First shown: 11/24/88
Movie: (episodes originally aired 1967; compilation released 1981) A submarine pilot and his cohorts battle an evil aquatic civilization.
Opening: Joel introduces the movie briefly and then it’s movie sign
Host segment 1: Joel shows off his airbag helmet
Host segment 2: Joel shows off his vacuum-flowers and discovers they are sick
Host segment 3: Gypsy has caught the mysterious illness
End: The flowers and bots are recovering; Joel shows off his electric bagpipes
(25 votes, average: 4.20 out of 5)
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• On Nov. 25, 2016, 28 years and one day after this show aired on KTMA-TV in the Twin Cities, Joel Hodgson announced that the master tapes for this and episode K02- REVENGE OF THE MYSTERONS had been found, and he made them available to backers of the relaunch kickstarter. There was much rejoicing -— well, some.
• When this episode and episode K02 were released to Kickstarter backers, Joel offered thoughts about them on the Kickstarter site.
• This is the first of many “movies” the show would riff that is actually an edited-together compilation of episodes from a TV series. In this case, the show was a “Supermarionation” series from British producers Gerry and Sylvia Anderson called “Stingray.” The episodes cobbled together are episode 4: “Hostages Of The Deep,” episode 27: “Deep Heat,” episode 6: “The Big Gun” and episode 11: “Emergency Marineville.”
• The opening contains none of the dour “people of Earth” stuff we saw in the pilot. Instead, Joel is all business. He refers to “the station,” introduces the movie and gets out.
• Joel calls Gerry and Sylvia “Gene” and Sylvia.
• Joel arrives in the theater after the movie’s opening credits rolled. He seems to be climbing over the little monitor on the floor and the wires. It takes some effort to climb past it all. Ever the polite Midwesterner, he says “Excuse me” to the row of empty seats.
• Joel’s first real riff: “Lettuce man!”
• Listen carefully as the first missile battle begins: Joel slurps up the last of some beverage through a straw.
• Joel, and, later, Crow come and go several times in the theater, other than when it’s time for a host segment. The first time Joel leaves there is quite a bit mic noise. They were still figuring it out.
• I do like PLACE COMMERCIAL HERE. Do that!
• Joel again seems to be stepping delicately over things as he re-enters the theater.
• We get the first use of “pull my finger,” which then it becomes a running gag.
• There’s a point where the mic picks up the sound paper shuffling, I think Joel is straightening his script.
• The airbag helmet, a prop from Joel’s standup act, would be reused in episode 102- THE ROBOT VS. THE AZTEC MUMMY.
• Okay, where’s Trace??? That is clearly Josh doing Crow. Trace wasn’t there for the FIRST SHOW?? Joel expresses similar surprise in his comments.
• Joel wanders out of the theater and leaves a confused Crow behind. We’re used to expecting a host segment to come next when the riffers leave, so it’s disorienting to have nothing come of it. Joel just wanders back in.
• Then-current reference: Crow says a character looks like a “governor of Massachusetts” and it took me a minute to realize they were talking about Michael Dukakis.
• At one point, Joel irritatedly says “cut it out!” to Crow. It’s unclear what’s happening, but it’s presumably Josh causing trouble.
• Crow then wanders out a couple of times (to get some WD-40, to check on Gypsy).
• Segment 2 is essentially a redo of segment 4 in the pilot, even to the extent that Joel mentions an unseen Beeper.
• Note that in segment 3, Gypsy is a he.
• At one point Joel asks at what point a puppet stops being a puppet and becomes a costume. This issue was further addressed in a host segment in episode 318 – STAR FORCE: FUGITIVE ALIEN II.
• Note that the electric bagpipes, a prop from Joel’s standup act, would be used again in episode 101- THE CRAWLING EYE.
• Note that nobody has thought of calling the main SOL set as the “bridge.” Joel calls it “the main part of the show.” Huh?
• One last comment: that IS a brass band version of the Beatles “Yellow Submarine” during the movie’s closing credits, right? How did Lord Lew Grade get the rights to THAT?
