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Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!faqserv From: rsk@gynko.circ.upenn.edu (Rich Kulawiec) Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv,alt.tv.mst3k,rec.answers,alt.answers,news.answers Subject: Mystery Science Theater 3000 FAQ - Part 1 Supersedes: <tv/mst3k/part1_761584275@rtfm.mit.edu> Followup-To: poster Date: 21 Mar 1994 10:53:49 GMT Organization: Cardiothoracic Imaging Research Center Lines: 586 Approved: news-answers-request@mit.edu Expires: 4 May 1994 10:51:47 GMT Message-ID: <tv/mst3k/part1_764247107@rtfm.mit.edu> Reply-To: rsk@gynko.circ.upenn.edu NNTP-Posting-Host: bloom-picayune.mit.edu Summary: cast, show list, catch phrases, mailing list, archives, etc. Keywords: mst3k, mst3000, Joel, Crow, Tom Servo, Clayton, Frank X-Last-Updated: 1993/12/07 Originator: faqserv@bloom-picayune.MIT.EDU Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu rec.arts.tv:40844 alt.tv.mst3k:22607 rec.answers:4542 alt.answers:2167 news.answers:16682 Archive-name: tv/mst3k/part1 Version: $Header: mst3k-part1,v 1.24 93/12/06 21:29:21 rsk Exp $ This is the "Frequently Asked Questions and Answers" mailing/posting for fans of "Mystery Science Theater 3000". It was originally written in the summer of 1991, and has been revised from time to time since then. You should probably check the date in the "Version" line above to make sure the copy you're reading is reasonably up-to-date before sending corrections. Speaking of which, corrections should be mailed to: rsk@gynko.circ.upenn.edu AND should have a "Subject:" line that indicates that the message contains corrections to the MST3K FAQ. ---Rsk Q. What it's all about, really? A. MST3K is "Mystery Science Theater 3000", a program carried by "Comedy Central", which in turn is carried by various cable companies here and there. (MST3K was originally picked up by "The Comedy Channel", which merged with "Ha!", changed its name to "CTV" and then to "Comedy Central".) The idea of the show is simple: pick really bad movies (e.g. "Gamera", "Daddy-O", "Cave Dwellers", "Fugitive Alien", etc.) and heckle them. There are two elements that make it fascinating... 1. The cast of characters. Our hero, Joel, has been blasted into space by his bosses at the Gizmonic Institute, who are actually subjecting him to these films in order to assess his reactions. Joel, a pleasant enough fellow, has constructed Tom Servo, Crow, Gypsy, and Cambot from various pieces of his spacecraft in order to have someone to share his plight. Unfortunately, in putting them together, he used up the parts that control when the movies begin and end... <update in progress, Joel -> Mike> Back on earth, Dr. Clayton Forrester and his henchman Frank select each week's film and inflict it on Joel and his robot friends...who respond by unmercifully shredding it from beginning to end. We watch the whole movie sitting in the theater behind them...except for the portions surrounding some of the commercial breaks where they do parodies, annoy Frank and Clayton, etc. (Their microproduction of the Wagner/Sandy Frank epic "Gameradaemmerung" was terrific.) 2. The heckling is good. REALLY good. What makes this worth watching is that their heckling comments draw from such a diversity of sources; in a five-minute stretch one recent Saturday, they referenced "This is Spinal Tap", "Moby Dick", "2001", the Wall Street Journal, Don King, Buddha...and more. The writers for this show are incredibly culturally literate -- and they keep in touch with current affairs as well. Think of them as smart-asses who read the New York Times; you have to be mentally nimble to follow some of their comments. MST3K is the funniest thing I've seen on television since the original Saturday Night Live (circa late 70's). Watch it. Tape it. Heckle it. Q. How do you join the fan club? A. Just send a letter to: MST3K Information Club PO Box 5325 Hopkins, MN 55343 You'll get a lifetime subscription to the MST3K Satellite News (formerly The Binding Polymer), with letters and interviews, merchandise order forms, etc. and Your official MST3K fan club certificate, which is a full 8 1/2 by 11 and Your official MST3K fan club card, attached to a yellow neon flyer. The text on the flyer reads: "This is your MST3K MEMBERSHIP CARD. Display it proudly, carry it always. Keep it close to your heart, because if you keep it in your back pocket it will get all sweaty and yucky and start to come apart and you won't want to show it to anyone. Or, you could take it to one of those places at the bus station that have those neat laminating machines and make it way cool. Or, don't. See if we care. In any case