Customer Reviews

Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Mitchell

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4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm a huge fan of these guys. The team of writers for this show are so talented it's sick. I was a huge fan when MST3K was on TV, and I have a bunch of the episodes on tape. Of all of them, this is the one I return to most.

The wonderful movie for Joel's farewell episode is Mitchell, some kind of lame cop-action-thing with a stupid plot revolving around drugs and prostitutes and Joe Don Baker's hideous acting. Perfect ammunition for Joel & co. to unleash one of the finest barrages of jokes in the entire series! You can tell the writers had fun with this movie. So much of it lends itself to insult: Joe Don Baker acting like he suffers from acute retardation; Mitchell's drinking problem; Mitchell's face; Mitchell's disturbing sexual relationship with his prostitute; Mitchell's big belly; Mitchell's driving skills; Mitchell's drinking problem; Mitchell shooting guns; Mitchell fighting; Mitchell's theme song; Mitchell trying to be tough...it goes on. This one will have you laughing yourself into a seizure every few seconds. The jokes come so fast that it's impossible to take it all in. I've seen this episode about a dozen times over the years but I still hear things I missed before.

Buy it and smile.

"Mitchell" was Joel Hodgson's farewell to the SOL, the 'Bots, Frank and Forrester, and *sniff* his legion of fans. But what a way to end his run, huh? This is the full-tilt, 360-degree, last-second, game-winning slam-dunk of an episode, a guaranteed laugh riot that I can still watch again and again.

What hasn't been said about this movie? Well, for one thing, I don't know if any one has commented on how truly embarrassed Martin Balsam looks throughout. Every moment of his performance has the feel of a tacit apology as he tries to make silk purses out of the stockyards of sows' ears that he was handed by the screenwriters. He did it for the money, and lets the audience know it in scene after scene. He was a gifted actor, too often wasted in dreck like this. Yet he comes off infinitely better than the star of the show, one Joe Don Baker. Understand that if you limit Baker's screen time in most movies, as has been done by smarter filmmakers than these, he's not nearly as repulsive as he is here. But director Andrew McLaglen insists on having him in virtually every scene, with lots of close-ups of Baker's beefy face to accentuate...exactly what again? This is pure white-sploitation, a 'Shaft' meets 'Dirty Harry' without either of those films' energies or convictions. Think about it. Who is Mitchell? He's a tough supercop who can't stand the confining rules of 'the system', and by the way, he's also an irresistible stud. One of those guys again? Like the character, the movie is a wasteful thud, too slow to be exciting, too cheap-looking to be flashy.

That's what our boys exploit--the intrinsic weaknesses of the lame story and the truly dreadful protagonist that isn't even likable as an anti-hero.

Meanwhile, the out-of-theater story kicks into gear immediately as Gypsy (voiced by Jim Mallon) overhears Frank and Forrester (Frank Conniff and Trace Beaulieu) discussing the elimination of a 'be-jumpsuited fool', whom Gypsy assumes to be the beloved Joel Robinson (Joel Hodgson), friend and human creator. This scene is cleverly played as a parody of a scene in "2001" as the scene cuts from Gypsy watching 'the Mads' to close-ups of the duo having a their discussion, which the audience can tell is actually about a temp Frank hired, Mike Nelson (played by Mike Nelson). Gypsy leaps into action to figure out how to get Joel off the ship ("Charter flight? No."), while Crow (Beaulieu) and Tom Servo (Kevin Murphy) are oblivious as usual to Gypsy's problems. Finally a solution is reached, thanks to Mike--and the slow-witted Frank (Mike needs the keys to a control panel to gain control of the ship's computers, so he simply asks for them: "Frank, can I borrow your keys?" "Okay." And when Frank wonders why Mike wanted the keys, Mike says it's because he left his lights on. And when Frank counters that he doesn't own a car, Mike asks him why he lent him the keys in the first place. Which leaves Frank confused and apologetic.). Joel escapes in the aptly-named "Deux Ex Machina" hidden in a box of the Spam-like Hamdingers, lands in the Australian Outback and never returns. (Except for a marvelous appearance in Episode 1001, not available on video.) Thankfully for their experiment and for the show, 'the Mads' decide to bring the temp on to their staff full-time, whether he likes it or not. Welcome aboard, Mike.

