So it was just 'cause it was the beginning of basic cable and they needed to fill time more than anything. They then debuted the first two episodes as part of a Thanksgiving science-fiction movie marathon. He worked as a script doctor for a while on films such as 1997's George of the Jungle. opens in a new window. MST3K was just one of those shows that appealed to (just about) everyone - and performed a needed service - making us laugh. And I decided to walk away. As the 20th anniversary box set was released, in interviews Joel explains his departure in more detail: Hodgson left the show in 1993 after a struggle with producer Jim Mallon over a big-screen adaptation of the show. When the fourth episode (Gamera vs Barugon) aired, they received mostly positive feedback. Little is known about Joel's life before Gizmonic Institute. The campaign to #bringbackMST3K is steadily drawing near its goal. The prop department thought they could make a better time bomb than the one Joel had, which was used in the show. ", "The weird thing about it that I think is interesting is that before movie riffing, there were three flavors of comedy: sketch, like on Saturday Night Live or SCTV; there was standup; and there were sitcoms. One of his students was a young teenage comedian named Josh Weinstein. To kill Joel. Building on his gift for designing toys and other gizmos, Hodgson built three robot puppets and created MST3K in 1988. He would regularly perform at the Comedy Gallery. Joel had a recurring role on the critically praised Freaks and Geeks as a disco-loving clothing store owner (Trace Beaulieu also had a recurring role on the series as a teacher). In addition, Dr. Erhardt was replaced by TV's Frank (played by Frank Conniff). Those first 22 episodes were just what was there, and when we went to Comedy Channel, HBO/Downtown Productions were the ones who would get rights to a movie. If MST3K hadn’t gotten canceled fifteen years ago, it’s possible we could have had 4 or 5 hosts by now, and it would be just like Doctor Who: even if you had “your Doctor,” you’d still be able to appreciate the different flavors that each new Host or Mad or robot added to the show. When we started, it wasn't like they treated us like a real show. The show wasn't picked up. Mystery Science Theater 3000 has been canceled before, and it just happened again. They learned to communicate better and set up some new rules. When the show was first canceled by Comedy Central in 1996 after the abbreviated season 7, … Later, he was booked to headline the opening of The Comedy Gallery on March 18, 1982. The positive response to the 2013 Turkey Day marathon resulted in a new marathon every following year, each hosted or co-hosted by Joel, starting with Turkey Day '14 featuring Trace Beaulieu and Josh Weinstein voicing Crow and Tom Servo, respectively. Around this time, Joel made the decision to become a standup comedian. Some changes were evident, such as the redesigning of the robots and the new color of Servo and Gypsy, Joel's character name was now Joel Robinson, they would show serials before some movies, and the mad scientists were now outcasts. Interesting Facts about MST3K : Page 18 This category is for questions and answers related to MST3K, as asked by users of FunTrivia.com. Joel took odd jobs and found ways to keep his creative mind active, like ironing decals at a t-shirt factory, repairing Gobot costumes used in Tonka trade shows, and building and selling one-of-a-kind robot sculptures at a Minneapolis store called Props. According to the MST3Kinfo website, Joel has recently been working on the Jimmy Kimmel show as a writer/producer and digital effects director. They stuck with the formula really closely. In November 1990, HBO executives made a trek to Minnesota. Hodgson has been married to Tiffany Hodgson since 1996. Romano joined Vox as a staff reporter in 2016. When the ninth chapter of Radar Men from the Moon (1952) encounters technical difficulties, it gives the Mads an earlier opportunity to bring the Satellite of Love and its crew to their knees via Robot Holocaust (1987). Joel said he will explain this if another season is renewed. What happened to Joel from Mystery Science Theater? In November 1985, he met Jerry Seinfeld after his performance at The Comedy Gallery. Most MST3K fans seem to have a preference for either Joel or Mike. During the act, Joel would announce that he only had three minutes to perform. Joel Hodgson met Jim Mallon in 1985 or 1986 when Jim rented some studio space on Robert Street to edit his film Blood Hook next to a factory where Joel was working. Paramount would also not give BBI creative control and wanted the option to recast anyone. It was also about this time that Joel met struggling Trace Beaulieu at Eugene Huddleston's improvisational workshop that they both attended. For the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live - 30th Anniversary Tour, Joel returned to the character of Joel Robinson, playing him again (and, reportedly, for the last time on tour) on the Cheesy Movie Circus Tour in 2019/2020. We would take about a week when we started to write them, and pretty soon within the first season, it took us about five days, and there were between six and eight of us writing these shows. The third episode aired that Sunday, and on it they displayed a telephone number in order to receive viewer feedback. In the revival, as well as serving as overall showrunner and co-director, Joel appears on camera as Ardy and other characters. Three years later, TV Guide rewrote the article, and bumped MST3K to #13. 28 comments. The problem is that MST3K got canceled after just two hosts, and instead of becoming a proud tradition, some audiences started to see it as a competition between “Team Joel” and “Team Mike.” I think that if MST3K had lasted long enough to have a third host, this wouldn’t have happened. I had to ask, "Where are you seeing this show?" For a while, Joel and his brother Jim were the executive producers on The Discovery Channel's Everything You Need to Know and Joel voices the sleazy town mayor on the Cartoon Network cartoon Steven Universe. Joel formally ended Cinematic Titanic in 2013, just a few years before Kickstarting the MST3K reboot. Two weeks later, they again met, and Joel proposed the idea of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Why is Max saying “You’re watching MST3K, Moon 13: The Moon”?It’s a nostalgic recreation of the commercial bumper segments in cable television during the 1990s. The most important change was that everything was scripted at this point. Of course, Joel created the series and made a vital ongoing contribution to it when he was its star, but those who say he is "funnier" might want to keep in mind that MST3K scripts have always been a team effort, and Head Writer Mike Nelson and the rest of the writing staff were writing a lot of Joel's dialog. Joel's talent for creating props was showcased as each show opened with an invention exchange. He got booked and made his national television debut on February 15, 1983. Joel appeared in character with Crow and Tom Servo opposite Trace and Frank as Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank. The problem is that MST3K got canceled after just two hosts, and instead of becoming a proud tradition, some audiences started to see it as a competition between “Team Joel” … NEXT> 4. This new "host segment" instructed viewers on how to dispose of their Godzilla vs. Megalon DVD in the boxed set and replace it with The Giant Gila Monster. A: After he left MST3K, Joel moved to Los Angeles and now lives there full-time. That issue has quickly become a sticking point for fans who aren’t sure they want to support MST3K without more of the old guard around. It was unheard of back then to make a show where you just kind of talk over a movie. MST3K has always inspired this kind of devotion amongst its fan base. The writing also changed to a new system in which Michael J. Nelson was named head writer. Two New Shorts Are Coming, with Joel Hodgson, J. Elvis Weinstein and Bill Corbett Reprising Their Original Roles—Here's How You Can See Them! I meant why did they go back to the satellite of love after they move to Wisconsin. This was when there were three channels, so I’d watch the farm report or this terrible polka show called, "It was right when stand-ups were becoming famous. He was then booked on a few HBO and Showtime comedy specials. At the end of April, Joel made his official return to comedy with a show at The Comedy Gallery. The Comedy Channel initially promoted it as a children's show. ... What happened to Mitchell's old car just before he got a new, blue one? Joel's main source of income was still standup. On September 26, 1982, he won the First Annual Twin Cities Comedy Invitational, beating some well-known comedians in the process. The show finally premiered on the Comedy Channel on November 18 with the The Crawling Eye.