MST3K: Manos Group Therapy

Its's RUclips's Frank!

I know Joel is the face of the whole thing, but man, Trace does not get near enough appreciation for his contributions.

Trace always has the best lines. "You've got to aim high to fail so big."

I love these guys. Genuinely. They have brought me so much happiness and laughter over my lifetime. I am 43 and watched MST3K as a little kid. Never gets old.
Edit: I am coincidentally wearing a t-shirt today with Crow on it that says "I'm different!" 😂

The host segment with Mike playing Torgo was the funniest one ever!

The two things I remember from the MST3K episode of Manos:
Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank apologizing to the satellite for how terrible the movie is and Joel and the bots apologizing to the audience for how terrible the movie is.
And I think Manos is the only movie where you could see the moths collecting on the film lights off camera during the movie.
Great conversation! Loved hearing you all talk about it.

More of these kind of interviews, plleeeeease!! Love it.

TV’s Frank still has the best hair

"You gotta aim high, to fail so big." Thanks for that, Trace. Kinda sums up my ethos.

"...a slow, scenic drive to that plot." 😂❤😂

Is it me or is this shot in a therapeutic group support vibe- “We were exposed to the worst version of something and years later we still need to validate each other in how awful it really was.” It’s like the Ken Burns documentary about the Civil War- “My dearest Mystie, I have left my soul in a New Mexico, and Torgo is my demon master…” ❤

I will never stop watching MST3K!! ❤

There was nothin' better than coming home buzzed, late at night, flipping the TV on and realizing that MST3K was on. Fire up a frozen pizza, open some chippies, and settle in.

I was in high school when that episode came out. Me and my friends made a children's show based around Torgo. He was a perversion of the Mister Rogers kind of thing. He lived in a cardboard box and there was a rat that lived in the wall. I don't think any copies of the show remain. But it was my magnum opus as a writer and director.

I named a cat Torgo after seeing this film for the first time. LOL

I will always, no matter what, consider MST3K the greatest television show ever created. Thank you Joel, Trace, Frank, and Mary Jo for making such an incredibly special show!

It's amazing to me how the _entire_ movie is shot out of focus. I think it adds to the experience.

It took me about 3 minutes before I realized, "Hey, that's Dr. Forester!"

I loved this show so very much. They still keep me company at night. For 30+ years. I’m glad to know I’m not alone.
Thanks kids. ❤❤

Little did I know 30 years ago, the first time we laughed ourselves silly watching Manos for the first time, I'd be making art with Jackey Neyman Jones, who played "Debbie" in the film as a child. Her dad Tom Neyman played The Master & is the artist who made the iconic painting & forged the hand staff. Life is odd. Jackey is awesome. Frank started a worldwide phenomenon. Grateful to all of them.

The continued commitment to the Midwestern flat "a" in "Manos" -- I wouldn't have it any other way. ❤🙌

It's amazing what these guys invented. They created the entire idea of going into a movie and changing it, making it funny in real time.

MST3K will always live in my heart.

Don't just do something! Stand there!

It is so nice to see you guys alive and well in this strange era. Too bad reality isn't just a movie you could guide us through.

Manos and "The Final Sacrifice" staring Canada's Chuck Norris, "Zap Rowsdower" were my MST3K favorites. RIP Bruce J. Mitchell.

It's really hard to choose a favorite riff, but if I had to pick one that maybe hit the hardest, it would have to be, "Every frame of this movie looks like someone's last known photo."

Torgo's theme is what it sounds like if a jazz combo staggers.

Joel was right in the comment about being the friend, sitting there with us during the movie. We all had that friend that said "Come on, let's watch this. Really, it's good. It's not like LAST week....OK, maybe a bit."

Joel, Dr. Forester and T.V.'s Frank was the best era.

I think one of the reasons Manos is so popular with MSTies is because of all the additional references to it that were woven in to other MST3K episodes. Mike did such an amazing Torgo, and having him call Frank away to the great beyond was brilliant!

I like what Frank says there at the end, that these types of bad movies have an appeal that the more slick hollywood movies dont have. It reminds me of something the Angry Video Game Nerd (James Rolfe) said "When you can see the cheap effects, you feel almost like a participant in the film making process" It's almost like seeing a play. You feel like "This could be me and my friends making a movie"

You are all legends. Just hearing your voices and thinking of all the shows brings back nostalgia. And yes, I have the Manos episode on DVD! Gotta say, 'Mitchell' was my all time favorite, probably because it was my first exposure to MST3K.

Heres Trace! The greatest Crow there has ever been.