The day I brought this tape home for my younger siblings to watch, my dad told me something I couldn't possibly believe. I had to ask him to speak more slowly and clearly, and into my good ear, in order to catch it. The old man paid money to see this movie. In a theater. Poor guy.

Episodes of MST3K come in two varieties: 1. Joel (Mike) and the 'bots are subjected to a film devoid of basic cinematic competence (poor production, no script, hapless actors) 2. Joel (Mike) and the 'bots take merciless aim at one character in the movie (which looks and feels like a real movie) and slice him/her to bits.

We have, here, probably the greatest example of #2. When we first see the slothful Mitchell waking up in the backseat of a squad car, the boys let it rip (Joel: "Here's our hero, ladies and gentlemen." Tom: "Does anyone have a moist towelette?") and it just does *not* let up until Mitchell "breaks in" to his own apartment and rips Linda Evans out of bed as she sleeps ("Yanni? Is that you?"). God, I love it. I've seen it hundreds of times and it's STILL GOOD!

If you've been put off by MSTs as described in #1 above ("Manos: The Hands of Fate" comes to mind), please give it another chance with Mitchell. You'll never look at Joe Don the same, even if he does a cute cameo in "Reality Bites" as Winona Ryder's father.

This was the first MST3K I ever watched (a pity I found it so late since I could never stand Comedy Central). Many determined MSTies prefer "Manos: The Hands of Fate" as the quintessential MST3K episode, but I'm partial to "Mitchell".

My god, but this MSTed movie is hysterical! "Mitchell" was a typical mid-70s detective TV movie (I suspect it was a failed pilot), complete w/ big Kojak-style American cars, painfully cheesy dialog, and gratuitous lapels. It cries out for the MST3K treatment because it takes itself so seriously.

See:

-the world's slowest car chase!
-a menacing Merlin Olsen!
-a classic John Saxon villain nonperformance!
-Joe Don Baker + Linda Evans + a bottle of baby oil = the most disturbing scene ever committed to film!
-finally, sadly, Joel Hodgson's graceful exit from the series via a convenient box of hamdingers.

Rumor has it that Joe Don Baker was furious at the MST3K treatment of this meisterwerk. I can understand it, I guess...he was sort of a 1970s quasiserious character actor. JDB is truly a better actor when he satirizes his own slobby character, for example in "Goldeneye" and "Tomorrow Never Dies".

Loosen up, JD, you're not that bad but for god's sake NEVER play it straight again.

Comedy Central eventually cancelled MST3K, which returned it to its normal nonfunny mode. "Mitchell" is a gem, and I'm delighted to see it preserved on DVD.

If you took Clint Eastwood's Harry Callahan and made him overweight, unhygienic, twice as rude, and only about two-thirds as good a cop, you'd have a pretty good approximation of Joe Don Baker's Mitchell, one of the most unattractive movie 'heroes' in all of MSTie-dom (and that's saying a lot).

When life gives you lemonade, a film like 'Mitchell' is enough to turn it back into lemons again. Joel and The Bots (J&TB) do a great job giving this turkey the riffing it deserves, but the episode is bittersweet, since it's Joel's final appearance on the Satellite of Love (save for a cameo in one of the Sci-Fi Channel episodes).

"Mitchell' and the episode that followed, 'The Brain that Wouldn't Die' are must-haves for MSTies because of their place in the history of the series. But this episode is also a great performance in its own right, and one you'll watch over and over again -- in spite of the unpleasantness surrounding Joe Don Baker and some baby oil.

