Movie: (1975) A meteor crashes in Wisconsin, laden with the eggs of otherworldly spiders. Incompetent local officials try to respond.

First shown: 5/31/97
Opening: Tom shows spirit, but Mike and Crow only offer MRxL
Intro: The campers recall their trip, Tom portages and Pearl shares some pod-like “zucchini”
Host segment 1: Pod-Gypsy suggests sleep, but Mike is suspicious
Host segment 2: Mike and the bots try to stay awake, while Bobo is skeptical
Host segment 3: Pod-Servo seems convincing, until asked about his “collection”
End: Bobo saves the day, but Pearl declares movie sign … again!
Stinger: Pthpthpthp!
(329 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)
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• At last. With this episode you can sense that the channel begins to trust BBI more, and the result is a memorable gem. We get the first color movie of the Sci-Fi Channel era, and what a movie! A real departure from the sameness of the film choices up to this point. The segments playfully take on another classic sci-fi trope and the riffing is top-of-the-line. All-in-all a landmark, breakthrough episode.
• Get Paul’s rather dyspeptic take here, which includes some mild satirical slander to which director Bill Rebane himself, in humorless email to us, took personal offense, causing us to add a disclaimer on that page.
• References.
• This episode was included in Rhino’s The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 10
• Callback: “Down and down…” (The Mole People), “Somebody tampered in God’s domain,” (Bride of the Monster), “Did you beef?” (I Was a Teenage Werewolf).
• During the intro, Tom gets even for getting clobbered during the very similar “board routine” in episode 614- San Francisco International.
• Of course, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers'” (and other pod-based horror movies) have their turn at being parodied.
• Bill Williams, who played bar owner Dutch, and Barbara Hale, who played scientist Jenny Langer, were real-life husband and wife, and their son is William Katt, best remembered for his starring role in TV’s “The Greatest American Hero.”
• Daleism: As the we see the dying girl’s hand: “He thought I was Dale!”
• When amped-up Crow is in the theater, a heart beating sound effect continues for several minutes.
• The giant spider sat on a Volkswagen chassis; a driver and another eight men were inside to control each leg. That must have been fun.
• Those who’d never seen “MST3K: The Movie” were probably baffled by the host segment reference to Tom Servo’s underwear collection.
• Of course, the cry “PACKERS!!!!” became an immediate catchphrase.
In fact in February of 2011, on the night the Packers DID, in fact, win the Super Bowl, I was retweeted hundreds of times after I tweeted this Youtube video.
• In 2013, what was left of the giant spider, a rusting metal frame, was stolen from a field in Merrill.
• Cast and crew roundup: Producer-Director Bill Rebane also did “Monster A Go-Go.” Assistant director/unit manager Barbara Rebane did the costumes for “Monster A Go-Go.” In front of the camera, Steve Brodie was also in “Wild World of Batwoman.” Alan Hale Jr. was also in “The Crawling Hand” and “Angels Revenge.” Robert Easton (who also got a screenwriter credit for this movie) did the voices in the British 1965 TV series “Stingray,” episodes of which were included in the the TV-movie that was featured in episode K01-INVADERS FROM THE DEEP. He was also in “The Touch Of Satan.”
• CreditsWatch: Jim is listed as producer for the last time in the series. Kevin is director. He is also associate producer for the last time. Interns Tamara Melloy and Randy Smith begin a four-episode stint.
• Fave riff: “I hate it when a movie kills off a beloved character … this is great, though!” Honorable mention: “His Hagar slacks have a waistband with repressed memories.” “Admit it! You felt something when I rolled on you!”
• Oh, and remember: honor the umlaut!

Movie: (1957) An unethical doctor turns a short-tempered teen into a monster.

First shown: 4/19/97
Opening: Mike is to be removed as captain
Intro: While camping, Pearl lowers the SOL’s shields, and Tom meets a face-hugging alien
Host segment 1: Crow’s proximity detector malfunctions
Host segment 2: Servo goes after the alien
Host segment 3: It’s alien egg omelets for everyone, but Crow is a critic
End: The alien is draining the SOL’s energy and Mike is forced to become really repulsive. And at camp, Pearl tells some scary stories
Stinger: “People bug me, too!”
(219 votes, average: 4.32 out of 5)
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• Get Mary Jo’s take on this episode here.
• References.
• This episode has not been released on DVD.
• This one is just irresistible. The riffing is great, the movie is an iconic bad movie with a great bad movie cast, the segments are some of the best “parodying the classic sci-fi conventions” stuff they did and the ending is a classic.
• This episode debuted just as the movie “Volcano” was gearing up to hit movie theaters, and after the opening segment, Sci-Fi ran a short bumper with the “Volcano” logo super-imposed over the door sequence. Which means somebody actually thought this movie would appeal to MST3K viewers specifically…
• Not-so-much-annoying-as-amusing commercial: A Radio Shack ad that takes credit for helping people “understand cellular phones.” What was to understand?
• In this, the first full episode with the new evil trio, Pearl clearly prefers Observer to Bobo. It’s a dynamic that doesn’t last very long.
• Tom is still wearing the alien facehugger when he comes into the theater for the first movie segment.
• During segment 1, Crow accidentally bumps the “Mousetrap” game Mike and Tom were playing and sets some of it in motion. Kevin and Mike just roll with it, so to speak.
• Movie observation: That song is weird. What is with the tempo of the lyrics??
• In segment 2 we get another recall of the “Tom did some stuff while on his own in the universe…” backstory, but I think maybe this is one of the last.
• Daleism: [As Michael Landon looks at his hand] Mike: “I thought I was Dale!”
• Then-current reference: The first of several episodes to make reference to Richard Jewel. Now largely forgotten.
• This is the third straight movie featuring psychological regression!
• That’s Beez in a now-rare appearance as Magic Voice.
• Most of the time, when an actor or actress from a popular TV show appears in a movie, they purposely limit themselves to only one or two jokes about it. They did that here with Guy Williams of “Lost in Space” present: they limited themselves to “You’re worse than Dr. Smith!”
• Malcom Atterbury plays almost the EXACT same suicidal dad character he played in “High School Big Shot”!
• Tom enters the theater from the left after segment 2.
• In the ending segment, Tom uses the phrase “sour its milk,” a direct reference to a Star Trek: TNG plot line.
• Once again in a moment of extreme stress, Mike’s preternatural ability to transform himself comes in handy. I gotta say I did NOT see the Adam Duritz slam coming. I consider myself a Counting Crows fan, but Mike was hilarious. Does anybody know if Adam ever commented on it?
• The camping planet story arc — such as it is — begins with this episode, and the stingers thankfully returned.
• Cast and crew roundup: I will not go through the Arkoff/Nicholson litany again. Director Gene Fowler Jr. also worked on “The Rebel Set.” Assistant director/production manager Jack R. Berne also worked on “The Amazing Colossal Man.” Costume guy Oscar Rodriguez also worked on “The Magic Sword” and “Phantom Planet.” Set designer Morris Hoffman also worked on “War of the Colossal Beast.” Score composer Paul Dunlap also worked on “The Rebel Set” and “Lost Continent.”
In front of the camera, Yvonne Lime also appeared in “Untamed Youth.” Whit Bissell also appeared in “Lost Continent. Malcolm Atterbury also appeared in “High School Big Shot.”
• CreditsWatch: Jim gets a producer credit only. Kevin gets a director credit and is also listed as associate producer. Interns Elliot Cobb and Mytch Parks finish up their final stints as interns.
• Fave line: “Um, mistakes were made?” Honorable mention: “Boy, does he ever!” “Sir, I gotta get back and transfer Oswald.”