Ep 4. The Corpse Vanishes

In the fourth episode of the first season of Mystery Science Theater 3000, the group of space travelers known as the Satellite of Love find themselves watching The Corpse Vanishes, a horror film from 1942 directed by Wallace Fox and starring Bela Lugosi. The movie follows a mad scientist who is obsessed with keeping his aging wife young and beautiful. In order to do so, he sends his minions to abduct young brides on their wedding day and steal a gland from their bodies. The gland is then used in a serum that preserves the youth of the scientist's wife.

As they watch the film, Joel and his robot companions Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot make fun of the cheesy acting, poor special effects, and ridiculous plot. They provide a hilarious commentary throughout the film, riffing on everything from the characters' over-the-top reactions to the cringe-worthy dialogue.

One of the highlights of the episode is a parody song performed by the robots, called "The Beef Song." The song pokes fun at the many shots of meat and food shown throughout the film, a recurring joke that the MST3K writers often use in their commentary.

As always, there are also several skits that take place in between the movie segments. In one, Joel and the bots try to teach Crow how to be a human by having him practice making small talk. In another, they play a game called "Name That Schism," where they have to guess the name of a religious division based on a brief description.

The Corpse Vanishes is not one of the most well-known films to be featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000, but it provides plenty of fodder for the show's humor. The film's campy horror elements, combined with the witty commentary from Joel and the robots, make for a hilarious episode that is sure to entertain fans of the series.