This Was A Thing: The Retro Podcast

This Was A Thing: The Retro Podcast is the nostalgia podcast that dives deep into the pop culture happenings of yesteryear! Join hosts Ray Hebel and Robert W. Schneider as they delightfully dissect some of the greatest fads, trends, and one-hit wonders from pop culture history. From box office hits to box office flops, from high fashion to low fashion, This Was A Thing: The Retro Podcast is your one-stop-shop for all things nostalgia.

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Episodes

8: The Paul Lynde Halloween Special; Or Fred Silverman's Main Witch

It’s a Halloween Extravaganza this week on This Was A Thing . Who’s hosting, you ask? TV Funnyman Paul Lynde, of course! Ray teaches Rob all about The Paul Lynde Halloween Special. Who was there to share a drink (or six) with Paul? Well, just about every spooky TV personality you could think of: Carol Brady, Mr. Wiggins, Witchy Poo/Wicked Witch of the West, Donnie and Marie, Billy Barty, Sue Ann Nivens, and Halloween favorite Roz “Pinky Tuscadero” Kelly! We even get to see KISS’s first national ...

Oct 26, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 8

7: Hummels; Or How To Stop The Nazis With Porcelain

You know those weird looking figurines on your grandmother's shelves? Those little Aryan children clad in leiderhosen and looking adorable against bucolic backdrops? They are not only worth a "fortune" they were the bane of Hitler's existence....well.....one of them. Learn about female entrepreneur Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel who sought to create beautiful pieces of art celebrating her students but was hijacked by a greedy convent and thwarted by the Third Reich. Rob gives Ray a lesson in the...

Oct 19, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 7

6: The 1919 World Series Scandal; Or, The Rise of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis

You’ve heard of the “Curse of the Bambino”, “Curse of the Billy Goat”, and even “Merkle’s Boner." But the case that changed baseball forever was The 1919 World Series Scandal, better known as "The Black Sox Scandal," because itt was discovered that players were betting against their own team! Ray teaches Rob about players like “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, Eddie Cicotte, “Buck” Weaver, and “Chick” Gandil who had enough of their Manager, Charles Comisky, which led them to engaging in the first baseball...

Oct 12, 2021•57 min•Season 1Ep. 6

5: The Scandals of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker; Or, Praise The Lord and Pass The Cash

Can you feel it? Can you feel the spirit? Can you feel the spirit moving your money right into the bank accounts of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker? To coincide with the brilliant "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" we are doing a deep dive into the scandal that brought down the PTL ministries and how Jim Bakker got away with embezzlement for so long.....he had some help from the man upstairs.....Ronald Reagan. Rob gives Ray a lesson in the history of evangelism, how televangelists were able to be exempt from ta...

Oct 05, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 5

4: The Brady Bunch Variety Hour; Or Shake That Brady!

Don’t worry folks, the Bradys are BACK! But this time the whole bunch is singing and dancing! Yes, even Alice. This week, Ray tells Rob all about “The Brady Bunch Variety Hour” a show that may have been panned back in the 70s, but is loved in 2021, and how The Bradys became America's first franchised family. And don’t worry! You don’t just get Mike, Carol, and the kids! No, no! A slew of A-Listers wanted to come along for the ride! You like Tony Randall? He’ll be there! Donny and Marie? Check! M...

Sep 28, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 4

3: The Davy Crockett Craze; Or, How Baby Boomers Went Awry

Grab your coonskin cap (and your checkbooks) because the Patron Saint of Consumerism, pioneer Davy Crockett, is here and he's ready to turn his name into a brand and his checkered past into an economic boom. Rob gives Ray a lesson in the history of how Davy Crockett wasn't all who he was cracked up to be, the greatest economic loss of Walt Disney, the oh so stiff acting of Fess Parker, the brilliance of branding, Hollywood's ability to rewrite history, and how Davy Crockett unknowingly has commi...

Sep 21, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 3

2: The Balloon Boy Incident; Or Falcon's Big Adventure!

What would you do if your six-year-old child was suddenly suspended over 7,000 feet in the air and traveling solo over the treacherous terrain of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado? Call the media, of course! Doesn't make sense? Well, very little about this 2009 Balloon Boy Incident does. This week, Ray fills Rob in on all the juicy details of an event that took the news by STORM. Why would the Heene Family even set off a large weather balloon? And how could little Falcon have gotten in there? What...

Sep 14, 2021•45 min•Season 1Ep. 2

1: Jazzercise; Or, Female Empowerment Through Toe Tapping

Strap on those leg warmers and get ready to break the glass ceiling because we are going back to the 80s and doing a deep dive into the history of Jazzercise! Learn about the Patron Saint of Sweat, Judi Sheppard Missett, who not only broke the exercise glass ceiling but built it through sweat, tears, and a funky beat. Rob gives Ray a lesson in the history of female exercise including how women were encouraged not to sweat, the retroactive philosophies of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, fo...

Sep 07, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Trailer: This Was A Thing

This Was A Thing is the podcast that dives deep into the cultural happenings of yesteryear! Join hosts Ray Hebel and Robert W. Schneider as they delightfully dissect some of history's greatest fads, trends, and one-hit wonders. From box office hits to box office flops, from high fashion to low fashion, This Was A Thing is your one-stop-shop for all things nostalgia. New episode is released every Tuesday. Facebook Twitter Instagram Become a member of the show by offering your support here Learn m...

Jul 18, 2021•3 min

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