Guys, I need your help and suggestions!

(Wes, if you disapprove of this topic, feel free to delete it!)

I've spent hours on Web Site Number 9, sometimes crying with laughter at certain riff lines. I got so addicted that I looked up the show, read various FAQ pages, downloaded the opening sequence (and learned the words!) and generally got hooked on MST3K - and got to the point where I must have been the biggest fan of the show who'd never seen a single episode. Living in Britain, I couldn't buy the videos here, and American videos aren't compatible with most British TVs.

Then ... I bought a new televideo, and discovered in the user's manual that it thought it might be able to play American videos (it really was that vague - "we think it can but don't come crying to us if it doesn't" was the gist of the text!)

So I picked a tape at random from Amazon.com. Skydivers arrived yesterday. And it plays just fine! I've watched it three times already, and am now totally hooked. If I had the money, I'd buy every video that Amazon have got - but I just bought a new flat (apartment!) so mustn't go too mad. Additionally, while the tape cost $17.99, the shipping & handling cost an additional $12.95.

So I reckon I must make one single purchase of four or five tapes in order to keep the shipping costs down. What follows is a list of what's currently available at Amazon.

Your challenge: which four of five of these tapes would you recommend? I realise that everyone will have different preferences, but any advice would be much appreciated!

Single episode tapes:
The Hellcats; Mitchell; Pod People; Angels Revenge; Eegah; Cave Dwellers; The Brain that wouldn’t Die; The Unearthly; Catalina Caper.

Multiple episode tapes:
Creeping Terror/Bloodlust/Sidehackers
Red Zone Cuba/Atomic Brain/I Accuse My Parents
Manos: Hands of Fate/The Gunslinger/Poopie Outtakes Reel
The Beginning of the End/The Crawling Hand/The Wild World of Batwoman

The movie's also available - should I buy that too?

Love and hugs

Callie

The movie is a peck of fun but it's shorter than a regular episode. Just having M&TB riff their own credits is reason enough to own it, IMHO.

I would HIGHLY recommend Cave Dwellers and Pod People. I am a relatively new MiSTie as well, and as such have only seen very few episodes before Season 8, but these I have watched and laughed out loud throughout.

I also believe Manos is required viewing for any hard-core MiSTie, and Mitchell you just have to have to see Joel's departure.

Callie, go to

http://shopping.yahoo.com/video/browse/15/52/2055101552.html

and purchase through Alldirect.com for the cheapest prices. I got Mitchell, I Accuse my Parents and Pod People for 7.68 American bucks.

Stay away from Red Zone Cuba! Its one of the few episodes I absolutely REFUSE to ever watch again!
Wild World of Batwoman is terrible, as well.

In my opinion, Sidehackers is a good episode to watch, specifically for the song `Sidehacking'! Otherwise, JD hit the nail right on the head.

Eegah! is a movie that is hilarious even unmisted. Pod People and Mitchell are MST all-time classics. Manos is possibly the worst movie ever done on MST - this makes it excruciating to sit through, even with the MSTing.

I totally disagree with DFLC - Red Zone Cuba is my all time favorite episode because the movie itself is just soooo ••••••. It would be hilarious to watch even without the riffing.

I second that! 'Red Zone Cuba' is classic MST3K, Callie - a truly horrible movie that the guys can just rip right into, with hilarious results. ('Manos', now...there's a truly vomitous film.)

As a Canadian, I can sympathize with your dilemma - for awhile there, a sizeable chunk of my paycheque was going towards getting my MST fix! Luckily, it appears that a good sampling of the funniest eps have made it onto video.

I'd recommend you start out with 'Red Zone Cuba', followed by 'Cave Dwellers', 'Pod People', 'Eegah' and 'I Accuse My Parents', just for sheer laughs. Oh, and 'The Unearthly', for the Tor Johnson gags (and of course the 'Posture Pals' short).

Then get up to speed with series history with 'Mitchell' and 'The Brain That Wouldn't Die'.

The movie is basically a middle-of-the-road episode, only shorter; funny enough, but not worth a special purchase. Also, I'm not certain how much of a sci-fi buff you are, but the movie featured is 'This Island Earth' - considered a mini-classic in the US.

