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3 episodes with griswolds
3 episodes with griswolds
4 episodes with griswolds
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2 episodes with griswolds
2 episodes with griswolds
3 episodes with griswolds
2 episodes with griswolds
2 episodes with griswolds
I grew up on Route 66 and have road trips in my veins. I've driven all over this great country, visited every single state and seen thousands of interesting things. Nothing inspires me more than a good road trip film — if you're the same way, check out one of this week's recommendations. All of the my picks on this week's list are pretty well known, which makes them so much fun to revisit. If you haven't seen one or all of them in a few years, what better time to revisit them?Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)There's nothing Pee-wee Herman loves more than his bicycle. Unfortunately for him, spoiled frenemie Francis Buxton loves it to, and hires someone to steal it for him. A distraught Pee-wee organizes a search party to find his bicycle and eventually hits the road and crosses multiple states in search of his irreplicable bike. Join Pee-wee and all the friends he meets along the way as he goes on his adventure. The Muppet Movie (1979)Life's like a movie, write your own ending! In the first full-length Muppet film, Kermit is convinced by a lost agent to head to Hollywood to fulfill his dream of making millions of people happy. Along his journey, Kermit meets a joke-telling bear named Fozzie, a weirdo named Gonzo, a rock band called the Electric Mayhem (led by Dr. Teeth), and the world's most beautiful women, Miss Piggy. Will Kermit and his friends reach Hollywood before Doc Hopper catches Kermit and forces him to become the mascot for his restaurant? I hope so, because there are a lot more Muppet movies after this one! The NeverEnding Story (1984)While hiding from school bullies, young Bastion acquires a book promising a never ending story and skips school, hiding in the attic to read it. The book tells the story of Atreyu and his quest to save Fantasia from a darkness known as The Nothing. The more Bastian reads, the more it seems his own life is becoming entertwined with the book itself! Featuring a hit theme song and a luck dragon, The NeverEnding Story is a journey not to be missed. National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)If you've ever gone on a road trip, either as a child or a parent, you'll relate to the Griswolds as they drive across the country in their new station wagon from Chicago to Wallyworld! Directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, and Dana Barron, and Randy Quaid, and featuring cameos from comedians including Eugene Levy and John Candy, among others. As a kid I identified as oldest sibling Rusty, and as a parent I can't help but see a little bit of Clark in the rearview mirror.Spring is here and there's no better time to roll down your windows, put the pedal to the metal, and hit the open road. If you can't fit a road trip into your current schedule, watching one of these movies about journeys is the next best thing! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.videostorepodcast.com
Taylor, Nick, and Anthony book a trip to Europe with the Griswolds in the second (and arguably least funny) installment in the Vacation series: National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985).__________Taylor Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, Writer Nick Zaccario…Host, Director, Producer, EditorAnthony Graziani…Correspondent, EPCOT Historian
In this GB Classic, actor Beverly D'Angelo reflects on life after the Griswolds, why age is just a number, and the challenges women face around aging and image.
Hey friends, it's Amy! Merry Christmas! This week, I'm sharing reflections from my family's magical holiday moments and the lessons they've reminded me of. The holiday season is a time for togetherness, joy, and making memories—but more than anything, it's a reminder of the power of presence.In this episode, I'll take you through a heartwarming walk down memory lane, from cherished Christmases at my grandparents' trailer to present-day traditions with my kids that fill our hearts with joy. We'll talk about what it means to truly be present in a season that often pulls us in many directions and how we can create moments that our loved ones will cherish for a lifetime.Grab a cup of hot chocolate, cozy up, and let's reflect on what really matters this holiday season!In This Episode, You'll Learn:Why the gift of presence is the most valuable gift you can give.How holiday traditions create lasting memories for your family.A reminder to hold tight to cherished memories, no matter your circumstances.Simple ways to be more present and engaged with your loved ones.Why creating joy and magic for your children can leave a lasting legacy.This holiday season, let's commit to giving the gift of presence. Be there—fully present—for your loved ones and create moments that will last a lifetime.If this episode touched your heart, share it with a friend who needs encouragement this season. And don't forget to join us at Thrive on January 11, 2025, where we'll dive deeper into finding joy, purpose, and resilience in every season.Remember, friends: You are more, and you are made for more. Wishing you a season filled with love, gratitude, and cherished memories!Connect With Us:Website: https://www.youaremore.comFree Download: 5 Steps to Win Through AdversitySocial Media: Follow us on Facebook and InstagramEmail: amy@amywienands.comEpisode Minute By Minute:0:00 – Welcome and reflections on a perfect winter day in Iowa.1:24 – The joy of family traditions and the magic of Christmas memories.2:45 – Amy's nostalgic walk through the neighborhood and memories of Christmas Eve with her grandma.5:00 – Lessons from creating joy as the neighborhood “Griswolds.”7:15 – The importance of being mentally and emotionally present with family.8:45 – A heartfelt challenge to create and hold onto warm holiday memories.10:00 – Stories of family traditions, from Elf on the Shelf adventures to Christmas lights tours.11:30 – Final reflections on cherishing the holiday season and creating a legacy of love.Be intentional, stay focused, and remember you are more!
Send us a textIn this special interview, we sit down with Nicholas Guest, the actor who brought the hilariously uptight Todd Chester to life in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation!
Das erste Weihnachtsgeschenk kommt noch vor dem Heiligen Abend: In unserer X-Mas-Bonusfolge reden wir über die fragwürdigen Feierlichkeiten der Familie Griswold!Ob das tatsächlich eine schöne Bescherung wird oder ob dem Film in den letzten Jahrzehnten truthahnmäßig die Luft ausgegangen ist – das erfahrt ihr in einer neuen Folge von Popkultur Plusquamperfekt!
Yesterday was Joey's older son's birthday, Steve Harvey is NOT dead, a teacher is under fire for banning certain words in her classroom, Joey had major struggles when picking up a donut order, Morgan Wallen's Nashville bar sign was finally approved, a Bengals player was fined for jumping into a Salvation Army kettle after a touchdown, Brantley Gilbert and his friends are getting vasectomies together, Joey caught his mailman singing on his Ring doorbell footage, things you've caught on your doorbell that you weren't supposed to see, Lucky 7, we talked to the Griswolds of Knoxville about their Christmas lights, Joey feels pressured to get Nancy and Karly Christmas gifts, and more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We talked with Sheila Marlowe, the owner of the Marlowe Christmas House at Gray Eagle Lane! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We talked with Sheila Marlowe, the owner of the Marlowe Christmas House at Gray Eagle Lane! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Yesterday was Joey's older son's birthday, Steve Harvey is NOT dead, a teacher is under fire for banning certain words in her classroom, Joey had major struggles when picking up a donut order, Morgan Wallen's Nashville bar sign was finally approved, a Bengals player was fined for jumping into a Salvation Army kettle after a touchdown, Brantley Gilbert and his friends are getting vasectomies together, Joey caught his mailman singing on his Ring doorbell footage, things you've caught on your doorbell that you weren't supposed to see, Lucky 7, we talked to the Griswolds of Knoxville about their Christmas lights, Joey feels pressured to get Nancy and Karly Christmas gifts, and more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
43 Days until Christmas. Unfortunately, the house the Griswolds lived in, in Christmas Vacation is no longer around. But did you know that it was also used in other shows and movies? If you would like to pick up the Closer to Christmas Coloring Book that I released, for yourself, or as a gift for someone, you can do so, by clicking here: https://a.co/d/7n5QjOr You can follow me here: @closertoxmas You can also email me, I would love to hear your feedback. Email me at closertochristmaspodcast@gmail.com Please rate and review the podcast wherever you are listening, it helps spread the word, and I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. To check out any visual component to this epidode, check out my Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/@closertochristmas And finally, and HUGE thank you to my brother, Kevin, for allowing me to use his music throughout my show. If you like what you hear, you can pick up his album on Itunes, which can be found here: A solstice night on Apple music or A Solstice Night on Amazon
Americans, get out of there whilst you still can, before the votes are counted on election night 2024. We're going on the holiday road with the Griswolds through Europe, and discussing our own brief encounters across the continent. We also have a shamelessly packed chat about recent films, including Heretic, Juror #2, The Wild Robot, Piece By Piece and the third Venom venom venom venom and Terrifier films.
The Griswolds have already conquered Wally World, now it's time to wreak havoc in Europe after winning a trip on a game show. Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Jason Lively and Dana Hill. Directed by Amy Heckerling.
