Podcasts about RKO Pictures

CONTENT WARNING: Discussion of racism, sexual assault, false imprisonment. We've got a new name, a new season, and a new series! First up, we talk about our name change with a tagline you may be familiar with. Then, we kick off a new series with a trip through ALL the decades - if the year ends in 5, we're watching a movie from it! We kick things off with a frothy, zippy, real humdinger of a musical with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers doing their thing. Remarkably, this movie is incredibly wholesome and unproblematic, its most offensive thing being a wacky Italian accent that angered Mussolini - in short, a net benefit. We kick off our Decades Grab Bag with 1935's Top Hat on Have a Good Movie! You can email us with feedback at macintoshandmaud@gmail.com, or you can connect with us on BlueSky! If you like the podcast, please subscribe, rate and review the show on your favorite podcatcher, and tell your friends. Intro and outro music taken from the Second Movement of Ludwig von Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Hong Kong (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 HK) license. To hear the full performance or get more information, visit the song page at the Internet Archive. Excerpt taken from the main title to the film Top Hat, written and composed by Irving Berlin. Copyright 1935 RKO Pictures, Inc. Excerpts taken from the main title to the film Mildred Pierce, written and composed by Max Steiner. Copyright 1945, 2005 Turner Entertainment Co., Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

rWotD Episode 2868: Room Service (play) Welcome to Random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia’s vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Tuesday, 11 March 2025 is Room Service (play).Room Service is a farce written by Allen Boretz and John Murray. It was originally produced by George Abbott and debuted at the Cort Theatre in New York City on May 19, 1937. Its initial production ran for 500 performances, closing on July 16, 1938. The play, starring Jack Lemmon in the role of Leo Davis, was revived on Broadway for a short run of 16 performances in 1953.RKO Pictures purchased the film rights for a then-record $225,000 and used it as the basis for the film of the same title as a vehicle for the Marx Brothers. In 1944, RKO released a musical film adaptation entitled Step Lively starring Frank Sinatra.The original 1937 Broadway production starred Sam Levene as Gordon Miller, Eddie Albert as Leo Davis and Phillip Loeb as Harry Binion.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:48 UTC on Tuesday, 11 March 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Room Service (play) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Kimberly.

It's Bela Lugosi's birthday! And to celebrate, Livio invites author and film historian Greg Mank back to the show to talk about RKO Pictures 1945 film The Body Snatcher. Livio and Greg will take up the next 2.5 hours of your day to talk about this iconic Val Lewton film, it's stars, the production, comparisons between Val Lewton's horror films and Universals - and much, much more! Don't fear being burked or worry about no one keeping watch over your loved ones grave - Livio & Greg are keeping everyone entertained!

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and allies like Ayn Rand were convinced that Hollywood was infested with communists. Now they started scouring the movies themselves for evidence of propaganda. Anti-communist figures in the movie business, including John Wayne and Gary Cooper, create the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals to counter groups like the Writers Guild. Even American classics like It's a Wonderful Life came under FBI scrutiny. Studios began to feel the pressure – even changing seemingly innocuous scripts to avoid political heat. Archive: The Locket, directed by John Brahm for RKO Pictures, 1946 Robert F Wagner on National Labour Relations Act, Labor Comes of Age, ABC Television, 1965 Ayn Rand interviewed by Mike Wallace, ABC Television, 1959 Interviews with Dalton Trumbo, UCLA Department of Communication Archive, 1972 Woman of the Year, directed by George Stevens for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1942 Hedda Hopper's Hollywood Show, 14 January 1951 It's a Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra for RKO Pictures, 1946

Happy Spooky Season, y'all! On our previous episode with Josh Larsen we teased that we'd likely be covering one of the films we mentioned in our discussion of the theology of horror movies, and it's that time! We're excited to kick things off this October by covering the underseen horror classic Cat People from 1942 (congrats to the folks who guessed it correctly!). The description on The Criterion Collection's website for the film, in part, reads: "The first of the horror films producer Val Lewton made for RKO Pictures redefined the genre by leaving its most frightening terrors to its audience's imagination. Simone Simon stars as a Serbian émigré in Manhattan who believes that, because of an ancient curse, any physical intimacy with the man she loves (Kent Smith) will turn her into a feline predator." In its brisk 73-minute runtime, the film is in turn scary, thought-provoking, and incredibly impressive as a artistic work made with such little money and under significant time constraints. We are also excited to have the perfect guest for this tale of sexual repression & religious fundamentalism, artist and author Stephanie Stalvey. Stephanie writes and draws comics and is most widely known for her graphic memoir "Pure," currently being released on her website with a published collection on its way when it's finished. She writes about her own experiences with fundamentalism and purity culture and a few of her short stories were so thematically similar to the story portrayed in the film (links below), that we had to reach out. The result was a fantastic conversation that we hope encourages and edifies you as much as it did us. And who know, we just may have her back for a Curse of the Cat People bonus for Patreon supporters sometime! If you enjoy the show, please consider messaging it to a friend who would like it and giving us a rating/review on your platform of choice so others can get in on the conversation as well! Links: Fear Not! by Josh Larsen (Filmspotting) Watch Cat People free on the Internet Archive Substantive Cinema Letterboxd List Stephanie IG short 1 Stephanie IG short 2 Shoutouts: Mad Men (series) Bluey (series) Fun Home Are You My Mother? Follow Stephanie: IG Art Page Website Follow Us: ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube Channel⁠⁠ Share Your Questions/Suggestions/Feedback With Us: Email: thesubstancepod@gmail.com Support Us: NEW OPTION! We have finally joined Patreon! Support the show with an individual donation on CashApp to $TheSubstancePod or become a monthly Patreon supporter at patreon.com/TheSubstancePod --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesubstancepod/support

On this edition we spotlight Jack Paar. The author, comedian, and actor is best known as one of the most successful hosts of NBC's Tonight Show. The Canton Ohio native began his career working in radio, despite growing up with a stutter. Paar was a humorous DJ at radio stations in Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo, and was then given his own network radio show on NBC in 1947. After getting into a disagreement with the show's sponsor, Paar briefly worked as an actor for RKO Pictures. In 1950 Jack Paar returned to radio as a game show host but again clashed with his sponsor. He got a few jobs in television, and was given his big break, as host of the Tonight Show in 1957. Ten years after his first network radio shows, which are coming up next.  More at http://krobcollection.com

Jacques Tourneur's 1947 film noir, OUT OF THE PAST, is up for discussion this week. We talk about the early screen performances by Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas, RKO Pictures, whether Film Noir is a style or genre, and much more. We'll also give our top 7 best neo noir films in our Silver Screen 7 and hand out our 5 awards to Out of the Past in our Nerd Out.

