A worthy question has arise from the Teenage Strangler thread… What character in the MST movies is the geekiest / nerdiest / most obnoxiously dweeby of them all? I think I’ve gotten most of the principal targets in the poll, but if you can think of any I may have missed then let me know. I’m trying to confine the list to characters that are definitively portrayed as being geek/nerd/dweeb types as opposed to just comic-relief characters like the fat guy in Ring of Terror and other similar characters.
It is a tough call between Mikey and Froggy. Mikey gets more time to shine in Teenage Strangler than Froggy in Laserblast, but Eddie Deezen made an entire career out of being a nerd, so I am giving my vote to Froggy.
I’m getting a little stuck on the geek/nerd terms as I am both an amateur and professional geek/nerd. I think of those terms differently and I don’t so much identify with Froggy . I would probably vote for neu-Cornjob from Gamera vs Jiger what with his submarine inventing and all, plus somewhat geeky demeanor.
But I get your overall intent, especially with the term “dweeb” included, and I’d have to go with Mikey. Froggy is such a strong close second, but he has something Mikey ain’t got - a friend. Mikey rolls solo, and that’s a strong dweeb trait.
Perico gets honorable mention, mostly for being a great, big, serious… coward.
Yeah the geek/nerd/dweeb category is a little bit fuzzy and there’s spillage from here to there, but ultimately the goal was to have a list of the most awkward, socially inept, oddball sorts. Neo-Cornjob from Jiger is a good add … I’d forgotten about him. Unfortunately its too late to do anything but make him an honorable mention along with a few others…
Neo-Cornjob … from Gamera vs. Jiger
Dr. Krasker … from The Dead Talk Back
Dr. Baines … from The Killer Shrews
Jesse … from The Girl in Lovers Lane
Genius … from Village of the Giants
I don’t think any of these guys would win the contest by any stretch, but they deserve to have a hat tipped to them as part of the pantheon of characters that fit the mold. Part of the whole aspect of this sort of character is that they also have to be kind of inept, useless, or otherwise be a non-contributor. That sort of puts Krasker and maybe even Tommy out of the running.
Krasker is a great call for honorable mention. Definitely fits, including (especially?) his voice and delivery. He also solves a murder - with science! Well, sorta. But he cracks the case either way.
We need some lady geeks in this joint. I’m struggling to think of any, although I am probably overlooking at least a few. I can only keep so many episodes in my head.
I guess Jessica from The Thing That Couldn’t Die is sort of nerdy when she’s not being possessed. But the guys who make these movies can’t really commit to making any woman a real nerd, except maybe for the one scientist in the background of Rocket X-M, perhaps. The one where the riff is, “You’re all denying my womanhood, aren’t you?” And she was essentially background. Didn’t even have an actual speaking part.
For a woman to be genuinely nerdy, her main trait has to be something other than, Hey, look conventionally cute and get condescended to-- er, “romanced” by my self-insert ‘hero.’ But that’s never what happens.
. I would probably vote for neu-Cornjob from Gamera vs Jiger what with his submarine inventing and all, plus somewhat geeky demeanor.
But the guys who make these movies can’t really commit to making any woman a real nerd, except maybe for the one scientist in the background of Rocket X-M, perhaps. The one where the riff is, “You’re all denying my womanhood, aren’t you?” And she was essentially background. Didn’t even have an actual speaking part.