Mystery Science Theater was Comedy Central's most talked about show in 1991, so naturally they pushed the show a fair amount back in the early days. One idea that stuck was a Thanksgiving Marathon, themed "Turkey Day" (you see, because bad movies are sometimes called "turkeys"). It was a bit of an aligning of the stars, as Thanksgiving just happened to be the holiday the show first aired on when it hit KTMA, so it's something of a celebratory day for MSTies. And thus, the legendary Turkey Day marathon begins.
The first Turkey Day marathon was aired in the middle of the third season on Comedy Central. Episodes were limited back then, and even more limited considering the channel and showrunners took first season episodes out of airing rotation at the time. They aired fifteen out of thirty-one available episodes at the time, which is a pretty sizable chunk, let me tell you.
Each Turkey Day (with the exception of one) features exclusive bumpers to introduce the episodes. The 1991 Turkey Day featured Dr. Forrester plotting to take over the world with a marathon of thirty hours of Mystery Science Theater experiments, planning to make the world burn with the pain he unleashes. While he's concentrating on his diabolical plan, Frank prepares a Thanksgiving dinner for a group of guests, which include Mike Nelson's Jack Perkins, Kevin Murphy's Plant Man, and Gerry and Silvia the Mole People. Frank does his best to lure Dr. F away from his experiments and to the festivities, but Dr. F won't budge. The comedy is very pleasant in these bumpers, and the chemistry between Trace and Frank is in full force. I would have liked to have seen a more diverse range of dinner guests, but the pleasantries still keep us entertained.
But while the bumpers are the appetizers, the main course comes down to each turkey, or episode. I think the limited offering may have hurt the line-up a little bit, though it rounds out to be a fairly decent marathon. Ring of Terror is a slow start, but it aired at midnight, so it's likely some people missed it (I'd be equally impressed and/or terrified if someone watched all thirty hours). They rebound with the excellence of Cave Dwellers then return to the season two mine for a few hours. Things mostly stay consistently good throughout dinnertime from Time of the Apes through Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, then my appetite gets spoiled when they offer Pod People up for desert. Night owls are treated to some uneven MST after dark, as Fugitive Alien rides high, hits a bummer with Catalina Caper, then ends on a solid note with Daddy-O and It Conquered the World.
Time of the Apes
Average Rating (out of 4): 2.866
I do wish I were a fan of the show in 1991 so I could have tuned in. But I was also seven at the time, and we didn't have cable. Still this must have been wonderful to behold in real time and it's definitely a tradition worth upholding every year.
I do wish I were a fan of the show in 1991 so I could have tuned in. But I was also seven at the time, and we didn't have cable. Still this must have been wonderful to behold in real time and it's definitely a tradition worth upholding every year.
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