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A long-lost episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 from the KTMA-TV era has resurfaced, thanks to a fan who has uploaded it to YouTube.
Posted in: TV, YouTube | Tagged: MST3K, Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Lost Episode "K03" Available on YouTube
A long-lost episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 from the KTMA-TV era has resurfaced, thanks to a fan who has uploaded it to YouTube.
Article Summary
- Lost KTMA-era episode "K03" of Mystery Science Theater 3000 is now available to watch on YouTube
- Dedicated fan Arthur Putie found and digitized "K03" from a Minneapolis garage sale VHS tape
- The rare episode features the movie Star Force: Fugitive Alien II riffed by the original MST3K cast
- MST3K's legacy thrives with originals and RiffTrax team reuniting for new series and classic film riffs
It's hard to fathom what has been lost over time before film preservation became a priority. We can thank our lucky stars when something once thought lost is rediscovered, as masters are lost, and the fan community must step in. The biggest recent example of such a rare triumph was the recovery of episodes one and three of "The Daleks' Master Plan" from a private collector from the First Doctor (William Hartnell ) era. Now, a YouTuber named Arthur Putie has found a missing early episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. How early, you ask? How about the third episode from the KTMA years? The film featured in the MST3K episode is Star Force: Fugitive Alien II, aka "K03." Putie revealed on Reddit that he "found the tape in a garage sale around Minneapolis & finally digitized," which is also near where KTMA-TV (now WUCW) is based. "K03" is a compilation film made of episodes of the Japanese series Star Wolf.
MST3K KTMA-Era Episode Resurfaces, Uploaded to YouTube
The uploaded MST3K episode retains its grainy VHS quality and some slight warped effects due to the format. The series follows the main lead as he is captured by villains and forced to watch the worst films Hollywood has to offer, but he's not alone, as he has his robot companions to join in on the commentary. Obviously, the series has come a long way since its original premiere in 1988, and its original 11-year run across KTMA, The Comedy Channel, Comedy Central, Sci-Fi Channel, its first revival on Netflix in 2017, and the Gizmoplex era since 2022. The first cast included creator Joel Hodgson, who played the straight character Joel Robinson; Ardy, Trace Beaulieu, who played Dr. Clayton Forrester and voiced Crow T. Robot; and J. Elvis Weinstein, who played Dr. Laurence Erhardt and voiced Tom Servo and Gypsy.
As the series progressed, there have been multiple hosts and rotating cast members voicing the robot characters and playing original live-action characters to fulfill the same purpose. Alum Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett were all part of the Sci-Fi era, with the first two joining during the Comedy Central era. The trio would depart and form Riff-Trax, which went beyond skewering films and expanded into TV and educational material. With Hodgeson selling the rights to the IP to Radial Entertainment, a merger between Shout! and FilmRise, Nelson, Murphy, and Corbett will all return to their original stomping grounds with the latest series, MST3K: The RiffTrax Experiments, featuring four classic Hollywood films in their sights. With their Kickstarter topping $2.7 million, the series will also welcome back Mary Jo Pehl, Trace Beaulieu, and Frank Conniff. You can check out the missing episode above.
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