1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:08,880 Speaker 1: Too Much Information is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 2: Greetings, Boils and Ghouls, and welcome to tear Much interre. 3 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 3: Information, the show that brings you the scary kill stories 4 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 3: and slashinating facts and figures from your favorite telekill vision bovies. 5 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 2: Murder, Zick and more. God, that voice is exhausting. I 6 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 2: can see how that got how. 7 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:39,000 Speaker 1: That destroyed the voice a voice. 8 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, we're your two grave robbers of Genale rotting your 9 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:48,480 Speaker 2: skeletons of Scintillae, you're werewolves of wherewithal I'm Alex Halloween Gull, 10 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:49,240 Speaker 2: and I. 11 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,200 Speaker 1: Am you wrote several suggestions for me. I can't take 12 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: credit for these. Jordan rot Tog, which is very good. 13 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: George Dead Run Dog also very good. My person my favorite, 14 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: I think is Gore Dan gr Yeah run tg Yeah. 15 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: All just ten out of ten knocked it out of 16 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:09,560 Speaker 1: the pod. Thank you so manly well done. 17 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 2: And as I said before, welcome to three weeks of 18 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 2: Halloween themed too much Information. Because we didn't get it 19 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,960 Speaker 2: together for last week. Whoops. Yeah, we should probably should 20 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 2: have started this last week, but we're spookally over work, 21 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:29,680 Speaker 2: so we'll be kicking out the seasonally appropriate jams all 22 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 2: the rest of the month. Before we get things underway, 23 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,039 Speaker 2: I would like to give a huge shout out to 24 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 2: our supporters on KOFE. Still not sure that it's pronounced 25 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 2: that way, but whatever I drop us a message, we 26 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 2: will answer. If you have shout outs, they will be 27 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 2: taken into consideration, unless they are weird or I don't know, 28 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 2: I have a pretty high tolerance. Jordan probably doesn't. I mean, 29 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 2: like sexual stuff. 30 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: Have you gotten any of those now yet? 31 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 2: Maybe after this one? Yeah, here we go. Anyway, thank 32 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 2: you to everyone who has donated to that thus far. 33 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 2: You know we it means the world, it really does. 34 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 2: And now let us get to the desiccated meat of 35 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:11,639 Speaker 2: this week's episode. We are taking a look inside Tales 36 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:16,920 Speaker 2: from the Crypt, seven season strong series that terrified HBO 37 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 2: subscribers of a certain age from nineteen eighty nine to 38 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 2: nineteen ninety six. Now, my dad was too cheap to 39 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 2: add HBO. There was a little a sort of peripherally 40 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 2: aware of the cryptkeeper because that dude was everywhere. 41 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,240 Speaker 1: Was he like selling like McDonald's stuff. I have a. 42 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 2: Vague memory of pizza hut or like a pizza pizza 43 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 2: related thing. Yeah, that was it. So I only got 44 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 2: to watch these whenever they would like pop up at 45 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 2: video stores, which wasn't that frequent, and then you would 46 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 2: get the censored versions too if you came through Blockbuster 47 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 2: because they were Puritans. 48 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: Did you know that that Blockbuster with Puritans. 49 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:58,640 Speaker 2: Blockbuster was so powerful in the nineties that they would. 50 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: Have their own cuts, right different, Yeah. 51 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, they would have their own cuts. Yeah, and I. 52 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 1: Think there are some for people who collect vhs' is 53 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: like my brothers. I think some of those Blockbuster versions 54 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: are like rare collectibles. Now, if I'm recalling correctly, tremendous 55 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: censorship turned to commerce. 56 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 2: Yeah right, the American way literally the point of this episode. 57 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, yeah. So I only got to watch more 58 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:25,920 Speaker 2: of these when I could, you know, torrent them. But 59 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 2: I did buy tons of easy comic trade paperbacks, which 60 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 2: is what this show draws from. At any half priced books, 61 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 2: I could enter with my sweaty little myths, and because 62 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 2: of rights issues, the show continues to only be available 63 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 2: through less than optimal mess Jordan as a frightened child 64 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 2: idealizing the nineteen fifties, What was your experience with Tales 65 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 2: from the Crypt? 66 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: I mean, don't forget how much I loved are you 67 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: for thought that's true? So I do have I have 68 00:03:56,880 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: from characteristically high tolerance for spooky stuff. That's fair. Like 69 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: I just just want to say. 70 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 2: That just just not guns n' roses. 71 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, no, just much like you. I was aware of this, 72 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: but I didn't have a ton of exposure to it, 73 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 1: mostly because I couldn't figure out how to work the 74 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:18,679 Speaker 1: family cable boxes, so my HBO viewing was pretty limited. 75 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 1: But yeah, I loved this uniquely late eighties early nineties 76 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 1: type of show, which usually kind of sci fi leaning 77 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 1: that felt like it was being secretly broadcast out of 78 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 1: someone's basement, like Wayne's World style. Sure, for me, Mystery 79 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: Signs Theater three thousand is a prime example of that 80 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 1: for me. And it's not a comment on production quality, 81 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:42,280 Speaker 1: but just something about it just seemed so much weirder 82 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: than anything that was on network TV. Oh and I 83 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: always got a kick out of that. 84 00:04:46,839 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 2: It wasn't TV, it was agest Yeah, yeah, I mean, 85 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 2: as we'll learn later, the production quality was quite high, it. 86 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:57,799 Speaker 1: Was very high. Yeah, but there was something like throwback 87 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 1: about oh yeah for sure, Yeah, which I always appreciated. 88 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:03,839 Speaker 1: I mean, from seeming like it was descended from the 89 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:06,720 Speaker 1: Twilight Zone, which I always loved to the kind of 90 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:10,600 Speaker 1: borsh Belt style comedy styling zone. 91 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:15,040 Speaker 2: It is so like nineteen fifties borsch Belt like Yiddish 92 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 2: stand up stuff. 93 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: It's so great, it's so so good. So I mean, 94 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:22,920 Speaker 1: I remember watching this at like friend's houses more than 95 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:26,040 Speaker 1: anything else. I remember there was one with like Malcolm 96 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: McDowell was like a he was like a vampire with 97 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 1: a conscience who worked at a blood bank. 98 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 2: Watched it the other night the reluctant vampire. 99 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:36,159 Speaker 1: And George went from cheers like owns the blood bank 100 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:38,800 Speaker 1: he works at or something. Yeah, yeah, that was a 101 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 1: good one. I remember that one. Yeah, I don't know. 102 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: I just remember thinking like, oh, this is like grown up. 103 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: Are you afraid of the dark? Are you afraid of 104 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: the Dark? Is like horror training wheels. But this was 105 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 1: like I remember at the time thinking this was the 106 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: real deal. I bet you if I watched it now, 107 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:54,719 Speaker 1: it would probably be pretty laughable. Does it hold up? 108 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 1: I haven't actually watched them. 109 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 2: It's pretty goofy and like you know, it's clearly meant 110 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:02,920 Speaker 2: to be more fun than scary. But there are some 111 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:06,560 Speaker 2: like the very first episode where Larry Drake from La 112 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 2: Law plays a homicidal Santa is pretty out there. 113 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 1: Oh wow, yeah, I mean I remember mostly thinking that, 114 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: like the scariest part of the show was the criptkeeper. 115 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 2: He's gross. Yeah, he's real gross looking, even when they 116 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 2: put him in his little costumes. There was one last 117 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,240 Speaker 2: night where the where the cold open had him being 118 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 2: like a Walter Cronkite like newscaster. And one thing that 119 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 2: like one that actually made me laugh out loud was 120 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 2: a dagger is thrown from off screen and lands in 121 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 2: his skull and he picks it out and goes this 122 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 2: just Ian, I was like, come so good. Yeah, I 123 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:47,159 Speaker 2: do not love that. 124 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 1: I'm just so looking forward to this because I know 125 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: you're gonna be in your glory. I mean, you've got comics, 126 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:55,840 Speaker 1: you've got horror, you've got probably or Schwarzenegger having a 127 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:58,360 Speaker 1: good time. You've got what I believe to be the 128 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 1: prototypical cigar chompings. Executive Joel Silver, I mean, we really 129 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:04,599 Speaker 1: this touches on so many points for you, so I'm 130 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 1: really excited. 131 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:09,240 Speaker 2: Well, from the series' tenuous connection to seventy five year 132 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 2: old Bible comics to the historical Senate investigation that got 133 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:17,280 Speaker 2: the source material canceled to the absolutely bonkers roster of 134 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 2: Hollywood stars and power brokers seemingly gleefully involved in the series. 135 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 2: Here's everything you didn't know about Tales from the Cryp. So, 136 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:34,160 Speaker 2: as we alluded to at the top of the episode, 137 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 2: the history of Tales from the Cryp really begins with 138 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 2: DC Comics, which itself begins with a guy named Max Gaines, 139 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 2: who's a pretty foundational figure in the history of comic 140 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:46,280 Speaker 2: books in America. Although he lacks the name recognition of 141 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 2: your Stan Lee's or perhaps even your Steve Ditko's. Maybe 142 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 2: you're Chris Claremont's. 143 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: Nothing I knew them in descending order. 144 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:00,480 Speaker 2: According to his son William Gaines, Max was a piece 145 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 2: of sh He would frequently beat his son with a 146 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 2: leather belt and say you'll never amount to anything. But 147 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 2: regarding his day job, Gaines was working as a salesperson 148 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:13,440 Speaker 2: in the year of nineteen thirty three at Eastern Color Printing, 149 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 2: a company that printed Sunday newspaper comic strips. So Gaines, 150 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 2: being a salesman, pitched Procter and Gamble the idea of 151 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 2: a tabloid sized book of color comic strip reprints that 152 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:28,000 Speaker 2: would be available for five cents and or a label 153 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 2: or coupon for any Procter and Gamble product. They initially 154 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 2: rejected the idea, but Gaines pushed his vision through at 155 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 2: the printing company and he produced Funnies on Parade, which 156 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:43,320 Speaker 2: was an eight page newsprint magazine reprinting several comic strips 157 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:44,520 Speaker 2: licensed from syndicates. 158 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 1: Can we change to them of our show to Trivion Parade? 159 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:52,839 Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, that's not bad. It did retain the Procter 160 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:55,880 Speaker 2: and Gamble, though, angle, because it was sent free to 161 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 2: customers who mailed in coupons, so his vision was eventually 162 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:03,280 Speaker 2: a spot on. From an initial run of ten thousand copies, 163 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:06,559 Speaker 2: Eastern Color Printing then went on to produce similar periodicals 164 00:09:06,679 --> 00:09:12,080 Speaker 2: for my beloved Canada Dry and others, but they got. 165 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:15,440 Speaker 1: Up to runs of two hundred and fifty thousand printing 166 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,200 Speaker 1: this stuff. Wow, So I'll try to keep my interruptions 167 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 1: to a minimum. But this is really fascinating to me, 168 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:22,680 Speaker 1: and I love how much you know about it. So, 169 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:27,480 Speaker 1: I mean comic books were basically born as a freebie 170 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:29,040 Speaker 1: coupon cornucopia. 171 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 2: Well, I mean you always had comic strips, right like 172 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:35,839 Speaker 2: you newspapers yeah, yeah, and so they were just in 173 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 2: a way, they're what we call trade paperbacks today, Like 174 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:42,000 Speaker 2: if you're not a nerd about getting mint condition comics 175 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,280 Speaker 2: and collecting the individual issues, your average comic reader probably 176 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:49,319 Speaker 2: has trade paperbacks, which are all the collected runs bound 177 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:52,840 Speaker 2: into a single paperback edition. And that's what these first 178 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:54,640 Speaker 2: ones were pitched as. It was just like, hey, we 179 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:57,800 Speaker 2: have all of these cartoons from several different syndicates, and 180 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:02,120 Speaker 2: individual artists had contracts with different syndicates, and individual papers 181 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 2: had different contracts with different syndicates, et cetera, and I 182 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:09,320 Speaker 2: guess fucking Max Gaines was like I'll put them together 183 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 2: and that that blew everyone's mind. If one thing good, 184 00:10:15,559 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 2: many things better. And these mad dollar signs, yeah exactly. 185 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:25,679 Speaker 2: It was nineteen thirty three. People were dumber and poorer 186 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 2: and poorer. In July of nineteen thirty four, Gains then 187 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:33,280 Speaker 2: published the compendium Famous Funnies, which ran for two hundred 188 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:38,680 Speaker 2: and eighteen issues and is considered they're terrible whack could 189 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:42,040 Speaker 2: do weekly You see ones get worse. I like two 190 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:44,000 Speaker 2: fisted tales. Yeah, that's a good one. 191 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:44,520 Speaker 1: That's good. 192 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:47,679 Speaker 2: Famous Funnies is considered the first true American Comic Book. 193 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:51,960 Speaker 2: There's a collection of syndicated comics distributed through Woolworths. He 194 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:56,160 Speaker 2: then secured funding from Harry Donnenfeld, who is CEO of 195 00:10:56,400 --> 00:11:01,080 Speaker 2: both National Allied Publication and this is important. National Allied 196 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:06,160 Speaker 2: Publications published Action Comics, which is where Superman debuted, and 197 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 2: he was also CEO of the sister company, Detective Comics, 198 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 2: which you will know is where Batman debuted, and DC 199 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:18,720 Speaker 2: Comics since has become the namesake, somewhat redundant name of 200 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:22,200 Speaker 2: that brand, and that all came together to form All 201 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:25,959 Speaker 2: American Comics in nineteen thirty eight, but by nineteen forty five, 202 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:28,360 Speaker 2: Gaines thought he saw an end to the comics craze 203 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:30,720 Speaker 2: and sold out his share to a guy named Jack Leibowitz. 