Short: (1956) While her songwriter husband struggles with a difficult tune, a newlywed dreams of redecorating her house with phones.
Movie: (1958) After his rocket crashes, an astronaut discovers he is carrying alien embryos.
Turkey Day bumpers
1: Dr. F. is at it again, planning to rule the world using his collection of MST3K experiments. His mother is stopping by later, and he wants to rule the world before she gets there. Then, Jack Perkins arrives. He explains that TV’s Frank invited a bunch of guests for Thanksgiving dinner months before he was assumed into second banana heaven.
2: Mr. B Natural pops in.
3: Pitch appears.
4: The Kitten With The Whip arrives.
5: Dr. F is unhappy until he hears piano stylings of Michael Feinstein.
6. The party continues but nobody hears Pearl banging at the door of Deep 13.
7: Pearl arrives. She’s upset that Frank is gone but joins the party.
Turkey Day host segments–aka 701T
First shown: 11/23/95
Opening: M&tB rain sports cliches on a baffled Gypsy
Intro: Dr. F.’s party continues with Pearl providing the movie
Host segment 1: Crow and Tom present: “Stuffing vs. Potatoes”
Host segment 2: “Art” and Pearl have a chat
Host segment 3: Thanksgiving dinner on the SOL and in Deep 13
End: Tom is mincemeat; Pearl’s “Turkey surprise” is a hit in Deep 13
Stinger: “Wounded animal that large isn’t good”
Regular show host segments
First shown: 2/3/96
Opening: Crow and Tom are concerned about their personal security, so they taze Mike
Intro: Dr. F. has a traumatic trombone recital, but Crow shines
Host segment 1: M&tB sing about decorating with phones
Host segment 2: Pearl makes Dr. F. apologize
Host segment 3: Crow claims he’s pregnant with shrimp babies
End: Crow’s rant about babies disrupts Mike’s attempts to read letters; Pearl wants Dr . F. to act like a baby
Stinger: “Wounded animal that large isn’t good”
(208 votes, average: 4.48 out of 5)
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• This episode, with the Turkey Day bumpers included as extras, is included in the “Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Vol. XVI.”
• We are proud to point you to our EXCLUSIVE season-seven continuation of the Amazing Colossal Episode Guide, here on this site. We paid good money to get these! You’re welcome. Read them! Mike talks about the main episode here and Bridget offers some thoughts on the Turkey Day version here. Now on with the discussion…
Turkey Day bumpers
• Of course, there’s no way any of the following Turkey Day bumper sets could ever rival the fun and delight of the first one, but these were okay. They got the job done and there were some genuine laughs.
• In the third segment, Dr. F says “I will rule the WORLD!! AHAHAHAHA!” almost exactly like he does in the opening of “MST3K:TM.”
• Mike’s song goes on too long.
• Mike is hilarious as a smitten Jack Perkins, prepared to “change teams” if necessary to the enjoy the pleasures of Mr. B Natural, and Bridget is equally funny as a guy who isn’t really into what Jack has in mind.
The Turkey Day host segments:
• According to our records, the host segments, that debuted on Nov. 23, 1995, ran three more times, on Dec. 2 (at 5 p.m.), Dec. 3 (at 10 a.m.) and Dec. 4 (at 2 a.m.). So that makes a total of four showings.
• For the record, the stretch between the end of season six and the beginning of season seven was 243 days (more than eight months!), the second-longest amount of time MSTies had to wait between episodes. (The stretch between seasons 7 and 8 was the longest.). Fans were jonesing bad.
• Of course, we have new theme song lyrics, mostly involving changing the personal pronouns from plural to singular, reflecting the departure of Frank. There’s also some great new footage in the opening.
• The opening is fun and breezy, with poor Gypsy trying to make sense of M&tB as they spout endless sports cliches.
• Why does Pearl call Crow “Art?” [Deep breath] Calling Crow “Art” is an obscure BBI in-joke. During a host segment in episode 203- JUNGLE GODDESS, Joel was introducing the ‘bots at the end of a sketch in the same manner Jackie Gleason used to use at the end of his TV show: bringing out each cast member to take a bow. In fact, when he got to Crow, he got so into the Jackie Gleason premise that he introduced Crow as “Art Crow!” much as Gleason would yell “Art Carney!” when introducing his long-time co-star. Well, apparently some little kid saw that, didn’t get the Jackie Gleason reference, and assumed that Crow’s name was actually Art. That kid wrote a letter to the show, which was read in episode 402- THE GIANT GILA MONSTER. The letter included pictures of each of the robots, and the drawing of Crow was labeled “Art.” When Pearl calls Crow “Art,” it’s a reference to that. [Exhale]
• The stuffing vs. potatoes bit is very funny. “Nature’s Bouncing Betty…”
• Although Dr. F would be browbeaten and henpecked by Pearl — to the dismay of some fans (see below) — this season, the two also seem to work reasonably well together in this episode, working together to defeat the unpleasant guests.
• I had forgotten Pearl’s hilarious “Turkey Surprise” recipe: “Bake at 200 degrees for one hour and then rub with a turtle.” Brilliant.
The regular episode:
• This was the first new episode (sort of) in six weeks.
• The riffing, both of the short and the main feature, is just hilarious. Very strong and a great start to this all-too-short season.
