Memorabilia

The Comedy Central Years
1991-1994

These are the items I've found dating from the early years that MST3K appeared on Comedy Central

1. In October 1991 Comedy Central sent out some fact sheets about the new channel included in press kits.  This is the cover page.

       

2. A letter from Comedy Central dated 11-18-91 announced the first Turkey Day marathon.

       

3. Comedy Central badge from 1991

       

4. 1991 Magazines

TV Guide 5-4-91	Entertainment Weekly 8-16-91	Entertainment Weekly 9-6-91	Entertainment Weekly 9-13-91	Satellite Orbit Nov 91
MST is one of few shows worth salvaging from Comedy Channel (large format only) Pics A, B	MST is quickly becoming cable's hippest show. Pic C	Letter mentions MST	Short mention of new shows coming up	Tuning In: MST3K Marathon (article about the Turkey Day Marathon)

        A.    B.

C.

5. Best Brains created their own Press Kits by reprinting copies of newspaper and magazine articles on their own PRESS format.  The version I have is from February 1992 and consists of 42 pages.  Below are just a few examples including the first press release from 12-19-88 and Tom Shales Best of 1991 from the Washington Post.

                       

6. If At All Possible Involve A Cow by Neil Steinberg released in July 1992 with an article about Jim Mallon's antics while at the University of Wisconsin.

   

7. The Killer Shrews (407) script.  Here is the invention exchange.

               

8. Mystery Science Manifesto 3000 (MSM3K) was one of the earliest, and most unusual, fanzines.  Its first issue came out September 1992.  There were 12 or 13 issues ending in early 1995.  The first and last issue I have are shown below.

                   

9. Comedy Central put out their official press kits like the one below from October 1992.  This one included a glossy 8x10 pictures, 2 color slides and a number of informational packets about MST3K and other shows on Comedy Central.

                   

10. Press photo for September 14, 1992 airing of This is Spinal Tap and 1992 MST3K Turkey Day Marathon.

       

11. Comedy Central sent out this popular post card to announce the second Turkey Day Marathon in November 1992.

       

       

12. 1992 magazines

Wipe Out #6 1992	Mademoiselle Feb 92	Entertainment Weekly 2-21-92	Pulse! Mar 92	Rolling Stone 3-19-92	Satellite TV Week 3-22-92	TV Guide 4-4-02	TV Guide 4-18-92
Very negative article about MST	Movies From Outer Space	Small article about MST merchandise (see article below)	The Art of Heckling	Gag U. - about Jim Mallon's Pail & Shovel Party	Huge magazine	Dennis Miller - What I Watch	Big Fans on Campus
Entertainment Weekly 6-5-92	People 6-8-92	OMNI Aug 92	Premiere Nov 92	Entertainment Weekly 11-20-92	Seventeen Dec 92	Entertainment Weekly 12-4-92	Entertainment Weekly 12-11-92
4th season starting	Picks & Pans - 4th season about to start	Nice article with lots of new pictures (see 4 pics below)	Cable Ready - mentions upcoming Turkey Day Marathon	Brief Turkey Day mention	Cool Talk - funniest show on TV	Look Who's Watching - rating the movie critics; Joel and bots get A+	TV merchandise you can buy for Xmas, including MST mug. (see bottom 2 pics)
Entertainment Weekly 12-25-92
Joel is quoted on page 9

               

       

13. Crow's Nest, another popular and well done fanzine, debuted with a Jan/ Feb 1993 issue and continued to October 1996.  Many of the issues featured original artwork by Gary Glover among others.  Below are some example covers from each year.  If anyone has a copy of the October 1996 issue I would like to get a copy.

                       

14.  Some original artwork by illustrator Gary Glover used for covers of the Crow's Nest.

   

15.  Comedy Central sent out this tape in the Spring of 1993 to shamelessly plug some of their shows.  Included is a complete, commercial-free version of This Is MST3K.  (By the way, the Comedy Central News tease at the end of the tape is a piece about Comedy Central creating a new show that they think will be called The Daily Show, or something like that.)

                       

16. Comedy Central supplied the 1993 poster below to a cable company for a local promotion.  As you opened up each fold of the poster you saw a different MST scene.  Once open a large Poster of Joel and the Bots was on the back.

                        Hold up on your trip to Venus.

              Postpone transforming yourself into a reptile-like creature.

          And ask that slime thing if it can ...

       

17. Man or Astroman released their version of the MST3K Love Theme in June 1993.

 

18. This large, stand-up display was used at cable stations to promote the Pick the Wisecrack contest in the summer of 1993.  The winner of the contest received gifts and appeared in one of the Turkey Day bumpers that year.