On this episode, we talk about the great American filmmaker Robert Altman, and what is arguably the worst movie of his six decade, thirty-five film career: his 1987 atrocity O.C. and Stiggs. ----more---- TRANSCRIPT   From Los Angeles, California, the Entertainment Capital of the World, it's The 80s Movies Podcast. I am your host, Edward Havens. Thank you for listening today.   On this episode, we're going to talk about one of the strangest movies to come out of the decade, not only for its material, but for who directed it.   Robert Altman's O.C. and Stiggs.   As always, before we get to the O.C. and Stiggs, we will be going a little further back in time.   Although he is not every cineaste's cup of tea, it is generally acknowledged that Robert Altman was one of the best filmmakers to ever work in cinema. But he wasn't an immediate success when he broke into the industry.   Born in Kansas City in February 1925, Robert Altman would join the US Army Air Force after graduating high school, as many a young man would do in the days of World War II. He would train to be a pilot, and he would fly more than 50 missions during the war as part of the 307th Bomb Group, operating in the Pacific Theatre. They would help liberate prisoners of war held in Japanese POW Camps from Okinawa to Manila after the victory over Japan lead to the end of World War II in that part of the world.   After the war, Altman would move to Los Angeles to break into the movies, and he would even succeed in selling a screenplay to RKO Pictures called Bodyguard, a film noir story shot in 1948 starring Lawrence Tierney and Priscilla Lane, but on the final film, he would only share a “Story by” credit with his then-writing partner, George W. George. But by 1950, he'd be back in Kansas City, where he would direct more than 65 industrial films over the course of three years, before heading back to Los Angeles with the experience he would need to take another shot.   Altman would spend a few years directing episodes of a drama series called Pulse of the City on the DuMont television network and a syndicated police drama called The Sheriff of Cochise, but he wouldn't get his first feature directing gig until 1957, when a businessman in Kansas City would hire the thirty-two year old to write and direct a movie locally. That film, The Delinquents, cost only $60k to make, and would be purchased for release by United Artists for $150k. The first film to star future Billy Jack writer/director/star Tom Laughlin, The Delinquents would gross more than a million dollars in theatres, a very good sum back in those days, but despite the success of the film, the only work Altman could get outside of television was co-directing The James Dean Story, a documentary set up at Warner Brothers to capitalize on the interest in the actor after dying in a car accident two years earlier.   Throughout the 1960s, Altman would continue to work in television, until he was finally given another chance to direct a feature film. 1967's Countdown was a lower budgeted feature at Warner Brothers featuring James Caan in an early leading role, about the space race between the Americans and Soviets, a good two years before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. The shoot itself was easy, but Altman would be fired from the film shortly after filming was completed, as Jack Warner, the 75 year old head of the studio, was not very happy about the overlapping dialogue, a motif that would become a part of Altman's way of making movies. Although his name appears in the credits as the director of the film, he had no input in its assembly. His ambiguous ending was changed, and the film would be edited to be more family friendly than the director intended.   Altman would follow Countdown with 1969's That Cold Day in the Park, a psychological drama that would be both a critical and financial disappointment.   But his next film would change everything.   Before Altman was hired by Twentieth-Century Fox to direct MASH, more than a dozen major filmmakers would pass on the project. An adaptation of a little known novel by a Korean War veteran who worked as a surgeon at one of the Mobile Auxiliary Surgical Hospitals that give the story its acronymic title, MASH would literally fly under the radar from the executives at the studio, as most of the $3m film would be shot at the studio's ranch lot in Malibu, while the executives were more concerned about their bigger movies of the year in production, like their $12.5m biographical film on World War II general George S. Patton and their $25m World War II drama Tora! Tora! Tora!, one of the first movies to be a Japanese and American co-production since the end of the war.    Altman was going to make MASH his way, no matter what. When the studio refused to allow him to hire a fair amount of extras to populate the MASH camp, Altman would steal individual lines from other characters to give to background actors, in order to get the bustling atmosphere he wanted. In order to give the camp a properly dirty look, he would shoot most of the outdoor scenes with a zoom lens and a fog filter with the camera a reasonably far distance from the actors, so they could act to one another instead of the camera, giving the film a sort of documentary feel. And he would find flexibility when the moment called for it. Sally Kellerman, who was hired to play Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan, would work with Altman to expand and improve her character to be more than just eye candy, in large part because Altman liked what she was doing in her scenes.   This kind of flexibility infuriated the two major stars of the film, Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland, who at one point during the shoot tried to get Altman fired for treating everyone in the cast and crew with the same level of respect and decorum regardless of their position. But unlike at Warners a couple years earlier, the success of movies like Bonnie and Clyde and Easy Rider bamboozled Hollywood studio executives, who did not understand exactly what the new generation of filmgoers wanted, and would often give filmmakers more leeway than before, in the hopes that lightning could be captured once again.   And Altman would give them exactly that.   MASH, which would also be the first major studio film to be released with The F Word spoken on screen, would not only become a critical hit, but become the third highest grossing movie released in 1970, grossing more than $80m. The movie would win the Palme D'Or at that year's Cannes Film Festival, and it would be nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress for Ms. Kellerman, winning only for Best Adapted Screenplay. An ironic win, since most of the dialogue was improvised on set, but the victory for screenwriter Ring Lardner Jr. would effectively destroy the once powerful Hollywood Blacklist that had been in place since the Red Scare of the 1950s.   After MASH, Altman went on one of the greatest runs any filmmaker would ever enjoy.   MASH would be released in January 1970, and Altman's follow up, Brewster McCloud, would be released in December 1970. Bud Cort, the future star of Harold and Maude, plays a recluse who lives in the fallout shelter of the Houston Astrodome, who is building a pair of wings in order to achieve his dream of flying. The film would feature a number of actors who already were featured in MASH and would continue to be featured in a number of future Altman movies, including Sally Kellerman, Michael Murphy, John Schuck and Bert Remson, but another reason to watch Brewster McCloud if you've never seen it is because it is the film debut of Shelley Duvall, one of our greatest and least appreciated actresses, who would go on to appear in six other Altman movies over the ensuing decade.   1971's McCabe and Mrs. Miller, for me, is his second best film. A Western starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie, was a minor hit when it was first released but has seen a reevaluation over the years that found it to be named the 8th Best Western of all time by the American Film Institute, which frankly is too low for me. The film would also bring a little-known Canadian poet and musician to the world, Leonard Cohen, who wrote and performed three songs for the soundtrack. Yeah, you have Robert Altman to thank for Leonard Cohen.   1972's Images was another psychological horror film, this time co-written with English actress Susannah York, who also stars in the film as an author of children's books who starts to have wild hallucinations at her remote vacation home, after learning her husband might be cheating on her. The $800k film was one of the first to be produced by Hemdale Films, a British production company co-founded by Blow Up actor David Hemmings, but the film would be a critical and financial disappointment when it was released Christmas week. But it would get nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score. It would be one of two nominations in the category for John Williams, the other being The Poseidon Adventure.   Whatever resentment Elliott Gould may have had with Altman during the shooting of MASH was gone by late 1972, when the actor agreed to star in the director's new movie, a modern adaptation of Raymond Chandler's 1953 novel The Long Goodbye. Gould would be the eighth actor to play the lead character, Phillip Marlowe, in a movie. The screenplay would be written by Leigh Brackett, who Star Wars nerds know as the first writer on The Empire Strikes Back but had also adapted Chandler's novel The Big Sleep, another Phillip Marlowe story, to the big screen back in 1946.   Howard Hawks and Peter Bogdanovich had both been approached to make the film, and it would be Bogdanovich who would recommend Altman to the President of United Artists. The final film would anger Chandler fans, who did not like Altman's approach to the material, and the $1.7m film would gross less than $1m when it was released in March 1973. But like many of Altman's movies, it was a big hit with critics, and would find favor with film fans in the years to come.   1974 would be another year where Altman would make and release two movies in the same calendar year. The first, Thieves Like Us, was a crime drama most noted as one of the few movies to not have any kind of traditional musical score. What music there is in the film is usually heard off radios seen in individual scenes. Once again, we have a number of Altman regulars in the film, including Shelley Duvall, Bert Remsen, John Schuck and Tom Skerritt, and would feature Keith Carradine, who had a small co-starring role in McCabe and Mrs. Miller, in his first major leading role. And, once again, the film would be a hit with critics but a dud with audiences. Unlike most of Altman's movies of the 1970s, Thieves Like Us has not enjoyed the same kind of reappraisal.   The second film, California Split, was released in August, just six months after Thieves Like Us. Elliott Gould once again stars in a Robert Altman movie, this time alongside George Segal. They play a pair of gamblers who ride what they think is a lucky streak from Los Angeles to Reno, Nevada, would be the only time Gould and Segal would work closely together in a movie, and watching California Split, one wishes there could have been more. The movie would be an innovator seemingly purpose-build for a Robert Altman movie, for it would be the first non-Cinerama movie to be recorded using an eight track stereo sound system. More than any movie before, Altman could control how his overlapping dialogue was placed in a theatre. But while most theatres that played the movie would only play it in mono sound, the film would still be a minor success, bringing in more than $5m in ticket sales.   1975 would bring what many consider to be the quintessential Robert Altman movie to screens.   The two hour and forty minute Nashville would feature no less than 24 different major characters, as a group of people come to Music City to be involved in a gala concert for a political outsider who is running for President on the Replacement Party ticket. The cast is one of the best ever assembled for a movie ever, including Ned Beatty, Karen Black, Ronee Blakely, Keith Carradine, Geraldine Chaplin, Robert DoQui, Shelley Duvall, Allen Garfield, Henry Gibson, Scott Glenn, Jeff Goldblum, Barbara Harris, Cristina Raines, Lily Tomlin and Keenan Wynn.   Altman would be nominated for two Academy Awards for the film, Best Picture, as its producer, and Best Director, while both Ronee Blakely and Lily Tomlin would be nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Keith Carradine would also be nominated for an Oscar, but not as an actor. He would, at the urging of Altman during the production of the film, write and perform a song called I'm Easy, which would win for Best Original Song. The $2.2m film would earn $10m in ticket sales, and would eventually become part of the fourth class of movies to be selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 1991, the first of four Robert Altman films to be given that honor. MASH, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, and The Long Goodbye would also be selected for preservation over the years.   And we're going to stop here for a second and take a look at that list of films again.   MASH Brewster McCloud McCabe and Mrs. Miller Images The Long Goodbye Thieves Like Us California Split Nashville   Eight movies, made over a five year period, that between them earned twelve Academy Award nominations, four of which would be deemed so culturally important that they should be preserved for future generations.   And we're still only in the middle of the 1970s.   But the problem with a director like Robert Altman, like many of our greatest directors, their next film after one of their greatest successes feels like a major disappointment. And his 1976 film Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson, and that is the complete title of the film by the way, did not meet the lofty expectations of film fans not only its director, but of its main stars. Altman would cast two legendary actors he had not yet worked with, Paul Newman and Burt Lancaster, and the combination of those two actors with this director should have been fantastic, but the results were merely okay. In fact,  Altman would, for the first time in his career, re-edit a film after its theatrical release, removing some of the Wild West show acts that he felt were maybe redundant.   His 1977 film 3 Women would bring Altman back to the limelight. The film was based on a dream he had one night while his wife was in the hospital. In the dream, he was directing his regular co-star Shelley Duvall alongside Sissy Spacek, who he had never worked with before, in a story about identity theft that took place in the deserts outside Los Angeles. He woke up in the middle of the dream, jotted down what he could remember, and went back to sleep. In the morning, he didn't have a full movie planned out, but enough of one to get Alan Ladd, Jr., the President of Twentieth-Century Fox, to put up $1.7m for a not fully formed idea. That's how much Robert Altman was trusted at the time. That, and Altman was known for never going over budget. As long as he stayed within his budget, Ladd would let Altman make whatever movie he wanted to make. That, plus Ladd was more concerned about a $10m movie he approved that was going over budget over in England, a science fiction movie directed by the guy who did American Graffiti that had no stars outside of Sir Alec Guinness.   That movie, of course, was Star Wars, which would be released four weeks after 3 Women had its premiere in New York City. While the film didn't make 1/100th the money Star Wars made, it was one of the best reviewed movies of the year. But, strangely, the film would not be seen again outside of sporadic screenings on cable until it was released on DVD by the Criterion Collection 27 years later.   I'm not going to try and explain the movie to you. Just trust me that 3 Women is from a master craftsman at the top of his game.   While on the press tour to publicize 3 Women, a reporter asked Altman what was going to be next for him. He jokingly said he was going to shoot a wedding. But then he went home, thought about it some more, and in a few weeks, had a basic idea sketched out for a movie titled A Wedding that would take place over the course of one day, as the daughter of a Southern nouveau riche family marries the son of a wealthy Chicago businessman who may or may not a major figure in The Outfit.   And while the film is quite entertaining, what's most interesting about watching this 1978 movie in 2023 is not only how many great established actors Altman got for the film, including Carol Burnett, Paul Dooley, Howard Duff, Mia Farrow, Vittorio Gassman, Lauren Hutton, and, in her 100th movie, Lillian Gish, but the number of notable actors he was able to get because he shot the film just outside Chicago. Not only will you see Dennis Christopher just before his breakthrough in Breaking Away, and not only will you see Pam Dawber just before she was cast alongside Robin Williams in Mark and Mindy, but you'll also see Dennis Franz, Laurie Metcalfe, Gary Sinese, Tim Thomerson, and George Wendt.   And because Altman was able to keep the budget at a reasonable level, less than $1.75m, the film would be slightly profitable for Twentieth Century-Fox after grossing $3.6m at the box office.   Altman's next film for Fox, 1979's Quintet, would not be as fortunate.   Altman had come up with the story for this post-apocalyptic drama as a vehicle for Walter Hill to write and direct. But Hill would instead make The Warriors, and Altman decided to make the film himself. While developing the screenplay with his co-writers Frank Barhydt and Patricia Resnick, Altman would create a board game, complete with token pieces and a full set of rules, to flesh out the storyline.   Altman would once again work with Paul Newman, who stars as a seal hunter in the early days of a new ice age who finds himself in elaborate game with a group of gamblers where losing in the game means losing your life in the process. Altman would deliberately hire an international cast to star alongside Newman, not only to help improve the film's ability to do well in foreign territories but to not have the storyline tied to any specific country. So we would have Italian actor Vittorio Gassman, Spaniard Fernando Rey, Swedish actress Bibi Andersson, French actress Brigitte Fossey, and Danish actress Nina van Pallandt.    In order to maintain the mystery of the movie, Altman would ask Fox to withhold all pre-release publicity for the film, in order to avoid any conditioning of the audience. Imagine trying to put together a compelling trailer for a movie featuring one of the most beloved actors of all time, but you're not allowed to show potential audiences what they're getting themselves into? Altman would let the studio use five shots from the film, totaling about seven seconds, for the trailer, which mostly comprised of slo-mo shots of a pair of dice bouncing around, while the names of the stars pop up from moment to moment and a narrator tries to create some sense of mystery on the soundtrack.   But audiences would not be intrigued by the mystery, and critics would tear the $6.4m budget film apart. To be fair, the shoot for the film, in the winter of 1977 outside Montreal was a tough time for all, and Altman would lose final cut on the film for going severely over-budget during production, although there seems to be very little documentation about how much the final film might have differed from what Altman would have been working on had he been able to complete the film his way.   But despite all the problems with Quintet, Fox would still back Altman's next movie, A Perfect Couple, which would be shot after Fox pulled Altman off Quintet. Can you imagine that happening today? A director working with the studio that just pulled them off their project. But that's how little ego Altman had. He just wanted to make movies. Tell stories. This simple romantic comedy starred his regular collaborator Paul Dooley as  Alex, a man who follows a band of traveling bohemian musicians because he's falling for one of the singers in the band.   Altman kept the film on its $1.9m budget, but the response from critics was mostly concern that Altman had lost his touch. Maybe it was because this was his 13th film of the decade, but there was a serious concern about the director's ability to tell a story had evaporated.   That worry would continue with his next film, Health.   A satire of the political scene in the United States at the end of the 1970s, Health would follow a health food organization holding a convention at a luxury hotel in St. Petersburg FL. As one would expect from a Robert Altman movie, there's one hell of a cast. Along with Henry Gibson, and Paul Dooley, who co-write the script with Altman and Frank Barhydt, the cast would include Lauren Bacall, Carol Burnett, James Garner and, in one of her earliest screen appearances, Alfre Woodard, as well as Dick Cavett and Dinah Shore as themselves.   But between the shooting of the film in the late winter and early spring of 1979 and the planned Christmas 1979 release, there was a change of management at Fox. Alan Ladd Jr. was out, and after Altman turned in his final cut, new studio head Norman Levy decided to pull the film off the 1979 release calendar. Altman fought to get the film released sometime during the 1980 Presidential Campaign, and was able to get Levy to give the film a platform release starting in Los Angeles and New York City in March 1980, but that date would get cancelled as well. Levy then suggested an April 1980 test run in St. Louis, which Altman was not happy with. Altman countered with test runs in Boston, Houston, Sacramento and San Francisco. The best Altman, who was in Malta shooting his next movie, could get were sneak previews of the film in those four markets, and the response cards from the audience were so bad, the studio decided to effectively put the film on the proverbial shelf.   Back from the Mediterranean Sea, Altman would get permission to take the film to the Montreal World Film Festival in August, and the Telluride and Venice Film Festivals in September. After good responses from film goers at those festivals, Fox would relent, and give the film a “preview” screening at the United Artists Theatre in Westwood, starting on September 12th, 1980. But the studio would give the film the most boring ad campaign possible, a very crude line drawing of an older woman's pearl bracelet-covered arm thrusted upward while holding a carrot. With no trailers in circulation at any theatre, and no television commercials on air, it would be little surprise the film didn't do a whole lot of business. You really had to know the film had been released. But its $14k opening weekend gross wasn't really all that bad. And it's second week gross of $10,500 with even less ad support was decent if unspectacular. But it would be good enough to get the film a four week playdate at the UA Westwood.   And then, nothing, until early March 1981, when a film society at Northwestern University in Evanston IL was able to screen a 16mm print for one show, while a theatre in Baltimore was able to show the film one time at the end of March. But then, nothing again for more than another year, when the film would finally get a belated official release at the Film Forum in New York City on April 7th, 1982. It would only play for a week, and as a non-profit, the Film Forum does not report film grosses, so we have no idea how well the film actually did. Since then, the movie showed once on CBS in August 1983, and has occasionally played on the Fox Movie Channel, but has never been released on VHS or DVD or Blu-Ray.   I mentioned a few moments ago that while he was dealing with all this drama concerning Health, Altman was in the Mediterranean filming a movie. I'm not going to go too much into that movie here, since I already have an episode for the future planned for it, suffice to say that a Robert Altman-directed live-action musical version of the Popeye the Sailor Man cartoon featuring songs by the incomparable Harry Nilsson should have been a smash hit, but it wasn't. It was profitable, to be certain, but not the hit everyone was expecting. We'll talk about the film in much more detail soon.   After the disappointing results for Popeye, Altman decided to stop working in Hollywood for a while and hit the Broadway stages, to direct a show called Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. While the show's run was not very long and the reviews not very good, Altman would fund a movie version himself, thanks in part to the sale of his production company, Lion's Gate, not to be confused with the current studio called Lionsgate, and would cast Karen Black, Cher and Sandy Dennis alongside newcomers Sudie Bond and Kathy Bates, as five female members of The Disciples of James Dean come together on the 20th anniversary of the actor's death to honor his life and times. As the first film released by a new independent distributor called Cinecom, I'll spend more time talking about this movie on our show about that distributor, also coming soon, suffice it to say that Altman was back. Critics were behind the film, and arthouse audiences loved it. This would be the first time Altman adapted a stage play to the screen, and it would set the tone for a number of his works throughout the rest of the decade.   Streamers was Altman's 17th film in thirteen years, and another adaptation of a stage play. One of several works by noted Broadway playwright David Rabe's time in the Army during the Vietnam War, the film followed four young soldiers waiting to be shipped to Vietnam who deal with racial tensions and their own intolerances when one soldier reveals he is gay. The film featured Matthew Modine as the Rabe stand-in, and features a rare dramatic role for comedy legend David Alan Grier. Many critics would note how much more intense the film version was compared to the stage version, as Altman's camera was able to effortlessly breeze around the set, and get up close and personal with the performers in ways that simply cannot happen on the stage. But in 1983, audiences were still not quite ready to deal with the trauma of Vietnam on film, and the film would be fairly ignored by audiences, grossing just $378k.   Which, finally, after half an hour, brings us to our featured movie.   O.C. and Stiggs.   Now, you might be asking yourself why I went into such detail about Robert Altman's career, most of it during the 1970s. Well, I wanted to establish what types of material Altman would chose for his projects, and just how different O.C. and Stiggs  was from any other project he had made to date.   O.C. and Stiggs began their lives in the July 1981 issue of National Lampoon, as written by two of the editors of the magazine, Ted Mann and Tod Carroll. The characters were fun-loving and occasionally destructive teenage pranksters, and their first appearance in the magazine would prove to be so popular with readers, the pair would appear a few more times until Matty Simmons, the publisher and owner of National Lampoon, gave over the entire October 1982 issue to Mann and Carroll for a story called “The Utterly Monstrous Mind-Roasting Summer of O.C. and Stiggs.” It's easy to find PDFs of the issues online if you look for it.   So the issue becomes one of the biggest selling issues in the history of National Lampoon, and Matty Simmons has been building the National Lampoon brand name by sponsoring a series of movies, including Animal House, co-written by Lampoon writers Doug Kenney and Chris Miller, and the soon to be released movies Class Reunion, written by Lampoon writer John Hughes… yes, that John Hughes… and Movie Madness, written by five Lampoon writers including Tod Carroll. But for some reason, Simmons was not behind the idea of turning the utterly monstrous mind-roasting adventures of O.C. and Stiggs into a movie. He would, however, allow Mann and Carroll to shop the idea around Hollywood, and wished them the best of luck.   As luck would have it, Mann and Carroll would meet Peter Newman, who had worked as Altman's production executive on Jimmy Dean, and was looking to set up his first film as a producer. And while Newman might not have had the credits, he had the connections. The first person he would take the script to his Oscar-winning director Mike Nichols, whose credits by this time included Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff?, The Graduate, Catch-22, and Carnal Knowledge. Surprisingly, Nichols was not just interested in making the movie, but really wanted to have Eddie Murphy, who was a breakout star on Saturday Night Live but was still a month away from becoming a movie star when 48 Hours was released, play one of the leading characters. But Murphy couldn't get out of his SNL commitments, and Nichols had too many other projects, both on Broadway and in movies, to be able to commit to the film.    A few weeks later, Newman and Altman both attended a party where they would catch up after several months. Newman started to tell Altman about this new project he was setting up, and to Newman's surprise, Altman, drawn to the characters' anti-establishment outlook, expressed interest in making it. And because Altman's name still commanded respect in Hollywood, several studios would start to show their interest in making the movie with them. MGM, who was enjoying a number of successes in 1982 thanks to movies like Shoot the Moon, Diner, Victor/Victoria, Rocky III, Poltergeist, Pink Floyd - The Wall, and My Favorite Year, made a preemptive bid on the film, hoping to beat Paramount Pictures to the deal. Unknown to Altman, what interested MGM was that Sylvester Stallone of all people went nuts for the script when he read it, and mentioned to his buddies at the studio that he might be interested in making it himself.   Despite hating studio executives for doing stuff like buying a script he's attached to  then kicking him off so some Italian Stallion not known for comedy could make it himself, Altman agree to make the movie with MGM once Stallone lost interest, as the studio promised there would be no further notes about the script, that Altman could have final cut on the film, that he could shoot the film in Phoenix without studio interference, and that he could have a budget of $7m.   Since this was a Robert Altman film, the cast would be big and eclectic, filled with a number of his regular cast members, known actors who he had never worked with before, and newcomers who would go on to have success a few years down the road. Because, seriously, outside of a Robert Altman movie, where are you going to find a cast that included Jon Cryer, Jane Curtin, Paul Dooley, Dennis Hopper, Tina Louise, Martin Mull, Cynthia Nixon, Bob Uecker, Melvin van Peebles, and King Sunny Adé and His African Beats? And then imagine that movie also featuring Matthew Broderick, Jim Carrey, Robert Downey, Jr. and Laura Dern?   The story for the film would both follow the stories that appeared in the pages of National Lampoon fairly closely while also making some major changes. In the film, Oliver Cromwell “O.C.” Oglivie and Mark Stiggs are two ne'er-do-well, middle-class Phoenix, Arizona high school students who are disgusted with what they see as an omnipresent culture of vulgar and vapid suburban consumerism. They spend their days slacking off and committing pranks or outright crimes against their sworn enemies, the Schwab family, especially family head Randall Schwab, a wealthy insurance salesman who was responsible for the involuntary commitment of O.C.'s grandfather into a group home. During the film, O.C. and Stiggs will ruin the wedding of Randall Schwab's daughter Lenore, raft their way down to a Mexican fiesta, ruin a horrible dinner theatre performance directed by their high school's drama teacher being attended by the Schwabs, and turn the Schwab mansion into a homeless shelter while the family is on vacation. The film ends with O.C. and Stiggs getting into a gun fight with Randall Schwab before being rescued by Dennis Hopper and a helicopter, before discovering one of their adventures that summer has made them very wealthy themselves.   The film would begin production in Phoenix on August 22nd, 1983, with two newcomers, Daniel H. Jenkins and Neill Barry, as the titular stars of the film. And almost immediately, Altman's chaotic ways of making a movie would become a problem. Altman would make sure the entire cast and crew were all staying at the same hotel in town, across the street from a greyhound racetrack, so Altman could take off to bet on a few of the races during production downtime, and made sure the bar at the hotel was an open bar for his team while they were shooting. When shooting was done every day, the director and his cast would head to a makeshift screening room at the hotel, where they'd watch the previous day's footage, a process called “dailies” in production parlance. On most films, dailies are only attended by the director and his immediate production crew, but in Phoenix, everyone was encouraged to attend. And according to producer Peter Newman and Dan Jenkins, everyone loved the footage, although both would note that it might have been a combination of the alcohol, the pot, the cocaine and the dehydration caused by shooting all day in the excessive Arizona heat during the middle of summer that helped people enjoy the footage.    But here's the funny thing about dailies.   Unless a film is being shot in sequence, you're only seeing small fragments of scenes, often the same actors doing the same things over and over again, before the camera switches places to catch reactions or have other characters continue the scene. Sometimes, they're long takes of scenes that might be interrupted by an actor flubbing a line or an unexpected camera jitter or some other interruption that requires a restart. But everyone seemed to be having fun, especially when dailies ended and Altman would show one of his other movies like MASH or The Long Goodbye or 3 Women.   After two months of shooting, the film would wrap production, and Altman would get to work on his edit of the film. He would have it done before the end of 1983, and he would turn it in to the studio. Shortly after the new year, there would be a private screening of the film in New York City at the offices of the talent agency William Morris, one of the larger private screening rooms in the city. Altman was there, the New York-based executives at MGM were there, Peter Newman was there, several of the actors were there. And within five minutes of the start of the film, Altman realized what he was watching was not his cut of the film. As he was about to lose his stuff and start yelling at the studio executives, the projector broke. The lights would go up, and Altman would dig into the the executives. “This is your effing cut of the film and not mine!” Altman stormed out of the screening and into the cold New York winter night.   A few weeks later, that same print from New York would be screened for the big executives at the MGM lot in Los Angeles. Newman was there, and, surprisingly, Altman was there too. The film would screen for the entire running length, and Altman would sit there, watching someone else's version of the footage he had shot, scenes put in different places than they were supposed to be, music cues not of his design or consent.   At the end of the screening, the room was silent. Not one person in the room had laughed once during the entire screening. Newman and Altman left after the screening, and hit one of Altman's favorite local watering holes. As they said their goodbyes the next morning, Altman apologized to Newman. “I hope I didn't eff up your movie.”   Maybe the movie wasn't completely effed up, but MGM certainly neither knew what to do with the film or how to sell it, so it would just sit there, just like Health a few years earlier, on that proverbial shelf.   More than a year later, in an issue of Spin Magazine, a review of the latest album by King Sunny Adé would mention the film he performed in, O.C. and Stiggs, would, quote unquote, “finally” be released into theatres later that year.   That didn't happen, in large part because after WarGames in the early summer of 1983, almost every MGM release had been  either an outright bomb or an unexpected financial disappointment. The cash flow problem was so bad that the studio effectively had to sell itself to Atlanta cable mogul Ted Turner in order to save itself. Turner didn't actually want all of MGM. He only wanted the valuable MGM film library, but the owner of MGM at the time was either going to sell it all or nothing at all.   Barely two months after Ted Turner bought MGM, he had sold the famed studio lot in Culver City to Lorimar, a television production company that was looking to become a producer and distributor of motion pictures, and sold rest of the company he never wanted in the first place to the guy he bought it all from, who had a kind of seller's remorse. But that repurchase would saddle the company with massive bills, and movies like O.C. and Stiggs would have to sit and collect dust while everything was sorted out.   How long would O.C. and Stiggs be left in a void?   It would be so long that Robert Altman would have time to make not one, not two, but three other movies that would all be released before O.C. and Stiggs ever saw the light of day.   The first, Secret Honor, released in 1984, featured the great Philip Baker Hall as former President Richard Nixon. It's probably Hall's single best work as an actor, and the film would be amongst the best reviewed films of Altman's career.   In 1985, Altman would film Fool For Love, an adaptation of a play by Sam Shepard. This would be the only time in Shepard's film career where he would star as one of the characters himself had written. The film would also prove once and for all that Kim Basinger was more than just a pretty face but a real actor.   And in February 1987, Altman's film version of Beyond Therapy, a play by absurdist playwright Christopher Durant, would open in theatres. The all-star cast would include Tom Conti, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Guest, Julie Hagerty and Glenda Jackson.   On March 5th, 1987, an article in Daily Variety would note that the “long shelved” film would have a limited theatrical release in May, despite the fact that Frank Yablans, the vice chairman of MGM, being quoted in the article that the film was unreleasable. It would further be noted that despite the film being available to international distributors for three years, not one company was willing to acquire the film for any market. The plan was to release the movie for one or two weeks in three major US markets, depending on its popularity, and then decide a future course of action from there.   But May would come and go, without a hint of the film.   Finally, on Friday, July 10th, the film would open on 18 screens, but none in any major market like Chicago, Los Angeles or New York City. I can't find a single theatre the film played in that weekend, but that week's box office figures would show an abysmal $6,273 worth of tickets were sold during that first weekend.   There would not be a second weekend of reported grosses.   But to MGM's credit, they didn't totally give up on the film.   On Thursday, August 27th, O.C. and Stiggs would open in at least one theatre. And, lucky for me, that theatre happened to be the Nickelodeon Theatre in Santa Cruz. But despite the fact that the new Robert Altman was opening in town, I could not get a single friend to see it with me. So on a Tuesday night at 8:40pm, I was the only person in all of the region to watch what I would soon discover was the worst Robert Altman movie of all time. Now, I should note that even a bad Robert Altman movie is better than many filmmakers' best movies, but O.C. and Stiggs would have ignobility of feeling very much like a Robert Altman movie, with its wandering camera and overlapping dialogue that weaves in and out of conversations while in progress and not quite over yet, yet not feeling anything like a Robert Altman movie at the same time. It didn't have that magical whimsy-ness that was the hallmark of his movies. The satire didn't have its normal bite. It had a number of Altman's regular troop of actors, but in smaller roles than they'd usually occupy, and not giving the performances one would expect of them in an Altman movie.   I don't know how well the film did at the Nick, suffice it to say the film was gone after a week.   But to MGM's credit, they still didn't give up on the film.   On October 9th, the film would open at the AMC Century City 14, one of a handful of movies that would open the newest multiplex in Los Angeles.   MGM did not report grosses, and the film was gone from the new multiplex after a week.   But to MGM's credit, they still didn't give up on the film.   The studio would give the film one more chance, opening it at the Film Forum in New York City on March 18th, 1988.   MGM did not report grosses, and the film was gone after a week. But whether that was because MGM didn't support the film with any kind of newspaper advertising in the largest market in America, or because the movie had been released on home video back in November, remains to be seen.   O.C. and Stiggs would never become anything resembling a cult film. It's been released on DVD, and if one was programming a Robert Altman retrospect at a local arthouse movie theatre, one could actually book a 35mm print of the film from the repertory cinema company Park Circus.   But don't feel bad for Altman, as he would return to cinemas with a vengeance in the 1990s, first with the 1990 biographical drama Vincent and Theo, featuring Tim Roth as the tortured genius 19th century painter that would put the actor on the map for good. Then, in 1992, he became a sensation again with his Hollywood satire The Player, featuring Tim Robbins as a murderous studio executive trying to keep the police off his trail while he navigates the pitfalls of the industry. Altman would receive his first Oscar nomination for Best Director since 1975 with The Player, his third overall, a feat he would repeat the following year with Short Cuts, based on a series of short stories by Raymond Carver. In fact, Altman would be nominated for an Academy Award seven times during his career, five times as a director and twice as a producer, although he would never win a competitive Oscar.   In March 2006, while editing his 35th film, a screen adaptation of the then-popular NPR series A Prairie Home Companion, the Academy would bestow an Honorary Oscar upon Altman. During his acceptance speech, Altman would wonder if perhaps the Academy acted prematurely in honoring him in this fashion. He revealed he had received a heart transplant in the mid-1990s, and felt that, even though he had turned 81 the month before, he could continue for another forty years.   Robert Altman would pass away from leukemia on November 20th, 2006, only eight months after receiving the biggest prize of his career.   Robert Altman had a style so unique onto himself, there's an adjective that exists to describe it. Altmanesque. Displaying traits typical of a film made by Robert Altman, typically highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective and often a subversive twist.   He truly was a one of a kind filmmaker, and there will likely never be anyone like him, no matter how hard Paul Thomas Anderson tries.     Thank you for joining us. We'll talk again in two weeks, when Episode 106, Mad Magazine Presents Up the Academy, is released.   Remember to visit this episode's page on our website, The80sMoviePodcast.com, for extra materials about the movies we covered this episode.   The 80s Movies Podcast has been researched, written, narrated and edited by Edward Havens for Idiosyncratic Entertainment.   Thank you again.   Good night.  

