1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:22,160 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales are right there on display, just 5 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 1: Frank Sinatra was one of the most iconic musical artists 7 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: of all time. His voice was synonymous with the idea 8 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 1: of a crooner or a dreamy singer who sings love songs. 9 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:49,840 Speaker 1: You may know that he was also a successful dramatic actor, 10 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: but what most people don't realize is that he was 11 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: one role away from becoming an action star. Sinatra's acting 12 00:00:57,320 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: career began all the way back in the nineteen forties, 13 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: but in nineteen sixty eight he was looking to challenge 14 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: himself to see if he could get outside of his wheelhouse. 15 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: Up to this point, Sinatra tended to play characters that 16 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:11,919 Speaker 1: were kind of already in his DNA. He was a singer, 17 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:14,679 Speaker 1: so he played singers. He had a lot of friends 18 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: in the mob, so he played mobsters. He played a 19 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 1: lot of criminals, But could he play a character on 20 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:23,280 Speaker 1: the other side of the law. His new film, The 21 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,960 Speaker 1: Detective would give him that chance. The Detective was based 22 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: on a novel by author Roderick Thorpe. It follows Detective 23 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: Joe Leland, a tired working class man exposed to heinous 24 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: crime after heinous crime. He doesn't like to listen to 25 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 1: orders from his incompetent superiors, and his marriage is disintegrating 26 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:44,399 Speaker 1: as he gets pulled in deeper and deeper by his work. 27 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: It was the perfect role for Sinatra. It allowed him 28 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: to showcase his signature grumpy persona while in a mature, 29 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,280 Speaker 1: nuanced package. The film portrayed police work in a much 30 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: more realistic way than most films, and even discussed some 31 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 1: at the time taboo subjects homosexuality and sexual violence. The 32 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: Detective was a critical and commercial hit. Seeing the wild 33 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: success of his novel being adapted for film, Thorpe was 34 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:12,519 Speaker 1: eager to write a sequel so that it, too could 35 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: be turned into a movie. His second Joe Leland's story, 36 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: Nothing Last Forever, turned the drama up to eleven. It 37 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: took Joe across the country from New York to visit 38 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: his estranged daughter at her office in downtown La While there, 39 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: criminals attacked the office and Joe is forced to use 40 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: his skills as a detective to stop them. He manages 41 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: to succeed, but not before his daughter is killed. It 42 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: was a well received sequel and producers were excited to 43 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: turn it into a film. The only problem was that 44 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: by the time they were ready to make the movie 45 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:46,920 Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty seven, Sinatra was seventy two years old. 46 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 1: No way could he reprise the role in such an 47 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: action heavy sequel. And the part that really stunk for 48 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: the producers was that Sinatra's contract from the Detective stipulated 49 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: that they had to offer him the role for any sequels. 50 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 1: So they approached him, hands likely shaking as they gave 51 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: him the script, secretly hoping that he would turn it down. 52 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,519 Speaker 1: And Sinatra read the script with his usual grim expression, 53 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:13,080 Speaker 1: not giving any indication if he liked it or not, 54 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: And then once he was finished, he looked back over 55 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: to the waiting producers and told them that this was 56 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:20,519 Speaker 1: probably a little more than he could handle at this 57 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: point in his life, so he declined the role. I 58 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,639 Speaker 1: can imagine the producers jumping for joy as soon as 59 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: Sinatra left their office, and what followed was an intense 60 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:32,800 Speaker 1: casting call to find just the right successor to Sinatra. 61 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: All the great action stars of the time were called 62 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: up too, Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Gibson, Burt Reynolds, but in the 63 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 1: end all of them turned down the role as well. Ultimately, 64 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: the producers had to go with a newer, younger actor 65 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: who was more popular on television than film. They rewrote 66 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: the script to be a little less dark and a 67 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 1: little more funny too. For example, the detective was now 68 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: trying to save his wife instead of his daughter, and 69 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,280 Speaker 1: he was successful in the end. Also, the criminals weren't 70 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 1: out for revenge, they just wanted money. And finally, the 71 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: character of Joe Leland had his name changed to reflect 72 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: that this was not really the same guy from the 73 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: movie from twenty years before. And I'm happy to say 74 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: that it worked. When it was released in nineteen eighty eight, 75 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: the film became an instant hit and is considered today 76 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 1: to be one of the greatest action movies of all time, 77 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:25,839 Speaker 1: a film that should have starred Frank Sinatra but instead 78 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: starred Bruce Willis die Hard. As Winter rolls in, I've 79 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 1: found myself thinking of the emotions and feelings we associate 80 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:49,360 Speaker 1: with the season. The winter months are a time of joy, 81 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 1: of celebration, Christmas, New Year's, winter revels, yule Tide carols, 82 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:56,840 Speaker 1: and warm fires. You get the idea, breaks from the 83 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:00,120 Speaker 1: drudgery of work to spend time with family, friends, and 84 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: our communities. These things are universally beloved, even if you 85 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 1: don't describe to any particular holiday. But that's not all 86 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:10,160 Speaker 1: the winter is made of. After all, we only light 87 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:12,600 Speaker 1: a cozy fire in order to stave off the biting, 88 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: bitter cold, and many cultural traditions associate the cold with 89 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: ghost stories just as much as jolly El's. And you've 90 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: probably heard of Crampus, the goat like creature that follows 91 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:28,040 Speaker 1: Saint Nicholas around in German Christmas stories. But he's merely 92 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:31,200 Speaker 1: the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Christmas Boogeyman. 