Podcast appearances and mentions of Mel Brooks

Deadpan's unfettered comical sensibility is a vivid testament to Mark Twain's dictum “against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.” Set during the world-wide oil crises of the 1970s, the narrative alternates between locations in West Virginia, Las Vegas, Washington, Tehran, and Sinai, featuring characters as diverse as Sarah Palin, Mel Brooks, and the Shah of Iran. Walter's phantasmagorical tour-de-force is not only a satirical takedown of antisemitism (and bigotry in general) but also a dazzling celebration ofhuman dignity, resilience, and humor.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

GGACP celebrates the birthday (December 1st) of writer-director Larry Charles (“Borat,” “Seinfeld,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) with this ENCORE of an interview from 2019. In this episode, Larry joins the boys for an engrossing conversation about humor as a survival tactic, the hazards of guerrilla filmmaking, the persuasive powers of Sacha Baron Cohen and the Netflix show, “Larry Charles' Dangerous World of Comedy.” Also, Mel Brooks sends up Bill Cullen, Jerry Lewis inspires Bob Dylan, Gilbert guest stars on “Mad About You” and Larry remembers the late, great Bob Einstein. PLUS: “Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp”! The Zen of Jack Nicholson! The influence of Jackie Mason! Larry hangs with Huntz Hall! And the “Seinfeld” episode that never aired! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meet celebrated NY Times columnist and author David Margolick whose latest project is a thorough and exceptional biography of one of the living legends of comedy.  David Margolick is the author of, “When Caesar Was King: How Sid Caesar Reinvented American Comedy.”  By the mid 1950's Sid Caesar and “Your Show of Shows” captivated millions of American TV watchers.  As he rose to super- stardom,  Sid fostered the careers of several larger-than-life comedy disciples including Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Larry Gelbart, and Neil Simon among others.  Sid's tumultuous personal life is examined closely.  Caesar was the quintessential sad clown whose climactic highs were often out done by crushing letdowns.  It's a fascinating look at genius, a book that I found impossible to put down!

Robert Farid KarimiThe "inbetween" is often ignored. It is also the juicy territory that this week's guest, comedian, chef, poet, educator, and activist Robert Farid Karimi has been investigating over the last couple of decades. like many of our guests Robert, who is also known as Mero Cocinero, Farid Mercury, the Peoples Chef, and even in some quarters, Betty Crocker's radical heir apparent, is not easily pegged. In the conversation that follows we explore some of the stories, ideas, and questions that animate his work. How can humor become a bridge in a conflict-ridden community? What is the role of the fool and gossip in the post truth era? What can community organizers learn from Mel Brooks and Cheech and Chong. Along the way we hear great stories and have a little fun.Delicious QuotesI feel for people who feel that they themselves are bridges because this, it's not easy work to hold, two sides of earth so that others can cross. A lot of times people they're not appreciating everything it took to keep everybody up.…we say in Spanish, "chesme", gossip. And talking about how immigrants, how we transmit the information, especially when you come from cultures, where the official news is being controlled like Iran and Guatemala, like gossip is powerful. Chesme is powerful. So, I became this bridge by valuing the words of others as truth,Humor to me was never about insulting or bringing others down. Humor for me was always, "How can you lift up the room? We've had a bad day. Why you gotta be a downer?" And I think growing up, that's why I valued it so much. That's why it became part of my toolkit.They brought me in to General Mills, …and had me cooking where the Betty Crocker kitchen ladies cook. They stayed. The women who had worked all day stayed because they wanted to have a good time and laugh. My mother still says that's my best gig I've ever had cause I'm at the home of freaking Betty Crocker.I changed Acting One so that it would incorporate play. I want them to start seeing their bodies as this thing, that's taking it all in and that they are not just actors. They are not just performers they are in the in-between. They are storytellers. And to make these stories, they need to understand their relationship to the system of life. And the final of the classes, they get to make fun of the class. They get to use all the skills to make fun of anything I've done, because the rationale is for me, humor is a great way to show that because you got to know what you know, to make fun of it.I couldn't just walk into a community and go, “I'm going to save you all because I'm a person of color. Who's funny.” No. I had to go back to the kid that was listening, ...to the folks in the community. ..Then I could see how I could be of service.Notable MentionsMero Cocinero, Farid Mercury, the Peoples Chef: Just three of Mr. Karimi's many alter egos.Change the Story / Change the World: This podcast, a Chronicle of Art & Community TransformationAfrika Bambaataa: Lance Taylor (born in April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (/ˌæfrɪkə...