204 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:36,040 Speaker 2: But under Gaines's tenure, All American Comics published characters that 205 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:39,439 Speaker 2: are still mainstays of the DC roster, like Wonder Woman 206 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 2: for one, heard of her Green Lantern, and also Hawkman 207 00:11:45,679 --> 00:11:50,440 Speaker 2: and Hawkwoman and also and oh. 208 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it was right there. It was 209 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:54,880 Speaker 1: right there, Oh you. 210 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 2: Jordan. They also public the original Flash and I stopped 211 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:05,200 Speaker 2: caring about which flashes are, Like, there's so many. 212 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 1: Flashes what's the relationship between Flash and Flash Gordon. 213 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 2: Flash Gordon precedes all of this. He was that was 214 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 2: like one of the original action series. Yeah, Flash Gordon's 215 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 2: cool though. I used to have a big, big collection 216 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:19,640 Speaker 2: of those really. Yeah. So anyway, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, 217 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:23,320 Speaker 2: and again the aforementioned Hawkman and Hawk Woman all kind 218 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 2: of date back to the guy who created Ecy Comics 219 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:29,240 Speaker 2: is period at the reins of DC, which is super 220 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 2: kind of crazy if you think about it. So then 221 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:36,880 Speaker 2: Gaines started Educational Comics and he retained only the title 222 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:41,200 Speaker 2: picture Stories from the Bible as its flagship series, so 223 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:42,960 Speaker 2: he was bought out of the rest of DC, but 224 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:47,200 Speaker 2: kept the one about Bible Stories and yes, Horror and 225 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:51,560 Speaker 2: Gorer pioneers. Easy Comics was initially formed to sell Bible comics, 226 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:55,480 Speaker 2: and he wanted to sell other like like scientific and 227 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:59,160 Speaker 2: little like guides to the like the Kid's Guide to Electricity. 228 00:12:59,640 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: Yeah. 229 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's kind of like how TLC used to be 230 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:06,200 Speaker 2: the Learning Channel before it started airing My Gangrenous Armpit 231 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:11,360 Speaker 2: and the Obese Man who Loves It? Is that offensive? No? 232 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:14,040 Speaker 1: All right, unless it's David Eslov, I mean. 233 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:19,440 Speaker 2: Zaslov is the gangridis arm pit that has sentience of 234 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:22,480 Speaker 2: its own TLC right, Yeah, I think so, or no 235 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:25,120 Speaker 2: discovery is TLC different? 236 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:29,080 Speaker 1: Who gives it another und by discovery? Un by discovery. 237 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:31,960 Speaker 2: So William Gaines dies in a boating accident in nineteen 238 00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:35,720 Speaker 2: forty seven and is in hell to the immense reassurance 239 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:39,000 Speaker 2: of his son Max, who inherited the company and renamed 240 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 2: it Entertaining Comics, with the goal focusing on his preferred 241 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:47,000 Speaker 2: genres science fiction, horror, suspense, and the military. 242 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:50,880 Speaker 1: That's a great that's a great pivot from educational comics 243 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 1: to entertaining comics. Not a very subtle shift, but an 244 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:55,520 Speaker 1: important shift. 245 00:13:55,960 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, really mirroring the American discourse as well. It's kind 246 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:03,120 Speaker 2: of funny because it did seem like awful timing at 247 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 2: the moment, because Universal where so many of these archetypes 248 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:10,160 Speaker 2: and stuff, and the most visible torch bearer for horror 249 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:12,640 Speaker 2: movies in the first part of the twentieth century was 250 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:17,400 Speaker 2: entering its like most fallow period, like literally dribbling out. 251 00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:23,440 Speaker 2: They were well into the Abbot and Castello era where yeah, 252 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:27,360 Speaker 2: they met the Wolfman and Dracula and so forth. The 253 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:31,680 Speaker 2: only two originals that Universal produced in the nineteen fifties 254 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:34,320 Speaker 2: were The Creature from the Black Lagoon in nineteen fifty 255 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:36,720 Speaker 2: four and The Mummy in nineteen fifty five. That was it. 256 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:38,120 Speaker 1: That's nuts. 257 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:41,560 Speaker 2: But the two guys that mister Gaines hired as editors, 258 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 2: two guys named Al Feldstein and Harvey Kurtzman, and they 259 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:51,440 Speaker 2: were the people who steered this ship ingeniously. Feldstein encouraged 260 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 2: a roster of artists and writers to develop their own voices, 261 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:58,480 Speaker 2: among them Harlan Ellison. His first published work was through Feldstein. 262 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 2: He's the guy who probably came up with the idea 263 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:04,600 Speaker 2: for the Terminator in a short story called Demon with 264 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 2: a Glass Hand, just a legend of the genre. Kurtzman meanwhile, 265 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 2: focused more on the action side of things and was 266 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:15,440 Speaker 2: actually disgusted once the horror stuff started out selling his titles. 267 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:18,320 Speaker 2: So what he did was jump ship to Mad Magazine, 268 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 2: which was also controlled by EC and then he left 269 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:24,880 Speaker 2: that in nineteen fifty six before beginning Little Annie Fanny, 270 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:29,640 Speaker 2: a strip named Playboy for the next twenty six years, 271 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:31,400 Speaker 2: starting from nineteen sixty two. 272 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: I'm gonna have to get a visual on this thish. 273 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:36,720 Speaker 2: You really don't it's what it sounds like oh yeah, 274 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:37,000 Speaker 2: it is. 275 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:37,960 Speaker 1: So. 276 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 2: Then when Kurtzman left Mad, Feldstein came over and then 277 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:46,200 Speaker 2: spent nearly thirty years overseeing Mad Mad Magazine during it's 278 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:49,120 Speaker 2: like also it's healsy on days. So these two guys 279 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 2: between them were responsible for not just easy comics like 280 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:55,800 Speaker 2: the horror, ecy comics, suspense stuff, everything that flowed from that, which, 281 00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:57,960 Speaker 2: as I will go on to discuss, is like a 282 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:01,320 Speaker 2: huge chunk of culture. But so Mad Magazine, which was 283 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 2: like its own enormous world unto itself, that was hugely influential. 284 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:07,960 Speaker 2: Just like those two dudes were like, We're going to 285 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:12,080 Speaker 2: direct American popular culture for the next half a century 286 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:13,200 Speaker 2: and no one will know our names. 287 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 1: Did you used to get Mad Magazine as a kid? 288 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:17,680 Speaker 2: I didn't. I had a bunch of my dad's old copies, 289 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:21,040 Speaker 2: so I was, well, I was really confused by like 290 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:22,840 Speaker 2: who Spiro Agnew was. 291 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:26,280 Speaker 1: That's so funny, because I would get the Mad about 292 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:29,960 Speaker 1: the Fifties, Mad about the Sixties, like compendium books, and 293 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:31,960 Speaker 1: those were the ones that because all of my because 294 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,760 Speaker 1: I basically in many ways grew up in the fifties 295 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 1: and sixties, so I got all the references and all 296 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:39,960 Speaker 1: they were so funny. 297 00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:42,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, they're great, I mean, and just such a rich uh, 298 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,280 Speaker 2: just as such a showcase of different art styles and personalities, 299 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 2: like really the proverbial lunatics in charge of the assignment. 300 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:56,920 Speaker 1: And they're edgy like stillay, are they still publishing today? No? 301 00:16:56,960 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: Oh no, no, I meant those like fifties and sixties. 302 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,960 Speaker 2: Oh, the original ones. Yeah, absolutely. But because the comics 303 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:05,199 Speaker 2: code hadn't come in, which we will talk about so 304 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:08,440 Speaker 2: with elt Stande Kurtzman at the Helm, Easy Comics began 305 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:11,600 Speaker 2: its new trend in print, which, aside from the horror stuff, 306 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:15,040 Speaker 2: was also responsible for weird science and weird fantasy, both 307 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:17,520 Speaker 2: of which were hugely important to the science fiction and 308 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:21,800 Speaker 2: fantasy genres. Among many of the influential people who they 309 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:25,399 Speaker 2: would employ are Frank Frazetta, who is the guy. Anytime 310 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:28,239 Speaker 2: you look at a sweet nineteen seventies album cover with 311 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,560 Speaker 2: like a warrior on it, that's probably Frank Frazetta. Most 312 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:34,560 Speaker 2: famous one is I think thirty eight Special. But he 313 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 2: did covers for Dust and didn't did he draw the 314 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:40,160 Speaker 2: Surf's Up cover? 315 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:43,520 Speaker 1: I don't think so. Okay, Beach Boys album. 316 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:46,359 Speaker 2: Yeah, strike that from the record. Oh, Molly Hatchett, not 317 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 2: thirty eight Special, Molly Hatchet, Dust Nazareth, all of them 318 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:53,680 Speaker 2: had these amazing I think he also did the cover 319 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:57,680 Speaker 2: of Kiss Alive. Anyway, so Frank Fizzetta was under Weird 320 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:03,560 Speaker 2: Fantasy and Bradbury actually came over because and this is 321 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:06,080 Speaker 2: what's kind of funny and shady, is that Bill Gaines 322 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:08,880 Speaker 2: would stay up. Apparently Bill Gaines like had a weight 323 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:11,720 Speaker 2: problem and he frequently dieted with like everyone did in 324 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:14,159 Speaker 2: those days, with dexadream. So he would stay up like 325 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,960 Speaker 2: all hours of the night just reading other science fiction 326 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:19,399 Speaker 2: and then come in the next day and give a 327 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:24,080 Speaker 2: loose synopsis of what he had read to his editors, 328 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:26,520 Speaker 2: and then they would churn out a comic. And people 329 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:30,760 Speaker 2: eventually started noticing that, like Ray Bradbury, who was like, hey, guys, 330 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:33,080 Speaker 2: I see what you're doing, and they were like, do 331 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:36,359 Speaker 2: you want to come over to give you money? And 332 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:40,159 Speaker 2: so they created the like some authorized adaptations of some 333 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:43,760 Speaker 2: of his stories, including There Will Come Soft Rains, just 334 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 2: one of the most anthologized to Bradbury stories. Wally Wood 335 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:50,000 Speaker 2: is another guy who was on the roster. He created 336 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 2: Sally Forth the strip, the daily strip of All Things 337 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:57,800 Speaker 2: He also drew the Mars Attacks trading cards for Tops, 338 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:00,600 Speaker 2: which later became the basis of the feature film Tim Burton, 339 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:04,720 Speaker 2: and he also is responsible for Daredevil having that distinctive 340 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:10,439 Speaker 2: red suit. Wood is also insanely horny. A lot of 341 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:13,160 Speaker 2: these guys were so so horny. And Wood is also 342 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:16,960 Speaker 2: known in comic circles for drawing the Disneyland memorial Orgy, 343 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:22,200 Speaker 2: which was a full a spread poster for the influential 344 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:26,480 Speaker 2: underground magazine The Realist, which is exactly what it sounds like. 345 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,520 Speaker 1: That's good a visual all that. Yeah, yes it is. Yep, 346 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:32,440 Speaker 1: don't know what I expected. 347 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:35,000 Speaker 2: You can google that one yourself, folks. And then there's 348 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,600 Speaker 2: just like another dozen or so guys who can't get 349 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 2: into just based on space alone. But these guys were 350 00:19:40,720 --> 00:19:43,960 Speaker 2: either either at easy or at mad, just like again, 351 00:19:44,119 --> 00:19:48,320 Speaker 2: helping shape the latter half of twentieth century pop culture. Also, 352 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:51,880 Speaker 2: E C was actually fairly brave in publishing stuff that 353 00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:56,240 Speaker 2: was about drug addiction, that was about racism. One of 354 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 2: the most famous stories is published in nineteen fifty five 355 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:03,840 Speaker 2: with called Master Race, which portrayed a former Nazi death 356 00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 2: camp commander successfully hiding out New York before he is 357 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:11,080 Speaker 2: spotted by an eerie stranger who chases the Nazi to 358 00:20:11,119 --> 00:20:13,879 Speaker 2: his death in front of a train. This marked the 359 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:15,920 Speaker 2: first time, one of the first times that the Holocaust 360 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 2: had even been mentioned in popular media, and the whole 361 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:21,359 Speaker 2: twist behind it is that this guy is like alone 362 00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:23,720 Speaker 2: on a train and he sees someone like staring at him, 363 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:26,800 Speaker 2: and gradually, throughout the course of the story through flashbacks, 364 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:29,080 Speaker 2: it's revealed that this guy was an SS death camp 365 00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:33,359 Speaker 2: officer and that is a wild thing to publish. In 366 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 2: nineteen fifty five, in a comic book Art Spiegelman, who 367 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:40,679 Speaker 2: penned Mouse, which is one of the other comics that 368 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:44,440 Speaker 2: you're assigned to in your introduction to comic books as 369 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:48,280 Speaker 2: an art form class or research period, has hailed it 370 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:52,240 Speaker 2: as like one of his favorites. Would you looking at Buddy. 371 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:54,679 Speaker 1: I'm still on the Disney memorial orgy. I'm trying to 372 00:20:54,680 --> 00:21:01,080 Speaker 1: figure out what the birds are doing the Dumbo. Does 373 00:21:01,119 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 1: that also count as interracial because the crows were super 374 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:04,960 Speaker 1: racist different birds? 375 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:06,440 Speaker 2: Ah? 376 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:11,400 Speaker 1: Okay, is that kind of a beastiality? Then if they're interspecies? Yes? 377 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:12,399 Speaker 2: Good? 378 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:21,920 Speaker 1: Okay, Yeah, that's just fine. Those are just facts. Alfeld 379 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,520 Speaker 1: scene maintains that he was the guy who pushed Bill 380 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:27,720 Speaker 1: Gaines to produce horror comics, saying the pair bonded over 381 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 1: a love of old, spooky radio plays and horror films 382 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:33,879 Speaker 1: from radio serials. Feldstein wanted to have a character that 383 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:37,400 Speaker 1: would remain consistent from issue to issue, introducing the discrete 384 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:40,600 Speaker 1: stories within, and from there the character of the Crypt 385 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:43,840 Speaker 1: Keeper was born. He was not alone, though, the comic 386 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:46,960 Speaker 1: would feature one tale introduced by him, one from the 387 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:51,240 Speaker 1: Vault Keeper and one from the Old Witch, and these 388 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:53,520 Speaker 1: three would often take potshots at each other in the 389 00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:57,639 Speaker 1: letter columns, which I love. Tales from the Crypt debut 390 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty and in its five year run because 391 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,359 Speaker 1: an enormous hit with stories, frequently complaining that they couldn't 392 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:05,920 Speaker 1: keep it in stock. And you have something to say 393 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:06,400 Speaker 1: about this. 394 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, this is where I would make a long winded 395 00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:11,439 Speaker 2: speech about the American complacency that was born of the 396 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:13,560 Speaker 2: horrors of World War Two and how it created a 397 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:16,080 Speaker 2: perfect storm for the children of war veterans to want 398 00:22:16,119 --> 00:22:19,719 Speaker 2: some kind of catharsis as they grew up in a stifling, repressive, 399 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:23,400 Speaker 2: conformist society, haunted by the specter of their own annihilation 400 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:27,120 Speaker 2: by the Cold War. Anyway, just pretend that I did 401 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:28,280 Speaker 2: that and it was very good. 402 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:30,080 Speaker 1: I think you did that in one of the episodes. 