MST3K 614: San Francisco International

In wondering just what episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 I would next watch, I began wondering about one of the first "not available on official video" outings I managed to see. For all that I had a genuine interest in wanting to see "San Francisco International" again, it was more just available at the time than something I had heard about and been wanting to see, though, and it might be easy enough to outright brush it off as one of the "just there" episodes, a data point in the mutterings of some about how the sixth season of the series seemed to scrape a little for raw material and a TV pilot converted into a TV movie, complete with obvious commercial break moments. ("This movie just staggers from one commercial break to another.") As well, I could remember that most of the host segments were built around just one joke, Mike doing an impression of "Urkel" and everyone (including a good number of "special guest appearance" characters who had shown up in previous episodes to add just a trace of spice) breaking down in uproarious laughter until at last Torgo himself (played by Mike Nelson, which might be mildly interesting in the context) shambles in as the one unamused character, whereupon everyone comes down and wanders away. Whatever point all of it makes is made more subtly and pleasantly than it perhaps might have been, but it was something ambiguous to remember (along with the strangeness of seeing Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank as shirtless building contractors at the beginning, and Mike whacking Tom and Crow with a board, which was one of the first things to make me wonder about that point in the show's history having our heroes being "casually cruel" to each other)... and then I was surprised to see that the very first "host segment" is a "political debate" between Crow and Tom Servo, involving them tossing barbs such as "Dill is a good spice! I will not have it maligned!" and "But horseradish does not go with chicken!" back and forth at each other. All of a sudden, I was perhaps a bit more interested in the episode than I might have been.
( 'Man, this movie is fraught with meaningful looks!' )