Episode III: Another World

This is Blockbuster. Episode three. There is a creature alive today. Who has survived millions of years of evolution. Without change. 감사합니다.

From the reaction to the first trailer, Universal Studios knew it had a hit. A mindless eating machine. It will attack. And devour. It is as if God created the devil. Jaws. Steven Spielberg had escaped a career-crushing defeat, and by release date on June 20th, 1975, Jaws was everywhere. It's a phenomenon. It's filling cinemas, tickets sold out in major cities as people line up to see the story of a I don't know. Scariest movie I've ever seen.

Experts are saying it could become the biggest film of all time. Maker named Steven Spielberg. I'm on the news. Stephen was in New York with his friend Martin Scorsese. Hey, you wanna go look at the lines? Yeah I do. Let's go.

Long lines of men, women, and teenagers filled up the sidewalks in front of major movie theaters in New York City. The line stretched around the block and in some cases onto the next. People bought t-shirts with the Jaws logo and other shark imagery and shark tooth jewelry. Oh, look at that one, Steven. Is that a shark costume? Boy will he be disappointed. Hey, buddy! There's no shock! It's all a ruse! Stop it!

What are you doing? On the other side of the country, George watched as the evening news explained the Jaws phenomenon sweeping the nation. When they went to commercial, George was blown away. Only the exit. could be compared with Jaw. A stunningly effective thriller sending shivers of terror down the spark. Universal was running 30-second ads quoting the movie's positive reviews. Wonderful. movie making from start to finish. Destined to become a classic.

Jaws was everywhere. Like the shark, the buzz was too big for anyone to escape. George was astounded. His friend Stephen had done it. Hello? Steven, congratulations, pal. Ah George, it's unbelievable. up there are incredible. Marty and I have been cruising around and we're going back out tonight. George could barely contain his excitement, and it was a competitive push for his own big budget movie that George dreamed might someday be even bigger.

In Hollywood, studios were taking note of Universal's marketing strategy. Television ads were unusual for films, but Universal had spent over$700,000 to reach wide audiences. Jaws would earn over 30 times its investment in the US, then even more on an international release. A new kind of thinking had been born. It was the beginning of the blockbuster, and George Lucas intended to be a part of it. Presentation.

March 29, 1976. Jaws is now the biggest box office hit of all time, and John Williams is a favorite to win an Oscar for Best Original Score. He's dressed in a sharp tuxedo and bow tie that seem to be getting tighter as his award category nears. He pulls at his collar, glancing around the sparkling auditorium he shares with Hollywood's most beloved stars, dressed in flashy attire and glimmering jewelry.

There's Audrey Hepburn, a feather boa draped across her shoulders. Football star turned actor O.J. Simpson in a shiny, custom-fitted tux. Each of them seemed to have their own spotlight beaming down on them. John looked down and straightened his cufflinks. He felt a bit out of place here. He was never really comfortable with that much attention, and the broadcast television cameras meant millions more were watching.

Ahead in the orchestra pit, he sees the cardinal in gold attire of the famous USC marching band sitting in with the orchestra. Come on, Golden. This was it. A bead of sweat ran from John's brow as actor Rod McEwen and actress Marlo Thomas stride across the stage to the microphone. for the best original dramatic score are. Gerald Freed for Birds Do It. Alex North for Bite the Bullet. Alex North had been nominated 12 times and never won.

That was Stephen in the back. John cracked a smile and sat up in his seat. Terry Goldsmith for the Wind and the Lion. And Jack Nitsy for one flew over the cuckoo's nest. The auditorium of over 3,000 people was dead silent. And the winner is You could hear the sound of the envelope being ripped open from the other end of Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. John Williams the Joe. John makes his way to the stage. They're playing his music. Thank you. The Oscar was heavy, so

Heavy, eight and a half pounds. John turns to the podium. There were stars seated from floor to ceiling, two balconies above him. Elizabeth Taylor and Jack Nicholson looked up at him from the front row, and right behind them, Michael Douglas. They were all smiling. And Jaws actor Roy Scheider was leading the applause. Thank you. Dick Zanek and David Brown, thank you both for giving me the opportunity to work with. an extraordinary man, Steven Spielberg.

