The award-winning television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988-1999) has been described as ""the smartest, funniest show in America,"" and forever changed the way we watch movies. The series featured a human host and a pair of robotic puppets who, while being subjected to some of the worst films ever made, provided ongoing hilarious and insightful commentary in a style popularly known as ""riffing."" These essays represent the first full-length scholarly analysis of Mystery Science Theater 3000--MST3K--which blossomed from humble beginnings as a Minnesota public-access television into a cultural phenomenon on two major cable networks. Included are interviews with series creator Joel Hodgson and cast members Kevin Murphy and Trace Beaulieu.

About the Author
ROBERT G. WEINER is associate humanities librarian at Texas Tech University. His works have been published in the Journal of Popular Culture, Public Library Quarterly, Journal of American Culture, International Journal of Comic Art and Popular Music and Society. He lives in Lubbock, Texas.||SHELLEY E. BARBA has written for Texas Library Journal. She is a metadata librarian at Texas Tech University.||Michael P. Schafale has worked as a community ecologist for the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program for twenty-seven years, focusing on the classification, tracking, conservation, and stewardship of natural communities.


Book Information
ISBN 9780786445325
Author Robert G. Weiner
Format Paperback
Page Count 277
Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
Publisher McFarland & Co Inc