403 00:22:30,119 --> 00:22:32,199 Speaker 1: It might have been a razor head, oh sure, but 404 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:34,640 Speaker 1: one of the horror Yeah. I mean, that's the thing. 405 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:39,840 Speaker 1: I am fascinated by people who are real serious horror heads. 406 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:42,399 Speaker 1: I'm fascinated by what they get out of it. It 407 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 1: almost seems like a physiological response to it. Well, you're 408 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:47,360 Speaker 1: a real horror I could ask you. 409 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:48,960 Speaker 2: I just think they're neat. 410 00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:50,000 Speaker 1: You just think they're cool. 411 00:22:50,359 --> 00:22:51,679 Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I mean I was. 412 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:52,360 Speaker 1: I was a. 413 00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:54,879 Speaker 2: Comics person before I was a horror fan. You know 414 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:58,480 Speaker 2: my dad had a big comics collection as a kid. Yeah, 415 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,040 Speaker 2: including his mom FROMO. She sure did. 416 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:03,560 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, she sure did. 417 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 2: All of our dads, including like many valuable, many valuable issues, 418 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:12,000 Speaker 2: and also his record collection. So that's why I don't 419 00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:14,160 Speaker 2: visit grandma. No, just kidding, she's a racist. 420 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:17,879 Speaker 1: Do we think that those issues are valuable because everybody's 421 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 1: mom threw them away? And if nobody's mom threw them away, 422 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:23,000 Speaker 1: they wouldn't be valuable. Like is that supplying demand? Yeah? 423 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:26,159 Speaker 2: I mean obviously comic books? Is this own like you know, 424 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:28,040 Speaker 2: I didn't tell people that I was into them. It 425 00:23:28,119 --> 00:23:30,159 Speaker 2: was still considered like there was a degree of shame 426 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:34,200 Speaker 2: Baker still when I was in school. Yeah, and only 427 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:36,439 Speaker 2: like I mean, I only saw comic books become the 428 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:40,720 Speaker 2: dominant thing and quickly become a disgusting slurry that overwhelmed 429 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:43,639 Speaker 2: the rest of American pop culture. That only happened in 430 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:47,919 Speaker 2: like the Dots two thousands moving onward. But yeah, I was, 431 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 2: I was into comics. Uh yeah, I think I got 432 00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:52,919 Speaker 2: that Flash Gordon thing when I was like I used 433 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:54,560 Speaker 2: to always just read the comics in the paper, and 434 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:56,520 Speaker 2: then I got that Flash Gordon thing when I was 435 00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:59,760 Speaker 2: like maybe four or five, and then just started going 436 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:02,159 Speaker 2: in a Marvel stuff from there. Horror I think I 437 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:04,840 Speaker 2: got into because my dad showed me the movie Alien 438 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:08,040 Speaker 2: when I was like six. I think I've told this 439 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:10,240 Speaker 2: story before, but my two introductions to horror were that, 440 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:13,160 Speaker 2: which literally gave me nightmares for the next four years, 441 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:16,439 Speaker 2: and then my down the street neighbor who was super 442 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:18,919 Speaker 2: into the movie Halloween, and when we would like play 443 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 2: as children, would just dress up as Michael Myers and 444 00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:30,320 Speaker 2: stalk me through the dusk lit neighborhoods. So strong stuff 445 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:31,200 Speaker 2: that imprinted on me. 446 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:35,639 Speaker 1: Yeah, okay. However, details from the crypt comic soon began 447 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 1: facing a wave of copycats and in turn with the 448 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:42,280 Speaker 1: increased attention from not just America's perennially uptight class of 449 00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:45,399 Speaker 1: moralists but nothing better to do, but also people sharing 450 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,680 Speaker 1: that mindset who had real teeth, the people in the government. 451 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:51,440 Speaker 2: So since we've been giving this mini history of comic books, 452 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:54,000 Speaker 2: you'll now have context at the time from Max Gaines 453 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:57,320 Speaker 2: publishing famous funnies to when the moral panic over comic 454 00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:00,679 Speaker 2: books began to set in was not even six full years. 455 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:05,480 Speaker 1: That's really crazy. On May eighth, nineteen forty, Sterling North, 456 00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:08,880 Speaker 1: who would eventually write the children's Newbery Honor book Rascal, 457 00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:13,479 Speaker 1: wrote in the Chicago Daily News that quote color comic 458 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:17,879 Speaker 1: magazines were a quote national disgrace, and that parents and 459 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:21,840 Speaker 1: teachers throughout America must band together to break the comic magazine. 460 00:25:22,359 --> 00:25:26,080 Speaker 2: We will break it, okay, man. 461 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:30,920 Speaker 1: The word color whenever it's used by like im morally righteous. Yeah, 462 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 1: that era is always I always get uncomfortable. I don't 463 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:39,439 Speaker 1: like that. Fortunately, World War two nip North's campaign in 464 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:41,680 Speaker 1: the bud and after the war was over, the fact 465 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:45,720 Speaker 1: that unfortunately twenty million people died so that comics could 466 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:49,480 Speaker 1: live kind of a wash. Yeah, and after the war 467 00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:51,920 Speaker 1: was over, the fact that comics is a medium focused 468 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:55,399 Speaker 1: so heavily on stories of bravery with various wings of 469 00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:59,119 Speaker 1: the armed forces and a flag waving in the background 470 00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:10,800 Speaker 1: and a gig standing on the throat of Gerbels or something. Yeah, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, 471 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:17,040 Speaker 1: we're we're getting dangerously closed to Howard d Yeah, that 472 00:26:17,119 --> 00:26:20,760 Speaker 1: helped keep negative nancies like North away. But it's a 473 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: time turned towards horror and crime across all pop culture. 474 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:28,040 Speaker 1: It must be said. Comic books caught the attention of 475 00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:35,240 Speaker 1: no less than jag Or Hoover, who, hilariously on April 476 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:39,560 Speaker 1: twentieth four, twenty nineteen forty seven, published an editorial in 477 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:43,680 Speaker 1: This Week claiming in part that quote crime books, comics 478 00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:47,280 Speaker 1: and newspaper stories crammed with anti social and criminal acts, 479 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:52,560 Speaker 1: the glorification of Unamerican vigilante action and the deification of 480 00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:57,840 Speaker 1: the criminal are extremely dangerous in the hands of the 481 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:02,800 Speaker 1: not just any child, the Unstill, yeah, this is where. 482 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:04,800 Speaker 2: It gets like really gross, is that they were like 483 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:08,359 Speaker 2: basically the whole moral panic was like, oh if kids 484 00:27:08,359 --> 00:27:12,119 Speaker 2: are already bad kids, and they read comics, they'll become worse. 485 00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:17,119 Speaker 2: But like there's like a degree of socioeconomic and racial 486 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,359 Speaker 2: dimension to who were bad kids or predisposed to be 487 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:20,960 Speaker 2: bad kids. 488 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:25,800 Speaker 1: Antisocial is such a funny word to anti social acts. 489 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:29,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, Hoover's article, though, kind of just paved the way 490 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:33,000 Speaker 2: for the real enemy of the comic books, Frederick Wortham. 491 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:36,359 Speaker 2: In March of nineteen thirty eight, Wortham, who was already 492 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:39,720 Speaker 2: somewhat famous for his testimony during the trial of notorious 493 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:44,479 Speaker 2: child killer and cannibal Albert Fish, gave his symposium on 494 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:48,879 Speaker 2: the quote psychopathology of comic books. This event was covered 495 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:52,040 Speaker 2: in Colliers Weekly in late March, and Wortham himself penned 496 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:54,439 Speaker 2: an article about comic books in the Saturday Review of 497 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:57,760 Speaker 2: Literature in May of nineteen forty eight. And that's all 498 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:01,520 Speaker 2: it took. Because people were had less to do in 499 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:05,160 Speaker 2: the forties and less things to read, So by fall, 500 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:07,840 Speaker 2: the Associated Press was already reporting on a rash of 501 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:11,880 Speaker 2: comic book burnings that were happening in largely Catholic parishes 502 00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:13,120 Speaker 2: across the country. 503 00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:16,680 Speaker 1: Burnings are never good burning, ye just don't don't. 504 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:21,840 Speaker 2: Burn stuff among Wortham's pet theories, where that Batman and 505 00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:25,439 Speaker 2: Robin were gay, Wonder Woman was a lesbian sadist, and 506 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:28,679 Speaker 2: that ads for binoculars in the back of comic books 507 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 2: promoted children spying on their neighbors. You think he would 508 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:33,919 Speaker 2: have been I was going to say this was the 509 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:38,280 Speaker 2: red scare, that we were encouraging children to do so. 510 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:41,480 Speaker 2: Then a quickly ad hoc assembled group of comic book 511 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:45,600 Speaker 2: publishers responded by publishing their own publisher's Code that year, 512 00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:48,680 Speaker 2: and they drew on the Hollywood Production Code, which is 513 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:51,480 Speaker 2: better known as the Hayes Code, which itself had been 514 00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:54,600 Speaker 2: explicitly designed to get the damn government off Hollywood's back 515 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:57,280 Speaker 2: for all that sweet, sweet sex and violence it had 516 00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:00,520 Speaker 2: been portraying. The Publisher's Code followed some of the language 517 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:03,640 Speaker 2: of the Hayes Code, and it forbade portrayals of crime 518 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:09,120 Speaker 2: that might throw sympathy against the law or weakened respect 519 00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:14,240 Speaker 2: for established authority. Nicely, it prohibited ridicular attack on any 520 00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:18,480 Speaker 2: religious or racial group, and sexy wanton comics were banned, 521 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:24,320 Speaker 2: and my favorite one, divorce was from being The act 522 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:28,760 Speaker 2: of divorce was prohibited from being treated quote humorously or 523 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:33,040 Speaker 2: represented as glamorous or alluring. Comics that complied with this 524 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:35,960 Speaker 2: were offered a seal of approval. This failed to keep 525 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 2: the Worthams and Hoovers of the world satisfied, and by 526 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:41,200 Speaker 2: nineteen fifty four, Wortham had published his most famous work, 527 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:46,840 Speaker 2: creepily titled Seduction of the Innocence Whatever editor let that 528 00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 2: through You failed, which argued that comic books contributed to 529 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:56,480 Speaker 2: delinquent behavior in hughes now worth noting here that in 530 00:29:56,520 --> 00:30:00,880 Speaker 2: twenty ten, a University of Illinois librarian and PhD student 531 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:06,600 Speaker 2: discredited much of Wortham's research as fabricated or misleading. In particular, 532 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:09,920 Speaker 2: he was identifying children who were already being treated for 533 00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:13,280 Speaker 2: psychological issues and using them as the benchmark. 534 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:19,600 Speaker 1: WHOA, oh wow, that's really talk about cooking the books. Yeah. 535 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:22,360 Speaker 2: Wortham was also nothing if not a greedy publicity hound, 536 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:25,080 Speaker 2: and had spent much of the years between that first 537 00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:27,760 Speaker 2: symposium and the publication of his book beating the drum 538 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:29,960 Speaker 2: for this particular cause. So by the time the book 539 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:33,040 Speaker 2: was published, he'd primed the American public and in particular, 540 00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:36,680 Speaker 2: the American legislature, to jump on board. So in nineteen 541 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:40,480 Speaker 2: fifty three, the United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency 542 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:43,479 Speaker 2: had been established and would hold its first hearings in 543 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:47,720 Speaker 2: April of nineteen fifty four. Easy Comics were particularly hammered 544 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:51,280 Speaker 2: throughout the course of these hearings, chaired by SD's kiefouver 545 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:54,400 Speaker 2: As a fifty's name if ever I've heard one. He 546 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:56,320 Speaker 2: was supposed to be quite a liberal. Actually, I was 547 00:30:56,360 --> 00:30:59,000 Speaker 2: disappointed to learn that he was responsible for this, while 548 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:02,600 Speaker 2: having a somewhat at voting record otherwise. But the hearings 549 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:05,880 Speaker 2: became a landmark for repression and censorship in the US. 550 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:10,320 Speaker 2: One exchange in particular has become very famous. Senator Keith 551 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:13,280 Speaker 2: Hoever was grilling Easy Comics publisher Bill Gaines, and he 552 00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:16,040 Speaker 2: asked him, here is your may issue. This seems to 553 00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:18,120 Speaker 2: be a man with a bloody axe holding a woman's 554 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:20,800 Speaker 2: head up, which has been severed from her body. Do 555 00:31:20,840 --> 00:31:24,000 Speaker 2: you think that's in good taste? And Gaines answered, yes, sir, 556 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:27,080 Speaker 2: I do for the cover of a horror comic. That's 557 00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:30,040 Speaker 2: the quip. But the full quote, he continued, is so 558 00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:33,720 Speaker 2: much better. A cover in bad taste, for example, might 559 00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:36,080 Speaker 2: be defined as holding her head a little higher so 560 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:38,440 Speaker 2: that blood could be seen dripping from it, and moving 561 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:40,680 Speaker 2: the body a little further over so that the neck 562 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:43,320 Speaker 2: of the body could be seen to be bloody. And 563 00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:46,480 Speaker 2: it's funny about that cover in particular, it had already 564 00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:49,880 Speaker 2: been edited. The original draft of it was what Gaines 565 00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:53,160 Speaker 2: was describing, a much more graphic version, and they walked 566 00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:55,959 Speaker 2: it back. Gaines would later admit that he was not 567 00:31:56,120 --> 00:31:59,400 Speaker 2: at his best during these hearings. He was a frequent 568 00:31:59,440 --> 00:32:01,760 Speaker 2: as I mentioned, he was a frequent user of Dexaderen 569 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:05,840 Speaker 2: and just I guess was on the standalt when he 570 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:11,280 Speaker 2: was crashing from his speed bingches. But worth them has 571 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:15,360 Speaker 2: the record for the best SoundBite during these hearings. Quote. 