Stephen raised a glass from the back of the room. The great universal orchestra, Herb Spencer, thank you. And all of the members of this academy for giving me this honor. He paused a moment and looked down. It was two years since Barbara's death, and he wished she was here to share the moment. I'm a grateful man. Thank you very much. Mr. Williams, congratulations. Can I get a photo? Oh, thank you. Yes, absolutely. It was the official photographer who greeted him just offstage.

Max, congratulations. Stephen had slipped backstage to share the moment with John. Stephen, thank you. It was John's first Academy Award for original score, and the finest actors, directors, and producers in the world were whispering his name, welcoming him as one of their own. All of Hollywood seemed to agree. He had earned it.

After the awards, John had driven back to his modest home just a few blocks away from the campus of UCLA. It was once home to their whole family. Now two of the kids had left for college. Tonight it was just John and his fifteen year old son Joseph, who would later become the lead singer of the band Todo. Barbara's death had hit Joseph the hardest. He was just thirteen when it happened. Hey. Congratulations, Dad. Thanks, son. Just two years later, Joseph saw his dad on top of the world.

Later that night, John felt called to the piano on the other side of the house.

Spring nineteen fifty-two, New Jersey. Steve. Steve, wake up. Mm-hmm. Get your jacket quick. Oh is it? Going on a little adventure. A sleepy five-year-old Steven Spielberg wrestled to slip on his jacket. Hurry up, son. I have a surprise for you. Dow what time is it? It's the middle of the night. Stephen leaned his head against the car window. His breath fogging up the window as neighborhoods passed by.

Then smaller clusters of rural houses, and finally just open fields along a quiet road lit only by the moon above. Hurry, hurry. Who are all these people? They were gathered in a field on picnic blankets looking up at the sky. There's a spectacular meteor shower above. Yeah. Every twenty seconds a streak of bright white dust streams through the sky. Whoa! Steve, you see that one? Some bursts of light seemed to crisscross each other. What are they? They're meteors. They're rocks.

Are they going to hit us? Yeah. It might be from a comet or asteroids or even little pieces of planets millions of miles away. Planets? Stephen had never thought about outer space before. He bottled this feeling. The discovery of a world beyond his own. He would cherish this moment the rest of his life. Spring nineteen seventy six. The overwhelming success of Jaws has studios clamoring to fund Steven Spielberg's next film, an original story about a close encounter with an alien UFO.

Stevens meeting John because a musical theme will again be at the center of this film. Marvelous stories. So I've come up with some options for these five notes. The UFO in Stephen's original story communicated with math, but John helped convince him to use musical frequencies instead. If you'll permit me, I think seven notes might make a better melody. More of a resolve to the music. It's a bit more like the James Bond thing. The extra two notes really help.

John knew Stephen was a big fan of James Bond films. I'm not sure we want a resolve or a melody. This is the first conversation with people from another world. Ah, so not a mellow. Well here are a few possibilities I came up with. with. A few is an understatement. John and Steven sorted through more than 300 combinations before this. That's it? Those are Aurelians. And maybe we can record it with a tuba or something so you can hear the air and the spaceship feels alive and breathing.

Ugh, that's genius, Max. Marvellous idea. John would book a top secret recording session at Warner Brothers with a few of his orchestra friends. A tape of that recording would be sent to Steven in Mobile, Alabama, where production would soon begin. Okay, uh next.