On this episode, we talk about the great American filmmaker Robert Altman, and what is arguably the worst movie of his six decade, thirty-five film career: his 1987 atrocity O.C. and Stiggs. ----more---- TRANSCRIPT   From Los Angeles, California, the Entertainment Capital of the World, it's The 80s Movies Podcast. I am your host, Edward Havens. Thank you for listening today.   On this episode, we're going to talk about one of the strangest movies to come out of the decade, not only for its material, but for who directed it.   Robert Altman's O.C. and Stiggs.   As always, before we get to the O.C. and Stiggs, we will be going a little further back in time.   Although he is not every cineaste's cup of tea, it is generally acknowledged that Robert Altman was one of the best filmmakers to ever work in cinema. But he wasn't an immediate success when he broke into the industry.   Born in Kansas City in February 1925, Robert Altman would join the US Army Air Force after graduating high school, as many a young man would do in the days of World War II. He would train to be a pilot, and he would fly more than 50 missions during the war as part of the 307th Bomb Group, operating in the Pacific Theatre. They would help liberate prisoners of war held in Japanese POW Camps from Okinawa to Manila after the victory over Japan lead to the end of World War II in that part of the world.   After the war, Altman would move to Los Angeles to break into the movies, and he would even succeed in selling a screenplay to RKO Pictures called Bodyguard, a film noir story shot in 1948 starring Lawrence Tierney and Priscilla Lane, but on the final film, he would only share a “Story by” credit with his then-writing partner, George W. George. But by 1950, he'd be back in Kansas City, where he would direct more than 65 industrial films over the course of three years, before heading back to Los Angeles with the experience he would need to take another shot.   Altman would spend a few years directing episodes of a drama series called Pulse of the City on the DuMont television network and a syndicated police drama called The Sheriff of Cochise, but he wouldn't get his first feature directing gig until 1957, when a businessman in Kansas City would hire the thirty-two year old to write and direct a movie locally. That film, The Delinquents, cost only $60k to make, and would be purchased for release by United Artists for $150k. The first film to star future Billy Jack writer/director/star Tom Laughlin, The Delinquents would gross more than a million dollars in theatres, a very good sum back in those days, but despite the success of the film, the only work Altman could get outside of television was co-directing The James Dean Story, a documentary set up at Warner Brothers to capitalize on the interest in the actor after dying in a car accident two years earlier.   Throughout the 1960s, Altman would continue to work in television, until he was finally given another chance to direct a feature film. 1967's Countdown was a lower budgeted feature at Warner Brothers featuring James Caan in an early leading role, about the space race between the Americans and Soviets, a good two years before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. The shoot itself was easy, but Altman would be fired from the film shortly after filming was completed, as Jack Warner, the 75 year old head of the studio, was not very happy about the overlapping dialogue, a motif that would become a part of Altman's way of making movies. Although his name appears in the credits as the director of the film, he had no input in its assembly. His ambiguous ending was changed, and the film would be edited to be more family friendly than the director intended.   Altman would follow Countdown with 1969's That Cold Day in the Park, a psychological drama that would be both a critical and financial disappointment.   But his next film would change everything.   Before Altman was hired by Twentieth-Century Fox to direct MASH, more than a dozen major filmmakers would pass on the project. An adaptation of a little known novel by a Korean War veteran who worked as a surgeon at one of the Mobile Auxiliary Surgical Hospitals that give the story its acronymic title, MASH would literally fly under the radar from the executives at the studio, as most of the $3m film would be shot at the studio's ranch lot in Malibu, while the executives were more concerned about their bigger movies of the year in production, like their $12.5m biographical film on World War II general George S. Patton and their $25m World War II drama Tora! Tora! Tora!, one of the first movies to be a Japanese and American co-production since the end of the war.    Altman was going to make MASH his way, no matter what. When the studio refused to allow him to hire a fair amount of extras to populate the MASH camp, Altman would steal individual lines from other characters to give to background actors, in order to get the bustling atmosphere he wanted. In order to give the camp a properly dirty look, he would shoot most of the outdoor scenes with a zoom lens and a fog filter with the camera a reasonably far distance from the actors, so they could act to one another instead of the camera, giving the film a sort of documentary feel. And he would find flexibility when the moment called for it. Sally Kellerman, who was hired to play Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan, would work with Altman to expand and improve her character to be more than just eye candy, in large part because Altman liked what she was doing in her scenes.   This kind of flexibility infuriated the two major stars of the film, Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland, who at one point during the shoot tried to get Altman fired for treating everyone in the cast and crew with the same level of respect and decorum regardless of their position. But unlike at Warners a couple years earlier, the success of movies like Bonnie and Clyde and Easy Rider bamboozled Hollywood studio executives, who did not understand exactly what the new generation of filmgoers wanted, and would often give filmmakers more leeway than before, in the hopes that lightning could be captured once again.   And Altman would give them exactly that.   MASH, which would also be the first major studio film to be released with The F Word spoken on screen, would not only become a critical hit, but become the third highest grossing movie released in 1970, grossing more than $80m. The movie would win the Palme D'Or at that year's Cannes Film Festival, and it would be nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress for Ms. Kellerman, winning only for Best Adapted Screenplay. An ironic win, since most of the dialogue was improvised on set, but the victory for screenwriter Ring Lardner Jr. would effectively destroy the once powerful Hollywood Blacklist that had been in place since the Red Scare of the 1950s.   After MASH, Altman went on one of the greatest runs any filmmaker would ever enjoy.   MASH would be released in January 1970, and Altman's follow up, Brewster McCloud, would be released in December 1970. Bud Cort, the future star of Harold and Maude, plays a recluse who lives in the fallout shelter of the Houston Astrodome, who is building a pair of wings in order to achieve his dream of flying. The film would feature a number of actors who already were featured in MASH and would continue to be featured in a number of future Altman movies, including Sally Kellerman, Michael Murphy, John Schuck and Bert Remson, but another reason to watch Brewster McCloud if you've never seen it is because it is the film debut of Shelley Duvall, one of our greatest and least appreciated actresses, who would go on to appear in six other Altman movies over the ensuing decade.   1971's McCabe and Mrs. Miller, for me, is his second best film. A Western starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie, was a minor hit when it was first released but has seen a reevaluation over the years that found it to be named the 8th Best Western of all time by the American Film Institute, which frankly is too low for me. The film would also bring a little-known Canadian poet and musician to the world, Leonard Cohen, who wrote and performed three songs for the soundtrack. Yeah, you have Robert Altman to thank for Leonard Cohen.   1972's Images was another psychological horror film, this time co-written with English actress Susannah York, who also stars in the film as an author of children's books who starts to have wild hallucinations at her remote vacation home, after learning her husband might be cheating on her. The $800k film was one of the first to be produced by Hemdale Films, a British production company co-founded by Blow Up actor David Hemmings, but the film would be a critical and financial disappointment when it was released Christmas week. But it would get nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score. It would be one of two nominations in the category for John Williams, the other being The Poseidon Adventure.   Whatever resentment Elliott Gould may have had with Altman during the shooting of MASH was gone by late 1972, when the actor agreed to star in the director's new movie, a modern adaptation of Raymond Chandler's 1953 novel The Long Goodbye. Gould would be the eighth actor to play the lead character, Phillip Marlowe, in a movie. The screenplay would be written by Leigh Brackett, who Star Wars nerds know as the first writer on The Empire Strikes Back but had also adapted Chandler's novel The Big Sleep, another Phillip Marlowe story, to the big screen back in 1946.   Howard Hawks and Peter Bogdanovich had both been approached to make the film, and it would be Bogdanovich who would recommend Altman to the President of United Artists. The final film would anger Chandler fans, who did not like Altman's approach to the material, and the $1.7m film would gross less than $1m when it was released in March 1973. But like many of Altman's movies, it was a big hit with critics, and would find favor with film fans in the years to come.   1974 would be another year where Altman would make and release two movies in the same calendar year. The first, Thieves Like Us, was a crime drama most noted as one of the few movies to not have any kind of traditional musical score. What music there is in the film is usually heard off radios seen in individual scenes. Once again, we have a number of Altman regulars in the film, including Shelley Duvall, Bert Remsen, John Schuck and Tom Skerritt, and would feature Keith Carradine, who had a small co-starring role in McCabe and Mrs. Miller, in his first major leading role. And, once again, the film would be a hit with critics but a dud with audiences. Unlike most of Altman's movies of the 1970s, Thieves Like Us has not enjoyed the same kind of reappraisal.   The second film, California Split, was released in August, just six months after Thieves Like Us. Elliott Gould once again stars in a Robert Altman movie, this time alongside George Segal. They play a pair of gamblers who ride what they think is a lucky streak from Los Angeles to Reno, Nevada, would be the only time Gould and Segal would work closely together in a movie, and watching California Split, one wishes there could have been more. The movie would be an innovator seemingly purpose-build for a Robert Altman movie, for it would be the first non-Cinerama movie to be recorded using an eight track stereo sound system. More than any movie before, Altman could control how his overlapping dialogue was placed in a theatre. But while most theatres that played the movie would only play it in mono sound, the film would still be a minor success, bringing in more than $5m in ticket sales.   1975 would bring what many consider to be the quintessential Robert Altman movie to screens.   The two hour and forty minute Nashville would feature no less than 24 different major characters, as a group of people come to Music City to be involved in a gala concert for a political outsider who is running for President on the Replacement Party ticket. The cast is one of the best ever assembled for a movie ever, including Ned Beatty, Karen Black, Ronee Blakely, Keith Carradine, Geraldine Chaplin, Robert DoQui, Shelley Duvall, Allen Garfield, Henry Gibson, Scott Glenn, Jeff Goldblum, Barbara Harris, Cristina Raines, Lily Tomlin and Keenan Wynn.   Altman would be nominated for two Academy Awards for the film, Best Picture, as its producer, and Best Director, while both Ronee Blakely and Lily Tomlin would be nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Keith Carradine would also be nominated for an Oscar, but not as an actor. He would, at the urging of Altman during the production of the film, write and perform a song called I'm Easy, which would win for Best Original Song. The $2.2m film would earn $10m in ticket sales, and would eventually become part of the fourth class of movies to be selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 1991, the first of four Robert Altman films to be given that honor. MASH, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, and The Long Goodbye would also be selected for preservation over the years.   And we're going to stop here for a second and take a look at that list of films again.   MASH Brewster McCloud McCabe and Mrs. Miller Images The Long Goodbye Thieves Like Us California Split Nashville   Eight movies, made over a five year period, that between them earned twelve Academy Award nominations, four of which would be deemed so culturally important that they should be preserved for future generations.   And we're still only in the middle of the 1970s.   But the problem with a director like Robert Altman, like many of our greatest directors, their next film after one of their greatest successes feels like a major disappointment. And his 1976 film Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson, and that is the complete title of the film by the way, did not meet the lofty expectations of film fans not only its director, but of its main stars. Altman would cast two legendary actors he had not yet worked with, Paul Newman and Burt Lancaster, and the combination of those two actors with this director should have been fantastic, but the results were merely okay. In fact,  Altman would, for the first time in his career, re-edit a film after its theatrical release, removing some of the Wild West show acts that he felt were maybe redundant.   His 1977 film 3 Women would bring Altman back to the limelight. The film was based on a dream he had one night while his wife was in the hospital. In the dream, he was directing his regular co-star Shelley Duvall alongside Sissy Spacek, who he had never worked with before, in a story about identity theft that took place in the deserts outside Los Angeles. He woke up in the middle of the dream, jotted down what he could remember, and went back to sleep. In the morning, he didn't have a full movie planned out, but enough of one to get Alan Ladd, Jr., the President of Twentieth-Century Fox, to put up $1.7m for a not fully formed idea. That's how much Robert Altman was trusted at the time. That, and Altman was known for never going over budget. As long as he stayed within his budget, Ladd would let Altman make whatever movie he wanted to make. That, plus Ladd was more concerned about a $10m movie he approved that was going over budget over in England, a science fiction movie directed by the guy who did American Graffiti that had no stars outside of Sir Alec Guinness.   That movie, of course, was Star Wars, which would be released four weeks after 3 Women had its premiere in New York City. While the film didn't make 1/100th the money Star Wars made, it was one of the best reviewed movies of the year. But, strangely, the film would not be seen again outside of sporadic screenings on cable until it was released on DVD by the Criterion Collection 27 years later.   I'm not going to try and explain the movie to you. Just trust me that 3 Women is from a master craftsman at the top of his game.   While on the press tour to publicize 3 Women, a reporter asked Altman what was going to be next for him. He jokingly said he was going to shoot a wedding. But then he went home, thought about it some more, and in a few weeks, had a basic idea sketched out for a movie titled A Wedding that would take place over the course of one day, as the daughter of a Southern nouveau riche family marries the son of a wealthy Chicago businessman who may or may not a major figure in The Outfit.   And while the film is quite entertaining, what's most interesting about watching this 1978 movie in 2023 is not only how many great established actors Altman got for the film, including Carol Burnett, Paul Dooley, Howard Duff, Mia Farrow, Vittorio Gassman, Lauren Hutton, and, in her 100th movie, Lillian Gish, but the number of notable actors he was able to get because he shot the film just outside Chicago. Not only will you see Dennis Christopher just before his breakthrough in Breaking Away, and not only will you see Pam Dawber just before she was cast alongside Robin Williams in Mark and Mindy, but you'll also see Dennis Franz, Laurie Metcalfe, Gary Sinese, Tim Thomerson, and George Wendt.   And because Altman was able to keep the budget at a reasonable level, less than $1.75m, the film would be slightly profitable for Twentieth Century-Fox after grossing $3.6m at the box office.   Altman's next film for Fox, 1979's Quintet, would not be as fortunate.   Altman had come up with the story for this post-apocalyptic drama as a vehicle for Walter Hill to write and direct. But Hill would instead make The Warriors, and Altman decided to make the film himself. While developing the screenplay with his co-writers Frank Barhydt and Patricia Resnick, Altman would create a board game, complete with token pieces and a full set of rules, to flesh out the storyline.   Altman would once again work with Paul Newman, who stars as a seal hunter in the early days of a new ice age who finds himself in elaborate game with a group of gamblers where losing in the game means losing your life in the process. Altman would deliberately hire an international cast to star alongside Newman, not only to help improve the film's ability to do well in foreign territories but to not have the storyline tied to any specific country. So we would have Italian actor Vittorio Gassman, Spaniard Fernando Rey, Swedish actress Bibi Andersson, French actress Brigitte Fossey, and Danish actress Nina van Pallandt.    In order to maintain the mystery of the movie, Altman would ask Fox to withhold all pre-release publicity for the film, in order to avoid any conditioning of the audience. Imagine trying to put together a compelling trailer for a movie featuring one of the most beloved actors of all time, but you're not allowed to show potential audiences what they're getting themselves into? Altman would let the studio use five shots from the film, totaling about seven seconds, for the trailer, which mostly comprised of slo-mo shots of a pair of dice bouncing around, while the names of the stars pop up from moment to moment and a narrator tries to create some sense of mystery on the soundtrack.   But audiences would not be intrigued by the mystery, and critics would tear the $6.4m budget film apart. To be fair, the shoot for the film, in the winter of 1977 outside Montreal was a tough time for all, and Altman would lose final cut on the film for going severely over-budget during production, although there seems to be very little documentation about how much the final film might have differed from what Altman would have been working on had he been able to complete the film his way.   But despite all the problems with Quintet, Fox would still back Altman's next movie, A Perfect Couple, which would be shot after Fox pulled Altman off Quintet. Can you imagine that happening today? A director working with the studio that just pulled them off their project. But that's how little ego Altman had. He just wanted to make movies. Tell stories. This simple romantic comedy starred his regular collaborator Paul Dooley as  Alex, a man who follows a band of traveling bohemian musicians because he's falling for one of the singers in the band.   Altman kept the film on its $1.9m budget, but the response from critics was mostly concern that Altman had lost his touch. Maybe it was because this was his 13th film of the decade, but there was a serious concern about the director's ability to tell a story had evaporated.   That worry would continue with his next film, Health.   A satire of the political scene in the United States at the end of the 1970s, Health would follow a health food organization holding a convention at a luxury hotel in St. Petersburg FL. As one would expect from a Robert Altman movie, there's one hell of a cast. Along with Henry Gibson, and Paul Dooley, who co-write the script with Altman and Frank Barhydt, the cast would include Lauren Bacall, Carol Burnett, James Garner and, in one of her earliest screen appearances, Alfre Woodard, as well as Dick Cavett and Dinah Shore as themselves.   But between the shooting of the film in the late winter and early spring of 1979 and the planned Christmas 1979 release, there was a change of management at Fox. Alan Ladd Jr. was out, and after Altman turned in his final cut, new studio head Norman Levy decided to pull the film off the 1979 release calendar. Altman fought to get the film released sometime during the 1980 Presidential Campaign, and was able to get Levy to give the film a platform release starting in Los Angeles and New York City in March 1980, but that date would get cancelled as well. Levy then suggested an April 1980 test run in St. Louis, which Altman was not happy with. Altman countered with test runs in Boston, Houston, Sacramento and San Francisco. The best Altman, who was in Malta shooting his next movie, could get were sneak previews of the film in those four markets, and the response cards from the audience were so bad, the studio decided to effectively put the film on the proverbial shelf.   