• Cast and crew roundup: Many of the same people worked on “Revenge of the Mysterons,” including director Desmond Saunders, cinematograher John Read, editors Harry McDonald and David Lane, special effects guy Derek Meddings, puppetry supervisor Christine Glanville, assistant director Bob Bell and score composer Barry Gray (who also worked on “Cosmic Princess”).
Performers who also appeared in “Revenge of the Mysterons include Lois Maxwell, who also appeared in “Operation Double 007” and Robert “you been hittin’ the BOOZE agin!” Easton, who also appeared in “Giant Spider Invasion” and “Touch of Satan.” This may not be a complete list and may be amended later.
• Fave riff (not much to pick from): “Are they sweating or is that sap?” Honorable mention: “I’d be tired too if I had a diving board on my head.”
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I’m still pinching myself that this episode, as well as K02, not only exist, but are now in the hands of the fans. Words can’t describe how I felt getting that email from Joel, and knowing that, just like THAT, these two lost episodes were “lost” no more.
I think what got me the most was that these were GIFTS. Joel knew we wanted to see them, and, despite his own feelings about how prinative they are, gave them to us as a thank you for believing in his creative dream. The significance of that cannot be underestimated.
To Joel, I just want to say thank you, once again. I, and my fellow MSTies, will always be eternally grateful for this wonderful gift. And yes, I’ll probably STILL be pinching myself years from now. :)
This was a wonderful gift, for sure. And because the riffing is very sparse, I really got into the film itself. Would love for them to revisit this or other films like it. And surely Joel paid loving homage to it in 1101 with all the “people” working at Gizmonic Institute.
This one was tricky to watch, but still a very cool treat from the Kickstarter. MSTie lore speaks of the legend that the first three KTMA episodes were locked in Jim Mallon’s secret vault on a far secluded volcanic Pacific island in deep, deep Minnesota. We’re glad that Joel knows how to use a blow torch!
Sure enough, this is a film you can actually sort of watch, if you’re into that kind of thing, since the riffing is sparse or almost non-existent. I agree with the sentiment that emotionless puppet faces are hard to riff on, but Joel and Josh did their darn best.
Here’s hoping that Fugitive Alien II, KTMA, mysteriously shows up at some point!
Echoing Danzilla, yes, it was great to finally see these episodes and a huge thanks to Joel. Would still love to see K03, and a clean copy of the pilot show. Everything old is new again, and funny how the seat silhouettes in season 11 are reminiscent in size of season 0 from the KTMA days.
Marina makes me feel kinda funny, down there.
Man, I watch too many puppet shows.
From wikipedia entry: The pilot of Stingray is the square-jawed Captain Troy Tempest (whose Supermarionation puppet was modelled on actor James Garner).
The Aquaphibians, an aquatic warrior race, appear regularly—usually under the command of King Titan (modelled on Laurence Olivier), who is the tyrannical ruler of the underwater city of Titanica. In the pilot episode, Stingray is attacked by Titan’s forces and Troy and Phones are captured. They are rescued by Titan’s slave girl, Marina (modelled on Brigitte Bardot), a mute young woman who can breathe underwater.
As a kid I watched Fireball XL-5 whenever I got the chance and, like a kid, did not stop to think how much work went into a puppet show. Thanks to Joel and all at the Satellite News for bringing us this vignette.
I really liked the movie, and it was fascinating to see the show starting to take form — Joel doesn’t come into the theater until 5 minutes in, later he leaves, comes back with popcorn, and occasionally crunches a piece, etc. It feels less like movie-riffing and more like you’re just watching a movie with a couple of guys who occasionally crack a joke.
I’d like to echo what other posters have said and thank Joel for sharing this piece of history with us. Maybe K03 will turn up someday.
Joel and Crow randomly leaving, with no host sergeant? Hmmm maybe Joel and Josh had to use the bathroom. :P
Yeah, kinda odd that Trace isn’t in this episode. Maybe he hadn’t decided yet if he wanted to be a part of this or not (despite having done the pilot).
such humble beginnings.
and Gypsy pulled a Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner (how does that work for puppets anyway).