This podcast is directed to the home owner & home buyer.This episode we talk about selling your home during the holidays. Do you decorate or not? What do you put up and keep up? When do the Christmas lights come down? At Patty's Playhouse, we talk about real estate and life in the small southern town.The conversations are consumer driven inviting entrepreneurs, real estate professionals and interesting people who make up our world of real estate. We talk real estate with some interesting and fun facts. We talk lifestyle, staging tips, home buying selling and investing... all with a happy ending... Get bonus content on Patreon Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/pattysplayhouse https://plus.acast.com/s/pattysplayhouse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico; Julio grew up moving all over the country, stopped in Pennsylvania to get his BFA from Penn State, and moved to NYC six months before Covid-19 took over. Since then Julio made his Broadway and Principal debut in BAD CINDERELLA as the understudy for Prince Sebastian. This past Sunday he also just opened his second Broadway as a swing in LEMPICKA. Other credits include: WHITE CHRISTMAS (Phil Davis, CSTC), THE GREAT GATSBY (Papermill Playhouse), THE GRISWOLDS' BROADWAY VACATION (The 5th Avenue Theatre), TITANIC (Fleet, Milwaukee Rep), 42nd St (Billy Lawlor, The Rev), and MAMMA MIA (Sky, NSMT). Thanks to Coach Joe for helping stay nice and strong to keep up with the Broadway schedule!!! And yes before a matinee totally works! I could honestly do any day I have a matinee so whatever is best for the photographer I can make sure I'm at the theatre early whenever they're available. -Julio Try out your own Broadway fitness program via an app at no cost and no catch! www.builtforthestage.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico; Julio grew up moving all over the country, stopped in Pennsylvania to get his BFA from Penn State, and moved to NYC six months before Covid-19 took over. Since then Julio made his Broadway and Principal debut in BAD CINDERELLA as the understudy for Prince Sebastian. This past Sunday he also just opened his second Broadway as a swing in LEMPICKA. Other credits include: WHITE CHRISTMAS (Phil Davis, CSTC), THE GREAT GATSBY (Papermill Playhouse), THE GRISWOLDS' BROADWAY VACATION (The 5th Avenue Theatre), TITANIC (Fleet, Milwaukee Rep), 42nd St (Billy Lawlor, The Rev), and MAMMA MIA (Sky, NSMT). Thanks to Coach Joe for helping stay nice and strong to keep up with the Broadway schedule!!! And yes before a matinee totally works! I could honestly do any day I have a matinee so whatever is best for the photographer I can make sure I'm at the theatre early whenever they're available. -Julio Try out your own Broadway fitness program via an app at no cost and no catch! www.builtforthestage.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What's up, dudes? It was 1989, and the Griswolds had an amazing and quirky holiday staycation adventure with fantastic music woven throughout! Kevin Williams from ‘Tis the Soundtrack joins me to discuss the fabulous song selection and Badalamenti's orchestral score to “National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation!”A supposed 10th Anniversary Edition soundtrack CD was released by Warner Brothers in print-on-demand kiosks for their Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park. Apparently, only seven thousand of the twenty thousand allotment were sold, and so the rest were shipped back to Warner Brothers. A company acquired the lot in a bulk sale, and decided to sell them online. Or did they? Spoilers: the entire story was a hoax to help sell bootleg copies of the album. One piece of music—a Christmas Medley—allegedly by Badalamenti is actually by John Williams from the “Home Alone 2” score!The score to the movie was indeed composed by Angelo Badalamenti, known for his eerie, synth-heavy, atmospheric work with director David Lynch. Badalamenti wrote an unobtrusive orchestral hit peppered with comedic polkas and uptempo motif-laden piano trios. The glockenspiel Advent calendar theme is ethereal, while the orchestra weaves traditional carols through search section seamlessly. The needle drops are timed to perfection with hits by the Moonglows, Bing Crosby, and Gene Autry. Mavis Staples flawlessly sings the gospel-tinged pop titular song “Christmas Vacation.” It's a shame there hasn't been an official release!Animated intro music? Check. Sweet string melodies? Got ‘em. Tuba lead over a guy in a bathrobe? Definitely! So grab your Discman, put on your headphones, and listen to this episode on the music of “Christmas Vacation!”‘Tis the SoundtrackYouTube: @TisTheSoundtrackIG: @tisthesoundtrackCheck us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Totally Rad Christmas Mall & Arcade, Teepublic.com, or TotallyRadChristmas.com! Later, dudes!
Join us as we go along with the Griswolds on their vacation to Las Vegas. We'll dive into this 4th part in the legendary Vacation series, and share our thoughts on it all Music by Nihilore, for more visit nihilore.com
It's fitting that the Christmas Series finale ends on a movie that ends on Christmas EVE. What irony! Christmas Vacation has been one of the recent additions to my festive favs. It's hard to not laugh at the antics of the Griswolds. Who had to leave this production because of Chevy Chase? Who was the guy who wrote this Christmas Classic based on a short story? And who was the inspiration for Cousin Eddie?Merry Christmas Screen Team!Part 1: Intro!!!!Part 2: its a love...actually.Part 3: The character of Clark GriswoldPart 4: CHEVY CHASEPart 5: Cousin EddiePart 6: Who wrote the Vacation films?Part 7: The Comedy of Christmas VacationPart 8: The CastPart 9: The Famous Freak-OUT ScenePart 10: One of my favorite scenesPart 11: Merry Christmas Song - New Horizons from YouTube libraryCover art by Emily Whitacre (https://teenytinycoffeebean.carrd.co/)Support the showMy Inglorious Ink series! - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Samantha-Parrish/author/B0BNQ2D7D1?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=trueI'm on Goodreads! - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20042112.Samantha_ParrishHow To Support The Show! - https://ko-fi.com/queenofthescreen#linkModalArticles I've written - https://vocal.media/authors/samantha-parrishMy Linktree https://linktr.ee/themysticalspacewitch
We're spending this Christmas with the Griswolds and enduring squirrels, explosive sewer gas, and other yuletide dangers with a discussion of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation from 1989. Listen as we examine the film's depiction of holiday nostalgia and obsession, praise the underappreciated comic genius of Beverly D'Angelo, and debate the proper amount of Cousin Eddie a film should contain. Warning: Contains explicit language, spoilers, and a disturbing reimagining of King Kong. Our theme song is "Nostalgia TV" by Edward Jonathan Blakeley through Lynne Publishing.
The ladies are sharing the recap of their final days on board the MSC Meraviglia. They ponder the comparisons to other cruises (like Disney) and how that kept them busy! From Love It or List It to spas, Griswolds and puzzles, they share the details and the laughs. Find Francine and Carrie online: Website: https://PixieDustFan.com Instagram: @PixieDustFan Carrie on Instagram: @MuppetCrazy Facebook: Pixie Dust Fan Pixie Dust Fan Facebook group: PixieDustFanGroup Support Pixie Dust Fan by shopping our affiliates Find Pixie Dust Fan on YouTube: PixieDustFanSite Podcast editing by Anna Cooper
The Ringer's Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan have a good old-fashioned Christmas with the Griswolds as they rewatch ‘National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation,' starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, and Randy Quaid. Producer: Craig Horlbeck Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
For the first half of our Christmas special we read out our favourite Griswolds and Winslows from listeners, thank you to everyone who sent them in! Then we chat about Die Hard and the benefit of investing in the relationships that matter to us over this holiday break. Thank you to all the fans for a wonderful year!
Jackson Baly (@alldogsaredead) from Sans Pants Radio is back with Milo (@milo_edwards) and Phoebe to talk about The Griswolds struggle with the festive season... Full episode on Patreon for $5+ subscribers here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/94668740 Follow us on twitter @mastersofpod!
It's Christmastime on Big Screen Sports, with Caroline Darney and Kyle Bandujo talking dysfunctional families, Cousin Eddie, how much damage the Griswolds racked up during the holidays, and everything else in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." Follow Caroline on Twitter @cwdarney and Kyle @kylebandujo You can support Big Screen Sports, get schedule updates, and pick movies to be covered in upcoming episodes by joining our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/bigscreensports. Big Screen Sports is hosted/edited by Kyle Bandujo, and produced by Aaron Figueroa, Mike Schubert, Steve Rogers, Kevin Frost, Mike Dries, Ryan "Nigel" Yager, Mike D, Chris Mycoskie, Andrew Tuegel, John Craig, Zach Rich, Jason Alba, Stephen DeBow, Kevin Enkelmann, Dan McFall, Mac Lindsey, Curt Ritchie, Robert Dove, Andrew Tuegel, Rilwan Balogun, Jeff Estes, Anthony Scafone, Benjamin Baumann, Taylor Logan, and Classic Stadium Fire. Art for Big Screen Sports was created by Riki Prosper. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
THE NERD COLOSSEUM: Tournaments of MOVIES, TV, VIDEO GAMES, & MORE!