Back from the Mediterranean Sea, Altman would get permission to take the film to the Montreal World Film Festival in August, and the Telluride and Venice Film Festivals in September. After good responses from film goers at those festivals, Fox would relent, and give the film a “preview” screening at the United Artists Theatre in Westwood, starting on September 12th, 1980. But the studio would give the film the most boring ad campaign possible, a very crude line drawing of an older woman's pearl bracelet-covered arm thrusted upward while holding a carrot. With no trailers in circulation at any theatre, and no television commercials on air, it would be little surprise the film didn't do a whole lot of business. You really had to know the film had been released. But its $14k opening weekend gross wasn't really all that bad. And it's second week gross of $10,500 with even less ad support was decent if unspectacular. But it would be good enough to get the film a four week playdate at the UA Westwood.   And then, nothing, until early March 1981, when a film society at Northwestern University in Evanston IL was able to screen a 16mm print for one show, while a theatre in Baltimore was able to show the film one time at the end of March. But then, nothing again for more than another year, when the film would finally get a belated official release at the Film Forum in New York City on April 7th, 1982. It would only play for a week, and as a non-profit, the Film Forum does not report film grosses, so we have no idea how well the film actually did. Since then, the movie showed once on CBS in August 1983, and has occasionally played on the Fox Movie Channel, but has never been released on VHS or DVD or Blu-Ray.   I mentioned a few moments ago that while he was dealing with all this drama concerning Health, Altman was in the Mediterranean filming a movie. I'm not going to go too much into that movie here, since I already have an episode for the future planned for it, suffice to say that a Robert Altman-directed live-action musical version of the Popeye the Sailor Man cartoon featuring songs by the incomparable Harry Nilsson should have been a smash hit, but it wasn't. It was profitable, to be certain, but not the hit everyone was expecting. We'll talk about the film in much more detail soon.   After the disappointing results for Popeye, Altman decided to stop working in Hollywood for a while and hit the Broadway stages, to direct a show called Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. While the show's run was not very long and the reviews not very good, Altman would fund a movie version himself, thanks in part to the sale of his production company, Lion's Gate, not to be confused with the current studio called Lionsgate, and would cast Karen Black, Cher and Sandy Dennis alongside newcomers Sudie Bond and Kathy Bates, as five female members of The Disciples of James Dean come together on the 20th anniversary of the actor's death to honor his life and times. As the first film released by a new independent distributor called Cinecom, I'll spend more time talking about this movie on our show about that distributor, also coming soon, suffice it to say that Altman was back. Critics were behind the film, and arthouse audiences loved it. This would be the first time Altman adapted a stage play to the screen, and it would set the tone for a number of his works throughout the rest of the decade.   Streamers was Altman's 17th film in thirteen years, and another adaptation of a stage play. One of several works by noted Broadway playwright David Rabe's time in the Army during the Vietnam War, the film followed four young soldiers waiting to be shipped to Vietnam who deal with racial tensions and their own intolerances when one soldier reveals he is gay. The film featured Matthew Modine as the Rabe stand-in, and features a rare dramatic role for comedy legend David Alan Grier. Many critics would note how much more intense the film version was compared to the stage version, as Altman's camera was able to effortlessly breeze around the set, and get up close and personal with the performers in ways that simply cannot happen on the stage. But in 1983, audiences were still not quite ready to deal with the trauma of Vietnam on film, and the film would be fairly ignored by audiences, grossing just $378k.   Which, finally, after half an hour, brings us to our featured movie.   O.C. and Stiggs.   Now, you might be asking yourself why I went into such detail about Robert Altman's career, most of it during the 1970s. Well, I wanted to establish what types of material Altman would chose for his projects, and just how different O.C. and Stiggs  was from any other project he had made to date.   O.C. and Stiggs began their lives in the July 1981 issue of National Lampoon, as written by two of the editors of the magazine, Ted Mann and Tod Carroll. The characters were fun-loving and occasionally destructive teenage pranksters, and their first appearance in the magazine would prove to be so popular with readers, the pair would appear a few more times until Matty Simmons, the publisher and owner of National Lampoon, gave over the entire October 1982 issue to Mann and Carroll for a story called “The Utterly Monstrous Mind-Roasting Summer of O.C. and Stiggs.” It's easy to find PDFs of the issues online if you look for it.   So the issue becomes one of the biggest selling issues in the history of National Lampoon, and Matty Simmons has been building the National Lampoon brand name by sponsoring a series of movies, including Animal House, co-written by Lampoon writers Doug Kenney and Chris Miller, and the soon to be released movies Class Reunion, written by Lampoon writer John Hughes… yes, that John Hughes… and Movie Madness, written by five Lampoon writers including Tod Carroll. But for some reason, Simmons was not behind the idea of turning the utterly monstrous mind-roasting adventures of O.C. and Stiggs into a movie. He would, however, allow Mann and Carroll to shop the idea around Hollywood, and wished them the best of luck.   As luck would have it, Mann and Carroll would meet Peter Newman, who had worked as Altman's production executive on Jimmy Dean, and was looking to set up his first film as a producer. And while Newman might not have had the credits, he had the connections. The first person he would take the script to his Oscar-winning director Mike Nichols, whose credits by this time included Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff?, The Graduate, Catch-22, and Carnal Knowledge. Surprisingly, Nichols was not just interested in making the movie, but really wanted to have Eddie Murphy, who was a breakout star on Saturday Night Live but was still a month away from becoming a movie star when 48 Hours was released, play one of the leading characters. But Murphy couldn't get out of his SNL commitments, and Nichols had too many other projects, both on Broadway and in movies, to be able to commit to the film.    A few weeks later, Newman and Altman both attended a party where they would catch up after several months. Newman started to tell Altman about this new project he was setting up, and to Newman's surprise, Altman, drawn to the characters' anti-establishment outlook, expressed interest in making it. And because Altman's name still commanded respect in Hollywood, several studios would start to show their interest in making the movie with them. MGM, who was enjoying a number of successes in 1982 thanks to movies like Shoot the Moon, Diner, Victor/Victoria, Rocky III, Poltergeist, Pink Floyd - The Wall, and My Favorite Year, made a preemptive bid on the film, hoping to beat Paramount Pictures to the deal. Unknown to Altman, what interested MGM was that Sylvester Stallone of all people went nuts for the script when he read it, and mentioned to his buddies at the studio that he might be interested in making it himself.   Despite hating studio executives for doing stuff like buying a script he's attached to  then kicking him off so some Italian Stallion not known for comedy could make it himself, Altman agree to make the movie with MGM once Stallone lost interest, as the studio promised there would be no further notes about the script, that Altman could have final cut on the film, that he could shoot the film in Phoenix without studio interference, and that he could have a budget of $7m.   Since this was a Robert Altman film, the cast would be big and eclectic, filled with a number of his regular cast members, known actors who he had never worked with before, and newcomers who would go on to have success a few years down the road. Because, seriously, outside of a Robert Altman movie, where are you going to find a cast that included Jon Cryer, Jane Curtin, Paul Dooley, Dennis Hopper, Tina Louise, Martin Mull, Cynthia Nixon, Bob Uecker, Melvin van Peebles, and King Sunny Adé and His African Beats? And then imagine that movie also featuring Matthew Broderick, Jim Carrey, Robert Downey, Jr. and Laura Dern?   The story for the film would both follow the stories that appeared in the pages of National Lampoon fairly closely while also making some major changes. In the film, Oliver Cromwell “O.C.” Oglivie and Mark Stiggs are two ne'er-do-well, middle-class Phoenix, Arizona high school students who are disgusted with what they see as an omnipresent culture of vulgar and vapid suburban consumerism. They spend their days slacking off and committing pranks or outright crimes against their sworn enemies, the Schwab family, especially family head Randall Schwab, a wealthy insurance salesman who was responsible for the involuntary commitment of O.C.'s grandfather into a group home. During the film, O.C. and Stiggs will ruin the wedding of Randall Schwab's daughter Lenore, raft their way down to a Mexican fiesta, ruin a horrible dinner theatre performance directed by their high school's drama teacher being attended by the Schwabs, and turn the Schwab mansion into a homeless shelter while the family is on vacation. The film ends with O.C. and Stiggs getting into a gun fight with Randall Schwab before being rescued by Dennis Hopper and a helicopter, before discovering one of their adventures that summer has made them very wealthy themselves.   The film would begin production in Phoenix on August 22nd, 1983, with two newcomers, Daniel H. Jenkins and Neill Barry, as the titular stars of the film. And almost immediately, Altman's chaotic ways of making a movie would become a problem. Altman would make sure the entire cast and crew were all staying at the same hotel in town, across the street from a greyhound racetrack, so Altman could take off to bet on a few of the races during production downtime, and made sure the bar at the hotel was an open bar for his team while they were shooting. When shooting was done every day, the director and his cast would head to a makeshift screening room at the hotel, where they'd watch the previous day's footage, a process called “dailies” in production parlance. On most films, dailies are only attended by the director and his immediate production crew, but in Phoenix, everyone was encouraged to attend. And according to producer Peter Newman and Dan Jenkins, everyone loved the footage, although both would note that it might have been a combination of the alcohol, the pot, the cocaine and the dehydration caused by shooting all day in the excessive Arizona heat during the middle of summer that helped people enjoy the footage.    But here's the funny thing about dailies.   Unless a film is being shot in sequence, you're only seeing small fragments of scenes, often the same actors doing the same things over and over again, before the camera switches places to catch reactions or have other characters continue the scene. Sometimes, they're long takes of scenes that might be interrupted by an actor flubbing a line or an unexpected camera jitter or some other interruption that requires a restart. But everyone seemed to be having fun, especially when dailies ended and Altman would show one of his other movies like MASH or The Long Goodbye or 3 Women.   After two months of shooting, the film would wrap production, and Altman would get to work on his edit of the film. He would have it done before the end of 1983, and he would turn it in to the studio. Shortly after the new year, there would be a private screening of the film in New York City at the offices of the talent agency William Morris, one of the larger private screening rooms in the city. Altman was there, the New York-based executives at MGM were there, Peter Newman was there, several of the actors were there. And within five minutes of the start of the film, Altman realized what he was watching was not his cut of the film. As he was about to lose his stuff and start yelling at the studio executives, the projector broke. The lights would go up, and Altman would dig into the the executives. “This is your effing cut of the film and not mine!” Altman stormed out of the screening and into the cold New York winter night.   A few weeks later, that same print from New York would be screened for the big executives at the MGM lot in Los Angeles. Newman was there, and, surprisingly, Altman was there too. The film would screen for the entire running length, and Altman would sit there, watching someone else's version of the footage he had shot, scenes put in different places than they were supposed to be, music cues not of his design or consent.   At the end of the screening, the room was silent. Not one person in the room had laughed once during the entire screening. Newman and Altman left after the screening, and hit one of Altman's favorite local watering holes. As they said their goodbyes the next morning, Altman apologized to Newman. “I hope I didn't eff up your movie.”   Maybe the movie wasn't completely effed up, but MGM certainly neither knew what to do with the film or how to sell it, so it would just sit there, just like Health a few years earlier, on that proverbial shelf.   More than a year later, in an issue of Spin Magazine, a review of the latest album by King Sunny Adé would mention the film he performed in, O.C. and Stiggs, would, quote unquote, “finally” be released into theatres later that year.   That didn't happen, in large part because after WarGames in the early summer of 1983, almost every MGM release had been  either an outright bomb or an unexpected financial disappointment. The cash flow problem was so bad that the studio effectively had to sell itself to Atlanta cable mogul Ted Turner in order to save itself. Turner didn't actually want all of MGM. He only wanted the valuable MGM film library, but the owner of MGM at the time was either going to sell it all or nothing at all.   Barely two months after Ted Turner bought MGM, he had sold the famed studio lot in Culver City to Lorimar, a television production company that was looking to become a producer and distributor of motion pictures, and sold rest of the company he never wanted in the first place to the guy he bought it all from, who had a kind of seller's remorse. But that repurchase would saddle the company with massive bills, and movies like O.C. and Stiggs would have to sit and collect dust while everything was sorted out.   How long would O.C. and Stiggs be left in a void?   It would be so long that Robert Altman would have time to make not one, not two, but three other movies that would all be released before O.C. and Stiggs ever saw the light of day.   The first, Secret Honor, released in 1984, featured the great Philip Baker Hall as former President Richard Nixon. It's probably Hall's single best work as an actor, and the film would be amongst the best reviewed films of Altman's career.   In 1985, Altman would film Fool For Love, an adaptation of a play by Sam Shepard. This would be the only time in Shepard's film career where he would star as one of the characters himself had written. The film would also prove once and for all that Kim Basinger was more than just a pretty face but a real actor.   And in February 1987, Altman's film version of Beyond Therapy, a play by absurdist playwright Christopher Durant, would open in theatres. The all-star cast would include Tom Conti, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Guest, Julie Hagerty and Glenda Jackson.   On March 5th, 1987, an article in Daily Variety would note that the “long shelved” film would have a limited theatrical release in May, despite the fact that Frank Yablans, the vice chairman of MGM, being quoted in the article that the film was unreleasable. It would further be noted that despite the film being available to international distributors for three years, not one company was willing to acquire the film for any market. The plan was to release the movie for one or two weeks in three major US markets, depending on its popularity, and then decide a future course of action from there.   But May would come and go, without a hint of the film.   Finally, on Friday, July 10th, the film would open on 18 screens, but none in any major market like Chicago, Los Angeles or New York City. I can't find a single theatre the film played in that weekend, but that week's box office figures would show an abysmal $6,273 worth of tickets were sold during that first weekend.   There would not be a second weekend of reported grosses.   But to MGM's credit, they didn't totally give up on the film.   On Thursday, August 27th, O.C. and Stiggs would open in at least one theatre. And, lucky for me, that theatre happened to be the Nickelodeon Theatre in Santa Cruz. But despite the fact that the new Robert Altman was opening in town, I could not get a single friend to see it with me. So on a Tuesday night at 8:40pm, I was the only person in all of the region to watch what I would soon discover was the worst Robert Altman movie of all time. Now, I should note that even a bad Robert Altman movie is better than many filmmakers' best movies, but O.C. and Stiggs would have ignobility of feeling very much like a Robert Altman movie, with its wandering camera and overlapping dialogue that weaves in and out of conversations while in progress and not quite over yet, yet not feeling anything like a Robert Altman movie at the same time. It didn't have that magical whimsy-ness that was the hallmark of his movies. The satire didn't have its normal bite. It had a number of Altman's regular troop of actors, but in smaller roles than they'd usually occupy, and not giving the performances one would expect of them in an Altman movie.   I don't know how well the film did at the Nick, suffice it to say the film was gone after a week.   But to MGM's credit, they still didn't give up on the film.   On October 9th, the film would open at the AMC Century City 14, one of a handful of movies that would open the newest multiplex in Los Angeles.   MGM did not report grosses, and the film was gone from the new multiplex after a week.   But to MGM's credit, they still didn't give up on the film.   The studio would give the film one more chance, opening it at the Film Forum in New York City on March 18th, 1988.   MGM did not report grosses, and the film was gone after a week. But whether that was because MGM didn't support the film with any kind of newspaper advertising in the largest market in America, or because the movie had been released on home video back in November, remains to be seen.   O.C. and Stiggs would never become anything resembling a cult film. It's been released on DVD, and if one was programming a Robert Altman retrospect at a local arthouse movie theatre, one could actually book a 35mm print of the film from the repertory cinema company Park Circus.   But don't feel bad for Altman, as he would return to cinemas with a vengeance in the 1990s, first with the 1990 biographical drama Vincent and Theo, featuring Tim Roth as the tortured genius 19th century painter that would put the actor on the map for good. Then, in 1992, he became a sensation again with his Hollywood satire The Player, featuring Tim Robbins as a murderous studio executive trying to keep the police off his trail while he navigates the pitfalls of the industry. Altman would receive his first Oscar nomination for Best Director since 1975 with The Player, his third overall, a feat he would repeat the following year with Short Cuts, based on a series of short stories by Raymond Carver. In fact, Altman would be nominated for an Academy Award seven times during his career, five times as a director and twice as a producer, although he would never win a competitive Oscar.   In March 2006, while editing his 35th film, a screen adaptation of the then-popular NPR series A Prairie Home Companion, the Academy would bestow an Honorary Oscar upon Altman. During his acceptance speech, Altman would wonder if perhaps the Academy acted prematurely in honoring him in this fashion. He revealed he had received a heart transplant in the mid-1990s, and felt that, even though he had turned 81 the month before, he could continue for another forty years.   Robert Altman would pass away from leukemia on November 20th, 2006, only eight months after receiving the biggest prize of his career.   Robert Altman had a style so unique onto himself, there's an adjective that exists to describe it. Altmanesque. Displaying traits typical of a film made by Robert Altman, typically highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective and often a subversive twist.   He truly was a one of a kind filmmaker, and there will likely never be anyone like him, no matter how hard Paul Thomas Anderson tries.     Thank you for joining us. We'll talk again in two weeks, when Episode 106, Mad Magazine Presents Up the Academy, is released.   Remember to visit this episode's page on our website, The80sMoviePodcast.com, for extra materials about the movies we covered this episode.   The 80s Movies Podcast has been researched, written, narrated and edited by Edward Havens for Idiosyncratic Entertainment.   Thank you again.   Good night.  