Há criadores que operam dentro das fronteiras técnicas do seu ofício. E há outros que as redesenham. Manuel Pureza pertence à segunda categoria — a dos artistas que não apenas produzem obras, mas insinuam uma forma diferente de olhar para o mundo. Ao longo da última década, Pureza foi aperfeiçoando um dialeto visual singular: um equilíbrio improvável entre humor e melancolia, entre disciplina e improviso, entre ironia e empatia. Cresceu no ritmo acelerado das novelas, onde se aprende a filmar com pressão, velocidade e um olho permanentemente aberto para a fragilidade humana. Dali trouxe algo raro: um olhar que recusa o cinismo fácil e que insiste que até o ridículo tem dignidade. Na televisão e no cinema, a sua assinatura tornou-se evidente. Ele filma personagens como quem observa amigos de infância. Filma o quotidiano com a delicadeza de quem sabe que ali mora metade das grandes histórias. Filma o absurdo com a ternura de quem reconhece, nesse absurdo, o lado mais honesto do país que habita. Um humor que pensa Pureza não usa humor para fugir — usa humor para iluminar. Em “Pôr do Sol”, o fenómeno que se transformou num caso sério de análise cultural, a comédia deixou de ser apenas entretenimento. Tornou-se catarse colectiva. Portugal riu-se de si próprio com uma frontalidade rara, quase terapêutica. Não era paródia para diminuir; era paródia para pertencer. “O ridículo não é destrutivo”, explica Pureza. “É libertador.” Essa frase, que poderia ser um manifesto, resume bem o seu trabalho: ele leva o humor a sério. Independentemente do género — seja melodrama acelerado ou ficção introspectiva — há sempre, no seu olhar, a ideia de que rir pode ser um acto de lucidez. Num país onde o comentário público tantas vezes se esconde atrás da ironia amarga, Pureza faz o contrário: usa a ironia para abrir espaço, não para o fechar. A ética do olhar Filmar alguém é um exercício de confiança. Pureza opera com essa consciência. Não acredita em neutralidade — acredita em honestidade. Assume que cada plano é uma escolha e que cada escolha implica responsabilidade. Entre atores, essa postura cria um ambiente invulgar: segurança suficiente para arriscar, liberdade suficiente para falhar, humanidade suficiente para recomeçar. Num set regido pelo seu método, a escuta é tão importante quanto a técnica. E talvez por isso os seus actores falem de “estar em casa”, mesmo quando as cenas são emocionalmente densas. A câmara de Pureza não vigia: acompanha. É aqui que a sua realização se distingue — não por uma estética rigorosa, mas por uma ética clara. Filmar é expor vulnerabilidades. E expor vulnerabilidades exige cuidado. Portugal, esse laboratório emocional O país que surge nas obras de Pureza não é apenas cenário: é personagem. É o Portugal das contradições — pequeno mas exuberante, desconfiado mas carente de pertença, irónico mas sentimental, apaixonado mas contido. É um país onde a criatividade nasce da falta e onde o improviso se confunde com identidade. Pureza conhece esse país por dentro. Viu-o nos sets frenéticos das novelas, nos estúdios apressados da televisão generalista, nas equipas improváveis de produções independentes. E filma-o com um olhar feito de amor e lucidez: nunca subserviente, nunca destructivo, sempre profundamente humano. Há nele uma capacidade rara de observar sem desistir, de criticar sem amargar, de rir sem ferir. Infância, imaginação e paternidade Numa das passagens mais íntimas desta conversa, Pureza regressa à infância — não como nostalgia decorativa, mas como território de formação. A infância, para ele, é o sítio onde nasce a imaginação, mas também o sítio onde se aprende a cair, a duvidar, a arriscar. Esse lugar continua a acompanhar o seu trabalho como uma espécie de bússola emocional. Falar de infância leva inevitavelmente a falar de paternidade. Pureza rejeita a figura do pai iluminado, perfeito, imune ao erro. Fala antes da paternidade real: aquela onde se erra, se tenta, se repara, se adia, se volta a tentar. A paternidade que implica fragilidade. A paternidade que obriga a abrandar num mundo que exige velocidade. Talvez seja por isso que, quando dirige, recusa o automatismo: a vida, lembra, é sempre mais complexa do que aquilo que conseguimos filmar. Escutar como acto político Se há uma frase que atravessa toda a conversa, é esta: “Nós ouvimos pouco.” No contexto de Pureza, ouvir é um verbo político. Num país saturado de ruído, opiniões rápidas e indignações instantâneas, escutar tornou-se quase um acto contracultural. Ele trabalha nesse espaço de atenção — aquele que permite às pessoas serem pessoas, antes de serem personagens, headlines ou caricaturas. É por isso que o seu trabalho ressoa: porque devolve humanidade ao que, tantas vezes, o discurso público reduz. O que fica No final, a impressão é clara: Manuel Pureza não realiza apenas obras. Realiza ligações. Realiza espelhos que não humilham. Realiza pontes entre o ridículo e o sublime. Realiza histórias que, ao invés de nos afastarem, nos devolvem uns aos outros. Há artistas que acrescentam ao mundo um conjunto de imagens. Pureza acrescenta uma forma de ver. E num tempo em que olhar se tornou um acto cada vez mais acelerado — e cada vez menos profundo — isso não é apenas uma qualidade artística. É um serviço público da imaginação. LER A TRANSCRIÇÃO DO EPISÓDIO Esta transcrição foi gerada automaticamente. A sua exatidão pode variar. 0:12 Ora, vivam bem vindos ao pergunta simples, o vosso podcast sobre comunicação? Hoje recebemos alguém que não apenas realiza séries e filmes, mas realiza no sentido mais profundo do termo, a forma como olhamos para nós próprios, a maneira como nos espelhamos. 0:28 Manuel pureza é daqueles criadores que trabalham com rigor e com leveza, com inteligência, com humor, com disciplina e com um caos. Ele cresceu nas novelas, aprendeu a filmar sob pressão, descobriu um olhar que combina ternura com ironia e tornou se uma das vozes mais originais da ficção portuguesa. 0:46 E é capaz de pegar no ridículo e transformá lo em verdade, de pegar no quotidiano e transformá lo em drama, de pegar no drama e transformá lo em riso. Tudo sem perder a humanidade, o coração e a ética de quem sabe que filmar é escolher, ter um ponto de vista e que escolher é sempre um ato moral. 1:06 Neste episódio, abrimos as portas ao seu processo criativo, às dúvidas e às certezas, às dores e às gargalhadas, às memórias da infância e às inquietações da idade adultam. Falamos de televisão como um espaço de comunhão. Das novelas como um ginásio, do humor, como o pensamento crítico da arte de ouvir e de ser pai no mundo acelerado, da vulnerabilidade que existe por detrás de uma Câmara e, claro, de Portugal, este país pequeno, cheio de afetos e de feridas, onde tudo é simultaneamente muito absurdo e muito verdadeiro. 1:38 Pureza fala com profundidade e como honestidade às vezes. Desconcertante é uma dessas conversas em que senti que estamos a ver para além do artista, estamos a ver a pessoa, a sensibilidade das dúvidas, a Esperança e a inquietação de alguém que pensa o mundo através das histórias que nos conta. 2:05 Ao longo desta conversa, percebemos como as histórias, para Manuel pureza, não são apenas entretenimento. São uma estrutura emocional de uma forma de organizar o caos, uma linguagem antiga que herdamos mesmo antes de sabermos ler ou escrever. Falamos do poder das narrativas para dar sentido à vida, mas também do seu lado perigoso, porque todas as histórias têm um ponto de vista, todas têm escolhas e omissões, todas moldam a forma como vemos o que é real. 2:33 E ele, pureza. Assume isto sem medo. Assume que filma com olhar assumidamente subjetivo e que essa subjetividade é precisamente a sua assinatura. Não procura parecer neutro, procura ser honesto. Também exploramos a sua relação com o humor. 2:49 O humor que nunca é cínico, nunca é cruel, nunca é gratuito. O ridículo não é uma arma para diminuir os outros. É uma maneira de libertar, de expor o que há de comum entre nós, de desmontar o que é pomposo e de aliviar o peso de viver. 3:04 Diz na própria conversa que tudo pode ser ridículo e isso é uma forma de Redenção. O riso organiza o pensamento, afia o espírito, desarma o mundo e, talvez por isso, o pôr do sol. A série tem sido mais do que um fenómeno cômico, foi um fenómeno emocional quase terapêutico. 3:20 Um espelho carinhoso onde Portugal se reviu e se perdoou, um bocadinho. Falamos da ética, da ética, do olhar, de como se almar alguém. É sempre um ato de intimidade. De como se cria confiança dentro de um set de filmagens, como se dirige atores diferentes, como se acolhe fragilidades? 3:38 Várias. E falamos da amizade e esse tema que atravessa todo o trabalho de pureza, porque para ele, realizar não é apenas uma técnica, é uma escuta, uma presença, um cuidado. Ouvimos muitas vezes ao longo deste episódio, uma afirmação quase simples. Nós ouvimos pouco. 3:55 E quando alguém é capaz de. A olhar tanto e nos diz que ouvimos pouco. Vale a pena parar para escutar. E, claro, falamos de Portugal, um país pequeno, por vezes cínico, com uma profunda tendência para desconfiar do sucesso alheio. Um país que pureza filma com ironia, amor e lucidez. 4:14 E da inveja. Claro que falamos da inveja no país das novelas, do improviso, da criatividade teimosa, das personagens maiores que a vida. O país que ele conhece por dentro e por fora, e que aprende a amar com o humor, mesmo quando o humor é a única forma de suportá lo. Num dos momentos mais belos da conversa, falamos da infância, esse lugar de Liberdade, de curiosidade, de imaginação que pureza tenta manter vivo dentro de si. 4:39 E falamos também do que é ser pai, dos medos que isso acende, da responsabilidade que isso traz. Da paternidade iluminada, mas da paternidade real, onde se falha, se tenta, se repara, se ama e se recomeça. É um episódio cheio de emoções, pontos de vista e algumas surpresas. 5:01 Viva. Manuel pureza, olá, nós encontramo nos e na realidade, temos que dizer às pessoas desde já que há 2 características que nos unem na vida OKA primeira, gostar de pessoas. A segunda, sermos hipocondríacos. Ah, poças? 5:17 Bom, estou em casa sim, sim, sim. Poça altamente hipocondríaco? Sim. Olha, fala me das pessoas, para quem? Para quem não te conhece. Tu és realizador, és um dos mais originais e interessantes realizadores da ficção portuguesa, nomeadamente essa telenovela que subitamente se transformou num objeto de culto, uma coisa chamada pôr do sol. 5:40 Já agora digo te eu, a primeira vez que vi o pôr do sol, o primeiro episódio foi dos enganados. Achavas que era verdade. Pensei assim, é pá, mas o que é isto? Mas o que é que isto está? Mas, mas, mas, mas que coisa tão. EE depois. Lá está à terceira cena. 5:56 É aquela parte do ainda bem que ninguém ouviu o meu pensamento, claro, fala, me fala me desse fenómeno. Então esse fenómeno foi. Uma pulga, uma pulga, uma pulga, várias pulgas. Aliás, eu, eu, enquanto realizador, antes de começar a assinar as minhas séries, fiz 10 anos de telenovelas e fi Los numa lógica de ginásio. 6:22 Eu costumo dizer isto, ou seja, é uma tarefa difícil. É uma tarefa que luta contra. Vários tipos de preconceitos, não só meus, como de quem vê. É uma fábrica? É uma fábrica, sim. Aliás, será a coisa mais próxima de uma indústria audiovisual que nós temos em Portugal. 6:39 É, é, são as novelas. Não é? E isso filma se de que, de, de, de, de que horas? Até que horas? Filma se em horários que AACT se funcionasse não IA não preço, iria sim, iria tudo preço, não em boa verdade, até até podemos falar sobre isso mais à frente que é, eu estive envolvido nalgumas lutas laborais em relação à Malta, que faz novelas em Portugal. 6:58 Porque é pá, chega se a trabalhar trabalhava, se na altura 11 horas mais uma, quer dizer, IA receber colegas meus a receberem me francamente pouco, numa lógica de fazer 40 minutos diários de ficção útil, que é uma enormidade, uma alarvidade e que e que muitas vezes depois tem um efeito nefasto de das pessoas em casa. 7:17 Dizer assim é pá, isto é uma novela, isto não vale nada, mas o esforço das pessoas que estão a fazê la é hercúleo, é desumano. Não tem de ser forçosamente 11. Não tem furiosamente de levar as pessoas a apreciarem esse esforço como sinónimo de qualidade, porque muitas vezes as novelas não têm essa qualidade. 7:35 Portanto, não há tempo no fundo para respirar, para o tédio, para a repetição, para o prazer. Não, nem nem nem. Então por acaso que seja essa a função das novelas, até um certo ponto. As novelas historicamente são feitas para serem ouvidas, não para serem vistas, não é? Ou seja, não em países, não só Portugal, mas outros países machistas, em que as mulheres ficavam a tomar conta da casa e dali da casa, e não tinham trabalho. 7:57 Tinha uma televisão ligada para irem ouvindo. Por isso é que a novela é repetitiva. A novela é. Reiterativa há uma há uma métrica de comunicação. De comunicação, sim. E, portanto, se temos avançado tecnicamente e até qualitativamente nas novelas nos últimos 20 anos, porque temos? 8:13 Ainda estamos nos antípodas do que? Do que uma novela pode ser? A novela pode ser uma arma de educação fantástica. A novela pode ser um retrato. Quase numa perspetiva arqueológica do que é ser português em 2025. E não é disso que estamos a falar. Em quase nenhuma novela falamos disso, não é? 8:30 Talvez tenhamos 2 ou 32 ou 3 casos honestos de portugalidade nas novelas recentes. Ainda estou a falar, por exemplo, de uma novela que eu, eu não, eu não, não sou consumidor de novelas, confesso que não sou. Mas há uma novela que da qual me lembro da premissa que me pareceu interessante, que é uma coisa chamada golpe de sorte. 8:46 Uma mulher numa aldeia que ganhou o euromilhões. Isso pode ser bastante português. Parece me bem. Pode ser bom e tive um sucesso bastante grande e foi uma coisa honesta. Não era de repente alguém que é salvo por uma baleia no ataque de 2 tubarões e sobrevive porque foi atirada? Espera, enfim, ainda vou continuar, porque isso é uma realidade que acontece. Olha, porque é que nós, seres humanos, precisamos tanto de histórias para compreender o mundo? 9:08 Olha, eu acho que as histórias são o que nos estrutura, são aquilo que nos garante a sobrevivência. Até um certo.eu falo disto com os meus alunos. Eu às vezes dou uns workshops para atores e não só é só a palavra workshop dá me logo aqui, carrega me logo aqui umas chinetas um bocado estranhas. 9:24 O workshop downshoising downgraving assim não interessa estamos. Todos AAA praticar o inglês. O inglês neologisticamente falamos. A bom, a bom notícia é que nós, como falamos mal inglês, damos uns pontapés no inglês também terríveis, não é? Sim, sim, sim, mas sim, mas está o inglês. O inglês passou a ser uma espécie de língua Franca, exato, EEA. 9:41 Gente tem palavras bonitas para dizer. EEEEE não, diz. Voltamos às histórias, as histórias. E costumo falar disso com os meus alunos, que é que que passa por nós. Nós não nascemos com direitos humanos, não é? Não nascemos dentro do nosso, do nosso corpo. Não há aqui 11, saca com direitos humanos. 9:56 Houve alguém que inventou essa história e a escreveu numa numa carta universal dos direitos humanos e, portanto, a partir dessa narrativa de que as pessoas têm direito a ser felizes, direito a ter uma casa feliz, direito a ter uma família, direito a ser. A ter um trabalho, et cetera, essa narrativa e estou estou a, estou a, estou AA alargar Oo conceito, evidentemente essa narrativa salva nos todos os dias mais a uns do que a outros, infelizmente. 10:20 Então os dias correm, isso é muito frequente. Há há há zonas do mundo em que essa história não chega, não é? Essas histórias não chegam. A fantasia não chega. A fantasia, sobretudo, é essa coisa mais prática de, de, de, de nos regermos por aquela célebre história do Mello Brooks, não é? A Mello Brooks faz a história mais louca do mundo. 10:36 E o Moisés sobe ao sobe ao ao Monte e Deus dá lhe 15 mandamentos. Só que há uma das pedras que se parte. Ele diz, bom, ele deu me só 10. Inventou um bocado. Isto inventou mas 10 por acaso até um número melhor do que 15. Sim, 15 não dava. Jeito o marketing, ele lá da altura, o homem do marketing, disse disse 15. 10:53 Não dá jeito nada de ser mais redondo que não podem ser 17 nem 13. Não, não. Nem convém, não é para a enologia? Acho que não, não, não, não te ajuda nisso, mas eu acho que sim. As as histórias, sobretudo acima de tudo. Eu sou pai de 3 crianças. Uma criança mais velha que tem 14 anos e outra que tem 3 e outra que tem 11 ano e meio. 11:10 Já tens bom treino de conta histórias. Voltei a recuperá lo, não é? Ou seja, eu sempre andei sempre a treiná lo, porque esta é a minha profissão e é isso que me me entusiasma, não é? Ou seja, mais do que ter um ator que diz bem o texto que lá está e que o diz ipsis verbis como lá está, interessa me um ator que perceba o que é que quer ser dito e que o transforma numa história compreensível e emotiva. 11:29 Ou seja, no limite, é o que o Fellini diz, Oo Fellini diz. Oo cinema serve para para emocionar, seja para eu rir ou para chorar, serve para emocionar. EEO emocionar tem a ver com essa coisa das histórias. Quantas vezes é que tu não vês um é pá, o testemunho de alguém, uma carta que tu descobres 11 texto bonito, um poema simples ou soberbo, ou ou ou o que é que? 11:50 O que é que é uma boa história para mim, sim. Uma boa história é aquela que me lança perguntas, que te provoca sim, que me provoca perguntas, eu faço isso aos meus alunos lhe perguntar, qual é a tua história? E regregelas, confundem, qual é a tua história, qual é que é o meu bilhete de identidade? Então começam, Ah, nasci na amadora, depois foi não sei quê, depois não sei quantos, depois não sei quê, EEA mim, não me interessa, não me interessa mesmo saber se eles vieram da amadora ou não interessa me mais saber. 12:14 No outro dia, uma aluna dizia uma coisa fantástica, eu estou, eu estou aqui porque o meu irmão lê mal, é incrível, uau. E eu disse, então porquê? Eu já quero saber tudo sobre. Essa tua aluna? Queres ver o próximo episódio? Como é? A lógica é essa. Ou seja, eu acho que quando os miúdos estão a ler uma história como a Alice, querem saber quando é que ela cai no fundo do poço que nunca mais acaba. 12:31 Porque é que o poço nunca mais acaba? Porque é que no meio do poço se vão descobrindo retratos e coisas. E que poço é este? Que que coelho é este? Que coelho é que apareceu aqui a correr? E em princípio, não faz sentido nós, mas depois nós, nós nós entramos e embarcamos nesta história. E somos nós que a que a que a construímos. 12:47 Não é na nossa cabeça. Sim, sim. Na nossa cabeça, no nosso coração, de alguma maneira. Quer dizer, pensando, por exemplo, a minha experiência, a minha primeira experiência, aliás, a experiência que definiu a minha. Vontade de ir para para cinema e para o conservatório, et cetera. Conta te quando é que tu descobriste? 13:02 Foi haver uma lodon drive do David Lynch, eu tinha 15 anos. Que é um filme. Estranhíssimo, para filme extraordinário. Eu, eu não o entendo, lá está. Mas estás a ver? Portanto, mudou a tua vida e eu estou a sentir me aqui, o tipo mais perdido do mundo. Não, eu nem entendi o que é que eles estavam a falar. Não. A coisa fantástica desse filme é que é um filme absolutamente clássico, mas não está montado de maneira normal. 13:21 Ou seja, não há princípio, meio e fim por essa ordem. Mas ele é absolutamente clássico. É sobre a cidade dos sonhos, não é? É sobre um sonho. Sobre um sonho de uma mulher que desceu ao mais, mais mais horrível dos infernos de de Hollywood. E, portanto, aí eu vi me obrigado a participar nessa história. 13:39 Estás a ver? Tiveste que montar a história conforme estás a ver. Sim, e acho que isso é isso, é o que determina o que o que é uma boa história e o que é mero, no pior sentido de entretenimento. Podemos estabelecer aqui a diferença entre o que é que é uma. Uma história mais funcional, de uma história que nos que nos expande, porque todos nós, todos nós, temos a história. 14:01 Então, mas como é que foi? Olha o meu dia, eu vim para aqui, trabalhei, sentei, me e escrevi ao computador. E eu digo assim, não quero saber nada dessa história, quero mudas de canal, já não quero saber em cada muda de canal, às vezes mudamos até de conversa. Há há 27 páginas da literatura portuguesa que são muito características e toda a gente se lembra que é AAA caracterização da frente de uma casa chamada ramalhete. 14:24 E na altura, quando tínhamos 1415 anos, a dor achámos que era uma dor. Mas se se recuperarmos isso é provavelmente as coisas mais brilhantes, porque mistura precisamente o que tu estás a dizer, ou seja, uma coisa meramente funcional, não é? É. Esta era a casa e são 27 páginas e, ao mesmo tempo, essa casa é metáfora para o que se vai para o que se vai passar nos capítulos à frente é o. 14:47 Cenário. É EE, mais do que o cenário. É um personagem, não é aquela casa, é uma personagem. Porque os objetos podem ser personagens. Podem? Então não podem? Claro que sim. A Sério? Para mim, sim, claro que sim. Sem falar. Sem falar às vezes, eu prefiro atores que não falam do que com. Atores que? Não, eu digo isto muito dos meus atores. 15:03 É, prefiro filmar te a pensar do que a falar, porque. Porque isso é uma regra antiga do do cinema e da televisão, da ficção para televisão que é mostra me não me digas, não é? As as novelas são reiterativas, porque tem de ser tudo dito. A pessoa entra, diz, faz e pensa a mesma coisa. 15:19 E também não há muito dinheiro para para mostrar com com a qualidade e com é, dá. Há, não há é tempo. Talvez isso seja um sinónimo. Não havendo, se se houvesse mais dinheiro, haveria mais tempo e, portanto, eu acho que ainda assim seria absolutamente impossível alguém humano e mesmo desconfio que o site GPT também não é capaz de o fazer de escrever 300 episódios de uma história. 15:38 Eu estou. Eu estou a pensar aqui. Eu. Eu ouvi alguém a dizer, não me recordo agora quem, infelizmente, que era. Quando quando se faz um roteiro, aquilo que está escrito para se filmar uma determinada coisa, que todos os adjetivos que que lá estão escritos têm que ser mostrados, porque não adianta nada dizer. 15:55 Então entrou agora na cena, EEEE salvou a velhinha, certo? Está bem, mas isso não chega, não é? Sim, eu até te digo, eu, eu prefiro. Regra geral, os argumentos até nem são muito adjetivos, os argumentos, ou seja, o script nem é muito adjetivado. É uma coisa mais prática. Eu acho que essa descoberta está. 16:13 Não sei. Imaginem, imaginem a leres Oo estrangeiro do camus, não é? Tem Montes de possibilidades dentro daquele não herói, dentro daquela vivência, daquela existência problemática. Não é porque não se emociona, et cetera e tudo mais. 16:29 Como é que tu imagina que tinhas um argumento ou um script sobre sobre Oo estrangeiro? Eu acho que seria importante discuti lo profundamente com os atores. Tu fazes isso porque queres ouvir a opinião deles? Quero sempre eu acho que os atores que se os atores e as atrizes que são atores e atrizes, não são meros tarefeiros. 16:52 Qual é o fator x deles? O fator x? Deles, sim. O que é? Eu estou. Eu tive aí uma conversa aqui Na Na, neste, exatamente neste estúdio com com a Gabriela Batista, com a com a com a com a Gabriela Barros. E eu não preciso de saber e não sei nada sobre técnica, mas. 17:09 Eu, eu, eu imagino que qualquer munição que se dei àquela mulher, que ela vai transformar aquilo noutra coisa completamente diferente. O Woody Allen dizia uma coisa muito interessante que Era Eu sempre odiei ler e depois percebi que para conhecer mulheres interessantes, precisava de ler 2 ou 3 livros. 17:27 Para ser um pronto atual à certa. O que é que acontece com a Gabriela? A Gabriela é uma pessoa interessante. Os atores e as atrizes que são atores e atrizes são pessoas interessantes porque são inquietas, porque são atentas, porque percebem, porque conseguem. Conseguem ler não só uma cena, mas as pessoas que estão em cena com elas conseguem ler um realizador, conseguem ler uma história e, sobretudo, perceber. 17:50 Imagina se pensares no rei leão? Muitas vezes a pergunta sobre o que é que é O Rei Leão? As pessoas menos, menos levadas para as histórias dizem, Ah, é sobre um leãozinho. Que sofre? Não, não, não é sobre isso, é sobre família, é sobre herança, é sobre poder, é sobre legado, é sobre. No fundo, é sobre todos os conceitos que qualquer drama shakespeariano ou tragédia shakespeariana também é. 18:14 E, portanto, eu acho que quando tu encontras atores e atrizes a Sério, o fator x é serem interessantes porque têm ideias e porque pensam. Não se limitam a fazer pá. Um ator que se limita a fazer e diz o textinho muito, muito, muito certinho. É um canastal enerva me enerva, me dá vontade de lhes bater. 18:30 Não, não gosto disso, não me interessa. E isso não é sinónimo de desrespeito pelo argumento. É sublimar o argumento ou sublimar o scripta, a outra coisa que não é lida. É fermentar aquilo? Sim, eu diria que sim. É regar? Sim. Olha, eles oferecem te obviamente maneiras de fazer e a interpretação do texto, mas. 18:50 E tu tens a tua parte e a tua parte é aquilo que eu posso te chamar a ética do olhar, que é o teu ponto de vista o ponto de vista como eu queria dizer, como é que tu defines o ponto de vista? Como é que tu escolhes? Se queres fazer uma coisa mais fechada, mais aberta, de cima, de lado, o que é esse? E tu pensas nisso para além da técnica. 19:09 Sim, penso eu acho que o meu trabalho, Oo trabalho do realizador, no geral, é essa filtragem da realidade. Para, para encaminhar. Para encaminhar a história e encaminhar quem a vê ou quem, quem está a ver, para uma determinada emoção ou para uma determinada pergunta ou para determinada dúvida. 19:31 Para lançar de mistério. Enfim, eu, eu tenho. Eu sinto que eu tenho 41 anos, tenho já alguns anos de de realização, mas sinto que estou sempre não só a aprimorar, mas a encontrar melhor. Qual é a minha linguagem. 19:47 O pôr do sol não tem qualquer espécie de desafio do ponto de vista da linguagem. Ele é a réplica de uma de uma linguagem televisiva chata de de planos abertos, o plano geral. E agora vem alguém na porta, plano fechado na porta, plano fechado na reação, plano fechado na EE. Isso para mim, enquanto realizador, não foi um desafio maior. 20:05 Talvez tenha sido o desafio do corte, o desafio. Do ritmo da cena, da marcação da cena. Para, por exemplo. Há uma coisa que eu digo sempre e que é verdade no pôr do sol, sempre que as pessoas pensam, vão para o pé das janelas. Porque é uma cena de novela, não é? Eu vou aqui passar ao pé de uma janela e põem, se encostadas às janelas a pensar, não é pronto. 20:21 Isso tem muita. Influência olhando para o Horizonte? Horizonte longico não é essa aquelas coisas. Portanto, isso tem muita influência dos Monty Python, tem muita influência dos dos dos Mel Brooks, da vida, et cetera, porque eu, porque eu sou fã incondicional de tudo o que surge dessas pessoas. Mas, por exemplo, se me perguntares em relação à série que eu fiz sobre o 25 de abril, o sempre já é outra coisa, já não tem, já não há brincadeira nesse sentido. 20:45 E como é que eu conto? Como é que eu conto a história das pessoas comuns do dia mais importante para mim enquanto português, da nossa história recente para mim? E, portanto, essa filtragem, essa escolha, essas decisões têm a ver com. 21:03 Eu, eu. Eu sinto que sou um realizador hoje, em 2025, final de 2025, sinto que sou um realizador que gosta que a Câmara esteja no meio das personagens. No meio, portanto, não como uma testemunha afastada. Exato, não como uma testemunha, mas como uma participante. 21:18 Pode ser um, pode ser um personagem da minha Câmara. Pode, pode. Eu lembro me quando estava a discutir com o meu diretor de fotografia com o Vasco Viana, de quem? De quem sou muito amiga e que é uma pessoa muito importante para mim. Lembro me de estar a discutir com ele. Como é que íamos abordar a Câmara na primeira série que nós assinámos coiote vadio em nome próprio que se chama, até que a vida nos cepare era uma série sobre uma família que organizava casamentos e eram eram 3 visões do amor, os avós dessa desse casal que tinha essa quinta de casamentos, que vivia também nessa quinta, esse casal de avós, para quem o amor era para sempre o casal principal nos seus cinquentas, para quem o amor está a acabar por razão nenhuma aparente. 21:56 Desgaste, talvez. O amor às vezes acaba e é normal, e em baixo os filhos. Para ela, o amor às vezes, e para ele o amor é um lugar estranho, ou seja, repara. São uma série de aforismos sobre o amor que eu vou ter de filtrar com a minha Câmara. 22:11 Portanto, a maneira como eu filmo uso a voz em que o amor é para sempre está dependente de toque da mão que se dá da dança que se surge no Jardim dele, acordar a meio da noite, sobressaltado porque ela está junto à janela, porque está a começar a sofrer. De uma doença neurológica e, portanto, ele está a sarapantado e vai ter com ela e cobra com um cobertor. 22:31 Portanto, todos estes toques diferentes. No caso do casal principal que se estava a separar, eles nunca param muito ao pé um do outro e, portanto, a Câmara tem de correr atrás de um para alcançar o outro e nunca lá chega. Há uma tensão. Sim, há sempre uma tensão. E depois nos no. No caso dos mais novos, ainda era o mais específico. Mas diria que o Vasco sugere me e se falemos os 2 sobre isto. 22:51 E se a Câmara não for entre pé? E for respirada, não é, não é não é Câmara mão agitada, mas é eu sentir que há uma respiração Na Na lente que ela está um ligeiramente abanada. É o suficiente para, se eu estiver a esta distância da personagem e a Câmara estiver mais ou menos a respirar, eu sinto que eu próprio o espetador. 23:10 Estou sentado naquele sofá a olhar para aquela pessoa, a olhar para aquele, para aquela pessoa, para aquela realidade, para aquela família, para para aquelas ideias, não é? E para essa ideia? Que se tenta explanar, em 3 gerações, o que é o amor? A pergunta mais inútil que eu tenho para te fazer é, o que raio faz um diretor de fotografia num? 23:28 Filme, então o diretor de fotografia, para quem não sabe, é é Quem é Quem. No fundo, comigo decide a estética. Da imagem, a luz, a luz acima de tudo. Eu trabalhei já com vários direitos da sociografia, de quem gosto muito. O Vasco Viana é um deles, o Cristiano Santos é outro, porque é uma porque é. 23:44 Que se gosta de um e não se gosta tanto de outro? Não. Às vezes não tem a ver com isso. Eu não me lembro de um. Talvez em novelas que tenham trabalhado com diretos de sociografia, que, enfim, que foram bons, outros nem tanto. Mas eles constroem uma estética, constroem uma luz, um ambiente. Nas séries, sim. Não é no cinema, sim. 24:00 Na televisão. Acho que é muito complicado porque. Porque se obedece a critérios, sobretudo dos canais. Que vêm com uma frase, quando eu comecei a fazer novelas, ainda estávamos a discutir se a coisa havia de serem 16:9 ou 4 por 3. Portanto, parecia que ainda estávamos a quase na Roménia dos anos 60. 24:16 EEE não estávamos e, ao mesmo tempo, estávamos muito próximos disso. EEE. No fundo, o que o diretor da fotografia faz é essa escolha da cor, da luz, do enquadramento, claro que em concordância com aquilo que eu pensei, mas é a primeira pessoa que consegue consubstanciar. 24:35 A minha visão sobre a história é isso. Olha, OOA, escolha de um plano para filmar é uma escolha moral. Também estava te a ouvir, agora a falar do 25 de abril e de e, portanto, 11. A ideia que tu tens sobre as coisas depois interfere também na maneira como tu escolhes um plano. 