93 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: You see. German folklore is full of so called childhood 94 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: nightmare figures. These are the monsters that you tell your 95 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: children about in order to scare them into doing their 96 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:43,400 Speaker 1: chores or going to bed on time, but some of 97 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,440 Speaker 1: them come for adults too. In Central Europe, one of 98 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,800 Speaker 1: the most well known of these beans is Frauperkta an 99 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 1: old crone who cares very much about the cleanliness of 100 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: your house and whether you've done all your weaving for 101 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: the season. It's said that if your house isn't clean, 102 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:00,679 Speaker 1: she will come in with a pair of scissors, slit 103 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 1: your belly open and fill it with rocks. She also 104 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 1: disembowls lazy children upon occasion as well. Those who observe 105 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 1: her traditions make sure to leave out an offering dumplings 106 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:14,560 Speaker 1: in some regions, or porridge and herring. Other regions say 107 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:16,800 Speaker 1: that you must leave an egg on your roof as 108 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: a tribute. Why on the roof, while some say that 109 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 1: frau Perkta flies through the air on the darkest night 110 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 1: of the year, the winter solstice, and behind her is 111 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:28,680 Speaker 1: a caravan of spirits. In some traditions these are the 112 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 1: spirits of unbaptized children, and others they are a parade 113 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:36,760 Speaker 1: of monstrous crompus like creatures called perktin. And she flies 114 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 1: by writing on a distaff, a wool spinning tool that 115 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:42,280 Speaker 1: looks very much like a broom enough so that her 116 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:45,040 Speaker 1: image might call to mind that classical image of a 117 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:48,840 Speaker 1: witch on a broomstick. But Frau. Perkta is not a witch. 118 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:51,719 Speaker 1: She's a result of something that we would call syncretism 119 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 1: and assimilation. Perkta was originally something more resembling a goddess 120 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,480 Speaker 1: or a folk deity. Her tradition can actually be traced 121 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 1: all the way back to the Norse goddess Friga, and 122 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 1: she was the goddess of in between spaces who guided 123 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:07,719 Speaker 1: the spirits of the dead to the afterlife. In these 124 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 1: older stories, it said that she taught people how to 125 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: weave flax into linen. But when Christianity started taking over 126 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:17,240 Speaker 1: the region, it went to work relegating the creatures of 127 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:21,800 Speaker 1: folklore to secondary roles that fit into Christian worship. Crampus, 128 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: for instance, became Santa's helper, and Perkta became a figure 129 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:28,680 Speaker 1: who haunted people not on the Winter solstice, but on 130 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: January sixth, the twelfth day of Christmas. But that day 131 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: still holds its own special name for those who prefer 132 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:39,120 Speaker 1: to celebrate it the old way. Perkdinag. Like many classic 133 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 1: pre Christian gods or goddesses, Perkta has a sort of 134 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:45,520 Speaker 1: duality to her. She is a creepy old woman who 135 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:48,680 Speaker 1: may punish you for disobedience, but she is also wise 136 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: and elderly. She leads a train of ghosts through the 137 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 1: sky in the dark of night, but she also guides 138 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: those spirits that are lost to a final resting place. 139 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 1: And as the nights grow longer and the days grow shorter, 140 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: she makes you focus on the hearth and home, ensuring 141 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 1: all is ready not just for her, but for your 142 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 1: family as well. This duality makes her perfectly suited for 143 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: the winter months. It also makes her resistant to the 144 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: ways that Christian influence tried to demonize her, and to 145 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: this day, many Alpine communities still dress as Frauperkta in 146 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 1: holiday festivals and pay tribute to her just as enthusiastically 147 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 1: as they do to Saint Nicholas. Some figures from folklore 148 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: stand the test of time, and some survive by adapting 149 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 1: to a strange new world. So as the nights get 150 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 1: colder this month, keep an eye on the dark sky above, 151 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 1: and maybe keep an egg on your roof. I hope 152 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. 153 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,680 Speaker 1: Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about 154 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 1: the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show 155 00:08:56,480 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: was created by me, Aaron Mankey in partnership with Houstuff Works. 156 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: I make another award winning show called Lore, which is 157 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:07,520 Speaker 1: a podcast, book series, and television show and you can 158 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 1: learn all about it over at Theworldoflore dot com. And 159 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:13,920 Speaker 1: until next time, stay curious.