572 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:19,920 Speaker 2: I think Hitler was a beginner compared to the comic 573 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:27,440 Speaker 2: book industry pause for commercial break. I mean insane for 574 00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:29,000 Speaker 2: a German Man to say that. 575 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:32,880 Speaker 1: Also, I mean just of all the words he could 576 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:37,040 Speaker 1: have used to kind of make the same point. A beginner. 577 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:39,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, what a weird guy he was. I'm trying to 578 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:42,680 Speaker 2: think if there's anything else, I anything else that escaped 579 00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:44,360 Speaker 2: his book. 580 00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:46,960 Speaker 1: Did like a comic book artist kick Sam in his 581 00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:48,440 Speaker 1: face on the beach or something. 582 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:54,200 Speaker 2: No, he was quite well regarded. I mean he corresponded, 583 00:32:54,280 --> 00:32:59,040 Speaker 2: visited with Freud, he actually opened a clinic that specialized 584 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:02,520 Speaker 2: in the treatment of black teenagers, financed by voluntary contributions. 585 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:05,959 Speaker 2: But man, he hated comic books. 586 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 1: That's the thing. I never really understood the bad reputation 587 00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:12,720 Speaker 1: that comic books seemed to have when we were kids. 588 00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:14,920 Speaker 1: That I never got because I was just like, well, 589 00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:20,200 Speaker 1: they're reading. It's not television, you know. I mean, I mean, 590 00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:22,760 Speaker 1: I was, I guess, you know, early nineties and stuff, 591 00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:25,280 Speaker 1: when most people were just watching TV. But yeah, I 592 00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:28,240 Speaker 1: never really understood the whole like Nay Roger brain kind 593 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:30,600 Speaker 1: of propaganda that was put around. 594 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:34,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's quite funny. The other thing that Wortham was 595 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:41,360 Speaker 2: the court psychiatrist for another famous case, the Brooklyn thrill Killers, 596 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:47,600 Speaker 2: who were a group of Jewish teenagers, hilariously enough, who 597 00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:51,240 Speaker 2: were just roaming around beating the people, just saying I. 598 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:53,520 Speaker 1: Was looking up Albert Fish. Earlier, you talked about how 599 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:56,040 Speaker 1: he was. He testified at the Albert Fish trial. I 600 00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:58,320 Speaker 1: was going to give a quick, a quick thumbnail sketch 601 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:01,640 Speaker 1: of his crimes. And it was too Yeah, it was 602 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:02,960 Speaker 1: too yeah. 603 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:04,800 Speaker 2: I don't do that. No, I mean, the whole, the 604 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:07,280 Speaker 2: whole thrust of that trial was the fact that like 605 00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:10,279 Speaker 2: worth him was like, he is insane. This man is 606 00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:13,880 Speaker 2: actually live, like truly deeply insane, that is my conclusion. 607 00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:16,560 Speaker 2: And then the whole thing was like, well, we all 608 00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:21,200 Speaker 2: agree he's insane, but we should probably kill him though, 609 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:25,040 Speaker 2: right like. And everyone was just like, yeah, no, that 610 00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:26,880 Speaker 2: actually makes a lot. Yeah, let's just kill him and 611 00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:30,200 Speaker 2: everyone and everyone was in agreement because of the horror 612 00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:31,520 Speaker 2: that this man inflicted. 613 00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:35,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I don't, I don't. I don't spook easily 614 00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:37,880 Speaker 1: with that kind of stuff. Well, going this way, folks, 615 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:41,240 Speaker 1: there's a after you've done googling the Disney memorial orgy, 616 00:34:41,719 --> 00:34:44,920 Speaker 1: there is a letter that Albert Fish wrote. 617 00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:48,360 Speaker 4: To Oh God, send that to people. Oh dude, okay, 618 00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:54,680 Speaker 4: don't don't don't. Don't you look genuinely unhappy with me 619 00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:55,200 Speaker 4: right now? 620 00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:56,520 Speaker 2: It's gross? 621 00:34:56,600 --> 00:34:59,080 Speaker 1: Well, yes, yes, yes, yes it is this. 622 00:34:59,160 --> 00:34:59,600 Speaker 2: How about this? 623 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:03,399 Speaker 1: I'll you, I'll My preferred Albert Fish nugget is that 624 00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:07,000 Speaker 1: he had allegedly he was into self mortification, and he 625 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:12,520 Speaker 1: had allegedly inserted so many sewing needles into his bathing 626 00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:16,600 Speaker 1: suit parts that the electric share supposedly shorted out the 627 00:35:16,640 --> 00:35:18,919 Speaker 1: first time they tried to give it to him. Maybe 628 00:35:18,920 --> 00:35:22,279 Speaker 1: that was his grand plan. Maybe that was the goal. 629 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:25,680 Speaker 1: Maybe he was playing he's playing three D chess, we're 630 00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:29,080 Speaker 1: playing checks hashtag fish tricks. 631 00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:35,480 Speaker 2: He would always huge on his grind. Oh my god, yeah, 632 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:44,640 Speaker 2: oh how much is this for? Oh buddy, As you 633 00:35:44,719 --> 00:35:47,160 Speaker 2: meditate on that, we'll be right back with more, too 634 00:35:47,239 --> 00:35:47,960 Speaker 2: much information. 635 00:35:48,280 --> 00:36:09,640 Speaker 1: After these messages, the hearings, remember that who could forget 636 00:36:09,640 --> 00:36:12,719 Speaker 1: her name? Like Stzka. He was Adlie Stevens's running mate. 637 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:14,880 Speaker 2: Yes, yes, These. 638 00:36:14,719 --> 00:36:18,719 Speaker 1: Hearings established the Comics Code of Authority, which essentially was 639 00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:21,720 Speaker 1: just a more stringent and powerful version of the previous code. 640 00:36:22,160 --> 00:36:26,360 Speaker 1: Although it was technically voluntary, comics not receiving the CCA 641 00:36:26,480 --> 00:36:30,359 Speaker 1: stamp of approval were essentially doomed on the newsstand, and 642 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:34,439 Speaker 1: thus was the fate of EC Comics. Wortham, for his part, 643 00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:38,520 Speaker 1: remained unsatisfied by having stamped out EC Comics, and a 644 00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:41,080 Speaker 1: year later returned to The Saturday Review of Literature to 645 00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:42,560 Speaker 1: publish an article called. 646 00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:50,240 Speaker 5: It's Hilarious It's still Murder, in which she complained about 647 00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:56,080 Speaker 5: all caps lettering and the phrasing of word balloons. What's 648 00:36:56,560 --> 00:36:58,160 Speaker 5: what's wrong with all caps? 649 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:01,960 Speaker 2: I believe the both of those were like things that 650 00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:07,000 Speaker 2: he identified that like either hastened or contributed to ill 651 00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:10,120 Speaker 2: psychiatry and children. He was like it was like the 652 00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:14,160 Speaker 2: phraseology of word balloons, where there was like short internal dialogue. 653 00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:18,200 Speaker 2: It was like it was still murder to him. 654 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:21,640 Speaker 1: Did he live to see Batman look like pow wow, 655 00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:22,560 Speaker 1: like the TV the animal. 656 00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:23,680 Speaker 2: That's a great question. 657 00:37:24,320 --> 00:37:27,160 Speaker 1: Well's look this up because that would have caused his brain. 658 00:37:27,719 --> 00:37:30,880 Speaker 2: It's actually quite sad because he did. He was like 659 00:37:31,760 --> 00:37:38,000 Speaker 2: very pro like I said, protective of children and just 660 00:37:38,040 --> 00:37:43,960 Speaker 2: like helping kids. But then later his last book was 661 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:47,680 Speaker 2: published in nineteen seventy four, so he lived through Batman. 662 00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:50,879 Speaker 2: He did live through Batman, and he concluded he wrote 663 00:37:50,880 --> 00:37:54,759 Speaker 2: a book on fanzines. He said they were constructive and 664 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:59,000 Speaker 2: a healthy exercise of creative drives. This is crazy. He 665 00:37:59,080 --> 00:38:01,960 Speaker 2: was invited to address the New York Comic Art Convention 666 00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:05,919 Speaker 2: and they got there and people heckled it out of him, 667 00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:10,400 Speaker 2: and of course he h he stopped writing. The reception 668 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:12,920 Speaker 2: was so bad. He stopped publishing things about comic books. 669 00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:15,319 Speaker 2: It's just like what he must have been, like that 670 00:38:15,440 --> 00:38:18,000 Speaker 2: peep show thing, like are we the baddies? He just 671 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:22,399 Speaker 2: did not realize that everyone hated him for doing this. 672 00:38:22,840 --> 00:38:25,399 Speaker 1: Well, he lived in nineteen eighty one, so he saw 673 00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:28,440 Speaker 1: like Fritz the Cat and all that kind of stuff. 674 00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:31,680 Speaker 2: Well, so one of his big things was like eye injuries, 675 00:38:32,040 --> 00:38:35,719 Speaker 2: like he repeatedly cited like damage to the eyes as 676 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:39,520 Speaker 2: a as like one of these huge sins that comics admitted. 677 00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:43,319 Speaker 2: So people were then playing it up in comics like 678 00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:48,400 Speaker 2: later people would have like there's a Bongo. Comics published 679 00:38:49,320 --> 00:38:55,719 Speaker 2: a story called Stab, which is about eye injuries. The 680 00:38:55,840 --> 00:38:57,800 Speaker 2: funny guy Bill Gains. 681 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:02,239 Speaker 1: Meanwhile, I attempt to launch a new clean line at EC. Okay, 682 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:08,520 Speaker 1: just want to quick recap EC Bible Comics horrors and 683 00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:11,279 Speaker 1: then trying to scale back the horrors now with a 684 00:39:11,320 --> 00:39:16,520 Speaker 1: new line called New Direction. These names it does what 685 00:39:16,560 --> 00:39:19,840 Speaker 1: it says on the tin, but pretty much anything with 686 00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:22,560 Speaker 1: the EC name on it was getting returned from distributors 687 00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:26,560 Speaker 1: unopened because of its reputation. The company closed its horror 688 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:29,880 Speaker 1: and crime titles, with an editorial statement at the end, reading, 689 00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:34,440 Speaker 1: in part, economically, our situation is acute magazines that do 690 00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:37,279 Speaker 1: not get on the newsstands do not sell. We are 691 00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:42,120 Speaker 1: forced to capitulate. We give up. That's sad. Bill Gain's 692 00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:45,400 Speaker 1: empire was whittled down to Mad Magazine, which, though it 693 00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:48,319 Speaker 1: would become a huge success, is not the point of 694 00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:48,960 Speaker 1: this episode. 695 00:39:50,080 --> 00:39:54,000 Speaker 2: So's horror Roster went underground, but the impact that it 696 00:39:54,040 --> 00:39:58,160 Speaker 2: had on generations of creatives still can't be measured. So 697 00:39:58,160 --> 00:40:01,080 Speaker 2: by nineteen seventy one there was a budget UK film 698 00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:04,560 Speaker 2: company named Amicist Productions and they approached Bill Gains about 699 00:40:04,560 --> 00:40:08,000 Speaker 2: a feature length adaptation. So this was nineteen seventy two's 700 00:40:08,040 --> 00:40:11,000 Speaker 2: Tales from the Crypt. It was directed by Freddie Francis, 701 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:14,200 Speaker 2: who had previously won an Oscar for Cinematography for nineteen 702 00:40:14,239 --> 00:40:21,000 Speaker 2: sixty's D. H. Lawrence adaptation Sons and Lovers gross Following 703 00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:23,960 Speaker 2: the same anthology format, the film collected several stories and 704 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:26,239 Speaker 2: shot them all on a shoestring budget over the course 705 00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:30,240 Speaker 2: of about a month, notably starring Joan Collins and Hammer 706 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:35,040 Speaker 2: horror icon Peter Cushing. Unsurprisingly, it was not good, and 707 00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:39,280 Speaker 2: also unsurprisingly, it got a sequel the year after Jordan 708 00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:42,320 Speaker 2: You'll appreciate this. The sequel was called Vault of Horror 709 00:40:42,640 --> 00:40:45,360 Speaker 2: and it was directed by a guy named roy Ward Baker, 710 00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:49,040 Speaker 2: previously best known for A Night to Remember, a nineteen 711 00:40:49,120 --> 00:40:52,600 Speaker 2: fifty eight documentary adaptation of a book about the sinking 712 00:40:52,760 --> 00:40:54,200 Speaker 2: of the Titanic. 713 00:40:54,320 --> 00:40:55,239 Speaker 1: One of my favorites. 714 00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:57,120 Speaker 2: I don't think I got a Beatles one in here 715 00:40:57,160 --> 00:41:01,120 Speaker 2: that yet, so I'll find one. I bet you will. Meanwhile, 716 00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:03,520 Speaker 2: a collective nostalgia was growing in the hearts and minds 717 00:41:03,520 --> 00:41:05,600 Speaker 2: of the boomers who had grown up on easy comics, 718 00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:07,759 Speaker 2: and they were now rapidly rising to the seats of 719 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:11,160 Speaker 2: power in the country. First example of this is the 720 00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:17,040 Speaker 2: wonderful cult film Creep Show, and it is one of 721 00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:21,480 Speaker 2: my favorites. It's so adorable and so funny and so 722 00:41:21,760 --> 00:41:24,399 Speaker 2: good and it it's a perfect example of how much 723 00:41:24,880 --> 00:41:27,440 Speaker 2: people were willing to go to the mat for this 724 00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:31,319 Speaker 2: stuff because they just loved it so much. And it 725 00:41:31,400 --> 00:41:35,480 Speaker 2: was directed Stephen King. Hit up George Romero about this, 726 00:41:35,800 --> 00:41:39,040 Speaker 2: so like, Stephen King, you know, not quite I know, 727 00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:40,560 Speaker 2: he would have been at like the height of his 728 00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:41,360 Speaker 2: not height what. 729 00:41:41,440 --> 00:41:43,520 Speaker 1: Was his post shining yeah. 730 00:41:43,200 --> 00:41:45,040 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, yeah. So Stephen King at the height of 731 00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:46,880 Speaker 2: his powers, hit up George Romero and was like, we 732 00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:49,440 Speaker 2: got to do something about easy comics. It was an 733 00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:54,440 Speaker 2: easy comics adaptation in everything but name. This was actually 734 00:41:54,440 --> 00:41:57,160 Speaker 2: Stephen King's Hollywood debut as a screenwriter, and he acts 735 00:41:57,200 --> 00:42:00,879 Speaker 2: in the opening segment in a just wonderful pants that 736 00:42:01,239 --> 00:42:07,320 Speaker 2: really gives no doubt that the man was composed primarily 737 00:42:07,360 --> 00:42:10,600 Speaker 2: of cocaine and alcohol. At that time. 738 00:42:10,719 --> 00:42:13,280 Speaker 1: I was gonna say a sterling monument to his drug abuse. 739 00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:15,879 Speaker 2: But it is so good. Creep show is so good. 740 00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:20,120 Speaker 2: It has Hal Holbrook, Adrian Barbo, Leslie Nielsen, Ted Danson, 741 00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:25,680 Speaker 2: Ed Harris and naturally because it was directed by George Romeiro, 742 00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:28,479 Speaker 2: it was shot in and around Pittsburgh, because, as John 743 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:33,520 Speaker 2: Carpenter famously put it, someone's got to do it. Special 744 00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:37,240 Speaker 2: effects artist whiz Tom Savini handled the effects and enlisted 745 00:42:37,280 --> 00:42:41,520 Speaker 2: something like twenty thousand cockroaches for one indelible segment. The 746 00:42:41,560 --> 00:42:45,400 Speaker 2: film is lovingly styled after the easy comics look. Individual 747 00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:49,080 Speaker 2: segments end in freeze frames that turn they transition into 748 00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:53,080 Speaker 2: illustrated comic splash panels, has all these garish lightings and 749 00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:57,040 Speaker 2: Dutch angles. It's so good, and crucially, because it was 750 00:42:57,080 --> 00:42:59,480 Speaker 2: written by King, it was able to avoid trapesing on 751 00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:02,960 Speaker 2: any eat see trademarks. The film earned twenty one million 752 00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:06,399 Speaker 2: on an estimated eight million budget, and is followed by 753 00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:10,000 Speaker 2: an oddly named TV adaptation, Tales for the Dark Side, 754 00:43:10,480 --> 00:43:15,160 Speaker 2: Tales from the Dark Side hashtag rights issues, and then 755 00:43:15,440 --> 00:43:17,160 Speaker 2: The Creep Show two came out in eighty seven, and 756 00:43:17,160 --> 00:43:19,280 Speaker 2: there are Tales from the Dark Side movies. I also 757 00:43:19,320 --> 00:43:21,400 Speaker 2: want to say, and once again I just have to 758 00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:23,960 Speaker 2: stress how good Creep Show is. Everyone. You should just 759 00:43:24,080 --> 00:43:28,040 Speaker 2: go see it or rent it. It's hilarious and it 760 00:43:28,120 --> 00:43:32,840 Speaker 2: paved the way for the absolute insane roster of Hollywood 761 00:43:33,040 --> 00:43:36,000 Speaker 2: movers and shakers that we are about to drop on you, 762 00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:39,520 Speaker 2: who pulled their own resources for their own proper adaptation, 763 00:43:40,160 --> 00:43:42,319 Speaker 2: which means we have finally gotten to the point of 764 00:43:42,360 --> 00:43:43,880 Speaker 2: this episode. 