• If the movie’s scenery looks familiar, it should: Yes, this was another movie featuring exterior shots done in Bronson Canyon. Other movies where that location was used include: “Robot Monster,” “King Dinosaur,” “It Conquered The World,” “Viking Women,” “War Of The Colossal Beast” and “Teenagers From Outer Space.”
• Note that in the background of the redecorated Deep 13 is the projector from Deep 13 set of “MST3K: TM.”
• The opening, with the bots torturing Mike for no discernible reason, is the beginning of what will be a season 7 running theme.
• Ah, the trombone recital. The beginning of all “the troubles” in the view of some folks (again, see below). I will be honest: I laughed. I thought it was pretty funny and I think Trace and Mary Jo do a great job in the scene. But not everybody thought so. Another reason there was some dismay about this segment came later: the outtake that appeared in “Poopie 2,” when it appears that Trace actually was injured slightly during the filming. A bit disturbing.
• Crow’s solo is the same song — “Getting Sentimental Over You” — that our hero plays at the end of Mr. B Natural. And, hey! Crow’s arms work!
• Nice job on the prop trombone that constantly shoots spit.
• Pearl again calls Crow Art.
• Pearl makes several references to wishing Clayton had been a girl, topped with the announcement that Dr. F’s two middle names are “Deborah Susan.”
• The short is a gem: One of those weird promotional things that never actually comes right out and says what they’re selling.
• The little song “Line em up against the wall and pop goes the weasel,” is from “Duck Soup.”
• Crow mispronounces Ray Manzarek’s name.
• During the riffing they do a parody of Eddie Bauer — “comes in loden, pant and twerp” — that they would expand on in a later episode.
• I love Tom singing the sign in the movie.
• One riff, “We learned not to send Polacks into space” caused a small kerfuffle after the episode aired. Some felt it was an uncharacteristically mean-spirited riff.
• A couple of times they make a reference to “undercupping.” Visit this site, for an explanation of what that term means.
• Callback: “The Beast of Yucca Flats.”
• The whole “Steves” running gag was funny and all, but there was only one character in the movie named Steve. Don’t really see where it comes from, is all…
• I want to address what happened in the fan base when Pearl arrived and the whole dynamic in Deep 13 changed. What happened, I believe, was an unfortunate disconnect between the writing staff and the fans, and although the fans might have made more of an effort to understand what was happening, I must lay most of the blame at the feet of the writing staff. Let me lay it out for you.
In the writing room, it’s clear they felt they were running out of fresh comedic permutations for the characters. I think they felt they’d taken these characters in every direction they could possibly go. And I got the sense that they were thrilled at the arrival of Pearl, and the chance to “shake things up” — a phrase they would use often later on, when fans began to ask them what the hell was going on. From the writers’ point of view, Dr. F and Pearl were simply characters on a page, representing a whole new set of comedic possibilities.
But for a lot of fans, Dr. F was not a concept on a page, to be played with any way the writers liked. He was an established character, a personality they had come to love and appreciate. And when the writers took that established character and began to take it in new directions, some fans didn’t like it. Put simply, they liked to see Dr. F. evil and in charge. They didn’t want to see him henpecked and timid, even if that allowed the writers to try new comic ideas. It was really one of the first times on this show that the fans and writers parted company.
In public appearances and interviews, Mary Jo and Trace expressed genuine confusion when fans questioned the direction they were taking Dr. F (and that’s when the “we just wanted to shake things up” explanations began coming out). It was pretty clear they simply didn’t see any reason not to change the characters any way they liked, as long as they thought it was funny.
In the end, for most fans, it wasn’t a deal breaker (though for a few it was). But it was something new for a show where, previously, the cast and the writers could virtually do no wrong.
• Cast and crew round up. I am not going to do the Arkoff or Roger Corman litany again. Producer and story writer Gene Corman was also the producer of “Attack of the Giant Leeches.” Director Bernard L. Kowalski also worked on “Giant Leeches.” Cinematographer John Nicholaus worked on “Giant Leeches” and “High School Big Shot.” Editor Jodie Copelan worked on “Ring of Terror” and “Laserblast.” Editor Richard Currier also worked on “The Unearthly.” Makeup guy Harry Thomas also worked on “The Unearthly,” “High School Big Shot,” “The Mad Monster,” “Project Moon Base,” “Bride of the Monster,” “Invasion USA” and “Racket Girls.” Production Manager Jack Bohrer also worked on “Giant Leeches” and was assistant director on “Teenage Caveman” and “Viking Women and the Sea Serpent.” Art director Dan Haller also worked “Giant Leeches” and “The Girl in Lovers Lane.” Prop master Karl Brainard also worked on “It Conquered the World,” “Teenage Caveman,” “The Undead” and “The She Creature.” Sound guy Herman Lewis also worked on “Teenage Caveman,” “Viking Women and the Sea Serpent” and “Mitchell.” Score composer Alexander Laszlo also worked on “Giant Leeches,” “Manhunt in Space” and “Crash of Moons.”
In front of the camera: Michael Emmet was also on “Giant Leeches” and “Untamed Youth.” Ed Nelson was also in “Teenage Caveman,” “Swamp Diamonds,” “Riding with Death” and “Superdome.” He was also a costumer for “Giant Leeches.” Tyler McVey was also in “Giant Leeches. Ross Sturlin was also in “Teenage Caveman,” “Viking Women” and “Giant Leeches.”
