Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie Trivia (1996)

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Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie Trivia

• The German version of the film was translated by comedian Oliver Kalkofe who altered the references for German audiences as well as adding some of his own.
• So terrible an experience was the making of the film that the cast and crew actually parodied it in the series episode 704 "The Incredible Melting Man." The host segments involve Crow selling off his screenplay then meeting constant interference with having it made, most notably the "studio," in this case Dr. Forrester and his mother, nitpicking, changing and ultimately ruining it. Mary Jo Pehl, who played Mother Forrester, called it an incredibly healing process.
• Jim Malone, the usual voice and puppeteer for Gypsy, handed off most of his duties (except the voice) to Patrick Brantseg so he could focus on direction. Brantseg would take over the duties as both puppeteer and voice when the series moved to the Sci-Fi channel.
• The film's DVD release originally included no special features and was withdrawn from circulation in 2000. In 2003, an unknown fan released a special edition version that included several special features including the film, an alternate ending and a cut host segment. It also included a slideshow from a convention and a review from E!
• The studio's constant interference in the movie made the making of a horrendous experience for most of the cast. Trace Beaulieu, who played both Crow and Dr. Forrester, commented that it was the "worst movie" featured on the series.
• The runtime of the movie is 73 minutes, significantly shorter than the 90 minute runtime of the average episode of the TV show. Gramercy Films claimed that focus groups' attention began to waver at around the 75 minute mark, so decided the film should be heavily cut.
• Universal's original plan was to release the film across a number of college towns gradually so that it wouldn't have to compete with summer blockbusters of the time. The plan backfired as most fans of the show were unaware of when the movie was in their town.
• During the film, Crow shouts "Oh, PLEASE, let us get the Sci-Fi Channel, oh please, oh please, oh please!" as a reference to the fact that the show was in talks to relocate to the Sci-Fi Channel.
• The paper that Mike reads near the beginning of the movie is actually a copy of the official Mystery Science Theater 3000 newsletter "Satellite News."
• A bust of TV's Frank appeared over the #2 door in the tunnel that led to the theater. Frank Contiff was a former cast member who left the show under good circumstances in season 6.