765 00:43:45,640 --> 00:43:48,440 Speaker 1: For a keen eyed student of Hollywood. The opening credits 766 00:43:48,440 --> 00:43:50,920 Speaker 1: of the HBO Tales from the Crypt series are a 767 00:43:51,120 --> 00:43:54,319 Speaker 1: gold mine. We'll get to the cavalcade of prominent guest 768 00:43:54,360 --> 00:43:57,960 Speaker 1: stars that the series enlisted shortly, but the executive producers 769 00:43:58,040 --> 00:44:00,560 Speaker 1: listed at the top of every episode are one Walter Hill, 770 00:44:01,120 --> 00:44:06,600 Speaker 1: David Geiler, Richard Donner, Joel Silver, and Robert Zemechis. Now 771 00:44:06,640 --> 00:44:08,600 Speaker 1: go ahead and hit the rewind button on your podcast 772 00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:12,000 Speaker 1: platform to take that all in again. Heigel, give us 773 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:14,200 Speaker 1: a rundown on this murder's row. Tell us who they are? 774 00:44:14,719 --> 00:44:18,400 Speaker 2: You got Walter Hill, director of the Warriors forty eight Hours, 775 00:44:18,840 --> 00:44:21,080 Speaker 2: Streets of Fire, which is his own cult hit. Not 776 00:44:21,120 --> 00:44:23,040 Speaker 2: as cool as the other two, but that's fine. You've 777 00:44:23,040 --> 00:44:26,480 Speaker 2: got his business partner and other producer David Geiler, who 778 00:44:26,520 --> 00:44:31,960 Speaker 2: produced and co wrote Alien Aliens, also Myra Breckinridge, Oh My. 779 00:44:32,080 --> 00:44:34,799 Speaker 1: God, the adaptation of the Gore Vidal book that was 780 00:44:35,920 --> 00:44:40,200 Speaker 1: probably not a very delicate handling of transgender Sure. 781 00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:46,960 Speaker 2: It wasn't, Nope, and also Undisputed. David Goiler produced Undisputed, 782 00:44:47,239 --> 00:44:50,040 Speaker 2: the two thousand and two prison fight flop that starred 783 00:44:50,040 --> 00:44:54,760 Speaker 2: Wesley Snipes, Ving Raim's Peter Falk and beloved character actors 784 00:44:54,760 --> 00:44:58,960 Speaker 2: Michael Rooker and Wes Study, and also Master p I 785 00:44:58,960 --> 00:45:00,520 Speaker 2: don't know why I went so long on that. I 786 00:45:00,560 --> 00:45:02,319 Speaker 2: just think it's very funny that that guy, his like 787 00:45:02,520 --> 00:45:05,000 Speaker 2: career was sort of I mean, he's still working, he's 788 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:08,759 Speaker 2: still alive. But anyway, You've got Richard Damn Donner of 789 00:45:08,840 --> 00:45:13,600 Speaker 2: The Omen, Superman, The Goonies, Scrooged, Lethal Weapon, and then, last, 790 00:45:13,640 --> 00:45:19,040 Speaker 2: but certainly not least, you've got Joel silver Baby producer extraordinaire. 791 00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:22,440 Speaker 2: He did all that with Walter Hill. He also did Commando, 792 00:45:22,600 --> 00:45:25,880 Speaker 2: the entirety of the Lethal Weapon franchise. He did the 793 00:45:25,880 --> 00:45:29,759 Speaker 2: first two Diehards, the first two Predators, and the fucking Matrixes. 794 00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:34,480 Speaker 2: That's in Silver Baby. He's also like kind of bad, right, 795 00:45:34,560 --> 00:45:37,440 Speaker 2: like we don't really he's got like a pretty bad reputation, right. 796 00:45:37,400 --> 00:45:40,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, he's got a cameo in uh Roger Rabbit. 797 00:45:40,760 --> 00:45:43,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, well I was getting to Roger Rabbit. Oh sorry, 798 00:45:43,719 --> 00:45:47,080 Speaker 2: you've got Robert Zemechiz, director of Romancing the Stone Back 799 00:45:47,120 --> 00:45:50,439 Speaker 2: to the Future trilogy, two of which are good. Who 800 00:45:50,480 --> 00:45:54,120 Speaker 2: framed Roger Rabbit, which whips death becomes her and then 801 00:45:54,160 --> 00:45:57,280 Speaker 2: a bunch of other stuff that sucks, like Forrest Gump 802 00:45:57,280 --> 00:45:58,320 Speaker 2: and the Polar Express. 803 00:45:58,440 --> 00:46:01,840 Speaker 1: Oh, he did Castaway, right, what do we land on 804 00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:05,560 Speaker 1: the cast Away? Yeah? Sure, Cathaway's fine, said, thought about 805 00:46:05,560 --> 00:46:07,239 Speaker 1: Dick Donner. I know, we told this story in the 806 00:46:07,239 --> 00:46:10,320 Speaker 1: Goonies episode about how all the kids in the Goonies 807 00:46:10,320 --> 00:46:12,719 Speaker 1: tormented him, and then he flew home to Hawaii the 808 00:46:12,840 --> 00:46:15,600 Speaker 1: end of the Shoot to Unwind, only to discover that 809 00:46:15,640 --> 00:46:19,120 Speaker 1: producer Steven Spielberg had flown the entire cast down to 810 00:46:19,200 --> 00:46:21,560 Speaker 1: Dick Donner's house for a party to surprise him there 811 00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:25,799 Speaker 1: when he arrived home, which is a hilarious prank and 812 00:46:25,840 --> 00:46:29,120 Speaker 1: something that only Steven Spielberg could do. I didn't realize 813 00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:31,799 Speaker 1: that Dick Donner's feud with kids dated back to when 814 00:46:31,800 --> 00:46:34,680 Speaker 1: he directed The Omen and he asked the kid auditioning 815 00:46:34,719 --> 00:46:37,600 Speaker 1: to play Damien to fight him. And so the kid 816 00:46:37,719 --> 00:46:41,200 Speaker 1: quote kicked him square in the balls and then began 817 00:46:41,320 --> 00:46:43,640 Speaker 1: scratching at his face so hard that his parents had 818 00:46:43,640 --> 00:46:46,440 Speaker 1: to pry him off. And Dick Donner kid. 819 00:46:46,280 --> 00:46:47,120 Speaker 2: Really wanted that part. 820 00:46:47,200 --> 00:46:49,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, he gave it to him. Like the kids spunk 821 00:46:49,960 --> 00:46:55,600 Speaker 1: awful anyway. Walter Hill was directing at Universal in the 822 00:46:55,640 --> 00:46:58,480 Speaker 1: early eighties when he got lost in Russ Cochrane's hardcover 823 00:46:58,560 --> 00:47:01,759 Speaker 1: reprints of the EC Comics line and became a young 824 00:47:01,800 --> 00:47:05,960 Speaker 1: boy again metaphorically speaking. He called in his partner David Geiler, 825 00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:08,759 Speaker 1: who similarly got caught up in the Russian nostalgia, and 826 00:47:08,840 --> 00:47:11,640 Speaker 1: the same collection caught the eye of Joel Silver. When 827 00:47:11,680 --> 00:47:14,080 Speaker 1: all three men were working on Lethal Weapon in nineteen 828 00:47:14,120 --> 00:47:16,799 Speaker 1: eighty three. The three of them optioned the rights from 829 00:47:16,800 --> 00:47:20,680 Speaker 1: Bill Gains, who was suitably very intimidated by several of 830 00:47:20,719 --> 00:47:23,960 Speaker 1: the most important men in Hollywood approaching him for quote 831 00:47:24,160 --> 00:47:28,200 Speaker 1: very little, As Silver recalls in the Wonderful Tone Tales 832 00:47:28,239 --> 00:47:31,600 Speaker 1: from the Crypt the Official Archives by dig b Deal. 833 00:47:31,719 --> 00:47:32,600 Speaker 1: That's a hell of a name. 834 00:47:33,200 --> 00:47:35,520 Speaker 2: Digby did some real lord's work. He's also like a 835 00:47:35,560 --> 00:47:39,880 Speaker 2: co biographer of many famous people, like that's what he 836 00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:43,600 Speaker 2: was mostly known for. And then also this awesome it's 837 00:47:43,640 --> 00:47:45,600 Speaker 2: kind of like the Big Trouble in China book. That's like, uh, 838 00:47:46,400 --> 00:47:50,400 Speaker 2: it's like four hundred dollars on you know, eBay and stuff. 839 00:47:50,440 --> 00:47:51,840 Speaker 1: I've been trying to track that down for you. 840 00:47:52,080 --> 00:47:54,840 Speaker 2: Oh, I got it. My in law has got it 841 00:47:54,880 --> 00:47:55,120 Speaker 2: for me. 842 00:47:56,600 --> 00:47:56,839 Speaker 1: Yeah. 843 00:47:56,920 --> 00:48:01,160 Speaker 2: Shouts to Charlie and Patt but yeah, uh a deal. 844 00:48:01,320 --> 00:48:06,879 Speaker 2: Digby Deal did celebrity autobiographies with like Natalie Cole, Patti LuPone. 845 00:48:07,760 --> 00:48:12,279 Speaker 2: He also did a CIA memoir, What a Memoir by 846 00:48:12,320 --> 00:48:18,000 Speaker 2: the j Paul Getty's fifth wife. So and just also 847 00:48:18,040 --> 00:48:20,520 Speaker 2: made time to pen the definitive book on Tales from 848 00:48:20,560 --> 00:48:21,680 Speaker 2: the Crypt a hero. 849 00:48:21,800 --> 00:48:25,040 Speaker 1: Digby Deal, we bestow upon you the honorary title Friend 850 00:48:25,040 --> 00:48:25,560 Speaker 1: of the Pod. 851 00:48:27,000 --> 00:48:28,560 Speaker 2: You are dead and not in hell. 852 00:48:29,800 --> 00:48:32,359 Speaker 1: Oh he's dead. He's super dead now he can still 853 00:48:32,360 --> 00:48:33,279 Speaker 1: be Friend of the Pod though. 854 00:48:33,640 --> 00:48:34,279 Speaker 2: Yeah. 855 00:48:34,520 --> 00:48:37,040 Speaker 1: Also, while working on Lethal Weapon, Dick Donner was pulled 856 00:48:37,040 --> 00:48:40,280 Speaker 1: in one night after shooting in their trailer, when Silver 857 00:48:40,360 --> 00:48:42,759 Speaker 1: simply said, Hey, I'm working on a Tales from the 858 00:48:42,760 --> 00:48:46,720 Speaker 1: Crypt series, and apparently that's all it took. Donner later said, 859 00:48:46,960 --> 00:48:48,759 Speaker 1: I have no idea what our concept was going to 860 00:48:48,800 --> 00:48:50,879 Speaker 1: be or how it evolved. And there were times when 861 00:48:50,880 --> 00:48:53,120 Speaker 1: everyone near and dear to my life said, don't put 862 00:48:53,160 --> 00:48:55,719 Speaker 1: any more of your money into this project, but I 863 00:48:55,840 --> 00:48:59,239 Speaker 1: stuck with it. Robert Tamachis, meanwhile, was swayed through a 864 00:48:59,280 --> 00:49:03,440 Speaker 1: different bill game his product Mad Magazine. He recalled us 865 00:49:03,480 --> 00:49:05,880 Speaker 1: Back to the Future co writer Bill Gail, introducing him 866 00:49:05,920 --> 00:49:08,520 Speaker 1: to Easy Comics while the pair were roommates at USC 867 00:49:09,560 --> 00:49:12,440 Speaker 1: Gail was a comics nerd who had fan letters published 868 00:49:12,440 --> 00:49:15,640 Speaker 1: in Marvel's Tales of Suspense and Iron Man in nineteen 869 00:49:15,719 --> 00:49:19,040 Speaker 1: sixty eight, and would later write for the company. While 870 00:49:19,040 --> 00:49:22,480 Speaker 1: filming Who Framed Roger Rabbit, in which Joel Silver has 871 00:49:22,640 --> 00:49:26,560 Speaker 1: a great cameo as a hot headed director, Baby Herman, 872 00:49:26,600 --> 00:49:28,640 Speaker 1: you were great, you were perfect. You're better than perfect. 873 00:49:28,719 --> 00:49:32,000 Speaker 1: It's just rot Roger. He bow his lines, what's that 874 00:49:32,520 --> 00:49:37,520 Speaker 1: tweety bird, tweety bird? What's the script saying? Stars, not 875 00:49:37,640 --> 00:49:41,880 Speaker 1: tweety bird, stars. God, it's so good it's so good 876 00:49:42,880 --> 00:49:45,920 Speaker 1: and if he watch that's sin well, how am I? 877 00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:49,840 Speaker 1: How is that? While filming your frame, Roger Rabbits and 878 00:49:49,880 --> 00:49:52,640 Speaker 1: Mecus explained, Joel mentioned that he was working on getting 879 00:49:52,680 --> 00:49:55,719 Speaker 1: easy comics on cable. I knew Tales from the Crypt 880 00:49:55,760 --> 00:49:58,920 Speaker 1: would never succeed on network television. They'd ruin it if 881 00:49:58,920 --> 00:50:01,400 Speaker 1: it was going on cable. I told him I was interested. 882 00:50:01,840 --> 00:50:03,840 Speaker 1: One of the problems was that there was a huge 883 00:50:04,160 --> 00:50:07,960 Speaker 1: pale on retro anthology stuff after the disaster of the 884 00:50:08,040 --> 00:50:12,279 Speaker 1: Twilight Zone movie. Higel, what happened during the Twilight Zone 885 00:50:12,280 --> 00:50:12,840 Speaker 1: movie shoot? 886 00:50:13,680 --> 00:50:17,319 Speaker 2: John Landis killed some kids and also Vic Morro oh uh? 887 00:50:17,640 --> 00:50:21,840 Speaker 2: And John Landis told the helicopter pilot to drive closer 888 00:50:21,960 --> 00:50:26,040 Speaker 2: to the explosions Jesus and they all died in fiery, 889 00:50:26,080 --> 00:50:29,200 Speaker 2: screaming agony, and then John Landis maintained that he did 890 00:50:29,239 --> 00:50:30,280 Speaker 2: nothing wrong for years. 891 00:50:30,440 --> 00:50:31,879 Speaker 1: Did the helicopter pilot live? 892 00:50:32,280 --> 00:50:33,320 Speaker 2: I want to say. 893 00:50:33,280 --> 00:50:37,560 Speaker 1: Yes, oh no, actually, oh, actually, I don't know the 894 00:50:37,600 --> 00:50:38,359 Speaker 1: right answer for that. 895 00:50:38,880 --> 00:50:41,040 Speaker 2: Both the three actors, No, no, it was just the 896 00:50:41,120 --> 00:50:46,680 Speaker 2: kids and in Vic Morro Jesus. Yeah, Steven Spielberg cut 897 00:50:46,760 --> 00:50:51,719 Speaker 2: him off because of that. Really, yeah, that's what it 898 00:50:51,880 --> 00:50:57,400 Speaker 2: took yeah wow. Silver told the La Times it was 899 00:50:57,440 --> 00:50:58,759 Speaker 2: an unusual. 900 00:50:58,320 --> 00:51:00,760 Speaker 1: Time because there have been a bunch of anthology shows 901 00:51:00,800 --> 00:51:03,720 Speaker 1: and films that had all just gone in the toilet. 902 00:51:04,360 --> 00:51:08,400 Speaker 2: Jesus Christ. Sorry. During a take three hours before the incident, 903 00:51:09,400 --> 00:51:14,479 Speaker 2: the helicopter pilot, who was in Vietnam, oh yeah, told 904 00:51:14,560 --> 00:51:17,080 Speaker 2: Landis that the fireballs were too large and too close 905 00:51:17,120 --> 00:51:20,120 Speaker 2: to the helicopter, to which Landis responded, you ain't seen 906 00:51:20,160 --> 00:51:24,440 Speaker 2: nothing yet. Witnesses testified that Landis was still shouting for 907 00:51:24,480 --> 00:51:28,960 Speaker 2: the helicopter to fly lower lower moments before it crashed. Also, 908 00:51:29,840 --> 00:51:33,359 Speaker 2: you know, he was also violating labor laws by having 909 00:51:33,400 --> 00:51:35,240 Speaker 2: these kids work past their hours. 910 00:51:35,400 --> 00:51:37,480 Speaker 1: I was gonna say, weren't they like not even actors. 911 00:51:37,520 --> 00:51:40,040 Speaker 1: Didn't he just like find them or something like. 912 00:51:40,280 --> 00:51:43,200 Speaker 2: He was Even the district attorney was like, this guy's 913 00:51:43,239 --> 00:51:47,680 Speaker 2: being gross. Like during the trial, I mean, did he ever. 914 00:51:47,680 --> 00:51:51,160 Speaker 1: Like recover from that? How did he not get like Alec. 915 00:51:51,000 --> 00:51:53,640 Speaker 2: Baldwins a different times he made the thriller video. 916 00:51:55,880 --> 00:51:58,359 Speaker 1: It was an unusual time, Joel Silver told the La 917 00:51:58,480 --> 00:52:01,160 Speaker 1: Times because there had been a bunch of anthology shows 918 00:52:01,160 --> 00:52:03,600 Speaker 1: and films that had all just gone into the toilet. 919 00:52:03,800 --> 00:52:07,560 Speaker 1: In the aftermath of the Twilight Zone movie incident. He 920 00:52:07,640 --> 00:52:11,000 Speaker 1: was craftily pitching it too. He promised the creative freedom 921 00:52:11,040 --> 00:52:14,120 Speaker 1: of non network TV and a relatively large budget, which 922 00:52:14,120 --> 00:52:16,520 Speaker 1: he subsidized by selling the rights to the series to 923 00:52:16,600 --> 00:52:20,320 Speaker 1: foreign markets, packaging three at a time as feature length films. 924 00:52:20,560 --> 00:52:21,520 Speaker 1: That's a really good idea. 925 00:52:21,800 --> 00:52:24,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, smart guy, you know what can I say? Knows 926 00:52:24,160 --> 00:52:25,759 Speaker 2: his way around the business. 927 00:52:26,400 --> 00:52:29,200 Speaker 1: Walter Hill recalled the project stalling out for several years 928 00:52:29,239 --> 00:52:31,520 Speaker 1: until getting a phone call from Silver for what Deal 929 00:52:31,600 --> 00:52:36,640 Speaker 1: calls a quote classic micro conversation with Silver. This amounted 930 00:52:36,680 --> 00:52:39,560 Speaker 1: to Joel Silver, basically in one breath, telling Hill that 931 00:52:39,640 --> 00:52:42,160 Speaker 1: Zamechas and Donna were on board, as was HBO, and 932 00:52:42,239 --> 00:52:46,839 Speaker 1: could he'll film something in five days. Joel Silver would 933 00:52:46,880 --> 00:52:49,279 Speaker 1: end up making his directorial debut on the series with 934 00:52:49,360 --> 00:52:53,359 Speaker 1: the episode's Split Personality, which involves a typically Tails esque 935 00:52:53,440 --> 00:52:57,040 Speaker 1: murderer's row of talent. It stars Joe Peshy. The script 936 00:52:57,120 --> 00:52:59,759 Speaker 1: is written by Monster Squad and Night of the creepscribe 937 00:53:00,200 --> 00:53:04,480 Speaker 1: Decker Jurassic Parks David Lowry was a storyboard artist and 938 00:53:04,640 --> 00:53:09,239 Speaker 1: Speed and Twister director. Yon Debont was the cinematographer to 939 00:53:09,280 --> 00:53:12,000 Speaker 1: this day. It is literally the only thing that Joel 940 00:53:12,000 --> 00:53:13,240 Speaker 1: Silver has ever directed. 941 00:53:13,800 --> 00:53:15,399 Speaker 2: Why bother when you knock it out of the park 942 00:53:15,440 --> 00:53:19,680 Speaker 2: and surest that bat true. Because of this assemblage of 943 00:53:19,719 --> 00:53:24,200 Speaker 2: power players plus the nostalgia factor, TFTC as I've grown 944 00:53:24,239 --> 00:53:26,520 Speaker 2: to call it in Our Friendship was able to recruit 945 00:53:26,600 --> 00:53:30,000 Speaker 2: a seriously mind boggling array of guests during its run, 946 00:53:30,160 --> 00:53:34,160 Speaker 2: including many Oscar winners. The full list is like three 947 00:53:34,280 --> 00:53:37,440 Speaker 2: columns long on Wikipedia, so I'm not naming everyone, but 948 00:53:37,520 --> 00:53:40,240 Speaker 2: it'll feel like I am. Because of how many people 949 00:53:40,239 --> 00:53:42,720 Speaker 2: were involved in this show. You had your A listers 950 00:53:42,719 --> 00:53:46,120 Speaker 2: like Arnold Schwarzenegger, who directed an episode and was paid 951 00:53:46,160 --> 00:53:49,920 Speaker 2: fifteen thousand dollars. Everyone worked for scale on this that's 952 00:53:49,960 --> 00:53:53,040 Speaker 2: what's so crazy about it. So Arnes Schwarzenegger was took 953 00:53:53,040 --> 00:53:55,839 Speaker 2: over the director's chair for an episode and was paid 954 00:53:55,880 --> 00:53:59,080 Speaker 2: fifteen grand while also cashing a check for ten million 955 00:53:59,200 --> 00:54:04,360 Speaker 2: for total recall, Tom Hanks, who also directed, Kirk Douglas, 956 00:54:04,400 --> 00:54:08,440 Speaker 2: Christopher Reeve, Martin Sheen, Patricia r Quette, Brook Shields, Bill Paxson, 957 00:54:08,520 --> 00:54:11,680 Speaker 2: Steve BISHEMI then you had basically anyone who is hot 958 00:54:11,719 --> 00:54:13,560 Speaker 2: in the mid eighties to early nineties, and I do 959 00:54:13,640 --> 00:54:16,960 Speaker 2: mean physically as well as with your juice, if you will, 960 00:54:18,440 --> 00:54:21,399 Speaker 2: Why did I say that like that? Well, Demi Moore, 961 00:54:21,520 --> 00:54:24,880 Speaker 2: Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Corey Feldman, Michael J. Fox, 962 00:54:24,880 --> 00:54:27,480 Speaker 2: who also directed, Kyle McLachlan, and most of the cast 963 00:54:27,520 --> 00:54:31,560 Speaker 2: of Twin Peaks Lou Diamond, Philip Kelly Preston, Key Hoy Kwan, 964 00:54:32,400 --> 00:54:38,880 Speaker 2: Lea Thompson, and John Stamos. You have comedians include Dan Ackroyd, 965 00:54:38,920 --> 00:54:42,240 Speaker 2: Don Rickles, Rickles' episode is great. He plays a ventriloquist. 966 00:54:43,040 --> 00:54:46,879 Speaker 2: It's great. Greedy's included Yeah, Dan Ackroyd, Don Rickles, John 967 00:54:46,920 --> 00:54:51,400 Speaker 2: Lovett's cheech, Marin Hanks, Area, Catherine O'Hara, Whoopi Goldberg, Katie Segal, 968 00:54:51,600 --> 00:54:54,520 Speaker 2: Ted Danson, and Rita Rudner. There were also a bunch 969 00:54:54,560 --> 00:54:57,520 Speaker 2: of people from the music world who came over Ikey Pop, 970 00:54:57,640 --> 00:55:02,480 Speaker 2: Isaac Hayes, Meet Loaf, Adultery of the Who, Slash of 971 00:55:02,600 --> 00:55:05,400 Speaker 2: Guns n' Roses and also just being Slash, Tim Curry, 972 00:55:05,760 --> 00:55:08,040 Speaker 2: Priscilla Presley, and also. 973 00:55:07,840 --> 00:55:11,680 Speaker 1: Wayne Newton said me Loaf as if Loaf was his 974 00:55:11,800 --> 00:55:15,719 Speaker 1: last name, Meat Loaf, mister Loaf, please, that was my father? 975 00:55:15,800 --> 00:55:16,960 Speaker 2: Call me meat. 976 00:55:18,320 --> 00:55:20,400 Speaker 1: From was it The Apprentice Apprentice. 977 00:55:20,520 --> 00:55:22,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, when people are trying, he's like having a tit 978 00:55:22,800 --> 00:55:25,040 Speaker 2: to meltdown and like people are trying to soothe him. 979 00:55:25,040 --> 00:55:28,759 Speaker 2: Like I think it's Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray is like. 980 00:55:29,400 --> 00:55:33,600 Speaker 1: Meat, meat, meat me. 981 00:55:34,520 --> 00:55:36,879 Speaker 2: Some of the across the Pond talent who came over 982 00:55:36,920 --> 00:55:41,360 Speaker 2: with Malcolm McDowell, uh Isabella Rossellini, Bob Hoskins who directed 983 00:55:41,360 --> 00:55:45,400 Speaker 2: an episode, Timothy Dalton, you know, the Bond guy for 984 00:55:45,480 --> 00:55:50,040 Speaker 2: Two Things of Bond Boxing, Legend, Sugar Ray Leonard and 985 00:55:50,080 --> 00:55:52,000 Speaker 2: the show also gave early gigs to a bunch of 986 00:55:52,040 --> 00:55:54,759 Speaker 2: people who would go on to become a listers like 987 00:55:54,800 --> 00:55:58,759 Speaker 2: Ewan McGregor, Beniso de Toro, Daniel Craig, Jonathan Banks of 988 00:55:58,800 --> 00:56:04,440 Speaker 2: Breaking Bad, that tall guy from Everybody Loves Raymond. I 989 00:56:04,480 --> 00:56:07,120 Speaker 2: told you about. One of my favorite Jimmy Glick put 990 00:56:07,120 --> 00:56:09,880 Speaker 2: downs is from him. Jimmany says something to him and 991 00:56:10,320 --> 00:56:12,480 Speaker 2: Brad Garrett's like, oh, I'm sure you got that from 992 00:56:12,480 --> 00:56:19,400 Speaker 2: the website, didn't you. Like A millisecond later, sweet sweet 993 00:56:19,600 --> 00:56:22,000 Speaker 2: Martin just comes out with, oh, because there's so many 994 00:56:22,040 --> 00:56:23,160 Speaker 2: books written about you. 995 00:56:23,320 --> 00:56:28,719 Speaker 1: As much as I hate Martin Short, I do love 996 00:56:28,800 --> 00:56:29,719 Speaker 1: Jimmy Glick. 997 00:56:30,080 --> 00:56:35,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, Jada Pinkett. I think it's just Jada Pinkett these days. 998 00:56:35,320 --> 00:56:37,959 Speaker 2: She was in there. Jeffrey Tambore in a fat suit 999 00:56:38,040 --> 00:56:42,080 Speaker 2: that looks suspiciously exactly like the fat suit and makeup. 1000 00:56:42,120 --> 00:56:45,080 Speaker 2: They put Colin Ferrell in to play the penguin in 1001 00:56:45,120 --> 00:56:49,080 Speaker 2: his current job. Like Jeffrey, google it, it's weird. Jeffrey 1002 00:56:49,120 --> 00:56:51,879 Speaker 2: Tamber's fat suit in makeup in Nights from the Crip 1003 00:56:51,960 --> 00:56:56,600 Speaker 2: looks eerily almost exactly similar to the penguin right now. 1004 00:56:57,880 --> 00:57:02,120 Speaker 2: Obvious genre mainstays like Brad Doree, Michael Ironside, Lance Hendrickson, 1005 00:57:02,480 --> 00:57:04,160 Speaker 2: ar Lee Ermie shows up at one point to do 1006 00:57:04,239 --> 00:57:09,120 Speaker 2: his whole thing, and also saving the handsomest for last, 1007 00:57:09,239 --> 00:57:14,000 Speaker 2: Brad Pitt. Tom Holland, who directed Child's Play and Fright Night, 1008 00:57:14,440 --> 00:57:16,840 Speaker 2: was the director of the episode that Brad Pitt stars 1009 00:57:16,840 --> 00:57:19,280 Speaker 2: in with music by Warren Zavaughn, which is super cool, 1010 00:57:20,560 --> 00:57:23,320 Speaker 2: and he told sci Fi that after Brad Pitt appeared 1011 00:57:23,360 --> 00:57:26,200 Speaker 2: in that episode, he said, I thought Brad Pitt was 1012 00:57:26,240 --> 00:57:28,520 Speaker 2: so terrific in that I went out and tried to 1013 00:57:28,520 --> 00:57:30,920 Speaker 2: get him an agent, and I couldn't get him an agent. 