• CreditsWatch: Beginning with this episode, Best Brains began to behave in a way they hadn’t had to behave in several years: When they got an order for episodes, they assembled a crew and pumped them out. When the order was complete, they laid people off and closed down the studio until another order came in. In other words, there were a lot of new faces. And many longtime regulars had departed.
Gone from the season six list of writers are Frank Conniff and Mike Dodge. Gone from contributing writers is Colleen Williams. The Turkey Day host segments were directed by Jim Mallon. The regular episode segments were directed by Trace Beaulieu. Replacing Jann Johnson at production manager (the separate job of production coordinator goes away completely) is Wendell Jon Andersson (formerly an intern–something that rarely happened!). In the job of “production assistant,” held by the departing Sarah Wisner since season four, is Mary Banovets and Michael D. Parker in the Turkey Day episode. Parker took over the job by himself during the regular season. With the departure of Toolmaster Jef Maynard, the new job of “prop master” appears. One Dean Trisko did the job for the Turkey Day segments. During the regular season the job was held by Helena Espinosa. There was also a new “prop assistant” job. One Beth McKeever first appears in the credits in that role for the Turkey Day episode, along with a Wilson Webb. Beez was also an intern for the first two episodes of the season. Dean Trisko was in the role for the regular episode. The “audio” credit is gone. Tim Paulson no longer appears under “Editors” leaving Brad Keeley in that post alone. Jann and Ellen McDonough are both gone from the “post-production coordination” job and in their place are Wendell and Brad. Andrea DuCane did hair and makeup for all episodes this season except 704. Working as an intern both on the regular show and the Turkey Day segments was Debra Baxter. Danika King and Kelly Schrandt worked as interns for the entire regular season. The “additional original music written and arranged by” credit, which went to Mike for all of season six, again goes to him for the Turkey Day segments and for the rest of the season, but not the regular episode, where Kevin’s name appears instead. Barbara Tebben appears in the credits for the first time, with the title “assistant poobah,” as Julie Walker began to eye the exit. The “special makeup effects” credit for the turkey day segments went to Crist Ballas and Gary Bohem.
• Fave riff from the short: “What would Liberace do? Oh, better not do that!” Honorable mention: “What rhymes with blue balls?”
• Fave riff from the movie: “No more questions! More boobies!” Honorable mention: “You ever seen stroganoff?” and “Honey! You’re taller than you were last year!”
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The short is an A+; definitely in my personal top 5.
The movie, however, never gets going for me until the Blood Beast speaks for the first time in the last 10 minutes. Only Teenage Caveman and The Undead rate below this one on the Corman Boredom scale.
Heh, I remember the first time I saw the outtake with Trace’s mouth bleeding. It’s definetly surprising.
So how much time thinking about what the heck was Once Upon A Honeymoon all about did it take for you to get what it was trying to get the audience to do? The Brains got it a lot faster than I did.
On the other hand it was only this year that I found a satisfactory explanation of what the heck A Case Of Spring Fever was trying to push on an unsuspecting public, so maybe I just run slow in some areas.
Would it be possible for the Turkey Day segments to be put on as a dvd extra for those who’ve never seen them?
From the regular version, my favorite moment is the host segment emulating the short. Gypsy singing a nonsense song that Tom and Crow as angels desperately try to fulfill. Fall down hilarious.
Also, I had taped the Turkey Day marathon, so when I saw the listings for this episode again I ignored them. It was only by catching the commercial that explained the different versions that I even managed to see the regular version.
Btw, do you realize if there were no springs the newlyweds wouldn’t be able to use the phones. Now if someone just visited them and showed how important springs are…
Dr. Forrester and Frank were always the best villain combo on the show, but I don’t think it’s fair to characterize the writers as having no real investment in the characters they had created other than for “comedic possibilities.” They had already hinted at this side of Forrester in show 607, and the new development with Pearl, while not as spectacular as the classic Frank/Forrester pairing, made Forrester significantly less one-dimensional.
For me, the whole run of Season Seven is up there with the best of the series. I never thought the change in Dr. F’s character was jarring or difficult to stomach. We had gotten other glimpses of Dr. F’s sensitive side in prior seasons — I’m thinking of episodes where Dr. F and Frank’s daily life is shown to be a bit more domestic than one would expect of evil mad scientist/henchman. The idea that Dr. F would be an evil bully to someone he is superior to (Frank) but be sniveling and fearful to someone above him (Pearl) is pretty reasonable.
At base, Dr. F and Pearl (or Peal and any other later combo) is just no match for Dr. F & TV’s Frank, but they all definitely had their moments.
PS – did anyone else find it weird how they tacked on “Did I tell you that my mother is coming?” to the end of the theme song for Season Seven with no other mention of Pearl? It gave me the impression the choice of Mary Jo as sidekick was made very last minute. Perhaps they were considering trying to do Season Seven with just Forrester (a la The Movie).
Remember the good ole days when NASA was family-owned and operated? And who knew that phones could bring so much joy? :mrgreen:
I do think that it was a good thing to have Pearl show up, and show that part of Clayton’s life, but I also think that it went too far.
Like many people, I was a fan of Dr. F. as a villain, and having him play the lackey roll was kinda sad. If they had had Pearl living upstairs and interfering with the experiments, yelling at him as if he’s living in a basement, or something like that, it could have been gold.