One of the times that Joel just wanders back and sits down, I was under the impression that the noises were him eating popcorn? or chips? and drinking soda. Given the pauses between the noises, I thought it made sense,
“One last comment: that IS a brass band version of the Beatles “Yellow Submarine” during the movie’s closing credits, right? How did Lord Lew Grade get the rights to THAT?”
Sir Lew Grade was the owner of ATV, which purchased Northern Songs (the Beatles’ music publishing outfit) in 1969. Presumably, that closing credits music was added when the episodes were rejiggered into a movie in 1981.
(Sorry, don’t know how to use HTML tags!)
Alright, well, first off, that’s a really impolite way to frame that. Many people are transgender, it’s not something that requires direct reference to a specific person, especially not in a way that includes said person’s former name, and especially not in reference to someone who generally doesn’t have trans people besides themselves’ best interests in mind.
Gender is a social construct, and our genders are assigned to us at birth based on a fairly narrow view of biology. That Gypsum doesn’t have human biology doesn’t matter, what matters is that she was–for whatever reason–considered a “he”, and then decided to change that. So that’s how that works for puppets.
The idea of Gypsum being trans is actually kind of interesting to me, and it’d be neat if the show leaned into it. You could view the switch from a male voice to a female one as part of transitioning. You’d probably wanna make sure the show had at least one or two trans writers to make sure it was handled well. And before someone decides that this would perhaps be a bit much for a goofy comedy show to handle, or explaining it would take too much time, or it’s “not what the show’s about”–phrases that get banded about whenever someone suggests any show ever have trans characters–it’s not like they’d have to go super in-depth about it.
Also, unrelated, this episode introduces one of my favorite running gags–suggesting “try reasoning with it!” when the “it” in question doesn’t appear to have the capacity for rational thought, or thought at all.
There was much rejoicing, indeed! I’m not too terribly into the reboot, but I’ll certainly contribute financially to new seasons if it means Joel will be releasing the rest of the KTMA episodes. I’ve been looking forward to K03 ever since Jim Mallon posted high quality snippets to his website. After seeing those snippets, I was relieved to know that he took extra good care of the KTMA tapes, especially after I learned about the loss of the Turkey Day bumpers and CD-ROM short.
I always thought this was a compilation of “Captain Scarlett” episodes…Now if only i can find where this episode is…I guess they just don’t email it to you?
Maybe you could freelance
It’s like finding the Ark of the Covenant- except without the face melting and all that. Such an exciting thing, even if they’re still figuring the mechanics out. Also, don’t know if it’s worth bringing up for this one (because it’s in Joel’s notes for next episode) but, finally an origin for the demon dogs!
That’s the next one.
that was the first thing i could think of because i was about to go back to bed (and have nothing against transgender people).
My favorite part of this episode (other than the amazing quality of the sound and image, which makes it feel like you’re sitting in the control room watching it be taped!), is the little sounds you hear during the Insert Commercial Here segments. I don’t know why, but it just tickles me.
A lot of people online stated this was hard to sit through. I guess if you don’t feel like watching “Super Mario Nation” it could be. It’s just the movie itself with sparse riffing, but I like it as a piece of MSTory and as an episode. Long hair Joel, awesome!
I, too, am glad we have these episodes, even if they’re not particularly great even in comparison to Season 1 (to say nothing of, I dunno, Bride of the Monster or whatever). I will say this – one thing the KTMA episodes really hammer home is how strong the format of the show is. I mean, even with just two or even one person lobbing improvised riffs at a terrible movie and then lapsing into long periods of silence, you can definitely see the makings of something very interesting (and even a legitimately decent viewing experience in and of itself with one of the better KTMAs like SST Death Flight) with more time to grow and ease into things. I kind of think of Season 11 that way – the format of the show is strong enough to make the episodes where the growing pains are obvious watchable (let alone the very good to absolute classic episodes).
“We are merely passing through history. THIS…this IS history!” That line from Raiders of the Lost Ark kept running through my head the moment Joel announced the episodes were now available.