Merry Christmas, everyone! This week Frank Capra's iconic Christmas classic is up for discussion. We chat about the film being Jimmy Stewart & Capra's first film after their active duty in World War II, Donna's Reed's template setting performance, the chaotic story behind the screenplay, RKO Pictures, copyright issues birthing its status as a Christmas cornerstone, our Top 7 tearjerkers, and much much more! WEBSITE: https://linktr.ee/BrokenVCR  

Merry Christmas, everyone! This week Frank Capra's iconic Christmas classic is up for discussion. We chat about the film being Jimmy Stewart & Capra's first film after their active duty in World War II, Donna's Reed's template setting performance, the chaotic story behind the screenplay, RKO Pictures, copyright issues birthing its status as a Christmas cornerstone, our Top 7 tearjerkers, and much much more! As always, follow theturnbuckletavern.com for all your Tavern needs!

Demian Lichtenstein is a CEO, Founder and Visionary. With decades of experience as a creative and executive in the entertainment industry in the roles of development, writing, producing, directing and mentoring. Some of his numerous credits include producing and directing over 250 music videos for Grammy Award Winning artists including Sting and Eric Clapton, as well as writing, producing and directing feature films starring Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, Courtney Cox and Ice T and he's written scripts for RKO Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Brothers and others. He coauthored the international best selling book and directed the documentary for Discover the Gift, an inspirational, transformational narrative that follows Demian's personal journey for spiritual understanding and growth and his commitment to create socially conscious original content for film, television, online, digital and interactive media platforms.   In this episode we speak about everything from: ~ how to keep a long term relationship mojolicious + alive ~ the critical key that keeps a marriage alive (you might know it, but you haven't heard it this way) ~ a little talked about fact that will change the way men show up to cultivate a marriage ~ authentic spiritually connected sex ~ a new way to relate to your relationship (and this could save yours now or in the future) ~ one way you will kill the mojo in relationship (and how you don't have to) ~ and much more!   Connect with Demian Lichtenstein Website | https://www.spacegen.com/management Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/demianlichtenstein   Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/demian.lichtenstein/     *****   MOJO MEMBERSHIP   What do you think of when you hear the words: Confidence Feminine radiance Enthusiasm Sensuality Intuition Gratitude Ease Joy Do you feel inspired? Or disconnected? Do you think yes! I'd like all of that and then some?   Well, I've got good news for you. There's something so simple waiting for you right now. It's online and accessible with on simple click. And it's all yours FOR LIFE, IF you choose to take advantage of it.   Curious? Get all the deets here: www.mojomembership.com   *****   Connect with Deborah Website | http://therealundressed.com/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/therealundressed/   https://www.instagram.com/deborahkagan/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/mojorecoveryspecialist/     Subscribe to The Real Undressed Podcast iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-real-undressed-with-deborah-kagan/id1494643770 Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/1eOQaw6kryBsXo7Jb6qEnv   Please remember to: Subscribe Rate Review the podcast. I read every single one and your feedback is valuable.

We get high-vallewton* with Tim Quirk, longtime cinephile and frontman of one of The Pink Smoke's favorite bands, Too Much Joy. At the height of the pandemic, Quirk initiated a binge of great movies that led him to Val Lewton's legendary run of low-budget horror films produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940's. Quirk was captivated by these deep philosophical explorations of darkness and isolation, which directly inspired songs on the latest Too Much Joy albums, Mistakes Were Made and All These Fucking Feelings. Focusing on The Seventh Victim and I Walked with a Zombie (both released in 1943), we tap into Tim's enthusiasm for the economical creepiness, profound purple dialogue and "the glitter of putrescence" that preoccupies those who inhabit the shadows of Lewton's screen. Are they the real monsters? Do we as a society have a collective death wish? Are these complex explorations of loneliness, fear and self-destruction even really horror movies? However you define them, there's no question that Lewton's films are unlike anything else. * Like, highfalutin.** ** We would at least task any other lyricists inspired by these movies to write a song that rhymes "highfalutin" with "Val Lewton." Support our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thepinksmoke Tim Quirk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tbquirk Too Much Joy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TooMuchJoyHQ The Pink Smoke site: www.thepinksmoke.com The Pink Smoke on Twitter: twitter.com/thepinksmoke Christopher Funderburg on Twitter: twitter.com/cfunderburg John Cribbs on Twitter: twitter.com/TheLastMachine Intro/Outro Music: Too Much Joy "I Met a Ghost."

Featured in a Scientific magazine which offered a first look inside the USAF's new jet fighter, the F-89 Scorpion was to have an interesting history which involved the Battle of Palmdale and a top secret Canadian UFO! A Scientific Magazine cutaway drawing   The Fly-off competitors   The Northrop F89 Scorpion     The 437th Fighter Interceptor Squadron   An F6F Hellcat red drone   Mighty Mouse rockets   1st Lt Moncla   The Canadian UFO   The official USAF report   Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Scientific magazine, the USAF, USN, NASA, SDASM, RKO Pictures and those available through Fair Use and Public Domain.

Hollywood Star Playhouse with Hollywood legend, Joan Crawford starring in the radio drama, Statement in Full.Tagline: "If you could get away with murder, would you?"Featuring: Joan Crawford, Dick Haymes, John McIntire, Paul McVey, Herbert Rawlinson, Maurice Zim (writer)Hollywood Star Playhouse began as a lunchtime extended advertisement for RKO Pictures, broadcast from the studio's lunchroom. Later, it morphed into an anthology of movie adaptations featuring the original Stars.: : : : :My other podcast channels include: MYSTERY x SUSPENSE -- SCI FI x HORROR -- COMEDY x FUNNY HA HA -- VARIETY X ARMED FORCES -- THE COMPLETE ORSON WELLESSubscribing is free and you'll receive new post notifications. Also, if you have a moment, please give a 4-5 star rating and/or write a 1-2 sentence positive review on your preferred service -- that would help me a lot.Thank you for your support.https://otr.duane.media | Instagram @duane.otr

“IT'LL FIGHT IF IT HAS TO, BUT IT'S VULNERABLE OUT IN THE OPEN.“On this Halloween episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we cover one of the best movies from one of the best horror filmmakers of all time, 1982's The Thing, directed by John Carpenter. Although the film is referred to as a remake of the 1951 RKO Pictures production, The Thing from Another World, the film is actually more of a reinterpretation of the original novella from 1938, Who Goes There. If it's hard to believe that this movie has just celebrated it's 40th anniversary, it may be even harder to believe that it was a box office bomb and despised by critics of the time. However, the film has lasted the test of time, being remade, turned into a video game, and then inspiring the popular pandemic game, Among Us!On our episode, we talk about how the film also doubles as a “whodunit” and a graphic body horror film. We talk about how the film tricks you in your first viewing, and inspires multiple viewings, each one giving you a new thing to appreciate about it. We discuss our theories on the timelines, trying to track down when The Thing assimilates and imitates the doomed US Outpost 31 Team, with the help of the John Carpenter approved fansite. When do the crew members get infected, or rather, why did it imitate who it imitates? We have a lot of fun exchanging theories on this section of the episode.We talk about the nihilistic themes of the movie, and how innate it is in human nature to distrust each other, especially when you are on a job with people you might not necessarily like. The film's characters were (unfairly) criticized for being ‘stereotypes,' but we talk about how realistic they actually are, and their significance to the story and theme. We talk about the amazing special effects done by a then 21 year old Rob Buttin, working with the highest budget Universal had ever spent on creature effects. We talk about the score from the legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone, and how the early versions of the score were used in a more recent western film. And yet, despite the amount of talent from the actors, (especially the arguably best dog actor in a film ever,) Carpenter's vision, Morricone's score, Buttin's effects, Dean Cundey's cinematography, the film was disregarded as “instant trash.“ We get into why we think the summer audience of 1982 might not have appreciated the film, but why we do now.We hope you enjoy this episode, and have a Happy Halloween!Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.Artwork by @jannelle_o

Join host, Carl Amari, for a special radio re-broadcast of The Falcon. Featuring narration by Les Damon.First created by Drexel Drake in 1936 for a series of novels, "The Falcon" was an alternate identity for freelance investigator and troubleshooter, Michael Waring. By 1941, the character could be seen for the first time on the silver screen by RKO Pictures, with George Sanders taking on the leading role. Two years later, The Falcon made his radio debut with Berry Kroeger taking on narration duties for this iconic detective. Like The Falcon films, the radio series plot mixed elements of danger, romance, and comedy in equal parts to entice listeners nationwide. Often focusing on cases that involved oppressed men and repressed women, The Falcon was a detective series that stood to be truly ahead of its time. Originally airing 11/12/1950, prepare for yet another amazing radio detective adventure in "The Case of the Widow's Gorilla," with The Falcon!Enjoying The Film Detective?You can watch this episode here.Or connect with us here:FacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeWant even more? Subscribe to our Newsletter here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET COMPOSER: Stephen Sondheim LYRICIST: Stephen Sondheim BOOK: Hugh Wheeler SOURCE: Sweeney Todd by Christopher Bond DIRECTOR: Harold Prince CHOREOGRAPHER: Larry Fuller PRINCIPLE CAST: Len Cariou (Sweeney), Victor Garber (Anthony), Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Lovett) OPENING DATE: March 01, 1979 CLOSING DATE: June 29, 1980 PERFORMANCES: 557 SYNOPSIS: Sweeney Todd, a wrongfully convicted man, returns to London to reclaim his wife and daughter only to discover that his wife has killed herself and that his daughter is now the ward, and prospective bride, of the Judge who sentenced him. Vowing to take revenge by murdering the Judge, Todd begins to practice execution on his neighbors whose bodies are then baked into pies and sold to unsuspecting consumers by Mrs. Lovett.  The inspiration for Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd is examined by Alison Morooney. Fusing the passion for mystery and horror from composer/ lyricist Sondheim and the desire to comment on the oppressive political structures of the Industrial Revolution from director Harold Prince, librettist Hugh Wheeler humanizes the characters from a British urban legend. Though critics lauded the score upon its opening, the musical's mix of styles and genre-defying designs earned it mixed reviews. This episode argues for Sweeney Todd's significance as a piece of theatre which, despite its socio-political message, allows an audience to engage emotionally with the characters, contrasting it to the Epic theatre of Bertolt Brecht, which sought to distance its audience. Alison Morooney is a stage director and choreographer currently pursuing an MFA in directing at The Pennsylvania State University. She has directed most frequently at The College Light Opera Company in Massachusetts and has served as a choreographer at Priscilla Beach Theatre and for Penn State Centre Stage. She has also been on stage regionally and with national tours American Idiot and Nice Work if You Can Get It. SOURCES Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Original Broadway Cast Recording. RCA (1979) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Babrer of Fleet Street, starring George Hearn and Angela Lansbury, directed by Terry Hughes. RKO Pictures (1982) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Hugh Wheeler and Stephen Sondheim, published by Applause Libretto Library (2000) Sense of Occasion by Hal Prince, published by Applause (2017) Finishing The Hat by Stephen Sondheim, published by Knopf (2010) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top 5: King Kong Movies - Ranked - Ray Taylor Show Subscribe: InspiredDisorder.com/rts Binge Ad Free: InspiredDisorder.com/plus Show topic: Ray ranks the 5 best King Kong movies. King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the films. His first appearance was in the novelization of the 1933 film King Kong from RKO Pictures, with the film premiering a little over two months later. Upon its initial release and subsequent re-releases, the film received universal acclaim. JOIN Inspired Disorder +PLUS Today! InspiredDisorder.com/plus Membership Includes:Members only discounts and dealsRay Taylor Show AD-FREE + Bonus EpisodesLive Painting ArchiveComplete Podcast Back CatalogueRay's Personal Blog, AMA and so much MORE!Daily Podcast: Ray Taylor Show - InspiredDisorder.com/rts Daily Painting: The Many Faces - InspiredDisorder.com/tmf ALL links: InspiredDisorder.com/links

Once kings of Hollywood, now a bit player, but is that where they will stay? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/movie-shed-podcast/message

Mayberry historian Randy Turner returns to discuss "The Andy Griffith Show's" connection to other famous movies and television shows on the backlot owned by RKO Pictures and later Desilu Productions.

In 1939, Lucy Ball is contracted to RKO Pictures. She gets small parts in big studio productions, but featured mainly in low budget films. She meets one of the film's cast, the charismatic 22-year-old Cuban singer Desi Arnaz and the two fall for each other instantaneously. Months after filming, they marry and buy a home in Hollywood. Desi has a successful stint fronting the Desi Arnaz Orchestra that tours around the country, while Lucy continues her film career with little success. In 1948, she is cast in the radio show "My Favorite Husband", which becomes a success. The show draws interest from CBS and Philip Morris, but Lucy only agrees if Desi plays her on screen husband. By 1953, the show is renamed "I Love Lucy" and becomes a smash hit with nearly 60 million viewers each week. On the night of the live filming, a newspaper article deems Lucy a Communist. Lucy admits but Desi insists not to tell the truth. They are now facing a crisis that could end their careers and their marriage. Let's find out together this week when we discuss this excellent film, while enjoying a classic Tom Collins.   As always, drive safe, drink responsibly, and keep watching movies!!!

For her first movie role, Lucy wears a flesh-toned bodysuit and waist-length blonde wig while chained to a rock. But her clowning on set gets her noticed, and she begins to land larger and larger parts. Soon she signs with RKO Pictures where she's mentored by Ginger Rogers' demanding and powerful mother, Lela. She also meets a young Cuban musician, the man who would become her closest partner both on and off the screen.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Horror Movies To Watch: Cat People 1942 And Cat People 1982.“Sometimes, there is another sound. A panther.  It screams like a woman." It's That Time Of Year Again...With Some Horror Movies To Watch … Binge-Watchers Podcast Is About To Deliver A Series Of Double Features, We Decided To Take A Look At Horror Movies And Their Horrific Remakes. Or Maybe We Will Discover The Remakes Are More Deadly Than The Originals - Stay Tuned!!!Here are some Home Video Headlines:Amc Fearfest: Stand Outs Include All The Halloween Movies Set In Original Continuity, Final Destination Series, And The Classics Like Christine, Carrie, The Fly, The Crazies, And 13 Ghosts.Huluween Will Have Stuff Like Martyrs And All 3 Blades.Peacock With Peacoctober Has Almost Everything. All The Nightmare On Elm Streets. All The Friday The 13ths, The Phantasm Series, All The Child's Plays, All The Elvira's, All The Predators, All The Psychos, And Even Cat People 1982.Tonight's Feature Presentation Is A Double Feature Review And Conversation About Cat People 1942 And Cat People 1982. 1942 -  Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon), a New York City--based fashion designer who hails from Serbia, begins a romance with marine engineer Oliver Reed (Kent Smith). After the couple gets married, Oliver becomes concerned about Irena's notion that she is cursed and may transform into a large cat in the heat of passion. Confiding in his beautiful assistant, Alice Moore (Jane Randolph), about his marital issues, Oliver unwittingly triggers Irena's curse, with tragic results.1982 - In this sensual and violent horror tale, Irena  (Nastassia Kinski) has a dark family secret, one that resurfaces dramatically when she reconnects with her estranged brother, Paul (Malcolm McDowell). Living with her sibling in New Orleans, Irena finds herself enamored with zoologist Oliver Yates (John Heard), even as her brother makes his own advances toward her. It's not long before the dark and dangerous curse of the clan rears its feline head.There's Really No Way To Spoil These Movies Because The Title Tells You Exactly What It Is About: They Are Cat People.Cat People Movie Facts:The original part of a string of lower budgeted films that RKO Pictures put into production to try to recoup costs from Citizen Kane which was a financial bomb for the studio. It was budgeted at $125,000 but eventually costing about $142,000. While the gross is disputed it did make roughly $1 million in profit.Producer Val Lewton was genuinely scared of cats due to Russian Folklore where he is originally from. The cinematographer from the remake, John Bailey, stated that the pool scene in the remake is nearly identical to the original because they couldn't do it any better. Most of the Black Leopards in the movie were actually cougars with black dyed hair because Leopards are untrainable. Director Paul Schrader states he never considered it to be a remake with him only adding one homage scene with Irena and Alice talking at the bar with a woman approaching them. However there are a number of other connections including the aforementioned pool scene, the main character being named Irena and the bus coming out of seemingly nowhere for a jump scare. Producer Wilbur Stark bought the rights to the RKO Library and intended to make a series of horror remakes but the box office failure of this and The Thing killed any future plans. This was made in the middle of a string of remakes of classic horror movies including The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Fly and Nosferatu the Vampyre.We all agree the pool scare sequence is one of our favorite moments from both films, and shockingly all 3 of us had more to say about the originalSupport the show (https://www.paypal.me/bingewatcherspodcast)