24:51 O que é que vais filmar ou como é que vais? Filmar, eu acho que, sobretudo, tem a ver com o eco que a história tem em ti. Não é uma coisa acética nem agnóstica. É uma coisa implicada, não é uma coisa implicada, isto é, se há uma ideia tua enquanto autor. Sobre a história, que vais esmiuçar em imagens, é mais ou menos a mesma coisa. 25:11 Que tu sabes que a Sophia de Mello breyner aprendeu gramática na escola. Eventualmente português teve aulas de português. Suspeitamos que. Sim, pronto. Aprendeu a escrever, mas ninguém a ensinou a fazer poemas. Vem dela. E essa implicação na escolha das palavras, da métrica do soneto ou do verso, et cetera, ou da ou da Quadra, ou, enfim, seja o que for. 25:30 É uma coisa que lhe vem de uma decisão. Não é de uma decisão, nem que seja do espírito, não é? Eu acho que o realizador tem a mesma função quando quando se permite e, acima de tudo, quando se assume como realizador e não um tarefeiro a mesma coisa que o ator. 25:46 Olha, como é que tu estás a falar de ficção? Obviamente, mas a ficção tem um poder secreto que é alterar a realidade ou a nossa perspetiva sobre a realidade ou não. Quando eu vejo, quando eu vejo que tu filmas uma determinada coisa num determinado prisma, com uma determinada ideia, eu, eu já quase não consigo ver a realidade como a realidade é eu, eu, eu já já tenho mais uma camada de tu vais me pondo umas lentes, não é? 26:15 Quer dizer, olha para aqui, olha para acolá. Sim, mas repara, os livros têm o mesmo poder, não é? Desde que tu te deixes contagiar com uma ideia, a arte. A arte, seja ela. Seja ela sobre a forma de uma Mona lisa ou de uma comédia, não é é essa reconfiguração do real para ser percecionada pelo outro. 26:40 E o outro pode se deixar contagiar ou não se deixar contagiar. Imagina que tu não achavas piada nenhuma ao pôr do sol? Há pessoas que não acharam piadinha nenhuma ao pôr do. Sol desligas te não vais ver? Sequer. Mas não vais ver isso? O teu real continua, ou seja, a minha. A minha pretensão com o pôr do sol não é mudar o mundo. Não é mudar, é divertir, me em primeiro lugar e achar que isto pode pode divertir. 27:02 Pessoas pode fazer umas cócegas à moda? Pode fazer cócegas à moda, aliás, pode pôr o dedo na ferida até rir. Estás a ver. Sim, porque depois tu é assim aqui. A história obviamente é engraçada. EE aquilo dá vontade de rir, mas tu gozas com todo o tipo de preconceitos e mais algum que lá estão em cima da mesa. 27:17 Claro. E esse EE aí também se tem de fazer jus ao ao texto que me chega do Henrique dias. Ou seja. Eu, o Rui e o Henrique discutimos a ideia. Eu e o Rui tínhamos uma lista extensa de tudo o que se passa em novelas, quem é a esta hora, quem é que Há de Ser no meu telemóvel, beber copos, partir, copos, cavalos, bem, famílias ricas, et cetera. 27:36 Mas depois o Henrique tem esse condão de agarrar nessas ideias e de algumas de algumas storylines que nós vamos lançando, é pá. E fazer aqueles diálogos que são absolutamente fabulosos, não é? Quer dizer, lembro, me lembrei, me. Lembro me sempre de vários, mas há uma, há um, há um apidar no na primeira temporada, que é talvez o meu plano favorito, que é um dos membros da banda que vem a correr desde o fundo do plano e que cai em frente à Câmara e diz, não, não, eu estou bem. 27:59 Dê me um panado e um local que eu fico logo bué, pronto. Isto é uma coisa muito nossa, muito proximidade, que tem graça porque tu já ouviste alguém dizer isto e pronto. E quando se tem essa, quando se tem essa junção porreira de de sentidos, de humor. 28:17 A tendência é que isso crie, crie qualquer coisa de reconhecimento. O que nós encontrámos com o pôr do sol foi um reconhecimento, é pá, surpreendeu, me surpreendeu me ao máximo e depois açambarcou nos a todos e foi a Suburbano a sobrevoou me de uma maneira assustadora, foi, imagina, eu tive um acidente de Mota pouco tempo depois da primeira temporada acabar, fui ao chão e fiquei, fiquei magoado e fiz me nada de especial, estava no hospital. 28:46 E o enfermeiro chefe dizia, sistema anel, pureza, agora vou pôr aqui um megaze, não sei quê. Ou sistema anel, pureza, não sei quê, mas assim. 11 trato espetacular. Uma coisa muito, muito solene, muito solene, e é. Pá e nas tantas ele estava a fazer o tratamento e disse assim, é pá e vê lá se tens cuidado e eu, espera aí, houve aqui qualquer coisa, houve aqui um problema na Matrix ou então não sei o que é que aconteceu e o gajo diz, desculpe, desculpa, é que eu sou de massamá e eu sei o que é que é cheirar AIC 19, todos os dias que é uma tirada do pôr do sol posso chamar os meus colegas assim? 29:12 O que é que se passa? Entraram para aí 5 ou 6 enfermeiros. Dizer é pá, obrigado. Pelo pôr do sol, por isso é convidada, portanto, Na Na enfermaria. Todo todo arrebentado. E eles todos quando em dia e eu percebi pronto, isto bateu, bateu a um nível de podemos reconciliar a televisão com uma certa cultura pop que teve alguns exemplos extraordinários na comédia ao longo da nossa história. 29:34 Temos o Raul solnado, temos o Herman José, temos Oo Ricardo Araújo Pereira e o gato fedorento, o Bruno Nogueira. Esses. Esse, atualmente, o Bruno Nogueira e o Ricardo Araújo Pereira continuarão a? Fazer são fundações, no fundo, são coisas que a gente olha e diz assim, uou. Eu acho que experimentei um bocadinho disso. Ele experimentava esta equipa, experimentou um bocadinho disso, quando de repente temos pá, um Coliseu de Lisboa cheio para ver uma banda que está a fazer playback. 29:56 Nós fizemos isso com Jesus Cristo, não é? A banda do pôr do sol foi tocar, não tocou nada, ninguém deles. Nenhum dos tocou, não sabem tocar e. Esgotámos OOO Coliseu para ouvirmos uma cassete em conjunto e as pessoas foram. Para participar num episódio ao vivo que não era episódio, não estava a ser. Filmado sequer tu vendeste, tu vendeste uma fantasia que toda a gente sabe que não existia, mas a ideia de comunhão. 30:16 Foi nessa narrativa e eu acho que isto é uma coisa que nos anda a faltar cada vez mais, não é? Nós nós não temos essas comunhões. Tu vês uma série? Ou melhor, é mais frequente teres um diálogo com um amigo e diz assim, pá, tens de ver aquela série, não sei quê, é espetacular, não sei quê quantos episódios, viste? Vi meio, mas é espetacular. 30:32 E já não é aquela coisa de Bora fazer um? Serão lá em casa, em que juntamos amigos e vemos um filme? Como aconteceu antigamente, antes da televisão se alinear? Antes de antes da da televisão te permitir uma ilusão de poder da escolha, não é? Eu agora escolho o que vejo. E a televisão morreu? Nada, não. 30:49 Nem vai morrer. É como a rádio morreu, não é? Quer dizer, a gente volta e meia a rádio a. Rádio a rádio tem mais vidas que um gato. Não é pronto porque a rádio foi ver o apagão, não é? O apagão foi uma. O apagão foi um delírio. Apagou tudo para. Os da rádio? Claro, claro. Evidentemente, isso era o que havia. E isso é extraordinário, porque isso faz, nos faz nos perceber que a volatilidade das das novas tecnologias etcétera, pá, é porreiro, é óbvio. 31:11 Então agora temos aqui 2 telemóveis, estamos anão é? Estamos aqui a filmar. Temos boa parafernália, mas mas. No limite. Naquele momento em que achávamos todos que a Rússia atacar e não era nada disso, o que queríamos era ouvir alguém a falar. Connosco o fenómeno dos podcasts como este é eu, eu dou por mim assim que é. 31:30 Eu gosto de ouvir pessoas à conversa, porque me acalma e me baixa o ritmo do scroll. Há uma. Música, não é? E é EEEE, aprendes qualquer coisa. E por isso é que eu gosto de pessoas. Estás a ver quando eu, eu houve uma vez 11 coisa que me aconteceu que eu acho que que é pá, que eu nunca mais me esqueci, que foi um amigo meu. 31:48 Que, entretanto, nunca mais falámos, é um facto. As histórias foram para os sítios diferentes, mas um dia entrou me para casa, à dentro. Eram para aí 10 da noite e diz me assim, preciso de conversar. E perguntei, lhe mas o Gonçalo de quê? Não, pá de nada, preciso só de conversar. Tens tempo para conversar e eu fiquei. 32:07 Isso é uma grande declaração, isto é. Extraordinário. Pouco tempo depois, estava em Angola a fazer uma série, uma novela. Perdão, uma. A melhor novela que eu fiz na vida é que foi uma novela para Angola, uma coisa chamada jikounisse. E há um assistente meu, Wilson, que chega 2 horas atrasado ao trabalho, é pá e era um assistente de imagem, fazia me falta. 32:25 Ele chega, Ah, presa, peço desculpa, cheguei atrasado e tal só para o Wilson 2 horas atrasado, o que é que aconteceu? Tive um amigo que precisou de falar e eu juro te que me caiu tudo, eu não lhe. Eu quero ter um amigo assim, eu não. Posso, sim. Eu não me lembro disto acontecer em Portugal. 32:42 Para mim, disse. Para mim mesmo, eu não me lembro. De. De. De dar prioridade a um amigo em detrimento do trabalho. Porque o trabalho me paga as contas e os filhos e não sei quê. E o ritmo e a carreira. E eu reconheci me e de repente há um amigo meu que precisa de conversar. 32:58 Estamos a ouvir pouco. Então, não estamos eu acho que estamos. Estamos mesmo muito. Temos mesmo muito a ouvir, a ouvir muito pouco, acho mesmo, acho mesmo. Isso isso aflige me sobretudo porque há um, há um é pá. Eu estou sempre a dizer referências, porque eu, de repente, nestas conversas, lembro me de coisas. O Zé Eduardo agualusa assina 11 crónica, creio no público há, há uns anos, largos da importância de, de, de, de de fazer mais bebés, porque o mundo está tão perdido que só trazendo gente boa, muita gente boa de uma vez em catadupa. 33:29 É que isto melhora e eu acho, essa visão. Uma chuva de. Bebés uma chuva de bebés, mas de, mas de bebés bons, de bebés, inquietos, de bebés que fazem birras pelas melhores razões de bebés, que brincam sem computadores, sem coisas que que se que chafurdam na, na lama, et cetera, fazem asneiras. 33:45 Sim, sim, eu, eu, eu gosto muito de ser pai, mais até do que ser realizador, gosto muito de ser pai e acho que isso é é precisamente por essas, pelos meus filhos, claro que são os meus, mas se tivesse, se houvesse outras crianças. De que eu tomasse conta? Acho que era isso que é. 34:01 Tu perceberes que até uma certa idade nós não temos de nos armar noutra coisa que não ser só crianças. E acho que eu pessoalmente, acho que tenho 41 anos e às vezes sinto uma criança perdida até dizer chega EE, acho que pronto. 34:18 Enfim, o tempo vai adicionando, adicionando te camadas de responsabilidade. Agora temos temos de saber mexer microfones, inverter a água, et cetera, e meter fones, et cetera. Mas, no fundo, somos um bocado miúdos perdidos a quem? A quem se chama pessoas adultas porque tem de ser, porque há regras, porque há responsabilidades e coisas a cumprir. 34:35 Acho que só o Peter Pan é que se conseguiu livrar dessa ideia de poder. Crescer, coitado. Já viste? Pois é mesmo o Peter Pan sem andar com aquelas botas ridículas também. Exato. EE, qual é? Sabemos. E o capitar, não é? Pensando bem, a história dramática é o que quando estás com neuras a tua vida é um drama refugias te na comédia fechas te de ti próprio. 34:55 Não queres falar com ninguém? Quando estou com. Que é frequente é. Frequenta é? Então, o que é que te bate? O que é que te faz o. Que me bate é nos dias que correm e não só não conseguir tocar à vontade na minha função enquanto artista. 35:15 Isto eu vou te explicar o que é. Os artistas não precisam de ser de um quadrante político ou de outro. Eu eu sou de esquerda, assumidamente de esquerda. EEE, defenderei até à última este esses ideais. Ainda à esquerda, direita. Há, há, há. Eu acho que há, há. É cada vez menos gente com quem se possa falar de um lado e de outro. 35:32 Há uma. Polarização sim, sim, porque porque, enfim, isso são são outras conversas, mas o os artistas, no meu entender, estão a perder a sua perigosidade isso enerva me, ou seja, eu às vezes sinto que não estou anão, não estou a transgredir. 35:49 Não estou a ser perigoso, não estou a questionar, não estou. Estou a ir ao sabor de uma coisa terrível, que é ter de pagar as minhas contas. É o rame. Rame mais do que isso é eu deixar me levar pela corrida que é. Tenho de ter mais dinheiro, tenho de conseguir a casa, tenho de conseguir a escola dos putos tenho, não sei quê. 36:07 Devias ser mais um moscado, aquele que que dava umas picadelas aqui à. Eh pá devia questionar. Devia. Os artistas são se nasceram para isso e eu se me se eu me considero artista e às vezes isso é difícil. Dizer isso de mim, de mim para comigo. Eu imagina o Tiago Pereira, o Tiago Pereira que anda AA fazer um acervo da música portuguesa, a gostar dela própria, pelo pelo país todo, com gente antiga, com gente nova, com com gente toda ela muito interessante. 36:36 A importância de um Tiago Pereira no nosso, no nosso país, é é inacreditável. Quantas pessoas é que conhecem o Tiago Pereira? E, pelo contrário, não estamos focados Na Na última Estrela do ou do TikTok ou do big Brother ou de outra coisa qualquer. 36:51 Até podia ser uma coisa boa, estás a ver? Ou seja. Complementar uma coisa e outra. Sim, ou seja, eu, eu. A coisa que mais me interessa é saber quem é que com 20 anos, neste momento está a filmar em Portugal e há muita gente boa. Tu vês os projetos da RTP play e da RTP lab? E é gente muito interessante. Então, e porque é que? 37:06 Nós não estamos a estornar essa gente? E a e a potencial? Porque, porque a corrida? É mais importante, ou seja, tu queres a. Corrida dos ratos Na Na roda. É e é coisa de chegar primeiro, fazer primeiro, ganhar mais que o outro, não a solidariedade é uma, é uma fraqueza AA generosidade é uma fraqueza aplaudires alguém que é teu par é mais, é mais um penso para a tua inveja do que propriamente uma coisa de quem é que ganhamos? 37:34 Todos vamos lá. OOOO rabo de peixe, por exemplo, é um é um caso lapidar nesse sentido. Que é o rapaz? É extraordinário. É extraordinário neste sentido, eu? Posso? A primeira série é uma pedrada No No charco, que é uma coisa mágica o. 37:50 O Augusto Fraga, que é uma pessoa que eu, de quem eu gosto bastante e conheço o mal, mas gosto bastante, assina uma série que a primeira coisa que foi vista sobre essa série, ainda que estivéssemos a com 35000000 de horas ou 35000000 de horas, sim, vistas por todo o mundo. 38:08 Ah, não sei quantas pessoas, minhas colegas, tuas colegas, enfim, colegas de várias pessoas que estão a ver este mote caso dizem assim, ó, mas eles nem sequer fizeram o sotaque açoriano. Ah, e aquela e aquela ideia de não contrataram só atores açorianos? Pronto, sim, vamos ver uma coisa, porque porque é que vamos sempre para essa zona precisamente por causa da corrida, porque isto é importante. 38:32 A inveja é lixada? Nada. Fraga sim, a inveja é lixada e mais do que isso, esta inveja. É patrocinada pelo sistema, o sistema, o sistema sublima. Quando nós achamos que quem, quem, quem é nosso inimigo é quem faz a mesma coisa do que nós, nós temos menos de 1% para a cultura neste país. 38:50 E quando há dinheiro, quando há dinheiro, nós andamos a tentar queimar o outro para conseguirmos chegar ao dinheiro, ou seja, perante as migalhas. Nós não nos organizamos, a dizer assim. Pá a mão que está a dar as migalhas é que está errada. 39:05 Não. O que acontece é não. Mas eu já discutimos isso. Primeiro eu preciso de de amoedar as migalhas para mim e depois então discutimos, é uma. Corrida mal comparado de esfomeados. É, mas em vários. Mas é. Não estou a ver só na cultura, não é? Não é só na cultura. E. Já dizia o Zé Mário branco, arranja me um emprego. 39:22 O Zé Mário branco dizia tanta coisa tão mais importante, tão tão tão importante nos dias que correm, o Zé Mário branco, enfim. Mas eu até diria que isto, que este país que é pequeno. Que é pequeno em escala. Que é pequeno, que é pequena escala. 39:39 Podia ver nisso uma vantagem. Podíamos ver nisso uma vantagem, porque eu acho que o país somos nós e acho que as pessoas não. Não temos essa noção, não é EE essa e essa noção de que não dedicamos tempo suficiente a estarmos uns com os outros e de ligarmos as peças boas e de tornar isto uma coisa mais interessante, claro. 39:57 Interessa me, interessa me. Muito há uma cultura de mediocridade, não? Isso eu acho que não, o que eu acho é que há. Ou melhor, como é que se compatibiliza esse essa corrida dos ratos na roda, em busca da última migalha com coisas de excelência que subitamente aparecem? 40:13 Eu acho que quando tu sentes que isso é um acidente, rapaz, isso é um acidente, não é? É um acidente. Antes tinha tinha havido o Glória e nós tínhamos achado. Tio Glória era a primeira coisa da Netflix. Parece um bocado aquela coisa de o ator que é pá. 40:29 Eu sou um grande ator. Eu fiz uma formação no Bahrain para aprender a ser a fazer de post. Foi uma formação de meia hora, chega cá e dentro e vai dizer assim, é pá. Este gajo é bom meu. O gajo esteve no barrain. Vende-se bem este. Gajo é bom, não é? E de repente não. Ele esteve no barém a fazer de post e é melhor do que um puto que veio da PTC ou 11 miúda que veio da STCE está a tentar vingar. 40:50 Eu tive agora uma conversa por causa da da dos encontros da GDA para para o qual foi foi gentilmente convidado e foi foi incrível estar à conversa com Malta nova. Não é assim tão nova quanto isso, mas Malta entre os 25 e os 35 anos, atores e atrizes, em 4 mesas redondas em que IA assaltando eu, o António Ferreira, a Soraia chaves e a Anabela Moreira, é pá EEAEA dúvida é a mesma de que se houvesse uma mesas redondas de veterinários, de veterinários ou de médicos, ou de ou de assistentes sociais, que é como é que eu começo isto? 41:20 Como é que eu faço isto? Qual é o percurso, onde é que está? O repente GDA faz uma coisa incrível que é, vamos pôr as pessoas a conversar. É um bom início, pá, é um. Excelente início. E nós não andamos a fazer isso, não andamos a fazer isso, por mais associações que haja, por mais coisas, et cetera. E há gente a fazer este, a tentar fazer este trabalho. 41:38 Não há um sindicato da minha área que funcione. O sindicato dos criativos pode ser então? O sindicato, o Sena, o sindicato Sena. As pessoas queixam se que não é um sindicato, mas não estão nele. Quando eu digo que não há um sindicato, é o sindicato, existe. As pessoas é que não vão para lá e queixam se das pessoas que lá estão. 41:55 Isto não faz sentido nenhum. Ou seja, nós estamos sempre à espera que nos dêem. Mas é aquela coisa velha, essa coisa que foi o Kennedy, que disse não é não, não perguntes. O que é que o teu país pode fazer por ti? Pergunta te, o que é que tu podes fazer pelo teu? Portanto, não temos uma mecânica por um lado de devolução à sociedade daquilo que nós estamos AA receber e, por outro lado, de de agregação, num interesse comum, ou numa imaginação comum, ou em alguma coisa que podemos fazer juntos. 42:17 Eu, eu acho que, sobretudo, tem a ver com celebramos? Não, acho que não. Até porque é tudo uma tristeza, não? É, não, não, não. Eu acho que é assim. Eu acho é que é tudo muito triste porque não nos celebramos. Porque há razões enormes para nos celebrarmos, há razões mesmo boas, para nos celebrarmos. Bom, mas eu não quero deprimir te mas um tipo que chuta 11 coisa redonda de couro e que acerta numa Baliza é mais valorizado do que um poeta que escreveu o poema definitivo sobre o amor ou sobre a vida? 42:43 Mas isso, pão e circo? Isso pão e circo. E isso a bola também é importante. E está tudo bem? Eu sou. Mas tão importante. Não é? Porque eu eu gosto de futebol, gosto. Eu gosto de futebol, sou um, sou um. Sou um fervoroso adepto da académica de Coimbra e do. Falibana do Benfica, da da académica, sou da académica. 43:00 Está péssima, não é? A académica está terrível, mas é isso. Ou seja. Eu acho que tem, Maura continua, tem? Maura, claro. E terá sempre. Eu sou, sou, sou da briosa até morrer, mas. Mas de qualquer das maneiras, sinto que essa coisa que é, há espaço para tudo. Eu acho que eu o que faz falta? E animar a Malta? 43:17 É educar a Malta? É educar a Malta. Faz muita falta. Eu acho que faz muita falta a educação neste país. E isso tem a ver com política, tem a ver com escolhas, tem a ver com coragem. EAAA educação não tem sido muito bem tratada nos últimos tempos. 43:35 Se há gente que se pode queixar são os professores e os. Alunos, porque nós só descobrimos daqui a 10 anos ou 20 que isto não correu bem. Claro, mas já estamos a descobrir agora, não é? Depois, já passaram algum tempo sim. Quais é que são as profissões de algumas das pessoas que estão no hemiciclo que tu reconheces profissões não é? 43:52 De onde é que vêm? Vêm das jotas vêm. São juristas, normalmente economistas, certo? Mas um médico. Há um ou 2? Há um ou 2, há alguém que tu, um professor? Deixa de ser atrativo. A política devia ser essa coisa de eu reconhecer. 44:10 Figuras referenciais. Os melhores entre nós que que escolhidos para liderarmos, sim. Escolhidos por nós. Ou seja, porque é que eu acho isto? Mas eu acho isto desde sempre, sempre, sempre. Eu sei isto. Aliás, eu venho de uma casa que é bastante politizada. A minha casa, a minha família é bastante politizada. O apelido. 44:27 De pureza não engana. Pois não engana. Às vezes acham que ele é meu irmão, mas é meu pai. EE pá é um gajo novo. De facto, é um gajo novo. Mas é isso que é caneco. Quem são estas pessoas? Porque é que eu vou votar nestas pessoas, estas pá. A prova agora de Nova Iorque não é 11 Mayer de 34 anos, chamado zoranmandani, que de repente ganha as eleições sem os mesmos apoios, que teve outro candidato. 44:50 Não houve Bloomberg, não houve Trump, não houve nada. Houve um tipo que veio falar para as pessoas e dizer lhes o que é que vocês precisam, de que é que precisam, o que é que vos aflige, de que é que têm medo, que sonhos é que vocês têm? Isso é tão importante e tão raro. 45:06 Afinal, o método que funciona sempre não é fala com pessoas, conta uma história ou houve cria uma expectativa? Olha, porque é que o humor explica tão bem o mundo? Eu sei, também há o choro, porque é que o humor explica tão bem? Porque tudo pode ser ridículo. E é e é tão ameaçador, não é? 45:22 Claro, claro, claro. Olha o Rio, vai nu. Exatamente tal e qual tem a ver com isso, não é? E mais do que isso, é eu, eu acho. Eu sinto que nós vivemos num país que não tem assim tanto sentido de humor. E explico porquê nós não nos rimos tanto de nós. Rimos mais dos outros quando nos rimos de nós? 45:39 É é tipo, Ah, então, mas mas estão a falar de mim. Rimos de escárnio. Sim, os os melhores, as melhores pessoas, as melhores pessoas portuguesas a terem sentido humor são os alentejanos. Porque são eles que têm as melhores notas sobre eles. Que eles próprios contam? Exatamente quando tu tens um. 45:54 Eu não sou lisboeta, portanto, posso dizer mal à vontade de vocês todos que estão a ouvir. Quando o lisboeta disse assim também. Sou alto minhoto, portanto, já estamos. Estás à vontade, não é pronto quando o lisboeta disse. Tudo que seja abaixo, abaixo, ali do cavado é soul. É soul? Exatamente. Está resolvido, pá. A minha cena é coisa do quando o lisboeta diz, tenho aqui uma nota sobre alentejana dizer, Hum. 46:11 A minha família toda alentejana, pá. Não, não acho que acho que não é bem a coisa eu diria isso, ou seja, porque é que o amor explica tão bem o mundo, explica no sentido em que, de facto, isto esta frase não é minha, é do Henrique dias. E ele acho que acho que ressintetiza isto muitíssimo bem. O argumentista do pôr do sol, que é tudo, pode ser ridículo. 46:28 O gajo da bola de couro, um círculo de de de couro que é chutado para uma Baliza, é tão ridículo como é eventualmente alguma. De algum ponto de vista sobre a religião, sobre a política, sobre a economia, sobre os cultos? 46:46 Não é os cultos pessoalizados em líderes que de repente parece que vêm resolver isto tudo e são ridículos. Quer dizer, são ridículos acima de tudo. O mito do Salvador da pátria. O mito do Salvador da pátria não é? Depois ficou substanciado em 60 fascistas. Isso é para mim. Era expulsos ao ridículo. 47:02 Incomoda os imensos. Mas a gente já viu isto em vários momentos, desde momentos religiosos até momentos políticos que é. E este vem lá ao Messias, vem lá ao Messias. E o cinema português também. O próximo filme vem sempre salvar isto tudo. E é só um filme percebes o que eu estou a dizer? Ou seja, não. 47:18 Este é que é o filme que toda a gente vai ver e vai rebentar com as Caldas. Não, não tem de ser assim, é só um filme. Só me lembro da Branca de Neve, do João César Monteiro, não é que filmou uma coisa para preto, para negro? Sim, mas mais do que isso, estava a falar de termológica comercial que é, os exibidores estão sedentos? 47:35 Que venham um filme que faça muitos números e que salve o cinema, et cetera. A pressão que se coloca, se fosse fácil fazer um filme desses, até eles próprios administradores teriam ideias. Sim, faz mesmo. A campanha viral lembro me sempre é. Faz uma coisa que vai ocupar toda a gente vai falar exatamente e que vai ser uma coisa. 47:51 Extraordinária. Um escândalo, no melhor sentido. Não sei quê, não sei quê e depois não acontece porque não é assim que as coisas não é, as pessoas não vão, não vão. Nessas modas, aliás, as pessoas estão cada vez mais dentro. O paradoxo é que as pessoas estão cada vez mais exigentes. O que é bom? Sim, mas dentro desta lógica que temos falado, que é tiktoks, et cetera, volatilidade é uma coisa superficial e de repente já nem tudo cola. 48:12 O humor repara o humor. O Bruno Nogueira, por exemplo, é um bom exemplo disso que é o Bruno Nogueira faz 111 programa extraordinário vários. Faz os contemporâneos, faz o último a sair, depois faz o princípio meio e fim, que é uma coisa arrojadíssima. Sim, ele faz coisas sempre diferentes. 48:28 Não é ele. Ele. Ele quebra os padrões sempre. Mas se reparares agora, neste, no, no, no ruído, ele já não é a mesma coisa. É um programa de Sketch que tem lá uma história que num tempo distópico em que. Sim, mas aquilo resolve se a um conjunto de de Sketch e as. 48:45 Pessoas aderiram massivamente, portanto, eu acho que isto é assim. A roda vai dando voltas. Depois voltamos um bocado à mesma coisa. O Herman, por exemplo, o Herman que é um dos meus heróis da televisão. O Herman andou por todas essas ondas e agora está numa onda de conversa e tudo mais. 49:04 E continua a ter imensa. Graça mas ele pode fazer tudo o que? Quiser, não é? Pode. Chegou este mundo do mundo para poder fazer tudo. Sim, talvez não chegue a todas as gerações como chegava. Não é dantes. Eu lembro me, por exemplo, No No no célebre Sketch da da última ceia, não é? 49:20 Ele chegou a todas as gerações, houve umas gerações que odiaram isso foi incrível, eu adorei, eu adorei esse momento iá, e ele é também um dos meus heróis por causa desse momento, porque, porque, enfim, porque qual que lá está transgressor, perigoso artista? 49:38 O Herman é tudo isso sim. Pode a qualquer momento fazer dinamitar isto olha fora o humor, tu tens, posso chamar lhe maturidade emocional entre o felps e os infanticidas. O que, o que muda no teu olhar quando quando tu transpassas da comédia para, para, para o drama, o humor e a dor são são irmãos. 49:58 O sim, diria que sim, mas mais do que isso, é há coisas que me que me inquietam, não é? Eu com 41 anos e 3 filhos, EEE uma história já muito porreira. O que? É que te inquieta. Várias coisas. Olha esta coisa da do dos artistas, esta coisa da sociedade portuguesa, esta coisa de o que é que é ser português em 2025, o que é que é ter 41 anos em 2025? 50:21 A amizade, a amizade inquieta me há amigos que desaparecem e não é só porque morrem, há há. Há outros que desaparecem porque. Perdemos lhe o rasto. Ou isso, ou porque nos zangamos EEA coisa vai de vela e é assim. E a vida é dinâmica e. E às vezes questiono, me, não é? 50:37 Questiono me sobre quanto é que vale uma amizade, por exemplo, os enfatisídeos é sobre isso, não é? Ou seja, 22 amigos de 2 amigos de infância que aos 17 anos dizem, se aos 30 anos não estivermos a fazer aquilo que queremos fazer, matamo nos daquelas promessas adolescentes e de repente um deles apaixona se e casa se. 50:57 E ele às vezes não quer morrer e a amizade vai à vida. E aquele que ficou para sempre com 17 anos, que sou um bocado eu, não é? Porque eu acho os problemas aos 17 anos é que são os verdadeiros problemas da existência humana. Os outros são chatices da EDPE da epal estás a ver isso? São outros chatices pagar as contas, pagar contas é só isso, porque tudo o resto é só o que é que eu estou aqui a fazer? 51:17 Porque é que eu me apaixonei, porque é que ninguém gosta de mim, porque é que essas coisas são tão ricas, são tão boas de testemunhar eu tenho. Tenho um exemplo incrível de ter 11 filho extraordinário chamado Francisco, que tem 14 anos e que tem umas inquietações muito. 51:34 Muito boas pá, muito, muito poéticas, muito. É uma idade difícil. E boa. E tão boa. E tenho. Tenho muita sorte. Francisco é um miúdo incrível. Mas mesmo que não fosse, eu diria assim. Para ele e tu e tu estimulas ou acalmas as ânsias dele. Eu eu acho que sou eu e a mãe dele, acho que somos estimuladores da sua, das suas várias consciências, social, política, artística. 52:02 Mas temos uma, o respaldo que encontrámos naquele naquele ser humano, foi maior do que qualquer um incentivo que nós pudéssemos dar. Ou seja, nós lançámos um bocadinho, as paisadas para os pés dele e ele de repente floresceu. E é hoje em dia uma pessoa é um ser humano extraordinário e pronto. 52:19 E eu costumo dizer aos meus amigos que o primeiro filho muda a nossa vida, o segundo acaba com ela, uma terceira. Esta turística, sim, é pá. Eu acho que os 3 deram um cabo da minha vida. É uma dinâmica diferente, não é? 3. É, é ainda por cima estão os passados, não é? Um tem 14, outro tem 3, outro tem 1 ano e meio e para o ano provavelmente quero ter mais um filho, porque acho que é lá está eu estou com água, luz a tatuar aqui, algures, portanto, tu. 52:43 Vais salvar o nosso problema de de de naturalidade e demográfico. Eu espero que sim, eu já sou Oo chamado povoador dos olivais. Portanto, vão para sim, sim, olha o que é que te falta fazer para fecharmos o que é que anda o que é que andas a escrever o que é que anda, o que é que te anda a inquietar o que é que te anda aí a. 53:01 Debaixo do teu olho. Olha, estou concorri a uma bolsa para escrever um livro. Pode saber sobre o quê? Sim, sim, é um filme que eu não, que eu não tenho dinheiro para fazer e, portanto, vou fazer o livro. E depois pode ser que o livro reúna. E os bons livros dão sempre grandes filmes. 53:17 Ao contrário, os maus livros, eu sei que eu sei que vou ser fraquinha e, portanto, os maus livros dão bons filmes, os bons livros. Portanto, a tua expectativa é que o livro seja mau que é um grande filme? Sim, sim, não. Mas pelo menos seja seja livro. Isso é importante. Eu gosto imenso de livros. Gosto imenso de ler. É das coisas que eu mais gosto de fazer, é de ler. Fiz isso candidatei me EE. 53:33 Entretanto, estou a preparar uma série de outro género, completamente diferente, que é uma série de de fantástico de terror, escrita por 5 amigos, de que eu tenho muita estima. Por quem tenho muita estima, o Tiago r Santos Oo Artur, o Artur Ribeiro, o Luís Filipe Borges, o Nuno Duarte e o Filipe homem Fonseca. 53:51 Que é uma série chamada arco da velha, que terá estreia na RTPE, que se passa entre Portugal e a galiza e também vai ter uns toques de Brasil. E estou também a preparar outro projeto lá mais para a frente, que é provavelmente os projetos que eu mais quero fazer na vida até hoje, que estou a desenvolver com a Ana Lázaro, com a Gabriela Barros e com o Rui Melo. 54:13 É impossível falhar, já ganhaste. Completamente impossível falhar porque esta ideia original é da Gabriela e do Rui. Ei, e eles vieram ter comigo. E eu fiquei para já muito conten