“Well, we had to snap him in two like a frozen dog to get him out of the space capsule…”
I should point out, the Turkey Day segments are more commonly seen than you seem to think. It’s pretty much the most prominent version circulating on the internet these days. I, myself, have never seen the regular version.
I just LOVE the idea that Pearl and Crow (Art!) know each other all ready, and are actually good friends – cracks me up every time!
I think the problem was that trace and mary jo0 didn’t have very good chemistry together. Mary jo did better when we get to the sci fi episodes. As foer gthe short, the two in real life were married and were well known choreographers. They did allot musicals in the 50’s and early 60’s. My favorite riff “that’s her come hither look.” I think this episode was great. My favorite riffs were “I am a Pho-to-gra-pher. Him steve or me steve.” I think they used the same costume for the bloodbeast that was in the movie teenager caveman.
“did anyone else find it weird how they tacked on “Did I tell you that my mother is coming?” to the end of the theme song for Season Seven with no other mention of Pearl? It gave me the impression the choice of Mary Jo as sidekick was made very last minute. Perhaps they were considering trying to do Season Seven with just Forrester (a la The Movie).”
I got that impression as well in subsequent episodes. On Turkey Day 1995, it felt like a punchline. The entire day was building up to Pearl’s arrival, so her tacked-on mention in the opening read like an extension of that. When it continued to appear in new episodes, it took on a different flavor.
I liked the Pearl/Dr. F dynamic- I don’t think it changed the character at all, it only showed a new side of him. Trace was the best performer in the history of the show as Crow and Dr. Forrester and Season Seven just made Dr. F an even more layered and complex character. I remember at the time thinking “They survived Joel and Frank leaving but if Trace ever decided to go the show would have to end!”
Mary Jo’s Pearl was the rockiest character introduction in the series history, and I kind of wish that when they started season 8 Mary Jo was changed to playing Forrester’s *daughter*, it would explain why the character looked different- and younger- and give them a clean slate without having to lose Mary Jo. As it is, the season 7 episodes are bizarre and Pearl is waaaay more evil than Clayton Deborah Susan ever could be…
The Poopie moment with blood pouring out of Trace’s mouth is up there with him knocking the console over (in Angel’s Revenge) and spraying “Pam” in his mouth (in “Teenage Caveman”) in “Poopie Moments I wished they actually used in the episode”.
I have the Turkey Day episode on tape, and on the same tape I recorded the non-turkey day host segments. This was a pretty great turkey day- don’t forget the return of Michael Feinstein (with Jim Mallon playing his back while Mike played Perkins) whose Turkey Day bumper introduction involved a rare change-of-angle shot when Dr. Forrester lept onto the piano.
“Night of the Bloodbeast” is the weakest of the six Season 7 episodes but the short is great and it was kind of nice to have a season 3-style Corman film in the mix. I love the riff where they mispronounce “Photographer”…
I missed this episode, but I’ve seen the short, and it’s a great one. I love the shout out to “Eraserhead”. Still kicking myself for not picking up Shorts Vol.3 on DVD. I’ve only got it on VHS and I don’t own a VCR any more.
As to the whole Pearl and Dr. F dynamic, it never seemed out of character for me. Dr. F. had shown previously that he could be bullied and beaten down. Sure he picked on Frank, but that whole relationship seemed to be pretty established. Dr. F was the man in charge and Frank was supposed to be the henchman.
With Pearl coming in, we got to see why Dr. F was such a bully in the first place. Because he was the victim to his mother (her henchman). It’s a pretty funny idea.
But as others have pointed out, it just didn’t seem to work as well as the Dr. F and Frank dynamic. Not sure what is was, but it never really clicked for me. Now I did enjoy Pearl, Brain Guy and Bobo. That combination was hilarious and was really cooking by the time they got to the castle.
As I’ve said before, I really hate Season 7. Not so much for the character change, but because the writing is so weak. This episode gets off to a good start with a hilarious short, but the movie really drags. “Laserblast” is well done, but everything else sucks. The lack of focus from the writing staff(and the temporary fill-in writers) really shows. I was not a fan of Pearl at this point. She was too broad and shrewish, not the small-minded, power-crazed bully that she was to become on Sci-Fi. Her chemistry with Kevin and Bill was better as well. I will always view Season Seven and One as the weakest in the series. Season Seven has a tired, flat feel to it. It’s as if all of the BS they went through with MST3K:TM sucked all the life out of them. Thankfully, the Sci-Fi years brought a real rejuvenation and energy to the show, bringing Bobo and Observer into our lives. Season 8 remains one of the strongest in the series run.
Sampo, I ask, rhetorically, if you are serious.
Were there really viewers out there that did not understand: Dr F was a comedic character who was fundamentally weak himself and compensated by lashing out at those that were even weaker. Dr F’s behavior in the presence of his mother was completely consistant with what we saw of his behaviour with Frank. 2 sides of the same coin, there was no change in direction.
Did people really think that Dr F was scary before Season 7 ? Or was some kind of Moriarty or Kaiser Soze who in Season 7 became clownish ?
Cuz baby if that’s true I’m kinda glad I don’t hang around with other Misties.
I think the Pearl, Brain Guy, Bobo combo was the best evil grouping, partly because it gave more combinations (both physically and emotionally) to work with. And a bit off topic, are Soultakers limited to humans? Could Observers have their souls taken by TV’s Frank since they have no physical bodies (presumably even if they’re Packer fans).