1014 00:57:31,080 --> 00:57:33,360 Speaker 2: In the episode, he said, he smiled It's all he 1015 00:57:33,400 --> 00:57:36,280 Speaker 2: had to do. And when he smiled, I said, well 1016 00:57:36,280 --> 00:57:38,800 Speaker 2: that's a movie star, and I said light him as 1017 00:57:38,800 --> 00:57:41,160 Speaker 2: well as the girl. I mean, he was as beautiful 1018 00:57:41,200 --> 00:57:41,720 Speaker 2: as she was. 1019 00:57:42,680 --> 00:57:44,640 Speaker 1: I love how much you love Brad Pitt. 1020 00:57:45,000 --> 00:57:47,280 Speaker 2: I love Tom Holland too. He's so dim funny. When 1021 00:57:47,320 --> 00:57:52,440 Speaker 2: Julian Walters died, I interviewed him about how she about it. 1022 00:57:52,480 --> 00:57:55,240 Speaker 2: She was almost the voice of Chucky and he was 1023 00:57:55,440 --> 00:57:57,720 Speaker 2: he was so cool on the phone. Yeah, he said, 1024 00:57:57,720 --> 00:57:59,680 Speaker 2: it was just like it was a little it ended 1025 00:57:59,720 --> 00:58:02,400 Speaker 2: up being like a little too effeminate and then like obviously, 1026 00:58:02,440 --> 00:58:04,240 Speaker 2: but she had been in play Misty for me, so 1027 00:58:04,280 --> 00:58:07,960 Speaker 2: he thought she could convinstantly pull off a psychopath. But 1028 00:58:08,040 --> 00:58:10,200 Speaker 2: I think the I think the problem was that in 1029 00:58:10,240 --> 00:58:12,680 Speaker 2: the test screetings people were like, well chokey sounds gay, 1030 00:58:13,360 --> 00:58:15,080 Speaker 2: so they were like, okay, get a man to do it. 1031 00:58:16,480 --> 00:58:18,480 Speaker 2: And those are just all the people with name recognition 1032 00:58:18,520 --> 00:58:21,160 Speaker 2: in this There are so many character actors in this 1033 00:58:21,200 --> 00:58:25,000 Speaker 2: show where you just go that guy like it's incredible. 1034 00:58:25,680 --> 00:58:28,080 Speaker 2: You would die doing a drinking game if you were 1035 00:58:28,120 --> 00:58:30,360 Speaker 2: just like take a shot every time you recognize someone. 1036 00:58:31,080 --> 00:58:32,640 Speaker 1: How long is someon not seven years? I mean there 1037 00:58:32,640 --> 00:58:35,920 Speaker 1: weren't even like that many episodes of this too. It's 1038 00:58:35,960 --> 00:58:38,160 Speaker 1: pretty amazing how stacked this guy is. 1039 00:58:38,800 --> 00:58:39,560 Speaker 2: Just wild. 1040 00:58:39,800 --> 00:58:43,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, the director's list is a who's who as well. 1041 00:58:43,440 --> 00:58:46,280 Speaker 1: You mentioned Tom Holland, who did Child's Play, Psycho two 1042 00:58:46,760 --> 00:58:50,720 Speaker 1: and Fright Night, American Psycho and Pet Cemetery director Mary Lambert, 1043 00:58:51,200 --> 00:58:57,439 Speaker 1: Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Toby Hooper, and also hopefully Paltergeist. Right, 1044 00:58:58,120 --> 00:58:59,920 Speaker 1: you know, there's some debate about that. 1045 00:59:00,280 --> 00:59:02,320 Speaker 2: Sorry, I should have put that in. He also directed 1046 00:59:02,320 --> 00:59:03,360 Speaker 2: Poulter Guys. 1047 00:59:03,080 --> 00:59:05,240 Speaker 1: Even though a lot of people think Steven Spielberg did. 1048 00:59:05,680 --> 00:59:08,080 Speaker 1: Spielberg put an ad in the Trades that said he 1049 00:59:08,120 --> 00:59:08,400 Speaker 1: did not. 1050 00:59:09,520 --> 00:59:13,440 Speaker 2: We've also covered that story. Yeah, but it's it's kind 1051 00:59:13,480 --> 00:59:13,880 Speaker 2: of sad. 1052 00:59:14,560 --> 00:59:20,320 Speaker 1: Exosus director and French Connection director William Freakin, that horror 1053 00:59:20,360 --> 00:59:21,360 Speaker 1: show of a man. 1054 00:59:21,760 --> 00:59:24,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, right, came out and worked for Scale. I guess 1055 00:59:24,240 --> 00:59:26,120 Speaker 2: he really loved ec comics man. 1056 00:59:26,480 --> 00:59:28,280 Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean the fact that everybody worked for Scale 1057 00:59:28,320 --> 00:59:31,240 Speaker 1: just shows the affection that so many of these people 1058 00:59:31,680 --> 00:59:36,760 Speaker 1: had for this beloved bit of nostalgia from the childhood, 1059 00:59:37,400 --> 00:59:37,840 Speaker 1: or in. 1060 00:59:37,800 --> 00:59:40,640 Speaker 2: The more cynical reading, they were cozying up to this 1061 00:59:40,720 --> 00:59:45,040 Speaker 2: crazy assemblage of hot producers, directors. Sure, I'll come by 1062 00:59:45,040 --> 00:59:46,160 Speaker 2: and do your thing for peanuts. 1063 00:59:46,680 --> 00:59:49,720 Speaker 1: Good point, very good point. The budget for each episode 1064 00:59:49,760 --> 00:59:53,720 Speaker 1: was around nine hundred thousand dollars, which sounds high to me, 1065 00:59:53,880 --> 00:59:56,040 Speaker 1: especially for today. I bet you that's like close to 1066 00:59:56,040 --> 00:59:57,760 Speaker 1: to two and a half million. 1067 00:59:58,240 --> 01:00:00,280 Speaker 2: It is high for an episode of TV show. 1068 01:00:00,400 --> 01:00:05,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, and as you said, people just loved making these. 1069 01:00:05,520 --> 01:00:08,280 Speaker 1: Arnold Swartzenegger told the La Times in nineteen ninety that 1070 01:00:08,360 --> 01:00:10,800 Speaker 1: quote it was, I would say, can you do that? 1071 01:00:10,800 --> 01:00:11,760 Speaker 1: I can't do the voice. 1072 01:00:11,920 --> 01:00:14,880 Speaker 2: It was I would say the greatest joy I've had 1073 01:00:14,920 --> 01:00:16,080 Speaker 2: in the whole movie business. 1074 01:00:17,760 --> 01:00:21,520 Speaker 1: Arnold Schwartzenegger expressing the joy is the same word is 1075 01:00:21,560 --> 01:00:24,040 Speaker 1: the same of him expressing sorrow. 1076 01:00:27,080 --> 01:00:29,360 Speaker 2: It's because his laughter is so is his laughter is 1077 01:00:29,400 --> 01:00:34,360 Speaker 2: so alienating, say, I can't picture his laugh, but it 1078 01:00:34,520 --> 01:00:37,520 Speaker 2: was I would say the greatest joy I've had. It 1079 01:00:37,520 --> 01:00:41,080 Speaker 2: doesn't work, man like, I'm sorry. Imagine being like around 1080 01:00:41,160 --> 01:00:43,880 Speaker 2: him when he expresses genuine mirth'd be like, what the 1081 01:00:45,000 --> 01:00:48,760 Speaker 2: Jesus does? Spake? Zara Fuster starts playing in the background. 1082 01:00:52,680 --> 01:00:56,600 Speaker 1: What a truly horrifying image this is. 1083 01:00:56,720 --> 01:00:59,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, this is why people pay the koffee big Bucks. 1084 01:01:00,440 --> 01:01:03,560 Speaker 1: Wait could do the laugh and I'll splice in the sounds. 1085 01:01:26,040 --> 01:01:29,640 Speaker 4: That funny sue. 1086 01:01:30,840 --> 01:01:49,920 Speaker 1: Then, Oh, Joe Silvera recalled in a behind the scenes 1087 01:01:49,960 --> 01:01:53,160 Speaker 1: featurette that Martin Scorsese actually expressed interest in doing an 1088 01:01:53,160 --> 01:01:55,800 Speaker 1: episode at one point, and he had a specific comic 1089 01:01:55,880 --> 01:01:58,120 Speaker 1: in mind to do, but I guess it never came together. 1090 01:01:58,560 --> 01:02:00,840 Speaker 2: No, And he said he came up. He's like, he said, 1091 01:02:00,840 --> 01:02:03,440 Speaker 2: the next time he saw Marty, like years later at 1092 01:02:03,440 --> 01:02:06,520 Speaker 2: an awards show, whatever scorsees came up to him. He's like, Man, 1093 01:02:06,560 --> 01:02:07,880 Speaker 2: I really wish I'd gotten to do that night a 1094 01:02:08,280 --> 01:02:11,880 Speaker 2: Tees from the Crypt episode. Just like people loved it. Man, 1095 01:02:11,960 --> 01:02:14,480 Speaker 2: it's so it had such a spirit of joy behind it. 1096 01:02:14,760 --> 01:02:17,520 Speaker 1: Oh. For Robert Semechis, Dick Dahner and the rest of 1097 01:02:17,520 --> 01:02:20,920 Speaker 1: the show's high profile producers, Tales from the Crypts financial 1098 01:02:20,960 --> 01:02:23,840 Speaker 1: payoff was always thought to be a move the syndication, 1099 01:02:24,400 --> 01:02:26,560 Speaker 1: which paid off when Tales from the Crypt was bought 1100 01:02:26,600 --> 01:02:29,400 Speaker 1: by Fox for a late night Saturday slot in nineteen 1101 01:02:29,480 --> 01:02:33,600 Speaker 1: ninety four, which I vaguely remember. But obviously all the 1102 01:02:33,640 --> 01:02:36,240 Speaker 1: sex and gore wouldn't fly because this was made for 1103 01:02:36,440 --> 01:02:38,760 Speaker 1: HBO after all, So the episodes were re edited to 1104 01:02:38,800 --> 01:02:42,480 Speaker 1: include alternate takes that eliminated most of the original episodes 1105 01:02:42,520 --> 01:02:46,720 Speaker 1: gore and nudity. The show also had actors record PG 1106 01:02:46,920 --> 01:02:51,040 Speaker 1: rated versions of otherwise profane dialogue during shooting, and even 1107 01:02:51,080 --> 01:02:53,680 Speaker 1: though this been extra work, it also meant extra money 1108 01:02:53,840 --> 01:02:54,680 Speaker 1: for all concerns. 1109 01:02:54,880 --> 01:02:58,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just funny that they were like, take good blood, curling, scream, 1110 01:02:58,760 --> 01:03:00,880 Speaker 2: thank you, Let's clean up all this blood and we'll 1111 01:03:00,880 --> 01:03:05,520 Speaker 2: do PG one next. Everyone back to one. Donner's vision 1112 01:03:05,560 --> 01:03:07,320 Speaker 2: from the jump was that the show had to look 1113 01:03:07,440 --> 01:03:13,080 Speaker 2: just like the comics. His first episode, dig That Cat 1114 01:03:13,240 --> 01:03:17,120 Speaker 2: whatever it was, shot entirely with extreme wide angle lenses. 1115 01:03:17,120 --> 01:03:21,000 Speaker 2: He told Digby deal deliberately distorting people. He also said 1116 01:03:21,000 --> 01:03:22,840 Speaker 2: that he told a young editor when he got his 1117 01:03:22,920 --> 01:03:25,040 Speaker 2: first edits back from this kid, I want you to 1118 01:03:25,080 --> 01:03:27,440 Speaker 2: go back into the editing room and do everything you 1119 01:03:27,480 --> 01:03:31,200 Speaker 2: were trained not to do. The show picked up some 1120 01:03:31,200 --> 01:03:35,040 Speaker 2: of the industry's most talented miniatures and effects artists. Chris 1121 01:03:35,080 --> 01:03:37,560 Speaker 2: Waylis directed an episode. He's known for the fly and 1122 01:03:37,960 --> 01:03:41,360 Speaker 2: other disgusting things. The opening credits are really incredible. That 1123 01:03:41,440 --> 01:03:44,440 Speaker 2: is a mini mansion is actually a fool like a 1124 01:03:44,760 --> 01:03:47,640 Speaker 2: miniature that which is designed by Richard Edlund, who is 1125 01:03:47,640 --> 01:03:49,760 Speaker 2: a guy who came up through industrial light and magic, 1126 01:03:50,320 --> 01:03:52,640 Speaker 2: which again is just proof that like Hollywood is like 1127 01:03:52,680 --> 01:03:54,800 Speaker 2: a dozen people who all know each other and make 1128 01:03:54,880 --> 01:03:59,280 Speaker 2: everything happen, particularly in this era. But Donner and Zimechis 1129 01:03:59,360 --> 01:04:02,800 Speaker 2: took charge of sequence and actually piloted, Like I guess, 1130 01:04:02,800 --> 01:04:06,240 Speaker 2: it was like an endoscopy camera, like a tiny little 1131 01:04:06,280 --> 01:04:08,880 Speaker 2: camera on the end of a tube that they were 1132 01:04:08,920 --> 01:04:12,320 Speaker 2: just kind of running from above through the rooms of 1133 01:04:12,360 --> 01:04:15,720 Speaker 2: this little miniature mansion and down the staircase, and they 1134 01:04:15,760 --> 01:04:17,960 Speaker 2: disguise the cut when the door opens, and then they're 1135 01:04:18,000 --> 01:04:21,120 Speaker 2: in the actual set for the crypt keeper. Speaking of that, 1136 01:04:21,360 --> 01:04:24,280 Speaker 2: the artist responsible for designing the crypt was Mike Vosberg. 1137 01:04:24,360 --> 01:04:26,680 Speaker 2: He's the guy who does all the comic illustrations. Also 1138 01:04:26,720 --> 01:04:29,800 Speaker 2: at the top of the episode, the main FX artist 1139 01:04:30,080 --> 01:04:33,480 Speaker 2: associated with Tales from the Crypt TFTC was a guy 1140 01:04:33,520 --> 01:04:36,560 Speaker 2: named Todd Masters, and boy did he go buck wild, 1141 01:04:37,800 --> 01:04:41,439 Speaker 2: freed from the constraints of regular TV. It did eventually, though, 1142 01:04:41,560 --> 01:04:44,600 Speaker 2: find a line that he couldn't cross, and I will 1143 01:04:44,680 --> 01:04:47,640 Speaker 2: detail that to you now. It was for an episode 1144 01:04:47,640 --> 01:04:51,200 Speaker 2: starring Steve Buscemi which involved his character suffering and then 1145 01:04:51,280 --> 01:04:55,840 Speaker 2: dying from something called jungle Rot. Masters told Digby Deal 1146 01:04:55,880 --> 01:04:57,920 Speaker 2: that he could have done the shot with a model, 1147 01:04:58,080 --> 01:05:00,760 Speaker 2: but actually devised a way to make it look like 1148 01:05:00,920 --> 01:05:04,720 Speaker 2: Steve Bishemi's face was melting off in real time and 1149 01:05:04,800 --> 01:05:08,840 Speaker 2: disgustingly falling apart, and it looked so realistic that Richard 1150 01:05:08,880 --> 01:05:11,480 Speaker 2: Darner was sent the dailies, and the morning after he 1151 01:05:11,560 --> 01:05:15,880 Speaker 2: called them and said that was too much. But Masters 1152 01:05:15,920 --> 01:05:18,240 Speaker 2: said to total Digby Deal that that was the only 1153 01:05:18,320 --> 01:05:21,200 Speaker 2: time he was ever told to rein it in. This 1154 01:05:21,240 --> 01:05:23,000 Speaker 2: thing picked up a bunch of Emmy nominations that it 1155 01:05:23,040 --> 01:05:26,439 Speaker 2: didn't win, mostly for technical stuff, but also for wardrobe, 1156 01:05:26,520 --> 01:05:30,160 Speaker 2: so shout out to Warden Neil, who's the wardrobe designer 1157 01:05:30,200 --> 01:05:33,120 Speaker 2: for that. Kirk Douglas was nominated for his guest role. 1158 01:05:34,400 --> 01:05:36,760 Speaker 2: I don't know what the cable Ace awards are, but 1159 01:05:37,080 --> 01:05:41,080 Speaker 2: TFTC won ten, so that's cool. Danny Elfman does the theme. 1160 01:05:41,440 --> 01:05:43,960 Speaker 2: I bet you can guess what it sounds like, thumping 1161 01:05:44,120 --> 01:05:47,800 Speaker 2: John SUSA esque rhythms a melodic line that falls squarely 1162 01:05:47,840 --> 01:05:49,840 Speaker 2: on the beat and uses the flat and fifth and 1163 01:05:49,920 --> 01:05:54,600 Speaker 2: sixth from the major scale. But other musicians popped up 1164 01:05:54,600 --> 01:05:58,000 Speaker 2: to help with TFTC, including as previously mentioned, my beloved 1165 01:05:58,040 --> 01:06:02,040 Speaker 2: Warren zevonn Jazz bass Legends, Stanley Clark, Maha Vishu orchestra 1166 01:06:02,200 --> 01:06:06,360 Speaker 2: keyboardist and Miami Vice themed composer Jan Hammer, guitarist and 1167 01:06:06,440 --> 01:06:10,600 Speaker 2: musical man About Town, Ray Cooter, Titanic and many other things. 1168 01:06:10,640 --> 01:06:14,600 Speaker 2: Composer James Horner, and Bruce Broughton, who is most notable 1169 01:06:14,640 --> 01:06:17,560 Speaker 2: for composing for like a ton of stuff that was 1170 01:06:17,600 --> 01:06:20,440 Speaker 2: never huge, But then he was embroiled in an OSCARS 1171 01:06:20,480 --> 01:06:24,120 Speaker 2: controversy where while as an executive committee member of the 1172 01:06:24,120 --> 01:06:27,640 Speaker 2: Academy's music branch, they discovered that he was calling other 1173 01:06:27,760 --> 01:06:33,439 Speaker 2: members and stumping for himself for his own nomination. Ugh, 1174 01:06:36,360 --> 01:06:38,840 Speaker 2: as you meditate on that, we'll be right back with 1175 01:06:38,880 --> 01:06:41,280 Speaker 2: more too much information after these messages. 1176 01:06:53,080 --> 01:06:55,320 Speaker 1: Well, folks, let's be honest. The people are here for 1177 01:06:55,360 --> 01:06:59,080 Speaker 1: the crypt Keeper, the borsch belt style host who's puns 1178 01:06:59,400 --> 01:07:02,360 Speaker 1: and discussed appearance and his little costumes. As you mentioned, 1179 01:07:02,720 --> 01:07:05,840 Speaker 1: have this all coming back. He's descended from the rich 1180 01:07:05,880 --> 01:07:08,160 Speaker 1: tradition of horror hosts that I think we may have 1181 01:07:08,200 --> 01:07:12,280 Speaker 1: covered in another episode, people like Vampira and Zacherley, who'd 1182 01:07:12,360 --> 01:07:15,479 Speaker 1: essentially MC in regional markets when their local affiliates aired 1183 01:07:15,560 --> 01:07:19,040 Speaker 1: old schlock late at night, so the idea of having 1184 01:07:19,040 --> 01:07:21,680 Speaker 1: this host was a must from the get go. What's 1185 01:07:21,720 --> 01:07:24,560 Speaker 1: Wild was out Chuck Jaeger, not the guy who broke 1186 01:07:24,600 --> 01:07:26,880 Speaker 1: the sound barrier for the first time, the guy who 1187 01:07:26,960 --> 01:07:30,560 Speaker 1: designed Chucky from Child's Play, actually wound up for the job. 1188 01:07:31,160 --> 01:07:33,800 Speaker 1: Joel Silver bumped into him in a storage facility where 1189 01:07:33,800 --> 01:07:36,760 Speaker 1: they both had lockers, happened to see Jaeger's collection of 1190 01:07:36,760 --> 01:07:39,440 Speaker 1: props and so forth, and offered him the job on 1191 01:07:39,480 --> 01:07:42,320 Speaker 1: the spot. Now, to me, that's such a like only 1192 01:07:42,360 --> 01:07:44,800 Speaker 1: in Hollywood kind of thing, and I really enjoyed that, 1193 01:07:45,040 --> 01:07:47,400 Speaker 1: And that kind of set me down a little little 1194 01:07:47,440 --> 01:07:52,000 Speaker 1: rabbit hole earlier tonight about yeah, about weird ways that 1195 01:07:52,040 --> 01:07:54,360 Speaker 1: other people in Hollywood got discovered and I found some 1196 01:07:54,400 --> 01:07:56,280 Speaker 1: good ones. May I go off on the sidebar for 1197 01:07:56,360 --> 01:07:57,440 Speaker 1: a minute and share. 1198 01:07:57,320 --> 01:08:00,080 Speaker 2: Someone but careful prosecutor. 1199 01:08:02,000 --> 01:08:06,640 Speaker 1: Counselor. Charlie's therein was discovered while in the middle of 1200 01:08:06,640 --> 01:08:09,200 Speaker 1: an argument at a bank. She later told Oprah, I 1201 01:08:09,240 --> 01:08:11,600 Speaker 1: really needed the money. I began pleading with this teller 1202 01:08:11,640 --> 01:08:14,040 Speaker 1: to help me, and a gentleman came over and tried 1203 01:08:14,080 --> 01:08:15,880 Speaker 1: to help. What I didn't know was that I was 1204 01:08:15,920 --> 01:08:18,759 Speaker 1: auditioning for a guy who had ended up being my manager. 1205 01:08:19,200 --> 01:08:21,000 Speaker 1: On the way out, the man who helped me gave 1206 01:08:21,040 --> 01:08:21,639 Speaker 1: me his card. 1207 01:08:21,840 --> 01:08:23,559 Speaker 2: That could have just been horniness, though. 1208 01:08:23,439 --> 01:08:27,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Kate Moss was having a fight with 1209 01:08:27,280 --> 01:08:30,040 Speaker 1: her dad at an airport when she was spotted by 1210 01:08:30,080 --> 01:08:32,320 Speaker 1: a talent agent. She was fourteen years old. 1211 01:08:32,560 --> 01:08:33,360 Speaker 2: Jesus Christ. 1212 01:08:34,400 --> 01:08:37,400 Speaker 1: They boarded the plane, and according to the talent agent, 1213 01:08:37,479 --> 01:08:39,679 Speaker 1: the signed her. As soon as the seatbelt switched off, 1214 01:08:39,760 --> 01:08:41,920 Speaker 1: they went over to her. Kate would later say, I 1215 01:08:42,040 --> 01:08:45,200 Speaker 1: was smoking. I was fourteen, and I just lost my virginity, 1216 01:08:46,880 --> 01:08:49,240 Speaker 1: so I thought I was the beast knees. I was 1217 01:08:49,240 --> 01:08:52,160 Speaker 1: in the airport puffing away. I'd got on the plane, 1218 01:08:52,479 --> 01:08:54,840 Speaker 1: and then CEO of the model company and her brother 1219 01:08:54,920 --> 01:08:56,639 Speaker 1: came up to me and said, have you ever thought 1220 01:08:56,640 --> 01:09:00,920 Speaker 1: about being a model? Pamela Andrews was on a football 1221 01:09:00,920 --> 01:09:03,120 Speaker 1: game and they projected her image up on the jumbo 1222 01:09:03,160 --> 01:09:05,280 Speaker 1: tron that she happened to be wearing a Labat's Beer 1223 01:09:05,400 --> 01:09:07,960 Speaker 1: T shirt, and the image of her and that T 1224 01:09:08,080 --> 01:09:11,479 Speaker 1: shirt got back to Labat's Beer themselves, who suggested she 1225 01:09:11,640 --> 01:09:18,120 Speaker 1: model for them. Know, so that's how that started. Everyone 1226 01:09:18,120 --> 01:09:21,120 Speaker 1: knows about how Harrison Ford was a carpenter around Hollywood, 1227 01:09:21,120 --> 01:09:24,400 Speaker 1: and he was a carpenter for a very famous casting director, 1228 01:09:24,800 --> 01:09:28,759 Speaker 1: Fred Russ, who kept suggesting him for different parts. Harrison 1229 01:09:28,800 --> 01:09:31,400 Speaker 1: kept getting turned down until eventually he was cast in 1230 01:09:31,439 --> 01:09:34,920 Speaker 1: his breakout role in George Lucas's American Graffiti in nineteen 1231 01:09:34,960 --> 01:09:35,559 Speaker 1: seventy three. 1232 01:09:35,920 --> 01:09:39,000 Speaker 2: I can't believe people turned down Harrison Ford. Did you 1233 01:09:39,160 --> 01:09:41,599 Speaker 2: see him? Did you look at his face and hear 1234 01:09:41,680 --> 01:09:42,280 Speaker 2: his voice? 1235 01:09:43,400 --> 01:09:50,240 Speaker 1: I could see people thinking that he couldn't act early on. 1236 01:09:51,000 --> 01:09:51,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, what I mean? 1237 01:09:52,520 --> 01:09:56,000 Speaker 1: Maybe, I don't know. He's so like stoic in a 1238 01:09:56,240 --> 01:10:00,200 Speaker 1: bad way. I don't know. Ye on your tail. Her 1239 01:10:00,280 --> 01:10:03,000 Speaker 1: Joy was walking her dog when she was scouted by 1240 01:10:03,000 --> 01:10:06,120 Speaker 1: the founder of a top modeling agency, accord Knew. An 1241 01:10:06,120 --> 01:10:08,679 Speaker 1: interview she gave with James Corden, she said, my actions 1242 01:10:08,680 --> 01:10:11,120 Speaker 1: were very stupid, and I don't suggest that anybody do 1243 01:10:11,200 --> 01:10:13,880 Speaker 1: what I did. A car was following me and I 1244 01:10:13,920 --> 01:10:16,719 Speaker 1: started running and this guy leans out the window and says, 1245 01:10:16,800 --> 01:10:19,439 Speaker 1: if you stop, you won't regret it, and I stopped. 