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast we are talking to Denise Gautier, daughter of actor, painter, artist and raconteur Dick Gautier. Perhaps best known for his role of Hymie in the TV series Get Smart even though he was only on a limited number of episodes, we delve into the wonderful and sometimes difficult world of what it was like to grow up the daughter of a delightful but often too casual father. Ahem. The idea of looking into connecting with Denise came entirely from our interview with Susannah Mars, daughter of comedian Kenneth Mars. Susannah told us a very funny, if entirely inappropriate story, about meeting up with her dad and his actor friends at lunch and receiving a drawing from Gautier. While that drawing simply would not fly in 2025, it's what made us laugh and frankly, some of us also had dad's like that too. Ahem. Anyway, Denise gives us the lowdown on what it was like being with the very funny, exceedingly talented artist father as well as his unconventional ways. Along the way we discuss Dick's connections to Broadway, the beatnik coffee culture of San Francisco in the sixties, the famed Magic Castle, fellow actors and friends Dave Madden, Mel Brooks, his second wife actress Barbara Stuart, his various game show appearances on shows like Tattle Tales and much more. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.  

Young people today face noise, pressure and expectations that can drown out who they really are. I have met many who feel unsure of their path, and I believe this is one of the most important conversations we can have. In this episode, I sit with youth coach Hillary Spiritos, someone who has walked her own winding path from fearless child, to shy young adult, to a coach helping others reconnect with their inner voice. Her honesty about the old messages she carried and the ways she learned to trust herself again offers a lesson for all of us, no matter our age. Hillary and I talk about what young adults face today, why so many feel lost and how simple daily choices can move us away from fear and toward clarity. You will hear how she helps people uncover what they value, build resilience and create a life that feels true. I think you will find this conversation grounding and hopeful. My hope is that it reminds you, just as it reminded me, that we all have the ability to step forward with purpose and live with an Unstoppable mindset. Highlights: 00:10 – Learn how early life messages shape confidence and identity.01:27 – See why many young adults step back from who they really are.02:54 – Understand how internal stories influence your choices.03:55 – Hear how changing environments helps you discover new parts of yourself.13:42 – Learn how young adults navigate both opportunity and uncertainty.15:36 – Understand why modern pressures make clarity harder to find.19:00 – Discover why resilience begins with facing normal challenges.23:25 – Learn how redefining success opens space for authentic living.25:20 – See how guided reflection builds direction and self trust.39:57 – Discover tools that help you quiet the noise and listen inward. About the Guest: Hillary Spiritos, founder of Bat Outta Hell, is a pathfinding coach dedicated to helping young adults pursue the lives they envision by building self-trust and discovering their potential. She conducts workshops on essential life skills such as leadership development, interviewing, resilience, and maximizing your study abroad experience. Through her coaching, Hillary empowers young adults to navigate social media noise and societal pressures, encouraging them to listen to their inner voice and achieve their unique personal and professional goals. This process helps clients identify their values, overcome obstacles, and embrace their fears, ultimately leading to a fulfilling and authentic life. As a certified pathfinding coach, she offers her clients that unique in-between space to create and execute their life road map. Hillary brings years of experience as an Academic Advisor at NYU and Northeastern University, as well as a background in the corporate sector, both as an employee and freelancer. Ways to connect with Hillary**:** https://batouttahell.net/ https://www.tiktok.com/@bat.outta_hell https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillaryspiritos/ About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson  01:21 Well, hi everyone, wherever you happen to be today, I would like to welcome you to unstoppable mindset, and I am your host, Michael hingson, or you can call me Mike, one of those two, no other kind of words, just Mike or Michael. But we're glad you're here, whether you're watching, listening or doing both. And our guest today is a coach. She especially does a lot in coaching and working with youth, young people, and I'm really interested to learn more about that as we go forward. I think it'll be kind of fun. So I would like to welcome Hillary Spiritos to unstoppable mindset, Hillary, we're glad you're here. Thanks for coming. Hillary Spiritos  02:02 Hi, thank you so much for having me. Mike. It's a pleasure to be with you. Michael Hingson  02:06 Well, I think it's a pleasure to be with you too, so I guess it works out both ways, right? Wonderful. Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you for being here. Why don't we start as I love to do, let's start at the beginning. Tell us sort of about the early Hillary, growing up and all that. Since you know you're dealing with youth and and all that, you were one once. So let's, let's hear about you. Hillary Spiritos  02:29 I was one once, absolutely. So I was a really fearless child. I had a really, like, wild fashion sense. I asked a lot of questions. I was pretty independent. I like to stay in my room and like play with my imagination and and then as I got older, I got a little bit shyer. I got a little bit behind the scenes. I started to I started to back away a little bit and kind of lose touch with who I was. And then I have finally, like when I was in my when I was in university, I really just decided that I didn't really know what I wanted to do, what I wanted to study what I was interested in, and it's been a process to kind of live my fullest, most authentic life, and that is what I want to help young people do. Michael Hingson  03:29 Why did you back away? Why did you become kind of, maybe less outgoing or less adventuresome, if you will? Hillary Spiritos  03:38 I think you know there are multiple reasons for this puberty is not like the least of which, but I would say that I'm a big believer that we are taught these messages when we're younger as children, and they get internalized. And I think I internalized messages that were to make myself smaller, to not cause waves, to just not be as big of a presence, perhaps. And so I you have to kind of rewire that. You have to break free from that, and then you can decide, actually, I'm not at the mercy of these stories that I've been told in these messages that I've gotten. Now, Michael Hingson  04:23 where are you from? Hillary Spiritos  04:24 I'm from New York City. Okay, Michael Hingson  04:27 yeah. Well, you know, New York is a tough place, so you can certainly learn to be outgoing and active there. But I hear what you're saying, yeah. Now, where are you now? Hillary Spiritos  04:39 I live in London, England, Michael Hingson  04:41 okay, yes, a little ways from New York, Hillary Spiritos  04:45 absolutely. But actually not as far as you might Michael Hingson  04:48 think, no, it's only, what a five hour airplane flight, right? Hillary Spiritos  04:53 But it's, it's actually shorter than going to California, yeah? Michael Hingson  04:58 So, yeah. You know well, but what took you to London? Hillary Spiritos  05:06 I have always wanted to live in London, and I really love the arts and culture and comedy scene here. I also am a deep, deep lover of travel, and obviously living on the continent of Europe, just gives me more opportunity to travel in that way and over the weekend, you know. And I also just am a deep believer in international education, study abroad, the ability to have cross cultural experiences, to learn more about yourself and your place in the world and the world itself through experiencing your life and yourself in a different Michael Hingson  05:46 place. Do you have a car, or do you just use the tube and public transportation? I Hillary Spiritos  05:52 use the tube and public transportation mostly. I mean, the thing about Europe is that it's really well connected over train. Michael Hingson  05:59 Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And that that makes a big difference, because you can get wherever you want to go around Europe fairly easily by train, sure, absolutely, certainly, a lot easier than getting around most places in in the States. Hillary Spiritos  06:19 Yeah, that's that can be true, though. I mean, there is an ease to a car Absolutely, and there's like a lovely I can blast my music and be with my thoughts and be in my own space that a car brings you that the train doesn't, Michael Hingson  06:34 yeah, well, or you use earphones, but it's still not the same. Hillary Spiritos  06:39 Yeah, I have a lot of clients and students who are perhaps in places that they don't have their car, and they find that their car is their safe space, and the space where they can vent and listen to music and just be alone and and they feel fine that they really miss their car. So it's I mean, but I also grew up in New York City, so I, I, it's not a part of my it's not a part of my existence, really. Michael Hingson  07:06 Yeah, you're used to not having a car pretty much. I had a friend when I lived in in Winthrop, Massachusetts for three years. I had a friend. We both worked at the same company, and his philosophy was, buy a car, but don't get anything fancy. Just get a clunker. And when it dies, just leave it and go off and buy another one. And so he never did get any kind of a really high end car. And he had a couple where they died, and he just left them or got got them taken away, and then he went off and got a new Hillary Spiritos  07:43 car. Sure, I guess it's really just what you value. Yeah, absolutely. Michael Hingson  07:50 Well, I'm pretty used to having access to a lot of public transportation. Unfortunately, where I live here in California, we don't have a lot where I live anyway, of great transportation, but I remember living in the east, and of course, there was a lot more train access around New York, around Boston and around Washington, DC, for that matter, compared To out here, absolutely well. So where did you go to college? Hillary Spiritos  08:24 I went. I got my undergraduate degree at Duke University, and then I got my master's in international education at NYU. Michael Hingson  08:33 Okay, and so what was your Bachelor's Hillary Spiritos  08:37 in theater and comparative religion? Michael Hingson  08:41 That's a little different than international education. What prompted you to Hillary Spiritos  08:44 switch? Yeah, so that's a great question. So I actually changed my major in my junior year of college because I didn't believe that anyone would be accepting of me majoring in theater and comparative religion as two separate things, and I didn't think it was good enough, and I had all these judgments again from messaging that I received as a young person, and I finally decided that I wasn't going to listen to that. So I changed my major, and I actually worked in the theater and live events production for five or six years after college, and loved it, but I found that it wasn't fulfilling in the way that I wanted my work to be. It wasn't as soul feeding as I wanted my work to be. And I realized that I was an RA at Duke University, and I I just truly loved working with young adults and helping them find their path and figure out what they wanted to do with their life and who they were and what they valued and and so I found that I really wanted to be in the world of higher education, so I went and got my master's. Michael Hingson  09:49 But you didn't do that right out of getting a bachelor's. It was a little bit later. Hillary Spiritos  09:53 Yeah, it was about five or six years later. Wow. Michael Hingson  09:55 So what did you do for the theater while you were working? Hillary Spiritos  09:58 I. Yeah, I was a stage manager in the theater, and then I was a Live Events Producer, so concerts, festivals, movie premieres, anything like that. I helped Michael Hingson  10:11 produce. Did you do a lot of that around New York? Hillary Spiritos  10:15 Yeah, so New York, LA, I also worked in Boston, actually, both as in the theater, as well as at a university in Boston after I had gotten my masters. So yeah, Michael Hingson  10:29 I always enjoyed going to Broadway shows. There's, there's nothing like live theater. I agree. Yeah. I mean, it's, it's just a totally different kind of environment, and it's so much more fun than watching a movie or whatever, the sound is different and better and just the whole performance. There's nothing like seeing something on the stage. Yeah? Hillary Spiritos  10:54 I mean, I think it's all about To each their own. Right? There are actors and people who find that movies have changed their lives and and I definitely have movies that I watch over and over again for comfort, same with TV shows. But for me, personally, the theater, there's nothing like live theater. Live theater is like energizing for me, and if I go too long without seeing it, I get a little Michael Hingson  11:18 Yeah, well, you're in a in a town that has a fair amount Hillary Spiritos  11:22 of theater? Absolutely, yes. Michael Hingson  11:25 So what are your favorite movies? Oh, oh. Hillary Spiritos  11:30 I mean, I guess it depends on what genre we're talking about. But I really love the genre of, like, inspirational sports movies. I that also I remember watching all of those and just really resonating with the character of the coach and realizing that that's kind of who I wanted to be in life, that person who recognized the potential and helped everybody reach their potential. So I loved, you know, the Karate Kid and Mighty Ducks and, like the replacements and strictly ballroom and and miracle and, you know, any Rocky, Michael Hingson  12:10 you name it, yeah, A League of Their Own. Hillary Spiritos  12:14 Oh, League of Their Own is incredible. Michael Hingson  12:16 Absolutely, yeah, I always like the league of their own. Yeah, Hillary Spiritos  12:19 the natural is also a great fact be the natural. Michael Hingson  12:22 And I read the book long after seeing the movie, but I, but I read the book, and that was worth reading as well. Hillary Spiritos  12:32 I think I've also read it, but I'm not, I can't. Michael Hingson  12:38 Yeah, it's been a long time since since I've read it, but it was fun. I don't know my probably one of my favorite movies, and I love to quote it all the time. Goes away from sports. It's Young Frankenstein, but I'm a Mel Brooks fan. So what can I say? Oh yeah. Hillary Spiritos  12:55 Oh yeah. I mean, that's an incredible film, too. And I would say I love a lot of movies that are not inspirational sports movies as well, but yeah for sure, Michael Hingson  13:03 yeah, and I've always liked Casablanca. That's still one of my favorite movies of all time. Hillary Spiritos  13:09 Classic, absolutely, Michael Hingson  13:11 a classic, absolutely yes. But there's still nothing like going to see things on Broadway. You know, I used to see, I watched Damn Yankees the movie, and then when I lived back in the east, we got to see Damn Yankees on Broadway. I actually saw it twice. The second time was with Jerry Lewis playing Mr. Applegate, the devil, and it was the only thing he ever did on Broadway. And we, before we went to see it, there was a my wife read an interview with him, and he said his father had told him, you won't have really ever arrived in entertainment until you do something on Broadway. Well, he did a great job in the play. It was well worth seeing. Hillary Spiritos  14:00 Well, yeah, I mean that that's a challenging statement for sure. And I think it depends how you how he took that right, but that can also be very disheartening, Michael Hingson  14:11 yeah, yeah, well, he took it, he took it the right way. And, and, you know, he, I think he thought his dad was, was hoping his dad was watching from wherever his dad was and saw him on Broadway, but Broadway plays are fun, and I've seen a number on Broadway, and I've seen some plays not on Broadway, but still, people did a great job well. So you anyway, you did theater, and then you went back and got your master's degree, and you wanted to deal with young people. Why? Specifically just young people? Hillary Spiritos  14:50 I think that young adults are exist in such an incredible but volatile space. So like throughout life, we go through on this track of all pretty much doing the same things at the same time, at the same pace with everybody else. And then when we meet or when we get to university, there just becomes so many more paths, and paths start to diverge, and everyone starts to get a little bit mixed up, and then once you're out of university, then that happens even more, and that can be a period of incredible opportunity and possibility and excitement, but it can also be a time of really a lot of anxiety and challenges and obstacles and fear of the unknown, and I think that that is a really exciting, interesting, dynamic place to be. I also just love the ethos of young people, of I'm not going to take that this is the way it's always been done, mentality. I'm not going to just let whatever is going on in the world wash over me. I'm going to actually take a stand. I'm I'm going to stand for what I believe in. And I think that's just a really, I mean, there are some real fierce young people out here, out here, and so that's really uplifting and really motivating and energizing to see. Michael Hingson  16:18 Do you think that it's different now than it was, say, 30 or 40 years ago, in terms of dealing with youth and young people in terms of what they face and how they face it. Has it? Has it changed much? Or do you think it's really basically the same? And of course, the other logical question is, Is it easier or harder now? Hillary Spiritos  16:39 Absolutely, so I think that it is absolutely part of the human condition to try to figure out who you are and what you want, and that is something that young people are constantly dealing with at every generation. So that's absolutely true, but I do believe that there are certain things that make it harder for this generation, the Gen Z and Millennial like cohort, I think that whether that's the covid pandemic, social media, helicopter or lawn mower, snow plow, parenting, whatever you want to call it, that just this general state of the world, there are all of These structures and systems in place that are crumbling and broken, that young adults are having to get a grip and understand and find their feet in a world that is constantly shifting and and not meeting their needs. So I think it is definitely, I mean, harder is challenging to rank, right? Because, like, obviously, there are very hard challenges in various generations, but I do think it is very different. Michael Hingson  17:49 Well, you know, in 1917, 18, we had the pandemic of the flu. So it's not like this is the first time we've ever had that, but sure, it just seems to me, with everything that's going on today, with with social media, with instantaneous communications and so on, and probably other things where a number of people are raised in fear oriented environments, it is definitely a lot more challenging to be a youth growing up today. They're just too many challenges, much less you mentioned helicopter and other kinds of parents, I would assume that they're operating more out of fear than anything else, which is why they do what they do. Hillary Spiritos  18:36 Well, that's interesting. I think they absolutely could be operating out of fear, and they can be operating out of the I want you to reach this echelon. I want you to do this thing, have this job, so that you will be secure and safe. However, we know that that's not a given, right? There's no such thing as security in that way. But I would also say there's a way to be operating out of a projection of what they wish that they lived, and they're passing that along to their children as well. So there are various ways that it can manifest Michael Hingson  19:12 that's probably been somewhat true though, through most generations, although it may be a little bit more the case now, because there's so many outside forces, and they want to keep their kids from having to put up with all of that. Hillary Spiritos  19:23 Yeah, I would also say that their parenting used to be a little bit more hands off, and it is now. Let me remove the obstacles from my children's lives and let me and that's a generalization. Obviously, not all parents are like that, but there is a big push to let me make it somewhat easier, and that's not to say don't support your children, and that's not to say don't help them out. That's not to you know, but in removing all the obstacles, young people aren't given the opportunity to build. Of the self reliance and the resilience and the self trust that they need to move forward, Michael Hingson  20:05 yeah, and it may ultimately come down to, how many of the obstacles are you really removing, but? But that is true, that they make it they think easier. But the reality is, there are reasons why we all have to go through different situations to learn Hillary Spiritos  20:26 Sure, absolutely, I think if you, if you don't develop resilience or self reliance or grit, I think that that is, that is going to be a very challenging life until you learn to really develop those traits, those skills, tools, Michael Hingson  20:46 I know for students with disabilities. And this goes back 50 years. I know here in California, a number of the colleges and universities started hiring people to run offices for students with disabilities, and they would come in and Oh, we'll get we'll, we'll, we'll make sure you have your textbooks, we'll make sure you have a place to take your tests. And they do any number of things for students that some of us who grew up a little bit before those offices realized that the offices were were really creating more of a problem than a great solution, because they did everything for students, rather than students learning to do things for themselves. Students didn't learn how to hire people to read information for them, or how to go to professors and advocate for what they needed, because they just relied on the offices. And the offices would say, well, students don't know how to do those things, yeah, and they never will. It's the same, it's the same kind of concept. But you know, the reality is that there is a reason why there is value in having challenges put before you to overcome and deal with Hillary Spiritos  22:07 Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, it helps you recognize what you're capable of, and it also helps you realize that you have been through maybe something difficult previously, or you've gone outside of your comfort zone or tried something new or whatever, there's precedence there that you can do something like that again, and if you don't have those experiences, then you are unsure. I mean, I have clients who have not built up these experiences, or they don't recognize the experiences that they've had, and that's part of the work that we do, is that then they just feel so unprepared to go out in the world because they don't know what they're made of. Michael Hingson  22:47 Yeah, yeah. And it is, it is a real challenge. And you know, the other part about it is that what referring back to the offices for students with disabilities, what the offices should be doing, is encouraging students to to do the work, and then saying, this is what, what I actually went through, and then actually saying, if you have a problem and you can't get the things that you know you need to have, will help you. We will. We will bring the resources of the university to, for example, to to bear, to get you what you need. But you have to be the one to initiate it. And I think that's the issue. Hillary Spiritos  23:32 Sure, absolutely, it's it's it's the it's the asking questions without trying to figure out what the answer is yourself, or trying to find the answer yourself. And I think that can be manifest in many ways, and I think that that is also indicative of like a larger of a larger system, which is not being able to trust that you can figure it out, not being able to trust that you have the answer or that you can, like, trust your inner voice or your gut, and so you look outward and that so it can be part of a task, but it can also just be. It can manifest in your just general life. Speaker 1  24:14 Yeah. So what does redefining success mean today for young people, and how do they separate their goals from what society expects them to do, or societal expectations? Hillary Spiritos  24:28 Yeah, absolutely. So, as I kind of alluded to before, is that we learn these definitions. We learn these we have these messaging from when we were younger, and we learn what success means, what failure means, what courage is, and we start to internalize what we think other people will see as acceptable or good enough. And what we need to do is unpack that and. Try to redefine success and failure and all the rest of it for ourselves so that we can live our own lives and not be at the mercy of our prior messaging, childhood wounds of our parents, hopes and dreams and fears, perhaps what people of people in society might deem as not good enough, or not interesting, or whatever we want to live according to what we think we value. And so that would that's what redefining success means. Speaker 1  25:32 How do you teach people how to redefine success? You you have a coaching process that I assume that you use. So what is that? How does all that work? Hillary Spiritos  25:42 Yeah, so it's a three month process, and it's called aligned and alive. And the first month is helping young adults really get to the root of who they really are, what they really value, and what they really want their life to look like. And it is going deep, and it is being honest and answering those questions outside of societal expectations, and cutting through the noise to the best of their ability. And then the second month is really honing in on what is blocking you from going after the life you want, from imagining the life you want to create, and creating the life you imagine. And then the third month is reevaluating those what we those of things that we talked about in the first month, so who you really are, what you really value, and what you really want your life to look like. These things probably have changed over the course of this time, as you've kind of uncovered new aspects of yourself, and then we create an actionable strategic plan so that you're not just going off into the world unprepared and feeling unprepared to kind of take the next step. And there are absolutely follow up calls to just make sure that you feel the most secure and that you if you have any questions or kind of feel like you want to check in, that's absolutely acceptable and possible and hope like I hope you will and we will set up. And there are also people who don't work on this three month platform, but they also just meet with me regularly. So it's it depends on what you're looking for. This isn't a one size fits all situation. Michael Hingson  27:24 Yeah, what? Which makes sense? It it shouldn't be a one size fits all because everyone is a little bit different. Needless to say, absolutely. So I didn't mention it before, but we should talk about what is the name of your company? Hillary Spiritos  27:39 So the name of my company is called bat out of hell. There you go. Michael Hingson  27:44 See how did you come up with that? It's I think it's great. Hillary Spiritos  27:48 Thank you. I really love and have a kinship with bats. I think that bats are highly adaptable, perceptive, social creatures, and they spend a lot of their time upside down, so they see the world in a different perspective, and they symbolize transformation and rebirth and the shedding of the old to come into the new and out of the darkness and into the light, all of which I really resonate with and want the energy of the business. And then I also am not a one size fits all cookie cutter coach, let alone person. And I, and I wanted a name that kind of had that ethos, had that a bit of rock and roll in it, if you will. And so, yeah, I feel like it's has real momentum to it, and a real edge, which is great. Michael Hingson  28:44 And so you, of course, feel a great kinship for the TV show in the movies Batman, right? Just checking, Hillary Spiritos  28:51 yeah. I mean, there is, I'm not the biggest Batman fan, Marvel or super, but I will say there I did talk about this with people about how Batman, if I'm correct, embraced what he was most afraid of, and took that to help him fight the bad villains in Gotham. And so that is an incredible thing to do, to take what is blocking you, to take those fears, anxieties and and insecurities, and recognize where they come from, own them to and understand how they influence and manifest in your everyday life, so that you're not at the mercy of them. That's basically what Batman does. And that's great. That's dope. Michael Hingson  29:37 I think that happened probably more in movies than in the TV series, but that's Sure. Adam West was an interesting character for TV, but that that's fine. I actually sat a row in front of him on an airplane flight once, he was a whole lot different on the airplane than he was as Batman was interesting. Did you talk to him? No. He didn't have any interest in talking to anybody except, I guess it was his agent or or someone who he was with, and that was the only person he talked with. Okay, that's that's a lot. What do you do? You know, well, so the the thing is, though, that I think you're right. Batman, like anyone had fears and he and especially in the movies, he learned to embrace them and did the things that he needed to do. He he chose his life, although there were things that that led him to do it, he still chose his life and operated accordingly. And that's something that we all have the opportunity to do, is we can make choices. I think it's important that we monitor our choices. That is when we choose things. I can I can go back many years in my life and see how I got to where I am today by the choices that I made. And I think that's a thing that is worth people doing, is being introspective and and thinking about what you do, what you did, and how you got where you are, not in any kind of a blame way, but rather just to know, and that also helps you then decide where do we go from here, Hillary Spiritos  31:25 absolutely, to constantly or consistently, take stock of who you are and what you want, and to ask yourself questions of, is that true? Is that actually what I want? Is that actually what I value? Is that what I believe is, Am I doing this because somebody else says I should? Am I doing this because I don't want to be embarrassed, like, am I excited to do this, or excited and anxious, or do I just really not want to do it? All of these questions are really important to continually ask ourselves. But I think if you haven't learned to ask yourself those questions, or if you're feeling really lost at sea, or if you're feeling like you really just don't know how to cut out the noise, then it might be beneficial to talk to somebody. But absolutely, that's something that that's being introspective and reflective is is vital? Michael Hingson  32:19 Yeah, I think that's extremely important to do, and it's it's also all about working to keep fear from controlling you, and learning how to control fear. And the more you look at like, what, what you do every day. And I encourage people, as they're going to sleep at night, to be introspective. What happened today? What? Why did I react to that? Why? Why was I afraid? What can I learn from that, or even the good stuff that went really well, but how might I do it better? Being introspective and really listening to your inner voice helps a lot in being able to deal with fear. Hillary Spiritos  33:01 Absolutely, absolutely. I think it's the question of, are you able to listen to the to your inner voice? Do you trust your inner voice? Do you listen to your inner voice? Is there a reason why, even though you hear it, you're not doing it? Is there a reason why you're not taking the steps to engage with your life the way that you want. Do you not even know what the life you want to create is? And I think that these are really like listening to your inner voice is absolutely critical. It's vital. But sometimes it's not the easiest thing to do, Michael Hingson  33:38 no because we haven't learned to do it. The more we work at it, the easier it becomes. It's a matter of really exercising that muscle that is our mind. Because we can learn to trust that inner voice. We can learn to listen to that inner voice, but we have to make the choice to do it. No one else can do that for us, absolutely. Hillary Spiritos  33:59 And I think that's that's really important information, right? Because we're the ones that have to live with the consequences of our choices. We have to live. We're the ones who have to live in our lives, so to look outward for answers rather than looking inward. While it might feel more comfortable and you feel like, oh, that way I want won't make mistakes, or people will deem it acceptable, because I've I've taken the census, and everybody thinks that this is what I should do. It doesn't save you from you're the one who actually has to go through the motions, and you might be living someone else's life, and you're going to realize that at some point or another. Yeah. Michael Hingson  34:43 And, and, I guess, in a sense, hopefully you will realize it and use that to advance and go forward and more. Learn to listen to your inner voice and more. Learn to not be afraid of so many things. Yeah. Hillary Spiritos  34:57 And, I think that it's you. It's lovely to recognize that and try to get on the right path, or let's say, your path earlier rather than later. Yeah, because what you don't want is to necessarily look back and realize that you've lived your life according to someone else. It's the number one regret of the dying, right? So obviously, we do that to the best of our abilities, because all we can do is make the best decisions with the information that we have at the time. So it's keep it's a constant constant, trying to figure it out, but you we want to get on that. We want to live our most authentic life as as much as possible. Michael Hingson  35:41 Sure, you talk a lot, or you refer to reclaiming your 20s and 30s and so on. And I think that's an interesting thing, because it's it was a probably most people view it as a simpler time in life. But what are some of the misconceptions that people actually have about their 20s and 30s, and how do you refrain from dealing with uncertainty and turn it into opportunity? Hillary Spiritos  36:12 Yeah, that's really an interesting question, and it's a way really interesting way of phrasing it, because when you're older, you do tend to say, Oh, if only I, like, realized this in my 20s, because the or, like, what I could tell my 20 year old or 30 year old self is because actually, your 20s and 30s are fraught with a lot of challenges and a lot of insecurities and a lot of fears, and They're actually not necessarily simple times, but I would say some misconceptions are that you need to have it all figured out, that you're running out of time, that it's too late, or that you're behind, that everybody else has it figured out, and you you're lost, that your 20s are for figuring things out, and then once you hit your 30s, you're supposed To have it all figured out, and all your ducks in a row, the idea that your path is straight, and once you make a decision, then you're off to the races. And like you don't ever have to think about it again. If I could just pick the right career, pick the right partner, pick the right industry, I'll just be done. And that's that's not how life works. No. So I would say that we want to reframe uncertainty and all of these questions as opportunity. And so life is uncertain. And so when you learn to see uncertainty as possibility and obstacles as opportunity for growth, then you will begin to have more forward momentum, have live your live a more authentic life, and learn more about yourself and gain self trust and resilience and self reliance. And that's that's what we want to learn how to do in our 20s and 30s and beyond Michael Hingson  38:00 and beyond, because the reality is, it's all part of the same thing. Hillary Spiritos  38:04 Sure, absolutely, yeah, Michael Hingson  38:08 it, it may or may not get any simpler, or maybe we learn enough things that it looks like it's simpler, but because we've learned certain things that help us get through whatever it is we have to get through. But the reality is, it's all about learning. I think, yeah, go ahead. Hillary Spiritos  38:27 No, I just I think it absolutely is. So I think it's about if you start to recognize this in your 20s and 30s, you will as you go older, the wisdom comes with recognizing that you've done things like this. You've got a lot in your backpack. You have a lot of tools, you have a lot of experiences. You have the wisdom that comes with that. You have the self reliance and the self assurance that comes with that. And you know that you're going to be okay. You know that you can get through it because you've done it. So I think what being an adult means is, am I do I trust myself? Am I secure in who I am? Am I someone? Can I soothe myself? These are questions, rather than like, do I have the home, the kids, the you know, the traditional markers of adulthood really don't mean anything anymore. But what's really important is, Am I okay with me, and how do I want to engage in the world? Michael Hingson  39:22 Yeah, and the reality is that it is, I think, going back to something we talked about before, it is tougher today, because there are just so many external meth or things that influence or that try to influence, and it probably is a lot more difficult than it than it used to be, because towns are larger, there are more people around. You've got social media, you've got so many other things that you face daily, probably a number of which we didn't used to face, or at least not to the same degree. So. It is more of a challenge than it used to be. Hillary Spiritos  40:03 Sure, it's definitely it's definitely different, but I do believe that say that there are inflection points, right? And I do think that the advent of social media is a huge inflection point, and something that is not beneficial for young adults of today. Yeah, and it is in many ways detrimental and so but it is something that is here, and it is something that young adults have to navigate. How Michael Hingson  40:35 do you teach them to deal with all of that, all the noise, all the social media and everything else, because it's all there. And I'm sure that you as a coach, face this, because you hear it from the people that you work with. Well, but all this is going on. How do you teach people to know what to cut out, or how to cut out a lot of that, to be able to get back to that, I've got to really know me absolutely. Hillary Spiritos  41:02 So there are many tools that one can engage with. So there's actually sitting quietly and reflecting like literally cutting out the noise. There are mindfulness practices and meditation, there's journaling, and there's getting out in nature and exercise and dance and creative expression, and there are definitely tools in which you can get out of your head and into the body and and learn to literally cut out the noise. But I think what's really important is to figure out what resonates for each person, because, as we've said, everybody is different. But in particular for social media like it is really important to have an awareness of why you're using it so it feels like a neutral platform, or maybe it doesn't anymore. People are waking up to it, but it's optimized for engagement, and what you're seeing is someone's projected, curated reality. And so you want to ask yourself why you're doing it. You don't want to sit there and mindlessly scroll. You want to ask yourself what you're trying to get out of it. Are you looking for connection or validation, or creative inspiration or connection? And that can help you navigate through and help you realize what you want to get out from it, and not just like take it all in mindlessly, and we want to obviously be skeptical, skeptical of the information, and we want to limit our use, if not cut it out fully. And it's not a replacement for human connection. A lot of people we have feel like have a loneliness epidemic, because it's not, while social media does connect people, it's not a replacement for human to human connection. So it's really important to keep that in your life. And so I think it's just really important to continually engage with these questions of why you're engaging with it, and what it makes you feel, and how does it serve you? And do you want to be at the mercy of that? And the more you start to question it, the more you can break down those ties, Michael Hingson  43:16 yeah, and the more of that you do, then again, the more you're practicing some of that introspection that we talked about earlier, absolutely, which is really what it's all about. There's nothing wrong with, I don't want to call it second guessing, but there's nothing wrong with thinking about what you're doing, what you did, and using all of that as a learning experience. Life's an adventure. We should we should take it that way. Hillary Spiritos  43:43 Well, that's absolutely true as well. It's like all of these experiences are experiences. All of these are adventures. All of these are opportunities for growth, learning more about ourselves. And I don't want to minimize or belittle the fact that everyone needs to your life needs to be sustainable. You need to be able to like, live your life financially. So it's not like it's all fluff and but I do think it's important to recognize that this is all just a learning experience. Nobody really knows what they're doing. We're all trying to figure it out. So it's okay to take a little bit, cut yourself a little bit of slack, and be nicer to yourself and and it's actually really important to cut out the critical voice in your head, because that that is actually a huge reason of why you are feeling Michael Hingson  44:38 stuck. Yeah, I've said many times on this podcast that one of the things that I've learned over the last couple of years is to stop saying I'm my own worst critic. I used to do that because I will like to record speeches when I travel and speak publicly, and I come back and listen to them, and I always just sort of quickly. He said, I'm my own worst critic. I want to really listen to it, because if I don't tell me, nobody else will. And I realized what a negative thing to say. And I finally realized I should be saying I'm my own best teacher. Because in reality, no one can teach me anything. They can provide me with information, but I'm the only one that can truly teach me or open me up for learning Hillary Spiritos  45:21 that's beautiful. I love that I definitely have realized over the course of my life, that I have and I have certain narratives. We all do have certain narratives and stories that we've told ourselves about who we are as people that are actually quite negative and like we're not this kind of person, or we're not capable of this, or we're not the kind of person that does that, and it's actually limiting, and it's not going to help us in the long run Michael Hingson  45:50 well, and we've got to get over this negativity. Just also you do, yeah, the other thing is, I don't like failure. I don't like the term failure because it is so negative, I think that things don't always work out the way we expect. And if we view it as a failure, that's an end, but it's not. It is okay. Something happened. It didn't go the way I wanted. What can I learn from that? And that's the part I think that most of us miss. We don't take that step to really step back or jump back a little bit and go. What do I learn from this that will help me not make the same judgment as as last time? Will not make it go the same way. How do I make it go better next time? Hillary Spiritos  46:35 Yeah, and I think it definitely doesn't help that as young people, we are. We are like system, systemically taught to believe that grades and achievement is of the utmost importance, and the worst grade you can get is an F, and that means it's not good enough. Like that is the lesson we are learned. We are taught over and over and over again. So it is obviously not hard to deduce why we have this definition of failure. Yeah, and obviously our parents and other people in our community perhaps might have such fears, as we've talked about previously in this conversation, that might be like, if you do this, then you might fail at this. You like don't necessarily pursue this career, you might fail at this, and that's perceived to be a really bad thing. Yeah, but as you're saying, If you again, a failure is another way to read, another word that you may need to redefine. Because failure doesn't mean we're terrible. Failure doesn't mean we're incapable. Failure doesn't mean that we should, we should be never like we should stop doing this all together. It's not, it's not a judgment of our self worth. It's just a data point to help us realize, oh, this is not something that I maybe want to engage with, or, oh, I need to learn a little bit more about this, or whatever it might be. I also think it's important to recognize that failure, really, in my opinion, is not trying and not living the life that you want to live. It's if I believe that you can understand failure as like I'm just abdicating my responsibility to make these choices to somebody else, and I'm going to live the life that they've laid out for me, or not trying the things that you want to do, those could be perceived as failure. That's really the only way that can happen. The other Michael Hingson  48:32 part about it, though, is sometimes there may be some other cause for you're not succeeding at doing something. For sure, it could be you're dyslexic, and you don't, you don't do well at reading things, and nobody has diagnosed that. Nobody's figured that out, which is, again, another reason why it's always good for you to be analytical about what you do and and be introspective, or be willing to ask, Hillary Spiritos  49:00 absolutely, that's a great point, absolutely, Michael Hingson  49:05 because all too often we just tend to make assumptions. As you've pointed out, yeah, Hillary Spiritos  49:14 you always want to ask yourself, Is it true and how does that serve me? How does that belief serve me? Is it keeping me stuck? Michael Hingson  49:21 Right? Well, how do you help your clients navigate fear, and especially the fear of disappointing others and so on, as they're growing up and as they're gaining more experience? Hillary Spiritos  49:35 So this is actually definitely what we've been partially done, right? So it's redefining these, redefining failure for yourself and like or with any you know, just thought or assumption and asking yourself, Is it true? How does that serve you? Do you want to live at the mercy of that thought or belief and the fear of disappointing others? Is really interesting, because, as what we said before, it's not it's not someone else's life, it's your life, and you're the one who was to exist in that world. And it's also interesting, just as a note to recognize, sometimes we think we're going to disappoint somebody, because we assume what their response is going to be, but we've actually never had that conversation with them. So is that even true? Like, have you even had that conversation with them? Because we can often scare ourselves with these assumptions of what we think their response is going to be. So if we really don't even take the time to ask, but we're like, oh my god, we're paralyzed by the fear of of what we think they'll say. Then that's something we want to break through. And I also just think again, it's really important to recognize that you we want to build and form a relationship with our inner child, and so the way to live your fullest, fiercest, most authentic life and live the life you imagine is by creating a relationship with your inner child, because that is where your spark, your creativity, your passion, your zest for life, lives, but it's also where your fears and securities and anxieties live. But when you recognize that you are a composite of all of that, that is true, self love, and you can give that to yourself and other people, and also, again, when you recognize and own your fears and securities and anxieties, you're not at the mercy of them. And you can decide, I'm not going to bow down to them. I am going to move forward, I'm going to muster up the courage to move forward in the face of these fears and do what I want to do. Yeah, Michael Hingson  51:49 which makes a lot of sense. Well, you know, one of the things that I was wondering, how long have you been coaching? Let me ask that. Hillary Spiritos  51:56 So I opened up my business during the pandemic, so in 2020 but I've been doing this work for a lot longer than working in universities. Michael Hingson  52:09 So what did you do at universities? You worked in academia a long time? Hillary Spiritos  52:13 Yeah, so I was an academic advisor, and I got the reputation of being like my meetings just happened to run a lot longer, and I was not interested in having transactional conversations with students. I was more interested in trying to figure out who they are and what they wanted and why they weren't going after that, and what they wanted to major in, and what they wanted from their college career and beyond. And we got deep sometimes. And so, yeah, I was, I was someone who who just dug a little bit deeper for sure, Michael Hingson  52:45 well, and you I would think because of that, made students really think and become a lot more analytical about themselves. Hillary Spiritos  52:56 Yeah, I think it's really important to recognize why you are doing something, you know, I I ran into students, and I still have clients today who feel like if they don't know what they want to do, they should study business, or they really love art and drawing, or fashion or what, or some creative field, and their parents say that that's not good enough, and that they should study business or go into medical School or what have you like, there are lots of things that we accept as true or like, you know, maybe, oh, I can't study something in the humanities. I won't get a job from that. That's not important. You know, there are a lot of things we accept as true based on what society tells us, what society values, seemingly, what our parents and our community value, and it's really important to start questioning that and asking if that's really what we want to do. Because if you don't know what you want to do, and you think you're going to study business, because that's a catch all, but you actually realize that you don't enjoy math and you don't want to spend your day in front of a computer, you don't want like then you're going to be miserable. And it's really important to recognize that that's okay to not want that. Speaker 1  54:04 I really think one of the most important things to get out of college, and for those who don't go to college, then you get it from high school or from alternative ways. But I think that one of the most important things is not even necessarily dealing with your major but it is all this whole concept of character development. It's all the other lessons that you learn because you're in an environment where you have to do things differently than you expected that you were going to based on what your parents and other people told you. And I think that's one of the most important things that we could ever have happened to us is that we step out away from at some point in our lives, our Michael Hingson  54:48 growing up period, and we really put ourselves in an environment where we have to discover new things again. That's all part of life and being adventurous. Yeah. Hillary Spiritos  54:58 I mean, as someone who has worked at. Academia for a long time and still does a little bit of hot gossip. I absolutely believe that academics is probably the least important part of college. Michael Hingson  55:09 Yeah, I wasn't going to say that directly, but I agree. Hillary Spiritos  55:14 Yeah, it is mostly what is real. I mean, sure it's very important to learn things absolutely, but it is really important to engage with different perspectives, learn adaptability and communication and time management, and figure out who you are and what you value and what your place in the world, and what impact you want to have on the world, and how to navigate systems that you're unfamiliar with, and how to, how to engage in the world the way you want to. I mean, to try new things, take classes that you think you might be interested in, or like that are totally not, not related to your major, like whatever it is. I think it's absolutely 100% I agree. Speaker 1  55:56 The other part about it is, though, there are also a lot of people who who won't go to college, but doesn't look they don't have the opportunity to do that same learning. Absolutely, oh absolutely. Yeah, there are a lot of ways to get it. Makes a lot of sense, sure, Hillary Spiritos  56:11 and, and, and that's definitely true in general, but especially within the states. And I think this is the case worldwide. Education is often becoming inaccessible for a lot of people, and so you can absolutely engage this part of your life, in your job, in in volunteer work, out in your community, whatever it might be, absolutely it's just the question of the energy and the motivation and the intent that you bring. Michael Hingson  56:44 Yeah, what does leadership mean to you, and how do you work to help young people learn or start to learn, to lead authentically? Hillary Spiritos  56:54 So leadership, to me, is not a title. It's a behavior. It's a sense of self. So it's vision, it's integrity, it's It's empathy, it's courage, communication, authenticity, resourcefulness, all of these things, resilience, to tolerate discomfort and risk taking and so knowing yourself is crucial. What are your strengths? What do you enjoy? What do you value? What are your goals? How do you want to spend your time? What do you stand for? What impact do you want to have? And so we want to practice empathy and active listening to for ourselves and other people. So that means, again, like stopping the critical voice, not judging yourself, asking yourself if this is really what you want, really checking in with yourself and getting to know yourself. We want to build resilience and self reliance and self trust. So again, practicing obstacles is opportunity and for growth and learning how to emotionally regulate yourself and embrace risk taking and the unknown. And we want to cultivate our communication skills, so cultivating our own voice and understanding our own narrative again, as we spoke about and learn to have difficult conversations and not being afraid of somebody else's response and being okay with how they respond, and not taking it as a as like something about yourself criticism, right? As a criticism, exactly, and so, and then be just being a lifelong learner, right? So it's about life is, God willing, hopefully long, and you will pivot, and you will grow and change and embrace that opportunity, and don't be afraid of the fact that things might change. And this is, again, learning to listen to your inner voice, yeah, Michael Hingson  58:55 well, and I think that that's really, of course, once again, probably goes out saying that's what it's really all about. Well, how about I think some people say Gen Z isn't really prepared for the real world. What do you think about that? Yeah, I'm still trying to decide what the real world is. But anyway, Hillary Spiritos  59:16 right? So there, there are some assumptions made in that question, right about what the real world is, and and I also, but I want to focus on what the word I'm prepared really, yeah, because perhaps Gen Z is, quote, unquote unprepared in the way that traditional markers might understand. But millennials and Gen Z really grew up in a different world that is shaped by technology and mental health awareness and global crisis crises and social media. That doesn't mean they're unprepared, it just means they're prepared differently, and so in many ways, actually, Gen Z is more equipped to understand the complexity. The modern world. They're digitally fluent. They're able to understand mental health and diversity and inclusion. They question outdated systems that are broken and that are not working for the world and people in the world. And so what gives me hope is that people are not accepting that this is how it's always been been done, mentality, their purpose and mission driven. They're extremely adaptable. Have great emotional awareness, and they're willing to speak out and challenge norms. And so I truly believe that young people are the stewards of our planet, and the more that they live with curiosity and passion and compassion and empathy, the more that they can contribute to healing and transforming the world around them. So instead of like labeling them as unprepared, we should recognize that the world that they're stepping into and the world that we've created is unlike anything we've ever seen before, and we're trying to, like, build the plane as we're flying it. So it's really important to to not belittle them, and not talk down to young people as it seems like a lot of people do, and recognize that actually, young adults have a lot to teach the people who are in these systems that actually, seemingly aren't working anymore well. Michael Hingson  1:01:23 And the reality is, of course, who is really the unprepared? And it's it's also true that so many people have not learned to navigate the world that we've been creating and that we continue to create, and maybe they're the ones that really need to learn how to become more prepared by becoming more involved in some of these things that young people are learning to do automatically or on their own? Hillary Spiritos  1:01:50 Absolutely, absolutely. Michael Hingson  1:01:53 Yeah, well, in reality, to go back to an old joke, we'll know if people are really prepared if they can work VCRs, right? Okay, remember that nobody could work a VCR. They were always so complicated. And now, of course, we don't even know what VCRs are today. But I mean, the Hillary Spiritos  1:02:14 young people that I talked to don't know what VCRs are. You know what that's you know, the world keeps moving there. Michael Hingson  1:02:24 Yeah, yeah. It's amazing. It dawned on me a couple of years ago as a as a public speaker, that I'm now speaking in a world where we have a whole generation that has grown up without any memory of September 11, and it's an amazing thing to think about, but it has helped me learn how to tell my story better, so that I can, as I like to say it, bring people into the building and have them go down the stairs with me, Have them deal with everything that I dealt with, and be able to come out the other side better for the experience. And I think that's extremely important to be able to do, because so many people don't have a memory of it. And even for the adults who who do for most people, the World Trade Center experience is only as big as their newspaper photographs or their television screens anyway. Hillary Spiritos  1:03:25 Yeah, I think it is really important to recognize what everybody's actual lived reality is and what everybody's understanding of the world is, and so talking to young people who perhaps are not who did not live through September 11, or who did not live through or perhaps didn't, was weren't able to vote or didn't weren't, like, engaged in the Obama era of like, hope and engagement in politics in that way, or Millennials who were younger in the September 11, like it really, it's meeting people where they are, yep, and recognizing that that is their understanding of what America is, what the world looks like, what how they want to how they want to engage, what work looks like, what their view of their Future is, yeah, and recognizing all that's different. Speaker 1  1:04:21 I agree. Well, this has been absolutely wonderful, and I'm glad Hillary we had a chance to do this, and I want to thank you for being here and giving us a lot of great insights. And I hope that people will take some of this to heart, if people want to reach out to you, maybe to use some of your skills as a coach and so on, how do they do that? Yeah, Hillary Spiritos  1:04:41 absolutely. So my website is bat out of hell.net, Michael Hingson  1:04:47 and my Tiktok out of O, U T, T, A, yes, just want to make sure we spell it so, Hillary Spiritos  1:04:55 yes, B, A, T, o, u T, T, A, H, E, l, l.net, And then my Tiktok and Instagram are B, A, T, dot, O, U, T, T, A, underscore, hell. And if you would like to start working with me, I am absolutely taking on new clients, or we can schedule a consultation call so you can get to know me and the way I work and see if it's the right fit. So I would love to hear from you. Absolutely, we're we'll get through this together. Michael Hingson  1:05:24 Do you coach people all over the world? Hillary Spiritos  1:05:25 I do. I coach people all over the world. I coach individually, one on one coaching. I have group coaching, and I and I do workshops and seminars, so we can be in touch in various different ways. But yeah, I love, I love coaching. Michael Hingson  1:05:42 Well, super well. Thank you again. And I want to thank all of you for being here, and I hope that this has been useful and that you've learned something from it, and I hope that you'll reach out to Hillary, because she's got a lot to offer. I'd love to hear from you. I'd love to hear what you think of today's episode. So please feel free to email me. Michael M, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I, at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, we'd love it if wherever you're listening or watching the podcast today, if you'll give us a five star rating, we value that your ratings very highly. Love your thoughts and your input, so please give it. We really appreciate you doing it, and for all of you and Hillary, including you, if you know anyone else who you think ought to be a guest on unstoppable mindset, we're always looking for more people who want to come on and tell their stories to help us all see why we can be and should be more unstoppable than we think we are. So please provide introductions, always looking for more people to chat with. But again, Hillary, I just want to th