'Christmas Vacation' and 'Home Alone' face off in an epic holiday clash. Who will laugh their way to victory and who will be left in the cold? The stakes are high as only one can advance in our cinematic tournament of holiday classics! Expect a rollercoaster of analysis, trivia, and festive fun as we dive deep into these beloved movies. | The Rules of the Game: - Four Rounds, Four Categories: Our showdown is governed by a spinning wheel of chance, deciding four random categories. - Points for Prowess: Each film earns points by outshining its opponent. - The Final Verdict: After all rounds, the film with the most points progresses, while the other takes a seasonal bow. Will the Griswolds' chaotic holiday charm or the McCallisters' ingenious antics win the day? Tune in to find out! | Image and Movie Clip Credits (with thanks to the magic-makers): - 'Christmas Vacation' (1989), directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written by John Hughes, starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, and Randy Quaid, 97 minutes, United States, English | Warner Bros. - 'Home Alone' (1990), directed by Chris Columbus, written by John Hughes, starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern, 103 minutes, United States, English | 20th Century Fox - 'Elf' (2003), directed by Jon Favreau, written by David Berenbaum, starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, and Zooey Deschanel, 97 minutes, United States, English | New Line Cinema - 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' (2000), directed by Ron Howard, written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, based on the book by Dr. Seuss, starring Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, and Jeffrey Tambor, 104 minutes, United States, English | Universal Pictures - 'Vacation' (1983), directed by Harold Ramis, written by John Hughes, starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, and Imogene Coca, 98 minutes, United States, English | Warner Bros. - "National Lampoon," December 1980 Issue, National Lampoon, Inc., United States, English. - Photograph of John Hughes, photographer and source unknown, used under fair use guidelines for educational/critical purposes. | Fair Use Note: This podcast adheres to the fair use guidelines under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, focusing on criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. We respect copyrights and acknowledge all rights of the respective owners. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thenerdcolosseum/support
Amy had the best birthday ever and it lasted all weekend. Her new interest is going to break her down…. Just precious. Hear all about the shenanigans and what he did. Angie is just Christmas obsessed. She is on TikTok, she is trying to be like the Griswolds. She wants that “ahhhhhhhh” moment. They are heading to the beach this weekend and could not be a more needed escape. Y'all just wait, content incoming when they are together there. Have an amazing weekend. CHEERS! New episodes every Friday! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/champs-and-shade-po/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/champs-and-shade-po/support
We're going back almost a decade to 2014 this month. Relive the year with us as Brad describes the greatest road trip since the Griswolds set off for Wally World. Then kick back and criticize our drafts of the best movies, music, and TV from 2014. We'll place you back in time and unlock memories you may have already forgotten!If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on the iTunes/Apple Podcasts app or wherever you listen. Or better yet, tell a friend to listen!Want to support our show and become a PCY Classmate? Click here!Follow us on your preferred social media:TwitterFacebookInstagramSupport the show
We're going back almost a decade to 2014 this month. Relive the year with us as Brad describes the greatest road trip since the Griswolds set off for Wally World. Then kick back and criticize our drafts of the best movies, music, and TV from 2014. We'll place you back in time and unlock memories you may have already forgotten!If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on the iTunes/Apple Podcasts app or wherever you listen. Or better yet, tell a friend to listen!Want to support our show and become a PCY Classmate? Click here!Follow us on your preferred social media:TwitterFacebookInstagramSupport the show
Katie checks in with actor (Life After, The Griswolds' Broadway Vacation) and singer/songwriter (Morninglory music), Livvy Marcus.
What do you get when you cross a grown up with a love for comedy with someone who wouldn't quit their night job? Why, Steve Rosen of course! This long-time writer and actor spills the beans on what it was like bringing Dracula A Comedy of Terrors to life (no pun intended), why he's haunted by children, and why he can't stand horror movies. Steve is the Co-Author of the show and has previously collaborated with Gordon Greenberg on The Secret of My Success (co-book, Jefferson Award nomination), the plays Crime and Punishment - a Comedy, Ebenezer Scrooge's BIG San Diego Christmas Show (both at The Old Globe, San Diego) and podcasts “Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors” and “Rolling Calls” (Broadway Podcast Network). He has also co-written/composed (with David Rossmer) the musicals The Other Josh Cohen (Westside Theatre) and Griswolds' Broadway Vacation (Seattle's 5th Ave). With Dan Lipton, Rossmer and Sarah Saltzberg he also co-created the improv-variety show Don't Quit Your Night Job. For his work Off-Broadway he's been nominated for (and lost) five Drama Desks and two Lucille Lortel awards. Education: NYU/Tisch. Associate artist: The Civilians. He is also an actor. @stevierosen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This is the second of four of the “Back to the Future” podcast takeover! This episode features Merritt David Janes and Jelani Remy, two real-life friends and on stage frenemies. Merritt talks about the show's influence on his childhood and describes being a part of the show as a pinch-me moment for him, Jelani discusses his early experiences with performing and touring and the two talk about their experiences with the production of "Back to the Future" , how they auditioned for their roles, and what it means to them. They emphasize the positive and collaborative atmosphere on the set and how the cast gets along well, their favorite parts of the show, and the fulfillment they get from the support of younger fans and the theater community. Merritt and Jelani share their motivations and advice for aspiring performers, including finding reasons to show up to pursue one's dreams (and good food!). Merritt David Janes and Jelani Remy are both no strangers to the Broadway stage. Jelani Remy's credits include “Ain't Too Proud”, “The Lion King”, “High School Musical” (1 and 2), and “Smokey Joe's Cafe”. He was recognized as a Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star and is a Chita Rivera Award recipient. Merritt David Janes, on the other hand, recently graced the Broadway stage in the original cast of “School of Rock” and has performed in national tours of “School of Rock”, “Sweeney Todd”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Wedding Singer”, “Phantom of The Opera”, “Shrek”, and “Catch Me If You Can”, and was recently in the world premiere of “The Griswolds' Broadway Vacation”. Together, they have numerous credits, including Jelani now playing Mayor Goldie Wilson and Marvin Berry and Merritt playing Principal Strickland, both in the Broadway production of “Back to the Future”. Connect with Merritt David Janes and Jelani Remy: Instagram: @mdjtanner, @itsjelaniremy Facebook: @merritt.janes Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast YouTube: YouTube.com/TheTheatrePodcast Threads, Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Movie Meltdown - Episode 610 We continue talking with Sam Drog as the old men try to not get bogged down in the ever alluring... deadly nostalgia. And while we realize it's never been better, we also delve into… Barbenheimer, the writer's strike, Street Trash, selling your likeness to the studios, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Superman 2, the actual age of the universe, Phil Tippett's Mad God, 99X, Night of the Creeps, Kate McKinnon, Knock at the Cabin, how humanity invented its own destruction, The Phantom Menace, cryptids on Tik Tok, lessened atrocities, we were so blown away by, you only got one shot as a child of the Griswolds, touring concerts, junk food entertainment, everybody's refrigerator art, Slime City, the most low-budget takeover of Earth,the value of the human-made artistic work, homeless hobos that drink a lot, how quickly life changes, finding your crutch, going to be part of the scene, movie theater hangover, Harry Potter, certified made by humans, we're not here long enough to really get old, getting dressing up for the movie, people are becoming obsolete, wanting to live in the past, the upgrades of movie theaters, I want to be seen, Fred Dekker and generically amazing. “People just get nostalgic for the wrong aspects of things.”
