Entertainment
 

Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders

From MST3K

1003 - Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders
Air Date September 18, 1999
Movie Director Kenneth J. Berton
Year 1996
Cast Ernest Borgnine
George Milan
Bunny Summers
John Terrence
Preceded by 1002 - Girl in Gold Boots
Followed by 1004 - Future War


Contents

The Movie

Synopsis

Merlin the wizard (Milan) and his wife Zurella (Summers) time-travel to the 20th century to set up a special magic shop. Though many people believe he is indeed "the" Merlin the Magician, reporter Jonathan Cooper (Terrence) remains skeptical and so tries to prove the old sorcerer a fake. Trouble comes to the shop when a toy monkey with potent powers is stolen. [1]

Information

  • The film's second storyline involving the demonic toy monkey were just re-used scenes from the director's previous 1984 film The Devil's Gift.

The Episode

Host Segments

  • Prologue: The gang on the SOL are into 1920s college pranks. Mike is swallowing goldfish; Servo is stuck in a phone booth with a bunch of other hims; and Crow is flag-pole sitting.
  • Segment One: Pearl receives orders from the Institute of Mad Science for an experiment, which is to give Servo complete power and authority over the others. Before Pearl can even finish her hypothesis, Servo has made himself autocratic ruler of the SOL. However, Pearl adds a variant to the experiment: fire ants in the test subject's underwear, which causes Servo to return his power to Mike.
  • Segment Two: Servo and Crow review each other. Things degenerate and both are panned.
  • Segment Three: Servo, using a bogus magic book, accidentally turns Mike into an adult baby but Mike doesn't realize it. Mike makes a present for Servo.
  • Segment Four: Mike & the Bots browse through the series of Ernest Borgnine children’s books, which is a bit disturbing.
  • Segment Five: Pearl sends an evil monkey up to the SOL: Bobo; back in Castle Forrester, Brain Guy is trying to "accidentally" knock Bobo into a paper bag.
  • Stinger: ROCK AND ROLL MAR-TIAN![1]

Obscure References

  • "Larry 'Bud' Melman in drag!"
Larry "Bud" Melman was a character played by Calvert DeForest on Late Night with David Letterman.
  • "He was drawn by Dave Berg!"
Cartoonist Dave Berg is best remembered for "The Lighter Side Of...", a regular feature in Mad magazine.
  • "Riff Raff at home."
Riff Raff is a character from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
  • "I'm gonna break things off with Nimue."
Nimue is another name for the Lady of the Lake in the Arthurian legends.
  • "So I'm *not* getting the Intellivision?!"
The Intellivision was an early home video game console.
  • "Killdozer!"
Killdozer is a short story by Theodore Sturgeon about a bulldozer that develops a violent mind of its own. In 1974, it was adapted as a made-for-TV movie.
  • "I got Tang and Bugles!"
Bugles are a corn snack made by General Mills.
  • "I'm gonna buy an Ann Jillian poster."
Ann Jillian is an actress who was a popular sex symbol during the early 1980s.
  • "They just got 'Barb Wire' at Blockbuster!"
Barb Wire was a 1996 action film starring Pamela Anderson.
  • "This guy took his life, as lovers often do."
Reference to the song "Vincent" (often known by its introductory line, "Starry, starry night...") by Don McLean, as prompted by the phrase "On a starry night..."

Trivia

  • Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders was the third episode produced for Season 10 but, due to a last-minute legal snafu, it went unaired until after the official series finale, Diabolik.

Video Release

  • Commercially released on DVD by Rhino Entertainment in March 2004 as part of The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Volume 5, a 4-DVD set with Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues…, Time Chasers and The Touch of Satan.
  • The DVD features an introduction with Michael J. Nelson, as well as an interview with Mike and Kevin Murphy recorded especially for this release. The interview is an overview of MST3K history, with a minor nod to what the pair were doing after the show ended, and was applauded by fans for being the first major newly created extra Rhino included.
  • The DVD was also a frequent cause for debate and complaint by fans as the video appears to be darker than the broadcast version of episode. The best example is the fact that the Shadowrama is totally lost in opening credits for the movie.

References

  1. ↑ Satellite News


Retrieved from "http://mst3k.wikia.com/wiki/Merlin%27s_Shop_of_Mystical_Wonders"