Was there a funnier ad-lib show than “Mystery Science Theater 3000”?
Mike Nelson, “Crow” (Bill Corbett) and “Tom Servo” (Kevin Murphy) watched B-grade space movies and interjected comments. Like, “You know, wild horses couldn’t drag this plot any further” and “I never thought the end of the world would be so annoying.”
Mike and the boys come back from the ozone this weekend to reprise “MST3K” when Encore launches a two-day alien-invasion movie marathon at 10 a.m. Saturday with “It: The Terror From Beyond Space,” a 1958 thriller about a space ship returning from Mars with an unwanted guest.
What follows is a what’s-what of eight outer-space movies, including Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Predator” and John Carpenter’s remake of the 1951 classic “The Thing.”
All this is in anticipation of Steven Spielberg’s remake of “War of the Worlds,” starring Tom Cruise, opening Wednesday.
Other weekend highlights:
Friday
Part three of the six-part series “Into the West” is stricken with gold fever, and tragedy overwhelms Matthew Settle as Jacob Wheeler (6 and 8 p.m., TNT).
Smokey Robinson steps in among amateur and professional poets on “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry” (9:30 p.m., HBO).
Saturday
“The Girl in the Cafe,” written by Richard Curtis (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”) is a warm and witty made-for-TV movie about the effects of a chance meeting in a cafe (6 p.m., HBO).
Teen heartthrob Ricky Ullman stars in “Phil of the Future,” a new series about a 22nd-century family transplanted back to the present time (7:30 p.m., Disney).
Sunday
Springfield legalizes gay marriage in a repeat of one of the all-time best “Simpsons” episodes (7 p.m., KDVR-Channel 31).
The heyday of passenger train travel is relived in “Daylight: The Most Beautiful Train in the World,” produced by Golden video maker/train buff Richard Luckin (8 p.m., KRMA-Channel 6).
Around the dial
Local sportscasters Steve Atkinson, Ryan Chiaverini and Vic Lombardi among “celebrities” lined up for Mile High Sports Magazine’s Celebrity Long Drive and Skills Competition at Kennedy Golf Course on July 9 … Chris Daniels & the Kings headline the 16th annual Charles Sawtelle Gnu Mountain Jam, a benefit for Boulder’s KGNU 88.5-FM and 1390-AM, starting at noon on Sunday, July 24, at the Gold Hill Inn … Quotable: “The captain has turned off the ‘No Dubbing’ sign. You are free to speak any language you choose.” – “MST3000.”
Dick Kreck’s column appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. He may be reached at 303-820-1456 or dkreck@denverpost.com.
