MST3K Story: Dr. Forrester and Dr. Erhardt are having an argument over changing their approach. Dr. Erhardt feels they aren’t really mad scientists, just angry. Dr. Forrester thinks Dr. Erhardt has turned into Florence Henderson. Joel’s been listening in since Thursday and Dr. Erhardt has a casserole in the oven. The Bots latest attempt at humor involves welding themselves together. Joel only thinks it’s funny once they add women’s underwear to the ensemble. Later, Crow and Servo discuss how they can’t understand what humans find funny, including the appeal of Punky Brewster. Servo thinks Joel’s recent comedy attempts are an indication of a fatal error. He suggests destroying Joel as a solution. When Crow bowls for the Inter-Satellite Championship, the shoes lead him to accidentally reveal his sense of smell. Joel wants to play something else, but the Bots aren’t interested in playing Murderball or Rock-Scissors-Paper, making Joel regret giving the Bots free will. After the movie, Joel and the Bots answer some viewer mail. They all have fans, but Servo gets fired up by his female fan.
Mighty Jack Story: An evil organization known as Q has been wreaking havoc all over the world. A paramilitary group code-named “Mighty Jack” is formed to combat Q. Meanwhile in Tokyo, the mysterious Harold Atari is kidnapped. Colonel Yubuki, leader of Mighty Jack, believes Q to be behind the kidnapping, so he sends Mighty Jack on a rescue mission. Jerry, the forward scout sent in to locate Atari, is captured. Together, Jerry and Atari contact Mighty Jack and are rescued after a furious battle. It is only then that Atari reveals that he is the new Commander of Mighty Jack. Their next assignment is to investigate a missing Antarctic installation. They find a Q base hidden inside an iceberg, built with freezing technology previously unknown. Their investigations lead to several suspects: scientists Dr. Takibana and his son Fritz, the mysterious Manuel Perez, and international reporter Roberto Okamura. Eventually it is revealed that Fritz is behind the theft of the technology with the help of Perez and Okamura. The efforts of the Mighty Jack team lead to their deaths, the destruction of the freezing device and the defeat of Q.
MST3K segments written by Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, Josh Weinstein, Jim Mallon, Kevin Murphy & Faye Burkholder
MST3K segments director unknown
Mighty Jack written by Shinichi Sekizawa & Eizaburou Siba
Mighty Jack directed by Kazuho Mitsuta
Mighty Jack music by Isao TomitaMST3K Guest Cast: Alexandra Carr & Faye Burkholder (Puppet Operations and Voices)
Mighty Jack Cast: Hideaki Nitani, Naoko Kobo, Hiroshi Ninami, Eisei Amamoto, Masanari Nhei, Wakako Ikeda, Akira Kasuga, Seikou Fukioka, Noriaki Inoue, Yoshitaka Tanaka, Mitsubu Ohya, Eijirou Yanagi, Kenji Sahara
LogBook entry by Philip R. Frey
Notes: There is no listing for a director in the closing credits of this episode.
Mighty Jack was edited together from episodes of the Japanese television show Maitei Jyakku.
Eisei Amamoto was one of Japan’s most recognizable actors, appearing in over sixty films including Yojimbo (1961), Ghidra The Three Headed Monster (1964), and Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Kagi no kagi (1965), the Japanese spy film used as the basis for Woody Allen’s What’s Up Tiger Lily? (1966). Amamoto also appeared in the film MSTied in episode #213 – Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster.
Kenji Sahara was a staple of Japanese giant monster movies, appearing in fourteen of Toho’s “Godzilla” and related films, from the original Gojira in 1954 to Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla in 1994.
This film was re-used in episode #314 – Mighty Jack.
Notable Riffs: “They’re playing games with Mr. Atari.”
“Nothing appeases an island more than a couple of bombs dropped on it.”
“Oh, no! They’re gonna open their own demonic soft ice cream franchise!”
Mighty Jack original release date: 1981, from episodes of Maitei Jyakku that originally aired in 1968