One of the best-regarded cult shows of all time is Mystery Science Theatre 3000. The show involves various men as they are trapped aboard a satellite by a mad scientist who makes them watch the worst movie imaginable. The series is one of the most quoted and beloved of all time among film buffs.
The series has been canceled and revived several times, and will likely never truly go away. One of the things fans love most about the series is the plethora of running gags. Some run throughout just the episode it originates from, while others last for the entire series. There are plenty to choose from, but the are the absolute funniest and most quoted.
"Hi-Keeba!"
This running joke originates early on in the show's run, appearing in the fourth episode. When the Satelite of Love's captives watches Women of the Prehistoric Planet, a joke is made that lasts the entire series. A rather annoying character decided to show off his karate skills. He does several goofy moves, each with a different noise. Finally, he performs what looks to be a kick or flip of some sort. He yells "Hi-Keeba!" before falling victim to a very forced pratfall.
Scenes such as this cement Women of the Prehistoric Planet as one of the lesser-known so bad its good movies. While the supposedly comedic scene failed to make Joel and the bots laugh, it led to one of the show's best-known gags. When there is an especially cheesy fight scene, someone yells "Hi-Keeba!", especially during a throw or flip.
William Shatner Impression
The men and bots of the Satellite of Love oftentimes quote and reference Star Trek. Being aboard a spaceship and having to watch a plethora of bad sci-fi movies, the opportunity often presents itself. One joke they always jump to make is at the expense of Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner.
William Shatner may have appeared in Star Trek and some of the best Star Trek movies according to Reddit, but he is oftentimes a popular butt of the joke in pop culture, typically involving his acting. His bizarre reading of lines and over-the-top moments make him an easy target. On MST3K, this is the exact thing that is made fun of. The riffers will constantly do a Shatner impression, especially when making fun of a character giving a wooden performance.
Joe Don Baker
Joe Don Baker may have appeared in some big-name films such as Congo and Goldeneye, which has some of the most hilarious lines in 007's history. However he is mostly known for the large selection of terrible movies he has appeared in, and being MST3K's favorite butt of the joke. this all originated when the film Mitchell was riffed which stared Baker.
Baker was rumored to be furious at this treatment, but rather than backing off, the show riffed another one of his films called Final Justice. This time, the jokes made at Baker's expense were much more severe. Going forward, whenever a character was especially drunk or slobby, the cast would make a reference to Baker.
Xanadu
The background for this joke is a mixed bag. Whenever a large mansion is shown, one of the cast says "Xanadu" in a sing-songy way. This is done at the sight of a large house, making it a reference to Citizen Kane. In it, Charles Foster Kane's mansion is called Xanadu. while this seems like the clear origin of the joke, there is another source.
One of the most infamous cinematic failures is Xanadu starring Olivia Newton-John. The manner the cast says Xanadu is to the theme of the film, which is a musical. While Citizen Kane is the main reference, it is a mix of the two.
"Are You Ready For Some Football?"
Laserblast is one of the cheesy and corny sci-fi movies shown on MST3K. In it, there is a pudgy character that somewhat resembles Hank Williams. In 1989, Williams began doing the intro for Monday Night Football with a song entitled. Are you ready for some football? The running joke is at various times when the Williams look-alike is shown, the cast will say "Ready for some football?" in a gruff country accent.
Usually, this is done in a bait-and-switch manner where a sentence is started but interrupted by the joke. For example when reciting the Miranda Rights they say, "anything you say can and will be held against you READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!" This joke never extended past this episode, but it is still a memorable one that is often quoted.
Adding Words To Music
There are certain times during a film shown on MST3k is shown where music is playing and nothing is really happening. In these times, there would be prolonged moments where no jokes are being made. Sometimes, this is the joke. The cast will say something about how mundane and boring the moment is. Other times, they will simply sing to the tune of the music playing.
This joke has several different variations. The cast could simply hum the song in a funny manner. They could sing lyrics about how bored they are or, more often, sing about whatever is happening on screen. This is one of the more subtle, yet funnier jokes on the show. However, there is one instance where the joke worked so well, it became its own running joke.
"He Tried To Kill Me With A Forklift"
The episode featuring the film Fugitive Alien features the adding words to the music gag, but this specific instance extended past the episode. In the movie, a character attempts to kill another with a forklift. After escaping the music picks up with an almost Latin flair to it. This prompts the cast to bounce to the beat and sing, "He tried to kill me with a forklift, ole!"
This joke got a huge laugh and became a mainstay of the series. Whenever a forklift is shown, the cast is promoted to sing the song. This is one of the most quoted parts of the show, and it is interesting how it spawned from another running joke. This joke made the Fugitive Alien one of the best episodes and fits right alongside some of Mike's best episodes even if he had yet to join the series.
"He's Got A Gun!"
While this joke isn't making fun of a specific movie or person, it is making fun of a popular cliche that is shown in far too many films. The cliche is when a character reaches into their coat or jacket pocket and removes a gun. This prompts another character, often off-screen, to yell, "They've got a gun!"
On MST3K, this trope is referenced countless times. whenever a character reaches into their pocket, typically an inner jacket pocket, one of the cast, Crow usually, will exclaim "He's got a gun!" followed by a disappointed "oh" when it is shown to be something mundane like a letter or cigarettes.
"McCloud?"
Pod People remains one of the most iconic episodes that were hosted by Joel, and it is no surprise why. There are several classic gags including "It stinks!" However, one gag that was repeated throughout, was "Chief?" "MCCLOUD?" This joke was made whenever a character was looking around for someone or something, which was frequent.
This would prompt the cast to start listing off names as if the character on screen was looking for them. Every list ended with Crow saying "Chief?" prompted by Tom Servo to gruffly shout, "MCLOUD?" This is in reference to the detective show McCloud from the late '70s.
Mr. Ed
Mr. Ed was a beloved sitcom about a talking horse, and the MST3K grew jumped at any chance to reference it. Whenever a horse was shown onscreen, odds are someone would do a Mr.
Ed impression. Typically, they would say "Wilbur" in a drawn-out way which was a recurring quote on the show.
This joke was in countless episodes and is the favorite of many fans. The joke is so popular, that oftentimes people think of MST3k rather than Mr. Ed when they hear the impression.