All the way back in 1991, I was at the annual Thanksgiving family get-together . It was easy to get lost in these events, as my mom’s family consisted of 11 aunts and uncles, their significant others, and an unknown, but large, quantity of cousins.
I glanced over at the TV, and noticed that Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster was playing. This made me happy, as I was an avid 1970’s-style Godzilla fan at the time. Then I noticed the little silhouettes at the bottom of the screen. And that was the night I became a huge fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K).
What I had stumbled upon was the first of five Turkey Day marathons of Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes. Each turkey day run for about 30 hours. Turkey Day was always a joyous occasion, since I could use it to fill in the gaps in my ever-expanding VHS library of MST3K episodes. In retrospect, I wonder if Turkey Day planted the seed that would later become my great delight in hosting and attending movie marathons.
25 years after MST3K debuted, Turkey Day is back! It is a web event curated and hosted by Joel Hodgson – the creator and original host of the show. It will be six episodes long (as opposed to, say, fifteen) and starts at noon on Thanksgiving. I don’t think I’ll be able to make it myself, but it sure sounds like a fun event! Sign up if you can!