A purely happenstance discovery of the original workprint of the film led to it being completely remastered back in 2015, and the sharper detail showed that the couch in the Master's living room was absolutely grody.
It's great to see some of the Best Brains behind MST3K chatting about the show.

After kind of a crappy day, I really, really am glad I found this.

I think I could listen to you four sit and talk for hours, it's unusually calming and pleasant, makes me smile, thank you!

🎶I don't think the Master is going to like this ...🎶

Love the classic Comedy Central MST3K crew, they saw me through some pretty tough times with healing laughter.

More interviews like this please. Been following mst3k since the first season. More of this please.

Manos literally bends time when you watch it. The driving parts feel like an hour, but the rest feels like it's about 18 hours long. Some say the scene where Torgo gets to his feet took days.

18:03 "Push the button, Frank."

1000% more Mary Jo!!

While growing up in Europe, I've never seen or heard of MST3K. That changed 5 years ago. At elementary school, I had a friend who used to watch black/white horror movies. The classic giant spiders and insects and military stock footage :D
MST3K reminded me so much of that time - add to that the humor, diverse cast, and interactions, and I've been a fan every since!

1:58 Manos, The Hands of Fate is MST3K's magnum opus. Thank you for finding it and bringing it to the world.

This show was the background to my university days and the pre bar hopping ritual for me and my guy friends. We had the VHS tapes from somewhere and didn’t have a care in the world. Good times. 😂

This is the first MST episode I showed to my daughter. I don’t think she has forgiven me ever since.

I still crack up when Joel says,'..what a clumsy pass' in response to Torgo's attempt to touch the wife's hair. Priceless.

Torgo's Pizza were the greatest skits.

I watch your shows all the time. My wife walks by, hears my laughing and one of your characters voice and says “MST” and I say yep. She never asks “how many times are you going to watch that’. She knows your shows makes me laugh and she gets a kick out of some of your lines..

My rating of Manos:
5 bags of popcorn 🍿 and 2 hands of fate 👐 to eat it with.

Shout out to Jackie Neyman and her dad Tom.

Manos is one of my favorite MST3K episodes, and all this time I thought I was in the minority! On long drives IRL I catch myself going "Manos: The Hands of Fate" quietly to myself XD

So many good memories surrounding MST3K for me, Saturday mornings with my children, laughing and even moments stand out where I posted video tapes to send to other friends of episodes they didn’t see. Good times good memories and good fun thank you all.

My high school friends and I had a Manos-themed party in about 2002. Made our own costumes and everything. I’m so glad I still have the photos.

Started watching MST3k at around 2am on a Saturday - Feb. 1993. Woke up very depressed. Turned this show on still blowing my nose and crying. I never transitioned from sad tears to wetting myself so fast! Showed my hubby the show at 9am- we were both crying, falling off the couch!
20 yrs later, we watched reruns as kids were growing. 32 yrs later we await our first grand baby - and still laughing til we cry.
Thanks for the memories guys ❤😂😊

Love you all. "The dog is sharp again, Mommy." I love the apologies from the mads in Manos. Special movie and episode.

"Big thighs- go with it!" Ha, enjoyed this, love MST3K, thank you for all the laughs

Frank and Joel have the same speaking tone and cadence.

Manos Hands of Fate is my favorite! At the end of several holiday dinners over the years…when we have eaten all of the food and are all talked-out…we settle down to watch this gem

Manos was the only MST3k movie that really gave me the creeps. I miss y’all!

Most other tv and movies I don't like the Behind The Scenes, but something about the MST crew it doesn't feel like breaking character.

The world still waits for "Torgo and Ortega, the lost adventures."

Let's consider the influence airing Manos on the show had on all forms of media; a video game, a stage play, a puppet show, and even a sequel that would feature an aged Master and a grown up Debbie.

The first three hours of the movie is them driving. 😂

I loved this! Thank you! What I loved most about this was, even the Mads apologized _during_ the show about how bad it was.

Trace almost said "Deep Hurting!"

OMG you guys!!!!! Talking about Manos???? You four are absolutely amazing!!!

I'm in my mid thirties, so I was a little kid when this show was on. This show just bring me so much joy. There was a sense of security and warmth from the 90s. This was one of the many quirky and weird shows from that time ( pete and Pete, rocks modern life etc) that just makes me feel safe and happy for a while.

Hired (plus the musical) is one of my all-time faves.

