Joel Hodgson
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Joel Hodgson (born February 20, 1960) is an American writer, comedian and television actor. He is best known for creating ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...
'' (''MST3K'') and starring in it as the character
Joel Robinson Joel Robinson is a fictional character featured in the American science fiction comedy television series ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K''). He was portrayed by series creator Joel Hodgson. If counting the locally-produced episodes, Jo ...
. In 2007, ''MST3K'' was listed as "one of the top 100 television shows of all time" by ''Time''.. From 2007 to 2013, Hodgson was part of the "movie riffing" project ''
Cinematic Titanic Cinematic Titanic was a project by '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K'') creator and original host, Joel Hodgson. The project involved " riffing" B-movies, in a manner similar to that of ''MST3K''. Joining Hodgson were some of the original ...
'' with several of his fellow MST3K alumni, performing live and producing content for DVDs and direct download. He has also served as Creative Lead for Media at Pennsylvania technology firm Cannae.


Early life and career

Hodgson was born on February 20, 1960 in
Stevens Point, Wisconsin Stevens Point is the county seat of Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The city was incorporated in 1858. Its 2020 population of 25,666 makes it the largest city in the county. Stevens Point forms the core of the United States Census Bur ...
, and later moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin. He was raised in an
Evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...
upbringing, and later claimed that the various shows his church would put on had a profound influence on his desire to become an entertainer. Hodgson began his career in seventh grade as a magician and ventriloquist. Joel performed for local events in Green Bay, and attended
Ashwaubenon High School Ashwaubenon High School is a public high school located in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin. A community pool and performing arts center are also housed within the school. History In 2008, the school made national and international headlines after it was ...
. Upon graduation, Hodgson moved to Minneapolis to attend
Bethel University (Minnesota) Bethel University is a private Christian university and seminary in Arden Hills, Minnesota. It was founded in 1871 as a seminary and is affiliated with Converge. The university enrolls 5,600 students in undergraduate, graduate, and seminary p ...
to study Theatre and Mass Media. While there, Hodgson further developed his magic act by adding comedy and began opening for musical acts at Bethel as well as performing in coffee houses and comedy clubs. Hodgson cites a
Theatre of the Absurd The Theatre of the Absurd (french: théâtre de l'absurde ) is a post–World War II designation for particular plays of absurdist fiction written by a number of primarily European playwrights in the late 1950s. It is also a term for the style o ...
class at Bethel taught by Dr. David Horn for helping him crystallize the meaning of his comedy. In 1981 he won the Campus Comedy Contest and then the first annual
Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...
Comedy Invitational in 1982. In November of the same year Hodgson moved to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
where he became a regular performer at the
Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy S ...
and the Hollywood Magic Castle, as well as the Comedy Magic Club. At the Comedy Magic Club, Hodgson was spotted by '' Late Night with David Letterman'' producer Barry Sand and three months later at age 22 had his network television debut. He later made four other appearances on the Letterman show, as well as four on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' as a guest act. Hodgson also was a featured performer on HBO’s "Eighth Annual Young Comedians Special" hosted by
John Candy John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian actor and comedian known mainly for his work in Hollywood films. Candy rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of the Toronto branch of the Second City and its '' SCTV'' seri ...
along with Bill Maher,
Paula Poundstone Paula Poundstone (born December 29, 1959) is an American stand-up comedian, author, actor, interviewer, and commentator. Beginning in the late 1980s, she performed a series of one-hour HBO comedy specials. She provided backstage commentary durin ...
, and the
Amazing Johnathan John Edward Szeles (September 9, 1958 – February 22, 2022), better known by the stage name The Amazing Johnathan, was an American comedian and Magician (illusion), magician. His act was mostly composed of hijinks, interaction with one specifi ...
. He worked at the
Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy S ...
while in LA, also doing traveling stand-up in San Jose,
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
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, Kansas City and
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
. Hodgson left stand-up in 1985, citing the need for a creative sabbatical, and moved back to Minneapolis. Between 1984 and 1988 - Hodgson's 'official' return to comedy - he built and sold sculptures, worked at a T-shirt factory, designed toys, and began designing and building props (including robots) for other comedians. In 1986 he co-wrote an HBO special with
Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...
. He was also considered for the role of Woody Boyd in ''
Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...
''. He met
Jim Mallon James Joseph Mallon (born March 19, 1956) is an American television and film producer and writer, most notable for being executive producer of the Peabody Award-winning series ''Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K)''. He is also president of the ...
in 1987, and Mallon became production manager at the St. Paul UHF station
KTMA WUCW (channel 23) is a television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, serving the Twin Cities area as an affiliate of The CW. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station maintains studios in the Pence Building on 8th S ...
Channel 23 in 1988. Hodgson was the first choice to portray "Philo" in the
"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
film '' UHF'', but at the time of the filming in 1988, he had begun the production of a new form of
television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...
for KTMA.


