Books by Sampo!

 

 

Support Us

Satellite News is not financially supported by Best Brains or any other entity. It is a labor of love, paid for out of our own pockets. If you value this site, we would be delighted if you showed it by making an occasional donation of any amount. Thanks.

Sampo & Erhardt

Sci-Fi Archives


Visit our archives of the MST3K pages previously hosted by the Sci-Fi Channel's SCIFI.COM.

Social Media


This Date in MSTory

BORN ON THIS DATE
1823: William M. “Boss” Tweed, who was mentioned in a host segment in episode K17- TIME OF THE APES.

1905: Peggy Converse, who played Mrs. Obringer in the movie in episode 702- THE BRUTE MAN and Aunt Flavia McIntire in the movie in episode 805- THE THING THAT COULDN’T DIE.

1912: Albert E. Kennedy, sound editor for the movie in episode 801- REVENGE OF THE CREATURE.

1917: Jack Willoughby, camera operator for the movie in episode 206- RING OF TERROR and associate producer/cinematographer for the movie in episode 810- THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION.
1918: Louis Applebaum, a composer for the movie in episode 1311- THE MASK.

1922: Alberto (aka Albert) Dalbes, who played Carver in the movie “Il Raggio Infernale,” seen in episode 620- DANGER!! DEATH RAY.

1922: Doris Day, who was mentioned in a host segment in episode 311- IT CONQUERED THE WORLD.

1924: Marlon Brando, who was mentioned in a host segment in episode 323- CASTLE OF FU MANCHU.

1927: Bob Hoy, who played Masterson in the movie in episode 324- MASTER NINJA II, Charlie in the movie in episode 801- REVENGE OF THE CREATURE (in which he was also a stuntman) and a mole person in the movie in episode 803- THE MOLE PEOPLE.

1927: E. Thomas Case, makeup artist for the movie in episode 803- THE MOLE PEOPLE.

1930: Viktor Yakushev, cinematographer for the movie “Sampo,” seen in episode 422- THE DAY THE EARTH FROZE.

1931: Ron Phipps, production accountant for the movie in episode K09- PHASE IV.

1933: Robert Dornan, who played Lt. John Witkowski Jr. in the movie in episode 612- THE STARFIGHTERS.*

1939: Susanne Sidney, who played Carlie in the movie in episode 601- GIRLS TOWN.

1941: Eric Braeden, who played Ernest Graeber in the movie in episode 608- CODE NAME: DIAMOND HEAD.*

1942: Marsha Mason, who was mentioned in a host segment in episode 318- STAR FORCE: FUGITIVE ALIEN II.*

1943: Lou Bonacki, who played “first policeman” in the movie in episode 1304- MUNCHIE.*

1944: Lamberto Bava a.k.a. John M. Old Jr., director of the movie in episode 911- DEVIL FISH and assistant director for the movie in episode 1013- DIABOLIK.*

1947: Jonathan Welsh, who played Herman Stover in the movie in episode K16- CITY ON FIRE.

1949: Robert Lantos, producer for the movie in episode 822- OVERDRAWN AT THE MEMORY BANK.*

1954: Bundy Chanock, set medic for the movie in episode 1008- FINAL JUSTICE.

1957: Danny De La Paz, who played Ray in the movie in episode 403- CITY LIMITS.*

1958: Vanna Bonta, who played “student in lab” in the movie “Time Walker,” seen in episode 405- BEING FROM ANOTHER PLANET.

DIED ON THIS DATE
1972: Ferde Grofe Sr. (age 80), who composed the score in the movie in episode 201- ROCKETSHIP X-M.

1973: John Call (age 64), who played Santa Claus in the movie in episode 321- SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS.

1989: Norman Wooland (age 84), who played Dr. L.G. Blanchard in the movie in episode 901- THE PROJECTED MAN.

1989: Arthur Alexande (age 79), a producer for the movie in episode 507- I ACCUSE MY PARENTS.