Call it a strange vintage of sour grapes, but the “no fan copy” status of the first three KTMA episodes was one reason why I’d refrained from seeing what my own reactions would be to any of the available shows from this formative season (beyond a few clips). When I’d sorted out my “digital-only” Kickstarter pledge included download rights to these first two episodes, though, I jumped on them. I do have to be honest, however, and admit one part of my motivation was still being apprehensive about what I’d make of the revival; I was thinking “at least I’ve got something out of this that can’t seem to amount to disparaging references to the collectively condemned parts of ‘geek’ culture of the last fifteen years.” (Anything could still happen in the twelve revival episodes I haven’t managed to get to yet, of course, but I’m more optimistic now than I was…)
I’ve wondered if anyone else made these episodes their own first “KTMA experience,” and pondered all the different ways the Minnesota audience might have reacted back in 1988. As for my own impressions, I was able to remember my personal conviction “a part of the show is what the movie itself provides,” and something about “four disconnected adventures with no lead-in and no conclusion” adds to the absurdity. (The first four KTMA episodes all featured “movies” of one sort or another that were follow-ups in their series, and I can certainly wonder if that was a conscious choice to try and amplify their “cheesiness.”) I haven’t taken in much of “Supermarionation” before (the “live hands” in close-up kept amusing me for some reason), but I did happen to remember comments the work of the Andersons had a wide reach of influences and was tempted to identify them in certain things I do follow.
I’m still puzzled as to why the closing credits are cut off on these. Very happy to finally be able to see them either way, and in such pristine quality. :)
Anyone remember that weirdo who was obssessed with Joel’s Knees?
“Yellow Submarine” as performed by The Black Dyke Mills Band was released as a single on the Beatles’ Apple label in ’68. The BDMB was a multiple-award-winning brass band from the north of England.
Apropos of nothing here, really, but for close on to 25 years now, my go-to oddity in the record collection for messing with people has been a recording of Lee Castle and the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra playing a Dixieland swing instrumental cover of Yellow Submarine.
I’d like to see the credits as well, though I think we can assume the editor “Rodriguez” credited on the title card is Vince Rodriguez, who directed/associate produced most of Season 0/K.
Wow. I can’t even. Keep my place in the melody, that is. I mean, cool, but hard to sing along with. (And what is it about Dixieland that at some point it all starts to sound like “The Saints Go Marching In”?)
It’s the trombone slides, I think. Ska bands might throw one in occasionally, and Chicago put them into 25 or 6 to 4. But Dixieland is really the only genre of music that really features the “barrrrrumph”.
I remember walking home from work late at night (UK guy here) when I took out my phone to check my emails and saw the one about the KTMA episodes being released. I quickly ran home and booted up my computer so I could watch these two episodes, because hey, it was brand new MST3K! Well… brand new old MST3K.
After finishing K01 I was still finding it hard to believe that we now had them. But it was even stranger actually watching a KTMA episode in decent qaulity! I’ve been so use to the multiple generation copies I have that watching a KTMA with clear picture and audio blew my mind!
Kudos to Brian Dunkle for recommending SST and Million Eyes of Su Maru as my first two KTMA.
Pretty sure the strength of those two got me hooked on the rest.
That zeroth season is the gift that keeps on giving in that its wildly eclectic film choice reflects in later seasons.
True, we’ve not yet had another marionation movie like these (Mighty Jack comes close).
But I was just thinking how close Avalanche is to City on Fire.
It was the first time I had seen any of the KTMA episodes. While I loved the show back in the day, I was never able to watch it consistently, and still haven’t seen large chunks of it. With official episodes still to go, I didn’t see much point tracking down the early episodes.
It was a joy to actually see these episodes, as a piece of history, but I understand why they’re mostly disowned on an official level. I think having the supermarionation (or whatever it’s called) on the early episodes might actually help a bit. They’re WEIRD, but they’re actually quite well done on a basic craft level. There’s a combination of “what the heck” and “this is watchable on its own (odd) terms” that fills the spaces between the sparse riffs better than a lot of other films would.