I can just see Bob Newhart sitting across from you all as you're "Processing" the MANOS Experience - saying :
. "Yes, I can understand that."
. "I think I hear you saying ..."
. "This may take some time to recover from the experience".
. "Relax & stare at the beautiful Waterfall".
. "Would you like a Mint ?"
. "The box of Kleenex is there for you on the coffee table"
. (Add More) 🤔

I always really appreciated that when they took on movies made by tiny little crews and very little cash, they were also coming from a similar position. It helps that they do really understand the limitations.
Plus as a little kid who grew up watching the show, it was the first time I really grew aware of directors/producers/studios and began understanding film making roles, even if it was just the same guy wearing too many hats in some cases.
I genuinely think I gained a more grounded perspective on film making from Bert I Gordon and Roger Corman than from auteur theory.

The stories behind the movie are great too, as documented in Jackey Neyman Jones' "Growing Up Manos" book! Available from Dumb Industries. It really was a family affair, as Jackey played Debbie, her Dad played the Master, and the dog was the Neyman's doberman, Shanka!

Thanks to MST3K, I am familiar with such titans of cinema as Coleman Francis, Bert I. Gordon, and Tjardus Greidanus. My life is more complete now. Thanks guys!
Also, Frank's comments at 14:55 is a really important part of what made the best MST3K episodes. The best ones featured movies made by people who thought they were creating art or expressing something important. Even though they failed at creating good movies, the end product had a kind of authenticity that is missing in the more commercial flops that were used in other episodes. That authenticity is what makes those movies, and therefore those episodes, memorable.

To this day I still watch seasons 1-10 to pick up my mood. PLEASE keep doing these videos if at all possible. Like the Amazing Colossal Episode guide I can’t get enough of the BTS show info. Thank you so much.

My favorite theraputic moment was when they were being murdered to DEATH by a second Prince of Space movie. They are on the verge of total breakdown when they're visited by Krankor from the first Prince of Space! Krankors' visit revitalizes them, as they can now kind of measure just how bad the robot villians of the second movie are. Mike is shedding tears of joy, relating Krankor's visit to a 'breath of fresh air', giving him the stamina to try making it through the movie without their brains suffering a submarine crush depth implosion failure. After a very appropriate and needed hug it out moment, Krankor is back on his path toward destroying and enslaving everything in his path, after giving Mike and the bots renewed faith in Japanese movie character development!~

Well, the only remedy to Manos is turning your crank to Frank.

Am I the only one who thinks Frank looks almost the exact same as he did 35 years ago? A little older, yeah, but only a little.

Manos stands out because it has a genuine “found footage” vibe - like where the hell did this movie come from…and why?

This audio editing is like an experimental sound collage.

Love Joel talking about watching these movies together. Watching any of them without you is unimaginable. It makes no sense. It has to be ironic

I have a Torgo's Pizza tee shirt.

Not sure how I missed it for all these years, but I recently saw 'The _something something_ Bat Woman' recently on one of your streaming marathons, and I gotta say... That had to be another one that was torture to get through. Even though it was busy with lots of stuff to riff on, that was just a God-awful movie. Even the bikini clad women couldn't make that thing watchable. But, *THIS!* This was delightful. I hope Y'all do more of this.

Love this and would like more of this.

I love these people.... thank you for bringing me so much joy, for decades.

The Master approves.

How about that! I just watched this on the MANOS two-DVD special edition set! Thank you for posting this so everyone can enjoy it!

You can tell from my name how I feel about "manos"....(the hands of fate) ❤😊

Manos group therapy...? 🙀... we're not worthy... we're not worthy 😿

Trace is my favorite host/riffer. Joel was always busting him for being inappropriate.

Trace is so handsome 🥰

I’ve never seen this special in my life, and I don’t know how. It may not be THE worst, but no movie they’ve riffed warrants group therapy more than _Manos._

I love this. May not watch it live, but just love this format from the MST3k Social Security short of the panel

I can't imagine living in a world without "Manos", any more than i'd want to live in a world without Mistie.

0:42 The interminable driving scenes were there for all the credits, but for whatever reason those were put at the end, over blooper footage. I don't know if white lettering was cheaper than black in the 1960s or if they were padding to get the runtime over an hour. I suspect it was the latter.

“We gotta aim high to fail so big!”
The insightful wisdom of the great TV’s Frank!! Love these guys!

Great to see everyone. Thanks for everything!

I've had a dog and currently a Lizard named Torgo. For the desert island question, if I could only take one MST3k movie, it would be Manos.

You know, “Manos.”

As Joel, said, rhe opening short of Hired Pt. 2 was great. There are a few shorts that are better, Mr. B Natural, for instance, but I still quote Hired Part 2 from time to time.