thanks for being a new member." The card itself is 3 5/8" wide by 2 3/8" tall (if you cut on the dotted lines) and is quite suitable for carrying in a wallet. The card bears the image of an atom (generated by computer) as well as the legend "MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 FAN CLUB. This certifies that (space for name), is an official member of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Fan Club. Member# (space)." You'll also be on the mailing list of MST3K fans. You'll get notices about schedule changes, offers from Best Brains, Inc., discounts on merchandise (e.g. T-shirts), and other goodies. Q. Is that different from Comedy Central's mailing list? A. Yepper. To get on CC's list, contact: Comedy Central 1775 Broadway New York, NY 10019 (212) 767-8600 Q. Back to MST3K - so what's this Live Survival Kit thingy? A. Well, if you send a check for $5 (payable to "Best Brains, Inc.") to them, you'll get: (If you're in Minnesota, add 6.5% sales tax, by the way) A piece of paper enclosing several other sheets, marked "Classified - contains top secret MST 3000 Fan club material". When you unfold it, the inside is the "MST 3000 'MOVIE SIGN' Home Viewing Simulator (MSHVS)", which has the familiar picture of theater seats and Joel and the bots at the bottom, with the instructions : INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Cut out. 2. Place on your TV screen. 3. Gather your favorite pals. (Or build them out of spare parts.) 4. Look for a goofy movie or dumb TV show. 5. Say stupid (and clever) things. The sheets contained inside are: A list of episodes for seasons 1 and 2, e.g. the MST3K Experiment Guide with the lyrics to the Love Theme on the other side. The MST3K Technical Journal Vol 1 No 1 and Vol 1 No 3, and/or some technical updates. "Spark-O!" The best brains wacky rolling action figure (a really crude cut-out that you're supposed to tape together and put on top of a marble) The MST3K Price Rebel Icon merchandise temple catalogue, which includes such items as the MST3K Fluid Containment Vessel (a MST3K mug), the Mad Scientist Clock, the MST3K Official Command Cap the MST3K Bumper Stickler (a clear sticker that has the logo and "MOVIE SIGN" in black, the MST3K Life Survival Kit, T-shirts (S, M, L, XL), and Fan Photos: - Joel, Tom, Crow, and Gypsy on the Satellite of Love - Dr. Forrester and Frank in Deep 13 (note: autographs are not real...they are part of the photo) Q. What are the lyrics to the opening song? A. "Love Theme from M.S.T. 3000" <update per new theme> In the not-too-distant future, Next Sunday A.D. There was a guy named Joel, Not too different from you or me. He worked at Gizmonic Institute, Just another face in a red jumpsuit. He did a good job cleanin' up the place, But his bosses didn't like him, So they shot him into space. We'll send him cheesy movies, The worst we can find (la la la). He'll have to sit and watch them all, And we'll monitor his mind (la la la). Now keep in mind Joel can't control When the movies begin and end (la la la), Because he used those special parts To make his robot friends. Robot Roll Call: (Let's go) [ Some debate on "let's go" ] Cambot (Pan left) Gypsy (Hi girl) Tom Servo (What a cool guy) Crooooooooooow (Wisecracker) If you're wond'ring how he eats and breathes, and other science facts (la la la), Then repeat to yourself, "It's just a show, I should really just relax for Mystery Science Theater 3000..." (c) Best Brains Inc., for sticklers. Q. Didn't the lyrics change? A. Yup, they used to be different. We're not exactly sure what they are yet, but something like: In the not-too-distant future, Next Sunday, A.D. There was a guy named Joel, Not too different than you or me. He worked in a satellite loading bay, Just polishing switches to pay his way, He did his job well with a cheerful face, But his bosses didn't like him so they shot him into space. We'll send him cheesy movies, The worst ever made, Joel says when you have lemons You make lemonade, Now keep in mind he can't control When the movies begin or end, Because he used the extra parts To make his robot friends. Robot Roll Call: Cambot Gypsy Tom Servo Crooooooooooow If you're wond'ring how he eats and breathes, and other science facts (la la la), Just repeat to yourself, "It's just a show, I should really just relax for Mystery Science Theater 3000..." Q. How 'bout an episode guide? A. Well, there used to be one *right here*; but it's been moved to a separate posting because it's starting to get too big. Q. When is the show on? A. (All times EST) Saturdays 7pm Sundays 10 am (repeat of previous show) The MST3K hour has just been introduced by Comedy Central; it