The Muppet Movie is a 1979 musical road comedy, and the feature film debut of The Muppets, Jim Henson's famed ensemble of puppet characters. Produced by Henson himself, the film was directed by James Frawley and written by Muppet Show writers Jerry Juhl and Jack Burns, and followed the origin story of the puppet troupe as Kermit The Frog travels across the country to make it big in Hollywood, meeting a cavalcade of friends along the way. The film starred Henson and Muppet ensemble players like Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, and Dave Goelz, with human performances by Austin Pendleton and time-defying legend and cryptozoological enigma Charles Durning, a plethora of cameos from the likes of Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, and many more, and featured a soundtrack by Kenneth Ascher and Paul Williams. (Mr. Sex himself!) The Muppet Movie was a major commercial and critical success, and was deemed culturally significant by the Library of Congress in 2009.On a new episode of Hell Is A Musical, Lilz and Scott close out #HotDurnAutumn with a screening of The Muppet Movie, joined by special guest and friend of the pod Danielle Brown. Join them for flawless Miss Piggy imitations, stentorian renditions of "America The Beautiful", and one last marveling at the gloriousness of Charles Durning in his endless quest to finally git that frawrgg.#HotDurnAutumn...with Lilz & Scott!

Voici une comédie cultissime qui expose les manigances dʹun producteurs véreux et de son comptable qui montent une comédie musicale à Broadway. Ce film, Les Producteurs, The Producers, est signé Mel Brooks. Il sort en 1968 et fait un four. Cʹest lʹantithèse de ce qui se passe dans lʹhistoire où les producteurs cherchent à monter un spectacle qui sera un échec total pour empocher lʹargent de lʹassurance et des vieilles dames qui ont prêté leur pécule pour le monter. Mais cette comédie musicale improbable, intitulée Le Printemps dʹHitler, Springtime for Hitler, sera un succès phénoménal. Dʹabord choqué, le public voit un Hitler, poussé à lʹextrême dans la caricature, mener une campagne armée musicale de fort mauvais goût. Tout y passe, croix gammée faite par une quadrille de danseuses et danseurs et jeunes femmes avec costume de Bretzel ou de bière. Surtout, il faut dire que Zero Mostel et Gene Wilder sont absolument géniaux, campant qui le Max Bialystock, le Producteur, et qui Leopold Bloom, son timide comptable. Dans la vraie vie, le film qui raconte cette histoire nʹest pas bien reçu même si Mel Brooks a remporté l'Oscar du meilleur scénario original pour ce film en 1969. Mais petit à petit, à force de passages dans les salles, et à la télévision, il conquiert le monde. Jusquʹà ce quʹà lʹaube des années 2000, Mel Brooks nʹadapte ses Producteurs en comédie musicale, à Broadway…et là….là….cʹest lʹexplosion. Jamais une comédie musicale nʹaura reçu autant de prix, autant dʹéloges. Depuis, Les Producteurs sont entrés dans la légende. Et cʹest celle-ci que nous allons vous raconter aujourdʹhui. Ne tardons pas. Max Bialystock a rendez-vous avec une mécène octogénaire, en même temps quʹavec son comptable et son destin. REFERENCES The making of The Producers - Australia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMrU-MEFllI MEL BROOKS présente son film à la télévision https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV8dXxpWUmI Le Making of du film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMrU-MEFllI BROOKS, Mel, "All About Me ! My remarkable Life in Show Business", Ballantine Books, 2021

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, the pair speaks about two films -- the new-ish, Jewish, "Bad Shabbos," and the classic Mel Brooks's "History of the World, Part I." But first, we turn to the segment, "What's the Jangle," in which we discuss two tidbits of Jewish entertainment news. Hoffman gives a tiny peek at the upcoming super Jewy film starring Timothée Chalamet, "Marty Supreme," which he saw in previews this week. And then we hear Pope Leo's top four films of all time. (Spoiler: three of them are very Jewy.) And, which questionable film personality was quoted by the pope at a Vatican event? Next, we get to "The Main Screening," in which the duo first discusses "Bad Shabbos," which one half of the team absolutely loved and the other gave a pretty warm review. And then, we move to the classic, "History of the World, Part I," which Borschel-Dan buckled down and watched for the first time. Hear who gave both films a seal of approval and which was a split decision on this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by the PodWaves and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GGACP celebrates the 50th anniversary of the classic Neil Simon comedy “The Sunshine Boys” (released November, 1975) by revisiting this memorable interview with the film's co-star, actor-director Richard Benjamin. In this episode, Richard looks back on his six-decade career in Hollywood and recalls memories of working with Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Clint Eastwood, Mike Nichols and Orson Welles. Also, James Mason pulls a fast one, Walter Matthau plays the ponies, George Burns orders the soup and Johnny Guitar meets Lawrence of Arabia. PLUS: “He & She”! The genius of Michael Crichton! The brilliance of Buck Henry! Richard pursues Albert Finney! And Gilbert sings the theme from “Goodbye Columbus”! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, it's a deep dive into 80s oddities and icons. Taylor reviews Fade to Black, a cult thriller where a lonely cinephile's obsession with movies takes a deadly turn. Mike takes on Little Shop of Horrors, the horror-comedy musical blooming with catchy songs and a man-eating plant, along with Spaceballs, Mel Brooks' interstellar parody that skewers sci-fi with slapstick flair. 

Brad Mendenhall (Cosmic Geppetto Podcast) joins us to mention actor & comedy TV writer turned filmmaker Mel Brooks in this tribute.   We also mention some less talked about trivia, his accolades for perfecting all kinds of humor & the historical landmarks comedy clubs that Mel and his writing buddies frequented!    

hosts Kevin Mumphrey, Victoria V.A. Jones, and Karsten Hyde-Fargason welcome filmmaking couple Kyle and Zuzu Weingart, the creative minds behind the feature film Cuisine de l'Apocalypse. The Weingarts discuss how their shared love for movies—from It's a Wonderful Life to Mel Brooks and B-movies like Tremors—inspired them to pursue filmmaking. Zuzu shares her unusual start in Japanese refrigerator commercials, and Kyle recounts how Zuzu motivated him to leave a gas station job to go to film school.They detail the challenges and dynamics of working together as a married couple and parents on projects like their first $5,000 feature film, The Waiting Game, which battled unexpected four feet of Montana snow. Zuzu also discusses the heartbreak and silver lining of having her scene with Nicolas Cage cut from the film Butcher's Crossing (which earned her a SAG card).Finally, they dive into their new project, Cuisine de l'Apocalypse. Kyle reveals the film was inspired by his love for cooking shows and Gilligan's Island, aiming to be a fun, unpretentious movie. Zuzu explains how they secured funding, including a $50,000 film grant and a supportive private investor, after starting their production company, 99 Productions, right before the 2020 pandemic.

Can it really be nine years since Leonard and Jessie sat down with Mel Brooks? He's still going strong at age 99 and we wish him another happy hundred years. In the meantime, enjoy this intimate conversation with one of the funniest men who ever walked the earth. 

This week we get together to talk about the Mel Brooks classic History of the World Part 1   Mel Brooks brings his one-of-a-kind comic touch to the history of mankind covering events from the Old Testament to the French Revolution in a series of episodic comedy vignettes.

Send us a textA dysfunctional group of friends run a radio show of some renown. The producer of the show attempts to innovate by creating a new ad to promote the show, which somehow ends up triggering a zombie outbreak. On Episode 693 of Trick or Treat Radio we discuss the Indonesian zombie flick The Elixir from director Kimo Stamboel! We also have a mini retrospective on James Gunn and his humble beginnings with Troma, we react to the very pretty trailer for the upcoming film Reflections in a Dead Diamond, and talk about trying to make your zombie movie stand out from the pack. So grab a bottle of magical elixir, RSVP to the circumcision party, and strap on for the world's most dangerous podcast!Stuff we talk about: Shout/Scream Factory, Gruv, Zohran is All Elite, welcome new listeners, The Mask of Fu Manchu, The Son of Dracula, Lon Chaney Jr., Demons of the Mind, Robocop 3, The Bone Collector, Alien Uprising, Christy, Red Letter Day, Basement Jack, Hansel and Gretel, Corin Nemec, The Green Mile, House on Haunted Hill, The Faculty, Lord of Illusions, Hemlock Grove, Robert Patrick, Terminator 2, The Faculty, Fire in the Sky, The Card Player, Manitou, Day of the Animals, Baron Blood, Lisa and the Devil, Ghostbusters 2, Henry Hall, The 13th Guest, The Peacemaker, John Cena, Tim Meadows, Man of Tomorrow, Checkmate, ignorance can hurt, James Gunn, Tromeo and Juliet, Lloyd Kaufman, Toxic Avenger IV: Citizen Toxie, Ron Jeremy, Lanterns, Reno 911, The State, Kerri Kenney, Joe Lo Truglio, Nick Swardson, Wet Hot American Summer, Sleepaway Camp, Super, Movie 43, RIP Diane Ladd, Stacey Keach, Reflections in a Dead Diamond, Helene Cattet, Bruno Forzani, Guy Fawkes, The Elixir, The Sadness, Train to Busan, Shaun of the Dead, Kimo Stamboel, The Jerk, Rob Jabbaz, Warm Bodies, Fido, Pontypool, The Battery, circumcision party, Mel Brooks, Dawn of the Dead, The Night Comes For Us, Spinal Tap, the old Castle Wolfenstein, Patreon Takeover, Evil Corny, Frankenberry, Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, Opus, The Elixir Initiative, and sitting on the edge of your toilet.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/trickortreatradioJoin our Discord Community: discord.trickortreatradio.comSend Email/Voicemail: mailto:podcast@trickortreatradio.comVisit our website: http://trickortreatradio.comStart your own podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=386Use our Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2CTdZzKFB Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/trickortreatradioTwitter: http://twitter.com/TrickTreatRadioFacebook: http://facebook.com/TrickOrTreatRadioYouTube: http://youtube.com/TrickOrTreatRadioInstagram: http://instagram.com/TrickorTreatRadioSupport the show

Noel catches up with Jim J Bullock. The actor is best known for his role as Monroe on Too Close For Comfort. Jim talks about working with Ted Knight. Jim was a regular guest on Hollywood Squares. Mel Brooks fans will remember Jim as Prince Valium in Spaceballs. Will he be in the sequel? Jim lets us know. He had a recurring role in ALF. Jim shares a story about which President offered him a boat ride.