''Mystery Science Theater 3000''

Building on his gift for designing toys and other gizmos, Hodgson built three robot puppets and created ''MST3K'' in 1988. He starred as the show's long-suffering but inventive protagonist, Joel Robinson, who in the backstory is responsible for creating his own robot companions. Hodgson cites the 1972 film '' Silent Running'' influenced the premise of the show. ''MST3K'' originally aired on
KTMA-TV WUCW (channel 23) is a television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, serving the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities area as an affiliate of The CW. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station maintains ...
, before becoming one of the first two shows to be picked up by the Comedy Channel, the forerunner of
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
upon starting operations in 1989. The other show, also created and written by Hodgson, was the short-lived '' Higgins Boys and Gruber'', a sketch comedy program that starred Steve Higgins, David Anthony Higgins and Dave Allen. Hodgson surprised many fans when he left ''MST3K'' after its 107th episode, ''
Mitchell Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territo ...
'' in 1993. Hodgson's departure was scripted into the episode with the robot, Gypsy, ejecting Joel from the Satellite of Love in an escape pod after incorrectly believing Joel's captors were plotting to kill him.
Michael J. Nelson Michael John Nelson (born October 11, 1964) is an American comedian and writer, most known for his work on the television series '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K''). Nelson was the head writer of the series for most of the show's origi ...
replaced Hodgson as host for the remainder of the series' run. In contemporary interviews, Hodgson stated he was uncomfortable with acting and being in front of the camera. In 1999, he added that he and producer
Jim Mallon James Joseph Mallon (born March 19, 1956) is an American television and film producer and writer, most notable for being executive producer of the Peabody Award-winning series ''Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K)''. He is also president of the ...
had been fighting over creative control of ''MST3K''. His departure allowed the show to continue and gave him the opportunity to focus on his preferred creation and production work rather than on performing, which he did only reluctantly. Hodgson later made a surprise guest appearance in the season premiere for the final season of ''MST3K'' ("Soultaker", episode 1001). The original ''MST3K'' ended its run in 1999. Hodgson said in 2008 that he felt leaving ''MST3K'' "was a bit of a personal tragedy" and that he had "...created the appearance to the press that I had other plans, but I didn't. It was all to keep 'MST3K''alive." He also stated that he felt his run on ''MST3K'' "...was the perfect job." In a separate interview that year, Hodgson said of his departure from ''MST3K'', "I was, like, totally happy at ''Mystery Science Theater''. I loved it. I wanted to stay, but I was basically having a fight with my partner, Jim Mallon. So we weren't getting along and so I just felt like — I thought it really could possibly jeopardize the show. It would have been easy to create factions out of the group. And by that time it would not have been a fun show to work on. And so, I felt like I saw it coming and I just thought eavingwas the best thing at the time."


Work after ''MST3K''

