59. “I’m gonna go watch the Kefauver hearings, anyway.”

The episode: “The Skydivers,” ep. 609

The riff: Delivered by Mike as one of the movie’s various nondescript characters decides to lumber off the scene. Seriously, this movie is extremely painful.

The explanation: The “Kefauver hearings,” more accurately known as the United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce, was a series of investigations in 1950-1951 into organized crime activity crossing state borders. It became known as the “Kefauver” hearings after its chairman, Senator Estes Kefauver. I’m pretty confused as to the context of this riff, though. It doesn’t fit the time period, and there’s nothing about organized crime in the film. Anybody?

Novelty factor: I’ve never heard of these hearings before. I know you’re probably shocked.

58. “Ah, Irish Spring. Manly, yes, but demi-gods love it too.”

The episode: “Hercules Against the Moon Men,” ep. 410

The riff: Chuckled by Tom as good ‘ole Herc stumbles through a small waterfall. He’s played by Sergio Ciani in this one.

The explanation: Irish Spring deodorant soap has been made by Palmolive since 1972, and is still around today. Tom is referencing a well-known series of commercials in the 1980s that played up the “Irishness” of Irish Spring and had men talking about it being a “manly” soap. Their women would then chime in, “Manly, yes, but I like it too.” And of course, being a son of Zeus with human parents, Herc is a demi-god.

Novelty factor: I know the Irish Spring brand, but these actual commercials are before my time.

57. “I think this is the film version of ‘Darkness Visible’ by William Styron.”

The episode: “Monster a Go-Go,” ep. 421

The riff: Said by Crow in a distressed voice as yet another drabby scene begins.

The explanation: “Darkness Visible” is the name of a memoir by Styron, who also authored famous novels such as “Sophie’s Choice.” First published in Vanity Fair in 1989, the memoir deals with the crippling depression that descended on Styron after giving up alcohol in 1985. Crow is suggesting that every frame of this achingly slow and ugly movie induces the same level of depression. Of note: Whenever they include the author’s name in a riff like this, I feel that even the writers were aware that the joke might be a bit too obscure without it.

Novelty factor: I’ve never heard of this memoir before, but I have heard of Styron.

56. “How about chlordane with a tiny drop of Retsyn?”

The episode: “Beginning of the End,” ep. 517

The riff: Suggested by Crow while Peter Graves’ scientist character learns they need stronger weapons against the giant, invading grasshoppers in the movie.

The explanation: Okay, this one is pretty obscure. “Chlordane” is one of several names for a pesticide that was used in the U.S. from the 1940s to the 1980s, when it was banned by the EPA because of long-term danger to drinking water. “Retsyn,” on the other hand, is an ingredient that was long a central part of the marketing campaign for the breath-fresheners Certs. Note that I do not say “breath mints,” as Certs doesn’t actually have any mint in it. Retsyn, a mixture of “copper gluconate, hydrogenated cottonseed oil and ‘flavoring,'” is the source of both the “minty” flavors and green flecks in Certs. So really, Crow is suggesting a deadly poison with something to help it go down a little easier, as it were.

Novelty factor: I didn’t know about any of this, although “Retsyn” sounds vaguely familiar. I think the SOL crew may have made jokes about things “with Retysyn” before.

55. “His boots are from Gateway Computer.”

The episode: “Final Justice,” ep. 1008

The riff: Quipped by Crow as Joe Don Baker’s Texas Ranger character lays back in a prison bed, revealing his oddly black and white-spotted boots.

The explanation: The pattern on his shoes looks a lot like the black and white splotches of a Holstein cow, which has long been the symbol of Gateway Computers. In the 1990s, the brand first became popular after a series of commercials featuring the black and white spotted Gateway boxes and a cow mascot. Unbelievably upon reflection, this is when human beings were getting new computers by ordering them over the phone because they saw a TV commercial. Even though I lived in that period, the thought is still bizarre to me.

Novelty factor: I was perplexed for a moment when I heard the riff, and then I had a flash of memory and made the connection. I remember the cow commercials in particular, like the one embedded below.

54. “The music has a decidedly ‘Hawkwind’ feel to it.”

The episode: “Laserblast,” ep. 706

The riff: Observed by Tom Servo during the synth-heavy score of the movie’s long opening credits. And they are very long indeed.