Yeah, once Joel left, then Frank, then Dr. F. was turned into a wimp, the show got really lame. But you know what? It got canceled, then re-upped on Sci-Fi and Season 8 (now minus Dr. F. and the ‘real’ Crow) was surprisingly hilarious. Whodathunk?
I’m not a medium:
People didn’t think Dr. F. was scary, they thought he was FUNNY. Pearl – not so much.
Mitch22 I am refering to what Sampo wrote above: ” they liked to see Dr. F. evil and in charge. They didn’t want to see him henpecked “
The short is among the best they’ve ever done and the riffing throughout the movie was very good. Always get a chuckle out of Crow calling “Blood Beast? Blood Beast…Bloody…” as though calling a dog, and when the Beast dives into the underbrush: “I regret nothing!”. Overall a very funny episode. Four stars.
This season however is a difficult one because I missed Frank. As I’ve said before, MaryJo is terrific and I really enjoyed her later incarnation of Pearl Forrester during the Sci-Fi years, but in this season her character just rubs me the wrong way.
She and Trace just seemed to struggle to establish chemistry between their characters, unlike with Frank where it just seemed to click right off the bat back in Season Two.
Ah, my beloved Season Seven at last. The rest of the Comedy Central years kind of blend together for me because I wasn’t around to see them first-run, but I got a tape of five of the six episodes from a trader, and so these always had a nice cohesion to them in my mind.
Fans who were around to watch it “live” were probably reacting to Frank’s absence and the substitution of Pearl as much as they were to the supposed change in Dr. Forrester’s character. Personally, I enjoyed their relationship, as it gave Deep 13 a new dynamic. The only sore spot was the host segment in Deathstalker where Pearl does nothing but repeat “Clayton” over and over again, which really grates. Although that was probably the point.
Man, these comment windows are really tiny, aren’t they?
Anyway, as for Blood Beast, I like it very much! The movie is just ripe for ripping, and the “Steve” riffs especially never fail to make me laugh out loud. Corman provides such a rich vein of material (homegrown NASA, mind-blowingly stupid monsters, lame attempts at suspense) that it’s an easy target for the Brains, not that that’s a bad thing.
I’ve seen the Turkey Day segments here and there, but I personally think the regular segments are stronger. I have a soft spot for the final host segment, with Crow’s whining about the (in his mind) undue attention pregnant women get. I’ve trotted that one out (ironically, of course) to pregnant friends of mine, and usually they get the joke. Usually.
Oh, and speaking of host segments, the one following the delightfully bizarre short (“Honey, there’s a gay man on the neighbor’s roof…” “Should we get a gay man on our roof?”) is inspired. The piles of cigarettes, Mike’s pained pounding on the piano and Gypsy’s ridiculous song. It’s just all so weird.
Once Upon a Honeymoon is, for me, one of the show’s top 5 shorts, and makes a pretty good claim to number one.
My feelings on this are not ambiguous.
The dynamic between Frank and Dr. F was one of my favorite elements of the show. I adored it….a perfect comedy duo.
I had previously endured a MAJOR cast change. Joel, who remains of my favorite characters in the history of…anything…had left and was replaced by a performer with an entirely different style. And I loved it. Don’t get me wrong, I love, love, love Joel. And I still probably prefer him. But, Mike was hilarious and my enthusiasm for the show didn’t diminish in the slightest.
So, it’s not that I’m resistant to change. What could be a bigger change than the star of the show leaving and being replaced by someone new?
HOWEVER…when Pearl showed up in the world of MST3K, a part of my love for the show was forever dimmed. Now, I still love the show more than any piece of art, television, music, etc. ever. But, I cannot express how much I dislike the Pearl character. And while the Season 7 incarnation almost dared you to like her…I do not share the commonly held view that her Sci Fi incarnation was good. It was BETTER…but, kind of like eating a burnt steak and then having a less burnt steak. Both inedible.
Why do I dislike Pearl? Let me count the ways:
-Her constant mugging for the camera
-the fact that she got MORE screen time (in the Sci Fi) years than either Dr F or Frank ever did due to the increase of host segments featuring the Mads
-she had zero chemistry with Trace
-she emasculated a beloved character who had previously been the chief antagonist of the show
I could go on and on.
Her brand of humor seems so bizarrely out of whack with the rest of MST3K that it makes me question how it possibly could have come from the same writers that gave me such joy. The whole tone of the show is so radically different than the Pearl segments.
It really bums me out. The theater segments were as strong as ever. And even when another massive change occurred, replacing Trace (who was by far my favorite remaining cast member at the time) with Bill…I thought they (and Bill, specifically) did an amazing job.
Pearl remains MST3K’s Jar Jar Binks moment and unfortunately, it became a nightmare that never went away.
As I said, my feelings on this one are pretty clear.
Count me among those who hated the Pearl/Dr. F dynamic. It wasn’t because of the change in Dr. F, it was because they went from a perfect comic pairing to a much less interesting one (IMO). The bit with Pearl calling Crow “Art” was inspired, though. I didn’t get it until re-watching ep. 203 some years later, when it finally dawned on me where “Art” came from. I thought I was the first one to realize it. (I was wrong.)