Off the top of my head (and slightly off topic), there was a Death Star-like artificial moon in XL5, but it didn’t have a planet-destroying superlaser. Also in XL5 there was a Scottish engineer in at least one episode, as well as a female doctor on the crew (which was dialed back to a nurse on Star Trek). Stingray had an episode that starts in the middle of a battle wherein the submarine is disabled and the crew all dies, then it’s revealed to be a no-win simulator test for the would-be captain. The Admiral even says “Alright, open her up” before entering the simulator just as Kirk did at the beginning of Star Trek II. Finally, the whole style of puppetry is what inspired “Team America – World Police”. I’m sure there are many more, those are just the ones that spring to mind.
iirc Kubrick poached Gerry’s main assistant after Gerry passed on doing 2001
Anyone who has produced work of an artistic nature understands Joel’s reluctance to release these early efforts. Did you write any poetry in your younger days? Would you want to publish it today? Ughh! It says a lot about Joel’s dedication to the new show that he was willing to do that.
Sorry, K03 is still lost. In fact, almost all the KTMA episodes are “technically” lost. With the exception of K01 and K02, all the episodes survive via off-air recordings from fans, not the original master. That, and K01 and K02 are missing the credits.
I’m happy this exists, but I feel no urge to watch it. The KTMA season is a rough, ROUGH draft of the show. There are some gems (SST Death Flight, City on Fire, Phase IV) sprinkled throughout, but really, I think the season on the whole has little more than academic interest.
Mallon did Post clips from K03 on his version of MST3K back around 2009 or so and confirmed he had the tapes for 1-3. I’m curious if he misplaced the tape after digitizing it, or if it might still be in some of the material Joel got from Best Brains.
Maybe now I should admit to the specific thing that struck my mind being the retracting buildings of the good-guy base reminding me of the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion; its director Hideaki Anno has declared himself a fan of the Andersons. (There was also a “history of robot anime,” commissioned by an agency of the Japanese government, that mentioned the vehicles of “Thunderbirds” as a general influence on Japanese giant robots…)
First of all, I’m still thankful for Joel and Shout allowing us to view these episodes, and hopefully, if K03 is found, it will get its chance as well.
For a first episode, I actually really liked this one. Started off slow with just Joel in the theater, but once Crow came in, it really started to pick up. I, too, wondered where Trace was (maybe out of town?), and I was also surprised to see neither Beeper or Servo were used (I’m guessing Beeper was originally scrapped, and then Joel decided to use the body as Servo for the remainder of the series). It was also a real treat seeing a full KTMA episode in nice, digital quality, compared to the washed up copies from 1989.
Definitely. This would have been something to see for anybody who just stumbled across it while channel-surfing. A true “never seen anything like it” experience.
Yeah, same.
And might I add that there’s something different about you today, EricJ! I can’t quite put my finger on what, but somehow you’re looking much more dapper than usual and managed to make it through a post without veering off into a rant about Mike. Keep up the good work!
I’m not EricJ. I’m Eric G, a completely different individual, who probably wouldn’t have picked that name to start posting here if a) I had realized there was an EricJ here who seemed to annoy people, and b) it wasn’t a form of my given name.
It’s possible there were no credits on the first couple of episodes, considering how hastily they were made.
It ain’t nuthin’ but a G thang, baby
Two loc’ed out Eric’s, so we’re crazy!
Gizmonics is the label that pays me
Un-ignorable so please don’t try to Ignore Me
How in the world did I miss out on this news!?!?!?!? Is there any way to get this still to add to my collection? I agree, those KTMA episodes are rough, but to see the show that started it all is something that I think is a must!!!!!
If you donated to the kickstarter at Experiment #35 or higher, you were given classic episodes to stream/download from the VHX website. If you did donate to at least that level, you should have been sent a redeem code which will let you access the episodes. Might need to do digging around your old emails.
When I say I missed out, I mean I really missed out completely, as in, I wasn’t even aware of that being a Kickstarter reward. So all the rest of us diehards are just SOL (see what I did there?).
It was weird seeing a KTMA episode without the interference caused by a much-copied VHS tape. Weird, but in a good way