings, mentioned above, was a good choice. They also mentioned The Godfather a few times (“he’s going to read page 27 of the Godfather”; “turn to page 27 when Sonny and the bridesmaid are… well, you’ll see”).
As far as movies go, The Sound of Music, Goodfellas, Rocky, Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Dr. Strangelove, Hannah and Her Sisters (mentioned a lot during the Joel era, it seems), Young Frankenstein, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. One of my favorite obscure references was in the Skydivers where Servo says “his skydiving idol is Trini Lopez in the Dirty Dozen.” Pause. Then, very quietly, “Because he died.”
And as for TV: Hooterville Trilogy, Monty Python, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, I Love Lucy, Fawlty Towers, Dukes of Hazzard, Gomer Pyle USMC, The Andy Griffith Show.
Two things that they were either referencing as books or movies: Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath.
One should have a passing knowledge of The Monkees TV show and the individual Monkees themselves.
A guy walks on screen wearing a wool cap…”Hey, it’s Mike Nesmith!”.
I agree with Hogan’s Heroes. Other shows you MUST know are I Love Lucy, Three Stooges and Monty Python. When my sister and I first started watching Monty Python, at least a third of all Mst3k jokes made sense.
Mr Drysdale?
Mr Eddie’s Father?
Chief?
McCloud!
Other TV shows you should be at least familiar with, because they have all been referenced at least once:
I Love Lucy
The Lucy Show
The Patty Duke Show
Leave It To Beaver
Hazel
Car 54 Where Are You?
Dobie Gillis
The Courtship Of Eddie’s Father
The Time Tunnel
Batman
Lost In Space
Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea (Movie and TV series.)
Land Of The Giants
Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp
Flipper
The Rat Patrol
Mission: Impossible
Family Affair
The Donna Reed Show
Underdog
The Brady Bunch
The Partridge Family
Mannix
Barnaby Jones
Trapper John M.D.
Medical Center
Hawaii Five-O
Touched By An Angel
Father Murphy
Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman
Murder She Wrote
The Greatest American Hero
V
Fame
Cheers
A few more:
Father Knows Best
Hee Haw
Dragnet
Adam 12
The Benny Hill Show
Fawlty Towers
Wow, so many TV refs!
I don’t think the “Iron Man” cartoon show way back in the 70s(?) has been mentioned. Joel did the “I AM IRON MAN” riff with his head wrapped in aluminum foil.
Here’s a cool side point about Beanie and Cecil. The bad guy on it was named Dishonest John, and he had a business card that read “DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP” Yes a young Angus Young from AC/DC was a fan and he used that in a song they did. Hint it was not Back in Black.
“The Avengers” as in the 1960’s British series NOT that 1998 movie (which should have been riffed on MST3K).
Just to mention a few that have not been listed yet:
M*A*S*H (often when there is a helicopter, someone hums the theme song)
Sesame Street (Brought to you by the letter A and the Number 3) “I’ll get you for this, Nelson.”
Dr. Who (many references)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Teenage Caveman)
Get Smart (The Rebel Set)
Charlie’s Angels (obviously from Angel’s Revenge)
Death Valley Days (“Either the driver is missing or he’s dead” in a Ronald Reagan voice)
Family Matters (Torgo: “I gotta say, I’ve never been a big Urkel fan” from San Francisco International)
@32 &45 How can “The Trouble with Tribbles” not be required viewing for Star Trek “It’s a tribble, Mike”
Good, someone mentioned the Adam West/Burt Ward “Batman” show. I thought of that one last night at work, just in the sense that when you see someone on an old rotary dial phone that’s red, you immediately say “Commisioner Gordon”, but only if you’d seen the show….thankfully reruns were being shown in Ks in the 70’s. Sorry to have upset everyone earlier with my ignorance of Bob Clampett, I’ll try and remedy this.
After an admittedly speedy review of all the comments, I’m pretty sure “Laugh In” wasn’t mentioned. The riffs I remember off the top of my head:
1. “Sidehackers”: When Rommel is talking to his artist friend (the actor who also played Hynie (sp?) in “Hellcats”, and we see the painted young lady on the couch, and they say she is getting ready to try out as a dancer on Laugh In.
2. “Girl With Gold Boots”: The dancers are dancing, and the riff is something like “Welcome to the the Judy Carne tribute” as we have a torso/pelvic closeup of a woman moving a lot like Judy Carne did as a dancer on the show- and I thank her/them!
Sock it to me! Say goodnight, Mike!
#72 – I believe Joel is referencing the song by Black Sabbath.
#21 – For those who actually remember TNT’s vintage-rerun airing of “Then Came Bronson” during the wee hours around that same general period in cable history, it’s a lot easier to identify Joel’s ritual quoting of the opening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnPIOH8bCfk
Totally off topic, but I wanted to bring this up – was just at the movies and saw a Disney/Cinemark trailer for turning off cell phones using scenes from the upcoming Disney version of “Frankenweenie”. In the trailer (so, presumably, also in the movie), the “Normal View” music from This Island Earth was being played. My daughter and I both started singing along. I hope the music is in the actual movie – we may have to go just to sing it then too!