I'd also classify the following as non-essential but still pretty good fun: 'Catalina Caper', 'The Gunslinger' and 'Beginning of the End' (albeit a lot of the gags in this one depend on your knowing that the star, Peter Graves, is host of the US cable programme 'Biography')

I thought 'Sidehackers' was fairly lame both as a movie and a MST3K ep, but others on this board disagree. On the other, uh, hand, I LOVED 'The Crawling Hand', but again, there is dissent in the ranks (it is kinda whacked-out, even by Z-grade horror movie standards).
'The Atomic Brain' is a really icky movie by general consensus (it includes shots of busty young things in their underwear being prodded with her cane by an old lady) and the riffs don't really redeem it much.

And, Callie, as one female to another - DO NOT waste your hardearned dollars on 'Angel's Revenge'! Have you ever seen 'Charlie's Angels'? Think nubile but no-talent starlets being pawed over by a series of middle-aged Hollywood has-beens, all to a disco beat. Ugh and double ugh. Get a nice plant for your flat instead.

(I notice you don't mention the two 'Shorts' tapes - see if you can find them (esp. vol.1) as they offer a terrific selection of 1950's American silliness.)

The other tapes listed I haven't seen yet. Happy shopping!

The riffing in Red Zone Cuba is of high quality. However, the host segments stink.
I generally prefer the goofy films, so I'd recommend stuff like Cave Dwellers, Batwoman (which has the hilarious Cheating short), and The Creeping Terror.
Pod People is a sort of what-if movie, as in "what if E.T. had been directed by Wes Craven?" Be careful.
Unearthly is a weird one starring John Carradine and Tor Johnson. This one has two shorts, so go for it (you notice how much I like the Shorts).

Huge thanks to those who responded. Despite the fact that - as I expected - there was some disagreement over which are the best and worst episodes to buy, I've now put in an order for six tapes. No - I'm not telling you which ones; I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings! I guess you'll find out eventually when I start posting my favourite lines!

Mr Mystie: thanks for the suggested website. It was helpful but unfortunately Alldirect don't ship to the UK, which was very frustrating considering how cheap their tapes are. I tried Digilot instead as the second cheapest but the six tapes would have cost seventy five dollars to ship!!!! Amazingly, despite the fact that the cost of tapes from Amazon was much higher, their shipping of a multiple order like this was a slightly less horrific $42.70 and so made it cheaper to buy from there than from Digilot.

Again, many thanks to everyone for your help.

Love and hugs

Callie X

Sorry - I forgot to take the fact that you lived an ocean away into account. Have you looked at Buy.com? They're a pretty big company (I'd say they're comparable to Amazon, so they probably ship to Europe) and they've got several tapes for around 10 American bucks.

Callie, what brand of video player did you get? I've got a friend in the UK who would dearly love to see MST3k, but he doesn't have an NTSC compatible player.

It's an Aiwa 21" televideo. I had no idea that it could show American videos when I bought it, and when I got hooked on the Web Site Number 9 style of MiSTing, I never dreamed that I'd be able to buy videos of the show itself. It was only when I looked through the manual again that I realised what it was potentially capable of.

It may well be that these days other types of videos can play NTSC tapes, but I'd advise your friend to ask to look at the manual first before buying. Wish him luck from me!

I'm way late, but let me weigh in on the Rhino videoes I own (I'm missing The Crawling Hand, Catalina Caper, The Hellcats, The Beginning of the End, Angels Revenge, and The Unearthly).

THE SIDEHACKERS: Fun host segments, good opportunities for riffing (a hero named Rommel, a ridiculous sport, overacting, and a "comic" comic relief), but the film is really sort of sleazy. The riffing comes through most of the time, but there are patches of repetitious moments, such as the sidehacking segments. B-

CAVE DWELLERS: A really cheesy film and hilarious bits make a very entertaining episode. There are some riffs that just don't come off, but that's in every episode. Not quite the best, but definitely above average. A-

POD PEOPLE: One of my favorites, even though it took two viewings to love. The good thing about this episode is that the host segments (aside from one) basically recreate really bad scenes from the movie, meaning it's fun! This is a good one to introduce people to MST3K. TRUMPY! A+

