Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)

Director:

Jim Mallon

Writers:

Joel Hodgson (television series Mystery Science Theater 3000)
Michael J. Nelson (writer) ...
(more)

Release Date:

19 April 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Every year Hollywood makes hundreds of movies. This is one of them.

Plot:

Mike Nelson and his robot companions watch and give their comments about "This Island Earth".

Plot Keywords:

8 Track | B Movie | Film Break | Based On TV Series | Teleportation

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Sept. 1

7:05 AM

MAX

Cast

Trace Beaulieu	...	Crow T. Robot / Dr. Clayton Forrester
Michael J. Nelson	...	Mike Nelson
Jim Mallon	...	Gypsy
Kevin Murphy	...	Tom Servo
John Brady	...	Benkitnorf

Directed by
Jim Mallon

Writing credits
Joel Hodgson		(television series Mystery Science Theater 3000)
Michael J. Nelson		(writer) &
Trace Beaulieu		(writer) &
Jim Mallon		(writer) &
Kevin Murphy		(writer) &
Mary Jo Pehl		(writer) &
Paul Chaplin		(writer) &
Bridget Jones		(writer)

Produced by
Trace Beaulieu	....	associate producer
Jim Mallon	....	producer
Kevin Murphy	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Billy Barber

Cinematography by
Jeff Stonehouse

Film Editing by
Bill Johnson

Production Design by
Jef Maynard

Art Direction by
Rando Schmook

Set Decoration by
Blakesley Clapp

Costume Design by
Linda Froiland

Makeup Department
Crist Ballas	....	special makeup effects artist
Andrea Jackson DuCane	....	hair stylist
Andrea Jackson DuCane	....	makeup artist
Glen Griffin	....	special makeup effects
Robert I. Phillips	....	special makeup effects

Production Management
Julie Hartley	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marie Domingo	....	first assistant director
Bix Skahill	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Patrick Brantseg	....	property master
Nance Derby	....	lead scenic
Danica King	....	property assistant
Rich Larson	....	storyboard artist
Dale Mather	....	prop builder
Leah M. Otto	....	property assistant
Mark E. Raymond	....	construction foreman
Dean Trisko	....	prop builder

Sound Department
Carrie Rand Bennett	....	boom operator
Ken Hahn	....	sound re-recording mixer
Joseph Just	....	sound editor
Tom Naunas	....	sound designer
Fred Street	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
Eric D. Howell	....	special effects
Paul Murphy	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Trace Beaulieu	....	model builder
William S. Conner	....	optical effects
David Emerson	....	optical supervisor
Brian Griffin	....	digital supervisor
Todd Hall	....	optical effects
Randy H. Herget	....	model builder
Peter Kuran	....	optical and digital effects producer
Kevin Kutchaver	....	digital effects
Jo Martin	....	effects editorial
Jacqueline Zietlow	....	administrator

Camera and Electrical Department
Slater Crosby	....	first assistant camera
David Doyle	....	gaffer
Christopher Engstrom	....	camera loader
Chad G. Foehringer	....	grip
L. Marie Ford	....	best boy grip
Paul B. Johnson	....	electrician
Bradley J. Keely	....	video assistant
Michael Kienitz	....	still photographer
Nick Lethert	....	key grip
David S. Pope	....	dolly grip
Erik Rosenbluh	....	camera intern
Timothy M. Ryan	....	electrician (as Tim Ryan)
Joseph Slagerman	....	best boy electric