I like the idea someone upthread had about Pearl moving into Deep 12, putting Trace in a “living in the basement” situation.
Much of the problem was that Frank’s departure was fresh in everyone’s mind, and almost anything they tried would have been a letdown.
For most long-time fans of the show, the regular version of this episode is much more familiar than the Turkey Day version. Before it became accessible on the web, I had only seen the Turkey Day version once, because the one I had taped was the regular version.
The thing I love about the season 7 opening was the little take Mike does during “Robot Roll Call”. It’s perfect, and I wish they had used it for the rest of the series.
The short in this episode was one of the great ones.
Crow’s rants about babies and pregnant women are among my favorite host moments in the entire history of the show.
The movie is great. The Steves, the constant jokes about the blood beast seducing dead Steve, the bush league space program. Wonderful stuff.
A radio station in my hometown used a clip from this movie in their bumpers for a while. Whenever I would hear, “Shifting all power to the radio,” I would smile and feel somewhat elite in recognizing its source.
Having only seen season 7 recently, I’ve only come to dislike Pearl because this character doesn’t jibe with what she becomes in the SciFi eps. There were a few edges that really could have been smoothed out to make doubters much more accepting of her. As it is, I feel like there was a new character kind of forced in the show only to have her changed again the next season. A little more respect for their own past would have gone a long way, for me at least.
That said, I really don’t hate the new dynamic. I always viewed it as a reason Dr F is as messed up as he is. Besides, how many people do we all know who bully people at their job, but go home to a family they have no control over?
On the plus side, I thought the stuffing vs potatoes sketch was the funniest host segment I’d seen in a long while, but are we the only family who always serve both without a second thought?
And while the movie really drags for me, the short is absolute gold. Not sure of the point since that’s never made clear, but I always enjoy shorts that imply their products are the result of divine intervention (Out of This World).
I love 701 Turkey Day version. First off, it brings back many fond memories of Turkey Day Marathons of the past. Second, I think the episode itself holds up very well. The short is great, the skits are fun and the movie is wacky enough to be enjoyed over and over.
As for the Dr F/ Pearl topic, I’d hate to be the one to follow Frank as a new character. Dr F and Frank were a perfect mix. It took me a little while to warm up to Pearl, but I absolutely did. By the time the show switched to the Sci-Fi Channel I was a big fan.
This episode is even better for me because my real name is Dave and I have a brother named Steve, so we’re in the movie!
Short:
* Mike mentions in the ACEG that he would always crack up in the writing room at Trace’s Charles Nelson Riley impression whenever Wilbur was on screen. The same holds true when watching.
* When I first saw this, I was expecting at least one George Bailey/It’s a Wonderful Life joke. I was wrong.
* When Michael Jackson died, the first thing that came to mind was Servo’s riff at the very beginning. THAT’s how much MST3K has influenced me. When Prince dies I’ll watch Agent for HARM as his memorial. :lol:
*Favorite riffs:
“Hey, hey! Leave room for the Holy Ghost!” – Mike
“Lucy, I’m deaaaad!” – Crow
“I love it when I get a call in my pants!” – Servo
Movie:
* I LOVE episodes with a lot of running gags, and this by far is the best they have to offer in this department for the Mike era. (I Accuse My Parents is the winner for Joel.)
– Look how dead Johnny is.
– Johnny’s wedding to the Blood Beast.
– And, of course, the immortal “Steve” jokes.
* The parrot costume indeed comes from Teenage Caveman (but this movie was made first) and not only that but the opening credits theme is also the same as in Attack of the Giant Leeches.
* I’d like to wager that the cartoon in the floroscope is the most expensive special effect Corman ever had to do.
*Favorite riffs: Any and all involved with the “Steve” running gag.
Host Segments:
* I’ve only seen the Turkey Day segments so that’ll keep this short.
* Mike as Jack Perkins gets my vote for best portrayed character out of all the guests. Runner-up, to paraphrase Joel, “Bridget, as Mr. B, you’re hot~”
* Not being a sports fan, I get just as confused as Gypsy.
* Favorite line: “Well, I’m most thankful for the spirit of music-”
“SHUT UP!”
Zee #16: Dr. F’s daughter? Can you imagine the fan reaction there? XD We’ve got enough sourness going on already, now imagine Forrester reproducing and…heh, my mental theater is having a good time. Anyway~
I watched this – well, the TD version – with a bunch of my friends for our weekly movie chat after Thanksgiving. It was a good time, though the Steve joke became a running gag. This was also the episode where we had an Australian with us, and man was she confused.
And the short. Holy God, the short. I’ve had the song stuck in my head at the most inappropriate times – notably school, and notably during math tests. And I echo the sentiment – What the hell was it promoting anyway?! It had a Design For Dreaming feel to it, but that at least pointed out brand names. This one…this…not so much, if at all.
As a band geek, I have to address Dr. F’s trombone playing and whether getting whacked by Pearl caused the blood. Now, I didn’t play brass, but plenty of my friends did, and while yes, getting the mouthpiece knocked into your mouth hurts, it isn’t going to make you sprout blood. Also, it looked like Trace was bleeding from the lip, so my guess is that the pressure he was applying might’ve blown whatever wound he had going on to begin with. (I played oboe, so don’t quote me on this. Now reeds, reeds will cut you. And give you splinters. In your lip.)