In this impactful and inspiring episode of Unstoppable Mindset, host Michael Hingson sits down with Ronald Cocking—performer, educator, and co-founder of the Looking Glass Studio of Performing Arts—to reflect on a remarkable life shaped by rhythm, resilience, and love. Ron's journey into the performing arts began at just five years old, when his passion for tap dance ignited a lifelong commitment to dance and musical theater. From his first professional role at age 15 in My Fair Lady to founding one of Southern California's most impactful arts schools, Ron's story is one of dedication, creativity, and community.   But perhaps the most moving part of Ron's story is his 49-year partnership—both personal and professional—with the late Gloria McMillan, best known as Harriet Conklin from Our Miss Brooks. Together, they created a legacy of mentorship through the Looking Glass Studio, where they taught thousands of students across generations—not just how to act, sing, or dance, but how to live with confidence and integrity.   Ron also reflects on the legacy Gloria left behind, his continued involvement in the arts, and the words of wisdom that guide his life:   “Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” “To find happiness, take the gifts God has given you and give them away.”   This is more than a story of a career in the arts—it's a touching tribute to passion, partnership, and purpose that will leave you inspired.   Highlights:   00:48 – Hear how early radio at home shaped a lifetime love for performance. 03:00 – Discover why drumming and tap both trained his ear for rhythm. 06:12 – Learn how a tough studio change led to ballet, jazz, and tumbling basics. 08:21 – See the “sing with your feet” method that makes tap click for students. 10:44 – Find out how a teen chorus role in My Fair Lady opened pro doors. 13:19 – Explore the drum-and-tap crossover he performed with Leslie Uggams. 15:39 – Learn how meeting Gloria led to a studio launched for $800. 18:58 – Get the long view on running a school for 44 years with family involved. 23:46 – Understand how Our Miss Brooks moved from radio to TV with its cast intact. 32:36 – See how 42nd Street proves the chorus can be the star. 41:51 – Hear why impact matters more than fame when students build careers. 43:16 – Learn what it takes to blend art and business without losing heart. 45:47 – Compare notes on marriage, teamwork, and communication that lasts. 48:20 – Enjoy a rare soft-shoe moment Ron and Gloria performed together. 56:38 – Take away the “teach to fish” approach that builds lifelong confidence.   About the Guest:   My father was a trumpet player, thus I heard music at home often in the early 50's and was always impressed and entertained by the rhythms and beats of Big Band music… especially the drummers.  Each time I would see Tap dancers on TV, I was glued to the screen.  It fascinated me the way Tap dancers could create such music with their feet!   In 1954, at age 5, after begging my Mom and Dad to enroll me in a Tap class, my Dad walked in from work and said “Well, you're all signed up, and your first Tap class is next Tuesday.  I was thrilled and continued studying tap and many other dance forms and performing and teaching dance for all of my life.     In my mid teens, I became serious about dancing as a possible career.  After seeing my first musical, “The Pajama Game” starring Ruth Lee, I new I wanted to do musical theatre.  I got my first professional opportunity at age 15 in “My Fair Lady” for the San Bernardino Civic Light Opera Association and loved every minute of it… and would continue performing for this organization well into my 30's   I met Gloria McMillan in the late 60's while choreographing a summer musical for children.  Gloria's daughter was doing the role of Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz”.  Then, about 3 or 4 years later I would meet Gloria again and the sparks flew.  And, yes, she was Gloria McMillan of “Our Miss Brooks” fame on both radio and television.  Wow, was I blessed to have crossed paths with her.  We shared our lives together for 49 years.   On November 4, 1974, Gloria and I opened a performing arts school together named “The Looking Glass Studio of Performing Arts”.  We would teach and manage the school together for 44 years until we retired on June 30, 2018.  We moved to Huntington Beach, California and spent 3 beautiful years together until she left to meet our Lord in heaven on January 19, 2022.   Ways to connect with Ron:   Lgsparon@aol.com     About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Well, hi there, wherever you are and wherever you happen to be today. Welcome to unstoppable mindset. I'm your host, Mike hingson, and today we get to chat with Ron Cocking, who is Ron. Well, we're going to find out over the next hour. And Ron was married for many years to another person who is very famous, and we'll get to that, probably not as well known to what I would probably describe as the younger generation, but you're going to get to learn a lot about Ron and his late wife before we're done, and I am sure we're going to have a lot of fun doing it. So let's get to it. Ron, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here.   Ron Cocking ** 01:59 Thank you. I'm so glad to be here. Michael, this. I've been looking forward to this.   Michael Hingson ** 02:04 I have been as well, and we're going to have a lot of fun doing it.   Ron Cocking ** 02:08 Do you one note on that last name? It is cocking. Cocking, he comes right? Comes from a little townlet in the coal mining country of England called Cockington.   Michael Hingson ** 02:20 I don't know why I keep saying that, but yeah, cocky, no   02:23 problem.   Michael Hingson ** 02:24 Well, do you go up to the reps recreations at all?   Ron Cocking ** 02:28 Oh my gosh, Gloria. And I know you and Gloria, did do you still do it? I've it's on my schedule for September.   Michael Hingson ** 02:35 I'm gonna miss it this year. I've got a speech to give. So I was going to be playing Richard diamond at recreation. Well, I'll have to be Dick Powell another time, but I thought that you you were still doing   02:50 it. I'm planning on it cool.   Michael Hingson ** 02:53 Well, tell us about the early Ron cocking and kind of growing up in some of that stuff. Let's start with that.   Ron Cocking ** 02:59 Well, the early part of my story was when I was born just a little before television came in, before everyone had a TV in their home. How old are you now? If I maybe, you know, I am now 76   Michael Hingson ** 03:12 Okay, that's what I thought. Yeah, you're one year ahead of me. I'm 75   Ron Cocking ** 03:16 I was born in 49 and so my earliest remembrances my mom and dad and my brother and I lived with our grandfather, and we had no television, but we had this big it must have been about three to four foot tall, this big box on the floor in a very prominent spot in the living room. And that was the Sunday afternoon entertainment. I remember my family sitting around, and I listened and I laughed when they did, but I had no idea what was going on, but that was the family gathering. And just, I know we'll talk about it later, but I I just have this notion that at that time I was laughing, not knowing what I was laughing at, but I bet I was laughing at my future   Michael Hingson ** 04:02 wife, yes, yes, but other things as well. I mean, you probably laughed at Jack Benny and Amos and Andy and   Ron Cocking ** 04:09 yeah, I remember listening to all those folks, and it was just amazing. Then when television came about and my father was a trumpet player, and I loved his trumpet playing, and he practiced often at home. He would sit in his easy chair and play some tunes and scales and that sort of thing. But what captured my ear and my eyes when I went to on rare occasions when I could go to his engagements, it was always the drummer that just stuck out to me. I was mesmerized by the rhythms that they could produce. And when TV came about, I remember the old variety shows, and they often would have tap dancers like. Had a stair gene, Kelly, Peg Leg Bates and the Nicholas brothers, and I just, I was just taken back by the rhythms. It sounded like music to me. The rhythms just made me want to do it. And so I started putting that bug in my parents ears. And I waited and waited. I wanted to take tap dance lessons. And one day, my dad walks in the back door, and I said, Dad, have you signed me up yet? And he said, Yep, you start next Tuesday at 330 in the afternoon. So I was overjoyed, and I went in for my first lesson. And mind you, this was a private tap class. Total Cost of $1.25 and we had a pianist for music, no record player, live piano, wow. And so I, I rapidly fell in love with tap dance.   Michael Hingson ** 05:56 And so you did that when you weren't in school. Presumably, you did go to school.   Ron Cocking ** 06:00 Oh, yeah, I did go to school. Yeah, I did well in school, and I enjoyed school. I did all the athletics. I played little league, and eventually would be a tennis player and water polo and all that stuff. But all through the years, after school was on the way to the dance classes.   Michael Hingson ** 06:16 So you graduated, or I suppose I don't want to insult drumming, but you graduated from drumming to tap dancing, huh?   Ron Cocking ** 06:24 Well, I kept doing them both together. I would dance, and then when my dad would practice, I would beg him to just play a tune like the St Louis Blues, yeah, and so that I could keep time, so I pulled a little stool up in front of an easy chair, and one of the arms of the chair was the ride cymbal, and the other one was the crash cymbal, and the seat of the chair was my snare drum. I would play along with him. And eventually he got tired of that and bought a Hi Fi for my brother and I, and in the bedroom I had a Hi Fi, and I started to put together a set of drums, and I spent hours next to that, Hi Fi, banging on the drums, and I remember it made me feel good. One day, my mom finally said to me, you know, you're starting to sound pretty good, and that that was a landmark for me. I thought, wow, somebody is enjoying my drumming,   Michael Hingson ** 07:18 but you couldn't do drumming and tap dancing at the same time. That would have been a little bit of a challenge. A challenge.   Ron Cocking ** 07:23 No, I would practice that the drums in the afternoon and then head for the dance studio later. And in this case, I was a local boy. I grew up in Riverside California, and my first tap teacher was literally maybe two miles from our house. But that didn't last long. She got married and became pregnant and closed her studio, and then I she recommended that I go see this teacher in San Bernardino by the name of Vera Lynn. And which I did, I remember walking into this gigantic classroom with a bunch of really tall kids, and I was maybe seven or eight years old, and I guess it was kind of an audition class, but after that evening, I she put me in the most appropriate classes, one of which was ballet, which I wasn't too excited about, but they all told me, If you're going to be a serious dancer, even a tap dancer, you need to get the basic body placement from ballet classes. And I said, Well, I am not going to put any tights and a T shirt on. But they finally got me to do that because they told me that the Rams football team took ballet class twice a week at that time. Ah. Said, no kidding. So they got me, they they got you. They got me into ballet class, and then it was jazz, and then it was tumbling, and so I did it all.   Michael Hingson ** 08:43 I remember when we moved to California when I was five, and probably when I was about eight or nine, my brother and I were enrolled by my mother. I guess my parents enrolled us in a dance class. So I took dance class for a few years. I learned something about dancing. I did have a pair of tap shoes, although I didn't do a lot of it, but I, but I did dance and never, never really pursued it enough to become a Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire. Well, few of us do. I didn't dislike it. It just didn't happen. But that was okay, but it was fun to, you know, to do it and to learn something about that. And so I even today, I I remember it, and I appreciate it. So that's pretty cool.   Ron Cocking ** 09:32 Well, you would understand what I always told my students, that tap dancing is like singing a song with your feet. Yeah. And I would sing, I would say, you all know, happy birthday, right? So I would sing it, and they would sing it along, and then I'd said, then I would sing it again, and I would sing it totally out of rhythm. And they would wrinkle their nose and look at me and say, okay, so what are you doing? And I'd say, Well, you don't recognize it because the rhythm is not correct. So then I would. Would tap dance Happy birthday, and I'd say, you sing along in your mind and I'm going to tap dance it. And that would always ring a bell in their mind, like, Oh, I get it. The rhythm has to be right on the button, or the people aren't going to recognize   Michael Hingson ** 10:16 that was very clever to do.   Ron Cocking ** 10:18 Yeah, thank you. And they got it, yeah, they got it, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 10:22 which is even, even more important. That's pretty clever. Well, so you did that, and did you do it all the way through high school,   Ron Cocking ** 10:30 all the way through high school? And I think when I was 15, I was, I think I was in the eighth grade, maybe ninth, but I was 15 and got my first chance to I was cast in a professional show for San Bernardino civic light opera Association. And the show was My Fair Lady, and it was my English and journalism teacher at the junior high who had been cast. He was a performer also, but something came up and he couldn't follow through, so he had given the association my name, and I was out in the backyard. My mom came out. Said, Hey, San Bernardino clo just called and they want, they want to see it tonight at seven o'clock. So I put on my dance clothes and went over, and the director, by the name of Gosh, Gene Bayless, came out, and he showed me a couple of steps. And he said, Yeah, let's do it together. And he said, Boy, you unscramble your feet pretty well there kid. And he he looked over into the costumers and said, measure this guy. Let's put him in the show. So I was beside myself. And long story short, I Gosh, I'm over the over the years, I my first show was at age 15 with them, and I participated, did shows with them, until I think my last show, I was about 38 years old, and that last show was anything goes with Leslie uggums, wow.   Michael Hingson ** 11:52 So what part did you play on my fair lady?   Ron Cocking ** 11:55 I was just a chorus kid. I remember in the opening when Eliza sings, that wouldn't it be lovely? Wouldn't it be lovely? I was a street sweeper. I remember I had a broom, and there were three of us, and we were sweeping up that street and working in and around. Eliza Doolittle, of   Michael Hingson ** 12:11 course, being really spiteful. You just said a little while ago, you were beside yourself. And the thing that I got to say to that, quoting the Muppets, is, how do the two of you stand each other? But anyway, that's okay, good in the original Muppet Movie, that line is in there. And I it just came out so fast, but I heard it. I was going, Oh my gosh. I couldn't believe they did that. But anyway, it was so cute, very funny. That's great. So and then you were, you eventually were opposite Leslie UB,   Ron Cocking ** 12:39 yes, that was one of the high points talking about dancing and drumming at the same time. In fact, I used to give a drum a basic drum summer camp where I would teach tappers the basics of music notation, quarter notes, eighth notes, 16th notes. And then we would put a tap orchestra together. Everybody had their own music stand and their own drum pad. I would conduct, and we would play little pieces, and they would they would drum a rhythm, tap, a rhythm, drum, a rhythm, tap, a rhythm. And so anyway, it came full circle. One of the highlights of my dance slash drumming career was this show I did with Leslie uggums, the director had done this prior, and he knew it would work, and so so did the conductor in the entre Act. The top of the second act, the pit orchestra starts and plays like eight measures. And then there were six of us on stage, behind the main curtain, and we would play the next 16 bars, and then we would toss it back to the pit, and then toss it back to us, and the curtain would begin to rise, and we were right into the first song that Leslie uggums sang to get into the second act. Then she wanted to add a couple of songs that she liked, and she was very popular in with the audiences in San Bernardino, so she added a couple of songs, and I got to play those songs with her and and that was just so thrilling. And I with the scene finished, I had to have my tap shoes on, on the drum set. I had to hop down from the riser, and came out, brought one of my Toms with me, and played along with another featured tap dancer that kind of took over the scene at that point. So it was, it was really cool.   Michael Hingson ** 14:31 So with all this drumming, did you ever meet anyone like buddy rip?   Ron Cocking ** 14:35 No, I never met any famous drummers except a man by the name of Jack Sperling, which was one of my drumming idols,   Michael Hingson ** 14:44 Donnie Carson was quite the drummer, as I recall,   Ron Cocking ** 14:48 yeah, he did play yeah and boy, his his drummer, Ed Shaughnessy on his on The Tonight Show was phenomenal. Yeah, he's another of my favorites, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 14:57 well, and I remember. I guess Johnny Carson and Buddy Rich played together, which was kind of fun. They   Ron Cocking ** 15:07 played together, and so did Ed Shaughnessy and Buddy Rich did a little competition on the show one time I realized, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 15:15 right, yeah. Well, and it's interesting to see some of the performers do that. I remember once trying to remember whether what show it was on, maybe it was also a Tonight Show where Steve Martin substituted for Johnny, but he and the steel Canyon, the Steve Canyon band, came out. Of course, he was great on the band, and then flat and Scruggs or flat came out. Or which one? Yeah, which one did the banjo flat, I think, but they, but they banjo together, which was fun?   Ron Cocking ** 15:51 Oh, wow, yeah, yeah. Steve Martin is a tremendous band. He is, Whoa, yeah. I,   Michael Hingson ** 15:56 I have a hard time imagining fingers moving that fast, but that's okay, me too. I saved my fingers for Braille, so it's okay. So where did you go to college?   Ron Cocking ** 16:07 I went to for two years to Riverside City College, Riverside Community College, and then I went for two years to San Bernardino Cal State, San Bernardino, and I was majoring in English because I thought I may want to do some writing. But in the meantime, I became married, I became a father, and so I was trying to work and study and maintain a family life, and I just couldn't do it all. So I didn't quite finish a major at Cal State San Bernardino. I continued actually a nightclub drumming career. And now, now we're getting up to where this our performing arts studio began between Gloria and I.   Michael Hingson ** 16:50 So was it? GLORIA? You married first?   Ron Cocking ** 16:53 No, okay, no, Gloria was married. Gloria was a prior, prior marriage for 20 some years, or 20 years, I guess. And I had been married only two years, I think. And when we first, well, we actually met while we were both. I'll tell you the story in a minute, if you want to hear it. Sure, the first time I ever met Gloria Macmillan, I had no idea who she was, because she her name was Gloria Allen at the time that was, that was her married name that she took after the arm is Brooks TV show. Well, she took that the new name before the TV show even ended. But I was choreographing a children's summer musical, and the director came up said, hey, I want you to meet this young lady's mom. So the young lady was Gloria's daughter, her oldest daughter, Janet. And I said, Sure. So he said, This is Gloria. Allen, Gloria, this is Ron. And we shook hands, and I said, Nice to meet you. And that was it. And so the show happened. It ran for a couple of weeks, and Gloria was a wonderful stage mom. She she never bothered anyone. She watched the show. She was very supportive of her daughter. Didn't, didn't stage manage   Michael Hingson ** 18:09 whatsoever, which wasn't a helicopter mom, which is good,   Ron Cocking ** 18:12 definitely that, which was just really cool. So and so I was maybe three, four years later, so Gloria obviously knew that I could dance, because she had seen me choreographed. So I got a phone call from Gloria Allen, and I said, Okay, I remember her. She wanted to meet because she was thinking about starting an acting school and wanted someone to teach actors some dance movement. So I went over for a interview and took my little at that time, about two and a half year old, daughter, three year old, and we chatted, and oh my gosh, I just this, this beautiful woman swept me off my feet. And of course, I by the end of the conversation, I said, Gosh, you know, we talked about how we would integrate the acting and the dance, and I said, Can I have your phone number? Nope, I got the old well, we'll call you. Don't call us. And so I had to wait for a few days before I got a call back, but I got a call back, and I don't remember a lot of details, but the sparks flew really, really quickly, and we started planning our school. And if you can believe that this was 1973 when we started planning, maybe it was early 74 and we invested a whole total of $800 to get ourselves into business. We bought a record player, some mirrors, some paint, and a business license and a little shingle to hang out front. We had a little one room studio, and we. Opened on November 4, 1974 and we would close the studio on June 30, 2018 Wow.   Michael Hingson ** 20:08 Yeah. So you, you had it going for quite a while, almost, well, actually, more than 40 years. 44 years. 44 years, yes. And you got married along the way.   Ron Cocking ** 20:20 Well along the way, my my wife always said she fell in love with my daughter, and then she had to take me along with her. Yeah. Well, there you go. So we were together constantly, just running the school together. And then eventually I moved over to San Bernardino, and it was, gosh, some 1213, years later, we got married in on June 28 1987 and but nothing really changed, because we had already been living together and raising five children. GLORIA had four from a private prior marriage, and I had my little girl. So we we got all these five kids through elementary and junior high in high school, and they all went to college. And they're all beautiful kids and productive citizens, two of them still in show biz. Her son, my stepson, Christopher Allen, is a successful producer now and of Broadway shows. And our daughter, Barbara Bermudez, the baby that Gloria fell in love with. She's now a producer slash stage manager director. She does really well at big events with keynote speakers. And she'll, if they want her to, she will hire in everything from lighting and sound to extra performers and that sort of thing. And she's, she's just busy constantly all over the world, wow.   Michael Hingson ** 21:43 Well, that's pretty cool. And what are the other three doing?   Ron Cocking ** 21:47 One is a VP of Sales for it's a tub and shower company, jacuzzi, and the other one is a married housewife, but now she is a grandmother and has two little grandkids, and they that's Janet, the one that I originally had worked with in that children's show. And she and her husband live in Chino Hills, California, which is about 40 minutes from here. I live in Huntington Beach, California now,   Michael Hingson ** 22:14 well, and I'm not all that far away from you. We're in Victorville. Oh, Victorville, okay, yeah, the high desert. So the next time you go to Vegas, stop by on your way, I'll do that, since that's mainly what Victorville is probably most known for. I remember when I was growing I grew up in Palmdale, and Palmdale wasn't very large. It only had like about 20 703,000 people. But as I described it to people, Victorville wasn't even a speck on a radar scope compared to Palmdale at that time. Yeah, my gosh, are over 120,000 people in this town?   Ron Cocking ** 22:51 Oh, I remember the drive in the early days from here to Vegas in that you really felt like you could get out on the road all alone and relax and take it all in, and now it can be trafficking all all the   Speaker 1 ** 23:04 way. Yeah, it's crazy. I don't know. I still think they need to do something to put some sort of additional infrastructure, and there's got to be another way to get people to Vegas and back without going on i 15, because it is so crowded, especially around holidays, that one of these days, somebody will get creative. Maybe they'll get one of Tesla's tunnel boring tools, and they'll make a tunnel, and you can go underground the whole way, I don't know,   Ron Cocking ** 23:32 but that would be, that would be great. Something like that would happen.   Michael Hingson ** 23:38 Well, so you you started the school and and that did, pretty cool. Did, did Gloria do any more acting after our Miss Brooks? And then we should explain our Miss Brooks is a show that started on radio. Yes, it went on to television, and it was an arm is Brooks. Miss Brooks played by e vardin. Was a teacher at Madison High, and the principal was Osgood Conklin, played by Gail Gordon, who was absolutely perfect for the part. He was a crotchety old curmudgeon by any standards. And Gloria played his daughter, Harriet correct. And so when it went from radio to television, one of the things that strikes me about armas Brooks and a couple of those shows, burns and Allen, I think, is sort of the same. Jack Benny was a little different. But especially armas Brooks, it just seems to me like they they took the radio shows and all they did was, did the same shows. They weren't always the same plots, but it was, it was radio on television. So you, you had the same dialog. It was really easy for me to follow, and it was, was fascinating, because it was just like the radio shows, except they were on television.   Ron Cocking ** 24:56 Yeah, pretty much. In fact, there were a lot, there's lots of episodes. Episodes that are even named the same name as they had on the radio, and they're just have to be reworked for for the television screen,   Michael Hingson ** 25:08 yeah, but the the dialog was the same, which was so great,   Ron Cocking ** 25:13 yeah, yeah. And to see what was I going to add, it was our Miss Brooks was one of the very few radio shows that made the transition to television with the cast with the same intact. Yeah, everybody looked like they sounded. So it worked when they were in front of the camera. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 25:33 it sort of worked with Jack Benny, because most of the well, all the characters were in it, Don Wilson, Mary, Livingston, Dennis day, Rochester, world, yeah. And of course, Mel Blanc, yeah, oh.   Ron Cocking ** 25:49 GLORIA tells a story. She she and her mom, Hazel, were walking down the street on the way to do a radio show in the old days in Hollywood, and here comes Mel blank, he says, he pulls over. Says, Hey, where are you girls headed because I know that he probably recognized them from being at at CBS all the time, and they said, We're headed to CBS. He said, hop in. Oh, that's where I'm going. So Mel Brooks gave her a ride to the Mel Blanc, yeah, would have been   Michael Hingson ** 26:15 fun if Mel Brooks had but that's okay, Young Frankenstein, but that's another story. It is. But that's that's cool. So did they ever? Did she ever see him any other times? Or was that it?   Ron Cocking ** 26:30 No, I think that was it. That's the one story that she has where Mel Blanc is involved.   Michael Hingson ** 26:36 What a character, though. And of course, he was the man of a million voices, and it was just incredible doing I actually saw a couple Jack Benny shows this morning and yesterday. One yesterday, he was Professor LeBlanc teaching Jack Benny how to play the violin, which was a lost cause.   Ron Cocking ** 26:59 Actually, Jack Benny was not a bad view. No,   Michael Hingson ** 27:01 he wasn't violent. No, he wasn't. He had a lot of fun with it, and that stick went straight in from radio to television, and worked really well, and people loved it, and you knew what was going to happen, but it didn't matter. But it was still   Ron Cocking ** 27:16 funny, and I'm sure during the transition they there was a little bit of panic in the writers department, like, okay, what are we going to do? We got to come up with a few shows. We got to get ahead a little bit. So the writing being just a little different, I'm sure that's part of the reason why they went back and kind of leaned on the old, old script somewhat, until they kind of cut their teeth on the new this new thing called television   Michael Hingson ** 27:39 well, but they still kept a lot of the same routines in one way or another.   Ron Cocking ** 27:45 Yeah, when they work, they work, whether you're just listening or whether you're watching,   Michael Hingson ** 27:48 right, exactly what other shows made it from radio to television with the cast   Ron Cocking ** 27:53 intact? You know, I am not up on that number. I   Michael Hingson ** 27:57 know there were a couple that did. RMS, Brooks was, well, oh no, I was gonna say Abbott and Costello, but that was different, but our Miss Brooks certainly did. If   Ron Cocking ** 28:09 the Bickersons did, I forget the two actors that did that show, but that was a really, Francis   Michael Hingson ** 28:13 Langford and Donna Michi could be, but I think burns and Allen, I think, kept the same people as much as there were. Harry bonzell was still with them, and so on. But it was interesting to see those. And I'm awake early enough in the morning, just because it's a good time to get up, and I get and be real lazy and go slowly to breakfast and all that. But I watched the Benny show, and occasionally before it, I'll watch the burns and Allen show. And I think that the plots weren't as similar from radio to television on the burns and Allen show as they weren't necessarily in the Benny show, but, but it all worked.   Ron Cocking ** 28:58 Yeah, yeah. That's why they were on the air for so long?   Michael Hingson ** 29:02 Yeah, so what other kind of acting did Gloria do once? So you guys started the school   Ron Cocking ** 29:10 well after she well, when we started the school, we found ourselves, you know, raising five children. And so I continued playing nightclub gigs. I had one, one nightclub job for like, five years in a row with two wonderful, wonderful musicians that were like fathers to me. And Gloria actually went to work for her brother in law, and she became a salesperson, and eventually the VP of Sales for a fiberglass tub and shower business down here in Santa Ana. So she drove that 91 freeway from San Bernardino, Santa Ana, all the time. But in,   Michael Hingson ** 29:47 yeah, you could do it back then, much more than now. It was a little better   Ron Cocking ** 29:51 and but in, but twist in between, she managed. Her mom still did a little bit of agency. And she would call Gloria and say. Want you to go see so and so. She did an episode of perfect strangers. She did an episode with Elliot of the guy that played Elliot Ness, stack the show Robert Stack the show was called Help Wanted no see. I guess that was an in but wanted, anyway, she did that. She did a movie with Bruce Dern and Melanie Griffith called Smile. And so she kept, she kept her foot in the door, but, but not, not all that much she she really enjoyed when John Wilder, one of her childhood acting buddies, who she called her brother, and he still calls her sis, or he would call her sis, still. His name was Johnny McGovern when he was a child actor, and when he decided to try some movie work, he there was another Johnny McGovern in Screen Actors Guild, so he had to change his name to John Wyler, but he did that mini series called centennial, and he wanted Gloria for a specific role, to play a German lady opposite the football player Alex Karras. And they had a couple of really nice scenes together. I think she was in three, maybe four of the segments. And there were many segments, it was like a who's who in Hollywood, the cast of that show   Michael Hingson ** 31:28 does that was pretty cool.   Ron Cocking ** 31:32 But anyway, yeah, after Gloria finished armas Brooks, she became married to Gilbert Allen, who, who then became a Presbyterian minister. So Gloria, when you said, Did she continue acting? There's a lot of acting that goes on being a minister and being a minister's wife, and she would put together weddings for people, and that sort of thing. And she did that for 20 years. Wow. So she Gloria was a phenomenon. She did so many things. And she did them all so very well, in my   Speaker 1 ** 32:04 opinion. And so did you? Yeah, which is, which is really cool. So you, but you, you both started the school, and that really became your life's passion for 44 years. Yes,   Ron Cocking ** 32:16 we would get up in the mornings, go do a little business, come home, have a little lunch, go back about 132 o'clock, and we would normally crank up about four after the kids get out of school, and we would teach from four to nine, sometimes to 10. Go out, have some dinner. So yeah, we pretty much 24/7 and we had had such similar backgrounds. Hers on a national radio and television scale, and mine on a much more local, civic light opera scale. But we both had similar relations with our our moms after after the radio tapings and the TV things. GLORIA And her mom. They lived in Beverly Hills, right at Wilshire and Doheny, and they had their favorite chocolate and ice cream stops. And same thing for me, my mom would take me there, two doors down from the little studio where I was taking my tap classes. There was an ice cream parlor, haywoods ice cream. And that was, that was the the lure, if you go in and if you do your practicing, Ronnie, you can, I'll take it for an ice cream so that I did my practicing, had plenty of little treats on the way, so we had that in common, and we both just had very supportive moms that stayed out of the way, not, not what I would call a pushy parent, or, I think you mentioned the helicopter, helicopter, but it   Michael Hingson ** 33:37 but it sounds like you didn't necessarily need the bribes to convince you to tap dance, as you know, anyway, but they didn't hurt.   Ron Cocking ** 33:46 No, it didn't hurt at all, and it was something to look forward to, but I I just enjoyed it all along. Anyway, I finally got to to really showcase what I could do when I was cast as the dance director in the show 42nd street. Oh, wow. And I was lucky. We were lucky. San Bernardino clo was able to hire John Engstrom, who had done the show on Broadway. The earlier version that came, I think it was on Broadway in the mid or to late 70s. He had worked side by side with Gower Champion putting the show together. He told us all sorts of stories about how long it took Gower to put together that opening dance. Because everything in the opening number you you see those steps later in the show done by the chorus, because the opening number is an audition for dancers who want to be in this new Julian Marsh show. So the music starts, the audience hears, I know there must have been 20 of us tapping our feet off. And then a few seconds later, the curtain rises about two and a half feet. And then they see all these tapping feet. And then the main curtain goes out, and there we all are. And. I my part. I was facing upstage with my back to the audience, and then at some point, turned around and we did it was the most athletic, difficult, two and a half minute tap number I had ever done, I'll bet. But it was cool. There were five or six kids that had done it on Broadway and the national tour. And then during that audition, one more high point, if we have the time, we I was auditioning just like everybody else. The director had called and asked if I would audition, but he wasn't going to be choreographing. John Engstrom was so with there was probably 50 or 60 kids of all ages, some adults auditioning, and at one point, John pulled out one of the auditioners, and he happened to be one of my male tap dance students. And he said, Now I want everybody to watch Paul do this step. Paul did the step. He said, Now he said, Paul, someone is really teaching you well. He said, everybody that's the way to do a traveling timestamp so and that, you know, I'll remember that forever. And it ended up he hired. There were seven myself and seven other of my students were cast in that show. And some of them, some of them later, did the show in Las Vegas, different directors. But yeah, that, that was a high point for me.   Speaker 1 ** 36:19 I'm trying to remember the first time I saw 42nd street. I think I've seen it twice on Broadway. I know once, but we also saw it once at the Lawrence Welk Resorts condo there, and they did 42nd street. And that was a lot of that show was just a lot of fun. Anyway,   Ron Cocking ** 36:39 it's a fun show. And as John said in that show, The chorus is the star of the show.   Speaker 1 ** 36:45 Yeah, it's all about dancing by any by any definition, any standard. It's a wonderful show. And anybody who is listening or watching, if you ever get a chance to go see 42nd street do it, it is, it is. Well, absolutely, well worth it.   Ron Cocking ** 37:00 Yeah, good. Good show. Fantastic music, too. Well.   Michael Hingson ** 37:03 How did you and Gloria get along so well for so long, basically, 24 hours a day, doing everything together that that I would think you would even be a little bit amazed, not that you guys couldn't do it, but that you did it so well, and so many people don't do it well,   Ron Cocking ** 37:21 yeah, I don't know I from, from the the first time we met, we just seemed to be on the same wavelength. And by the way, I found out as time went by, Gloria was like Mrs. Humble. She wasn't a bragger, very humble. And it took me a while to find out what an excellent tap dancer she was. But when we went to the studio in the early days, we had, we just had one room. So she would teach actors for an hour, take a break. I would go in teach a tap class or a movement class or a ballet class. I in the early days, I taught, I taught it all. I taught ballet and jazz and and and and   Michael Hingson ** 38:01 tap. Well, let's let's be honest, she had to be able to tap dance around to keep ahead of Osgoode Conklin, but that's another story.   Ron Cocking ** 38:09 Yeah. So yeah, that. And as our studio grew, we would walk every day from our first studio down to the corner to a little wind chills donut shop wind chills donuts to get some coffee and come back. And about a year and a half later, after walking by this, this retail vacant spot that was two doors from our studio, we said, I wonder if that might be, you know, something for us, it had a four lease sign. So, long story short, we released it. The owner of the property loved knowing that Gloria Macmillan was that space. And so luckily, you know when things are supposed to happen. They happen as people would move out next to us, we would move in. So we ended up at that particular studio with five different studio rooms. Wow. And so then we can accommodate all of the above, acting, singing classes, all the dance disciplines, all at the same time, and we can, like, quadruple our student body. So then we made another move, because the neighborhood was kind of collapsing around us, we made another room and purchased a building that had been built as a racquetball club. It had six racquetball courts, all 20 by 40, beautiful hardwood. We made four of them, five of them into studios, and then there was a double racquetball racquetball court in the front of the building which they had tournaments in it was 40 by 40 we moved. We made that into a black box theater for Gloria. And the back wall of the theater was one inch glass outside of which the audiences for the racquetball tournaments used to sit. But outside the glass for us, we had to put curtains there, and out front for us was our. Gigantic lobby. The building was 32,000 square feet. Wow, we could it just made our heart, hearts sing when we could walk down that hallway and see a ballet class over here, a tap class over there, singers, singing actors in the acting room. It was beautiful. And again, it was just meant for us because it was our beautiful daughter, Kelly, who passed away just nine months after Gloria did. She's the one that said, you guys ought to look into that. And I said, Well, it's a racquetball court. But again, the first moment we walked in the front door, you start. We started thinking like, whoa. I think we could make this work. And it worked for another 20 years for us and broke our hearts to basically rip it apart, tear the theater down, and everything when we were moving out, because we we couldn't find another studio that was interested in in coming in, because they would have had to purchase the building. We wanted to sell the building. Yeah. So anyway, of all things, they now sell car mufflers out of there.   Michael Hingson ** 41:02 That's a little different way, way. Yeah, social shock, did any of your students become pretty well known in the in the entertainment world?   Ron Cocking ** 41:11 I wouldn't say well known, but a lot of them have worked a lot and made careers. Some of our former students are now in their 50s, middle 50s, pushing 60, and have done everything from cruise ship to Las Vegas to regional some national tours, even our son, Christopher, he did the national tour of meet me in St Louis with Debbie Boone, okay, and he's the one that is Now a successful producer. He's his latest hit. Well, his first, what can be considered legitimately a Broadway hit show was the show called shucked, and it opened about two years ago, I think, and I finally got to go back to New York and see it just a month before it closed. Very hilarious. Takes place in Iowa. The whole show is built around a county in which everybody that lives there makes their living off of corn, making whiskey. And it is a laugh, way more than a laugh a minute. But anyway, we had one of Gloria's acting students who was hired on with a Jonathan Winters TV sitcom called Davis rules. It ran for two seasons, and here he was like 16 or 17 years old, making, I think it was. He was making $8,000 a week, and he was in heaven. He looked like the Son he played, the grandson of Jonathan Winters and the son of Randy Quaid and so he, yeah, he was in heaven. And then after that, he did a very popular commercial, the 711 brain freeze commercial for Slurpee. The Slurpee, yeah, and he made the so much money from that, but then he kind of disappeared from showbiz. I don't know what he's doing nowadays,   Speaker 1 ** 43:00 but it's, it's, it's interesting to, you know, to hear the stories. And, yeah, I can understand that, that not everybody gets to be so famous. Everybody knows them, but it's neat that you had so many people who decided to make entertainment a career. So clearly, you had a pretty good influence on a lot of, a lot of kids.   Ron Cocking ** 43:20 Yes, I over the years, Gloria and I felt like we had 1000s of children of our own, that they that we had raised together. It's really a good feeling. And I still get phone calls. We got a phone call once a few years back from from one of our students who had been trying to crack the nut in New York, and she called us like 530 in the morning, because, of course, it was Yeah, but she had just signed her first national tour contract and was going to go out with the show cabaret. So fortunately, we were able to drive up to Santa not let's see, it's just below San San Jose. The show came through San Jose, and we got to see her up there. But those kinds of things are what made us keep teaching, year after year, all these success stories. Of course, we have former students that are now lawyers. Those are actors. Well, we   Michael Hingson ** 44:17 won't hold it and we understand, yeah and they are actors, by all means. How many teachers did you have in the studio when you had the big building?   Ron Cocking ** 44:26 Gosh, at one time, we had 10 or 12 teachers, teaching vocal teachers, two or three ballet teachers, jazz teachers, and you both taught as well. And we both continued teaching all through that time. We never just became managers, although that's that was part of it, and mixing business with art is a challenge, and it takes kind of a different mindset, and then what an unstoppable mindset you have to have in order to mix business with performing, because it's too. Different sides of your brain and a lot of patience and a lot of patience. And guess who taught me patience? Uh huh, Gloria Macmillan.   Michael Hingson ** 45:09 I would Conklin's daughter, yes, and I'll bet that's where she learned patience. No, I'm just teasing, but yeah, I hear you, yeah. Well, I know Karen and I were married for 40 years, until she passed in November of 2022 and there's so many similarities in what you're talking about, because we we could do everything together. We had challenges. Probably the biggest challenge that we ever had was we were living in Vista California, and I was working in Carlsbad, and the president of our company decided that we should open an office, because I was being very successful at selling to the government, we should open an office in the DC area. And so we both got excited about that. But then one day he came in and he had this epiphany. He said, No, not Virginia. I want you to open an office in New York. And Karen absolutely hated that she was ready to go to Virginia and all that.   Speaker 1 ** 46:15 But the problem for me was it was either move to New York or take a sales territory that didn't sell very much anymore. The owner wasn't really willing to discuss it, so we had some challenges over that, but the marriage was strong enough that it that it worked out, and we moved to New Jersey, and Karen made a lot of friends back there, but, you know, we always did most everything together. And then when the pandemic occurred, being locked down, it just proved all the more we just did everything together. We were together. We talked a lot, which is, I think one of the keys to any good marriages, and you talk and communicate.   Ron Cocking ** 46:56 Yes, in fact, when after we closed the studio in 2018 it took us a few more months to sell our home, and then when we moved down here, it was only about, I don't know, I don't know if it was a full year or not, but the pandemic hit and but it really didn't bother us, because we had, we had been working the teaching scene for so many years that we basically Were done. We basically walked out of the studio. We did. Neither of us have the desire to, well, let's continue in at some level, no, we cherished our time together. We have a little porch out in front of our home here, and it gets the ocean breeze, and we would sit for hours and chat. And oddly enough, not oddly, one of our favorite things to do, we have a website that we went to that had, I think, every radio show of armas Brooks ever made. And we would sit listen to those and just laugh. And, in fact, Gloria, there are some. She said, You know what? I don't even remember that episode at all. So yeah, that that was an interesting part. But yeah, Gloria and I, like your wife and you really enjoyed time together. We never talked about needing separate vacations or anything if we wanted to do something. We did it   Speaker 1 ** 48:16 together, yeah, and we did too. And you know, for us it was, it was out of desire, but also was easier for us, because she was in a wheelchair her whole life. I was I'm blind. I've been blind my whole life. And as I tell people, the marriage worked out well. She read, I pushed, and in reality, that really is the way it worked, yeah, yeah. Until she started using a power chair. Then I didn't push. I kept my toes out of the way. But still, it was, it was really did meld and mesh together very well and did everything   Ron Cocking ** 48:49 together. That's fantastic. I'm proud of you, Michael, and it really   Michael Hingson ** 48:53 it's the only way to go. So I miss her, but like, I keep telling people she's somewhere monitoring me, and if I misbehave, I'm going to hear about it. So I got to be a good kid,   Ron Cocking ** 49:04 and I'll hear I'll get some notes tonight from the spirit of Gloria McMillan too. I prayed to her before I went on. I said, please let the words flow and please not let me say anything that's inappropriate. And I think she's guided me through okay so far.   Michael Hingson ** 49:20 Well, if, if you do something you're not supposed to, she's gonna probably hit you upside the head. You know, did you two ever actually get to perform together?   Ron Cocking ** 49:30 Oh, I'm glad you asked that, because, well, it had been years since I knew that she was a darn good tap dancer. In fact, I had a tap dancing ensemble of of my more advanced kids, and if they wanted to dedicate the extra time that it took, we rehearsed them and let them perform at free of charge once they made it to that group, they they did not pay to come in and rehearse with me, because I would spend a lot of time standing there creating so. So we were doing a performance, and we wanted to spotlight, I forget the exact reason why we wanted to spotlight some of Gloria's career. Talk about radio a little bit. And I said, Gloria, would you do a little soft shoe routine? And because we had invited a mutual friend of ours, Walden Hughes, from the reps organization, and he was going to be the guest of honor, so I talked her into it. At first she wasn't going to go for it, but we had so much fun rehearsing it together. And it wasn't a long routine, it was relatively short, beautiful music, little soft shoe, and it was so much fun to say that we actually tap danced together. But the other times that we actually got to work together was at the old time radio conventions, mostly with reps, and that's really when I got to sit on stage. I was kind of typecast as an announcer, and I got to do some commercials. I got to sing once with Lucy arnazza. Oh, life, a life boy soap commercial. But when Gloria, Well, Gloria did the lead parts, and oh my gosh, that's when I realized what a superb actress she was. And if I don't know if you've heard of Greg Oppenheimer, his father, Jess Oppenheimer created the I Love Lucy shows, and so Gloria loved Jess Oppenheimer. And so Greg Oppenheimer, Jess Son, did a lot of directing, and oh my gosh, I would see he came in very well prepared and knew how the lines should be delivered. And if Gloria was not right on it, he would say, No, wait a minute, Gloria, I want you to emphasize the word decided, and that's going to get the laugh. And when he gave her a reading like that man, the next time she went through that dialog, just what he had asked for. And I thought, Oh my gosh. And her timing, after watching so many armist Brooks TV and listening to radio shows. GLORIA learned her comedic timing from one of the princesses of comedy timing is Eve Arden, right? They were so well for obvious reasons. They were so very similar. And if you have time to story for another story, do you know have you heard of Bob Hastings? He was the lieutenant on McHale's navy. McHale's Navy, right? Yeah. Well, he also did a lot of old time radio. So we went up to Seattle,   Michael Hingson ** 52:32 our two grandkids, Troy Amber, he played, not Archie. Was it Henry Aldridge? He was on,   Ron Cocking ** 52:40 I think you're right. I'm not too up on the cast of the old time radio show. Yeah, I think you're right. But anyway, he was there, and there was an actress that had to bow out. I don't know who that was, but our grandsons and Gloria and I, we walked in, and as usual, we say hi to everybody. We're given a big packet of six or eight scripts each, and we go to our room and say, Oh my gosh. Get out the pencils, and we start marking our scripts. So we get a phone call from Walden, and he said, hey, Ron Bob. Bob Hastings wants to see Gloria in his room. He wants to read through he's not sure if he wants to do the Bickersons script, because he you know, the gal bowed out and right, you know, so Gloria went down   Michael Hingson ** 53:23 couple of doors, coming   Ron Cocking ** 53:26 Yes, and she so she came back out of half an hour, 40 minutes later, and she said, well, that little stinker, he was auditioning me. He went in and she went in and he said, Well, you know, I don't know if I want to do this. It doesn't seem that funny to me. Let's read a few lines. Well, long story short, they read the whole thing through, and they were both, they were both rolling around the floor. I'll bet they laughing and so and then jump to the following afternoon, they did it live, and I was able to watch. I had some pre time, and I watched, and they were just fantastic together. I left after the show, I went to the green room, had a little snack, and I was coming back to our room, walking down the hall, and here comes Bob Hastings, and he says, oh, Ron. He said, Your wife was just fantastic. So much better than the other girl would have been. So when I told GLORIA That story that made her her day, her week. She felt so good about that. So that's my Bob Hastings story. Bob Hastings and Gloria Macmillan were great as the Bickersons.   Speaker 1 ** 54:29 Yeah, that was a very clever show. It started on the Danny Thomas show, and then they they ended up going off and having their own show, Francis Langford and Donna Michi, but they were very clever.   Ron Cocking ** 54:42 Now, did you realize when now that you mentioned Danny Thomas? Did you realize that Gloria's mom, Hazel McMillan, was the first female agent, talent agent in Hollywood? No, and that's how you know when the. They moved from from Portland, Oregon, a little city outside of Portland. They moved because Gloria's mom thought she had talent enough to do radio, and it wasn't a year after they got here to LA that she did her first national show for Lux radio at the age of five. That was in 1937 with with Edward G Robinson. I've got a recording of that show. What's what show was it? It was a Christmas show. And I don't remember the name of the of it, but it was a Christmas show. It was Walden that sent us. Sent   Michael Hingson ** 55:33 it to us. I'll find it. I've got it, I'm sure.   Ron Cocking ** 55:35 And so, yeah, so, so Gloria was a member of what they called the 500 club. There was a group of, I don't know, nine or 10 kids that by the time the photograph that I have of this club, it looks like Gloria is around 12 to 14 years old, and they had all done 500 or more radio shows. Wow, that's a lot of radio show. There's a lot of radio So Gloria did, I mean, I got a short my point was, her mom was an agent, and when Gloria was working so consistently at armas Brooks, she said, Well, I'm kind of out of a job. I don't need to take you. GLORIA could drive then. And so she came back from the grocery store, Ralph's market near Wilshire and Doheny, and she came back said, Well, I know what I'm going to do. I ran into this cute little boy at the grocery store. I'm going to represent him for television. And she that's, she started the Hazel McMillan agency, and she ran that agency until she just couldn't anymore. I think she ran it until early 1980s but she, my god, she represented people like Angela Cartwright on the Danny Thomas show and Kathy Garver on, all in the family a family affair. Family Affair. Yeah. Jane north. Jane North went in for Dennis the Menace. He didn't get the role. He came back said, Hazel, I don't think they liked me, and they didn't. They didn't call me back or anything. Hazel got on that phone, said, Look, I know this kid can do what you're asking for. I want you to see him again. He went back and they read him again. He got the part, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 57:21 and he was perfect for it.   Ron Cocking ** 57:22 He was perfect for that part was, I'm sorry.   Michael Hingson ** 57:27 It's sad that he passed earlier this year.   Ron Cocking ** 57:29 Yeah, he passed and he had, he had a tough life, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 57:36 well, you know, tell me you, you have what you you have some favorite words of wisdom. Tell me about those.   Ron Cocking ** 57:45 Oh, this goes back to the reason why I came across this when I was looking for something significant to say on the opening of one of our big concert programs. We used to do all of our shows at the California theater of Performing Arts in San Bernardino, it's a really, a real gem of a theater. It's where Will Rogers gave his last performance. And so I came across this, and it's, I don't know if this is biblical, you might, you might know, but it's, if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. And that's what I felt like Gloria and I were trying to do. We wanted to teach these kids as as professionally. We treated our students as they were, as if they were little professionals. We we expected quality, we expected them to work hard, but again, Gloria taught me patience, unending patience. But we knew that we wanted them to feel confident when the time came, that they would go out and audition. We didn't want them to be embarrassed. We want we wanted them to be able to come back to us and say, Boy, I felt so good at that audition. I knew all the steps I was and I and I read so well it was. And thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And so that aspect of it, we felt that we were feeding them for a lifetime, but we also were creating all of these arts patrons, all these lovers of the arts, 1000s of kids now love to go to musicals and movies and plays because they've kind of been there and done that at our studio. And so anyway, that's and whether, whether or not it was their confidence in show business or whether it was their confidence we've had so many calls from and visits from parents and former students saying, Boy, I just was awarded a job. And they said my my communication skills were excellent, and I owe that to Gloria. I was on the beach the other day, and I looked over and there was this young man and his wife. I assumed it was his wife. It was they were setting. Up their beach chairs, and I looked and I say, Excuse me, is your name Brandon? And he said, No, but he said, Is your name Ron? And I said, Yes. He said, No, my name is Eric. And I said, Eric puentes. And so we reminisced for a while. He took tap from me. He took acting from Gloria, and he said, you know, he was sad to hear of Gloria's passing. And he said, You know, I owe so much to Gloria. I learned so much about speaking in front of groups. And he is now a minister. He has his own church in Redlands, California, and he's a minister. And of all the billion people on the beach, he sits next to me. So that's one of those things when it's supposed to   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:41 happen. It happens. It does. Yeah, well, and as we talked about earlier, you and Gloria did lots of stuff with reps, and I'm going to miss it this time, but I've done a few, and I'm going to do some more. What I really enjoy about people who come from the radio era, and who have paid attention to the radio era is that the acting and the way they project is so much different and so much better than people who have no experience with radio. And I know Walden and I have talked about the fact that we are looking to get a grant at some point so that we can train actors or people who want to be involved in these shows, to be real actors, and who will actually go back and listen to the shows, listen to what people did, and really try to bring that forward into the recreations, because so many people who haven't really had the experience, or who haven't really listened to radio programs sound so forced, as opposed to natural.   Ron Cocking ** 1:01:46 I agree, and I know exactly what you're saying. In fact, Walden on a couple of at least two or three occasions, he allowed us to take some of Gloria's acting students all the way to Seattle, and we did some in for the spurred vac organization Los Angeles, we did a beautiful rendition of a script that we adapted of the Velveteen Rabbit. And of all people, Janet Waldo agreed to do the fairy at the end, and she was exquisite. And it's only like, I don't know, four or five lines, and, oh my gosh, it just wrapped it up with a satin bow. And, but, but in some of our kids, yeah, they, they, they were very impressed by the radio, uh, recreations that they were exposed to at that convention.   Speaker 1 ** 1:02:37 Yeah, yeah. Well, and it's, it is so wonderful to hear some of these actors who do it so well, and to really see how they they are able to pull some of these things together and make the shows a lot better. And I hope that we'll see more of that. I hope that we can actually work to teach more people how to really deal with acting from a standpoint of radio,   Ron Cocking ** 1:03:04 that's a great idea. And I know Walden is really sensitive to that. He Yeah, he would really be a proponent of that.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:10 Oh, he and I have talked about it. We're working on it. We're hoping we can get some things. Well, I want to thank you for being here. We've been doing this an hour already.  