Last time we spoke about the drive to Lae and Salamaua on New Guinea and the mysterious battle of the Pips. The boys on Green Hell were having a hell of a time trying to capture Mount Tambu. The Japanese had made a pillbox nightmare around Mount Tambu and reclaimed Ambush Knoll. Ambush Knoll was once again taken by the allies, by Warfe's commandos to be exact, but Mount Tambu was proving to be a much tougher nut to crack. Then in the frigid northern waters of the Aluetians, the allies had just successfully retaken Attu, but at a horrifying cost. The heavy cost convinced the allies, Kiska would be a similar bloody affair so they sought some Canadian help for its invasion. Yet before the invasion would occur one of the strangest battle of WW2 happened, the mysterious battle of the pips. The Americans found themselves firing at ghosts. But today we are venturing over to New Georgia. This episode is the Fall of Munda Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945. The New Georgia campaign in many ways was akin to Guadalcanal. The Americans had suddenly invaded the island, landing numerous troops before the Japanese could coordinate a way to thwart them. Once the troops were landed, then the Japanese decided to react, and by react I mean tossing troops of their own on the island to dislodge the Americans. But just like with the Guadalcanal campaign, the war of transportation was not one the IJN could seemingly win against the Americans. By 2nd of July US forces led by the US 43rd Division, held an overwhelming advantage of 15,000 troops compared to 9,000 Japanese, who had landed at Zannana with a view to attacking westwards towards Munda Point. It was a battle that took far longer than the Allies had envisaged. Stubborn Japanese resistance and their ability to infiltrate US lines and cut supplies meant an advance at a snail's pace, despite their control of the air and sea. Yet while the Americans were chipping away, bit by bit at the outskirts of New Georgia, the real defensive position was of course, Munda. Up until this point Major General Minoru Sasaki had done a great job of delaying the Americans while pulling his forces back to make a stand at Munda. Indeed the Americans had a terrible time fighting the Japanese and mother nature, as Sergeant Antony Coulis described one advance thus “We alternatively crawled up and down greasy ridges. We forded numerous jungle streams and swam three of them. The repeated torture of plunging into icy streams; the chopping away of endless underbrush and foliage; the continuous drizzle of rain; the days without hot food or drink; the mosquitoes tormenting us at night. It was sheer physical torture …” Sasaki had constructed a barrage of defensive entrenchments around the airport around Munda to halt the US advance. As Admiral Halsey recalled “Rugged as jungle fighting is by now we should have been within reach of our objective, the airfield. Something was wrong.” The now deceased Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's plan to turn the Solomons into a killing machine in order to force the United States to parley for a negotiated peace, seemed to be working. With the battle turning into a stalemate, on 15 July Halsey sent the famously tough Major-General Oscar Griswold, of the 14th Army Corps to New Georgia. Major-General John Hester, who had turned down help from the Marines, was relieved from command of the 43rd Division and replaced by Guadalcanal veteran Major-General John Hodge. A Landing Craft Tank Captain named Jack Johnson described the operation as a “screw-up. General Hester was army. I had him aboard one time. He was a little fart. He wore these high lace-up boots and carried a riding crop.” However, a lot of the blame would be placed on Rear-Admiral Turner, the commander of the amphibious forces who had insisted that Hester should retain divisional command as well as overall command of the landing operations.It also did not help that the 43rd “National Guard Division” were untested in battle. Griswold would find them in a state of near psychological collapse, prompting him to request reinforcements from the 37th division. The 37th division was led by General Beightler who was manning Reincke Ridge while to the south near the beach were the 43rd division under General Hester's command until the 29th and the 25th division of General Lawton Collins. Additionally Marine tanks of the 10th defense battalion from Rendova were arriving to replace recent losses and they would be critically needed to face the nightmarish Japanese pillboxes the Americans would be facing. In front of the Americans was a complex of camouflaged and mutually supporting pillboxes and fortifications amidst thick jungle. These defenses dominated several high features including Shimizu Hill, Horseshoe Hill, Kelley Hill and Reincke Ridge. They were made out of crushed coral and coconut logs dug several feet into the ground, with just a small portion poking out for their machine gunners and riflemen. It was these types of defenses that had plagued Hesters assaults. Across a frontage of around 3200 yards, Sasaki had established a series of these defenses along a northwestern axis going from the beach to Ilangana. Before the offensive could be kicked off, 161st regiment led by Colonel James Dalton discovered the Japanese held the Bartley ridge due east of Horseshoe hill. Their reconnaissance indicated double-logged pillboxes. Bartley ridge would be the most forward of the defensive positions and thus needed to be seized first. To meet the enemy Sasaki ordered Colonel Tomonari's forces to launch a second counterattack against whatever allied forces showed up on the northern flank and he also requested the recently landed Yano battalion to reinforce the northern flank. However Tomonari's men had suffered tremendous casualties and he was still trying to rally the scattered men along the rugged highlands. Meanwhile Colonel Yano was only able to send his 7th company to take up a position northwest of the 3rd battalion holding Sankaku hill, because his other men were needed to defend Vila. Because of this Sasaki ordered the depleted 1st battalion, 229th regiment to reinforce the Ilangana line. Colonel Hirata placed the 1st battalion along the line between Sato's 2nd battalion and Kojima's 3rd, which would turn out to be a key position. The offensive kicked off at first light on July 25th. Commander Arleigh Burke took 7 destroyers through the Blanche Channel and bombarded the Lambete plantation for 43 minutes firing more than 4000 5 inch shells. Nearly at the same time, the new commander of AriSols, Brigadier General Than Twining sent 171 bombers and 100 fighters to hit Munda, the largest air strike thus far in the area. As Burke's destroyers were firing 5 inch shells, B-24's and B-17's led the air attack, followed by B-25's, Dauntless and Avengers. It was described by many eyewitnesses as “the greatest show on earth”. The Japanese were only able to toss back 57 Zeros at 9:40am who were intercepted quickly by a Rendova patrol of 29 fighters who shot down 6 zeros and lost 4 of their own. But from 6:30-7am, the 254 aircraft managed to drop 500,800 lbs of fragmentation and high explosive bombs over the target area, a roughly 1500 by 250 yard strip. The result was enormous clouds of smoke hanging all over Munda, but Japanese casualties were considerably light. As the bombardment was quieting down, Griswold unleashed the ground forces supported by the 43rd divisions artillery who were firing more than 2150 105mm howitzer shells and 1182 155mm howitzer shells. Colonel Brown's 103rd regiment advanced upon Ilangana point while the 172nd tried to envelop Shimizu Hill, supported by 5 tanks. The 172nd tossed their 2nd and 3rd battalions around the left and right of Shimizu hill, but by 10am, even with the 5 tanks the Japanese pillboxes had halted them in their tracks. 3 of the tanks were disabled because of vapor lock and a ton of time was wasted by infantry trying to extricate them. THe 3rd battalion on the lefthand side, tried to fight through machine gun and mortar fire, but found it impossible. The men tried to move around the pillboxes but found themselves fired upon by other machine gun positions. The 2nd battalion, 103rd regiment attacked in the center of the 43rd divisions zone and managed to progress 300 yards against lighter opposition. bY 10:40am Company E managed to advance 500 yards and by noon reached a beach near Terere. As Company E tried hastily to create a defendable position, the Japanese moved behind them cutting their telephone lines back to the battalion HQ. Seeing the opening, General Hester tossed in some of his reserves in the form of Ramsey's 3rd battalion, 169th regiment. They were ordered to charge through the same gap made by 3 Company. But as they marched towards the gap they were met with enfilade fire from the southern part of Shimizu hill and from some pillboxes to the south. The 169th were unable to exploit the gap and now E company was forced to pull back lest they be encircled and annihilated. To the north, Beightler kept his 145th and 148th regiments in reserve until Bartley ridge was neutralized. Dalton sent I Company to contain the Japanese pocket by attacking it frontally while the 1st battalion and rest of the 3rd battalion performed a double envelopment. The 1st battalion went around the left while the 3rd took the right, seeing both driving southward and northward for 200 yards. The 1st battalion led by Lt Colonel Slaftcho Katsarky advanced 700 yards with only light opposition, but over on the other side the 3rd battalion of Lt Colonel David Buchanan were halted at the offset by heavy machine gun fire. By the 2nd of the day the 3rd battalion would establish itself in a containing position north,south and east of Bartley ridge. E Company had to be taken out of reserve and sent into the line on some high ground due north of Bartley ridge to secure the right flank of the 161st zone. The 1st battalion advanced a further 400 yards west of Bartley and took up a position on a small rise northeast of Horseshoe hill. With the southern advance stalling somewhat, Colonel Stuart Baxter of the 148th was ordered to help the 161st's efforts at reducing the pocket on Bartley ridge. He performed a limited advance and his 2nd battalion led by Lt Colonel Herbert Radcliffe gained 600 yards without meeting Japanese resistance. Meeting no resistance, the 1st battalion led by Lt Colonel Vernor Hydaker took up the 2nd battalions position as they advanced further, allowing engineers of the 117th engineer battalion to construct a supply trail behind them. Despite all of this Griswold was frustrated by the failure of his 43rd division performance. Ultimately Griswold blamed General Hester who he wrote about in his diary that night “I am afraid Hester is too nice for a battle soldier. He is sick and all done in. Tonight I am requesting his relief from the division.” The next day he ordered the exhausted 172nd to hold their position while the 10rd would advance 800 yards from Ilangana for Terere. To support them the artillery bombarded for over an hour, allowed the 103rd to advance with some tanks in the vanguard. A crucial component of their advance would be the 118th engineer battalion led by 2nd Lt James Olds an acting corps chemical officer, whose men were equipped with flamethrowers who went to work spilling fire over enemy pillboxes. This led to the vegetation over and around them being incarcerated in a matter of seconds and many pillboxes were simply wiped out. As I had said a few times in this series, the flamethrower would be one of the most devastating weapons in island hopping warfare. The flamethrower was gradually employed by both assault and mop up operations. However useful as it was, it did hold some disadvantages. The equipment as you can imagine was quite large and heavy, required the operator to get very close to the enemy positions and thus extremely vulnerable. For flamethrower personnel to be able to close the distance required rifle team protection. But what if you could alleviate these vulnerabilities by slapping a big flamethrower to a tank? Generals like Griswold and Harmon at this point began mounting flamethrowers to tanks and although it would not see the limelight at Munda, the Firetank as they would become known would become the most devastating weapon against Japanese defenses. By the midafternoon, Browns 10rd regiment managed to reduce around 74 pillboxes along a 600 yard front, successfully occupying Ilangana and continuing the coastal advance until Kia. While it was a great victory for Hester, it failed to change Griswolds mind about relieving him. Back over in the north, Beightler ordered another assault of Bartley's ridge. 