After ''MST3K'', Hodgson formed Visual Story Tools (VST) with his brother Jim Hodgson. They created a special for an interactive sketch comedy program called ''
The TV Wheel ''The TV Wheel'' is a 1995 television pilot created by and starring Joel Hodgson, of ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' fame. The pilot was funded by cable network HBO, but they ultimately passed on picking up the show. The pilot episode eventually ...
'' for HBO, which Joel produced and hosted. It aired only once, on Comedy Central, after the last new Comedy Central episode of ''MST3K''. Over the years Hodgson and his brother Jim maintained a side project that utilized the repurposing of movie footage with digital effects; codenamed "jollyfilter." Hodgson's other post-''MST3K'' projects and contributions include ''
Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves ''Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves'' is a 1997 American science fiction comedy film, and the third installment in the ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' film series. The film marks the directorial debut of cinematographer Dean Cundey and was released throu ...
'', '' You Don't Know Jack'', ''
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'', and ''Everything You Need to Know''. In 1999, Hodgson played a recurring role as a
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
-loving clothing store salesman and DJ on the television show ''
Freaks and Geeks ''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen drama, teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive producer, executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 United States network television schedul ...
''. Hodgson was featured as the cover story in the November 1996 issue of '' Genii'' magazine. In 2007, he portrayed
Blackbeard Edward Teach (alternatively spelled Edward Thatch, – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies. Little is known abou ...
the pirate in two episodes of '' The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd'' and recently joined fellow ''MST3K'' alum
Frank Conniff Frank Conniff Jr. ( ;) is an American writer, actor, comedian and producer, who is best known for his portrayal of TV's Frank on '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K''). He is the son of journalist and editor Frank Conniff. Early work ...
's monthly comedy revue ''
Cartoon Dump ''Cartoon Dump'' is an online comedy web series/video podcast created by Frank Conniff (formerly of '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'') and animation historian Jerry Beck. A live version was making monthly performances at the Steve Allen Theate ...
'', helming his self-created puppet "Dumpster Diver Dan." He has since starred in the science fiction computer game '' Darkstar: The Interactive Movie'' as Scythe Commander Kane Cooper. Joel also reunited with Jerry Seinfeld as a guest on his web show, ''
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee ''Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee'' is an American talk-show web series directed and hosted by comedian Jerry Seinfeld. The series premiered on digital network Crackle on July 19, 2012. As of May 2015, it had been streamed nearly 100 million tim ...
''. In 2013, he reprised his role as Joel Robinson for a brief cameo appearance in two episodes of the fourth season of ''Arrested Development'', along with Trace Beaulieu as Crow. From 2013 to 2018, he voiced recurring character Mayor Bill Dewey in the
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
animated series ''
Steven Universe ''Steven Universe'' is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe ( Zach Callison), who lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, mineral ...
''. In 2015, he appeared as Zalien Fletcher, a long-haired, laid-back, dim-witted engineer on the
Paul Feig Paul Samuel Feig (; born September 17, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is known for directing films starring frequent collaborator Melissa McCarthy, including '' Bridesmaids'' (2011), '' The Heat'' (2013), '' Spy'' (20 ...
produced space comedy ''
Other Space ''Other Space'' is an American science fiction comedy streaming television series created by Paul Feig for Yahoo! Screen. Set in the 22nd century, it follows the dysfunctional crew of an exploratory spaceship who become trapped in an unknown ...
'', which premiered on
Yahoo! Screen The company Yahoo! ran several similar video services. Yahoo! Video, a video hosting service, was established in 2006. Later, the ability to upload videos was removed, changing it to a more pure video on demand service; the website became a port ...
on April 14, 2015. Fellow ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...
'' alum
Trace Beaulieu Trace Beaulieu ( is an American comedian, puppeteer, writer, and actor. He played roles on ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K'')Cinematic Titanic Cinematic Titanic was a project by '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K'') creator and original host, Joel Hodgson. The project involved " riffing" B-movies, in a manner similar to that of ''MST3K''. Joining Hodgson were some of the original ...
'', together with former ''MST3K'' cast and crew members
Trace Beaulieu Trace Beaulieu ( is an American comedian, puppeteer, writer, and actor. He played roles on ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K'')J. Elvis Weinstein Joshua Stuart "Josh" Weinstein (born May 21, 1971), known professionally as J. Elvis Weinstein, is an American writer and performer, best known for his roles as Dr. Laurence Erhardt and the original puppeteer and voice for Tom Servo and Gypsy o ...
,
Frank Conniff Frank Conniff Jr. ( ;) is an American writer, actor, comedian and producer, who is best known for his portrayal of TV's Frank on '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K''). He is the son of journalist and editor Frank Conniff. Early work ...
and
Mary Jo Pehl Mary Jo Pehl (; born February 27, 1960 in Circle Pines, Minnesota) is an American writer, actress, and comedian. She is best known for her various roles on the television series '' Mystery Science Theater 3000''. ''Mystery Science Theater 3000 ...
. In 2012, he began touring a one-man show detailing his life and career through slides, video, and live interaction titled ''Riffing Myself''. ''Cinematic Titanic'' completed the final tour on December 30, 2013.


''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' revival

On November 10, 2015, Joel Hodgson launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring back ''MST3K'' for another season. The Kickstarter closed with over $6.3 million in funding (including "add-on rewards" offered through a separate site), allowing Hodgson to plan to produce fourteen new episodes. The project was released on Netflix as ''Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return'' in April, 2017, and stars comedian
Jonah Ray Jonah Ray Rodrigues (born August 3, 1982) is an American actor, comedian and writer from Los Angeles. He stars as Jonah Heston, the most recent primary host of ''Mystery Science Theater 3000''. He is a former host of '' The Nerdist Podcast'' and ...
as Jonah Heston, alongside original co-star robots (puppets voiced by actors) Tom Servo, Crow, and Gypsy, much like when Hodgson hosted the show himself. Hodgson himself makes an appearance on this series as "Ardy," although he is hidden under a HAZMAT suit in this character. The series was met with mainly positive reviews, and has been certified "Fresh" by Rotten Tomatoes, and featured a nationwide live tour, titled "MST3K Live! Watch Out for Snakes! Tour." Hodgson was present for each show, marking the first time he's hosted the show in several years, and his first time hosting alongside Jonah Ray. The revived series ran for two seasons on Netflix, ending in November 2018. On April 7, 2021, Hodgson launched a second Kickstarter campaign to make another revival of the series, intended for a new service called the Gizmoplex, with a possibility that he would host two episodes. The initial $2 million goal was met within the first 25 hours, with a total of $6.5 million at the end, enabling thirteen new episodes, two featuring Hodgson as Joel Robinson, a 3D film, and Halloween and Christmas specials. The season soft-launched to Gizmoplex members on March 4, 2022 with the season's public premiere occurring on May 6, 2022. The first episode of the season in which Hodgson reprises his role as Robinson is the season's sixth, featuring the 2019 film '' Demon Squad''. The episode premiered on June 24, 2022.


References


External links

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Joel Hodgson's Inspirational Quotes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodgson, Joel 1960 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American comedy writers American male comedians American male television actors American stand-up comedians American television writers Living people Male actors from Wisconsin American male television writers People from Green Bay, Wisconsin People from Stevens Point, Wisconsin Prop comics Male actors from Los Angeles Writers from Los Angeles Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from Wisconsin Comedians from California 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians