Person of the Week: Mary Jo Pehl

Miss Pehl as "Pearl Forrester"

Mike:
In the not too distant future
somewhere in time and space
Mike Nelson and his robot pals
are caught in a nasty place
They have to survive the wrath of Pearl
just an evil gal who wants to rule the world
From her castle below, she sets her sights above
Just to torture all the captives
on the Satellite of Love
(shouted) GET ME DOWN!!!


Pearl:
I'll send him cheesy movies,
The worst I can find (la-la-la).
He'll have to sit and watch them all,
And I'll monitor his mind (la-la-la).


Mike:
Now keep in mind Mike can't control
Where the movies begin or end (la-la-la)
He'll try to keep his sanity
With the help of his robot friends.


Robot Roll Call:
Cambot! (You're on!)
Gypsy! (Oh, my stars!)
Tom Servo! (Check me out!)
Croooow! (I'm different!)


If you're wondering how he eats and breathes
and other science facts (la-la-la),
Just repeat to yourself, "It's just a show,
I should really just relax..."
for Mystery Science Theater 3000!

On first sight, most people immediately recognize Mary Jo Pehl as “Pearl Forrester” from Mystery Science Theater 3000. Miss Pehl played “Pearl” (mother of Dr. Clayton Forrester) from 1996 until the show’s conclusion in 1999. As “Pearl,” Pehl would take the role as Lead Mad Scientist and nemesis of the show’s heroes for the last three years of the show. From 1992-1996, Miss Pehl played a variety of recurring characters on the program, and, furthermore, for the life of the show, she would serve as one of the creative geniuses on the writing team.

As unforgettable as Pehl was as Mrs. Forrester, “Pearl” is just one small part of the career of this talented Minnesota-native who now lives in Austin with her husband. Since MST3K’s conclusion, Pehl has offered a host of comedy segments through National Public Radio. In 2007, she joined former castmate Mike Nelson's RiffTrax and also joined the cast of Joel Hodgson's Cinematic Titanic. Miss Pehl holds the distinction of being one of only a few MST3K alumni to be involved with the later endeavors of the show’s two leads. Pehl also lends her talents to Austin’s Violet Crown Radio Players.

Pehl’s natural comedic instinct has led her to pen several books including: I Lived With My Parents and Other Tales of Terror published by Plan 9 Publishing, and Employee of The Month And Other Big Deals. To learn more about the delightful Mary Jo Pehl, visit her official Web site.