1246 01:10:20,920 --> 01:10:22,160 Speaker 2: Wow, Okay. 1247 01:10:23,040 --> 01:10:25,639 Speaker 1: Tony Braxon was singing to herself at a gas station 1248 01:10:25,880 --> 01:10:29,320 Speaker 1: when songwriter Bill Peteway overheard her and helped her get 1249 01:10:29,320 --> 01:10:32,920 Speaker 1: a deal with Arister Records. John Wayne had a job 1250 01:10:32,960 --> 01:10:36,120 Speaker 1: moving props and filming equipment at Fox Film Corporation when 1251 01:10:36,160 --> 01:10:39,439 Speaker 1: the filmmakers, notably John Ford, started casting him as an 1252 01:10:39,439 --> 01:10:43,080 Speaker 1: extra instead. And here's my favorite. I didn't realize this 1253 01:10:43,120 --> 01:10:45,560 Speaker 1: as much Marilyn Monroe lore as I know. She was 1254 01:10:45,640 --> 01:10:48,439 Speaker 1: nineteen years old and working in an aircraft factory when 1255 01:10:48,479 --> 01:10:52,479 Speaker 1: a touring Army photographer took her picture. Photographer liked what 1256 01:10:52,520 --> 01:10:54,360 Speaker 1: he saw when he developed the photo and came back 1257 01:10:54,400 --> 01:10:58,240 Speaker 1: to use her as a basically a recurring model. And 1258 01:10:58,439 --> 01:11:00,479 Speaker 1: after a while she got so many modeling for him 1259 01:11:00,479 --> 01:11:02,920 Speaker 1: that she quit her factory job, divorced her husband, dyed 1260 01:11:02,960 --> 01:11:05,240 Speaker 1: her hair blonde, and changed her name. She was still 1261 01:11:05,240 --> 01:11:09,080 Speaker 1: a norma Jean Baker. Well, good, Yeah, I think that's 1262 01:11:09,080 --> 01:11:09,599 Speaker 1: all I got. 1263 01:11:09,680 --> 01:11:13,240 Speaker 2: Maybe maybe though, men in cars should and airport should 1264 01:11:13,240 --> 01:11:14,719 Speaker 2: stop approaching underage women. 1265 01:11:15,760 --> 01:11:19,559 Speaker 1: Yeah that's a good that's a good takeaway. So Chuck 1266 01:11:19,640 --> 01:11:23,080 Speaker 1: Yeger and Joel Silver went through the typically tortuous process 1267 01:11:23,120 --> 01:11:27,120 Speaker 1: of sketching and casting the Cryptkeeper from clay and basically 1268 01:11:27,160 --> 01:11:30,360 Speaker 1: just hacking away at it, taking different parts of the 1269 01:11:30,400 --> 01:11:33,879 Speaker 1: face away, the hair, the lips, the teeth, though crucially 1270 01:11:33,960 --> 01:11:36,639 Speaker 1: he did originally have a nose, and it was Robert 1271 01:11:36,720 --> 01:11:40,639 Speaker 1: Simchis Dear Sweet Robert Zamekis who gave us the Polar 1272 01:11:40,720 --> 01:11:44,760 Speaker 1: Express and Forrest Gump and Back to the Future, the 1273 01:11:44,800 --> 01:11:48,200 Speaker 1: movie about the mom trying to date her son, who 1274 01:11:48,240 --> 01:11:51,599 Speaker 1: suggested that they take the nose away, which is kind 1275 01:11:51,600 --> 01:11:54,000 Speaker 1: of the most horrifying part of the Cryptkeeper. It really 1276 01:11:54,040 --> 01:11:57,200 Speaker 1: is bad. It really, it's real bad. It's real bad. Yeah, 1277 01:11:57,320 --> 01:12:00,639 Speaker 1: Jaeger did add one signature touch. However, the crypt Keeper 1278 01:12:00,840 --> 01:12:04,519 Speaker 1: literally has Chucky from Child's play's eyes, or at least 1279 01:12:04,560 --> 01:12:06,640 Speaker 1: the same model of false eyes that was used in 1280 01:12:06,720 --> 01:12:10,320 Speaker 1: Child's Blame. The other producers, Walter Hill and David Geiler, 1281 01:12:10,400 --> 01:12:14,400 Speaker 1: were prepared for a more human looking host, and kind 1282 01:12:14,400 --> 01:12:18,400 Speaker 1: of understandably initially balked when they gazed upon the horrifying 1283 01:12:18,560 --> 01:12:21,120 Speaker 1: visage of the crypt keyts. 1284 01:12:20,920 --> 01:12:25,360 Speaker 2: Somehow desiccated and moist at the same time, exist in 1285 01:12:25,360 --> 01:12:29,000 Speaker 2: a state of super imposition between two states like Schrodinger's Cat. 1286 01:12:29,560 --> 01:12:34,920 Speaker 1: But eventually they were convinced six different people actually piloted 1287 01:12:34,920 --> 01:12:38,160 Speaker 1: the puppet, four alone just for the mouth, eyes, and face, 1288 01:12:38,280 --> 01:12:43,320 Speaker 1: and two left over for everything else basically, but It 1289 01:12:43,360 --> 01:12:46,320 Speaker 1: was only in the third season that the Cryptkeeper started appearing. 1290 01:12:46,320 --> 01:12:51,240 Speaker 1: It bespoke outfits from pop culture, Dressica's Elvis, Uncle Sam 1291 01:12:51,560 --> 01:12:54,600 Speaker 1: or in one case Forrest comp. 1292 01:12:54,920 --> 01:12:55,639 Speaker 2: Yeah it's great. 1293 01:12:56,080 --> 01:12:58,320 Speaker 1: Wow, he has the little box of chocolates and everything. 1294 01:12:58,680 --> 01:13:01,280 Speaker 1: Oh cute, I love it. He's on a bench assuming 1295 01:13:01,479 --> 01:13:02,320 Speaker 1: of course. 1296 01:13:02,560 --> 01:13:05,160 Speaker 2: They had props. The one were the brad pitt one. 1297 01:13:06,040 --> 01:13:09,880 Speaker 2: He drives in a motorcycle. You see his little feet 1298 01:13:09,960 --> 01:13:11,200 Speaker 2: in motorcycle. 1299 01:13:11,080 --> 01:13:15,280 Speaker 1: Is really funny. Jaeger said in a Making Up documentary 1300 01:13:15,320 --> 01:13:18,400 Speaker 1: that there were twenty seven servo motors inside the Keeper's 1301 01:13:18,439 --> 01:13:21,280 Speaker 1: head alone, and they would burn out every few weeks. 1302 01:13:21,280 --> 01:13:23,080 Speaker 1: So the puppeteers that would keep a close eye on 1303 01:13:23,120 --> 01:13:25,960 Speaker 1: the micro movements of the puppets face and notice of 1304 01:13:26,000 --> 01:13:29,120 Speaker 1: one area was lagging or breaking down, so the motor 1305 01:13:29,160 --> 01:13:31,439 Speaker 1: didn't actually go up in the flames and burn the 1306 01:13:31,439 --> 01:13:33,960 Speaker 1: whole thing down. It's on fire. 1307 01:13:34,439 --> 01:13:37,519 Speaker 2: Imagine watching that thing and like, oh he started to fire, 1308 01:13:37,960 --> 01:13:40,400 Speaker 2: he's starting to stroke out. Nope, get to him and 1309 01:13:40,439 --> 01:13:40,800 Speaker 2: then he's. 1310 01:13:40,720 --> 01:13:46,000 Speaker 1: Just the damn face could be scarier. It was at 1311 01:13:46,000 --> 01:13:47,439 Speaker 1: the center of a flame. 1312 01:13:47,960 --> 01:13:48,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. 1313 01:13:48,920 --> 01:13:51,439 Speaker 1: Wow. The voice of the Cryptkeeper was a guy named 1314 01:13:51,520 --> 01:13:54,920 Speaker 1: John Cassiir previously best known as the voice of the 1315 01:13:55,000 --> 01:14:00,120 Speaker 1: raccoon in Pocahontas. Pocahontas was made the nineties, though like 1316 01:14:00,160 --> 01:14:04,320 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety three, Oh I guess not previously later best 1317 01:14:04,400 --> 01:14:08,759 Speaker 1: known John Cassier told observer dot Com about his audition process, recalling, 1318 01:14:09,160 --> 01:14:11,200 Speaker 1: I saw some of the other people auditioning were looking 1319 01:14:11,240 --> 01:14:13,400 Speaker 1: at the script copy and saying, oh my god, this 1320 01:14:13,439 --> 01:14:16,960 Speaker 1: stuff is terrible. They didn't get it. The crypt keeper 1321 01:14:17,080 --> 01:14:20,240 Speaker 1: loves saying this stuff. He's delivering it like it's the 1322 01:14:20,240 --> 01:14:23,320 Speaker 1: best Shakespeare. I wanted him to treat the language like 1323 01:14:23,360 --> 01:14:25,719 Speaker 1: it was important, so he gave him a British accent. 1324 01:14:26,160 --> 01:14:28,760 Speaker 1: I used to love the Alfred Hitchcock Presents and the 1325 01:14:28,760 --> 01:14:31,280 Speaker 1: way he would introduce those episodes with such a tongue 1326 01:14:31,280 --> 01:14:33,959 Speaker 1: in cheek delivery. That is pretty great. What a great 1327 01:14:34,320 --> 01:14:36,919 Speaker 1: way to approach that. That's so wutiful. 1328 01:14:37,240 --> 01:14:38,800 Speaker 2: In one of the ones we watched last night, they 1329 01:14:38,840 --> 01:14:42,160 Speaker 2: put him in a little Shakespearean rough because he was 1330 01:14:42,200 --> 01:14:44,640 Speaker 2: he was the acting episode, and he was like, He's like, 1331 01:14:44,800 --> 01:14:47,480 Speaker 2: next time doing Shakespeare. 1332 01:14:47,880 --> 01:14:52,200 Speaker 1: Is a little rough caller? Was it cuter or less 1333 01:14:52,240 --> 01:14:55,160 Speaker 1: cute or as cute as Wishbone the Dog and the 1334 01:14:55,200 --> 01:14:56,320 Speaker 1: Shakespearean rough call. 1335 01:14:56,400 --> 01:15:00,240 Speaker 2: Oh great, call less cute, but with a similar charm. 1336 01:15:00,320 --> 01:15:05,160 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah. Supposedly, Michael Winslow and Charles Fleischer, the voice 1337 01:15:05,200 --> 01:15:07,280 Speaker 1: of Roger Rabbit, also sent in tapes. 1338 01:15:07,960 --> 01:15:09,280 Speaker 2: Please Eddie Wait. 1339 01:15:09,320 --> 01:15:11,120 Speaker 1: Who's Michael Winslow, the. 1340 01:15:11,240 --> 01:15:14,080 Speaker 2: Police academy guy, the guy who makes all the weird sounds. 1341 01:15:13,920 --> 01:15:17,760 Speaker 2: He's he's in space balls. He's like, we've lost the 1342 01:15:17,760 --> 01:15:20,479 Speaker 2: bleeps and the bloops in that, but we've got the root. 1343 01:15:21,080 --> 01:15:23,800 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, the Man of ten thousand sound effects. Yeah. Yeah. 1344 01:15:24,760 --> 01:15:27,880 Speaker 1: The Keeper's of noxious laugh was inspired by Margaret Hamilton's 1345 01:15:27,880 --> 01:15:30,720 Speaker 1: Wicked Witch of the West, which caught Jaeger's ear when 1346 01:15:30,800 --> 01:15:34,720 Speaker 1: Casiir sent in a tape. Unfortunately, the demands of the 1347 01:15:34,800 --> 01:15:37,680 Speaker 1: voice weigh heavily on Casiir, as you can attest from 1348 01:15:37,720 --> 01:15:40,760 Speaker 1: doing the impression at the top of the episode, he 1349 01:15:40,760 --> 01:15:42,600 Speaker 1: could only track a few minutes at a time and 1350 01:15:42,800 --> 01:15:47,160 Speaker 1: was drinking lemonon honey constantly. He told Digby Deal colorfully 1351 01:15:47,160 --> 01:15:49,400 Speaker 1: that the intensity of the Keeper voice quote left his 1352 01:15:49,479 --> 01:15:51,920 Speaker 1: vocal cords like raw meat by the time we were 1353 01:15:51,960 --> 01:15:54,240 Speaker 1: done with a session. He eventually had to modify the 1354 01:15:54,320 --> 01:15:57,080 Speaker 1: voice a little as the show progressed Also during the 1355 01:15:57,120 --> 01:15:59,840 Speaker 1: early seasons he had to slow down his delivery because 1356 01:15:59,840 --> 01:16:03,000 Speaker 1: the puppet can't keep up with them. That eventually picked 1357 01:16:03,040 --> 01:16:04,280 Speaker 1: up as the tech got better. 1358 01:16:05,120 --> 01:16:08,639 Speaker 2: That's like a little shop of horrors. Rick moranis genius 1359 01:16:08,640 --> 01:16:10,320 Speaker 2: that he is, was performing all of his stuff at 1360 01:16:10,360 --> 01:16:12,559 Speaker 2: half speed when he was in scenes with the full 1361 01:16:12,640 --> 01:16:18,519 Speaker 2: Audrey puppet. Really yeah wow? Well, you know, as I 1362 01:16:18,560 --> 01:16:22,280 Speaker 2: mentioned before, or did I as we alluded to before, 1363 01:16:22,520 --> 01:16:25,639 Speaker 2: we even have TFTC to thank for HBO's famous slogan. 1364 01:16:26,400 --> 01:16:28,519 Speaker 2: The network pitched a reel of its original programming to 1365 01:16:28,560 --> 01:16:31,440 Speaker 2: an ad agency and when it got to the gratuitous 1366 01:16:31,479 --> 01:16:34,840 Speaker 2: sex and violence portion, someone from the agency said, it's 1367 01:16:34,840 --> 01:16:38,479 Speaker 2: not TV and I know the responded, no, it's HBO. 1368 01:16:39,520 --> 01:16:43,040 Speaker 2: So from that twenty minute meeting, people made like five 1369 01:16:43,120 --> 01:16:47,040 Speaker 2: hundred thousand dollars I'm sure because ad and marketing work 1370 01:16:47,280 --> 01:16:47,720 Speaker 2: is not real. 1371 01:16:47,800 --> 01:16:50,320 Speaker 1: Oh way, way more than that way. 1372 01:16:51,960 --> 01:16:54,520 Speaker 2: Crypt made its debut. Why did I say that TFTC 1373 01:16:54,640 --> 01:16:57,439 Speaker 2: made its debut? Might I say that like that Tales 1374 01:16:57,439 --> 01:17:00,880 Speaker 2: from the Crypt made its debut? In this casey caseum 1375 01:17:00,920 --> 01:17:04,400 Speaker 2: over here, Tells from the Crypt made its debut June 1376 01:17:04,439 --> 01:17:05,320 Speaker 2: nineteen eighty nine. 1377 01:17:06,000 --> 01:17:06,719 Speaker 1: Here's a letter. 1378 01:17:07,400 --> 01:17:10,919 Speaker 2: I'm working on it, beating out the networks in HBO's 1379 01:17:11,000 --> 01:17:14,120 Speaker 2: seventeen million homes according to Nielsen figures, with a twenty 1380 01:17:14,160 --> 01:17:22,200 Speaker 2: four percent share of the audience. You're thinking about the Yeah. 1381 01:17:21,520 --> 01:17:23,720 Speaker 1: I never want to see you or your boyfriend ever 1382 01:17:23,800 --> 01:17:25,599 Speaker 1: again again, Casey Kiss. 1383 01:17:27,040 --> 01:17:29,400 Speaker 2: The success of the show was so dramatic and immediate 1384 01:17:29,439 --> 01:17:32,040 Speaker 2: that Universal offered the team a three picture deal to 1385 01:17:32,040 --> 01:17:36,000 Speaker 2: be spun off the series. These were also predated, bizarrely enough, 1386 01:17:36,080 --> 01:17:39,360 Speaker 2: by a children's animated TV show, Tells from the Cryptkeeper, 1387 01:17:39,360 --> 01:17:42,080 Speaker 2: which ran on ABC and CBS until nineteen ninety nine. 1388 01:17:42,120 --> 01:17:43,439 Speaker 1: Oh my god, I forgot. 1389 01:17:43,479 --> 01:17:45,400 Speaker 2: I think that's where I might have I definitely had 1390 01:17:45,439 --> 01:17:48,200 Speaker 2: watch episodes of that. There was also a children's game 1391 01:17:48,280 --> 01:17:51,439 Speaker 2: show called Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House that ran 1392 01:17:51,439 --> 01:17:54,439 Speaker 2: for a year on CBS. The first of the feature 1393 01:17:54,520 --> 01:17:58,080 Speaker 2: length adaptations was Demon Night, which was officially a subtitle 1394 01:17:58,120 --> 01:18:01,880 Speaker 2: with the TFTC branding as a concept. It weirdly enough 1395 01:18:01,920 --> 01:18:05,040 Speaker 2: predates the entire series, and it wasn't adapted from the comics. 1396 01:18:05,800 --> 01:18:08,280 Speaker 2: First draft was written in nineteen eighty seven, and Tom 1397 01:18:08,320 --> 01:18:10,240 Speaker 2: Holland initially wanted to have it be his fall up 1398 01:18:10,280 --> 01:18:13,400 Speaker 2: to Child's play. He then made a movie called Fatal Beauty, 1399 01:18:13,479 --> 01:18:16,200 Speaker 2: which bombed at the box office. The script then went 1400 01:18:16,240 --> 01:18:19,720 Speaker 2: to Pumpkinhead screenwriter Mark Carducci, and then a few years 1401 01:18:19,760 --> 01:18:23,639 Speaker 2: later was kicked to Pet Cemetery director Mary Lambert. Lambert 1402 01:18:23,680 --> 01:18:27,200 Speaker 2: bless Her had some radical ideas for it, including casting 1403 01:18:27,360 --> 01:18:30,840 Speaker 2: all African American leads, but Pet Cemetery too bombed, so 1404 01:18:30,840 --> 01:18:33,840 Speaker 2: she couldn't get her money to make her vision. Screenwriter 1405 01:18:33,920 --> 01:18:36,960 Speaker 2: Ethan Rife told Fangoria, this is when we thought this 1406 01:18:37,040 --> 01:18:40,280 Speaker 2: script was cursed. The joke was that the curse wasn't 1407 01:18:40,280 --> 01:18:43,160 Speaker 2: on us, but whoever optioned the script usually had serious 1408 01:18:43,200 --> 01:18:46,000 Speaker 2: career problems afterwards if they didn't make the movie. The 1409 01:18:46,000 --> 01:18:48,960 Speaker 2: script later went to Charles Bands notoriously low budget but 1410 01:18:49,040 --> 01:18:52,759 Speaker 2: scrappy Full Moon Features. It was optioned as a potential 1411 01:18:52,880 --> 01:18:56,559 Speaker 2: middle picture in the branded trilogy, although neither of the 1412 01:18:56,600 --> 01:18:59,559 Speaker 2: films on either side of it ever got made. The 1413 01:18:59,560 --> 01:19:02,680 Speaker 2: budget problems and headache surrounding this thing were so pervasive 1414 01:19:03,040 --> 01:19:04,320 Speaker 2: that they didn't know if they were going to have 1415 01:19:04,400 --> 01:19:07,680 Speaker 2: enough money to pull off the eponymous demons, and they 1416 01:19:07,680 --> 01:19:10,040 Speaker 2: were just gonna have this army of the of evil 1417 01:19:10,240 --> 01:19:12,519 Speaker 2: just be guys. In black suits and sunglasses like the 1418 01:19:12,520 --> 01:19:16,439 Speaker 2: Agents of the Matrix. Universal wisely kicked in money for 1419 01:19:16,600 --> 01:19:19,479 Speaker 2: the full treatment, and Ernest Dickerson was tapped to direct. 1420 01:19:19,880 --> 01:19:22,719 Speaker 2: Dickerson had been working primarily as a cinematographer on Spike 1421 01:19:22,760 --> 01:19:25,320 Speaker 2: Lee's early films, but he was coming off his directorial 1422 01:19:25,400 --> 01:19:30,960 Speaker 2: debuts Juice starring Tupac, great movie Surviving the Game starring 1423 01:19:31,160 --> 01:19:33,559 Speaker 2: Iced Tea, which is also a great movie I love 1424 01:19:33,560 --> 01:19:35,960 Speaker 2: in Juice like Dickerson was a huge fan of the 1425 01:19:36,000 --> 01:19:40,760 Speaker 2: horror genre. Interestingly enough, love like Lovecraft and everything, and 1426 01:19:40,800 --> 01:19:43,519 Speaker 2: you can see it in Juice, where like Tupac like 1427 01:19:43,640 --> 01:19:47,559 Speaker 2: pops up like Michael Myers in the frame sometimes, like 1428 01:19:47,600 --> 01:19:50,559 Speaker 2: there's literally scenes in which he does like the Michael 1429 01:19:50,600 --> 01:19:53,280 Speaker 2: Myers face just coming out of the shadows thing. It's 1430 01:19:53,320 --> 01:19:55,879 Speaker 2: so funny. I have to think it was a deliberate tribute, 1431 01:19:55,880 --> 01:19:59,920 Speaker 2: because Dickerson knew that much stuff and he jumped at 1432 01:19:59,920 --> 01:20:02,360 Speaker 2: the chance to play around in the genre. He said 1433 01:20:02,400 --> 01:20:05,360 Speaker 2: that with directorial assignments sometimes I'd be told, well, we 1434 01:20:05,400 --> 01:20:08,800 Speaker 2: never saw this as a black film, and he said, actually, 1435 01:20:08,880 --> 01:20:11,439 Speaker 2: neither did I. But with Demon Knight, I was able 1436 01:20:11,439 --> 01:20:14,799 Speaker 2: to put some African american Ism into it. For example, 1437 01:20:14,800 --> 01:20:16,599 Speaker 2: I put Jada Pinkett in the role of the heroine, 1438 01:20:17,240 --> 01:20:19,960 Speaker 2: and for me, this was the perfect setup as until then, 1439 01:20:20,000 --> 01:20:21,720 Speaker 2: if you put a black person in a movie, they 1440 01:20:21,720 --> 01:20:24,040 Speaker 2: would usually be one of the first to die, and 1441 01:20:24,120 --> 01:20:27,040 Speaker 2: she wound up being the final lady. In another interview, 1442 01:20:27,160 --> 01:20:29,000 Speaker 2: I saw him just say that he was happy to 1443 01:20:29,040 --> 01:20:31,240 Speaker 2: make the first film in which a black woman saves 1444 01:20:31,280 --> 01:20:35,000 Speaker 2: the world. Unfortunately, the film did just okay. It made 1445 01:20:35,040 --> 01:20:37,439 Speaker 2: twenty one million on a twelve million dollar budget, but 1446 01:20:37,520 --> 01:20:40,160 Speaker 2: that is far from a hit in Hollywood. So after 1447 01:20:40,320 --> 01:20:44,599 Speaker 2: Demon Knight, the Tales from the Crypt Cinematic Universe TFTCCU 1448 01:20:45,080 --> 01:20:48,400 Speaker 2: gets a little screwy. The story goes that Quentin Tarantino 1449 01:20:49,040 --> 01:20:52,160 Speaker 2: ended up writing From Dusk Till Dawn, his own screwy 1450 01:20:52,280 --> 01:20:55,320 Speaker 2: movie of the mid nineties, directed by Robert Rodriguez, thanks 1451 01:20:55,360 --> 01:20:58,760 Speaker 2: to Robert Kurtzman. Robert Kurtzman is one third of K 1452 01:20:58,840 --> 01:21:01,400 Speaker 2: and B Effects over this ledge and very practical effects house. 1453 01:21:02,640 --> 01:21:06,160 Speaker 2: His other partners were included Greg Nicotero, who went on 1454 01:21:06,240 --> 01:21:10,400 Speaker 2: to run The Walking Dead for many seasons, and Kurtzman 1455 01:21:10,520 --> 01:21:12,719 Speaker 2: came up this for this idea From Dust Till Dawn 1456 01:21:13,680 --> 01:21:15,559 Speaker 2: just to have a project that would be a showcase 1457 01:21:15,560 --> 01:21:18,360 Speaker 2: for what his effects company could do. So in nineteen 1458 01:21:18,439 --> 01:21:21,559 Speaker 2: ninety he hired a young video store clerk named Quentin 1459 01:21:21,560 --> 01:21:24,559 Speaker 2: Tarantino to flesh out a twenty four page outline and 1460 01:21:24,600 --> 01:21:28,719 Speaker 2: paid him fifteen hundred dollars to do so. Kurtzman initially 1461 01:21:28,800 --> 01:21:31,120 Speaker 2: wanted to direct and so that he could, just couldn't 1462 01:21:31,120 --> 01:21:33,759 Speaker 2: convince anyone to let him do it until after Pulp Fiction, 1463 01:21:34,240 --> 01:21:36,719 Speaker 2: when Tarantino went to Mirrimax and said, the next movie 1464 01:21:36,720 --> 01:21:39,640 Speaker 2: I do will be From Dust Till Dawn. In the 1465 01:21:39,680 --> 01:21:42,920 Speaker 2: interim though there were talks about it becoming the next 1466 01:21:43,240 --> 01:21:45,960 Speaker 2: Tales from the Crypt movie and those broke Down, which 1467 01:21:46,000 --> 01:21:50,080 Speaker 2: brings us to Bordello of Blood. Bob Zemchas must have 1468 01:21:50,120 --> 01:21:53,240 Speaker 2: been pissed when From Dust Till Dawn escaped his clutches 1469 01:21:53,280 --> 01:21:55,599 Speaker 2: because he'd written a script with Robert Gail right out 1470 01:21:55,600 --> 01:21:58,719 Speaker 2: of film school that was strikingly similar about a whorehouse 1471 01:21:58,760 --> 01:22:02,080 Speaker 2: full of vampires. They pitched it to John and Milius, 1472 01:22:02,720 --> 01:22:06,920 Speaker 2: the insane gunnut libertarian director who wrote Apocalypse Now directed 1473 01:22:06,960 --> 01:22:10,440 Speaker 2: Conan the Barbarian and is the inspiration for Walter Soachek 1474 01:22:10,560 --> 01:22:12,599 Speaker 2: in The Big Lebowski I didn't know that. 1475 01:22:13,479 --> 01:22:14,880 Speaker 1: Oh my god. 1476 01:22:15,240 --> 01:22:18,800 Speaker 2: Milius expressed interest, but the film just didn't get made. 1477 01:22:18,960 --> 01:22:22,479 Speaker 2: But at some point, after Tales from a Crib had 1478 01:22:22,520 --> 01:22:26,240 Speaker 2: done so well, the newly formed DreamWorks Pictures tried to 1479 01:22:26,280 --> 01:22:32,400 Speaker 2: poach Robert Zemechiz from Universal and he said, no, I'll 1480 01:22:32,400 --> 01:22:35,759 Speaker 2: stay with Universal if I can make Bordello of Blood. 1481 01:22:36,200 --> 01:22:39,720 Speaker 2: This was a mistake. Zamecas didn't even end up directing it. 1482 01:22:39,840 --> 01:22:43,000 Speaker 2: That chair went to Gilbert Adler, who is a producer 1483 01:22:43,040 --> 01:22:45,320 Speaker 2: in all of those Guys Orbits. It was the first 1484 01:22:45,320 --> 01:22:48,880 Speaker 2: and last time he would direct. The thing nearly went 1485 01:22:48,920 --> 01:22:51,640 Speaker 2: down the tubes from the start thanks to casting. It 1486 01:22:51,720 --> 01:22:54,680 Speaker 2: starred Dennis Miller, who had parlayed his whole shtick on 1487 01:22:55,000 --> 01:22:59,200 Speaker 2: sno's Weekend Update into Dennis Miller Live and Boy he sucks. 