‘Singles’ collects MST3K fan faves Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Singles Collection Shout Factory, $59.99
Shout! Factory seems to have completed the nearly twodecade process of putting out DVDs of all the legally cleared episodes from Mystery Science Theater 3000’s original 19891999 run. But, the company’s work is not totally done. In addition to releasing the cult comedy show’s new episodes on disc, they’ve been doubling back to get the original Rhino-released DVD sets of the show back in print. (I reviewed the reissued volumes one and two, and DVD Talk has oodles of reviews of the show’s disc releases to date.) Shout!’s newest effort in the reissue campaign is The Singles Collection, a sixdisc set of titles that were not originally released on DVD in the official numbered volume sets. Since they were selected for standalone release, it’s no surprise that these episodes are mostly fan favorites. That makes this one of the most consistent MST3K collections that you’re going to find. For those who are completely new to the series, allow me to cut-andpaste my show description from an earlier review here: A mad scientist, Dr. Clayton Forrester (Trace Beaulieu), and his daffy sidekick, TV’s Frank (Frank Conniff), conduct experiments on a
DVD TALK JUSTIN REMER
66 Sept. 10, 2020 DuluthReader.com
poor unsuspecting employee (show creator Joel Hodgson as Joel in the first half of the series; the series’ longtime head writer Michael J. Nelson as Mike in the second half) by sending him out into space indefinitely, on a ship nicknamed the “Satellite of Love” while forcing him to watch terrible movies, supposedly to “monitor his mind.” The original test subject, Joel, was a handy sort of a guy, so he managed to construct a bunch of robots to keep him company. Crow T. Robot (usually voiced by Trace Beaulieu), a gold spray-painted collection of odds and ends, and Tom Servo (usually voiced
Joel Robinson (Joel Hodgson) and the ‘Bots aboard the Satellite of Love during what the author considers the very best episode, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. by Kevin Murphy), a sentient gumball machine, sit in on the B-movie madness and trade heckles and asides that often incorporate pop culture references, both familiar and WAY obscure. The giant puppyish cyclops Gypsy (usually voiced by Jim Mallon) helps keep the ship running while the unheard, typically unseen Cambot... well... he records the show. Here’s how this set breaks down. The first episode included here is The Crawling Hand (Episode 106), which originates from the show’s first season on The Comedy Channel (before the network was folded into Comedy Central). Things feel a little different here, partly because the cast is not the classic cast. Joel is the host – as he is on all the features included in this set – but a young Josh Weinstein (who later changed his professional name to J. Elvis Weinstein, to differentiate himself from the Simpsons writer with the same moniker) appears on camera as Dr. Forrester’s first mad assistant, Dr. Laurence Erhardt, and he performs the voice of Tom Servo. Weinstein has good comic instincts, but the show doesn’t seem to fire on all cylinders with this crew. The Crawling Hand features Gilligan’s Island’s Alan Hale Jr., as a detective investigating murders perpetrated by
an alien-possessed severed hand. It’s a solid episode overall, but one that feels more laconic and lower-energy than fans would come to expect from the show’s later efforts. Some of the riffing seems to be a reaction to the energy level, such as this exchange: “Is there an abridged version of this movie?” “If so, let’s burn it.” “Never burn your abridges.” The episode features more silly wordplay like that, and less of the show’s signature pop culture references. Talking about the film’s titular mur-derous appendage: “You gotta hand it to him.” Also, this bit of nonsense: “He’s not even sporting a dance belt. Or dancing a sport belt.” The next episode in the set is based upon a film that doesn’t make a lick of sense, but the episode is priceless. We’re talking about the biker-sploitation flick, The Hellcats (Episode 209). Ross Hagen is a biker looking into the murder of his brother, with the help of his brother’s fiancee. They encounter some motorcycle gangs. There’s some fighting, some partying, some loving, and some scenes of characters nearly being ripped in half by bikes. Layer on some nonsensical biker slang, and you’ve got a misbegotten whatsit ripe for the takedown.
