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Weekend Discussion Thread: Required Musicals

Alert reader “Starviking” suggests:

You have covered required TV shows, movies, and music, but have you done musicals? Because I have noticed the Brains reference “The Music Man” past the breaking point! I’m not even sure if they mention any other musical, at least not the ones I’m most familiar with.

Oh, there are lots. Another one they do all the time is “A Chorus Line,” as in o/` Kiss today goodbye…o/`” and “CASSIE!”

Which musicals should people see to get the most riffs?

48 Replies to “Weekend Discussion Thread: Required Musicals”

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  1. Smirkboy says:

    “Wizard of Oz” at the top of the list.
    ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show”
    “The Sound of Music”

       1 likes

  2. Sitting Duck says:

    Fiddler on the Roof.

       1 likes

  3. Dark Grandma of Death says:

    Oklahoma! for lines like “There’s a bright yellow stain on my backbrace” and the many riffs on “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning”. Plus, all the references to Ado Annie. It’s a must-see musical!

       2 likes

  4. porp0ise says:

    Ohhhhh-klahoma.

       0 likes

  5. West Side Story is all over MST3K. Oklahoma, too. I also thought of Chorus Line right away because I just watched Alien from LA, which has the people in glittery hats seeming to rehearse “I Hope I Get It”. Bye Bye Birdie in Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. Cabaret comes up now and then, too. Gypsy for the “Let Me Entertain You” riffs.

       1 likes

  6. sol-survivor says:

    Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, definitely. There’s riffs in a few episodes from “Sobbin’ Women” and “Bless Your Beautiful Hide” as well as a riff in Colossus and the Headhunters for “700 Brides for 700 Brothers”. Joel also has Taylor say “Wait a minute, I’m in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers!” during The Painted Hills. In another episode (sorry, don’t remember which one) a young man is crouching down and when he looks up Joel has him start meowing. There’s a scene in SBFSB where a young man crouches outside a window and meows to lure his intended to the door. Don’t know how she fell for it but she did.

       2 likes

  7. trickymutha says:

    Sound of Music.

       2 likes

  8. Slartibartfast, maker of fjords says:

    The rock opera “Tommy”, featuring “The Who” from :Pod People.” As in “Tommy, can you hear me?”

       3 likes

  9. MSTie says:

    I’ll second Cabaret. “Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome…” “Even ze orchestra iss beautiful…”

       4 likes

  10. Ed says:

    Jesus Christ Superstar is a definite, especially for the not infrequent references to “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” and the title track.

       1 likes

  11. agentmom says:

    “It’s the shiny little hiney with the fringe on the top.” (Hercules vs. the Moon Men)

    “Oklahoma,” definitely.

       0 likes

  12. Sound of Music out of all the double-VHS tape-long major musicals from my past, that one resonates the most with solid riffable material. It seems like it could be one of the harshest riffings while perhaps simultaneously the most loving, plus the only way I could ever get through the whole thing.

    Does anyone here with every episode want to go through them all and tally what musical gets referenced the most? That might be a good way to find out.

       1 likes

  13. MikeK says:

    Yeah, Oklahoma is a good one. A more esoteric choice is Paint Your Wagon.

       0 likes

  14. David Mello says:

    Let’s go for the WTF ones, like “At Long Last Love”, the only musical in “The Golden Turkey Awards”.
    I’d throw in the movie version of “Mamma Mia” only because it convincingly proves Pierce Brosnan can’t sing

       0 likes

  15. GizmonicTemp says:

    Cambot J. Nelson #12 – Now THAT would be impressive. You’d not only have to have lots of time, but ALSO an intricate knowledge of eligible musicals.
    I thought about doing something similar for Monty Python references. Perhaps the gents/ladies who are working on the annotations (can anyone remind me who that is?) would be the best chance.

