Twenty Five Mystery Science Theater 3000 Films That Changed M... by Frank Conniff

Remember?”īut Hodgson’s love for Minneapolis remains intact, as was made clear by our conversation, in which he talked nostalgically about his early days in the Twin Cities, working as a comic, selling his first robots at Calhoun Square, and meeting his MST3K co-stars in the basement of the Uptown Library. I was surprised, however when I’d spoken to him a few days before and he told me the reaction to the show had been somewhat underwhelming when it came Twin Cities in 2007, leaving Hodgson wanting to say, “Hey, remember us? We’re the guys that did the funniest show that came out of Minneapolis. Being a die-hard MST3K fan myself, I was not surprised when attending “Cinematic Titanic” at a packed Nokia Theater in New York a few weeks ago that Hodgson was greeted like a rock star when he stepped on stage. Now, 17 years later, Hodgson is back with “Cinematic Titanic,” a live show in which he and many of the original cast members appear onstage, riffing on more God-awful films projected on a screen behind them. MST3K writer Mike Nelson replaced him (a change Hodgson actually thinks helped the show).

Hodgson, however, stayed with MST3K for only five of those 10 years, leaving once more while at the peak of his success.

During its 10-year run, MST3K - which was filmed entirely in a warehouse in Eden Prairie - earned a Peabody and two Emmy nominations, spawned a feature film of its own, and in 2007 made Time magazine’s list of “100 greatest TV shows of all-time.” The show was a cult UHF hit in the Twin Cities, and before long garnered the attention of a new cable network, Comedy Central (then the Comedy Channel). The result was “Mystery Science Theater 3000” (MST3K to fans), in which Joel and his robot friends (designed by Joel himself) found themselves trapped aboard a spaceship called the Satellite of Love and forced to watch unwatchable films while riffing on them endlessly. In 1988, he began developing a show with local cable access producer Jim Mallon. While there he developed a love for comedy, doing stand-up around the Twin Cities and then in L.A., where, at 22, he appeared on “Late Night With David Letterman” and “Saturday Night Live.”īut just as his career was taking off, Hodgson decided to return to Minneapolis. Hodgson, who was born and raised in Green Bay, Wis., moved in the late 1970s to St.

Twenty Five Mystery Science Theater 3000 Films That Changed M... by Frank Conniff