features repeat episodes broken into 1-hour segments and is carried weeknights. Q. If I have a satellite dish, can I pick up Comedy Central? A. Yes, both the East (Galaxy 1, transponder 1) and West (Galaxy 3, transponder 23) coast feeds. The West feed runs the same programming as the East, but is delayed by three hours. You do need to subscribe to Comedy Central first, though, which requires you to have an IRD receiver (VideoCypher II Plus). The a la carte subscription price is somewhere between $5 and $10 per year, and is available through a number of vendors. Many vendors offer subscription packages that include Comedy Central as well. Check any satellite TV guide for their ads and pricing. Q. Who plays what part in the show? Magic Voice: Jann Johnson (production coordinator) did it for one season; Alexandra Carr, Ellen McDonough and Kevin Murphy have done it since. Joel: Joel Hodgson Gypsy: Jim Mallon Dr. Clayton Forrester & Crow: Trace Beaulieu Dr. Larry Erhardt & original Tom Servo: Josh Weinstein Frank: Frank Conniff Tom Servo: Kevin Murphy Cambot: Himself Occasional extra characters, such as Jack Perkins, the Amazing Colossal Man, and various aliens: Mike Nelson Occasional extra characters, such as "Miracle Growth Baby (After)": Timothy Scott ("Miracle Growth Baby (Before)" was played by Jim Mallon's son Eli.) Q. Can Gypsy enter the theater? A. Yes; she's been there briefly in three shows (Untamed Youth, Wild Rebels or Hellcats, and Hercules and the Captive Women). In one episode, Gypsy tries to participate in the experiment, but isn't witty enough to keep up...or maybe she was just overcome by nausea. Q. What are the robots made of? A. Crow is mostly made of sporting equipment: Pingpong balls (the kind that glow in the dark, which explains their green-yellow hue on the set) for eyes; his pupils are square bits of electrical tape Plastic bowling pin for mouth His head (around his eyes) is a soap dish (!) Arms - adjustable desk lamp parts, with closed-cell foam tubing (the kind used to insulate water pipes) on the upper part Neck -- a Popeet toy Thing on the back of his head - hockey mask (Cooper XL7FG) Torso: a set of Tupperware from a set called "Floralier" plus part of another set. (It was a flower-arranging set. No longer made. The set consists of a tall conical vase that snaps into a short conical vase that then snaps onto a tray. Two trays, face to face make his shoulders and the vases are below, turned upside down. The whole thing is then spray-painted gold over its original white plastic. ) Legs -- he has 'em, but what are they made of? (They look like more lamp parts) Tom Servo is mostly made of toys: Gumball machine for head (it comes in that red color) made by Carousel Industries of Des Plaines, IL; the name for it is "executive snack dispenser". His beak has been spray-painted silver. Barrel from "Kid's Barrell Bank" for body Flashlight heads for shoulders Springs or slinkys for arms His hands are doll hands His base is made of foam tubing His hoverskirt is made from an inverted white plastic bowl which in a former lift had "Happy Halloween" painted on it in a seriously stupid font. The black doodads adorning the hoverskirt are pieces of black styrene vacu-formed over a toy "turbo train" engine. The "thing" on his chest might be some sort of toy engine block. Gypsy is made of household items: Flashlight for eye Child's car seat for head Hose for neck & body ("drain tile"; also used to frame the SOL's windows) Lips are foam tubing Cambot is made of ??: Rotating alarm light on top Some sort of hose, a la Gypsy Q. What are some of the items on the set? A. Items spotted so far include: All over the set: Assorted trays, drawer organizers, bowls, flower pots, ice cube trays, divided dinner plates, cups and silverware drawer trays. Left Side of Bridge: Speak and Spell (see ET movie), plastic baseball bat, badminton racquet, child's potty seat, motorman's helper, Hungry, Hungry Hippos game, Hot Wheels storage case (shaped like mag wheel), plastic bowling pins, large Millennium Falcon space ship (either model kit or action figure playset), "Trouble" game with pop-o-matic center, Playschool ball with shaped holes in it that kids put shaped blocks into, rubber tyrannosaurus, toy telephone, telephone handset, egg tray, toy race car. Joel's Desk in Center of Bridge: Two bases for plastic birdbaths turned upside down, at least 7 cameras and one big Polaroid-type camera, whiffle ball, plastic angel, hair curlers, small plastic bowling ball, spray can tops (the buttons). Over Main Door: Silverware trays, Hungry, Hungry Hippos game, 2 potty chair seats, 2 hockey-type shin guards, 2 plastic christmas lawn