       4 likes

  16. Flying Saucers Over Oz says:

    I know THE WIZ got a couple of mentions…

       1 likes

  17. David Mello says:

    I think Servo sings something from Pippin in “Parts, the Clonus Horror” when the “hero” finds a beer can in the river. It was mentioned again, but I don’t remember where.

       2 likes

  18. Zee says:

    So funny you mentioned THE MUSIC MAN- I went nuts when I finally saw that movie, I finally got a hundred time-release jokes that had confounded me for years (“And don’t dawdle, Amaryllis!”) My wife has played in the orchestra of countless musicals and is always catching riffs I’ve never understood before.

    On the subject, MIKE NELSON’S MIND OVER MATTERS features an amusing chapter where Mike talks about starring in productions of Anything Goes, Camelot, Brigadoon, and Oliver!

       4 likes

  19. Penny G says:

    @GizmonicTemp:
    I think the Monty Python suggestion would be cool. Two already come to mind but I’ll just be patient until the Monty thread is started rather than being rude and hijacking this one.

       1 likes

  20. Watch-out-for-Snakes says:

    Musicals are one of my least favorite movie genres, I can rarely (if ever) get into them.

    That being said, required musical watching to better understand MST references would include:

    Sound of Music
    Wizard of OZ
    Tommy
    Mary Poppins

    That last one I can’t recall any specific riffs that reference it, but I do actually like the movie, so it’s on the list

       1 likes

  21. Mr. E says:

    How about Hans Christian Anderson (That’s me!)

       5 likes

  22. GizmonicTemp says:

    Watch-out-for-Snakes #20 – I DO remember a host segment in which Tom mentions that you have to “find the fun and SNAP the job’s a game! Thank you Mary Poppins.” This is followed by Crow exclaiming “I love to laugh! Long and loud and clear!” I think it’s Cave Dwellers when they try to come up with fancy names for ordinary props.
    I agree with you about musicals though. If I want to watch a movie, I will. If I want to listen to music, Soundgarden’s “Superunknown” satisfies quite nicely. I only combine the two when the wife demands it.

       4 likes

  23. Duckie Von says:

    Sound of Music Alot..

       1 likes

  24. Shark says:

    Servo sings “June is Bustin’ Out All Over” from the musical Carousel in the “What to do on a Date” short.

       3 likes

  25. Andrew says:

    They make a bunch of references to “West Side Story”, my personal favorite being in “The Giant Spider Invasion”: “I feel trembly, oh so shaky, I’ve had vodka and whiskey and gin!”

       2 likes

  26. Mills says:

    My Fair Lady gets the odd reference now and then.

       1 likes

  27. pumafan says:

    What’s the story, morning glory? from Bye Bye Birdie is sung over the telephone montage in Cheating.

    BBB also gets some riff-time in Hobgoblins — Paige Sullivan! instead of Ed Sullivan! as sung by the late great Paul Lynde.

       2 likes

  28. nekouken says:

    Oklahoma’s a definite; I can think of at least three riffs referencing “Surrey With the Fringe On Top” off the top of my head, and the guy they think looks like Curly from “The Thing That Wouldn’t Die” clinches it.

    Pirates of Penzance, maybe, though one probably doesn’t need to see it in order to grasp references to “Modern Major General.”

    Pumafan is right about Bye Bye Birdie; “Hymn for a Sunday Evening” is referenced in “Hobgoblins,” and also in “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.”

       0 likes

  29. Comfort Fulton says:

    Hello Dolly… if only to have your mind blown when you see one of the supporting actresses play Mrs. Bat Lady in “It Lives By Night.”

       1 likes

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

    Disney’s 1950 Cinderella, at the very least for Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo ( which we here know better as Tubular Boobular Joy ).

       1 likes

  31. Bombastic Biscuit Boy says:

    #27&28:

    Don’t forget Bye Bye Birdie is quoted in Village of the Giants, too….”We hate you Conrad, oh yes we dooo…”

    I think Cats was referenced a couple times…the only time I can think of it is in City Limits….Starlight Express is alluded to (with horror) also, but the Andrew Lloyd Weber Grill can handle ’em.