The landscape of existence can sometimes feel like a cosmic play—actors shifting between roles, creating stories that ripple through time. On today's episode, we welcome Phil Proctor, an artist whose life weaves a tapestry of creativity, resilience, and humor. Known for his work with the legendary Firesign Theatre and an illustrious voice acting career, Phil has left an indelible mark on the worlds of comedy, film, and beyond.Phil Proctor is not merely a performer; he's a storyteller who transcends mediums. Reflecting on his career, Phil shared how the Firesign Theatre's surreal humor was designed not only to entertain but to provoke thought. “We were asking, ‘What is reality?'” he explained. “It's the question you should ask every day when you get out of bed.” These words capture the essence of his work—a blend of laughter and philosophy that challenges conventional perspectives.Phil described how technology has transformed his craft.From the days of live radio to recording film dialogue remotely, he marveled at the evolution of his industry. With characteristic wit, he recounted a time he dubbed a French comedy for Mel Brooks, only to find the humor lost on American audiences. “The test audience thought we were speaking French!” he laughed. Moments like these underscore Phil's adaptability and humor in the face of creative challenges.Phil also opened up about the impact of his voice acting roles, such as his long-running portrayal of Howard DeVille in Rugrats. He reflected on the joy of connecting with audiences worldwide, even decades after the show's heyday. From cartoons to video games like Assassin's Creed, his performances have reached far and wide, bridging generational gaps.One of the most profound parts of our discussion was Phil's recollection of surviving the Golden Dragon massacre in 1977. Amidst the chaos, he found solace in an unexpected synchronicity: learning that his wife was pregnant with their daughter. “Life has a way of balancing tragedy with joy,” he mused.This event, along with its psychic premonition, became the foundation of his memoir, Where's My Fortune Cookie?Phil's stories often ventured into the metaphysical. He shared how the Firesign Theatre's comedy sought to “deprogram” audiences from societal conditioning, offering a fresh lens to perceive reality. This philosophy—wrapped in humor—resonates deeply in today's fast-paced, media-saturated world. “We were making funny connections,” he said, “exercising the brain to see the world anew.”Beyond his creative endeavors, Phil's zest for life shines through in his personal anecdotes. Whether reminiscing about working with Mel Brooks or delighting in his grandchildren's fascination with technology, he embodies a boundless curiosity. His ability to balance the absurd with the profound makes his journey a testament to the power of humor and resilience.As the episode drew to a close, one thing became clear: Phil Proctor is more than a performer; he is a philosopher of humor, an explorer of reality, and a living reminder of life's intricate, interconnected dance. His stories inspire us to embrace curiosity, resilience, and a healthy dose of laughter.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Today we have with us special guest Renee Taylor, who stars in the new hit movie, Tango Shalom. If you missed it at the theater, it's now available on all streaming and video-on-demand platforms across the US and Canada.  Renee is an Oscar-nominated and Emmy award-winning actress. Her long list of credits includes Mel Brooks, The Producers, and the overbearing, but lovable mother of Fran Dresser's title character in The Nanny. She co-wrote the Broadway comedy Lovers and Other Strangers, which earned her an Oscar nomination for the film adaptation, and she is starring in the new film Tango Shalom, which was co-written by her late husband, Joe baloney, and directed by her son, Gabriel.Today she sits down with Dr. Friedman to talk about that film, maintaining integrity, the secret to a great marriage (of 52 years), and waking up each day with zest and purpose!