Fall 1975. Goldwyn Studios. George is inspired by the success of Jaws. If he makes the Star Wars right, he's certain it can be an even bigger blockbuster hit. Name for the camera? I'm Kurt Russell, reading for the part of Han Solo. Cảm ơn các bạn đã theo dõi. George and casting director Fred Rue sit in mismatched chairs in a storage room-turned casting office. The hallway outside is packed with actors eager to be in a Hollywood film.

Thanks, Kurt. George and his team see about 250 a day and aren't any closer to finding their leads. Hey guys, I'm Sylvester Stallone, reading for the part of Han Solo. Hey there. Tommy Lee Jones reading for the part of hand solo. I'm Christopher Walken. I'm reading for hands. Solo. It was Han Solo that was hardest to cast.

He was a cowboy, a James Dean type. George had worked with Harrison Ford on American Graffiti, but Ford had given up on acting and gone back to being a carpenter, so they got Harrison to audition by hiring him to come fix a door. Well I'm Harrison Ford. I install the doors around here. Okay, go ahead. Scene one, take one. Chewy here tells me you're looking for passage to the Alderon system. If it's a fast ship.

Fast ship? You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon? It's the ship that made the kessel run in less than twelve parsecs. George knew Harrison was his Han Solo. Okay, and scene two, take one. They're being chased inside the Millennium Fountain. I thought you said this thing was fast. Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, farm boy. Without the precise calculations, we could fly right through a star or bounce too close to a supernova and that end your trip real quick now.

Besides, I know a few maneuvers. We'll lose'em. And scene. He'd give Harrison$750 a week to come back to acting, and the other leads began falling into place. Relatively unknown actor Mark Hamill is cast as Luke's star killer. Debbie Reynolds' daughter, Carrie Fisher, edges out Jodie Foster as Princess Leia.

The only experienced actor hired is Sir Alec Guinness, who will earn 15 times as much as all the other actors and 2% of the film's earnings to play a Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Star Wars had its cast. and construction began across several sound stages in London. But the first stop for George's casting crew would be its most remote. Okay.

March twenty second, nineteen seventy six. Tunisian Desert, North Africa. Truck after truck has arrived for the first day of three weeks of filming. They're miles away from the hotel where the crew of more than a hundred people is staying. This desert will be the home of Luke Starkiller. But nothing is going right. The mechanical robots George is commissioned are malfunctioning. R2D2's not working.

George always kept his cool. He learned from Stephen's experience on Jaws. Never let your crew see a sweat. But inside he was already panicking. The last shot of the day was Luke watching the twin sun set on his home planet of Tatooine. But out of nowhere it's begun to pour. The first storm like this in decades. Alright, everyone let's pick it up tomorrow.

Tomorrow wouldn't be any good either. Trucks got stuck in the mud from the storms. It was the first of many problems George would have with the unpredictable Tunisian climate. From sweeping high-speed winds To temperatures of 113 degrees Fahrenheit and actors in costumes nearly collapsing. Unbearable. The Star Wars was already behind schedule. George was missing a third of the shots he'd planned to get here, and it would get much worse. Alright everybody lock it up, here we go.

Summer 1976. Mobile, Alabama. Things are going well for Steven on Close Encounters. Action! Thank you. And hear the music. Cut and print. Stephen chose Mobile, Alabama for this old Air Force base hangar. It became a massive soundstage to create his top secret government operation set. Like the Star Wars, the effects budget is getting out of control. But for the crew, it's an awe-inspiring, even magical experience. Good work today, everyone.

Inspired by Stephen's story, many of the crew have turned to stargazing at night. The smoggy air of Los Angeles would never allow them to see the stars, but here the sky seemed to pulse with life. Whoa. There was something in the sky a few hundred feet above the Air Force hangar. Hey, what's that? Is that a UFO? Everyone rushed to see it. A dark, circular silhouette, blotting out the stars. Steven, come quick! What's the matter?

