Fans of the classic ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000‘ are going to be thrilled as the creator of the show, Joel Hodgson, has found some lost episodes! Fans are already excited for the revival of the series but one thing that was long missing were three episodes from the past which were viewed by some but have no longer been available, until now. Two of these three long lost missing episodes have been discovered! So for those who have missed them initially, not only do we have the 14 new episodes of the series hitting Netflix next year but now two more from the classic run to look forward to as well!
These two which have been discovered featured the films ‘Invaders From the Deep’ and ‘Revenge of the Mysterons From Mars’ which were both released in 1981. The episodes themselves had initially been released on KTMA in 1988 where the series had first been released. It is important to note that these are the official first two episodes from the series!
Here is what Hodgson had to say about the find:
“I’m happy to tell you that we finally found master tapes for two of the three “lost KTMA episodes” of MST3K: Invaders from the Deep and Revenge of the Mysterons from Mars. I actually thought we had discovered copies of these episodes at one point during the Kickstarter last year, and I was really excited that I’d be able to finally share them with you… and then it turned out that we hadn’t found them, and it was a real bummer. But then, earlier this year, a few final boxes turned up. And there they were: the very first episodes of MST3K ever made.
So yeah: If your Kickstarter rewards include any of the “Classic MST3K Bonus Episodes,” the two “lost episodes” are now waiting for you – a special “Happy Turkey Day” present from all of us at MST3K. (Just remember, though, these are really old episodes, so I hope you can look at them like a “first draft” of what the show would turn into.) Just log into your VHX account, and you’ll see them in your collection of Classic Episodes. You can stream and download them, whatever you want.
I don’t want to give you more reading for today, so I’ll just say that I really loved getting a chance to see these early episodes again. You can see Josh and Trace and me just wading into “movie riffing” and starting to play with all the elements and dynamics of the show and the set pieces. Obviously, it’s pretty slow. We didn’t pre-watch any of the films or even attempt to write any jokes; it’s just us, starting out, “blue skying” it.
(Naturally, if I could have known that, almost 30 years later, there would be a group of about 50,000 folks looking at these as a sort of “historical document,” I probably would have tried to find ways to put more time into them. But, as they say, it is what it is.)
Also, I have to tell you: This week was the first time that I’ve watched these in a long time. Seeing them now, I’m so proud we took the leap of faith and tried it. The cast and crew are suiting up in the gear and giving it a whack, and even this early on – as primitive as it is – you can sort of feel where this is all going.
Anyway, I took some notes when I watched them, and I’d like to share those with you. But I thought maybe I’d wait until next week, and give you this weekend to watch them first.”
This is fantastic news and now leaves us with only one missing episode which has probably been lost forever. Still, having the rest is like a shining beacon of humor for science fiction fans everywhere.
Were you a backer to that had the “Classic MST3K Bonus Episodes” reward? Are you eager to be able to check these out? Share your thoughts on this find below!
Source: Dread Central
Stuart Conover is an author, blogger, and all around geek. When not busy being a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible immersed in comic books, science fiction, and horror! Would you like to know more? Follow him on Twitter!
