Keep Circulating the Tapes

If you recognize the title, chances are you know what I'm about to talk about. For those of you who don't, the phrase appeared in the credits of the first four seasons of a show called Mystery Science Theater 3000. If you're not aware of the series' premise and wondering why they're encouraging something like this, note that one, it was on a network that at the time was just barely getting started, namely, Comedy Central. Two, the premise of the show is that it features actual B-movies. Naturally, this means that getting the rights to episodes of their own show can be a bit of a hassle. Reasons for this range from Toho deciding no, you can't have your movie to the rights holder being so paranoid she won't even let it be shown at conventions.

So recording episodes and sending them to your friends became a part of being a fan of the show. There's even a mention in the episode covering The Magic Sword of a parent sending tapes to their son as a means of connecting with him. And of course, there are plenty of uploads all over YouTube.

- glmdgrielson, a big nerd