Something was there. It seemed frozen in place as if parked above them, floating in the Alabama night, and in the blink of an eye, Where is it? A small crowd had now gathered to investigate. Let's just see. They all scanned the sky for what they were sure they'd seen just seconds before. It's gone? We all saw it. Hovering in the air. Steven had missed it. Damn it. Alright, everyone, y if you see it again, let me know.

The object never appeared again. Maybe it was a weather balloon or a secret test from a nearby Air Force lab. Whatever it was, it was clear Stephen's crew wanted to believe. Summer nineteen seventy six.

George has wrapped shooting in Tunisia and already finds himself several days behind in London. He'll need to pick up the pace. The executives of Fox are starting to worry. Cod, cod, cut, can we get one more with just a little more intensity? It's time, George. Strict union rules were not something George anticipated being a problem, but day after day, the crew refuses to work past 5 30 p.m. Can we just get one more take while we have the shot set up? Union rules.

George, even if they were in the middle of a scene. It didn't make the executives of Fox happy. With each day of delays, they got closer to replacing George on a project that was already maxing out its budget, now up to 950 paid employees. After each day of shooting, slipping behind, George was fighting off depression. He hated London. He couldn't relax here. There was nothing on TV, and he couldn't even find a decent burger.

Worst of all, the crew was fighting his direction, and he felt like the only one who still cared about this movie. George found writing letters to Marsha with pen and paper helped calm his nerves. I forgot how impossible making movies really is. Marsha felt her husband's frustration and was starting to worry about his health. I get so depressed, but I guess I'll get through it somehow. Guess? Mr. Locos, the reporter's here. Uh today? Yeah. Philip Strick from uh Sight and Sound.

He couldn't risk the bad press of blowing off a reporter, not with Fox putting so much pressure on him. He agreed to give a tour of the set. Um, we call this the Death Star? The reporter is astonished. There were functioning robots and swords George called lightsabers. But most impressive was the architecture of the set. Years of detailed design work. The eleven sound stages were a labyrinth of corridors and airlocks. Most impressive was stage three. Wow. What is that?

An enormous silver hot rod, George called the Pirate Spaceship. Well that is the fastest ship in the galaxy, the Millennium Falcon. It's amazing. It almost looks real. It was a behemoth, the dimensions of an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and the closer they walked, the more detail you could see in the design. Rivets and hydraulics and capacitors that all looked real. Well we see it in action. Oh boy William.

George wouldn't let on that Fox was doubting him, or that his crew was doubting him, or that some of his cast was starting to doubt him. If this reporter was any indication, his space adventure was going to dazzle. Well, I should probably let you get back to it. I know you're busy, so thank you so much for the interview and the tour. Sure. Anything, Philip. that tone in George's voice was rediscovered confidence even over confidence You know I'm I'm so glad you could come by and see.

It was about to become his biggest obstacle and turn his entire crew against him. On the next episode of Blockbuster. The forces of nature tear apart Stephen set. And a real-life emergency threatens the fate of George's Galaxy. All right. You hear me? I divide it now. That's coming up on episode four of Blockbuster.

This season of Blockbuster took months to research, write, cast, record, sound design, and compose the original score, and we're constantly sharing our work, research, and pictures on social media. Plus the latest news about Blockbuster, including this series winning Ad Week's Podcast of the Year Award for Best Creative Podcast. Blockbuster will always remain free to listen, but your generous contributions can help my team, the creators of this series, keep making it.

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Blockbuster is written and narrated by Matt Schrader. Sound designed by Peter Bawviet. Original score by Ryan Tobbard and Benjamin Botkin. Produced by Elena Bawviet. An original podcast series from Epicleft Media.

Hey, this is Max Middleman, voice of Steven Spielberg in Blockbuster. Stick around for a short conversation about making this episode. But first, please take a moment to give us a five-star review and share us with someone you know. And for lots more extras and exclusives from the series, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or support us at getblockbuster dot com. Thanks for listening to Blockbuster. I'm Max Middleman. I play Steven Spielberg in Block.