Editorial Department
Phil Hetos	....	color timer
Dave Keffer	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Tom Adair	....	video crew
Wendell Jon Andersson	....	key production assistant
Patrick Brantseg	....	puppet wrangler
Avelino Deleon	....	production assistant
Daniel J. Dustin	....	set medic
Helena Espinosa	....	puppet wrangler
Sean Hartley Francis	....	production assistant
Chrysa Freeman	....	assistant production coordinator
Kurt W. Gensmer	....	set medic
Jann Johnson	....	production coordinator
Tim Johnson	....	production accountant
Linda Kuusisto	....	script supervisor
Robert Lane	....	puppet builder
Marilyn Nave	....	production coordinator
Joseph M. Newman	....	director: archive footage
Gertrude Orvahl	....	coordinator: overall cinematic quality improvement and implementation
James Robinson	....	set medic
Adam Rueben	....	production assistant
Bill Schwab	....	projectionist
Mark Skoglund	....	video crew
Barb Tebben	....	production assistant
Kimberly Terhorst	....	production assistant
Julie Walker	....	unit publicist
Nancy Willen	....	unit publicist
A.M. Zopfi	....	assistant: Mr. Mallon
Dave Dustin	....	set medic (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Best Brains Inc.
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Gramercy Pictures (1996) (USA) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Cinema Research
• Dreamstate Effects
• PM Effects

Other Companies

• Metamorphosis  make-up design and services (special make-up effects and prosthetics)
• Rescue Resources Inc.  set medic

Also Known As:

MST 3000: The Movie (USA) (short title)
MST3K: The Movie
Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Movie (UK) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:PG | Germany:12 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Energy Park Studios - 1515 Brewster Street, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

Company:

Best Brains Inc.

Trivia:

By many accounts, making the movie was not a happy experience for the filmmakers, due to frequent studio interference. Years later, at a cast reunion appearance in New York City, Trace Beaulieu was asked what the worst movie featured on MST3K was. His reply was, "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie".

Goofs:

Continuity: Mike folds the newspaper twice.

Quotes:

Mike: Geez, Dr. Forrester!
Crow T. Robot: What a dickweed!

Movie Connections:

References The Producers (1968)

Soundtrack:

Love Theme From Mystery Science Theater 3000

A blast of an episode from the Best Brains!!

It was a blast! If you, the viewer, are not familiar with Mystery Science Theater 3000, better known as MST3K, I recommend that you rent/buy/borrow, beg, or steal tapes to become a tad familiar with the concept.

The concept is: riffing a B-or-worse-scifi-movie; the victim, er-- subject, in this case, is "This Island Earth", a classic from the 50's. There's this guy (Mike) who's been shot up to an orbiting space station (the Satellite of Love, or SOL) by a Mad Scientist (Dr. Clayton Forrester). Mike is a replacement test subject (Joel, who made the robots for companionship, escaped), and he and Joel's 'bots (short for ro-bots) ease the stress of being test subjects by making wise@$$ remarks while the movie is running. Then there are little interval segments that attempt to tell a coherent narrative.

The catch is that the bots are actually only puppets made from a gumball machine head, salad bowl, Tupperware interlocking set of flower vases, and armatures from folding adjustable desk lamps. The original actor who voices Crow T. Robot is Trace Beaulieu, who also plays Dr. Forrester (ah, the magic of motion pictures!). The guy who voices Tom Servo is Kevin Murphy-- well, if you really want to see him, you'll have to find the episodes on tape and go looking for his appearances as other characters.

This movie is much better than the episodes that have appeared either on Comedy Central or the Sci-Fi Channel, primarily because Best Brains, the production company, had more money to make better sets, props, and better staging of gags. The Hubble was great, as was the amusing and embarrassing segment where Dr. Forrester ends up in the Metalunan guy's shower. [aaagghhh!!!]

The only two things I miss are Joel Hodgson, who was the original host, and Frank Conniff, who played Dr. Forrester's assistant, "TV's Frank". Joel was a much different "test subject" than Mike-- Joel was more introspective, did many more musical bits on the show, was more creative ["Invention Exchange" was Joel's idea; as a comic/magician, he made most of the bizarre and funny inventions on the show.] I feel that Joel's presence, as writer and actor, would have given a tighter, more coherent slant to the experiment (but then, again, I could be biased!).

Frank Conniff, as TV's Frank, was the best inept sidekick an inept Mad Scientist could have, and Frank was the perfect foil for Forrester. Their gags tended to be more physical, slapstick comedy.

But MST3K: The Movie is, I hope, the first in a long line of franchise movies (like Star Trek: The Motion Picture!). I hope that Best Brains, Inc. does another MST3K movie--it's like no-calorie chocolate!!!