Mystery Science Theater 3000 experiment #512: Mitchell.
Originally aired: October 23, 1993.
Still available at Amazon.
Yes. Joel Hodgson's last episode.
Joe Don Baker stars as an abrasive, alcoholic police detective who ignores his superiors' orders, and has no respect for "by the book" police work or normal social graces in this 1975 film. It's not very good. Reportedly, Baker hated the MST3K treatment of this film, and threatened violence to any cast member responsible if he ever met them in person. I believe he still goes to bed regretting that he never got his hands on anyone from the show that day, or week, or month, or year...
Away from the theater, the Mads have hired a temp (Michael J. Nelson) to help out, and he does such a bad job that Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank contemplate killing him. Up on the Satellite of Love, Gypsy catches the Mads discussing this, and she believes they're plotting to kill Joel. She hatches a hasty plan to get Joel off the satellite with an escape craft hidden in a box marked "Hamdingers". Joel couldn't stop the escape procedure, hinting that he really had no intention of leaving, and he's sent back to Earth. Once it dawns on them that they're now by themselves, Tom Servo and Crow panic.
Once the Mads find out that Joel is now off the satellite, they decide they need to replace him, and they quickly decide to send Mike up there in his place.
This is actually the only MST3K episode that I was never able to finish watching for many years. Perhaps it was sentimental reasons, since I've never really made it a secret that I preferred Joel to Mike, and it took me a long time to warm up to the latter. However, since it is a historically significant episode, and a very funny one to boot (tonight was the first time I've seen it since late 2001 or early 2002), I do have to recommend it. Highly.
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