"Mitchell" is a watershed episode in the history of the classic TV comedy, "Mystery Science Theater 3000." For those of you unfamiliar with this amazing program, it's a ninety-minute program featuring a silhouette of a man and two robots watching a really awful movie and providing wisecracking, culturally savvy, and bitingly satiric commentary. With sketches and songs inserted at movie breaks, "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (or MST3K for short) is one of the most delightful and hysterical comedy shows ever created. And "Mitchell," broadcast in the middle of the fifth season, is one of the big moments in the show's history; it marks the departure of the show's creator and host, Joel Robinson, and the introduction of Mike Nelson as the new host.

When first watching the episode, it's easy to overlook the movie and commentary and concentrate on the running subplot in the host segments about Joel escaping the ship. I won't spoil anything about it, but it's both funny and touching. Joel's farewell is a heartfelt moment and has a special place in the hearts of many MST3K fans who felt the show was never the same without him. (I personally like Mike a lot too, but there was a wonderful, laid-back `family' feeling to the Joel episodes).

But even if this episode were not a turning point in the show's history, it would probably still be considered one of the great episodes. "Mitchell" has become a classic movie for MST3K fans: an icky, cheap-looking, boring, incomprehensible cop "thriller" released to theaters in 1975. (And yes, despite the made-for-TV look, it really was in cinemas. I found old ads for it in the New York Times!) The commentary from Joel and the `Bots on this one is hilarious. This is a very `character' driven episode, with Joel and the `Bots dismantling the film's cast of unappealing personas, principally the title character, a zero-hero police detective played by Joe Don Baker. Mitchell is a smelly, stupid, boozy loser who the film tries to present as a loner hero against the system as he tries to take down a heroin ring and bust a trade-union lawyer who shot a burglar in the back (no, the two plots have nothing to do with one another). The story makes pretty much no sense at all, with long scenes of dialogue containing strings of similar sounding names that don't mean a thing to the audience (Gallano, Mistretta, Deaney). There's hardly any action; mostly Mitchell sits outside drug dealer Martin Balsam's house and occasionally has dinner with him and irritates his butler Merlin Olsen. There's a car chase, but according to Crow, "It makes `Driving Miss Daisy' look like `Bullitt'!" John Saxon is in the movie someplace, although I can't tell you for the life of me what he does. And through it all slouches the unbelievably unappealing Joe Don Baker. The love scene between him and Linda Evans will turn even the strongest stomach. And for some reason, Hoyt Axton sings the theme song. ("HOYT, HOW COULD YOU?")

Yessir, this one's a classic: great wisecracking for a wonderfully awful film, and a important moment in the show's history. The DVD contains no extras except for the original theatrical trailer for "Mitchell" (did ANYONE really want to see this film when it came out?), but this is a must-have for MST3K fans. Non-fans may want to experience a few Joel episodes before seeing this so they have a frame of reference for the story, but it's unquestionably one of the definitive episodes of the show.

Joels swan song, and also a classic ep. in its own right.

what movie producer ever thought that a film that features a fat, bloated, drunken, slovenly, all around miserable and un-likable main character would be a GOOD idea?

Joe Don Baker IS "Mitchell," a cop on the case of...well, aparently he starts out on some case involving Jon Saxon but then gets assigned to sit in front of some old mobsters house for weeks on end and then comes home and gets beat up by thugs for no apparent reason and then finds hooker Linda Evans in his house, sleeps with her without question ( a VERY disturbing scene, trust me) and yet arrests her for possesion of pot.

there's some talk of a heroin shipment, Mitchell shoots some guy in a park, then there's a boat chase and a big shoot out and your left wondering what ever happened to Jon Saxon and then Mitchell sleeps with and arrests the hooker again and its the end.