       1 likes

  32. Crow T. Robert says:

    I would have said that Oklahoma is the top referenced musical in all of MST’dom, (Pore Jud is Daid and Kansas City didn’t get mentioned yet, but they’re in there too). There’ve also been references to Rocky Horror but I don’t think there has been a singing one…

       0 likes

  33. lpydmblb says:

    Re Zee (#18): Knowing about Mike’s involvment in productions of “Brigadoon” and “Oliver!” should explain a lot to MSTies; both show up multiple times. “Where is Love” pops up quite a bit (isn’t that the song Frank sings before the abortive ‘Bot wedding in “Racket Girls?”), and I remember The Incredible Melting Man staggering along to “Almost Like Being in Love.”
    Re Ed (#10): one of my favorite parts of “Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell” is the Ted Neely reference.

       1 likes

  34. Depressing Aunt says:

    Like at #21… It seems like every time someone stands with arms akimbo we get a “I’m Hans Christian Andersen!” riff. (Much to my chagrin.)

    Does anyone know where “She’s just a pop-eyed oculist” comes from, btw? Crow sings that, or something similiar, in “Atomic Brain.” That’s bound to be from a must-see musical… maybe.

       0 likes

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

    #34… I’m just a Cockeyed Optimist from South Pacific

       2 likes

  36. Depressing Aunt says:

    Thanks! That actually makes the re-worked lyric more impressive to me. :)

       2 likes

  37. I'm not evil just good looking says:

    In Hercules (#502), Tom starts singing “Bali Hai” when there’s a shot of an island off in the distance.

       2 likes

  38. pirengle says:

    They mentioned Brigadoon in a riff or two, so there’s another one.

       0 likes

  39. Kei says:

    I’m seeing a lot of musicals for stage, but what about cinematic musicals? There’s a couple Koyaanisqatsi references peppered about, the first that comes to mind during PARTS.

       0 likes

  40. Trumpy's Dad says:

    Hair-
    Tom: Red bots are delicious.

       0 likes

  41. GizmonicTemp says:

    Penny G #19 – I actually have a little bet with myself as to what percentage of EPs have an MP reference. I know there are some that don’t but the list I can make off-the-cuff of ones that do is quite long. I’m WAGging that might be half of the shows in the series, not so much during the Mike era, but a TON during Joel’s tenure. Perhaps we need some homework resulting in a note-sharing WDT. Everyone watch a few of their favorite EPs and list which EPs DID and DID NOT have a Monty Python reference. For posterity and preciseness, we should also include the reference for error-checking (I’ve been known to attribute quotes from Monthy Python to Black Adder).

    (Hijack complete!)

       2 likes

  42. Joe Klemm says:

    Definitely would consider Rocky Horror as a required musical, as there’s been a few jokes that pertain to the characters as they appear in the film version (i.e. minor characters in Parts: The Clonus Horror and Quest of the Delta Knights resembling Rocky, the “Riff Raff at home” line in Merlin’s Shop).

       0 likes

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

    ( Sampo: despite the light participation, this is a very good topic )

       0 likes

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

    Oh and aren’t there some Gilbert & Sullivan references ?

       0 likes

  45. Zee says:

    The very model of a modern man made werewolf!

       1 likes

  46. Charles says:

    For West Side Story, every single time the doomed cameraman/journalist says “Boy, boy” to Ichi in “Gamera vs Gaos” led them into a riff from the musical. (“Boy, boy, crazy boy. Stay cool, boy!”)

    They did it a lot, which just highlighted how annoyingly often the journalist said it.

       0 likes

  47. pumafan says:

    #44 — in Horror at Party Beach, Mike starts “I am the very model of a modern major general …”

       1 likes

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       0 likes

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