MANOS: HANDS OF FATE: Hee hee. An outrageously bad movie that makes this a must-see film even though it tends to polarize those that see it. One camp regards it as the best episode ever, while the other thinks it is boring. I love it, especially any scene with Torgo. The "Hired!" short is also terrific. I couldn't even watch this a second time--I was laughing too hard. Yet it only gets an "A" due to the shock value--after two or so viewings, one understands how bad the film is. A

EEGAH!: Another classic. A cheesy monster, a really inane hero, and jaw-droppingly bad dialogue all come together. The sketches could use a little work, but there are really no quibbles here. This is another excellent introductory film for newcomers. A+

I ACCUSE MY PARENTS: This is basically as close as I can find to an "average" MST3K episode. The movie is bad, of course, but not jaw-droppingly so (it's more old-fashioned cheesy). The riffing is good, but nothing truly outstanding. The sketches are competent. The beginning short about "Truck Farming" isn't as good as the other shorts in the series, mainly because riffing is not as hot (except the end!). A pleasant if not outstanding show. B

GUNSLINGER: My least favorite episode. A very dull film with only sub-par riffing. Merely okay sketches that don't bring much to the party. A few good bits here and there, especially as the film winds down (and the hotel sequences). Roger Corman can actually deliver good films on occasion, mind you. D

MITCHELL: There are really no sketches of sorts in this one, as the episode is about Joel's exit, and Mike's entrance. Mike is used to good form throughout the show, and the movie is a good one, a Joe Don Baker vanity (?) project. While nothing can top the insanity displayed in the opening credits, the film gets pretty good riffing throughout, with some classic bits (Mitchell tailing, the argument with the kid, the My-My Mitchell song) making up for the occasional lapses (the scene with Mitchell at dinner gets very few good riffs). A-

THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE: Mike's first episode is okay, although I loved the beginning that showed Mike's out-of-placement with the Satellite of Love crew. The movie itself is an amazingly sleazy one, although sometimes a little too low-key for the best riffs. This is a pretty good episode that doesn't come off as well as it should have. B-

THE WILD WORLD OF BATWOMAN: Hot-cha! Insanity from the mind of Jerry Warren! The movie itself dominates the proceedings--the riffs basically remind one of the inane goings-on. The sketches tell a story again, this time of Crow's cheating (the film is accompanied by a classic cheating short). A terrific film that gets better as it goes on (the dancing pills, the Mole People cameo, and the end go-go Batman fight that must be seen to be believed). A

THE ATOMIC BRAIN: My, THIS is sleazy! Similar but superior to "The Brain That Wouldn't Die" (I liked the sketches a lot better here, for instance, especially Magic Voice and the Narrator AND Hank Kimball--Fugitive). A lot of good zingers that seem to mostly come at the beginning and end. The "Juvenile Deliquency" short is a real hoot, too, but not as good as "Cheating." B

THE CREEPING TERROR: One of my favorite Mike episodes. A nearly silent film that is similar to "Manos"--it's so bad you must see it. The film is rather slow to start off with, and picks up neatly as it finishes with lots of insanity. A good episode. A

BLOODLUST: This really isn't too bad a film, it's just done wrong. The characters establish their notes in the first scenes they are in, and merely play it like that throughout the film. The short is arguably better, "A Visit to Uncle Jim's Farm." Another sort of average episode. B-

THE SKYDIVERS: The first of two Coleman Francis episodes on tape (the other is not currently out). This is the better movie and (depending on your taste of episodes) the better episode. It also has a very funny short on the Industrial Arts (and BETTER [well maybe not better, just shorter] sketches). The film itself makes no sense for the first third, and then settles down to being your typical bad film. Solid. A-

RED ZONE CUBA: This is one of those films, like Manos (but perhaps more so), that divides people. Is it a classic? Or is it just dull? I find it hilarious in stretches. John Carradine's scene (and singing), the invasion of Cuba (and prison sequences), the attack on the old man, and the end chase are all priceless stuff. The rest of the film (including the sketches) are take-it-and-leave-it. A very funny short on posture enlivens the proceedings. I'll be generous. B+

I guess it’s time to ‘fess up – though sharp-eyes MSTies will have already noticed. Remember I said I only bought six tapes? Well, I did ... initially (though I didn’t mention that it was actually six items, one of which was a triple pack!). But I loved them soooo much that I bought a few more tapes ... umm, five more, to be precise. And they were really really good too ...

