Favorite MST Made for TV Movie episode

I think Riding with Death is my favourite but I feel San Francisco International doesn’t get enough love.

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Going to add to the votes for Overdrawn at the Memory Bank. I often suggest it as a first episode for people to watch because I think it ticks all the boxes for someone who hasn’t been introduced to the show before.

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Interesting, I never was overly thrilled with Overdrawn. :man_shrugging:

The Master Ninja’s were fun, especially the second one. I liked SF International, but Riding With Death is the only made for TV movie that’s found its way onto my top 25 - though I am disappointed MST cut out Jim Stafford’s greatest song in that flick… “I’m in Love With a Cupcake”

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I go with Overdrawn at the Memory Bank over the fantastic Riding with Death by the narrowest of margins.

That being said, I’m glad to see the San Francisco International love here.

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San Francisco International, esp. for the riffing on the child of impending divorce who flies a plane. Funniest stuff since Petey the Plane from Skydivers.

I like to watch the TV movie ones on a Friday night sometimes (another growing up in the '70s fan here!)

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This is a tough one, these movies hold a special place for me as well. I think San Francisco International gets my vote. The others are truly good as well, but this one just checks all the boxes of 70’s cheesy goodness for me. Between the cargo robbery, wife hostage, mushy nose gear, guitar hippy vs. stuffy business man, and sad boy steals airplane, it’s like some sort of extended-cut after school special crossbred with The Brady Bunch. I love it.

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Riding with Death just edges out Overdrawn in this category, only because of the so-obvious “throw two episodes together” structure that makes the TV-ness more apparent

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The inexplicable and hastily dubbed-in “YOU’RE MORE ELUSIVE THAN ROBERT DENBY” line (as well as the line about putting Sam on the Denby case) to connect the two episodes was a thing of hilariously dumb beauty. Bless Riding with Death forever for that.

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I was going to say Merlin but after double checking, I guess it was just an original film that then got stitched to another film and a new framing device? What a weird… thing. It definitely FEELS like two episodes of a show being used as a pilot though. The Borgnine character even says it’s a story he wrote for television, a seemingly pointless detail now.

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I will still apologize for being as elusive as Robert Denby whenever I can (like if I fail to respond to a message in timely fashion)

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Heh! :smiley: Just tell them you were busy cleaning your glasses!

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It’s even more galling when they attempt to blend the two together in the “second half”, since one is so obviously 90s and the other is so obviously 80s with vastly different picture qualities.

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