Dr. Clayton Forrester
The name Dr. Clayton Forrester has two connotations in popular culture: the name of the chief protagonist of the 1953 movie The War of the Worlds, and one of the mad scientists from the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000.
The War of the Worlds In 1953, H.G. Wells's science fiction novel The War of the Worlds was made into a film, with its location and characters moved to an American setting, much as in the infamous 1938 Orson Welles radio broadcast version. The movie version starred Gene Barry as Dr. Clayton Forrester, a scientist on a fishing holiday who gets caught up in an invasion from Mars. The film is considered a classic of early science fiction cinema.
Mystery Science Theater 3000
and TV's Frank.
The creators of the comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, a show that pokes fun at B-movies and the occasional sci-fi classic, chose the name Dr. Clayton Forrester for their head mad scientist, paying homage to the famous 1953 film. Forrester was played by Trace Beaulieu. Working initially with fellow "mad" Dr. Larry Erhardt (later with TV's Frank) in the bowels of Deep 13, he kidnapped janitor Joel Robinson and shot him into space on board the Satellite of Love. Forrester and his assistants sent Robinson cheesy movies, the worst they could find, and forced him to watch them all, so that they could monitor his mind. In response, Joel built several robot friends to keep him company, and keep himself from being driven mad. An unfortunate side effect of this was that he could not control where the movies began and ended. Robinson, Crow T. Robot, and Tom Servo endlessly mocked the movies they were forced to watch. During Joel's time on MST3K, Forrester participated in Invention Exchanges with Joel and the 'bots. He would show his invention, then Joel would show his invention. At the end of the sixth season, Frank was assumed into Second Banana Heaven by the angel Torgo. In the seventh season, Pearl Forrester (Mary Jo Pehl) joined her son Clayton to help him out. When Trace Beaulieu left the series, she took over as the head mad, and continued sending bad movies to hapless Mike Nelson (played by Michael J. Nelson, who had replaced Joel halfway through the 5th season) and the 'bots.
External links IMDb: The War of the Worlds (1953) IMDb: Mystery Science Theater 3000 (TV)
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