Ah heck, what can a girl do? I’ve now ordered practically ALL the rest. There’s one currently not available from Amazon (The Amazing Colossal Man) and I’ve taken kerriem’s advice and not gone for Angels Revenge (though I still couldn’t afford the plant!) but I think I’ve now got or will shortly have everything else. My big fear now is when my video player packs up (hopefully not for a long time yet, though it’s getting a lot of wear and tear!) – I won’t be able to go out and just buy any new one, partly because I’ll probably still be paying off the cost of the videos (!) but mostly because I’ll have to make darned sure that I’m buying a machine that plays NTSC tapes!

There was only one episode that I really didn’t enjoy at all – Catalina Caper. Every other episode has had me laughing aloud on countless occasions but I don’t think I even smiled much during this one (except maybe during the Creepy Girl song). For me, the film was so very stupid that the riffing didn’t lift it. I know it’s personal taste and I know others loved it, in the same way that I adored RZC while some others didn’t enjoy it. However, I think that’s pretty good going that out of 11 episodes there was only one that wasn’t worth the money, and the other ten were more than worth the money – I’ve watched each one at least three times, and there are some of them which I’ve seen over half a dozen times and still frequently laugh out loud.

As well as 11 episodes (including the Movie) I’ve also already got Shorts 2 and Poopie. The latter came as part of a triple pack in my first order which I more or less had to get because I really wanted Manos and it wasn’t available as a single tape at the time. I didn’t think I would enjoy Poopie because at that time I hadn’t seen enough episodes. Also, I’d bought a similar tape in connection with Red Dwarf and despite having seen and loved every episode, thought that the Smeg Ups tape was rather dull. But I reckon that I might have watched Poopie more than any other tape! Every time I’ve got half an hour to spare and there’s nothing good on the telly (which is most of the time these days ...), I stick Poopie in the machine and still laugh uproariously all the way through.

My addiction to MST3K continues in other ways: having bought the Amazing Colossal Episode Guide before I’d even seen a single episode, I felt it was a real shame that they’d not done a second guide for Seasons 7 to 10. Then I learned that they’d done them on the internet, found them, downloaded them and am printing the 70+ pages out a few at a time – in colour, with the photos – every time I’ve got my computer on. My printer’s screaming and my ink cartridges are running out fast!

So it’s costing me a fortune, but I’m getting so many hours of entertainment out of my new addiction that I don’t begrudge a penny. I just don’t know whether to be sad or very relieved that it doesn’t look as if they’ll ever release any more episodes. Unfortunately, having the ACEG makes me want to see some episodes very much. Maybe some time in the future when we’re all forced to have digital TV, I’ll be able to get an American channel that does MST3K re-runs.

<sigh> Then, of course, I’ll having to spend another fortune buying blank videos to tape them all!

Love to all

Callie XX

Callie -- do you have a link for that second guide, seasons 7-10?

Here you go:
Season 7 and
Seasons 8 – 10.

Enjoy!

Thanks, hon!

Anyone tell me what "criminy" means? I assume it's an American exclamation like "Blimey!" or "Strewth!" but does anyone know its origin? I've read it before in various books (and always thought it was pronounced as if with a double 'm' - crimminy - but only realised the true pronounciation when I heard Servo say it in a couple of videos.
I tried looking it up in an online dictionary but they'd never heard of it!

"Strewth" is not an American exclamation. I believe that it's British, and it's short for "G-d's Truth".

I didn't actually say that 'strewth' was American, I said that 'criminy' was American. 'Strewth' probably originated in Britain but you won't hear many Brits use it these days. It's been pretty much adopted by Australians nowadays.

Callie, that's Strewth!

Sorry, I misread your sentence. It's kind of hard to parse without commas.

Ahem. 'Criminy': One of several American euphemisms for 'Christ', according to the Word Detective at the online Oxford English Dictionary.

Thats it, I'm going to go look that up here in the University Reference Department and get back to you.

First, let me just say that the reason I never followed up on that is because I can't find any mention of "criminy" etymology.

Second, MST3K the Movie on DVD is $90?!?!? Any idea if thats going to come down anytime soon?

Ok, ok, inital shock is over. That is the current selling price. Any idea if they are going to re-release this movie on DVD any time soon?