6 light marine tanks of the 10th defense battalion led the charge at 9am. Companies L and K advanced in columns behind the tanks, tossing heavy fire from .30 caliber Browning automatic rifles (known as BAR's for my Call of Duty world at war veterans) and 2 flamethrowers. Unfortunately for the two guys carrying the flamethrowers, they were not properly protected by their rifle teams and were killed quickly. Very much like the learning of how to perform amphibious landings, it would take time to learn how to effectively use flamethrower units. The man managed to overrun a dozen or so pillboxes, but the terrain soon forced Dalton to frantically order men to extricate stuck tanks. During the morning hours a Japanese soldier burst out of the brush and planted a magnetic mine to one of the stuck tanks disabling it. A second tank was hit in its fuel line by gunfire while the remaining tanks managed to pull back and reorganize by 11am. After 5 hours of combat, Buchanan's 3rd battalion had lost 29 men and only progressed 200 yards and thus was forced to pull back again. On the 27th, Beightler committed his 2nd battalion, 145th regiment to reduce the defenders on Horseshoe hill. They managed to occupy a knoll connecting Horseshoe hill called Wing Hill, but heavy fire from Horseshoe hill eventually dislodges them. Meanwhile Colonel Tomonari finally managed to rally his men together for an attack against the 148th northern flank, while Sasaki sent a machine gun detachment, which was actually some anti-aircraft gunners to ambush the 148th engineers causing Colonel Baxter to order Companies A and D to rush over to protect them. Further south, General Hester began tossing some more aggressive actions in combination with artillery and mortar bombardments, gradually pushing the Japanese off high grounds. The 43rd division was slowly advancing yard by yard on the right flank, now reaching within 500 yards of the coast, but the 8 tanks of the 9th defense battalion were demolished in the attacks. On the 29th, the 1st battalion, 169th regiment had to be brought over from Rendova to take up a position between the 103rd and 172nd regiments. Alongside 4 tanks from the 10th defense battalion and some engineers wielding flamethrowers, Hester now had enough hardened forces to push the Japanese. Because of the continuous fighting, all the American regiments were becoming veterans. Pockets of Japanese that would have once held back an entire american battalion, possibly even a regiment were not being reducing quickly and efficiently. The technique for reducing pillboxes, whether it be from isolating them or overwhelming them was becoming mastered. Broken down this process began with a complete non-combative reconnaissance of the Japanese defenses. This was followed up by a reconnaissance in force, usually by a platoon with extra units who would uncover a portion of the Japanese positions. The assault consisted of parts: preparing an artillery bombardment usually consisting of mortars, firing off the bombardment, then storming in. The bombardments usually got rid of the brush and foliage improving visibility so the enemy could be targeted and damaged. If done efficiently, the Japanese would flee their pillboxes to take refuge. Flamethrowers and tanks made the process a lot easier for the finishing touch part. Soon the Japanese were being pushed to the crest of Shimizu hill. However while Hester was definitely picking things up better with the 43rd division, Griswold was determined to relieve him of command, feeling the man had exhausted himself. Now Major General John Hodge would take over the 43rd. Meanwhile to the north, the Beightlers 161st regiment infiltrated abandoned pillboxes on Bartley ridge near its crest. Over on Horseshoe Hill the Japanese were being hit with heavy bombardments while the 2nd battalion reoccupied Wing Hill and Companies G and F crept their way up the crest of the hill. However once near the crest they began to be pinned down by machine gun fire. The 1st battalion was hitting the hill from the southeast meeting heavy fire as well and they managed to reach 15 yards on top of the crest before being halted. By 5:30pm, the 2nd battalion was forced to withdraw to the foot of the hill, but two companies from the 1st battalion dug in on the crest. The americans lost 24 men died with 40 wounded. On the other side, during the night, Tomonari's main forces of 400 men arrived ready to attack at dawn. They attempted to move behind the rear of the 148th as Baxter's troops were advancing to Bibilo Hill. Baxter's force was spread out quite thinly across 1500 or so yards and they happened to be around 800 yards west of their main regimental ration and ammunition dump. The Japanese from a high ground position began firing down upon them with machine guns, rifles and grenades as forward units stormed the rations and ammunition dump. A ragtag group of service company soldiers rush over to defend the dumb returning fire upon the Japanese. Major Frank Hipp of the 148th took command of the force managing to hold back the Japanese. However as a result of this near catastrophe, Beightler ordered Baxter to withdraw on the 29th. Beightler believed the enemy was coming through a gap between the 148th and 161st greatly worrying him. Back over at Horseshoe hill, Companies G and F reached the crest while E company was hitting its northern side, supported by machine gun crews from H company. The fighting for the north side resulted in hand to hand combat seeing E company make some progress. But by nightfall the 2nd battalion again was again withdrawing down the hill. The actions ended disastrously, as the men were hit hard as they withdrew down the hill taking enormous casualties and gaining nothing in the process. On the 30th, Bartley Ridge and Shimizu Hill remained in Japanese hands as Beightler and Hodge were reorganizing their exhausted forces. That morning, Baxter finally began his withdrawal, miserably under heavy rain, with Tomonari's troops harassing them with ambushes. The ambushes caused Baxter to order the men to dig in around the supply dump and that night saw numerous soldiers dying for water begin to use their helmets as rain catchers. The next day the 148th attempted another break through, but Tomonari's machine gun crews hammered them back towards the supply dump for another night. At this point Sasaki received new orders instructing him to keep the supply lines to Kolombanagara secure. He elected to prepare his men to withdraw to a new defensive line that would be anchored at Kokenggolo Hill to the right, running east of Bibilo hill towards the Munda-Bairoko trail, then it would pass north to Hachiman Hill. Yano and his battalion were ordered to come over from Kolombangara to take up a position at Sankaku hill; Hirata's 229th regiment would hold Kokenggolo Hill and Tomonari would take up a position at Hachiman Hill. These orders came after the Japanese defenders had suffered tremendous losses over days of fighting. In truth the Japanese defensive line was formidable facing the American 14th corps, and indeed the Americans had been held back for a long time. But the Americans brought terrible power, their naval, artillery and aerial bombing was constant and hammered the Japanese. By late July most of the Japanese emplacements near Munda were in shambles. Rifle companies that were typically 170 men strong had shrunken significantly, some down as low as 20 men. The 229th regiment numbered only 1245 effective men. The hospitals could not hope to care for all the sick and wounded as constant shelling rained hell from above. Aside from the sick and wounded, as a major result of the shelling, many men were suffering nervous disorders, to use the old term shell shock, but today we'd call it Combat Stress Reaction “CSR”. To compensate for the losses, Colonel Hirata simply ordered his men of the 229th to kill 10 americans for every Japanese and to do so to the death. That's the kind of, I guess what the Japanese at the time would call fighting spirit, something that made the Japanese armed forces during WW2 unique, perhaps rather tragically. General Imamura decided to reinforce Vila with the 3rd battalion, 23rd regiment and six companies to buff up the 1th and 229th regiments. This freed up the Yano battalion to take up their new position on the new defensive line. Yet still in the meantime, Japanese were still defending Shimizu and Horseshoe Hill to give the rest of the forces time to withdraw. On the 31st Major Francis Carberry's 2nd Battalion, 161st charged up Bartley ridge finding no resistance. Then at 4:45pm the 15th field artillery began firing on Horseshoe Hill while the American forces near its crest tried to dislodge the Japanese. Again they were unsuccessful. By the afternoon Japanese were withdrawing from the Ilagana line, covered by fire from Horseshoe hill. During the night Tomonari led his men to withdraw, but a Avenger spotted his force fleeing through a valley overheard and called in an artillery strike. One of the shells hit Tomonari's HQ killing a lot of his staff and nearly him. Tomonari's force had to abandon a lot of equipment, but by dawn of August 1st they had managed to assemble at Kokenggolo and Bibilo Hills. His 2nd battalion alongside Hara's quick fire battalion went into the tunnels of Kokenggolo Hill while the rest of the 1st and 3rd battalions dug in on Bibilo Hill. Baxter received a message over radio on the 1st of August from General Beightler “time is precious, you must move, get going haste is essential”. The order was to get every man Baxter