1488 01:22:59,800 --> 01:23:03,839 Speaker 2: H Dennis Miller sucks. He sucks so hard I hate him. 1489 01:23:04,360 --> 01:23:06,800 Speaker 2: Miller wanted a million dollars to make the film, which 1490 01:23:06,840 --> 01:23:10,120 Speaker 2: he had not made before or I believe after, and 1491 01:23:10,320 --> 01:23:14,080 Speaker 2: Universal wisely refused to pay. So Joel Silver wanted him 1492 01:23:14,160 --> 01:23:16,920 Speaker 2: so much that he cut seven hundred and fifty grand 1493 01:23:16,960 --> 01:23:19,760 Speaker 2: from the FX budget to pay Dennis Miller to be 1494 01:23:19,760 --> 01:23:23,280 Speaker 2: in this movie. Dennis Miller didn't like the dialogue as 1495 01:23:23,280 --> 01:23:26,880 Speaker 2: written and proceeded to improvise much of his lines, which 1496 01:23:26,920 --> 01:23:28,720 Speaker 2: not only screwed over the rest of the cast but 1497 01:23:28,760 --> 01:23:32,519 Speaker 2: the film's continuity. It was filmed in Vancouver because of 1498 01:23:32,600 --> 01:23:38,160 Speaker 2: Joel Silver's apparently contentious history with Hollywood labor unions and 1499 01:23:38,600 --> 01:23:42,639 Speaker 2: Ben selzre Yeah, and Vancouver doesn't have many night hours 1500 01:23:42,680 --> 01:23:45,559 Speaker 2: in July and August, which, as you might surmise, was 1501 01:23:45,560 --> 01:23:49,439 Speaker 2: a hindrance to filming a vampire movie. Because Miller insisted 1502 01:23:49,439 --> 01:23:52,160 Speaker 2: that the film shoot around tapings of Dennis Miller Live, 1503 01:23:52,520 --> 01:23:55,519 Speaker 2: the crew were forced to work weekends, which pissed them off. 1504 01:23:55,800 --> 01:23:58,559 Speaker 1: There was also the problem of Erica Aleniak, who just 1505 01:23:58,640 --> 01:24:01,160 Speaker 1: come off of Baywatch was hoping to launch herself as 1506 01:24:01,200 --> 01:24:04,799 Speaker 1: a serious actress. She also demanded rewrites for her character 1507 01:24:04,840 --> 01:24:07,120 Speaker 1: before they'd even gotten onto the set, though she said 1508 01:24:07,120 --> 01:24:09,720 Speaker 1: they were related to Joel Silver attempting to force a 1509 01:24:09,800 --> 01:24:13,160 Speaker 1: girl on girl's scene between her and Angie Everheart. The 1510 01:24:13,200 --> 01:24:17,440 Speaker 1: other female lead. Everheart meanwhile had almost no acting experience, 1511 01:24:17,479 --> 01:24:20,800 Speaker 1: but was dating Sylvester Stallone, who was then starring in 1512 01:24:20,920 --> 01:24:24,200 Speaker 1: The Assassins, produced by Joel Silver. That movie was being 1513 01:24:24,240 --> 01:24:27,880 Speaker 1: shot in Seattle. So yes, Sylvester Stallone basically got his 1514 01:24:27,920 --> 01:24:30,599 Speaker 1: girlfriend Cass as a lead in a movie to make 1515 01:24:30,720 --> 01:24:34,720 Speaker 1: visiting her on weekends easier because Seattle and Vancouver are 1516 01:24:34,760 --> 01:24:36,040 Speaker 1: fairly close to one another. 1517 01:24:36,280 --> 01:24:38,720 Speaker 2: That is such a dick swinging move. I almost have 1518 01:24:38,800 --> 01:24:39,439 Speaker 2: to respect it. 1519 01:24:39,880 --> 01:24:43,360 Speaker 1: Oh, I totally respect it. Hilariously, in a making of 1520 01:24:43,479 --> 01:24:46,120 Speaker 1: doc a Fresh out of Rehab, Corey Felban threw the 1521 01:24:46,160 --> 01:24:50,240 Speaker 1: pair under the bus for acting like divas, the pair 1522 01:24:50,360 --> 01:24:53,000 Speaker 1: meaning Everheart and Eric Eleniak. 1523 01:24:53,360 --> 01:24:54,400 Speaker 2: Eleniak and Miller. 1524 01:24:55,080 --> 01:24:58,680 Speaker 1: Oh yeah. Corey Felban also claimed in his autobiography, The 1525 01:24:58,760 --> 01:25:03,080 Speaker 1: incredibly named Corey Biography, that Dennis Miller literally told people 1526 01:25:03,160 --> 01:25:05,439 Speaker 1: on air on his TV show not to watch the 1527 01:25:05,479 --> 01:25:09,360 Speaker 1: movie before it even came out, because, as you've correctly 1528 01:25:09,439 --> 01:25:13,960 Speaker 1: noted before, he sucks and it's kind of so bad. Yeah, 1529 01:25:14,040 --> 01:25:16,160 Speaker 1: well tell me, why, tell me more about why he sucks. 1530 01:25:17,000 --> 01:25:18,880 Speaker 2: I don't know, he's weakend up that it was always 1531 01:25:18,880 --> 01:25:22,719 Speaker 2: super weak. Yeah, he's like the weakest part of that show. 1532 01:25:23,000 --> 01:25:25,560 Speaker 2: He cannot act for sure, and just he's one of 1533 01:25:25,600 --> 01:25:27,960 Speaker 2: those guys who clearly thought, like, I'm cool enough to 1534 01:25:28,080 --> 01:25:31,720 Speaker 2: just do me throughout an entire movies. Yeah, I don't know, man, 1535 01:25:31,880 --> 01:25:35,479 Speaker 2: it just it's it's the smarm of Miller, and I 1536 01:25:35,880 --> 01:25:38,519 Speaker 2: just associated him with Bill maher Of. He's like, yeah, 1537 01:25:38,840 --> 01:25:42,519 Speaker 2: loser boomers who like came out with their shirt tucked 1538 01:25:42,520 --> 01:25:46,040 Speaker 2: into their dark washed jeans, and really I don't want 1539 01:25:46,040 --> 01:25:49,920 Speaker 2: to get out of Iran here. But women, you know, like, okay. 1540 01:25:49,720 --> 01:25:52,000 Speaker 1: Dude, this is going to send you into such a 1541 01:25:52,320 --> 01:25:55,439 Speaker 1: it's sending me into a rage. This just single line 1542 01:25:55,479 --> 01:25:59,120 Speaker 1: from his Wikipedia page. In nineteen seventy nine, after seeing 1543 01:25:59,120 --> 01:26:02,760 Speaker 1: a Robin Williams comedy special on HBO, Miller began to 1544 01:26:02,800 --> 01:26:06,600 Speaker 1: pursue his dream of being a stand up comedian. He 1545 01:26:06,720 --> 01:26:12,960 Speaker 1: saw Robin Williams, those dynamic, electrifying, colorful performers of the 1546 01:26:13,040 --> 01:26:14,000 Speaker 1: twentieth century. 1547 01:26:14,120 --> 01:26:16,640 Speaker 2: How what was he like twenty five thirty? Like it 1548 01:26:16,720 --> 01:26:19,559 Speaker 2: must have been like it's like watching Michael Jordans sink 1549 01:26:19,640 --> 01:26:22,000 Speaker 2: the shot and being like I could do that. Now 1550 01:26:22,040 --> 01:26:23,480 Speaker 2: I must play basketball. 1551 01:26:23,680 --> 01:26:25,439 Speaker 1: You know, Yeah, he was twenty six. 1552 01:26:25,960 --> 01:26:29,080 Speaker 2: M Night Shaimo on writing The Sixth Sense and looking 1553 01:26:29,120 --> 01:26:32,200 Speaker 2: around at pictures of like posters from like Jaws and 1554 01:26:32,640 --> 01:26:34,960 Speaker 2: Aliens and being like, yeah, I just have to write 1555 01:26:34,960 --> 01:26:39,320 Speaker 2: something as good as those but he kind of kind 1556 01:26:39,320 --> 01:26:43,559 Speaker 2: of did you love the sixth sense? I do? Did 1557 01:26:43,560 --> 01:26:44,360 Speaker 2: you see his new one? 1558 01:26:45,200 --> 01:26:45,280 Speaker 1: No? 1559 01:26:46,080 --> 01:26:49,439 Speaker 2: What a piece of movie is? Cut all that out? 1560 01:26:49,479 --> 01:26:51,599 Speaker 2: I don't want to get from the weird m night 1561 01:26:51,680 --> 01:26:53,760 Speaker 2: shamal on stands that are out there. 1562 01:26:54,760 --> 01:26:55,240 Speaker 1: What prick. 1563 01:26:56,040 --> 01:26:59,200 Speaker 2: So the pathetic five point six million dollar debut of 1564 01:26:59,280 --> 01:27:02,200 Speaker 2: Bordello Blood pretty much put the proverbial nail in the 1565 01:27:02,200 --> 01:27:05,519 Speaker 2: coffin of the further big screen adventures of Tales from 1566 01:27:05,520 --> 01:27:08,439 Speaker 2: the cryp So in a sense, we did get another 1567 01:27:08,560 --> 01:27:12,679 Speaker 2: unaffiliated movie out of it, Peter Jackson's The Frighteners, which 1568 01:27:12,720 --> 01:27:15,639 Speaker 2: I think is just an underappreciated little gem from the nineties. 1569 01:27:15,680 --> 01:27:17,439 Speaker 2: Not a lot of people know about this movie. It 1570 01:27:17,520 --> 01:27:21,200 Speaker 2: was completely dominated by Independence Day, but I think it's 1571 01:27:21,240 --> 01:27:21,839 Speaker 2: just a delight. 1572 01:27:22,160 --> 01:27:24,320 Speaker 1: You might say that not a lot of people know that. 1573 01:27:24,800 --> 01:27:28,640 Speaker 2: Yes I might. Peter Jackson and his wife Maybe not 1574 01:27:28,720 --> 01:27:32,080 Speaker 2: at the time, but I think now. Wife Fran Walsh 1575 01:27:32,120 --> 01:27:35,120 Speaker 2: wrote this idea of a psychic who uses real ghosts 1576 01:27:35,200 --> 01:27:38,719 Speaker 2: to fleece people into thinking that their house is haunted 1577 01:27:39,040 --> 01:27:41,880 Speaker 2: and then getting him to cleanse it. They were writing 1578 01:27:41,880 --> 01:27:43,920 Speaker 2: this in nineteen ninety two while they were also working 1579 01:27:43,960 --> 01:27:47,840 Speaker 2: on Heavenly Creatures by Peter Jackson. Then they turned the 1580 01:27:47,840 --> 01:27:51,240 Speaker 2: Frighteners into a treatment and sent it off. Robert Simchis 1581 01:27:51,240 --> 01:27:53,000 Speaker 2: found it and wanted to make it the next Tales 1582 01:27:53,000 --> 01:27:55,320 Speaker 2: from the Cryp movie, so he hired the two of 1583 01:27:55,320 --> 01:27:57,720 Speaker 2: them to turn their treatment into a full length screenplay 1584 01:27:57,880 --> 01:28:00,519 Speaker 2: in January of ninety three, and the pair it a 1585 01:28:00,600 --> 01:28:04,120 Speaker 2: year later. This script so impressed Zemechis that he told 1586 01:28:04,200 --> 01:28:07,559 Speaker 2: Jackson to direct it and that he would produce. Stars 1587 01:28:07,560 --> 01:28:11,760 Speaker 2: Michael J. Fox and a few other interesting people. And 1588 01:28:11,800 --> 01:28:12,400 Speaker 2: it just flopped. 1589 01:28:12,400 --> 01:28:12,559 Speaker 1: Man. 1590 01:28:12,680 --> 01:28:16,479 Speaker 2: The marketing was off. As I mentioned earlier, Independence Day 1591 01:28:16,600 --> 01:28:18,760 Speaker 2: was its competition, so that was a fool's errand if 1592 01:28:18,800 --> 01:28:21,439 Speaker 2: ever there was one. But I really like it, you 1593 01:28:21,520 --> 01:28:24,080 Speaker 2: might too. Maybe probably not, ye you know you've said 1594 01:28:24,080 --> 01:28:25,519 Speaker 2: that to me a few times. Okay. 1595 01:28:26,120 --> 01:28:28,120 Speaker 1: I mean, anyone likes the Beatles as much as Peter 1596 01:28:28,240 --> 01:28:31,639 Speaker 1: Jackson does. Can't be all that he got my Beatles 1597 01:28:31,640 --> 01:28:34,640 Speaker 1: reference in there there. It is what killed Tales from 1598 01:28:34,680 --> 01:28:40,000 Speaker 1: the Crypts though was unfortunately I belove it. British Gilbert 1599 01:28:40,040 --> 01:28:42,840 Speaker 1: Adler told The Daily Dead, I thought if we went 1600 01:28:42,840 --> 01:28:44,559 Speaker 1: to England it would be great to get all these 1601 01:28:44,600 --> 01:28:47,360 Speaker 1: actors and directors that do tails from the Crypt. Yeah. 1602 01:28:47,439 --> 01:28:49,640 Speaker 1: He added that locations were a big deal to him, 1603 01:28:49,800 --> 01:28:53,160 Speaker 1: specifically castles. I couldn't do that in America, he said. 1604 01:28:53,400 --> 01:28:56,040 Speaker 1: In America, if something is two hundred years old, it's old, 1605 01:28:56,320 --> 01:28:59,280 Speaker 1: and England if something is five hundred years old, it's young. 1606 01:28:59,520 --> 01:29:01,520 Speaker 1: Also if there was a little bit of the Muppets 1607 01:29:02,080 --> 01:29:06,520 Speaker 1: in there too, then they shot the Muppet Show in London. Oh, 1608 01:29:06,600 --> 01:29:09,799 Speaker 1: I don't know. It's puppets and kind of weird, weird, 1609 01:29:10,080 --> 01:29:14,479 Speaker 1: kitchy Bodvillian borsch belt stuff at the beginning. I don't know. 1610 01:29:14,840 --> 01:29:17,160 Speaker 2: I'm listening key pitching, key pitching a. 1611 01:29:17,240 --> 01:29:19,280 Speaker 1: Muppets tails from the Crypt crossover. 1612 01:29:19,360 --> 01:29:22,519 Speaker 2: That has to have it has to have happened, is 1613 01:29:22,560 --> 01:29:24,080 Speaker 2: piggy like Karate chops him. 1614 01:29:25,479 --> 01:29:28,000 Speaker 1: It must have happened, like Google that while I finished this. 1615 01:29:28,000 --> 01:29:29,439 Speaker 1: This must this must have happened. 1616 01:29:30,760 --> 01:29:33,400 Speaker 2: This may have been a case of Adler's overt anglophilia 1617 01:29:33,479 --> 01:29:35,479 Speaker 2: before anything else though. Yeah. 1618 01:29:35,479 --> 01:29:38,799 Speaker 1: His wife is English and his first project was produced 1619 01:29:38,800 --> 01:29:41,080 Speaker 1: in London, and at one point he made a failed 1620 01:29:41,080 --> 01:29:43,320 Speaker 1: bid to bring The Rocky Horror Picture Show over to 1621 01:29:43,360 --> 01:29:45,719 Speaker 1: the US when it was just a theater production in London. 1622 01:29:45,920 --> 01:29:50,040 Speaker 1: Good instincts, good instincts. Yeah, unfortunately not in the case 1623 01:29:50,080 --> 01:29:52,000 Speaker 1: of bringing The Tail from the Crypt over to England. 1624 01:29:52,720 --> 01:29:55,920 Speaker 1: HBO was initially concerned about the cost, but Adler convinced 1625 01:29:55,960 --> 01:29:58,280 Speaker 1: them and Tail from the Crypt production took over the 1626 01:29:58,360 --> 01:30:01,760 Speaker 1: historic Ealing Studio in West London for six months in 1627 01:30:01,840 --> 01:30:07,400 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety five. That's when problems began. Almost immediately. Gilbert 1628 01:30:07,400 --> 01:30:10,040 Speaker 1: wasn't able to attract American directors to work in England 1629 01:30:10,080 --> 01:30:14,600 Speaker 1: because of the country's taxes. Even Roger Moore, who's you 1630 01:30:14,720 --> 01:30:18,160 Speaker 1: note as British as they get, told Gilbert from Switzerland 1631 01:30:18,560 --> 01:30:20,719 Speaker 1: call me when you get back to la I can't 1632 01:30:20,760 --> 01:30:24,479 Speaker 1: afford to work in London. So why in the seventies 1633 01:30:24,479 --> 01:30:28,200 Speaker 1: all those rock stars from England became tax exiles in 1634 01:30:28,360 --> 01:30:33,759 Speaker 1: la or Switzerland. Freddie Mercury, Ringo, John Lennon, Fith milling 1635 01:30:33,840 --> 01:30:36,880 Speaker 1: Stones just took to a yacht. Yeah. There are also 1636 01:30:36,920 --> 01:30:40,880 Speaker 1: the cultural differences, mainly the mandated twice daily tea breaks 1637 01:30:41,360 --> 01:30:46,120 Speaker 1: and the pub lunch hour each day of shooting. Also, Adler, 1638 01:30:46,200 --> 01:30:49,360 Speaker 1: the director, was completing production on the ill fated Bordello 1639 01:30:49,439 --> 01:30:51,759 Speaker 1: of Blood while working on the UK season of Tales 1640 01:30:51,760 --> 01:30:54,240 Speaker 1: from the Crypt, which really hung him out to dry. 1641 01:30:55,240 --> 01:30:57,720 Speaker 1: That said, he did end up getting his precious locations, 1642 01:30:57,960 --> 01:31:01,920 Speaker 1: shooting at Nebworth House Worthim and indeed dover. 1643 01:31:01,840 --> 01:31:05,920 Speaker 2: Castle, Nedworth House also being where they cut Zeppelin four. 1644 01:31:06,160 --> 01:31:10,439 Speaker 1: I believe no that was it was Headley Grange, wasn't it? 1645 01:31:10,920 --> 01:31:11,200 Speaker 3: Yeah? 1646 01:31:11,240 --> 01:31:12,880 Speaker 2: But why do I have Nedworth in. 1647 01:31:12,840 --> 01:31:14,719 Speaker 1: My head because of Nedworth? 1648 01:31:14,840 --> 01:31:16,479 Speaker 2: Like the oh the festival? Right? 1649 01:31:16,560 --> 01:31:21,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, I was wrong. There's a chain of chicken places 1650 01:31:21,120 --> 01:31:24,920 Speaker 1: near me called Mad for Chicken, and I always rooted 1651 01:31:24,920 --> 01:31:30,559 Speaker 1: in Liam Gallagher's voice, Mad for It. The tone of 1652 01:31:30,600 --> 01:31:33,360 Speaker 1: Tales from the Crypt in England also lightened up, leaning 1653 01:31:33,400 --> 01:31:37,680 Speaker 1: away from its trademark gore and horror, something more British or, 1654 01:31:37,720 --> 01:31:42,639 Speaker 1: as you write, something more constipateous. Thank you for that, Sorry, 1655 01:31:42,680 --> 01:31:45,200 Speaker 1: John and Lee w and all our friends over in 1656 01:31:45,200 --> 01:31:49,439 Speaker 1: the UK. Additionally, Bill Gains died in nineteen ninety two. 1657 01:31:49,600 --> 01:31:51,400 Speaker 1: The guy had kicked this all off, and the rights 1658 01:31:51,439 --> 01:31:54,280 Speaker 1: to e s reverted back to his family, who simply 1659 01:31:54,320 --> 01:31:56,519 Speaker 1: refused to sell them back to producers to make more 1660 01:31:56,560 --> 01:32:00,000 Speaker 1: Tales from the Crypt episodes. There was an alleged reboots 1661 01:32:00,080 --> 01:32:03,240 Speaker 1: series in the works from Tell Them Heigel. 1662 01:32:03,360 --> 01:32:10,200 Speaker 2: M Night, Hiamela my favorite humble and talented man in Hollywood. 1663 01:32:10,600 --> 01:32:11,679 Speaker 1: How do you think that would have gone? 1664 01:32:12,400 --> 01:32:16,240 Speaker 2: Probably Doug. He would have been forcing dumb like. He 1665 01:32:16,240 --> 01:32:18,519 Speaker 2: would have been forcing twists into it. By the way, 1666 01:32:18,880 --> 01:32:22,760 Speaker 2: there is a Muppets Tells from the Crypt connection good 1667 01:32:22,800 --> 01:32:28,240 Speaker 2: it is. In Muppets Tonight, there was a recurring bit 1668 01:32:28,400 --> 01:32:32,479 Speaker 2: called Tales from the Vet which was in the intro 1669 01:32:32,560 --> 01:32:35,960 Speaker 2: to that mimicked the tracking shot through the old mansion 1670 01:32:36,120 --> 01:32:40,320 Speaker 2: with passing by a bunch of animals and cages through 1671 01:32:40,320 --> 01:32:42,719 Speaker 2: the Vets office while doing a work on the Danny 1672 01:32:42,720 --> 01:32:43,360 Speaker 2: Elfman theme. 1673 01:32:43,560 --> 01:32:44,400 Speaker 1: That's incredible. 1674 01:32:44,600 --> 01:32:47,040 Speaker 2: Muppets Tonight was one of the bad ones, right. 1675 01:32:47,600 --> 01:32:49,880 Speaker 1: I remember liking it. I remember watching it when it 1676 01:32:49,960 --> 01:32:51,960 Speaker 1: first premiered, but I was just so excited out The 1677 01:32:52,000 --> 01:32:55,080 Speaker 1: Muppets are coming Back came out like ninety eight, right. 1678 01:32:55,520 --> 01:32:56,200 Speaker 2: Ninety six? 1679 01:32:56,640 --> 01:32:59,919 Speaker 1: Ninety six order a full order of twenty two episodes 1680 01:33:00,120 --> 01:33:05,559 Speaker 1: canceled after broadcasting ten Really you remembered falsely? It was 1681 01:33:05,640 --> 01:33:07,840 Speaker 1: that much of a bomb. And there's the Muppet Show. 1682 01:33:07,920 --> 01:33:13,080 Speaker 1: What was the difference between Uppets Night and the Muppet Show? Wow, 1683 01:33:13,240 --> 01:33:15,920 Speaker 1: I don't knowze people hated it did taste just change 1684 01:33:16,560 --> 01:33:18,479 Speaker 1: because it was all like Friday Night. It was on 1685 01:33:18,600 --> 01:33:20,160 Speaker 1: like the TGIF lineup, wasn't it. 1686 01:33:20,200 --> 01:33:22,080 Speaker 2: We're so close to finishing this, don't get bogged down 1687 01:33:22,080 --> 01:33:23,519 Speaker 2: in the details. 1688 01:33:23,080 --> 01:33:24,000 Speaker 1: All right, take us home. 1689 01:33:24,920 --> 01:33:27,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think it really was a combination 1690 01:33:27,160 --> 01:33:29,559 Speaker 2: of it. It was probably the rights things, because in 1691 01:33:29,600 --> 01:33:32,759 Speaker 2: the limited information I could find about this they had 1692 01:33:33,120 --> 01:33:36,439 Speaker 2: in the original contract, it was like up to amount 1693 01:33:36,479 --> 01:33:39,679 Speaker 2: of time right that they had these, And when Bill 1694 01:33:39,720 --> 01:33:42,479 Speaker 2: Gaines died, they couldn't renegotiate it with his estate who 1695 01:33:42,520 --> 01:33:46,760 Speaker 2: probably realized they got fleeced initially and wanted way more 1696 01:33:46,800 --> 01:33:47,439 Speaker 2: money for it. 1697 01:33:48,240 --> 01:33:50,439 Speaker 1: And did Joel Silver say that we paid very little? 1698 01:33:51,040 --> 01:33:53,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, and that is currently why you can't watch this 1699 01:33:53,840 --> 01:33:58,320 Speaker 2: thing anywhere unless you they're all on YouTube, which is great, 1700 01:33:59,080 --> 01:34:01,160 Speaker 2: but yeah, there's there really die in for, like a 1701 01:34:01,200 --> 01:34:06,720 Speaker 2: big authorized Blu ray treatment or HD remaster regrade. But 1702 01:34:07,760 --> 01:34:10,559 Speaker 2: sad to say that is sad. Yeah, and I don't 1703 01:34:10,560 --> 01:34:13,680 Speaker 2: have much. And you know why that's sad, Jordan, is 1704 01:34:13,680 --> 01:34:16,360 Speaker 2: because the repeated theme that kept coming out in all 1705 01:34:16,400 --> 01:34:18,799 Speaker 2: of my research for this was just how much fun 1706 01:34:19,120 --> 01:34:22,920 Speaker 2: everyone had working on this. You know. It was also 1707 01:34:22,960 --> 01:34:25,240 Speaker 2: sad that the original comics were victim of one of 1708 01:34:25,280 --> 01:34:30,920 Speaker 2: America's seemingly biannual moral panics. But it just rules so 1709 01:34:31,240 --> 01:34:33,120 Speaker 2: hard that all of these people at the top of 1710 01:34:33,160 --> 01:34:37,120 Speaker 2: their respective games came together and created just a working situation, 1711 01:34:37,320 --> 01:34:40,720 Speaker 2: a creative environment that so many people were just completely 1712 01:34:40,760 --> 01:34:43,120 Speaker 2: overjoyed to be a part of. For a few years 1713 01:34:43,160 --> 01:34:46,799 Speaker 2: at least, Hollywood worked as it was designed to. Talented 1714 01:34:46,800 --> 01:34:50,479 Speaker 2: people got resources to make cool stuff, the working conditions 1715 01:34:50,520 --> 01:34:54,360 Speaker 2: were rewarding, and everyone walked away. Happened. That doesn't happen 1716 01:34:54,400 --> 01:34:57,720 Speaker 2: that much in any creative field anymore. And that's the 1717 01:34:57,760 --> 01:35:01,200 Speaker 2: truly scary part. But at least we can ghoulishly cackle 1718 01:35:01,240 --> 01:35:04,519 Speaker 2: with joy that it ever happened at all. Folks, Thank 1719 01:35:04,520 --> 01:35:06,880 Speaker 2: you all for listening so much. This has been too 1720 01:35:06,960 --> 01:35:09,599 Speaker 2: much information. I'm Alex Heigel and. 1721 01:35:09,520 --> 01:35:17,479 Speaker 1: I'm Jordan run Talgg. We'll catch you next time. Too 1722 01:35:17,520 --> 01:35:19,800 Speaker 1: Much Information was a production of iHeartRadio. 1723 01:35:20,040 --> 01:35:23,280 Speaker 2: The show's executive producers are Noel Brown and Jordan Runtogg. 1724 01:35:23,479 --> 01:35:26,439 Speaker 1: The show's supervising producer is Michael Alder June. 1725 01:35:26,600 --> 01:35:29,719 Speaker 2: The show was researched, written and hosted by Jordan Runtogg 1726 01:35:29,760 --> 01:35:30,840 Speaker 2: and Alex Heigel. 1727 01:35:30,680 --> 01:35:33,920 Speaker 1: With original music by Seth Applebaum and The Ghost Funk Orchestra. 1728 01:35:34,240 --> 01:35:36,280 Speaker 1: If you like what you heard, please subscribe and leave 1729 01:35:36,360 --> 01:35:39,320 Speaker 1: us a review. For more podcasts on iHeartRadio, visit the 1730 01:35:39,320 --> 01:35:42,639 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 1731 01:35:42,640 --> 01:35:44,200 Speaker 1: favorite shows.