MST3K - Favorite Moments - The Day The Earth Froze

In episode 422 we once again get up close and personal with Russian cinema with The Day the Earth Froze (aka. Sampo). Once again it's courtesy of award winning director Aleksandr Ptushko.
This time it's a story based on the Kalevala -- a Finnish folk story or something similar.
Anyway, a witch kidnaps a young woman and steals the sun in order to have the woman's brother make her a Sampo -- a device that sort of does something with gold and salt and apparently is essential for the survival of a small village.
Why that is and what the deal is with the salt is anybodies guess.
However, our Sampo maker brings a love struck young prince Valiant wanna-be along (what is it with that hair in Ptushko movies?) who naturally manages to completely botch the whole thing, though he does manage to plough a field of snakes...?
But when everything seems lost in a blizzard -- and I'm not talking about the plot -- the village finally mans up and confront the evil witch with... soothing harp music...?
Anyway, the sun is released and the happy villagers can go back to wreck havoc on nature.
The movie is preceded by the short -- Here Comes the Circus -- a lovely tale about the nightmare inducing trauma that is the circus.
Look out for the Klu Klux Clowns, the devil, the freaks, the Amish clown, a woman who swings both ways, STELLA, doing it clown-style, Sigfried & Roy, full contact Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf, goats, Bird Lancaster, the magic of Ulysses S. Grant, Sampo, snake ploughing, a talking road, a cruising cape, a bag of Homer Simpson, easy abductions, the creation of the Tristar logo, disco inferno, a flaming moose, the Swedish Moses of soul, a Scandinavian riot, the Little House on the Tundra, and the most emotion ever expressed in Sweden.
Enjoy!
(SAMPO!)

[@Adamguy2003]

The Failure song gives new meaning to the term "epic fail."

[@leannewho664]

This comment is beautiful; I’ve never seen anyone use that term in nearly a decade. Props to you for keeping it alive! Genuinely!

[@MegaPianoplayer1]

"Don't talk about our clown, Martha." This cracks me up every time.

[@spookyloop5174]

“Are you with the bride or the failure?” gets me every time

[@Thornbloom]

All joking aside doing a triple back handspring on a moving horse is actually kind of impressive.

[@abrahamlincoln9758]

I'm more impressed by soup crawling on all fours.

[@CreepyPersonCube.]

What do you mean, "kind of"? Let's see you do it. ...oh holy shit you are. Okay nevermind, my bad. (If you are in fact NOT doing it, I can only offer my condolences for any injuries occured in the attempts.)

[@killershrew1]

How HOW could you leave out one of THE funniest jokes (IMO) in MST3K history?? When the witch is stomping on the flowers and Joel says, "Jeez I wonder what her Myers-Briggs test looks like??"

[@auritone]

Good question. In my defence I always say that the best highlight of mst3k is just watch the whole thing. 😊

[@williamcrowe2576]

I'm surprised they didn't reference that scene in Mommy Dearest when Joan Crawford destroyed her flower bed.

[@angelinaaileenbooker2141]

I loved the Gypsy Rose Me segment. It's one of her crowning moments of the show (season 4 had a lot of notable Gypsy moments) I think part of the reason why she's my favorite character is because it's her unique and wacky falsetto voice that's part of her charm. (it sounds unique whenever some men pull off a ridiculous falsetto voice like Gypsy's)

[@KnightlyNerdandDork]

“Yes, children’s windows of perception are open for only a second, only to take in the horror that is the circus” 😂😂😂

[@LchanOtakudom]

"Will somebody please put me out, I seem to be on fire!" ROFLMAO POOR BULLWINKLE!

[@ChrisS-jc9es]

That was a top-notch bullwinkle impression

[@jondunmore4268]

Perfect delivery, though!

[@jacknewman9256]

Next time you order breakfast at a restaurant, order a side of Sampo. If you can do it with a straight face the conversation is hilarious.

[@OldHickory1971]

"They're doing it clown-style!"😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@MollyMcgee11]

The whole "Failure" musical sequence is PURE GOLD from the magical SAMPO!

[@Yougotsblounchsked]

"And here come the freaks now!"

[@Krendall2]

"It's the man who mistook his wife for a hat." Thank you Psych 101

[@jondunmore4268]

James Thurber.

