Retroist Retro Podcast

On the newest episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss the baseball comedy classic, Major League. This is a fun summer film about America's sport. I hope listening to the show might persuade you to check it out,

In 1987, what is arguably the best Thanksgiving movie ever made, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles hit theaters. Like many people who saw it, I instantly fell in love with it and over the years I have watched maybe over a hundred times. Its a heartfelt comedy, that isn’t afraid to go over the top with humor (or its language). So I am very happy to be able cover it on this newest episode of the Retroist Podcast. I start the episode talking about my brush with being the class clown and how that tied into the film. Learning you don’t have what it takes to be the funny one in class is a tough lesson, but one I needed to learn. Then I move on the film itself. I discuss the plot, its production, the stars of the film, its reception and much more. For all the years I worked in the video store, this was one film you could count on people renting or buying during the last two months of the year. Even if they weren’t, we only needed to put it on the in-store tv to get people interested. Despite this forced watching, I never grew tired of this film. These characters, especially Candy’s is just so endearing, its just nice to have them around, even in the background. This is a revisiting of an episode I did back in 2010. Its one that people have mentioned they might like to hear me redo. Its a bit longer than the original, so I hope you like how it turned out.

Welcome to the Retroist Monster Squad Podcast. On today’s show we talk all about the eighties horror classic, The Monster Squad. This film is a cult classic that sometimes gets overlooked in the crowded field of eighties cult films. I start off by talking about how having missed seeing the film when it came out…

Welcome to the Retroist Adventures of Superman Podcast. On today’s show, we talk all about the great and venerable TV show, The Adventures of Superman. This is a little more retro than I usually go, so I hope everyone enjoys me jumping further back in time than usual. I talk about the characters on the…

Welcome to the Retroist Adam-12 Podcast. On today’s show, we talk all about the groundbreaking police series, Adam-12. In my opinion, it is one of the best shows of the 1970s. We talk about the characters on the show, the talent behind the show, its amazing music, and the show’s legacy. I am a big…

Welcome to The Retroist The Dark Crystal Podcast. On today’s show I talk all about the cult film, The Dark Crystal. I begin by talking about how a friend of mine did a dead on impersonation of a character from The Dark Crystal and how it can ruin a friendship. Then I talk about the…

Welcome to the Retroist Jaws Podcast. This week I talk about the book and the film Jaws. It is one of my favorite films and I cover a lot of great stuff. I talk about the production of the film, its cast, the differences between the book and the movie, and much more. 

Welcome to the Retroist Magnum PI Podcast. Today’s show about that quintessential 1980s detective show, Magnum P.I. I begin by talking about how I enjoyed the show as a kid and then move onto the show itself. I talk about the shows creation, the actors and characters, and the future of the Magnum character. This…

Welcome to the Retroist It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Podcast. On this week’s show I talk about the Halloween TV classic, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. I discuss the creator of the Peanuts, Charles Schultz. Then I explore the origin of animated Peanuts and trace the trajectory of the special, including it references in…

Welcome to the Retroist Saturday Supercade Podcast. Do you like cartoons? How about video games? Well, you came to the right place. This week’s Retroist Podcast is about the CBS early 1980’s Saturday Morning Masterpiece “Saturday Supercade”, which hit the airwaves on September 17, 1983, and ran for two seasons. I talk about all the…

In 1983, the first wave of arcade madness was still at a highpoint. We had a slew of classic games filled with classic characters that had become household names. Still, only one had made the leap off the gaming screen and onto the small screen, Pac-Man (and his family.) With everyone being so crazed for games, TV networks were wondering, how do I get my own Pac-Man type show? That is where we get the Saturday Supercade. Because why have a show with just one character when you can pick up a slew of video game stars. On today show I want to tell you all about the Saturday Supercade. I start by talking about my own viewing habits as a kid. I was very much the target demographic for this show and I did not let the network down. Then I move onto each segment of the show, talking a little about its run, voice talent, and more. I conclude by summarizing the Supercade, how long it was on, when it ran, and its long-term influence. The show was so meaningful to me that this was actually the second episode of the Retroist Podcast. Over the years I have wanted to redo it to modernize the audio and bring a little extra to what I had done the first time. Ultimately I decided to keep a lot of what was original even though the format is a bit different from episodes that would follow. I did that just so people could still see how the show evolved, plus it was fun for me to go back and redo it this way. Like so many kids, I was a major fan of cartoons, and the cartoons of the Supercade were high on my list of new shows that September and I am happy to say I was not disappointed. While the show might not have last long, it was a smart step in the strategy of cross-promotion. More importantly, for an all too brief time it gave new life and stories to some video game characters who to this day only had their moment of the sun during the Saturday Supercade.