reindeer (upside down), front of a castle-shaped action toy playset (name unknown). Right Side of Bridge: Many, many toy horns and trumpets, many, many heart-shaped containers, 2 jello molds, 2 plastic baseball bats, plastic dish drain rack, another Playschool shape-ball, toy fencing sword, plastic ladle, plastic toy shovel, toy boat, toy crane, rubber brontosaurus, toy guitar or ukelele. Q. How come Tom Servo can't walk, but can sometimes move down the seats in the theater? (Just Relax :-) A. Tom Servo's means of locomotion is a hoverskirt; there's a heating grate on the way in to the theater that Joel has to carry Tom over. This is mentioned in passing as they're walking out of the theater during one of the earlier episodes (with Josh Weinstein). Q. If I want to show some of the episodes to a group, what do I do? A. To get permission to screen episodes in a public or semi-public situation, call the following person: Tony Fox Comedy Central 1775 Broadway 9th floor New York, NY 10019 Office: (212) 767-8746 FAX: (212) 767-8582 HBO controls the showing of the episodes under their contract with BBI, so they're the ones you'll have to talk to. Q. What is "Play MST for Me? A. It's a videotape made available for members of the fan club only. It contains songs from the various MST3K experiments. Q. What are the differences between seasons 1 and 2? A. The #2 mad scientist is Frank instead of Larry. Tom Servo's voice is different. The opening set is a larger model. The spaceship launch is more elaborate. The opening credits contain different clips. SOL background is 3D instead of painted set. Robot Roll Call has identifying letters instead of Joel staring into the camera. Cambot is different. Joel can be seen wearing different colored jumpsuits. Joel no longer eats grapes after hitting buttons. Q. Where have I heard "Satellite of Love" before? A. The Jerry Lewis Telethon people call the satellite the "Satellite of Love". It's also the title of a song first recorded by Lou Reed, and about to be covered by U2. Q. What are the words to the Weinerman song? A. I know a wienerman, He owns a wiener stand. He sells most anything From hot dogs on down. Some day I'll be his wife. We'll eat wieners all our lives. Hot Dog! I love that wienerman! Q. Is there an anonymous FTP site that archives this stuff? A. Yepper! Anonymous FTP site info: Location: "gynko.circ.upenn.edu" or "128.91.200.5" Directory: pub/rsk/mst3k/* PLEASE do not use this site between 8 am and 6 pm EST; the host machine is heavily used for research during those hours. Abuse of this policy will cause the anonymous FTP archives to go away. Q. What's in there, anyway? A. The Satellite of Love Newsletter is archived in the "soln" directory; the images and audio samples which were once archived there have been removed due to excessive FTP traffic during research hours. Q. How can I get to view episodes I don't have? A. Post your request to the newsletter; we're all circulating the tapes. Alternatively, you might want to try sending mail to someone else on the mailing list (check the "From:" lines) who has commented on the particular show you want -- they probably have the tape. Q. What is the "Satellite of Love Newsletter"? A. It's an electronic newsletter that started in the late summer of 1991 to provide a way for fans of the show to communicate with each other. Issues come out erratically, although the editor has been heard mumbling something about "twice a month" recently, so this might actually represent some thinking about a semiregular schedule. In any event, the items in the newsletter are contributed by its readers, of which there are several hundred. To subscribe, drop a line to soln-request@gynko.circ.upenn.edu. <update to reflect hiatus, resumption> Q. How do I submit items to the newsletter? A. Send mail to "soln@gynko.circ.upenn.edu" (This will cause the program that files my mail to put your letter in my mst3k folder.) Reminder: soln-request@gynko.circ.upenn.edu for administrivia soln@gynko.circ.upenn.edu for submissions Q. How do I get back issues of the newsletter? A. Check the anonymous FTP site at gynko (see above), or drop me a line; I'll probably automate this at some point. Q. Does Best Brains allow visits or provide tours? If you're going to be in the Minneapolis area and would like to visit Best Brains (in Eden Prairie), there are some things you should be aware of. 1. YOU MUST CALL FIRST! TOURS ARE ONLY BY APPOINTMENT, and they sometimes try to setup more than one group at a time if they are small. Also, Best Brains works on an 8 day production schedule (which does not include the weekend), and they only give tours now on Fridays when they