[@glorianahunter]

This was the very first MST3K I ever saw. Ahhhh....the memories!

[@jondunmore4268]

My very first MST3K was TIME OF THE APES.

[@Anynom]

Something about circus-themed shorts really brings out the dark side in the guys... "CHUG IT CHUG IT CHUG IT!" "Make way for the Klu Klux Klowns!" "it's Liza!" "No, no, they're doing it clown style!" "And Madonna thinks she's innovative!" "Bing Crosby's relationship with his son Gary is reenacted." "It's a full contact 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff.'" "Stelllllllla!"

[@LchanOtakudom]

“Kitties!”

[@bowlingstoned2113]

"Don't talk about our clown, Martha..." 🤣

[@MegaPianoplayer1]

There's Siegfried! There's Roy! Hello Siegfried! Hello Roy!

[@kirk1968]

Definitely watch the full "Here Comes the Circus" if you haven't seen it, an MST3K masterpiece :D If it doesn't make you laugh the entire way through, you are dead inside.

[@BryonYoungblood]

And it has some pretty dark but funny jokes too by all three.

[@Adamguy2003]

HEEEEERE COMES THE DEVIL!

[@seaofshe]

"Don't talk about our clown, Martha." Cracks me up every time.

[@RoyStorey]

Here Comes the Circus is one of my favorite riffs of the whole series.

[@vicariousk]

Sampo, ask for it by name!

[@bowlingstoned2113]

"What, it's a bag of Homer Simpson??" 🤣

[@jamesschuur2801]

I remember the winter of '75, the Ohio River froze and I walked on it.

[@edgarallanlovecraft5485]

I will never forgive you for that. Sincerely, The Ohio River

[@Gravidtron]

"The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man in CHAINS?!" "Kinky!"

[@jacksongibbs8998]

12:20 “What am I, I’m a moose!” “Grandpa, that’s aunt Tessie’s urn.” 😶

[@jimstanga6390]

It’s actually a Finnish Film, done in cooperation with SovFilm in 1959.

[@deafmusician2]

This is considered a riot in scandinavia... 🤣

[@auritone]

That is actually not all wrong 😊

[@Cybjon]

The bit where she looks like she's calling the Batman made me splurge my coffee.

[@vonzigle]

The clowns in the short were truly terrifying!

[@pixietwitch]

This one was always one of my very favorites!

[@jbarry39]

Ladies and Gentleman...The Magic of Ulysses S. Grant!

[@ladycplum]

Would thomebody pleathe put me out, i theem to be on FIYERRRRR!

[@kylestubbs8867]

“...or you’ll never see the face of your pretty sister again!” “Can we see the other parts?”

[@alexandersilady4751]

"It's not that fun going to grandma's anymore!"

[@thefetede]

1:20 " yes it`s the man who mistook his wife for a hat " OMG LOL LOL LOL LOL

[@deafmusician2]

I dated her... Once... It took FOREVER to get off

[@milesbyt]

Breaking news: Flaming moose causes traffic, details at eleven.

[@low8739]

Are you with the bride or the failure?

[@kirk1968]

I ask myself that very question quite often...

[@luisreyes1963]

"Grandma's been taking to the bedding again..."

[@robertellis4938]

Greatest. Movie. Ever.

[@TheFunkywhiteboy63]

I thought Sampo was an old brand of TV set.

[@MrGchiasson]

Ahh.. the ladies in the circus act with the elephants.... nice to know the Kardashians have a future in show biz'

[@ArcadeIsMyLife1]

🎵He's a failure, total failure 🎵. Comedy gold and the classic version of MS3000 is still better then the new one that's on Netflix.

[@priscillacantu6245]

If only Gypsy still has her first male falsetto voice, that I often wince too and makes jokes over of. Even back when both frank and trace were the mads, those were the show's golden days.

[@CWinther95]

"He's a Steel Town Sven ona saturday night!"

[@monkeymouse]

"Named Lemenkainnen." "Blind Lemon Kainnen."

[@kylestubbs8867]

Any relation to "Blind Lemon Pledge"?

[@draconiclady0610]

I thought he said "Wine Leinenkainen"

[@ahoneanatwo]

Ladies and gentlemen, the magic of Ulysses S. Grant!