Yes #78 it is a Black Sabbath song Joel is referencing. Also used in one of the Iron Man movie trailers.
#67, and also watch Mike Nesmith’s “Elephant Parts.” My dad has it on LaserDisc, and it’s a lot of fun, especially “Neighborhood Nuclear Superiority” and my personal favourite sketch, “Rock and Roll Hospital”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM_PMVMsG1U
If I had to pick a “Top 5” of TV shows referenced on MST3K, based on both quantity and diversity of references– ie: distinctly different jokes about a particular show, rather than the same reference made again and again (“By this time my lungs were aching for air” “Mannix!” or “McCloud?”) I’d have to go with:
1) Star Trek – No question. I don’t think any other show comes close to the number of references as the original series.
2) Gilligan’s Island – Even counting every “Skiiiiper” or “little buddy” as only one joke, they still reference this one a hell of a lot. Probably because like the classic Star Trek, there are a number of characters which can each be references independently.
3) The Andy Griffith Show – Likewise, and ensemble cast with multiple iconic riffable characters, and many many different ways of doing so.
4) The Mary Tyler Moore Show – Have to agree with Sampo on this one, it does get referenced an awful lot. Not as much as Star Trek, but pretty close to the other two.
5) Get Smart – I think this one squeaks by in last place, mainly because Don Adams had so many memorable gadgets and catch phrases and they referenced just about all of them. (though they did also make several jokes about the Chief, Hymie, Siegfried, and of course,
The ClawThe Craw)I’m sure there are many others which come close (I Love Lucy, The Twilight Zone, Monty Python, Rocky & Bullwinkle, and The Beverly Hillbillies off the top of my head) but honorable mention should definitely go to television commercials in general which are far too numerous to mention and should probably have their own discussion topic.
Everybody forgot Lawernce Welk they often make fun of singers with Welk riffs.
Maybe I missed it glancing the long list above, but the guys also used bits from “Barney Miller” (as recently as in CT’s East Meets Watts with “Barney, Wojo and Harris are fighting again…”)
Also, “The Outer Limits” opening (We Control the Vertical… we can make it stupid)
and many references to “Night Gallery”. Knowing who Rod Serling is and the fact that you almost never see him without a lit cigarette will help understand some riffs, too.
Old Commercials play a big role:
Old Kellogg’s breakfast cereal commercials (spelling out K E double L O double G)
Commercials for Zest brand soap (“zestfully clean”… becomes “she’s zestfully dead” in Pod People)
The series of ads with James Garner and Mariette Hartley for Polaroid instant cameras
The old kid’s show “Captain Kangaroo” with the cartoons “Tom Terrific” and “Koko the Clown” should be added to the aforementioned Beany and Cecil, along with puppet show Kookla, Fran, and Ollie.
Well, I WAS gong to go with ‘The Dukes Of Hazzard’, since it gets referenced with casual mentions as well as Waylon Jennings take-offs several times, but someone already got that one… so instead I think I shall go with an obscure–yet notable–One Shot reference Joel & The Bots made during “Warrior Of The Lost World”:
‘AIRWOLF’ …
They even tried to hum the theme song, but got it wrong.
My list of titles that viewers should at least be familiar with:
-Monty Python’s Flying Circus
-The works of Sid and Marty Krofft (including the Banana Splits, which they did the costumes for, and their variety shows)
-The Star Trek shows
-King Leonardo and His Short Subjects (to understand the origin of the “Dreezle Drazzle” line)
-Gilligan’s Island
Martin & Lewis get referenced a lot, esp. in the Joel era
@83: not “the Craw” – “the Craw”!!!!
Didn’t see it mentioned- Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The Taylor and Burton film version, obviously.
Well seems like everyone forgot sanford and son. the references are few but they are there– i think;)
Any of the Jack Webb Productions (Emergency, Adam-12, Dragnet).
#18 Snowdog
Those “Tonight’s Episode” quotes for “Murder” and “Death” come from the Quinn Martin Productions like “The FBI (in color),” Hawaiian Eye, Cannon, Barnaby Jones, etc. They all had great themes but had to have the announcer read the credits for you. It would end with, “Tonight’s episode, Death writes a letter.” Then after the commercial there would be Act I . . . . . The closing was labeled “Epilogue” which Joel did occasionally.
I would say watching Deliverance is required before watching Squirm. Servo hums the theme song and Crow asks “Can we see the wierd kid with a banjo?” when Mick and Gerry walk through the woods.
I’m amazed at the number of these shows that I haven’t seen. Many of which I’ve gotten some sense of through MST.