The error you cited about how many times the Turkey Day version of this episode aired … Maybe it was Mary Jo Pehl just being sarcastic… Becarefull when dealing with comedians…..
You might recall that we have seen Dr. F’s mother Pearl in an earlier episode where she and Frank are best buds (reestablished here) and mother and son are little more than related strangers. But despite this estrangement, Dr. F goes to great lengths to impress her, so, to me, it makes sense that Dr. F would act sort of toady-like in her presence. Besides, parents have that effect on their children, to make them feel small regardless of age or accomplishments. I know. I’m speaking from experience.
Randy
Re: #9, that part of the season 7 theme has always had a “And Poochy!” feel for me.
I do enjoy season 7 for all its brevity and flaws, but I think that if I had seen it during its original run instead of years later on Youtube after having seen all of the SFC episodes, I wouldn’t have liked Pearl nearly as much.
And, like some others here, I have only seen the TD version of this episode. I hope that someday if this one gets on DVD, you’ll be able to choose which version of the host segments you see.
For me, the pleasure of MST has always been the riffing on the movie/short; the host segments are just a bonus when funny, not a detraction when not. And because I got to see lots of eps thanks to the MST3K60m and the Rhino releases (meaning I saw Joel and Mike, Josh and Frank) before I saw any eps in first run, during the SciFi years, I had no problem accepting any of the Brains in any role. Result: I like Dr. F. and Frank, I had no problem with Mrs. F. in Season 7, and I enjoyed her character in the last 3 seasons.
To be fair, I think there is a sense of a little weariness from the writers, maybe after their experience with the movie, and with Frank’s absence. The riffs are still funny, but there’s a loss of some of the joie de vivre they used to show. However, for me, it’s not a terrible thing, just the way it is.
Having blathered all that, I love this short:
“I wish the faucet wouldn’t drip all day.” “Aim high, sister!”
Like many others here, the running “Steves” gag is one of my faves, and it foreshadows The Incredible Melting Man’s “Steve.”
This is in my top ten episodes :cool: The short is great too. Frank not being there takes a while to get used to, but Pearl is a pretty good replacement. I love Servo’s appearance as a pie in the Turkey Day Version :grin:
“I Am Mincemeat”
“Oh no,Barneys Been In a Fire!”
One of the things I will always take away from this episode is the phrase “That roundly sucks”. I don’t know why that amuses me as much as it does.
I have wondered just how this one would work on a DVD. Option to see it with the Turkey Day segments? Have the full run of TD segments as an extra? Hm.
I suppose let’s talk about the Clay/Pearl dynamic. Like others, I saw it as the only logical reason Dr F is how he is. I mean, Gypsy called it back when we were first introduced to Pearl. (“I’m tempted to call her something that rhymes with ‘bitch’! OH! WAIT!”) It explains so much about him… the bullying, the need for approval (even if it’s from terrified underlings), how he gets flustered when people stand up to him (witness Mike & the Bots’ final invention, where they take the piss out of the Mads), even his bizarre “domestic” moments with Frank and his inability to function when the women from Deep 12 show up. I don’t think the dynamic in this particular episode worked all that well in the “normal” segments, as I think they’re trying a bit too hard to establish Pearl as an emasculator, but the TD version, where Pearl surprises and delights Clay with Turkey Surprise (which is indeed hilarious) and some of the later episodes work very well.
Man, the whole Perkins/B thing. So wrong and hilarious and strangely arousing.
For my money, Season 7 is one of the stronger batch of episodes. Despite the frustration of the movie work and CC’s “wellllllll maybe we’ll pay you”, you get the feeling that the group were really still feeling the material and were eager to keep it going. It’s a good mix of movie “styles” in this truncated season too… the standard Corman sci-fi schlock from the olden days, a drama-less B&W crime story, a terrible sword-and-sorcery flick done on the butt-cheap from the days when He-Man sold, a more modern “horror” film, the inexplicable Italian “the bad guys are really good!” gang movie, and, a 70’s teen horror/sci-fi whatever.
Odd that the two versions of the episode use some different audio for some of the riffs… the most noticeable being two entirely different deliveries of “Oh no, Patrick Stewart fell in the quicksand!”.
Love the episode, some great lines, and the movie is just so inherently goofy so that helps a lot. Eggs in the microscope. “Snarfbarms”. The mousy photographer. Grief motorboating. Great stuff. I don’t know if it’s new mic’s or something, but Mike’s voice sounds really low and kinda nasally in the theater during this season.
For those interested, the DAP release of this ep has a TD or not TD option. Ironically, they did they exact same thing I did before I knew they existed. TD starts with all of the bumpers strung together, leading to the episode. The other way goes straight to the theme with the “normal” host segments. It’s become a new holiday tradition in my family.
I think the writers wanted to give some explanation about why Dr. Forrester was the way he was. With the way Pearl bullied him around and never wanted a son(which I think is why he had girl’s middle names), I think that gave some context to Dr. F. I was more disturbed with the way the ‘bots treated Mike. Macing and tasing him with no discenable reason is typical of the way they treated him which became more pronounced in the Sci-Fi years. He was more like their little brother(which I can relate to) rather than the parent-child relationship they had with Joel. As for the episode itself, I haven’t seen the TD bumpers too much, but the movie was a typical Corman bore-fest(Crow: ‘If the name says Corman, there’s gonna be walking!’) and who hasn’t thought about babies like Crow did?(I haven’t. :razz: ) The short was surreal, the only thing I saw about what it was selling was an old Bell System logo at the end. Fave quote from it: After Wilbur gets his phone out, Crow says, ‘I love getting a call in my pants!’ Fave quote from the movie: When Corman’s name appears in the opening credits, Mike says, ‘This movie has been thoroughly Cormanized!’