had and take Shimizu hill. Baxter rallied Companies A, E, B and G into a skirmish line with bayonets fixed and charged at 850am. By 9:30am the exhausted Americans reached Katsarsky's position where they handed the weary men fresh water and some hot food. Shimizu hill was theres. Meanwhile the 103rd regiment began their own attack. Hodge sent Companies E, F and G to march upon Lambeti which they did, finding no opposition. The rest of the 43rd found no opposition as they marched across Shimizu Hill, by 3pm they advanced 700 yards. Beightlers men captured Horseshoe Hill without firing a shot and as darkness fell on the 1st of august, Griswold ordered a general advance for the next day. Admiral Wilkinson brought a convoy bearing fresh troops of the 27th regiment to aid Beightlers right flank, but it took them until August the 3rd to get into combat assembly. In the meantime August the 1st would bring with it a significant increase in artillery bombardment. The 43rd divisions artillery commander, Brigadier General Harold Barker fired 2000 rounds on the 1st, followed by 2000 more on the 2nd, an incredible 7300 rounds on the 3rd and 3600 on the 4th. The Munda area was turned into an inferno. Yano lost the commander and all platoon leaders of the 8th company; 5 officers died atop Bibilo hill; Hara Masao was killed leaving his 1st battalion to be commanded by Sato on August 2nd; the tunnels of Kokenggolo Hill were one of the few safe planes, but a direct hit collapses an entrance to Sato's tunnel, burying him along with 60 men, requiring an entire day to dig them out. The Japanese were forced to take refuge wherever they could, preventing Sasaki from stabilizing his new defensive line. Captain Sugiura Kaju brought reinforcements from the 7th and 8th combined SNLF to Erventa where he loaded up the 3rd battalion, 23rd regiment to head for the Vella Gulf under the escort of Admiral Nishimuras cruisers Susuya, Chokai, Kumano, Sendai and destroyer Amagiri. However the naval force was intercepted by PT boats near the Blackett strait. The PT boats fired torpedoes at the Japanese destroyers, but none hit a target. Sugiura was able to land the reinforcements around Webster Cove, but the Amagiri rammed PT 109 just forward of her starboard torpedo tube ripping away the starboard aft side of the boat. Two men were killed, and one John F Kennedy, yes the future president was tossed around the cockpit of PT 109. Kennedy got the rest of the men to abandon ship around 11 in all. A few of them had serious burns and they were forced to swim for an islet 3.5 miles away known as Plum Pudding Island. Kennedy was the first to reach the island and he proceeded to help tow others to the island. The island was unoccupied, but a company of Sasebo 6th SNLF were nearby on another islet called Gizo. Seeing Japanese barges moving around, the Americans would make their way east to an island near Ferguson passage called Leorava island. It would not be until the night of August 7th when the coastwatch Lt Reginald Evans found them and helped them reach PT 157. For his courage and leadership Kennedy received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal alongside a purple heart for injuries he suffered. However the medals would pale in comparisons to the story written about the event by John Hersey for the New Yorker and Reader's digest which would give Kennedy a strong foundation politically. Back to the battle, on August 2nd, Griswold's forces advanced across the entire front and by the late afternoon the 103rd regiment had already reached the outer taxiways of Munda airfield; the 169th were approaching Bibilo Hill; and the 37th division were 700 yards ahead of Horseshoe hill. By the end of the day, the Japanese defensive line was basically Kokenggolo to Bibilo Hill and the Americans were closing in on both. The 103rd and 169th had units around the eastern end of the airfield, many men using wrecked Japanese aircraft as defendable positions. The 145th and 161st were on the eastern ridges of Bibilo hill and the 148th were about to cut the Munda-Bairoko trail. The Yano battalion's position was taken so quickly, the Americans had failed to notice they had overrun it. Thus Yano withdrew northwards. On August 3rd, the general advance continued and with more open terrain present, mortars became a lot more effective speeding it up. The 169th were advancing up the eastern end of Kokenggolo Hill; to the north, the 145th were advancing up the eastern ridges of Bibilo Hill the 161st were breaking through on the right and the 148th were now along the Munda-Bairoko trail. The situation was desperate that night so Sasaki was forced to order the men to withdraw yet again, now towards Zieta. Hirata's 229th regiment was to hold their position until sundown to give everyone time, then act as a rearguard until they could withdraw to Kongo Hill. Sasaki likewise moved his HQ to the Kure 6th Farm at Zieta. The next morning brought further misery upon the Japanese in the form of an airstrike. At 7:20am 25 Dauntless, 24 Avengers and 24 B-25's bombed Gurasai-Kindu Point, which is just due west of Munda airfield were the Japanese had constructed fortifications and emplaced many anti aircraft guns. Griswold did not let up seeing perhaps the final push against Munda before him. Hodge's 43rd division with marine tanks leading the way attacked Kokenggolo Hill. Beightler's 25th division were striking against the Japanese northern flank, freeing up the 148th and 161st to advance west towards the beach. The defenders at Kokenggolo Hill offered strong resistance as they withdrew towards Kong Hill before the 161st managed to break through to the sea. The fiercest fighting would be found on Bibilo hill, where the 145th were fighting against the dug in 229th regiment. By the end of the day, both the 148th and 161st broke through to the sea north of Kokenggolo hill and the 145th nearly cleared Bibilo hill as the Japanese fled along a trail going to the Kure 6th farm. With Bibilo Hill reduced, the Japanese began abandoning Kong Hill to continue retreating northwards. Griswold's 43rd division tossed mortars, infantry and tanks across Kokenggolo Hill driving away the last of the Japanese from tunnels, bunkers and pillboxes. Their forces soon crossed the western part of the Munda airfield. General Wing grabbed a military telephone and called General Hodge from Bibilo Hill stating “Munda is yours at 2:10 today”. Inturn Griswold radioed the good news over to Admiral Halsey "...Our ground forces today wrested Munda from the Japs and present it to you… as the sole owner…" Halsey then replied with "a custody receipt for Munda… Keep 'em dying." Munda had fallen at long last. The Americans had suffered 4994 casualties since July 2nd, the Japanese had 4683 death with a untold amount of wounded. With Munda captured, Tomonari was ordered to withdraw to Kolombangara to take command of the Vila defenses while Sasaki would move his HQ to Bairoko then move by barge to Vila as well. The 3rd battalion, 23rd regiment was deployed at Baanga island to cover the Japanese withdrawal using mountain guns. Admiral Ota's SNLF marines were to defend Arundel island. While these forces made their retreat, Admiral Samejima elected to carry out another reinforcement run. He would transport the Mikami battalion and on August the 6th with Admiral Ijuin carrying two other companies of replacements to Buin, Sugiura was once again sailing for Kolombangara. Sugiura had the destroyers Hagikaze, Kawakaze and Arashi while Ijuin had the destroyer Shigure. Meanwhile Admiral Wilkinson received reports from a PBY that sighted Sugiura's ships passing by the Buka Passage, so he ordered Commander Frederick Moosbrugger to depart Tulagi and sweep the Vella Gulf. Moosbrugger had the destroyers Stack, Sterret, Lang, Dunlap, Craven and Maury. He sailed south of Rendova to enter the Vella Gulf. He took his time going 15 knots to create as little wake as possible so Japanese floatplanes would not spot him and he was northwest of the coast of Kolombanaga by 11:25pm. Moosbrugger's plan was to divide his force into two formations; a torpedo division consisting of Dunlap, Craven and Maury, and a Gun division consisting of Lang Sterett and Stack. The torpedo group would attack first once rader contact was made while the Gun group would cut across the bows of the enemy and open fire as the torpedo's were expected to hit. This was to be the first time in the Solomons campaign that the US navy planned to use torpedo's as its primary weapon. All 6 of Moosbruggers destroyers held SG radar, but much more importantly at this time an advancement had been made to fix the idiotic mark 14 torpedoes. The defective magnetic exploder was fixed and the settings that made them run too deep was fixed. Admiral King was responsible for the first fix while Moosebrugger on his own accord ordered the torpedoes to be set at a minimum running depth of 5 feet. Sugiura knew fell well he most likely did not hold the element of surprise, but he was prepared to fight as he entered the Vella Gulf with his destroyer Hagikaze in the lead. Moosebruggers force was passing through the Gizo strait before turning southeast towards Blackett strait. Then the Americans turned north up the gulf with the torpedo group leading the way during the dark hours when at 11:33 Dunlaps radar made a contact, bearing 19700 yards away. Moosbrugger immediately changed course to close in and began to line-up his torpedo attacks. For once the Japanese lookouts failed to spot the Americans, most likely due to a lack of moonlight. At 11:41 at a range of around 4500 yards Moosebrugger fired 22 torpedoes and at 11:46 turned his ships 90 degrees as the Gun group made a course to cross Sugiuras T. aT At 11:42 Sugiura's lookouts spotted the American ships silhouettes and torpedo wakes, but it was too late. At 11:45 7 out of the 22 torpedoes found targets. Two torpedoes hit Hagikaze, 3 hit Arashia and 2 hit Kawakaze. Hagikaze was hit aft her engine room bringing her to a stop; Arashia's machinery spaces were destroyed and Kawakaze was hit under her bridge detonating her forward magazine sending her ablaze. Shigure would be found later to have been hit by a torpedo which failed to explode. The 3 destroyers were disabled and burning wrecks. The Japanese fired 8 torpedoes in return, none finding a target as they frantically tried to turn northwards to escape. The Gun group opened fire sinking the 3 crippling destroyers in the course of an hour killing 820 of the 940 troops on board. The Japanese would later send 4 large barges to try and rescue survivors with around 310 out of 1520 Japanese sailors and soldiers being rescued including Sugiura. The IJN received a night action defeat which also killed and prevented reinforcements for New Georgia. The American torpedoes would soon strike fear into the IJN. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Munda has fallen at last, though it came at a terrible price. Now with the airfield in American hands, the battle for New Georgia would come to a swifter end. The US Navy finally got the chance to deliver a torpedo blow to the IJN and a devastating one it was.