Prom Night, starry Jamie Curtis, is a movie that is often overshadowed by her more memorable turn in Halloween. While it might not be a classic, like Halloween, it is a film well-worth your time. A fun, low-budget slasher film, it is also has a nice whodunit, and a time-capsule of the late 1970s with its disco dancing and music. I begin the episode by discussing my own prom. It wasn’t memorable like all the proms I saw in the movies, but my friends and I did eventually manage to have some fun. Could our prom have used more disco? Probably, but all proms could use more disco. After discussing the prom, I move onto the film itself. Talking about how it got made, who made it, the actors, music, reception and much more. Prom Night is interesting as a bridge between the Halloween era and the more graphic slashers that followed. Its kills are relatively low-key compared to what came after, but its focus on teenage drama, secrets, and revenge foreshadowed many later films. Why should you watch it? Curtis’s performance, its place in slasher history, and its splendid mix of disco, high school nonsense, and a masked killer that makes it feel very much of its time.

Heavy Metal Music and Horror Films are a potent combination, so I am always surprised that heavy crossover isn’t as a common as one could expect. Still a few movies have done it in different ways. On the newest episode of the Retroist Podcast, I want to talk about a movie that integrates it fully and completely, Trick or Treat. This movie didn’t do great when it was first released back in 1986, but it has since gone on to have a cult status. I begin the episode by discussing seeing this movie with my friends. They had wholeheartedly embraced metal music, while I was more of a tourist at this point. So there most movie chats about it went mostly over my head. Still, I did find the movie enjoyable and even more so when it was available on VHS. It is my time of horror, a little weird, creepy, but the violence is toned-down. I then discuss the film itself. Talking about how it got made, who made it, the actors, music, cameos and much more. Trick or Treat is one of those movies that feels like it could only have been made when it was made. It takes all the fears parents had about heavy metal music, mixes them with teenage alienation, and turns it into a great horror story. The music and the fan culture of metal is as the center of the story, which was rare at the time. It is campy, but it has a surprising amount of heart, which is why it still stands out today.

1999 was a great year for movies. Almost too great. It didn’t help that I found myself so busy with work that my focus on film couldn’t be what it used to be. So while I am a big fan of “The Iron Giant,” I was also one of those people who didn’t go to see it in the theater and contributed to its “flop” status. That summer was stacked with films like “The Sixth Sense” and “The Blair Witch Project,” and it was easy for something quieter and more thoughtful to get lost. While that is bad, the good news is that I was also one of the people who took to it on home video and picked it up on DVD as soon as it was available. I can still remember watching it for the first time at home and being floored by how much heart it had. I start the episode talking about my experiences with the film before moving onto the film itself. I discuss the people who made the film, its source material, other adaptations, the people who lent their voices to the film, its reception, music, and much more. It’s worth noting that the director, Brad Bird, would later go on to make “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille,” which shows just how much talent was already on display in this debut. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. had no idea how to market the film at the time, which didn’t help its chances at the box office. The Iron Giant has become a cult hit and is well loved, but it’s not enough. A surprising number of people have never seen the film, and I think that’s a shame. It’s a thoughtful film, filled with wonder and spectacle, that will capture the imagination of kids and adults alike. Its story of fear, empathy, and the power of choice feels even more relevant today. So if you haven’t seen it, prepare to fall in love with a giant robot.

Welcome to my final episode I plan to do about the Jaws franchise. Originally I planned on doing just a podcast about the Jaws NES Game, but as I started working on it, I thought it might be more enjoyable to throw a wider net. So on today’s show, I am going to talk about a few topics related to the film. Mainly, the board games, video games, theme park rides, and trading cards. The format is a little different, I hope not too disruptive. I started the show talking about when I first got my hands on the Jaws Game by ideal. I inherited it and lots of toys from my sister. Them being older has a lot of perks. This was one of them. My toys were normally rooted in the 80s, but as my sisters got older, I had access to all these amazing older toys that I still think of as “my toys” to this day. After I tell my story, I move onto to covering a few topics. Instead of my normal format, I just sort of talk a bit about each topic for a few minutes. This is not a comprehensive coverage of the subject, but really about the Jaws stuff I am most familiar with. You will notices that I do not cover the novelty hit, Mr. Jaws from 1975. I originally recorded a short segment about it, but I didn’t like the way it turned out, but I didn’t want to ignore the “song.” So I included some of it as a bumper. I am very surprised that the Jaws franchise is pretty dead right now. In out franchise obsessed world, it seems like a natural fit. One day, I hope a good director decides to take on the story of killer sharks again. When they do, I will be there.