And I'm Matt Schrader, creator of the series. Welcome to this third installment of our behind the scenes conversations, and we're now at the halfway point of this six part series, and we hope you're enjoying the story as it's beginning to get a little more intense. And uh Mac This episode starts off with Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese riding around New York to uh look at people lining up for Jaws and

It was one of those cool moments you almost don't believe really happened. But at the same time, Spielberg was just getting his first taste of fame. How did you try to embody the inner excitement of the young Spielberg? Well, I I feel like no matter who you are, you can relate to Spielberg in some way. Um it's cool'cause Spielberg is not a fictional character. He's a real person with real emotions.

Spielberg was a guy who always exuded passion, and even when he was young and inexperienced, and I was and am the same way. You know, the early troubles on Jaws really absolutely devastated him, and he wasn't sure he'd ever work again. You know, the scene where he's driving around New York looking at the lines in the theaters for Jaws. I wanted to embody the joy of that moment for Steven and the the high that he was riding at the time.

And of course, we get to see the start of Stephen's success with John Williams too. And in this episode he wins the Oscar and then Steven, of course, ambitious as he is, wants to get right back into his next movie and make music a central part of it. Yeah, well I mean, how cool is it that, you know, y you John Williams's music he feels like is such a great part of why that movie was successful. And so On jaw.

You know, he credits John for saving that film, and he never had any idea that um John would want to do something like the the two-note Jaws thing. which is super ambitious and and kind of very risky, and it worked so well that Steven wanted his music to be part of the story for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. And we hear during that spotting session Or they're trying to find the you know, the five notes this time that became the theme of that of that movie.

And it's a really cool moment because these are events that actually happened and they they really did go through hundreds of different combinations of notes together to find the perfect combination. And that's that's awesome. And speaking of uh of aliens, toward the end of this episode there's a scene where Steven's crew is stargazing and they're pretty sure they see a real UFO in the sky. Yeah. Uh

We don't know i you know, that's was that real? That's real life blending with fantasy. We'll never know if that was something that was really out there or not. But it's cool that it's cool to think that that inspired Steven in a way and that that had an impact on on making his movies.

And one of those weird coincidences too, you know, because it it scared the crew a little bit um because there was this thing hovering and it's documented in a great book by Ray Morton about the making of that movie, Close Encounters. Um but he said that it it was determined to be a satellite. But do satellites just hover there? It's it's a little odd and and made weirder by the fact that NASA started taking an interest in uh in Steven's film after that too.

Right, right. Was was that uh was that a a government scheme just to make good movies? Uh w was that uh who knows? You know, Steven could be an alien and and that would explain why his movies are so good. We'll never know. Lastly, Max, as we enter the final three episodes of this series, um, you're pretty good friends with Ray Chase, who

uh plays George Lucas in this series and we recorded you guys together so we could kind of tap into that friendship and artistic rapport that Steven and George had for each other. Um what did you feel like that brought to this story? I think it's really important for everyone to have a friend like that. And especially in the entertainment industry where there are no guarantees that you'll be successful and you know, there's very little security. Right. The odds are always against you.

When you do have a failure, it's really important to have someone to talk to and to lean on and to lift you back up and let you know that that's that's not the end of your career. And this is a story of the friendship between Steven and George and how they support each other, even through some of the worst film productions that, you know, really got out of hand and and studios wanted to pull the plug on.

And it it was this friendship that inspired them to keep going. And um and Stephen and George both believed in the idea of a blockbuster film model, right? With big dramatic and mythological elements that would um sort of appeal to massive audiences. And that was brand new at the time. And it might not have happened if not for their good friendship. So I think that's so important.

Really appreciate you taking this on, Max, and bringing all the research and the drama to life. Uh, Max Middleman, the voice of Steven Spielberg and Blockbuster, an honor to work with you. And uh thanks for doing this. Well it was such an honor and my pleasure, so thank you for having me.

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