1996: Herk Harvey (age 71), director of the shorts SPEECH: USING YOUR VOICE (shown in episode 313- EARTH VS. THE SPIDER), CHEATING (shown in episode 515- THE WILD WILD WORLD OF BATWOMAN), WHAT ABOUT JUVENILE DELINQUENCY? (shown in episode 518- THE ATOMIC BRAIN), WHY STUDY INDUSTRIAL ARTS? (shown in episode 609- THE SKYDIVERS) and SPEECH: PLATFORM POSTURE AND APPEARANCE (shown in episode 619- RED ZONE CUBA). Harvey also appeared in SPEECH: USING YOUR VOICE (he was the American flag speaker) and SPEECH: PLATFORM POSTURE AND APPEARANCE (he was the good speechmaker).

1999: Howard R. Cohen (age 56; heart attack), screenwriter for the movies in episodes 703- DEATHSTALKER AND THE WARRIORS FROM HELL and 1203- LORDS OF THE DEEP.

2001: Ron Phipps (age 70), on his birthday.

2009: Tom Smith (age 88), chief makeup artist for the movie in episode 1107- THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT.

2012: Nicholas King (age 79), who had a role in the movie in episode 509- THE GIRL IN LOVERS LANE.

2013: Don Kennedy (age 91), who played a reporter in WORLD WITHOUT END, riffed in MST3K’s first live show.

2015: Robert Rietty (age 92), who voiced Curt in the movie episode 323- THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU and also did uncredited voice work in the English dub of the movie in episode 1013- DIABOLIK.

2020: Brian Degas (age 84), who wrote the screenplay for the movie in episode 1013- DIABOLIK.

EVENTS ON THIS DATE
1930: At the Oscars: Cedric Gibbons, art director for the movie in episode 510- THE PAINTED HILLS, wins best art direction award for “The Bridge of San Luis Rey.”

1978: At the Oscars: Vilmos Zsigmond, a camera operator for the movie in episode 812- THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE CREATURES WHO STOPPED LIVING AND BECAME MIXED-UP ZOMBIES!!? and the cinematographer for the movie in episode 1103- THE TIME TRAVELERS, wins the best cinematography award for “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” John Dykstra (visual effects for the movie in episode 1201- MAC AND ME) and Richard Edlund (title designer for the movie in episode 606- THE CREEPING TERROR.) share a best visual effects award for “Star Wars.” John Williams, who composed the score for the movie in episode 307- DADDY-O, wins the best original score award for “Star Wars.” Walter Mirisch, executive producer for the movie WORLD WITHOUT END, riffed in MST3K’s first live show, and 806- THE UNDEAD, receives the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Norman Reynolds, assistant art director for the movie in episode K09- PHASE IV, shared the award for best art direction/set decoration for “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” with John Barry, Leslie Dilley and Roger Christian.

* = If this appears next to a birthday, this person is alive, according to the IMDB. If you can supply evidence that he or she has died, and when, please let us know.
** = If this appears next to a birthday, the IMDB indicates that the person has died, but the IMDB does not have a full death date (probably just a month and year or just the year he or she died). If you can give us the exact date (with some sort of proof we can check), please let us know.
** = If this appears next to a death date, the IMDB does not have this person’s full birthday. If you can provide it (with some sort of proof we can check), please let us know.
This Date in MSTory is written and compiled by Christopher Cornell, Brian Henry and Steve Finley with assistance by Tim Brown, Gordon Lawyer and many other Satellite News commenters.



This Date in MSTory is copyright 2025. © All rights reserved. Do not reproduce This Date in MSTory items in any form without express written permission from the authors.

This Date in MSTory

BORN ON THIS DATE
1901: James Brock, who did the sound for the movie in episode 411- THE MAGIC SWORD.

1912: Ollie O’Toole, who played Dr. Walsh in the movie in episode 206- RING OF TERROR.

1920: Edward G. Simmel, producer/director of the short A DATE WITH YOUR FAMILY, seen in episode 602- INVASION U.S.A., and the season 13 short LET’S MAKE A MEAL IN 20 MINUTES.

1923: Carlo Hinterman, who played Coleman in the movie in episode 504- SECRET AGENT SUPER DRAGON.

1935: Sharon Acker, who played Dr. Bettina Cook in the movie in episode 305- STRANDED IN SPACE.