The explanation: Hawkwind, as it turns out, is an English rock band formed in 1969 and still active today, although the 1970s-1980s was their most prolific period. They were among the first groups labeled as “space rock,” blending electronic sounds and “spacey-sounding” keyboards with progressive rock music. The crew of the Satellite of Love previously showed themselves to have a certain fascination with this type of music with all their commentary on “music from space” in “Pod People.”

Novelty factor: Completely new to me. I must say, when I hear “Hawkwind,” it sounds like a really nerdy rock band. They sound like a group of bards that I would have run across as NPCs in a D&D game.

53. “Mind if we dance wiv yo dates?”

The episode: “The Saga of the Viking Women and their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent,” ep. 317

The riff: Spoken by Tom in a gruff voice as a warrior on horseback whips the one shrimpy man who snuck off to adventure with the titular Viking Women.

The explanation: This is a sly reference to a great bit from the 1978 film comedy “Animal House.” In the scene referenced, the white boys from Delta House have stumbled into an urban bar where they are clearly not welcome. A huge African American man asks this question before ripping their bolted-down table off the floor in a show of terrifying strength. Tom is parodying the situation as the guy being whipped is having his women “stolen” from him by the men on horseback.

Novelty factor: I recognized the line as soon as I heard it, because I love “Animal House” and John Landis movies in general. Except, you know, John Landis movies made after 1990.

52. “The girls’ costumes were designed by long-time NFL referee Jerry Arcbreit!”

The episode: “The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Mixed-Up Zombies,” ep. 812

The riff: Enthusiastically announced by Crow as a line of dancers removes their outer layer to reveal dresses with nothing but line after line of black and white stripes.

The explanation: This one is interesting to me. It seems pretty clear after doing a little research that Crow is referring to Jerry Markbreit, one of the NFL’s best-known refs, who holds the record for most Super Bowls officiated. If you listen to the clip though, Bill Corbett clearly says “Arc” instead of “Mark.” It may have been that they were confused about what the name really was, or it could have just been a flubbed line that made it through. Either way, I can’t remember many instances where a joke is fundamentally messed up like this.

Novelty factor: It seems weird, but I’ve never really heard of Markbreit, even though he wrote a column in The Chicago Tribune until 2008, and that was the paper my household received. I’m sure my father would probably have recognized the name immediately.

51. “Oh, Mr. Drysdale!”

The episode: “Teenage Strangler,” ep. 514

The riff: Blubbered by Crow in a weepy sort of voice as the camera shows a despondent woman receiving some bad news.

The explanation: This is a reference to what I assume is a regular piece of dialogue from Nancy Kulp’s character Miss Jane Hathaway on “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Hathaway was the secretary for Mr. Drysdale, the neighbor and banker for the monetarily wealthy but naive Clampett family. It was often left up to her on the show to foil his greedier schemes to take advantage of their vast fortune. There’s also a chance that this voice is supposed to be that of Margaret Drysdale, the banker’s hoighty toighty spouse, but I’m not sure why she would call her own husband “Mr. Drysdale.”

Novelty factor: I honestly didn’t know–“The Beverly Hillbillies” was never a show whose reruns held much interest for me. The MST3k writers seemed to like it, though, as there are references in many other episodes that I’ve also recognized. The “Mr. Drysdale” riff is used in multiple other episodes as well, I believe.

50. “Rivers belong where they can ramble…”

The episode: “Parts: The Clonus Horror,” ep. 811

The riff: Sung in a garbled voice by Tom as the movie’s pensive hero walks in the woods. It’s rather difficult to hear exactly, but I was able to piece it together.

The explanation: This is an excerpt from the song “Corner of the Sky,” which was part of the 1972 Broadway hit “Pippin,” a loosely based (read: made up) account of the relationship between Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne and his son, Pippin. Tom sings the song because its lyrics about not fitting in and wanting to escape mirror the emotions of the movie’s clone hero. The writers seemed to think this riff was pretty obscure, so you can actually hear Mike mumble “Pippin?” after Servo’s line. An item of unrelated interest: the 2005 Michael Bay movie “The Island” is pretty much a direct rip-off of “Clonus.”

Novelty factor: I’ve never heard the song before, although I have heard of “Pippin” off-hand. As it turns out, the musical is actually having another Broadway revival in 2013, so this joke has just become relevant again.