Not sure why it makes any difference if Pearl’s character better explains Dr. F. Were we all really waiting for a deeper analysis of Dr. F? This isn’t The Sopranos. All I want is…”the funny.” And Pearl, IMO, was to quote our beloved riffers: “stiflingly unfunny.” And worse…unlikable.
See, I found Pearl funny, thought definitely moreso in the Sci-Fi era. And it’s not about “wanting” a deeper analysis of Dr. F, it’s simply “well, that makes sense” as the events unfold.
And also, I was never all that fond of the “parent-child” Joel/bots relationship, to be honest… but then, when I came into it, Joel was the one trying to use “I created you!” to get out of being It when playing Murderball when the bots were too fast in calling “Not It”. Bits where Joel muses that Tom shouldn’t be able to sneeze, or is confused that the bots claim they can smell (and they quickly try and cover that fact) amuse me a lot. I love the bit from Amazing Colossal Man where the bots unthinkingly tear Joel’s world to shreds while discussing about how they’ve been sensitive to his troubles (“We know that if you had breath mints, you’d use them!”). I like the bizarre tension you get when you have four people living in a very enclosed space with little outside influence… they’re gonna get on each other’s nerves and be weird. So Mike’s becoming the punching bag worked for me. And it’s not like the bots didn’t get their fair share of abuse… well, maybe not Gypsy, but she was never one to really put herself into that kind of situation.
I’ve been away from the boards awhile everyone.
I think many people who post here think that the chemistry between Dr. F and Pearl was poor, and I’d have to agree with that assessment, from what I’ve seen.
Nevertheless I don’t think it’s truly fair judge the pair just on the limited interaction they had. TV’s Frank definitely was not fully formed as a character upon his arrival in season two. They probably didn’t know how exactly Pearl as a character would develop. On top of that, there was at least one sketch from season two I can remember where the chemistry between TV’s Frank and Clayton was not up to its eventual standard. The sketch from Catalina Caper where Frank holds the tupperware party and ultimately has his eye gored out with a melon baller.
(I’m not a big fan of Pearl either. My favorite episodes definitely fall in the meaty seasons 2 – 5 range, with some funny yet not as memorable moments in seasons 8 – 9.)
Ultimately though I just think it’s not fair to make a specific judgment regarding the pairing with scant interaction.
As I look at the show overall, I can’t believe how well “it” handled the changes. Every major character(sorry gypsy) is replaced, yet it keeps right on going strong! I, for one, love all of them, from start to finish and think they all did a great job!
Having seen both versions about an equal number of times, I’d have to say that I overwhelmingly prefer the “regular” episode over the Turkey Day version. I think that the host segments with Pearl mentally torturing Dr. F are brilliant. Especially segment 2, with “the apology” (“…Is it poop related?”) You can just feel every molecule of Dr. F’s anguish and bewilderment. With each segment, more light is shed on exactly WHY Dr.F is so doggone screwed up! And sure, the movie lumbers along lethargically for the most part, but I think the riffing is very solid and constant, and all the running gags, etc., help to keep the momentum going. (Steve! Steve?…It’s hard to trust a man not named Steve!)
Oh…and, while I’m here, I might as well get all “anal”…
#14 – jason:
A small correction to your info on the two stars of the short. While they were both familiar actors who had appeared in various musical roles (the “wife”…Virginia something-or-other, was one of the brides in “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”), I believe you’re thinking of the short’s director, Gower Champion. In the 50’s, he and his wife Marge were a very well known movie dance team. They were especially prominently featured in most of Esther Williams’ films, with Marge usually playing Esther’s “gal-pal”. Of course, Gower Champion went on to great success as a Broadway stage director and choreographer. “Hello Dolly” and “42nd Street” were two of his most notable achievements.
“And now you know…….the REST of the story!”
I know it’s just a show, I know I should just relax…but, to this day, I’m genuinely bothered by it.
I liken it to this: I’m a huge Beatles fan. Imagine if they discovered a new Beatles album…and it was awesome. Classic, vintage Beatles, in terms of quality. With one exception….at the beginning and end (and sometimes in the middle) of each song, for a few seconds, a guy coughed on the recording….really loud and it was a wet cough. And the more the album went on, the more frequent the coughing became. That’s how I feel. My precious, beloved MST3K added a character I loathed…nails on a chalkboard hated….and slowly gave her a more and more prominent role.
It’s a nightmare.
(It’s just a show…it’s just a show…)
Pearl calling Crow “Art” is one of my favorite things from the show.
JCC #39, I noticed that too. It sounded like Mike had a bad cold.
This episode was really a funny one for me. I like Season 7, especially the Melting Man. Great riffs.
I’m very divided here. Turkey Day host segments were great, especially Mike and Bridget’s extremely creepy interaction. Regular host segments were good but nothing great. Movie’s good but short is better.
As for Pearl, I admit I had trouble accepting her at first. I got the point but it seemed to overconfuse things. Granted, I had issues with Mike at first too.