40 years for The Griswolds and which game would you live in. We'll talk about it with today's #MikeJonesMinuteCon!
Clark. Ellen. Rusty. And...Audrey. Back in 1983, National Lampoon's Vacation featured the Griswolds as the quintessential American family attempting to have a cross-country road trip. The fact that everything went wrong only made them more endearing to movie audiences, more than quadrupling the film's budget at the box office. But now, forty years later, what's the wear and tear on this thing? Is this Chevy Chase's finest "Vacation"? Did Aunt Edna deserve better? And is a dead dog ever a laughing matter? The Old Roommates fill 'er up and revisit this 80's comedy classic through their middle-aged lens. Listen to this.Old Roommates can be reached via email at oldroommatespod@gmail.com. Follow Old Roommates on Instagram and YouTube @OldRoommates for bonus content and please give us a rating or review!#ChevyChase #BeverlyD'Angelo #ChristieBrinkley #AnthonyMichaelHall #DanaBarron #ImogeneCoca
Like the Griswolds, we pack up and head out in search of the perfect family get-away. Did you know that Jesus took vacations too? Buckle up your sandles and let's tag along with Jesus and see what HE did on vacation!
More and more titles are pulled off social media which means its time to bulk up on physical media more and more. Peter Sobczynski joins Erik Childress to get you caught up. There are disturbing works from Gaspar Noe and Claire Denis along with other horror films ranging from the Deadites to a white shark and buffalo to Stephen King stories and a really bad motel. You can certainly lighten up the mood with a wonderful comic action caper film from Sundance involving sisters, hang out at the mall or take a vacay with the Griswolds. Or you can just stay in one place like Truman and enjoy a box office punchline better than its reputation or re-live your days checking out Empire Films in the video store. 1:04 - Altered Innocence (Irreversible) 6:52 - The Film Desk (Trouble Every Day) 9:18 - Severin (Extra Terrestrial Visitors) 12:33 - Kino (Duet for One, La Chevre, Les Comperes, Millennium Mambo, Prison Girls 3-D, The White Buffalo, Will Penny) 38:44 - Arrow Films (Fighting Back, Mallrats (4K), Waterworld (4K), Enter the Video Store: Empire of Screams (1984-89)) 1:02:07 - Blue Underground (Dead & Buried (4K)) 1:08:08 - Universal (Polite Society, Jaws 2 (4K)) 1:19:27 - Shout! Factory (Creepshow (4K), Motel Hell (4K)) 1:29:54 - Warner Bros. (Evil Dead Rise (4K), National Lampoon's Vacation (40th Anniversary) (4K)) 1:37:46 - Paramount (The Truman Show (4K)) 1:44:13 – New Blu-Ray Announcements
El Psychobilly Meeting alcanza su 29ª edición. Una vez más en Pineda del Mar, en la costa de Barcelona, entre el 4 y el 11 de julio, cerca de 35 bandas pasarán por sus escenarios. Son bandas de diversos pelajes, pero no faltarán a la cita muchos de los más grandes e históricos grupos de ese género híbrido del punk y el rockabilly que emergió en los albores de la década de los 80. El DJ Kid Marcos baja hoy la escalera para presentarnos algunas de las bandas más atractivas del festival. Playlist; (sintonía) CYCLONE – The Devil is knocking in my coffin’ DEMENTED ARE GO – Satan rejects THE GRISWOLDS – Fright night COFFIN NAILS - Love portion #9 KING KURT – Destination Zululand BAD MANNERS – Sally Brown KING SALAMI & THE CUMBERLAND THREE – Big Blon’ Babe SPEEDMOBILE – Dring Figh Fuck all night THE STING-RAYS – Wedding Ring NEKROMANTIX – Nekrofelia THE BRAINS – No brain, no pain GORILLA – Too much for your heart DAMAGE DONE BY WORMS – Monsterparty CLOCKWORK PSYCHO – The Dance THE RATERS – Psychobilly Shot SAINT PETER SQUARE – Psychofonía GUANA BATZ – Radio Sweetheart Escuchar audio
This 80's flick sequel brings a blend of family chaos, outrageous escapades, and a sprinkle of British humor. Get ready to tag along with the Griswolds as they embark on a madcap European adventure, where every tourist spot becomes a hilarious misadventure just waiting to happen. So, grab your funky beret, power up your super-cool electronic language translator, and don't forget to be a pig as Tim Williams and guest co-hosts, Chris Adams from "Retro Life 4 You" Podcast & Chad Sheppard, discuss “National Lampoon's European Vacation” from 1985 on this episode of the 80s Flick Flashback. Here are some additional behind-the-scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode: After the completion of filming, Eric Idle and Chevy Chase developed a friendship. They even collaborated on a screenplay for a sequel titled National Lampoon's Australian Vacation, but unfortunately, the project was abandoned due to the difficulty of coming up with new ideas beyond a few shark-related gags. Along with Caddyshack II (1988) and Nothing But Trouble (1991) this is one of few films Chevy Chase has said he regrets starring in and thus his least favorite Vacation movie. Sources: Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes https://www.slashfilm.com/870581/why-amy-heckerling-hated-working-on-national-lampoons-european-vacation/ We would love to hear your thoughts about our podcast! You can share your feedback with us through email or social media. Your opinions are important to us and we'd be grateful to know what you enjoyed about our show. If there's anything we may have missed or if you have any suggestions for an 80's movie we should talk about, please don't hesitate to let us know. You could also show your support for our podcast by becoming a subscription member through "Buy Me A Coffee". For more details and other awesome extensions of our podcast, please check out the following link. Thank you so much for supporting us! https://linktr.ee/80sFlickFlashback --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moviviews80sff/message
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/463 Presented By: Waters West, FishHound Expeditions, Chota Outdoor Gear, Angler's Coffee Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Jon Hazlett is our guide today as we conquer the world of Rogue River fly fishing. We hear Jon's captivating tales, from his early guiding misadventures in Alaska to his favorite boat to use in the Rogue. What is on the menu today? Our main course is spey with a side of steelhead. Don't miss out on this exciting escapade on the Rogue River with Jon. Rogue River Fly Fishing Show Notes with Jon Hazlett 03:35 - Jon got into fly fishing when he was 11. 06:51 - Jon got into guiding in 1998 through his close friend, Chris Lyda, who was guiding in Rainbow King Lodge in Alaska. He also recounts the unexpected events that led him to be fired from that very job. 09:39 - Jon's friend Chris Lyda helped him secure a job in Elk Creek Lodge in Colorado, where he guided for trout and even dabbled in elk hunting. It was during this period that Jon met his first wife, who hailed from Southern Oregon, ultimately leading him to discover the Rogue River. 10:15 - During his three seasons of guiding at Elk Creek Lodge, Jon met Brian Gies from Fly Water Travel, and that's how he got into guiding the Rogue River. 13:40 - Jon talks about the Rogue River and the fishing opportunities there. 20:08 - Jon paints a picture of what a trip to the Rogue would look like. 25:59 - Jon discusses the different techniques they use when fishing the Rogue River. Jon says he bases all his decisions on the water type, water conditions, and the time of day. 29:09 - Jon prefers to use an AIRE 136DD raft when Rogue River Fly fishing. Spey Lessons with Jon 32:43 - Jon talks about his spey lessons and his website. We also hear about some of Jon's guiding stories. We had John Gierach on the show, and he talked about some good guides. 39:26 - Jon talks about the times he fished with Simon Gawesworth and Charles St. Pierre. 43:00 - Jon breaks down the D-Loop Stroke and the other casting tips and techniques he teaches. 52:30 - Jon recommends the Rogue Valley Anglers Fly Shop as a great resource for people who want to hit the Rogue River. Coffee Talk with Jon Hazlett 53:50 - Jon's go-to snack when Rogue Fly Fishing is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, beef jerky, and nuts. He recommends the Old Trapper Beef Jerky. Jon also hunts, so he usually has deer and elk pepperoni sticks. 54:58 - Jon listens to music or the NFL Network. He is also a big Pearl Jam fan. 55:57 - Jon suggests checking out the Common Block Brew Pub for people visiting the Rogue. 56:15 - If Jon were to pursue a professional career in a sport, he would opt to become a football player. Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/463
David brings a golden age of alt album to the show, Be Impressive by The Griswolds. Chances of them putting out new music or touring ever again are incredibly slim (for reasons you'll hear about) but its an album we think is definitely worthy of the era. Don't forget to like/subscribe/share if you enjoyed! And follow us on our socials (and Patreon) @AlesandAlbums --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ales-and-albums/support
In our final episode of 2022 we celebrate our listeners Winslows (wins) and Griswolds (lowpoints) before we unpack the the best tips to relieving the pressure during the holiday season on parents. Thanks to everyone that sent messages and shared their reflections on the podcast this year and particularly this episode!