Horror Movies To Watch: Cat People 1942 And Cat People 1982.“Sometimes, there is another sound. A panther.  It screams like a woman." It's That Time Of Year Again...With Some Horror Movies To Watch … Binge-Watchers Podcast Is About To Deliver A Series Of Double Features, We Decided To Take A Look At Horror Movies And Their Horrific Remakes. Or Maybe We Will Discover The Remakes Are More Deadly Than The Originals - Stay Tuned!!!Here are some Home Video Headlines:Amc Fearfest: Stand Outs Include All The Halloween Movies Set In Original Continuity, Final Destination Series, And The Classics Like Christine, Carrie, The Fly, The Crazies, And 13 Ghosts.Huluween Will Have Stuff Like Martyrs And All 3 Blades.Peacock With Peacoctober Has Almost Everything. All The Nightmare On Elm Streets. All The Friday The 13ths, The Phantasm Series, All The Child's Plays, All The Elvira's, All The Predators, All The Psychos, And Even Cat People 1982.Tonight's Feature Presentation Is A Double Feature Review And Conversation About Cat People 1942 And Cat People 1982. 1942 -  Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon), a New York City--based fashion designer who hails from Serbia, begins a romance with marine engineer Oliver Reed (Kent Smith). After the couple gets married, Oliver becomes concerned about Irena's notion that she is cursed and may transform into a large cat in the heat of passion. Confiding in his beautiful assistant, Alice Moore (Jane Randolph), about his marital issues, Oliver unwittingly triggers Irena's curse, with tragic results.1982 - In this sensual and violent horror tale, Irena  (Nastassia Kinski) has a dark family secret, one that resurfaces dramatically when she reconnects with her estranged brother, Paul (Malcolm McDowell). Living with her sibling in New Orleans, Irena finds herself enamored with zoologist Oliver Yates (John Heard), even as her brother makes his own advances toward her. It's not long before the dark and dangerous curse of the clan rears its feline head.There's Really No Way To Spoil These Movies Because The Title Tells You Exactly What It Is About: They Are Cat People.Cat People Movie Facts:The original part of a string of lower budgeted films that RKO Pictures put into production to try to recoup costs from Citizen Kane which was a financial bomb for the studio. It was budgeted at $125,000 but eventually costing about$142,000. While the gross is disputed it did make roughly $1 million in profit.Producer Val Lewton was genuinely scared of cats due to Russian Folklore where he is originally from.The cinematographer from the remake, John Bailey, stated that the pool scene in the remake is nearly identical to the original because they couldn't do it any better.Most of the Black Leopards in the movie were actually cougars with black dyed hair because Leopards are untrainable.Director Paul Schrader states he never considered it to be a remake with him only adding one homage scene with Irena and Alice talking at the bar with a woman approaching them. However there are a number of other connections including the aforementioned pool scene, the main character being named Irena and the bus coming out of seemingly nowhere for a jump scare.Producer Wilbur Stark bought the rights to the RKO Library and intended to make a series of horror remakes but the box office failure of this and The Thing killed any future plans. This was made in the middle of a string of remakes of classic horror movies including The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Fly and Nosferatu the Vampyre.We all agree the pool scare sequence is one of our favorite moments from both films, and shockingly all 3 of us had more to say about the original.Our staff picks this week include: Maniac Cop, I Walked With A Zombie, and Ted Lasso

The first showdown of these titans of Cinema.Twitterwww twitter.com/FictionFanaticzInstagramwww.instagram.com/fictionfanaticz

Ginger Rogers is one of those Hollywood figures who transcended mere stardom, and became a cultural icon. In the 1930s she and her dance partner Fred Astaire dominated American film. Her talent was apparent early on. At age 14, she wanted Charleston dance contest. And before long she was in vaudeville, then Broadway, and finally the movies. And then RKO Pictures paired her with Fred Astaire, and the rest, as they say, is history. And it was famously said of her that she could do eveything Fred Astaire could do, but backwards and in high heels. You'll hear more about that in this interview...

We're back down under for another Australian natural horror film. This time, we're dealing with a giant saltwater crocodile in Dark Age, released July 10th, 1987. It's gained quite a large cult following and has even been called the "Australian Jaws"! We've enlisted British streamer BenPepsi to check it out. Join the Bad Porridge Club on Patreon for TWO bonus episodes each month! https://www.patreon.com/oldiebutagoodiepod Follow BenPepsi! Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/benpepsi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben.pepsi/ Follow the show! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oldiebutagoodiepod/  Facebook: https://fb.me/oldiebutagoodiepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjfdXHxK_rIUsOEoFSx-hGA  Podcast Platforms: https://linktr.ee/oldiebutagoodiepod  Got feedback? Send us an email at oldiebutagoodiepod@gmail.com Follow the hosts! Sandro Falce - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandrofalce/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandrofalce - Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/SandroFalce/ - Nerd-Out Podcast: https://anchor.fm/nerd-out-podcast  Zach Adams - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zach4dams/ Donations: https://paypal.me/oldiebutagoodiepod Please do not feel like you have to contribute anything but any donations are greatly appreciated! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Demian Lichtenstein is a CEO, Founder and Visionary. With decades of experience as a creative and executive in the entertainment industry in the roles of development, writing, producing, directing and mentoring. Some of his numerous credits include producing and directing over 250 music videos for Grammy Award Winning artists including Sting and Eric Clapton, as well as writing, producing and directing feature films starring Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, Courtney Cox and Ice T and he's written scripts for RKO Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Brothers and others. He coauthored the international best selling book and directed the documentary for Discover the Gift, an inspirational, transformational narrative that follows Demian's personal journey for spiritual understanding and growth and his commitment to create socially conscious original content for film, television, online, digital and interactive media platforms. For the past 15 years, he served as senior head coach for the Self-Expression and Leadership Program for Landmark Education, an internationally recognized educational seminar conglomerate specializing in transformational leadership. He is a member of the Director's Guild of America (DGA) where he was the Co-Founder of The Directors Guild Leadership Council, working alongside Steven Spielberg , James Cameron and other A list creators to protect the rights of filmmakers worldwide by having a direct influence on domestic and global politics in the entertainment world. He is also a member of The Writer's Guild of America (WGA) and a member of The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) where he currently serves on the Awards Nominating Committee. And is the Founding Board member of New Filmmakers Los Angeles (Non Profit) and is on the Board of Governors of the Advanced imaging Society, VR Society and 3D Society (AIS). He is a sought after speaker worldwide on Leadership and the Future of Entertainment. He maintains his residences in Los Angeles where he lives with his wife, and their two young boys. His wife, FYI, is the oh so mojolicious Brooke Lichtenstein and you can catch her on EPISODE 20 The Real Undressed   In this episode we speak about everything from: ~ what every man needs (it's not what you think and this is a game changer) ~ the only true place men feel safe to fully express themselves + this is where they can most deeply connect to spirit ~ the distinction between dominant and masculine ~ the secret key that the feminine is missing about the masculine (and knowing this can radically improve your relationships forever) ~ what all men can do to make their women swoon (it's much easier than you realize) ~ learning what's actually important and how freedom starts from this place ~ what ‘directing your life' means and how it will give you the tools to manifest your dreams ~ the moving moment where he shares when G-d spoke to him ~ and much more!   Connect with Demian Lichtenstein   Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/demian.lichtenstein   *****   FIRE UP YOUR MOJO: A Series of Masterclasses to Move You Into Your Groove Fire Up Your Mojo is a series of masterclasses to move you into your groove. Each month focuses on a mojo related topic for you to enhance your confidence, embodiment and vitality. There are masterclasses on Feminine Radiance, Mindset, Manifestation, Self Care, Sensuality, Sex and much more!   Take one, two, a few or the best option: ALL!   For all the deets and to secure your spot, go here now: www.fireupyourmojo.com   *****   Connect with Deborah Website | http://therealundressed.com/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/therealundressed/   https://www.instagram.com/deborahkagan/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/mojorecoveryspecialist/     Subscribe to The Real Undressed Podcast iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-real-undressed-with-deborah-kagan/id1494643770   Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/1eOQaw6kryBsXo7Jb6qEnv   Please remember to: Subscribe Rate Review the podcast. I read every single one and your feedback is valuable.   Additional Resources: Episode 20 | Brooke Lichtenstein: Manifestation + Partnering with Your Higher Self  

John Cusack goes full Rambo in this movie. That's probably the best part of Hot Pursuit, released May 8th in 1987. Sure, there's also a lot of entertaining hijinks out in the Caribbean like running around, getting lost, being on a ship with a guy who's almost a pirate, and also a handful of car chases... But it's the Cusack being Rambo part that we can't quite get over. Join the Bad Porridge Club on Patreon for TWO bonus episodes each month! https://www.patreon.com/oldiebutagoodiepod Follow the show! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oldiebutagoodiepod/  Facebook: https://fb.me/oldiebutagoodiepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjfdXHxK_rIUsOEoFSx-hGA  Podcast Platforms: https://linktr.ee/oldiebutagoodiepod  Got feedback? Send us an email at oldiebutagoodiepod@gmail.com Follow the hosts! Sandro Falce - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandrofalce/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandrofalce - Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/SandroFalce/ - Nerd-Out Podcast: https://anchor.fm/nerd-out-podcast  Zach Adams - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zach4dams/ Donations: https://paypal.me/oldiebutagoodiepod Please do not feel like you have to contribute anything but any donations are greatly appreciated! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we discuss the fourth Best Picture Winner, Cimarron, RKO Pictures, Hollywood during the Great Depression, and the history of the Oklahoma Territory! Other topics include: Hollywood westerns, Native American mistreatment, film history, the Great Depression, author Edna Ferber, Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, George E. Stone, The Front Page, Skippy, and director Lewis Milestone. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thanktheacademypodcast Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thankacademypod Email us your thoughts: thanktheacademypod@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thank-the-academy/support

In this regular episode, I fly solo through the films I saw in January. From the streets of South London to deep space, from World War 2 in Japan to the Revolution in Cuba, from China to Sweden... that's some of the ground we cover in this episode focused on debut films and war films. Check it out!Music: Tino Mendes & Yellow Paper - The HeistCitizen Kane clip (c) RKO Pictures 

