The only directly related book I have is the old Amazing Colossal Episode Guide and the mostly related Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film. What am I missing? Are there any other official books out there.
I imagine some of the favorite actors or directors of the series have bios that would be fun. Any suggestions?
Various cast members have written books:
Mike:
Kevin:
Trace:
Frank:
Mary Jo:
Bill:
I just finished reading MST3K The Comic. Not as good as the show, but Joel was involved and it was kind of a fun read, although a lot of the jokes felt a little too forced. But still worth buying/owning.
I thought the comic was an idea with great potential that didnât quite work in the final product. If it had gone through a few more editing passes to pare down the jokes and refine the concept just a bit more, I think it could have been really good.
This is awesome! I started reading that first TVâs Frank book on Kindle. Very cool so far
Canât wait for the definitive Joe Don Baker biography: Mitchellâs Final Justice Proves Reality Bites
Not exactly an MST3K book, but Mike Nelson and Rifftraxâs Conor Lastowka have hosted a podcast where they basically riff bad books, starting with Ready Player One and going on a delirious journey through TekWar, Midnight Sun and the lesser known works of luminaries like E.L. James and Dan Brown, Sean Penn and, uh, George Lucas and Tyra BanksâŠ
Someone on another thread mentioned that thereâs a Manos book by Debbie
âGrowing Up with Manos: The Hands of Fate: How I was the Child Star of the Worst Movie Ever Made and Lived to Tell the Storyâ with an intro by Joel. Buying!
Found a Bert I Gordon autobiography but the reviews are terrible: no backstory on any of the movies and sometimes he just summarizes the plots! Not Buying!
FYI if youâre interested in TV Frankâs first book, get the dead-tree version. The ebook is riddled with typos
If youâre in the market for books about cheesy movies, I also enthusiastically endorse Nightmare of Ecstasy which is an oral history of Ed Wood, and also recommend the delightfully deceptively titled How I Made A Hundred Movies In Hollywood And Never Lost A Dime by Roger Corman.
Not directly related but The Golden Turkey Awards served as one of the inspirations for the series; for that reason alone it might be considered âMSTie Required Reading.â
Thank you! Iâm loving this so far. He explains why Gunslinger looked so weird: they were only supposed to have 5 days to shoot and it rained every day. He said itâs the only time he ever went over schedule. One night they were going to leave a guard to watch the trucks and he said âAnyone whoâd come out here, steal the equipment, and carry it through this mud to get it out is welcome to it.â Allison Hayes said âTell me, Roger, who do I have to f*ck to get off this picture?â. This is MST3K gold!
Lizz Winstead mentioned this one on the Mads stream last week. Itâs got some great MST3K content and a nice story of the Twin Cities comedy scene in general
Funny Thing About Minnesota
Lots of good pictures too!
Jackey Neyman Jones would probably be the first to admit that sheâs not a great author, but this book is a fascinating and enjoyable read anyway, because of the subject matter.
Thereâs an especial poignancy in the way the MST3K treatment of the movie brought her back together with her estranged father Tom (aka The Master).
The work of Brian Jay Jones is highly recommended to anyone interested in the nitty-gritty of the entertainment industry. So far heâs done biographies of Washington Irving, Jim Henson, George Lucas, and Dr. Seuss, with each providing their own unique perspective of a creative genius who burst into their chosen field and changed everything people thought they knew about it. Heâs going to announce his next project next week, too.
I highly recommend this book if you have a chance to get it. Kevin sees one movie every day in as many different ways as he can. Really funny and interesting book although the movies he watches will obviously be dated by now.
I second the recommendation of A Year at the Movies. It is an enjoyable read, and some of the places he visits are remarkable, like the tiny Australian place that only shows silent movies.
This one seems quite interesting. A book devoted entirely to foreign knockoff films, complete with interviewsâŠ
You might even be able to recognize a few.
Two tangential recommendations:
The Greatest Sci Fi Movies Never Made
Underexposed: The 50 Greatest Movies Never Made
Look 'em up, see if they feel like your reading thing.
Long before they started taking themselves seriously as critics and got political, the Medved Broâs did two excellent and hilarious books in the seventies:The Golden Turkey Awards and Son of the Golden Turkey Awards.
In the days before VHS and cable arrived and made bad movies easier to see, these two books were a lot of folks introduction to such future MST3K & RiffTrax luminaries like Ed Wood, Sonny Tufts, and Tor Johnson, and featured a lot of movies that became MST3K staples.
Very true. Before the Golden Turkey, I donât think anyone gave these movies much thought. They were just late night filler.