Join us as we amp up the Christmas Spirit by spending an evening with the Griswolds. From snarky one-liners to well-placed slapstick gags this classic holiday film will have you guffawing unexpectedly as you sip your eggnog – so be careful you don't spoil your ugly Christmas sweater! Get ready for some nostalgic tears, too, and a longing for good ol' Christmases past. We pledge allegiance to the flag and yuletide, amen!
The Griswolds are back! And this time they're celebrating pre-millenial capitalism. It's Christmas Vacation this week on Holiday Phosphorescence!
“I believe the world is a better place if there is more theatre in it. There is only more theatre in it if there are more people making it. So, I do everything I can to help inspire, educate people to make more theatre. Does that mean I can produce every show? Unfortunately not.” What's in this episode? Get a sneek peak into the brand new musical The Griswold's Family Vacation! What exactly is producing? How do you pick a city to do an out of town tryout? How does the industry treat multi-hyphenates? How are multi-hyphenates like small businesses? How does Ken commit to being an accessible producer? How Hal Prince inspired Ken by saying one simple thing. What is successful producing? Joy the Musical! “In the business world, if you invent a product – you are the creator of that thing. You are an artist. You just designed the thing – you made it out of nothing. And then you have to raise the money for it. So, you're producing it yourself. All those people that go on Shark Tank, they are raising the money, they are doing the things. No one says, “Ugh, how dare you!” No, that's what they do. That's what Sara Blakely had to do for Spanx, that's what Mark Zuckerberg had to do for Facebook – all of it. They create something and then they raise it – but in our industry people roll their eyes.” Ken Davenport (Producer) is a two-time Tony Award-winning Broadway producer whose credits include A Beautiful Noise, Once On This Island (Tony Award), The Play that Goes Wrong, Groundhog Day (Tony nomination), Deaf West Theatre's Spring Awakening (Tony nomination), It's Only a Play starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, Macbeth starring Alan Cumming, Godspell, Kinky Boots (Tony Award), The Visit (Tony nomination) as well the Off-Broadway productions of Altar Boyz, The Awesome 80s Prom and many more. Davenport's productions have been produced internationally in over 25 countries around the world. He was the Executive Producer for North America for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group and is the Theatrical Consultant for Primary Wave Music Publishing. His blog has been featured in every major publication around the world, from the New York Times to Vanity Fair. He conceived the best-selling boardgame Be A Broadway Star (available on Amazon) and he is an avid golfer. Ken is a Massachusetts native, raised in Sturbridge, MA, who grew up going to shows at the Colonial Theatre. He dedicates his career to his late father, Dr. Kenny Dipchand Hasija, an Indian immigrant who always dreamed about going into the theater but encouraged his son to do so instead. Other productions in development include Harmony by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, The Griswolds' Broadway Vacation, Joy and The Ten. www.kendavenport.com Instagram: @kendavenportbway Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Happy December, listeners! As is tradition, Paul and Erika are spending the month deep in holiday classics, and first up this year is the Chevy Chase classic Christmas Vacation! Grab a cup of hot chocolate and cozy up with the Griswolds and That Aged Well!
Longtime friends and creative partners, David Rossmer and Steve Rosen are currently working together as lyricists and songwriters for the "The Griswolds' Broadway Vacation" musical, which just opened for its world premiere at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. The two share their first meeting at a performing arts camp, and the rest, as they say, is history. Growing up in a musical household and a family that has an appreciation for art, it's no surprise that both David and Steve ended up having a career in the creative industry. The two talk about stage adaptation, what makes it exciting, and how their current project is a love letter not just to the Griswolds but also to theatre. They also deep-dive into their creative processes, including writing together, creating something and acting on it at the same time, etc. With all the successful projects both David and Steve have done together and individually, they're proud to say that they still make each other laugh. The two speak about their love for collaboration and their goal to keep making stuff, not only to fulfill their passion but also to get inspiration from other people and create an artistic community. David Rossmer and Steve Rosen are a talented duo with numerous Broadway acting credits under their name. Their recent Broadway production of “The Other Josh Cohen” received rave reviews. They created the successful variety show benefit, “Don't Quit Your Night Job”. They have also worked together for Rated P, developed for television by Kelly Ripa's Milojo Productions and bought by ABC Studios, and made comedy material for Zachary Levi, Sting, etc. Individually, both have created several podcasts, radio plays, and radio comedies. Currently, they are working together as lyricists and songwriters for the "The Griswolds' Broadway Vacation" musical. David's stage credits include “Les Miserables”, “Peter and the Starcatcher”, “Children and Art”, “Fiddler on the Roof”, and “Titanic”. His TV credits include "Elementary", "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel", "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit", and "It Could Be Worse". Meanwhile, Steve's stage credits include "The Little Mermaid", "A Confederacy of Dunces", "Disney's Beauty and the Beast", "Peter and the Starcatcher", "Guys and Dolls", "The Farnsworth Invention", "Monty Python's Spamalot". His TV credits include "Kings", "The Resident", "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit", "Blue Bloods", "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel", and "Elementary". Connect with David and Steve: Instagram: @stevierosen, @davidrossmer, @rossmerrosen Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This morning Trae is joined by actor Alan H Green who is currently starring in The Griswolds' Broadway Vacation which is currently playing at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Trae is also joined by Brian Callanan who is the host of Seattle News, Views, and Brews for an update on Mayor Harrell's budget proposal. #BlackMediaMatters #WWConverge
As a young kid, he originally wanted to be a novelist. A audition for a high school production of Bye Bye Birdie landed him the lead role of Conrad, which blasted open the doors for him in the acting world. He ended up going to University of Michigan when they were first beginning to make a name for themselves as one of the best places to learn the craft, and then found his way easily onto the Broadway stage. He ended up shifting focus about 8 years ago to directing, where he found what he describes as his new passion for the stage. A quick call from an old friend led him to step in and perform as Clark Griswold in The Griswolds' Broadway Vacation brought him back to the stage, originating the role in the world premiere at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington, alongside Kate Rockwell. Hunter is an actor, director, writer and librettist with Broadway acting credits including Little Shop of Horrors (which earned him a Tony Award nomination), Urinetown, The Producers, Footloose, Les Miserables and Grease. He was named 2018's director of the year by the Wall Street Journal for his productions of 42nd Street at the Bucks County Playhouse, and The Drowsy Chaperone at the Goodspeed Opera House, recently directed the critically acclaimed The Other Josh Cohen off Broadway here in NYC, is the Artistic Director for the Redhouse Arts Center in Syracuse, NY, and as we speak is originating the role of Clark Griswold in the Griswolds' Broadway Vacation. Connect with Hunter: Twitter: @Hunter_Foster IG: @hunter__foster Web: hunterfosterofficial.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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