1934: Allan James, who was first assistant director for the movie in episode 1107- THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT.

1935: Marlene Cameron, who played Sally Porter in the short A YOUNG MAN’S FANCY, seen in episode 610- THE VIOLENT YEARS.*

1943: Antonio Sabato Sr., who played Dablone (or was it Toblerone?) in the movie in episode 705- ESCAPE 2000.

DIED ON THIS DATE
1974: Douglass Dumbrille (age 84), who played Charlie Cooper in the movie in episode 611- LAST OF THE WILD HORSES.

1991: Gisa Geert (age 90), choreographer for the movie in episode 502- HERCULES.

1987: Drummer Buddy Rich (age 69), who was mentioned in a host segment in episode K18- THE MILLION EYES OF SU-MURU.

1997: Tomoyuki Tanaka (age 86), producer for the movies in episodes 212- GODZILLA VS. MEGALON and 213- GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER.

2002: Henry Slesar (age 74), who wrote the original story in the movie in episode 807- TERROR FROM THE YEAR 5000.

2004: Vanda Hudson (age 70), who played Magda von Meckin in the movie CIRCUS OF HORRORS, featured in the Great Cheesy Movie Circus Tour in 2019.

2008: Johnny Byrne (age 72), one of the screenwriters of the “Space: 1999” episodes “The Metamorph” and “Space Warp” seen in the movie in episode K10- COSMIC PRINCESS.

2013: Jesus “Jess” Franco (age 82), director of the movie in episode 323- THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU. He also appeared as Inspector Ahmet in that movie.

2021: George Manasse (age 83), producer for the movie in episode 1012- SQUIRM.

EVENTS ON THIS DATE
1954: James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff found American International Pictures.

1978: The series “Sutâurufu,” a.k.a. “Star Wolf,” premiered on Japanese television. Episodes from the series would later be strung together into the movies in episodes K12- /310- FUGITIVE ALIEN and K03- /318- STAR FORCE: FUGITIVE ALIEN II.

1999: Anthony “Treach” Criss, who played Lt. Jim Rushing in the movie in episode 1202- ATLANTIC RIM, marries rapper Sandra “Pepa” Denton of the group Salt-N-Pepa.

1974: Robert Knudson (rerecording mixer for the movie in episode 1201- MAC AND MEe) won the best sound Oscar for “The Exorcist.”

EPISODE PREMIERE ON THIS DATE
1989: episode K17- TIME OF THE APES first shown.

* = If this appears next to a birthday, this person is alive, according to the IMDB. If you can supply evidence that he or she has died, and when, please let us know.
** = If this appears next to a birthday, the IMDB indicates that the person has died, but the IMDB does not have a full death date (probably just a month and year or just the year he or she died). If you can give us the exact date (with some sort of proof we can check), please let us know.
** = If this appears next to a death date, the IMDB does not have this person’s full birthday. If you can provide it (with some sort of proof we can check), please let us know.
This Date in MSTory is written and compiled by Christopher Cornell, Brian Henry and Steve Finley with assistance by Tim Brown, Gordon Lawyer and many other Satellite News commenters.



This Date in MSTory is copyright 2025. © All rights reserved. Do not reproduce This Date in MSTory items in any form without express written permission from the authors.

Shout Reissuing Vol. 17

Shout Factory is reissuing Volume XVII (17) on June 3, 2025. Out of print since 2017, it contains episodes 101- The Crawling Eye, 415- The Beatniks (with “General Hospital, segment 2”), 910- The Final Sacrifice and 1005- Blood Waters of Dr. Z.

If you order directly from Shout, you will also receive an exclusive poster featuring Steve Vance’s The Final Sacrifice artwork (available while supplies last).

Thanks to Jason for the heads up!

Reminder – Trace in Chicago

On Sunday, April 6, 2025, Trace Beaulieu will be joining radio station WDCB in a special live broadcast celebrating the 55th Anniversary of its “Those Were The Days” program. Also in attendance will be Rich Koz and Bill Leff (aka Svengoolie and Nostalgiaferatoo). If you plan to be in the Chicago area and would like to attend, you can get tickets here.

Now Available from RiffTrax…

Download it here