[@sapphirewingthefurrycritic985]

We to this day still don’t know what a sampo is

[@jacksongibbs8998]

If you know what a sampo is, write it on a piece of paper, throw it away and try not to think about it. You’ll be glad you did.

[@christopherwall2121]

Joking aside, it's a machine that can make pretty much anything. It's an actual object of Finnish folklore and the movie assumes familiarity with it from the audience. And this dub didn't bother adding an explanation, leaving Joel and the Bots clueless.

[@kylestubbs8867]

Christopher Wall No, it’s explained in the movie, Joel and the Bots were talking over it.

[@kentonclarkson1449]

When I was vacationing in Stockholm Norway I told a Finnish guy about this movie and he said something to me but it was in Russian so I didn't understand him

[@jondunmore4268]

You didn't have your Sampo interpreting device?

[@Casey5693]

11:40 is what I came to see. I love the Failure Song!

[@colosal30]

The movie that made the word "sample" a legend!

[@Cybjon]

Sampo.

[@jondunmore4268]

*Sampo

[@victorhernandez8723]

Congress of Oddities. That's the U. S. Government in a nutshell.

[@ZERO_O7X]

"The adventures of Fjord Fairlane" 😂

[@lastxwriter]

The Tri-Star logo's ready!

[@AnnetteLG]

Hurry up! They're going to consummate! Lol

[@johnwriter8234]

auritone ... again, your descriptions are as funny as the SOL riffs !

[@rawjawbone]

SAMPO!!

[@jacksongibbs8998]

*SaMpO* *!!!!!*

[@LchanOtakudom]

Richard Becker SAAAMPOOO!

[@williamhowe1]

@@LchanOtakudom Kids come running for the rich taste of sampo!

[@patrickdrazen3574]

The movie's roots are actually Finnish (sorry Doctor Forrester) but it needs this intermission: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p36mimmhocmBaKs

[@Arathor82]

7:51 MOOSE BABY NO!!

[@victorhernandez8723]

Good thing that scene at 4:07 wasn't in 3-D. Otherwise someone could've been hurt.

[@edwardburek1717]

Ahhh, the good ol' Scandinavian Sketch. Do dey actually talk like dat in Minnesota, do dey??

[@theoldar]

One of the very best episodes.

[@ZoeSquared21]

IT'S LIZA!

[@pdlbean]

God this one was great. I can't believe I've never seen it!

[@Knaeben]

What does she want a "Sample" of?

[@wisconsinjones]

I wonder if Emmett Kelly is STILL eating? 😂

[@PWPH1984]

Polar Vortex: the Movie.

[@stelsue1958]

Thanks, Man. Now clown style will be a thing in my world.

[@GlowkiesComedian]

STELLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@Hakkai87]

Crap is a Sampo?! Otherwise this is very funny

[@kylestubbs8867]

According to the film's Wikipedia page, the "Sampo" is a magical mill that can produce as much salt, grain and gold as its owner wants. You can hear parts of the explanation at 3:30, as Joel and the Bots unintentionally talk over it.

[@MoonspiderHugs]

awesomeness!!!

[@FingerBreakerWu]

I thought it was Finnish...

[@juhahaapala6835]

I wold sew that just for it..... what horse

[@williamhowe1]

Hey it's Patton!

[@edwardburek1717]

"You do not belong in this field of honour!!!"

[@TheChaoscard]

Shes calling um... Batman LOL

[@Demiurgi81]

Sampo is moneymaking machine. Lol! This is very far from the book, Kalevala.

[@kylestubbs8867]

It can also produce salt and grain. Not that you'd know from Joel and the Bots talking over the explanation (3:30).

[@CWinther95]

The funniest shit i have ever seen!!!!!!!

[@carmenmcalistet5452]

Junior Sampos?

[@Digglesisdead]

He's a failure, a failure....

[@williamhowe1]

So are you with the bride or the failure?

[@sesamemixels]

GYPSY ROSE MEEEEE

[@nettiecoughlan7044]

I enjoyed that segment, even though I love Gypsy, her voice takes a LOT of getting used to because of how wacky her ridiculously falsetto voice is. And, I ended up cringed a LOT in that segment hearing her sing during her one-woman show...

[@juhahaapala6835]

Nice.. But nothing in Finnns

[@jondunmore4268]

A Sampo was the medieval version of the Interociter.