MST3K Volume 6 (collected DVD) ... a Review
by David J Rust - December, 2004

Rhino home video has done it once again... The recently released "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume 6" has finally hit the shelves with something that fans have been waiting for ever since first seeing it on television nearly a decade, ago. No, it's not the dreadful film, "Attack of the Giant Leeches" (which, gentle reader, has actually been on regular television not all that long ago), "Gunslinger" (the Corman opus that actually had said of it, "I always loved Roger Corman as a director: he always gave women good, solid roles!"), or "Teenagers From Outer Space" (featuring not just a lobster as the big, bad monster, but the silhouette of a lobster). Rather, finally making its way to DVD and home collections everywhere is the long-awaited short, "Mr. B. Natural!" Fans of MST3K will no doubt remember the sprightly, androgynous man-woman as he/she/it danced gaily into the heart of a young man whose sense of rhythm is only matched by any one of a billion, dead white guys. The young lad, named -appropriately enough for a 1950's kid- "Buzz" was either given his name for his hairstyle or the fact that you'd have to have drunk at least enough alcohol to give you a Buzz to accept his portrayal of a realistic, young man. Yes, this 4-disc set features another collection of shorts, entitled, simply enough "Mr. B's Lost Shorts." When Mike and some of the cast appeared at Gen*Con Game Faire some years ago, I asked them if they had ever really figured out if Mr. B. Natural was a woman or a man. Yes, yes, everyone knows that Mr. B was played by Better Luster but what the heck is the short doing calling her, "Him"? They still weren't sure. The only sad part is that the DVD doesn't give us some of the most funny insights from that episode of MST3K. During the first host segment of Experiment 319 - "War of the Colossal Beast" (a Bert I. Gordon joint), Joel and the bots engage in one of their best bits of comedy in which Tom and Crow debate the gender of the allegedly "Mister" B. Natural. However, since the DVD only culls the actual shorts from the various episodes, we don't get the host segments, in between. Still, this disc contains several of the most long-awaited shorts in MST3K history, also including part one to "Hired!," "X Marks the Spot," and "Design for Dreaming." Now, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of other reasons to buy the Volume 6 collection; I'm just psyched about finally getting to see one of the only characters to reduce Crow to sobs, pleading "Oh, God, please say this isn't happening...!" Indeed, "Attack of the Giant Leeches" is a great film for any party because it features some of the best banter Joel and the rest of the MST3K crew ever turned out. In many ways, this film paved the way for such classics as "Squirm!" in which inbred, country hicks have to deal with nasty, evil, creepy-crawlies. The benefit of "...Leeches," however, is that we get some great host segments featuring TV's Frank and Dr. F. who had left the series by the time "Squirm!" made it's slimy showing. The biggest question on my mind after having watched "...Leeches," though, is why did anybody give this group of people money to shoot a film that not only debases women but manages to do the same to men, at the same time! Just take a gander at the wonderfully dysfunctional relationship of Liz and Dave Walker: you'll be scrubbing your eyes in a vain effort to cleanse them of the implied marital relations that the two possibly shared at some time in the past. Of course, 1950's audiences have to see infidelity -even vaguely deserved infidelity- punished with torture and murder. (At least Dave Walker got to commit suicide off-screen...) The other films are real winners, too, and "Gunslinger" is a good example of why Roger Corman is seen as the master of budget productions. Flat storefronts in a crummy, make-shift Old West town are just one of the flimsy plot points to which the MST3K crew draw attention in their shared pain. "Teenagers From Outer Space," by comparison, was so cheap that not only couldn't they afford a real monster for the film (instead, choosing to superimpose the silhouette of a lobster over the film stock) but they couldn't even afford real teenagers! If those aliens were any older, they'd be applying for social security. In short, MST3K Volume 6 offers some real treats that fans of the series have been awaiting for many years. The only flaws, are few. For one, there were no special features on any of the DVDs which some earlier releases did have. Now, true, we're buying these for the comedic talents of Joel, Mike, Trace, Frank, and the rest, but I'm a geek ... I want to see some fun things from behind the scenes. If the folks at Rhino and Best Brains ever see this review, let it be known that I don't want much; it would be fun to maybe have a stills gallery showing set-pieces from the program. A few interviews would be fun and maybe even shooting scripts with some of the riffs that had been left out. Another flaw is that the Mr. B's Shorts disc does not contain part two to "Hired!" Ok, I'm sure we'll see it one day but -for now- I'm aching for more... Damn you, Rhino! Damn you to helllllllll! (Ok, not really, but I'm now anxiously awaiting the next volume of shorts!) Finally, again with the shorts, it's kinda sad that the host segments that dealt with the shorts, have been omitted. Some of the best comedy in MST3K comes in those between-commercial bits. I miss them! But, over all, MST3K Volume 6 delivers what it sets out to deliver. For only a mere $60, we get hours of some of the sharpest mockery and comedy that ever appeared on television. Not only that, but we get some lost shorts that are truly memorable for their horrifying cinematography. If MST3K has a big flaw, it's this... It always leaves the fans wanting more.

(Keep Circulating The Tapes)

Go to Rhino Records

Or, better yet, go to the page where you
can buy Volume 6!