I've always thought it was interesting that a large majority of the viewer letters that Joel and Nelson read on the air were from kids -- many of them very young kids -- even though when you listen to all the sex, drug, music, literary and obscure cultural references in the riffing, it's obvious that MST was aimed at adults -- especially adults old enough to remember "Gilligan's Island", "Mannix", or all those old Quinn Martin detective shows, and who dig bands like The Mothers Of Invention or The Cramps, or who collect the Norton Records Anthologies, or dig '60s garage bands or old rockabilly, or who like movies by Russ Meyers or Ray Dennis Steckler.

It kind of reminds me of when I was about nine or ten years old, and was first getting heavily into Looney Tunes cartoons. I was totally digging the slapstick and sight gags, but it wasn't until I was a young teenager that I realized that they were really aimed at adults, and that there was a whole different level of humor that was going right over my head when I was a young kid. For instance, it wasn't until I was about fifteen, and starting to really get into Humphrey Bogart, that I finally understood the "Treasure Of The Sierra Madre" reference in this one Bugs Bunny cartoon, the one with the little baby penguin, where Bogart keeps walking into the shot and asking Bugs, "pardon me, but could you help out a fellow American who's down on his luck?"

I was already in my early thirties when I got into MST3K, toward the end of Season 2, but I think it'd be interesting to hear from some of the long-time MST3K fans who first got into it when they were eight or ten years old, then perhaps got the DVDs when they were in college and watched those old episodes again as young adults.

This had to be brought up eventually: Project Popcorn. The BLATANT Russian rip-off of MST.

If you haven't seen the opening, here it is: http://zoyx.us/post/2967087117/russian-mst3k-rip-off

I don't speak Russian so I don't know if they ripped off the lyrics to the opening tune word for word, but from the puppets (a stout red one, and one with a yellow beak) to the mad scientist who shot the average looking guy in a jumpsuit into space to the use of some of the exact shots from the MST opening, I'm pretty sure we can say 'Yup, they stole it.'

Did anyone ever figure out what Tanya said in that one part?

Mike is so adorable in the sailor suit. And also oddly lovable as Torgo.

This guy has to be one of the least likable protagonists in film history. I think they were trying to make him an antihero, but they failed miserably.

Watched this one with my bf and a friend tonight. My friend had the frightening realization that this movie passes the Bechdel test.

Um...Girl power?

Don'tcha just love how the characters refer to Soviet propaganda with an obvious disdain when the film they're in is blatant US propaganda?

It took me so many viewings to realize that they were supposed to be vampires. or something. I still don't know.

Holy Crap, guys! I hate myself, but I JUST got the reference in the host segments. At one point, Flavia mentions the emperor's violin concert. And then, at the end of the episode, Bobo knocks over a candle, starting a big fire.

I feel shame as a history buff for not making that connection a long time ago.

The Greek, Roman and Norse mythologies are really awesome. Finnish mythology is just weird.

The first time I watched this episode, my now-ex-husband walked into the room. His face lit up as he said, "I love this movie! I saw this in the drive-in!" Wow.

That moment when the chicken talks suggestively to the narrator may be the single creepiest moment in any of these shorts.