On today’s episode, I talked with Christian Palacios, an old soccer and AP World history classmate and he picked a film that is steeped in both world and film history, and that film is, Citizen Kane. At the age of 16, Welles gets his acting debut using the gift of the gab in Dublin in 1931, fast 1935 he makes his radio debut, on CBS, a year later he establishes himself as a director with The Voodoo Macbeth, which featured an all-black cast adaptation of the accursed play. In 1937 he established Mercury Theatre and opened with a powerful anti-fascist adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, titled Caesar: Death of a Dictator and at the age of 23 he shocked the world over with War of the Worlds. All of these achievements led up to what is known as the greatest film contract ever written, one in which said he would provide two films to RKO Pictures both with complete creative control that means producing, cowriting, acting, and editing an unheard of and mocked notion at the time, especially for a new film director. He teamed up with writer Herman Mankiewicz, and Directory of Photography, Greg Tolland, one man had a vendetta the other, wanted to break new ground and that greatest of all-time contract, combined with two of Hollywood’s best behind the scenes men, they soon resulted in arguably the greatest film ever made, Citizen Kane. Citizen Kane follows a reporter on assignment to find out the meaning of the last word of the greatest media mogul in the 20th century, Charles Foster Kane, Rosebud. Our reporter visits both surviving and deceased mentors, partners, friends, and an ex-wife to figure out the placement of the last piece to the jigsaw that was Charles Foster Kane’s life. So sit back, relax, and watch out for any screaming cockatoos. You can purchase Citizen Kane here. Cinemallennials is a podcast where myself and another millennial are introduced to a classic film for the very first time ranging from the birth of cinema to the 1960s. Myself and my guest will open your eyes to the vast landscape of classic film as we discuss the films' performers, their performances, those behind the camera, and how they and their films still influence our world today. Website: dlewmoviereview.com/ Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/dlewmoviereviews/ Twitter: twitter.com/dlewmoviereview Instagram: @dlew88 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, host Michael Shields, with the help of film historian Christian Niedan, explore the numerous adaptations of Richard Connell's short story "The Most Dangerous Game" (also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff"). The renowned tale features a big-game hunter from New York City who falls off a yacht and swims to what seems to be an abandoned and isolated island in the Caribbean, where he is hunted by a Russian aristocrat. Launching into the discussion with an examination of the 1932 RKO Pictures film The Most Dangerous Game, starring Joel McCrea and Leslie Banks, Michael and Christian dissect what is so compelling about a story which combines psychological savagery with enthralling action. Further exhibiting the allure and timelessness of Connell’s story, the hosts examine the innovative 1994 remake Surviving the Game which was directed by Ernest R. Dickerson and stars Ice-T, Rutger Hauer, and Gary Busey. The episode culminates with a discussion centering on the recently released Quibi series Most Dangerous Game starring Liam Hemsworth as Dodge Maynard, a track star and a real estate investor with a brain tumor who is offered an absurd financial opportunity from a rich CEO named Miles Sellers (Christopher Waltz) if he agrees to let himself be hunted. Join in on a discussion that spans almost a hundred years of "The Most Dangerous Game,” featuring reimaginings which highlight exactly why this brutal yet thought-provoking story gets the remake treatment time and time again. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Deviboy returns from his exile, and Stephen from Comics2Movies and XCT joins us to discuss a new comic.Devi brings news from the far off land of Nintendo. It's time to get your cameras out for the New Pokemon Snap. Apart from Nintendo's hopeless naming, it's shaping up to be an expanded photography game for the new generation. We all hope they fit in the fun easter eggs and interactions.Oh no, Loot Boxes! Apple are being taken to court for exploiting children via the App Store. We think we've got a solution to the problem too, so be ready to send us your opinions on the system.Supercollider? I hardly know her! CERN are designing a 100km collider almost 4 times the size of the Large Hadron Collider. The LHC failed to open a portal to hell and lead to a demon invasion, but maybe the Future Circular Collider will. Somebody get Doomguy on speed dial.Cyberpunk 2077 is delayed again, but to tide us over until the release a comic series titled Trauma Team. This also gives it the accidental honour of being the first piece of Cyberpunk 2077 to release. Until then, keep working to create a hyper corporate dystopia so we can all live out our Cyberpunk fantasies.In gaming, Professor went up against space card sharks in Star Realms, Deviboy relived his childhood in Raze 2 and Stephen fell in love with Hearthstone.Pokemon Snap now on Nintendo Swtich-https://www.gamespot.com/articles/a-new-pokemon-snap-is-coming-to-switch-and-it-look/1100-6478623/Apple being sued for lootboxes-https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/06/13/apple-sued-for-allowing-apps-with-loot-boxes-onto-app-storeAn even bigger super collider now in the works-https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/hdchxl/cern_makes_bold_push_to_build_21billion/-https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/european-physicists-boldly-take-small-step-toward-100-kilometer-long-atom-smasherCyberpunk 2077 comic book series announced-https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/cyberpunk-2077-comic-announced/Games PlayedProfessor– Star Realms - https://store.steampowered.com/app/438140/Star_Realms/Rating: 3.75/5Deviboy– Raze 2 - https://armorgames.com/play/12275/raze-2Rating: 3/5Stephen– Hearthstone - https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/Rating: 5/5Other topics discussedMario Party 10 (party video game developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo for the Wii U.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Party_10ZombiU ((known as Zombi on platforms other than the Wii U) is a first-person survival horror video game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft. It was released for the Wii U as one of its launch games in November 2012.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZombiUPokemon Snap (first-person simulation video game with rail shooter style gameplay mechanics co-developed by HAL Laboratory and Pax Softnica and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was first released in Japan in March 1999, and was later released in June 1999 in North America and in September 2000 for PAL regions.A sequel called New Pokémon Snap was announced in 2020 and is in development for Nintendo Switch.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_SnapNew Pokémon Snap (first-person rail shooter and simulation video game in development by Bandai Namco Studios, planned to be published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo Switch. It is a sequel to the 1999 game Pokémon Snap. In New Pokémon Snap, the player visits a variety of island locations, including jungles and beaches, where they research Pokémon in their natural habitats, photographing them while traveling in an on-rails hovercraft, to build a "Photodex".)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Pok%C3%A9mon_SnapVoltorb (Electric-type Pokémon introduced in Generation I.)- https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Voltorb_(Pok%C3%A9mon)Pokemon Unite (upcoming free-to-start,multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed by TiMi Studios and published by Tencent in partnership with The Pokémon Company for Android,iOS, and Nintendo Switch.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Unite- https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-video-games/pokemon-unite/Super Mario Odyssey (platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch on October 27, 2017. An entry in the Super Mario series, it follows Mario and Cappy, a sentient hat that allows Mario to control other characters and objects, as they journey across various worlds to save Princess Peach from his nemesis Bowser, who plans to forcibly marry her.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_OdysseyThe 25 Highest-Grossing Media Franchises of All Time. Pokémon being the highest grossing media in global history.- https://www.titlemax.com/discovery-center/money-finance/the-25-highest-grossing-media-franchises-of-all-time/Joe Camel (the advertising mascot for Camel cigarettes from late 1987 to July 12, 1997, appearing in magazine advertisements, billboards, and other print media.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_CamelApple parental control feature stops microtransactions and other activites- https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/10/apples-new-parental-controls-can-limit-who-kids-can-call-text-and-facetime-and-when/Youtube’s COPPA Child-Directed Content Rules- https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/ftc-rules-child-directed-content-youtube-1203454167/80’s Cartoons that were created to sell toys- https://www.eightieskids.com/12-classic-80s-cartoons-that-were-created-just-to-sell-toys/J. Michael Straczynski (American television and film screenwriter, producer and director, and comic book writer. He is the founder of Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 and its spinoff Crusade, as well as the series Jeremiah and Sense8. Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Michael_StraczynskiWhy Blizzard Doesn’t Allow Trading in Hearthstone- https://esportsedition.com/hearthstone/hearthtsone-trading/L.O.L Surprise- https://lolsurprise.mgae.com/EA Legal and Government Affairs VP Kerry Hopkins : We look at lootboxes as 'surprise mechanics- https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/06/ea-loot-boxes-actually-surprise-mechanics-that-are-ethical-and-fun/EA CEO Andrew Wilson : Lootboxes are like collecting baseball cards- https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2019/06/20/ea-loot-boxes-discussed-by-the-companys-ceo-andrew-wilson/Kinder Surprise were banned in USA because of the small toys in the eggs- https://metro.co.uk/2017/10/04/why-are-kinder-eggs-banned-in-the-usa-6976543/Diablo Immortal (upcoming action role-playing hack and slash video game in the Diablo series designed for online multiplayer play on mobile devices.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_ImmortalBlizzard Entertainment principal game designer Wyatt Cheng : Do You Guys Not Have Phones (Said during the presentation of mobile game Diablo Immortal at BlizzCon in November 2018. The remark, which was said as an answer to the crowd's disappointment reaction to Diablo Immortal being strictly mobile, has since been used to mock both Blizzard Entertainment and video game publishers acting disconnected from gaming audiences in general.)- https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/do-you-guys-not-have-phonesEntertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) (American self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings to consumer video games. The ESRB was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association, in response to criticism of controversial video games with excessively violent or sexual content.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment_Software_Rating_BoardESRB ratings will begin warning players of loot boxes in games. The Entertainment Software Rating Board announced its plans today, stating it would be adding the description “Includes Random Items” in its rating of games that allow players to makein-game purchases of random items.- https://www.vg247.com/2020/04/13/esrb-ratings-loot-boxes/China's new law forces Dota, League of Legends, and other games to reveal odds of scoring good loot- https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/2/15517962/china-new-law-dota-league-of-legends-odds-loot-box-randomLoot box warnings to be added to video games- https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52281573PEGI Introduces Notice To Inform About Presence of Paid Random Items- https://pegi.info/news/pegi-introduces-feature-noticeAuction House (The Auction House was a feature of the PC version of Diablo III. This allowed players to put items up for auction, bid and buyout. Two versions of the auction house existed.One used gold earned in-game while the second used real-world currency. Sales and purchases from the Real Money Auction House (RMAH) could be funded by either the players Battle.net account balance or a separate e-commerce service such as PayPal.)- https://diablo.fandom.com/wiki/Auction_HouseBudget of NASA (As a federal agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) receives its funding from the annual federal budget passed by the United States Congress.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budget_of_NASACSIRO Budget 2019-2020- https://www.science.org.au/news-and-events/news-and-media-releases/mixed-news-science-2019-20-budgetAvatar: Last Airbender comics (visual publications that depict events and situations unseen during the series' run. Most of the first comics released occur during and between episodes as a means of supplementing the series, while comics released following the conclusion of the show's official run pertain to events after the end of the Hundred Year War.)- https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Avatar:_The_Last_Airbender_comicsBionicle (a line of Lego construction toys marketed primarily towards 8-to-16 year-olds. Over the following decade, it became one of Lego's biggest-selling properties; spawning into a franchise and playing a part in saving the company from its financial crisis of the late 1990s.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bionicle- https://bionicle.fandom.com/wiki/The_Bionicle_WikiTerralympus (by Stephen Kok, Earth is a distant memory and the remnants of humanity now live aboard the space station, Terralympus.)- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43181637-terralympusTranshumanism (a philosophical movement that advocates for the transformation of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies to greatly enhance human intellect and physiology.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TranshumanismThe Legend of Korra ((also known as Avatar: The Legend of Korra) is an American animated television series created by Bryan Konietzko andMichael Dante DiMartino for Nickelodeon that aired from April 14, 2012 to December 19, 2014. A sequel to Konietzko and DiMartino's previous series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which aired from 2005 to 2008.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_KorraThe Legend of Korra comics (visual publications that depict events and situations unseen before and after the series' run.)- https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_The_Legend_of_Korra_comicsAssassin’s Creed Comics- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin%27s_Creed#Comics- https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/112978.Assassin_s_Creed_ComicsJ. Michael Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: A Retrospective- https://comicsverse.com/straczynski-amazing-spider-man/Spider-Man: One More Day (four-part 2007comic book crossover storyline, connecting the three main Spider-Man series concurrently published by Marvel Comics at the time. Written by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man%3A_One_More_DayThe Witcher (a Polish-American fantasy drama series produced by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. It stars Henry Cavill, Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra. The show initially follows the three main protagonists at different points of time, exploring formative events that shaped their characters, before eventually merging into a single timeline.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witcher_(TV_series)Bat-Credit Card (The infamous Bat-Credit Card was a credit card that Batman used when he needed to make monetary transactions. Batman used it in Batman & Robin to offer $7 million for Poison Ivy.)- https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/Bat-Credit_CardBatman: Year One (American comic book story arc published byDC Comics which recounts the superhero Batman's first year as a crime-fighter. It was written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, colored by Richmond Lewis, and lettered by Todd Klein.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_Year_OneCheck out more stuff from Stephen Kok- https://sigmatestudio.com/Check out more stuff from Comics2Movies including XCT & Terralympus- https://www.comics2movies.com.au/Shout Outs20 June 2020 – Aya and the Witch: Official Stills From Studio Ghibli's First Fully CG Film are released - https://www.ign.com/articles/aya-and-the-witch-studio-ghibli-cg-film-stillsStudio Ghibli is doing a long-form adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones’ novel Earwig and the Witch. Titled Aya to Majo (Aya and the Witch), the movie will air on NHK in Japan this winter. Earwig is an orphan girl who has lived at St. Morwald's Home for Children ever since she was a baby, but all of that changes the day that she is adopted by a mysterious woman named Bella Yaga, who turns out to be a terrible witch and brings Earwig to live in her home of supernatural trinkets. With help from a talking cat, Earwig must use her wits to survive in her new magical surroundings. The colourful carousel of images sees a digression from the traditional, hand-drawn animation that Studio Ghibli is well-renowned for. Instead, this feature has opted for a new kind of art style with an entirely 3D computer-generated story that centres around Earwig, the young girl with the broomstick. Hayao Miyazaki is overseeing the adaptation’s planning, while his son Goro, who helmed From Up On Poppy Hill, is directing. Toshio Suzuki is producing.21 June 2020 – Lilo & Stitch turns 18 - https://comicbook.com/movies/news/lilo-and-stitch-fans-celebrate-anniversary-twitter-trend/18 years ago, Lilo & Stitch hit theaters, spawning a franchise still beloved by Disney fans all these years later. After grossing $273.1 million at the box office for Walt Disney animation, the fan-favorite animated feature went on to introduce three more movies and a television series. A year after its release, the Stitch-centric Stitch! The Movie hit theaters and two years after that, Lilo & Stich 2: Stitch Has a Glitch made its way to the masses. The franchise then ended with Leroy & Stitch and Lilo & Stitch: The Series, both of which set sail in 2006. More recently, however, new reports have surfaced that say Disney+ is now developing a hybrid live-action/CGI remake for the platform. Prior to any coronavirus shutdowns, the film was reported to start production later this year. No further information has been released about the project as of now.22 June 2020 – Kurt Cobain's MTV Unplugged guitar sells to Australian for record $9m - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-22/kurt-cobains-guitar-bought-by-australian-for-9-million/12379316An Australian businessman hopes his purchase of music icon Kurt Cobain's acoustic guitar could help boost the struggling global music industry. The 1959 Martin D-18E guitar was played by Cobain during his 1993 MTV Unplugged performance in New York. It now holds the record for being the most expensive guitar in the world after being purchased by the founder of Rode Microphones, Peter Freedman, for $US6 million ($8.8 million). Mr Freedman plans to display the guitar on a worldwide tour, the proceeds of which will go back to the performing arts sector. "I did it to highlight the massive crisis in the arts," he told ABC Radio Brisbane. "I've got the attention of government, I've got the attention of everyone asking me why I did it." "Musos and entertainers get nothing — it's as though they don't exist," he said. His main motivation is to lobby on behalf of musicians in countries like as Germany, the UK and Australia. "The money that comes from it mightn't be much, but it's the focus on governments, and the effects of this will last forever if I do it right," Mr Freedman."It's not the money we need, it's the people, the support.23 June 2020 – Joel Schumacher passes away at 80 - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-23/filmmaker-joel-schumacher-dies-at-80/12383008The man behind the flamboyant reinvention of Hollywood's Batman franchise, Joel Schumacher has died. From a job dressing department store windows to costume design for Woody Allen's 1970s movies Interiors and Sleeper, the New Yorker made his mark on the big screen in 1985 with the coming-of-age movie St Elmo's Fire. That project launched the careers of the Brat Pack — Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez and Ally Sheedy — and had the movie industry clamouring for more of Schumacher's brilliance. The Lost Boys, Flatliners, John Grisham adaptations The Client and A Time to Kill and the critically acclaimed Falling Down followed. Audiences loved Schumacher's overly dramatic and exuberant Batman Forever in 1995, but panned its follow-up, Batman & Robin in 1997. After theBatman films, Schumacher pulled back from blockbusters and returned to making minimalist films such as Tigerland and Phone Booth, both earning positive reviews. He also directed The Phantom of the Opera , The Number 23, and two episodes of House of Cards. He died from cancer in New York City.24 June 2020 – Segway ends production - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-24/segway-ends-production-of-vehicle-falls/12386530Segway is ending the production of its namesake vehicle. The two-wheeled personal transporter, which the company boldly claimed would revolutionise the way people got around, will be retired on July 15. While used by tourists and some police forces, the vehicle also became known for high-profile crashes. It even resulted in the death of a former Segway company president, who drove one off a cliff in 2009. The company said 21 employees would be laid off, another 12 employees would stay on for two months to a year, and five would remain at the Bedford, New Hampshire facility. The transportation revolution that inventor Dean Kamen envisioned when he founded the company in 1999 never took off. The Segway's original price tag of around $US5,000 was a hurdle for many customers. It was also challenging to ride, because the rider had to be balanced at a specific angle for the vehicle to move forward. If the rider's weight shifted too much in any direction, it could easily spin out of control and throw the rider off. They were banned in some cities because users could easily lose control if they were not balanced properly. In 2017, Segway got into the scooter business, just as the light, inexpensive and easy-to-ride two-wheelers took over urban streets. It comes after decades of high-profile falls, viral videos and even the death of a former company owner.23 June 2020 – Deus Ex turns 20- https://techraptor.net/gaming/features/deus-ex-20th-anniversary-nameless-mod-retrospective- https://www.techradar.com/au/news/deus-ex-20th-anniversary-programmer-scott-martin-talks-about-working-on-the-pc-gaming-masterpieceIf a game came out today that depicted a world ravaged by a viral outbreak, dehumanized by capitalism, in the throes of mass public riots, gripped by anti-government sentiment, and witnessing the progressive breakdown of American society amid the rise of China as an autonomous superpower, you might think it was too on-the-nose. Twenty years ago however, it was simply the setting of a radical, and somewhat prophetic video game, called Deus Ex. Directed by System Shock producer Warren Spector and designed by future Dishonored creative director Harvey Smith, Deus Ex represented a profound leap in both storytelling and mechanical depth for first-person video games. The game placed players in the role of J.C. Denton, a cybernetically augmented United Nations Anti-Terrorism agent who gradually unravels a web of conspiracies gripping the dark cyberpunk future of 2052. Its sprawling world was dense with philosophical questions, conflicted morality, deep characters, and all the ingredients that make an instant classic; its character customization system and resulting player freedom is still imitated today. It’s success spawned a lukewarm sequel in 2003 withInvisible War, and then a successful revival in 2011 with the prequel Human Revolution and its own sequel in 2016,Mankind Divided. The original game is fondly remembered in PC gaming communities with the meme, “every time you mention it, someone will install it.”. Seven years after its release, Deus Ex served as the basis for one of the most impressive mods of its generation, known only as The Nameless Mod. Reflecting on the original Deus Ex's revered place in PC gaming history, Scott Martin one of the only three programmers tasked with coding the entire game using the very first Unreal Engine, keeps it humble. "I feel honored and privileged to have worked on the game," he said, "and happy that so many people still remember it fondly after all this time!"Remembrances22 June 1965 – David O. Selznick - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_O._SelznickAmerican film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive. He is best known for producing Gone with the Wind (1939) and Rebecca (1940), each earning him an Academy Award for Best Picture. In 1926, Selznick moved to Hollywood, and with the help of his father's connections, he gained a job as an assistant story editor at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He left MGM for Paramount Pictures in 1928, where he worked until 1931, when he joined RKO as Head of Production. His years at RKO were fruitful, and he worked on many films, including A Bill of Divorcement , Rockabye,Bird of Paradise, and King Kong. Despite his output of successful movies at MGM,Paramount Pictures, and RKO Pictures, Selznick longed to be an independent producer with his own studio. In 1935 he formed Selznick International Pictures, and distributed his films through United Artists. His successes continued with classics such as, A Star Is Born , The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Gone with the Wind , which remains the highest-grossing film of all time (adjusted for inflation). Gone with the Wind won eight Oscars and two special awards. He produced his second Best Picture Oscar winner in a row, Rebecca , the first Hollywood production of British director Alfred Hitchcock. Selznick had brought Hitchcock over from England, launching the director's American career. Rebecca was Hitchcock's only film to win Best Picture. Gone with the Wind overshadowed the rest of Selznick's career. Later, he was convinced that he had wasted his life trying to outdo it. The closest he came to matching the film was with Duel in the Sun. With a huge budget, the film is known for causing moral upheaval because of the then risqué script written by Selznick. The film would be a major success. The film was the second highest-grossing film of 1947 and was the first movie that Martin Scorsese saw, inspiring Scorsese's own directorial career. He died from heart attack at the age of 63 in Hollywood, California.22 June 1969 – Judy Garland - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_GarlandBorn Frances Ethel Gumm, American actress, singer, and dancer. During a career that spanned 45 years, she attained international stardom as an actress in both musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. Garland began performing in vaudeville as a child with her two older sisters and was later signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a teenager. She appeared in more than two dozen films for MGM and is remembered for portraying Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz. Garland was a frequent on-screen partner of both Mickey Rooney and Gene Kelly. Although her film career became intermittent thereafter, two of Garland's most critically acclaimed performances came later in her career: she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in A Star Is Born (1954) and a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Judgment at Nuremberg. At age 39, Garland became the youngest and first female recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in the film industry. In 1997, Garland was posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Several of her recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 1999, the American Film Institute placed her among the 10 greatest female stars of classic American cinema. She died from Barbiturate overdose at the age of 47 in London.22 June 1990 – Ilya Frank - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilya_FrankIlya Mikhailovich Frank, Soviet winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1958 jointly with Pavel Alekseyevich Cherenkov and Igor Y. Tamm, also of the Soviet Union. He received the award for his work in explaining the phenomenon of Cherenkov radiation. In 1934, Frank moved to the Institute of Physics and Mathematics of the USSR Academy of Sciences . Here he started working on nuclear physics, a new field for him. He became interested in the effect discovered by Pavel Cherenkov, that charged particles moving through water at high speeds emit light. Together with Igor Tamm, he developed a theoretical explanation: the effect occurs when charged particles travel through an optically transparent medium at speeds greater than the speed of light in that medium, causing a shock wave in the electromagnetic field. The amount of energy radiated in this process is given by the Frank–Tamm formula. The discovery and explanation of the effect resulted in the development of new methods for detecting and measuring the velocity of high-speed nuclear particles and became of great importance for research in nuclear physics. Cherenkov radiation is also widely used in biomedical research for detection of radioactive isotopes. He died at the age of 81 in Moscow.Famous Birthdays22 June 1834 – William Chester Minor - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Chester_MinorAlso known as W. C. Minor, American army surgeon and one of the largest contributors of quotations to the Oxford English Dictionary. He was also held in a psychiatric hospital from 1872 to 1910 after he murdered George Merrett. It was probably through his correspondence with the London booksellers that he heard of the call for volunteers for what was to become the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). He devoted most of the remainder of his life to that work. He became one of the project's most effective volunteers, reading through his large personal library of antiquarian books and compiling quotations that illustrated the way particular words were used. He was often visited by the widow of the man he had killed, and she provided him with further books. The compilers of the dictionary published lists of words for which they wanted examples of usage. Minor provided these, with increasing ease as the lists grew. It was many years before the OED's editor, Dr. James Murray, learned Minor's background history, and visited him in January 1891. In 1899 Murray paid compliment to Minor's enormous contributions to the dictionary, stating, "we could easily illustrate the last four centuries from his quotations alone." He was born in Ceylon22 June 1898 – Erich Maria Remarque - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Maria_RemarqueBorn Erich Paul Remark, 20th-century German novelist. His landmark novel All Quiet on the Western Front (1928), about the German military experience of World War I, was an international best-seller which created a new literary genre, and was subsequently made into the film All Quiet on the Western Front. Remarque had made his first attempts at writing at the age of 16. Among them were essays, poems, and the beginnings of a novel that was finished later and published in 1920 as The Dream Room (Die Traumbude). All Quiet on the Western Front (Im Westen nichts Neues) (1929), his career defining work, was written in 1927. Remarque was at first unable to find a publisher for it. Its text described the experiences of German soldiers during World War I. On publication it became an international bestseller and a landmark work in twentieth-century literature. It inspired a new genre of veterans writing about conflict, and the commercial publication of a wide variety of war memoirs. It also inspired dramatic representations of the war in theatre and cinema, in Germany as well as in countries that had fought in the conflict against the German Empire, particularly the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Remarque continued to write about the German experience after WWI. His next novel, Three Comrades (Drei Kameraden), spans the years of the Weimar Republic, from the hyperinflation of 1923 to the end of the decade. His fourth novel, Flotsam (in German titled Liebe deinen Nächsten, or Love Thy Neighbour), first appeared in a serial version in English in 1939. His next work, the novel Arch of Triumph, was first published in 1945 in English, and the next year in German as Arc de Triomphe. Another instant bestseller, it reached worldwide sales of nearly five million. His final novel was Shadows in Paradise. He as born in Osnabrück,German Empire.22 June 1899 – Richard Gurley Drew - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Gurley_DrewAmerican inventor who worked for Johnson and Johnson, Permacel Co., and 3M in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he invented masking tape and cellophane tape. While testing their new Wetordry sandpaper at auto shops, Drew was intrigued to learn that the two-tone auto paint jobs so popular in the Roaring Twenties were difficult to manage at the border between the two colors. In response, after two years of work in 3M's labs, Drew invented the first masking tape, a two-inch-wide tan paper strip backed with a light, pressure-sensitive adhesive. The first tape had adhesive along its edges but not in the middle. In its first trial run, it fell off the car and the frustrated auto painter growled at Drew, "take this tape back to those Scotch bosses of yours and tell them to put more adhesive on it!" (By "Scotch," he meant "cheap".) The nickname stuck, both to Drew's improved masking tape, and to his 1930 invention, Scotch Brand cellulose tape. In 1930 he came up with the world's first transparent cellophane adhesive tape (called sellotape in the UK and Scotch tape in the United States). During the Great Depression, people began using Scotch tape to repair items rather than replace them. This was the beginning of 3M’s diversification into all manner of marketplaces and helped them to flourish in spite of the Great Depression. He was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota.22 June 1958 – Bruce Campbell - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_CampbellBruce Lorne Campbell, American actor, voice actor, producer, writer and director. One of his best-known roles is Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead franchise, beginning with the 1978 short film Within the Woods. He has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Maniac Cop , Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat, and Bubba Ho-Tep . In television, Campbell had lead roles in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. and Jack of All Trades , and a recurring role as Autolycus,King of Thieves, in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess . He played Sam Axe on the USA Network series Burn Notice and reprised his role as Ash Williams on the Starz series Ash vs. Evil Dead. Campbell started his directing career with Fanalysis and A Community Speaks, and then with the horror comedy feature films Man with the Screaming Brain and My Name Is Bruce, the latter being a spoof of his career. Campbell is featured as a voice actor in several video game titles. He provides the voice of Ash in the three games based on the Evil Dead film series: Evil Dead: Hail to the King,Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick and Evil Dead: Regeneration. In addition to acting and occasionally directing, Campbell has become a writer, starting with an autobiography, If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor, published on August 24, 2002. The autobiography was a successful New York Times Best Seller.If Chins Could Kill follows Campbell's career to date as an actor in low-budget films and television, providing his insight into "Blue-Collar Hollywood". He was born in Royal Oak, Michigan.Events of Interest22 June 1633 – The Holy Office in Rome forces Galileo Galilei to recant his view that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the Universe in the form he presented it in, after heated controversy. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_affair#Trial_and_second_judgment,_1633Galileo was interrogated while threatened with physical torture. A panel of theologians, consisting of Melchior Inchofer, Agostino Oreggi and Zaccaria Pasqualigo, reported on the Dialogue. Their opinions were strongly argued in favour of the view that the Dialogue taught the Copernican theory. Galileo was found guilty, and the sentence of the Inquisition, issued on 22 June 1633, was in three essential parts:Galileo was found "vehemently suspect of heresy", namely of having held the opinions that the Sun lies motionless at the center of the universe, that the Earth is not at its centre and moves, and that one may hold and defend an opinion as probable after it has been declared contrary to Holy Scripture. He was required to "abjure, curse, and detest" those opinions.He was sentenced to formal imprisonment at the pleasure of the Inquisition. On the following day this was commuted to house arrest, which he remained under for the rest of his life.His offending Dialogue was banned; and in an action not announced at the trial, publication of any of his works was forbidden, including any he might write in the future.22 June 1978 – End of the World came in theatres in Columbia - https://www.scifihistory.net/june-22.htmlOn this day in 1978 (in Colombia), End of the World served up yet one Apocalyptic-themed SciFi/Thriller. The feature film starred Christopher Lee (in a dual role) and Sue Lyon, and here's the premise as cited "After witnessing a man's death in a bizarre accident, Father Pergado goes on a spiritual retreat, where he encounters his alien double bent on world conquest." For no apparent reason, French distributors cut the movie down to one hour and fifteen minutes for its French theatrical release, Sir Christopher Lee only appearing in its prologue and its conclusion. Sir Christopher Lee has said about this movie: "Some of the films I've been in I regret making. I got conned into making these pictures in almost every case by people who lied to me. Some years ago, I got a call from my producers saying that they were sending me a script and that five very distinguished American actors were also going to be in the film. Actors like José Ferrer, Dean Jagger, and John Carradine. So I thought "Well, that's all right by me". But it turned out it was a complete lie. Appropriately, the film was called End Of The World."22 June 1978 – Charon, the first of Pluto's satellites to be discovered, was first seen at the United States Naval Observatory by James W. Christy. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon_(moon)#DiscoveryOn June 22, 1978, he had been examining highly magnified images of Pluto on photographic plates taken with the telescope two months prior. Christy noticed that a slight elongation appeared periodically. The blob seemed to move around Pluto. The direction of elongation cycled back and forth over 6.39 days―Pluto's rotation period. Searching through their archives of Pluto images taken years before, Christy found more cases where Pluto appeared elongated. Additional images confirmed he had discovered the first known moon of Pluto. The International Astronomical Union formally announced Christy's discovery to the world on July 7, 1978. After its discovery, Charon was originally known by the temporary designation S/1978 P 1, according to the then recently instituted convention. On June 24, 1978, Christy first suggested the name Charon as a scientific-sounding version of his wife Charlene's nickname, "Char".IntroArtist – Goblins from MarsSong Title – Super Mario - Overworld Theme (GFM Trap Remix)Song Link -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNMe6kF0j0&index=4&list=PLHmTsVREU3Ar1AJWkimkl6Pux3R5PB-QJFollow us onFacebook- Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/- Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/440485136816406/Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes -https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094RSS -http://www.thatsnotcanonproductions.com/topshelfnerdspodcast?format=rssInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/Email - Nerds.Amalgamated@gmail.comSupport via Podhero- https://podhero.com/podcast/449127/nerds-amalgamatedRate & Review us on Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/nerds-amalgamated-623195