aren't shooting the video for an episode (these are the "writing" days). This causes their free time to "rotate", and means that the actually available day for a tour is somewhat unpredictable. They are very busy people during production days. Since tours occur once or twice a month, you'll need to call at least 3-4 weeks in advance to arrange your appointment (and call them a few days before you intend to arrive to confirm that things haven't changed). Contact them at (612) 941-8024 (ask for Sarah if she's available); or via fax at (612) 941-8250. By the way, their address is: Best Brains, Inc. 7615 Golden Triangle Drive, #J Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55344 The tour lasts from 30-60 minutes; depending on what's going on, how big the group is, who happens to be in the office that day, your questions, etc. It goes quickly. 2. Since their mailing address is a P.O. Box, you'll need to knpw how to find them. The office is in Eden Prairie. Rather than post directions or address information here, Best Brains has asked me to say that they would prefer anyone desiring a visit to call them to get directions. They want to prevent people from accidently sending mail to the wrong address instead of the PO Box, and their office is a little tricky to find anyone (one way roads and such). Given that their fan club is growing extremely large rapidly, this concern is understandable and I respect their wishes. 3. The good news is that the TOURS ARE FREE, you can often buy some of the MST3k merchandise there directly, and THEY ALLOW YOU TO TAKE PHOTOS! However, THEY DO NOT ALLOW VIDEO OR MOVIE CAMERAS. Since the tour takes place on a real working day, people, props, and sets can be pretty disorganized. What you get to see sometimes depends on what is lying around. But, there is a chance you'll get to see/meet one of the familiar people involved in the production. If you promise not to feed them, they often will come over and talk for a while ;-). Q. Do they sell merchandise? A. Yes, through the information club. Currently available are T-shirts, posters, coffee mugs, lunch box, photos. Q. Why are Tom Servo's hands flesh colored on the mug, lunchbox, and poster? A. Tom Servo's hands and chest "engine" are now created by pouring plastic into a mold, because the original parts are hard to find. The plastic they use is the same plastic used in making hearing aids, hence the flesh color. They forgot to paint Tom's hands before taking the photos used in the mug, lunchbox, and poster. Q. Why is Tom Servo's head a cylinder in a few episodes? A. The folks at Best Brains thought it would look cool if Tom had a "haircut". Q. How many times has Tom Servo had his head blown off? Four. They were: The Corpse Vanishes (trying to think of a good thing about the movie); Robot Monster (trying to figure out how bumblebees fly); First Spaceship on Venus (sarcastism circuits overload); and The Rebel Set (don't remember how it happened, sorry). Additionally, in Fugitive Alien II, he comes completely apart. Q. How many seats are there seen in the theater? A. Seven. Q. Are there any questions that we don't have answers for yet? A. Yup. Like: How many times has SANDY FRANK been sung? How many grapes has Joel been seen eating? How many visitors has the SOL had? Q. Who wrote this stuff? A. The people who contribute to the newsletter; I'm just the editor. Among the many folks who have sent along information, notes, and general silliness, are: Bill Dennen, Brian Perler, Chad (Mr. B) Jackson, Charles R. Hoynowski, Chris Cooley, Chuck Jordan, Chuck Tomasi, Dale Holod, Dave Spensley, David Arnold, Donald Cotnoir-Strong, Donna K. Lang, Ed Hughes, Ed Klein, Ellen Sasse, Frank G. Neves, Gerald M. Guglielmo, Jamie Green, Jason Corley, Jeremy Billones, Joel A. Schenkenberg, John D. Shull, Johnny Klonaris, Jonathan Hughes, Joshua R. Poulson, Kevin Murray, Lance Visser, Larry Hastings, Lon Ponschock, Lynn-Anne Friese, Malcolm Austin, Mark Carson, Mark Meyer, Markus De Shon, Marty Hoff, Mary Lynn Johnson, Matt Duhan, Nina Eppes, Patrick Delahanty, Patrick Fitzgerald, Patty Winter, Paul Ashley, Paul Thrasher, Phil Mueller, R'ykandar Korra'ti, Rich Kulawiec, Steve Simmons, Synth F. Oberheim, The Punster, Todd Johnson, Tom Wilson. , Will Silver, William Harrison, William Sherman, and special thanks to Lisa Jenkins for voluminous updates and additions, to Keith Barrett for the BBI Tour info, to Cliff Chaput for the large list of oft-repeated phrases, and to Brian Siano for massive updates to the episode guide. If I've forgotten someone, please let me know. Copyright Rich Kulawiec, 1991, 1992, 1993. Rip this off and we'll kill you with a forklift.