Is it comedy-horror or horror-comedy? We're taking a look at some of the silliest horror movies to ever grace our screens and investigating the strange similarity between laughing and screaming.Includes discussions of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1931), The Houses October Built (2011), The Occupant (2025), The Time of the Wolf (2003), The Cat & the Canary (1927), A Bucket of Blood (1959), Young Frankenstein (1974), Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980), Juan of the Dead (2011), One Cut of the Dead (2017) and more.Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.Contact us at crystal@spookybitchgang.com and scott@spookybitchgang.com.

Welcome to Steam Powered Movies! The podcast hosted by Dana & Mike Fraedrich where we watch steampunk films and then talk about them. This month we saw and then discussed the 1974 Mel Brooks directed Gene Wilder vehicle "Young Frankenstein". Other topics include: unwieldy broccoli, Dana vs Miss Piggy, and the dangers of math! If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a review!Join the Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/7St3aZ2cxS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On Bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@steampoweredmovies.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram & Threads ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SteamPoweredMovies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.SteamPoweredMovies.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠For more info on Dana's books & events visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.WordsByDana.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theme music by Mike Fraedrich (c) 2022Produced by Mike Fraedrich

From a Long Island teen interviewing his comedy heroes on a high school radio station to the producer, director, and writer behind The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Anchorman, Trainwreck, and more, Judd Apatow is a modern-day comedy icon. He sits down with Willie Geist at New York's Gotham Comedy Club to trace his rise to fame, from the tough early years and the mentorship of Garry Shandling to how the cancellation of Freaks and Geeks ultimately helped launch a generation of stars. Apatow also talks about his new scrapbook-style book Comedy Nerd, his love of stand-up, and his deep dive into documentaries, including new films on Mel Brooks and Norm Macdonald. Along the way, he reflects on how setbacks shaped his success, and the persistence that's kept him creating for more than two decades. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week we open Brennan's Birthday Month with incessant giggles and George Lucas' blessing. Using combing technology to track our heroes, Col. Sanders clucking orders, and inhaling cans of Perri-Air, we once again delve into the mind of Mel Brooks and have an absolute blast. Erin may be put off (Erin feels much more strongly about this than what Brennan wrote) by Pizza the Hut, but between Mega Maids and stern parking attendants, there's plenty else to get hooked on. Beneath it all, it's about capitalism and MERCHANDISING! Spaceballs the lunchbox! Spaceballs the toilet paper! SPACEBALLS THE FLAME-THROWER! But we are dying to know what Mongo's review of Rocky 5000 is.We'll meet again next year for Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money.

This week on Shat the Movies, it's alive! We're dusting off Young Frankenstein (1974), Mel Brooks' black-and-white masterpiece that parodies horror classics with heart, brains, and a healthy dose of innuendo. Gene Wilder leads a pitch-perfect cast including Teri Garr, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, and Cloris Leachman in one of the most quotable comedies of all time. Gene and Big D dive into the film's legacy, brilliant performances, and whether this monster still has life in 2024. Movie Summary:Respected medical lecturer Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) learns that he has inherited his infamous grandfather's estate in Transylvania. Arriving at the castle, Dr. Frankenstein soon begins to recreate his grandfather's experiments with the help of servants Igor (Marty Feldman), Inga (Teri Garr) and the fearsome Frau Blücher (Cloris Leachman). After he creates his own monster (Peter Boyle), new complications ensue with the arrival of the doctor's fiancée, Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn). Commissioned by Emmett C. Support the Walk to Save Animals Donation link: http://www.tinyurl.com/shatpod Subscribe Now Android: https://www.shatpod.com/android Apple/iTunes: https://www.shatpod.com/apple Help Support the Podcast Contact Us: https://www.shatpod.com/contact Commission Movie: https://www.shatpod.com/support Support with Paypal: https://www.shatpod.com/paypal Support With Venmo: https://www.shatpod.com/venmo Shop Merchandise: https://www.shatpod.com/shop Theme Song - Die Hard by Guyz Nite: https://www.facebook.com/guyznite

Keith Reza Unpacks Hollywood with Actor Brian Thompson In this episode, Keith Reza interviews character actor Brian Thompson (Mortal Kombat, Three Amigos). They share untold stories from the set, discuss working with Mel Brooks and Oliver Reed, and the art of comedy. Brian also opens up about his charity work and gives heartfelt advice to his younger self. Brian's Socials IG: @brianearlthompson ... https://www.instagram.com/brianearlthompson/  FB: https://www.facebook.com/brian.thompson.50702769/  X: @brianethompson ... https://twitter.com/BrianEThompson  Chapters 00:00Introduction and Golf Tournament Highlights   03:01The Journey to Mortal Kombat   05:53Behind the Scenes of Fight Scenes   08:57Charity Auctions and Personal Connections   12:00Memorable Experiences in Three Amigos   17:57The Challenges of Leading Roles   24:08Reflections on Acting and Collaboration   28:53Oliver Reed's Wild On-Set Antics   33:15The Joy of Stand-Up Comedy   37:14Experiences with Mel Brooks   40:33The Art of Casting in Comedy   41:40The Hopeful Characters of 9-1-1   42:40Nostalgia for Dragonheart   48:41Reflections on Life Choices   52:09Advice to a Younger Self Support the show on https://patreon.com/rezarifts61  Follow Keith on all social media platforms: FB: https://www.facebook.com/realkeithreza IG:https://www.instagram.com/keithreza  ALT IG:https://www.instagram.com/duhkeithreza  X:https://www.twitter.com/keithreza  TT:https://www.tiktok.com/keithreza  Book Keith on cameo at www.cameo.com/keithreza Check out my website for dates at https://www.keithreza.com/  Subscribe - Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts - Tell a friend :) Be a Rifter!    #mortalkombat #terminator #buffythevampireslayer    

Mel Brooks's classic 1974 movie Young Frankenstein parodies the iconic Frankenstein movies of the 1930s. This Halloween, we're featuring our interviews with director Mel Brooks and stars Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr and Cloris Leachman. And film critic Justin Chang reviews the new film Bugonia.Follow Fresh Air on instagram @nprfreshair, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for gems from the Fresh Air archive, staff recommendations, and a peek behind the scenes. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Mel Brooks's classic 1974 movie Young Frankenstein parodies the iconic Frankenstein movies of the 1930s. This Halloween, we're featuring our interviews with director Mel Brooks and stars Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr and Cloris Leachman. And film critic Justin Chang reviews the new film Bugonia.Follow Fresh Air on instagram @nprfreshair, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for gems from the Fresh Air archive, staff recommendations, and a peek behind the scenes. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Writer, director, producer, stand up comedian and legendary "Comedy Nerd" Judd Apatow joins Phil and David for a long and lively "Naked Lunch" to discuss his excellent new book, "Comedy Nerd: A Lifelong Obsession in Stories and Pictures," just released by Random House. To order your copy of Judd's new book or find out more about "Comedy Nerd,"  click here. Over sandwiches from Corner Market, Judd discusses his formative comedy influences, many of his big hits in film and TV, some hits that should have been, Judd's lifelong passion for music, his upcoming documentary with Mel Brooks, Bruce Springsteen, and even Phil and David's cameos in some of Judd's notable productions -- "Walk Hard" and "This Is 40." To learn more about building community through food and "Somebody Feed the People," visit the Philanthropy page at philrosenthalworld.com.

Give my spoilers liiiiiife!!!! Thanks to Abigail, Bryan and Teddy for recommending this Spooky Spoiler! ********* Respected medical lecturer Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) learns that he has inherited his infamous grandfather's estate in Transylvania. Arriving at the castle, Dr. Frankenstein soon begins to recreate his grandfather's experiments with the help of servants Igor (Marty Feldman), Inga (Teri Garr) and the fearsome Frau Blücher (Cloris Leachman). After he creates his own monster (Peter Boyle), new complications ensue with the arrival of the doctor's fiancée, Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn). Release date: December 15, 1974 (USA) Director: Mel Brooks Story by: Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Mary Shelley Screenplay: Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder Producer: Michael Gruskoff Running time: 1h 46m

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Though Death By DVD is taking a break to relocate and build a bigger and better Death By DVD studio we thought it would just be down right insane to not have at least SOMETHING to offer our fine dead studio audience for Halloween. Halloween is our favorite holiday, our favorite time of year and I'll boldly say it's down right the best time of year, so we wanted to celebrate with you and boy howdy, though short in run time we have a whole lot for you to hear on this episode.An all new movie from your host Harry-Scott Sullivan is available now to stream, we have an exclusive new song from SATANIC HEARSE RECORDS called NO LIFE IN THEIR EYES from their forthcoming record DEATH SEX GORE HORROR and of course an update on when Death By DVD will return full time. Celebrate the season of the witch and hit play and hear this episode today! SATANIC HEARSE on Bandcamp : tap here or copy and paste the link belowhttps://satanichearserecords.bandcamp.com/WATCH YOUR HOSTS DOCUMENTARY AND DARK TALES FROM CHANNEL X NOW ON BLOODSTREAM TV: tap here or copy and paste the link belowhttps://bloodstreamtv.com/show-details/dark-tales-from-channel-xLearn more about Bloodstream TV : Tap here or copy and paste the link belowhttps://bloodstreamtv.com/homeIf you're reading this I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support. Death By DVD has almost existed for 2 solid decades, please consider supporting Death By DVD directly on Patreon to secure the future of this very show. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ Thank you for choosing Death. DEATH BY DVD FOREVER. FOREVER DEATH BY DVD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ CHECK OUT DEATH BY DVD ON YOUTUBE : https://www.youtube.com/@DeathByDVDDon't forget, Death By DVD has its very own all original audio drama voiced almost entirely by Death By DVD!DEATH BY DVD PRESENTS : WHO SHOT HANK?The first of its kind, (On this show, at least) an all original narrative audio drama exploring the murder of this shows very host, HANK THE WORLDS GREATEST! Explore WHO SHOT HANK, starting with the MURDER! A Death By DVD New Year Mystery WHO SHOT HANK : PART ONE WHO SHOT HANK : PART TWO WHO SHOT HANK : PART THREE WHO SHOT HANK : PART FOUR WHO SHOT HANK PART 5 : THE BEGINNING OF THE ENDWHO SHOT HANK PART 6 THE FINALE : EXEUNT OMNES 

Deadpan's unfettered comical sensibility is a vivid testament to Mark Twain's dictum “against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.” Set during the world-wide oil crises of the 1970s, the narrative alternates between locations in West Virginia, Las Vegas, Washington, Tehran, and Sinai, featuring characters as diverse as Sarah Palin, Mel Brooks, and the Shah of Iran. Walter's phantasmagorical tour-de-force is not only a satirical takedown of antisemitism (and bigotry in general) but also a dazzling celebration ofhuman dignity, resilience, and humor.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

With the latest version of the classic Mary Shelly story Frankenstein coming out from director Guillermo del Toro, we look back at the history of this monster movie. Pairing the latest version with 1931's Frankenstein directed by James Whale and 1974's Young Frankenstein directed by Mel Brooks. Dakota, Jeff and Matthew discuss adapting the book to screen and how the versions work telling the same story in different manners.Check out this Letterboxd list of different Frankenstein adaptations.Follow Jeff's podcast Classic Movies Live on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to CML on Spotify. For more of Matthew's work check out his ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠personal portfolio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow him on ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠.Follow Contra Zoom on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Check out more great Contra Zoom content on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠That Shelf⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!Listen to Contra Zoom on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Anchor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Google Play⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Overcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Breaker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and more!Please ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rate and review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more information, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contrazoompod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Create your ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ today! #madeonzencastr

Welcome to TELEHELL-O-WEEN!! We will be presenting Three shows this week that each involve something Spooky...and we begin this week with an attempt to make Frankenstein funny, minus the aid of Mel Brooks. SPONSORED BY: Dave's Archives Annex 3 Kier's Nostalgia Corner Kev The Ripper and (of course) our Patrons

Jamie, Jimmy and Bob tell each other to "talk this way" as they discuss the script to the Mel Brooks classic Young Frankenstein.

Encore! Encore! - This fall we needed a laugh, so we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes. What better way to laugh than bask in the hilarity of 3 great 1970's comedies with some of the funniest film moments in film brought to us by; Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein (1974), Arthur Hiller's Silver Streak (1976) and Animal House (1978) produced by Ivan Reitman! Join us for Episode 14: "We Might Never Stop Laughing." Where else can you have a Mary Shelley classic and mash it up with Irving Berlin to make monsters loveable, or twist up a take on a Hitchcock thriller by pairing two comic geniuses and taking a real look at what the social life off a gentlemanly college fraternity  was like in 1962?   To find out more about this and past episodes' movies, including trivia and other fun facts, visit our official Cinema Sounds and Secrets website.  

Think musicals are all jazz hands and happy endings? Think again. Kristy and Jeff pull back the curtain on movie musicals that hit every note — from campy cult sequels and chaotic rock operas to soulful folk tales and parody perfection. It's a cinematic sing-along for anyone who's ever belted out a showtune in the shower. 

Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) — Mel Brooks sinks his teeth into gothic comedy with Leslie Nielsen as the most bumbling Count ever to grace the silver screen. We're breaking down the slapstick, the satire, and the surprisingly gorgeous production design in this often-overlooked spoof. From rubber bats to ballroom bites, we ask the ultimate question: does Brooks' final parody still have life after dark?

In this episode of LaidOPEN Podcast, host Charna Cassell sits down with award-winning playwright, performer, and teacher Ann Randolph, whose autobiographical solo shows blend comedy, storytelling, and profound transformation. Together they explore their long-held desire to collaborate — a journey guided by synchronicity, presence, and creative courage. Ann shares how her early days working the graveyard shift at a homeless shelter evolved into a celebrated career sharing the stage with icons like Mel Brooks and Alanis Morissette. She opens up about using comedy to approach trauma, the healing power of daily writing, and the importance of embodying your story rather than just telling it. Charna and Ann dive deep into the somatic roots of storytelling, the interplay between vulnerability and creative freedom, and the spiritual practices that sustain both art and healing. Whether you're a writer, performer, or simply someone seeking personal transformation, this conversation invites you to embrace failure, presence, and play as pathways to authentic expression and connection. Show Notes 00:00 – Introduction and Guest Introduction 02:11 – Charna's Journey to Meeting Ann 03:39 – The Power of Daily Writing 04:18 – Writing for Transformation 05:02 – Ann's Solo Shows and Comedy 09:18 – Victim, Hero, and Perpetrator Dynamics 12:22 – Somatic Practices in Storytelling 18:19 – Collaborations with Alanis Morissette 23:10 – Working with Mel Brooks 27:42 – Support and Validation 28:15 – Mentorship and High Stakes 29:16 – Opening in New York and Personal Loss 31:27 – Turning Grief into Art 41:26 – The Healing Power of Storytelling 45:29 – Spiritual Practices and Personal Growth 47:42 – Current Projects and Offerings 51:53 – Conclusion and Farewell

Send us a textAs the last four years, it's time for our annual salute to Scary Season on the pod --- a little film nosh to whet your appetite for the fun of Halloween ahead. Last season we went down one of the paths of the classic Universal Pictures lineup of horror films, with the foundational Dracula. This season, we're headed down another path of classics from the golden days of Universal, but the third in the series of this particular horror group. Not the film Frankenstein, not Bride Of Frankenstein, but the third and a nice addition (and the last that made sense) in the trail of the monster created by scientist Henry Frankenstein, the story of his human progeny. It's Son Of Frankenstein! You knew that was coming next!   Why start with the third in the series? The first two, directed by James Whale, were great and foundational in their own right. But we do dislike Colin Clive chewing the scenery as Henry Frankenstein in the first two films, as well as a thin set of supporting actors. If we're going to have an actor chewing the scenery, how about Basil Rathbone? Or Bela Lugosi? Also, many scenes in Son are immediately recognizable, as Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder mined so much of the story and characterizations for their inimitable film Young Frankenstein. Sure, the blind man played by legendary Gene Hackman in Young rose from a story line in Bride --- credit where credit is due. But most of the rest is Son. It's just fun to watch and mark… Okay, that's settled…Website and blog: www.thosewonderfulpeople.comIG: @thosewonderfulpeopleTwitter: @FilmsInTheDark

Send us a textOur good chum Chris Olds buzzes back in with “The Fly” (1985 d. Cronenberg) Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, and John Getz. This movie has a baboon. A real baboon. You can't really train a baboon to act. It's a wild f***ing animal. It will rip your face off. Have yourself a good laugh at this delightful Mel Brooks produced romp. 10/21!****A member of the “Review Review,” family is in the fight of her life, you can help! - TAP/CLICK HERE**All episodes contain explicit language**Artwork - Ben McFaddenReview Review Intro/Outro Theme - Jamie Henwood"What Are We Watching" & "Whatcha been up to?" Themes - Matthew Fosket"Fun Facts" Theme - Chris Olds/Paul RootLead-Ins Edited/Conceptualized by - Ben McFaddenProduced by - Ben McFadden & Paul RootConcept - Paul Root

To celebrate the release of Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein (Netflix, 2025), Bella and Nick revisit three unforgettable film adaptations of Mary Shelley's iconic Gothic novel.From the classic Universal monster movies that defined early Hollywood horror, to Mel Brooks' legendary parody and Kenneth Branagh's (somewhat) faithful 1994 retelling, this episode of the Gimme Three Podcast dives into how each filmmaker reimagined Frankenstein for a new generation.First, James Whale and Boris Karloff create the pre-Code masterpiece that cemented the image of Frankenstein's monster in pop culture. Second, Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks deliver a comedic yet affectionate homage in the cult favorite Young Frankenstein (1974). Finally, Kenneth Branagh directs Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), starring Robert De Niro as The Creature in a lavish, Shakespearean take on the timeless story.Whether you're a horror movie buff, a classic film fan, or just curious how Mary Shelley's Frankenstein keeps coming back to life on screen, this episode has you covered.❗️SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE ❗️Support the showSign up for our Patreon for exclusive Bonus Content.Follow the podcast on Instagram @gimmethreepodcastYou can keep up with Bella on Instagram @portraitofacinephile or Letterboxd You can keep up with Nick: on Instagram @nicholasybarra, on Twitter (X) @nicholaspybarra, or on LetterboxdShout out to contributor and producer Sonja Mereu. A special thanks to Anselm Kennedy for creating Gimme Three's theme music. And another special thanks to Zoe Baumann for creating our exceptional cover art.

Tony and Casey get together to pay tribute to Mel Brooks' classic tribute to the Universal Monster films of the 30s and 40s. It's Young Frankenstein! One of the best comedies of all time that gets everything almost exactly right. It's as funny today as it was back in the 70s!

In this episode, Jacke talks to author David Denby about his new book, Eminent Jews: Bernstein, Brooks, Friedan, Mailer, a group biography (loosely inspired by Lytton Strachey's Eminent Victorians) that describes how four larger-than-life figures upended the restrained culture of their forebears and changed American life. PLUS in honor of War and Peace, which lands at #13 on the list of the Greatest Books of All Time, Jacke takes a look at an early essay by Virginia Woolf that explains what made Tolstoy's works so great. Join Jacke on a trip through literary England (signup closing soon)! The History of Literature Podcast Tour is happening in May 2026! Act now to join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠⁠⁠John Shors Travel⁠⁠⁠. Scheduled stops include The Charles Dickens Museum, Dr. Johnson's house, Jane Austen's Bath, Tolkien's Oxford, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and more. Find out more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com⁠⁠⁠. Or visit the ⁠⁠⁠History of Literature Podcast Tour itinerary⁠⁠⁠ at ⁠⁠⁠John Shors Travel⁠⁠⁠. The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠gabrielruizbernal.com⁠⁠. Help support the show at ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠⁠⁠. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September marks the 50th anniversary of the debut of Mel Brooks' short-lived Robin Hood spoof "When Things Were Rotten," starring beloved character actors Dick Gautier and Bernie Kopell. Back in 2016, Bernie joined Gilbert and Frank to talk about that series, as well as his six decades in show business, working with legends Steve Allen, Jack Benny and Phil Silvers and his signature roles on "Get Smart" and "The Love Boat." Also, Charles Boyer apologizes, Raymond Burr takes a seat, Sid Caesar surrounds himself with comedy geniuses and Bernie "gifts" Harvey Korman with a bidet. PLUS: Jose' Jimenez! The world's slowest agent! Louis Armstrong hails a cab! Jonathan Winters lays down the law! In praise of Dick Van Dyke (and Mary Tyler Moore)! And a surprise guest calls in to the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a reminder to mark your calendar to come meet Sarah at Thirdlove on Fillmore on October 3rd! The biggest winner at the Emmys was The Boys and Girls Club of America. Thanks, Nate Bargatze! Sean Penn didn't hold back in the Charlie Sheen documentary. We're just days away from a new Survivor season! Is Sarah a total hypocrite? What to watch on TV tonight: ‘South Park' has a new episode, ‘The Morning Show' premiers, ‘Gen V' starts its second season, and ‘Elio' comes to Disney+! Pasta, what's not to like? Uhh… the blood sugar spike. Mel Brooks, 99 years old, is reflecting on his favorite from one of his films. Stuff we learned in school that we absolutely didn't need. Zyns are an alternative to chewing tobacco, but skip both if you can. Getting a #1 hit is the ultimate music achievement: Do you remember these huge songs that could never quite get the top spot? The Robert Redford tributes are rolling in. Here's stuff you can't do at Disneyland. It's crazy to think smoking at 12 years old used to not be all that strange. The Whole Foods in Santa Cruz has (finally) reopened! Newborn circumcision rates are falling - please enjoy this spirited discussion on the topic.Ed Sheeran says his wife will get to pick the tracks of his final album, AFTER he dies. Cardi B is on a headlining tour with a new album out this Friday. A Joni Mitchell biopic is on the way! Anya Taylor Joy and Meryl Streep are heavily rumored to be portraying her. The box office is full of variety and hits! Vinnie's got some delightful fast facts, and a game! Can Bob end her losing streak?

Is Sarah a total hypocrite? What to watch on TV tonight: ‘South Park' has a new episode, ‘The Morning Show' premiers, ‘Gen V' starts its second season, and ‘Elio' comes to Disney+! Pasta, what's not to like? Uhh… the blood sugar spike. Mel Brooks, 99 years old, is reflecting on his favorite from one of his films. Stuff we learned in school that we absolutely didn't need. Zyns are an alternative to chewing tobacco, but skip both if you can. Getting a #1 hit is the ultimate music achievement: Do you remember these huge songs that could never quite get the top spot?

Seth takes a closer look at Republicans now claiming the Jeffrey Epstein files are fake after years of demanding their release and Trump getting heckled by protesters at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.Then, Josh Gad talks about being directed by Alex Winter in the film Adulthood, pitching Spaceballs 2 to Mel Brooks after dreaming up the entire movie and having reservations about The Book of Mormon after reading the script for the first time.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.