Catastrophe Vortex 2.0 with TC Kirkham - June 8 2020 Welcome to the ALL NEW Catastrophe Vortex 2.0! THIS WEEK: We're stepping into the wayback machine and going back to the film that is considered by film scholars to be the first ever Hollywood disaster film as well as the first ever post-apocalyptic film, the 1933 RKO Pictures release "Deluge"! Plus, some fun with a recent WatchMojo.Com list about the "best disaster movies A to Z" which I think was a total crock! COMMUNICATE WITH US! We want to hear from YOU! Email - cv@pnrnetworks.com  Speakpipe - https://www.speakpipe.com/SubjectCINEMA NEW! NEW! NEW! Join the PNRNetworks Patrons Circle! As a member of our PNRNetworks Patrons Circle, you get official acknowledgement as a member of the PNRNetworks Patrons Circle on all PNRNetworks sites, mentions on our podcasts on a random basis, and exclusives galore including three Patron Circle exclusive podcasts, exclusive club articles, cool specials, special chances to participate in various special activities, and more! You can't beat it! All for just $5 a month - that's just $0.17 PER DAY! Join NOW! http://patreon.com/PNRNetworks SPECIAL NOTE: When listening to PNRNetworks shows on ANY platform, don't forget to LIKE them, Tweet them, and use the notification bell on YouTube - it helps our listenerships grow!!! PLEASE BE SURE TO LEAVE COMMENTS TOO! SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook Twitter YouTube Pinterest Tumblr PNRNetworks Shows Subject:CINEMA Platinum Roses’ Garden (seasonal) Platinum Rose RolePlay Cavebabble Three Minute Weekend Front Row Five And Ten Tuesday Digidex Catastrophe Vortex Comic Grotto Ring Around The Rosie The Kirkham Report Ant B's Nerd Grotto PNRNetworks sites eCinemaOne eCinemaBoston Platinum Roses' Garden Cavebabble Catastrophe Vortex The Kirkham Report Planet BiblioMusica Comic Grotto Ring Around The Rosie PNRNetworks Original Production: Manhattan Hammerdown - As It Happened PNRNetworks Original Production: War Of The Worlds 2018

This week for part 3 of our 2019 horror reviews series, we talk about the classic chiller Cat People from 1942, produced by Val Lewton for RKO Pictures.

The first of the horror films producer Val Lewton made for RKO Pictures redefined the genre by leaving its most frightening terrors to its audience’s imagination.

Peter Letz is a CAA Agent for Digital Talent & Packaging, focused on gaming. He builds partnerships that expand digital entertainment businesses for YouTube creators, Twitch streamers, esports teams and game studios. Some of his impressive roster of clients include Dr. DisRespect, StoneMountain64, KayPea, and Nick Eh 30. He has also held positions at Studio71 and the legendary RKO Pictures.

Sean from Austin joins John and Myself(Chris) for a discussion about- DNA, Gregory Bateson, X-ray Crystallography, G-Factor, Cavendish Laboratory,Julius Robert Oppenheimer, Edward Kelley, Cold Spring Harbor, 23 and Me, Kurt Godel, Bertrand Russel, Cybernetics, Phi Beta Kappa Society, The English Language, Bruce Lee, Francis Galton, The Kennedys, John Frankenheimer, Rockets in Space, Sunset Boulevard, RKO Pictures, Rock Oil, LaBrea Tar Pits, Jack Horner, Dinosaurs, Wernher von Braun, Space, The Moon Landing Hoax, Nukes, Wolfgang Pauly, The World Set Free Book by HG Wells. Note: Seans connection drops at the end. Commute Music: Crystal Clear by Wilbert Longmire hoaxbusterscall.com

On this date in 1946, “It’s a Wonderful Life” was released in the United States. Here are some things you may not have known about the classic Christmas movie. It’s based on a story called “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern, who wrote it in 1939. After failing to sell the story, he made it into a Christmas card and send copies to friends and family in 1943. One of these cards came to the attention of a producer at RKO Pictures, which bought the story intending to make it into a movie starring Cary Grant. RKO shelved the project after three unsuccessful screenplay attempts were made. Director Frank Capra read the story and saw its potential. His production company bought the rights and the three screenplays for $10,000. Capra worked with a team of writers, including Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Jo Swerling and Dorothy Parker. The popular belief is that the role of George Bailey was all but written for Jimmy Stewart, however film historian Stephen Cox claims that Henry Fonda was also considered. The part of Mary was offered first to Jean Arthur, Olivia de Havilland and Ginger Rogers before it finally went to to Donna Reed. Vincent Price and Charles Bickford were considered for the part of the villainous Mr. Potter, who was eventually played by Lionel Barrymore. Filming took place largely at RKO’s studio in Culver City, California and the RKO movie ranch in Encino, California. The only filming locations that remain intact are the home that the Martini family buys in the film, and the gymnasium at Beverly Hills High School with its swimming pool under the gym floor. It’s widely believed that “It’s a Wonderful Life” was originally a box office flop and was dislike by critics. However, this isn’t entirely true. The film made $3.3 million dollars in 1947, placing it 26th among more than 400 films released late in 1946 and in 1947. The reviews were mixed, with Time magazine and Variety praising it, and the New York Times and New Yorker magazine panning it. It went on to be nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Capra and Best Actor for Stewart. It won an Oscar for technical achievement for a new method of simulating falling snow. It lost the Best Picture Oscar to “The Best Years of Our Lives.” The single event that made the film a Christmas classic didn’t happen until 24 years after it was released. In 1974, the company which owned the rights to the film didn’t properly renew the copyright. This allowed the film to be shown inexpensively on hundreds of local television stations. The film was believed to be in the public domain until 1993, when Republic Pictures proved that it still owned the film rights to the original short story, and because of that, to all derivative works, including “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The movie is now licensed to NBC, which shows it twice during the Christmas season, including on Christmas Eve. Our question: Which television villain was inspired by the character of Mr. Potter? Today is unofficially Cathode-Ray Tube Day, Games Day, and National Sangria Day. It’s the birthday of tire magnate Harvey Firestone, who was born in 1868; author Sandra Cisneros, who is 62; and actor Jonah Hill, who is 33. Because our topic happened before 1960, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week in 1968, the top song in the U.S. was “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye. The No. 1 movie was “Oliver!,” while the novel “The Salzburg Connection” by Helen MacInnes topped the New York Times Bestsellers list. Weekly question What was the first broadcast network in the United States? Submit your answer at triviapeople.com/test and we’ll add the name of the person with the first correct answer to our winner’s wall … at triviapeople.com. We'll reveal the correct answer on Friday’s episode. Links Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website. Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_a_Wonderful_Life https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Potter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger_Rogers http://www.iamnotastalker.com/2009/12/22/the-martini-house-from-its-a-wonderful-life/ https://www.checkiday.com/12/20/2016 http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-december-20 http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/numberonesongs/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1968_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers_of_1968 iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9 Android: http://bit.ly/2bQnk3m

Joe takes a look at Walt Disney Animation France, Walt Disney Pictures & RKO Pictures' 1963 remake of the 1947 retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, "Mickey and the Beanstalk (1963 Version)." This version aired as an individual episode on a 1963 episode of Walt Disney's anthology TV series with new introductory segments. Ludwig Von Drake (voiced by Paul Frees) replaces Edgar Bergen as the narrator in the 1963 version, for which he has a Bootle-Beetle companion named Herman (replacing the sassy comments of Edgar Bergen's ventriloquist dummy Charlie McCarthy).

Today we explore one of the more troubling aspects of Howard Hughes’ legacy: the firm hand he played in enforcing the blacklisting of Hollywood workers, both as the head and owner of RKO Pictures, and as a powerful rich guy whose influence went as high as the U.S. Congress. This episode also tells the story of Paul Jarrico, the first screenwriter to be taken to court by a studio (RKO) over the question of his firing during the blacklist period. In partnership with the also-blacklisted writer Michael Wilson and director Herbert Biberman, Jarrico then made Salt of the Earth, a pro-Union, proto-feminist, Neorealist-influenced independent film which the blacklisting-supporting unions effectively silenced, with the help of the media, politicians, and Hughes. This episode is brought to you by 1-800-Flowers. Order One Dozen beautiful, assorted Roses and receive another Dozen Roses and a vase for FREE – just $29.99. Go to 1800Flowers.com/REMEMBER. This episode is also brought to you by Slack. Visit Slack.com/REMEMBER. Create a new team and you’ll get $100 in credit for when you decide to upgrade to a paid plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In advance of next week’s episode dealing with Howard Hughes’ role in the blacklist, we revisit our October 2014 episode on Hughes’ relationship with Jane Russell, his wartime efforts to balance his aviation and moviemaking businesses, and his shaky run as head of RKO Pictures. Also: Ava Gardner gets violent, Hughes’ 15 year-old muse, and how Russell’s boobs did what the Spruce Goose couldn’t. This episode is brought to you by Smith and Noble. Contact Smith & Noble today for 25% off on your window treatments plus free design consultation. Go to smithandnoble.com/REMEMBER This episode is also brought to you by The Great Courses Plus. Start learning about topics ranging from history to science and many more. Try it for free by visiting thegreatcoursesplus.com/REMEMBER Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CRAIG SPECTOR is an award-winning and bestselling author, editor, screenwriter, and musician, with eleven books published, millions of copies sold, and reprints in nine languages. His fiction has been published by Tor/St. Martins Press, Bragelonne, Bantam Books, Harper Collins, Pocket Books, Arbor House, and others; his film and television work includes A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD and projects for TNC Pictures, Anonymous Content, ABC, NBC, Fox Television, Hearst Entertainment, Davis Entertainment Television, New Line Cinema, Beacon Pictures, and Wonderful World of Disney. His feature film adaptation of ANIMALS was a 2010 release from TNC Pictures and Anonymous Content (distributed by Maverick Entertainment)and stars Marc Blucas, Nicky Aycox, Eva Amurri, and Naveen Andrews. Spector's graphic novel THE NYE INCIDENTS (co-created with Whitley Streiber) was a June 2008 release from Devils Due Publishing and has been optioned by RKO Pictures with Todd Lincoln {The Apparition, Warner Bros.] attached to direct.

CRAIG SPECTOR is an award-winning and bestselling author, editor, screenwriter, and musician, with eleven books published, millions of copies sold, and reprints in nine languages. His fiction has been published by Tor/St. Martins Press, Bragelonne, Bantam Books, Harper Collins, Pocket Books, Arbor House, and others; his film and television work includes A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD and projects for TNC Pictures, Anonymous Content, ABC, NBC, Fox Television, Hearst Entertainment, Davis Entertainment Television, New Line Cinema, Beacon Pictures, and Wonderful World of Disney. His feature film adaptation of ANIMALS was a 2010 release from TNC Pictures and Anonymous Content (distributed by Maverick Entertainment)and stars Marc Blucas, Nicky Aycox, Eva Amurri, and Naveen Andrews. Spector's graphic novel THE NYE INCIDENTS (co-created with Whitley Streiber) was a June 2008 release from Devils Due Publishing and has been optioned by RKO Pictures with Todd Lincoln {The Apparition, Warner Bros.] attached to direct.

  CRAIG SPECTOR is an award-winning and bestselling author, editor, screenwriter, and musician, with eleven books published, millions of copies sold, and reprints in nine languages. His fiction has been published by Tor/St. Martins Press, Bragelonne, Bantam Books, Harper Collins, Pocket Books, Arbor House, and others; his film and television work includes A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD and projects for TNC Pictures, Anonymous Content, ABC, NBC, Fox Television, Hearst Entertainment, Davis Entertainment Television, New Line Cinema, Beacon Pictures, and Wonderful World of Disney. His feature film adaptation of ANIMALS was a 2010 release from TNC Pictures and Anonymous Content (distributed by Maverick Entertainment)and stars Marc Blucas, Nicky Aycox, Eva Amurri, and Naveen Andrews. Spector's graphic novel THE NYE INCIDENTS (co-created with Whitley Streiber) was a June 2008 release from Devils Due Publishing and has been optioned by RKO Pictures with Todd Lincoln {The Apparition, Warner Bros.] attached to direct.

  CRAIG SPECTOR is an award-winning and bestselling author, editor, screenwriter, and musician, with eleven books published, millions of copies sold, and reprints in nine languages. His fiction has been published by Tor/St. Martins Press, Bragelonne, Bantam Books, Harper Collins, Pocket Books, Arbor House, and others; his film and television work includes A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD and projects for TNC Pictures, Anonymous Content, ABC, NBC, Fox Television, Hearst Entertainment, Davis Entertainment Television, New Line Cinema, Beacon Pictures, and Wonderful World of Disney. His feature film adaptation of ANIMALS was a 2010 release from TNC Pictures and Anonymous Content (distributed by Maverick Entertainment)and stars Marc Blucas, Nicky Aycox, Eva Amurri, and Naveen Andrews. Spector's graphic novel THE NYE INCIDENTS (co-created with Whitley Streiber) was a June 2008 release from Devils Due Publishing and has been optioned by RKO Pictures with Todd Lincoln {The Apparition, Warner Bros.] attached to direct.