       

       

19. Some MSTies that entered the Pick the Wisecrack contest and had the correct answer, but did not get selected as the winner were sent a Comedy Central runner up t-shirt

                Front

            Back

20. MSTieween 93 took place on 10-30-93 in Edina, MN when a bunch on on-line MSTies held a Halloween party to watch Mike Nelson's debut in The Brain That Wouldn't Die.  Comedy Central catered and filmed the event to use as the bumpers for the 1993 Turkey Day marathon.  An attendee of the event received this tape of all the bumpers as well as the t-shirt shown below.  I included one example of a lead-in screen used for each of the 30+ bumpers.

       

21. The MSTieween 93 t-shirt was signed by Kevin, Frank, Jim, Mike and Trace.  While Trace drew a cute drawing of Crow peeking around the planet logo Kevin correctly identified the location of the nipple.

           

22. Each of the cast members was given a white lab coat that was worn around the studio for years.  Kevin can be seen during the This Is MST3K special wearing his.  This is the coat worn by Jim Mallon.

           

23. An excellent collection of MST related newspaper and magazine articles called Shadowramma was re-released around December 1993 (green cover).  It was updated in the Spring of 1994 (orange cover).

               

24. 1993 magazines

Newsweek 1-18-93	CompuServe April 1993	Film Threat April 1993	Entertainment Weekly 5-21-93	TV Guide 5-29-93	TV Guide's Parents' Guide to Chidren's Entertainment Summer 93	Entertainment Weekly 7-16-93	Entertainment Weekly 7-23-93
Hip Lips Dis Yucky Flicks	Interesting cover		Compares MST to Beavis and Butthead	Jeers to Joel for stepping down as MST host		Fifth season starting	Winner of the Week -MST on nightly
TV Guide 7-24-93	TV Guide 8-14-93	Rolling Stone 9-16-93	Entertainment Weekly 9-17-93	Bright Lights Fall 93	Rubber Chicken Fall 93	Rolling Stone 10-14-93	TV Guide 10-23-93
Joel hands off command to  Mike (see pic A)	Letter - sorry Joel is leaving	Raves	Very brief mention that MST gets a new host (p56)			Great full page ad for the Pick the Wisecrack Contest (see pic B)	Grapevine
People 10-25-93	Entertainment Weekly 10-29-93	TV Guide 11-20-93	Entertainment Weekly 11-26-93	Imagi-Movies Winter 93/94	Entertainment Weekly 12-3-93
New Face In Outer Space	Space Shot	1/2 page Turkey Day ad (see pic C)	Great Turkey Day ad (see pic D)		Interview of Tom and Crow (see pic E)

A.      B.     
C. D. E.

25. BBI list of 1-hour episodes for the MST3K Hour.  All target run times and public domain titles are noted.

       

26. Film Processing Info sheet used by BBI.

       

27. Here is part of a 1994 Comedy Central press kit.  This kit included the standard Comedy Central folder, a few press releases and 4 color slides of Mike and the bots.

           

28. Best Brains publicity photo and similar picture from Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 9/14/94.

     

29. Some other fanzines of the time included Satellite of Love Letters (issued quarterly starting in Sept 94), World of Cheese (issue #3 shown below with a report from the first convention) and Hamdinger (with more convention 1 memories).

                       

30. MST3K Stereogram (Magic Eye) created by Darryl Cate and posted 10/24/94.
        If you have trouble picking out the MST shadowrama try staring at the two eyes at the top of the picture and let your eyes go out of focus.  When you begin to see a third eye in the middle scan down into the picture.  The shadowrama isn't perfect, but it's still kind of interesting.

31. On 11-15-94 Comedy Central sent out this press release to announce that Adam West would be hosting that year's Turkey Day marathon.

       

32. Season 6 complete list from BBI files showing run time and delivery dates.

       

33. 1994 magazines

TV Guide 1-15-94	TV Week (Chic) 2-20-94	TV Guide 3-5-94	Videoscope #8 Mar 15/May 15, 94	TV Guide 3-19-94	TV Guide 5-21-94	TV Week (Phil) 7-10-94	TV Guide 7-23-94
MST listed as a CableACE nominee		MST3K's Full Nelson	The Brains Behind MST3K	Marooned mentioned in Oscar story	Pictures of Mike as Jack Perkins	Season 6 starting	MST3K's Conventional Wisdom
Genii Aug 94	This Island Ear 8-22-94	TV Guide 9-17-94	The Reader (Omaha, NE) 9-28-94	Imagi-Movies Fall 94	Time 10-3-94	Mediaweek 10-24-94	Esquire Dec 94
Joel interview		Crow quote	Ad for live show at convention (See pic below)	Letter writing campaign to Universal trying to save MST3K: The Movie	ConventioCon article	Story tells that Joel is a writer for new John Stewart Show	The Robots That Conquered Cable
TV Guide 11-19-94	Entertainment Weekly 11-25-94
Jeers to Comedy Central for ending midnight showing	Turkey Day note

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