I get the feeling a lot of the reson this film plays so badly is that it was edited for content...the original trailer for the film on the DVD lists it as rated R, which means Comedy Central had to chop out some offending scenes...and yet they leave in the shot of Mitchell in bed with Linda Evans grabbing a six pack of Shlitz Beer off the end table next to a big bottle of Johnsons Baby Oil, which to me was far more repulsive than any graphic violence or language they may have had to edit.

the sketches of course revolve around the escape of Joel: Gypsy over hears the Mads discussing doing away with somebody after the experiment, assumes its Joel, and sets out to find a way to get him off the ship and to safety.

I wont spoil the whole thing for those who havent seen it, but its a perfect transition as Joel leaves and is replaced by MST3K head writer Mike Nelson.

"oh my my my my Mitchell..."

Joel Robinson and his robot buddies Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo take on Joe Don Baker and his "defining" performance in MITCHELL. Joel and the 'bots make fun of Joe Don's every move: as he sleeps in the back of a squad car in his first scene (Joel: Our hero, ladies and gentlemen.), watches Martin Balsam (Joe Don: Mr. Cummins! Joel: Stop or my heart'll explode!), tail him in 25 MPH car chase (Crow: They couldn't shake a trolley! Tom: The only exciting thing is VANISHING POINT is being filmed on the other side of the canyon), and sleep with Linda Evans, right down to the fact that Mitchell has a bottle of baby oil on his nightstand (All: AHHHH!)! This movie also features Merlin Olsen as Balsam's butler, an extra smug John Saxon as a mob lawyer Mitchell takes-on, an annoying scene with an annoying kid (Crow: The inspiration for COP AND A HALF.), and lots and lots of Schlitz (too many riffs to list on that, but you'll be laughing). And after all that, we bid good-bye to Joel and bid welcome to his successor, temp Mike Nelson.

This is one of the best MST3K episodes around. This episode is #512. This episode is the last episode for Joel Hodgson. Even though he's going to leave they picked a GREAT movie for Joel's last show called Mitchell. Jon Don Baker is Mitchell, a not so bright, not so clean, heavy drinking, lazy cop who doesn't play by the rules. He stumbles onto a drug ring and begins conducting an investigation. The drug lords send our hero Mitchell Linda Evans so maybe Mitchell could stay off the case and stay in bed, but Linda Evans falls for our fat Joe Don Baker. Our just hero just doesn't quit, he stays on the investigation. Overall our hero walks around and kills a few people, drinks a few beers, eats some food, has some loven with Linda and a bottle of baby oil, and so on. Joel & his robot pals do a great job MSTing this trash which makes this movie worth watching. They make many jokes about Joe Don Baker that are just hilarious. The host segments are also funny. This video should be bought right away for any MST3K fan to enjoy as soon as possible. I think you'll like it VERY much!

Actually, the full line is, "Hey, that shower wasn't so bad, and I've been afraid of it all these years..." It's what Crow says after Mitchell comes out of the bathroom in a robe. Yes, the title character of this movie takes a lot of riffing at the hands of the Satellite of Love crew, and that's just one of the things that makes this particular episode a must-see.

Joe Don Baker stars as Mitchell, a loveable, beer-drinking cop who sleeps with hookers and does things his own way...yet has a terrible eating disorder. Mitchell isn't an easy film to get through, but Joel, Tom, and Crow once again make the unbearable bearable via a constant flow of humorous remarks. Tom says Mitchell "likes to top off his beer drinking with another beer. It's like dessert." And when Mitchell is getting roughed up by thugs, we hear, "If they're not careful they'll end up with Mitchell's dinner all over them." Not to mention when Mitchell struggles to get up off the couch, some noises are made that aren't exactly flattering.

At least 75% of the comments in this episode are aimed directly at title character, and yet the character is so disgustingly likable that the comments never get old.

No review can do this episode justice. Just go out and have a laugh at poor old Joe Don Baker's expense. Hoyt Axton's "My, My, Mitchell" song will help you along the way.