Dave Callan and Stripes - podcast episode cover

Dave Callan and Stripes

Sep 27, 20222 hr 3 minSeason 5Ep. 6
--:--
--:--
Download Metacast podcast app
Listen to this episode in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episode description

Comedian Dave Callan chats with Pete Helliar about his three favourite films; Star Wars, Groundhog Day and The Greatest Showman.

For this episode, Dave watched Stripes for the first time and let's Pete know what he thinks of this classic Bill Murray film.


Feel free to email us at [email protected] OR drop us some comments, feedback or ideas on the speakpipe (link below)

Keep it fun and under a minute and you may get on the show.

https://www.speakpipe.com/YASNY


Recorded and Produced at Castaway Studios, Collingwood

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Speaker 1

Before we start today's show, just a bit of a heads up. We have something called a speak pipe, which is basically a modern day answer machine message where you can leave a message for us. You can ask a question, you can make a suggestion, just give us feedback and we'll actually be able to play it at the end of the show. It's been great to interact and hear some of your voices. You can always email us at yasny Podcasts at gmail dot com, but we'd love to

hear your voices. So get onto our speak pipe on the page where you found our podcast, and we can't wait to hear from you. Okay, I'm with today's shows. Gooday, Peter Helly you here on this week's edition of You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet? Mate, comedian Dave Callen, do you any.

Speaker 2

Think you have a chance against us?

Speaker 3

Mister cowboy, open the pod by doors.

Speaker 2

I'll have what she's having.

Speaker 1

Right now.

Speaker 4

You Haven't Seen Nothing year.

Speaker 1

There's very few guests that I can say I've seen ride a BMX into an open grave deliberately. In fact, there is only one, and that's today's guest, Dave Callum. In nineteen nine nine, Roe McManus asked me to be part of his late night live talk slash comedy TV show with the working title Late Night Gardening, which would of course become Rove. He also was bringing along fellow comic and mate Kring Grant and also comedian mate from

his hometown of Perth, Dave Callum. And as soon as I met Dave and Anderson Way, Rove had earmarked this big hairy irishman because Dave is simply hilarious both on stage and offered. Dave's comedy is cerebral yet has an everyman relatable quality. It's deadpan, yet it's joyous. Over the years, Davis leant into his passions and stretched himself on stage from dancing troops with actual choreography to intricate live reimaginings

of eighties video games live on stage. Dave's imagination and refusal to be told that a six foot three hairy irishman has no right fronting a rendition of single ladies completely backup dances is why we love him. God bless him for that. And that was before he took on Bollywood on robe and then Robe live. Dave made sketches like Dan mccannon The Angry Man, which I don't think I've ever laughed so hard on set since that day.

They couldn't find a take there where I wasn't laughing, so they just had to use one of them words that are better when said by Dave was a huge hit, and you can bet your bottom dollar I will be trying to get him to say trousers on this week's episode. Personally, Dave's humble, polite, hilarious, and principled. He once refused to take part in a sketch that mocked fancy dress parties

because well, Dave loves fancy dress. Dave is thoughtful, creative, and bloody clever, and I'm stoked can be hanging with him today.

Speaker 2

Hello there, I'm Dave Callen. My favorite films are Star Wars.

Speaker 1

I find your lack of faith disturbing.

Speaker 2

The Groundhog Day.

Speaker 3

I'm a god, your guy, I'm a guy.

Speaker 2

I'm not the guy. I don't think the greatest Shulman we need is a tent, And until recently I had never seen stripes.

Speaker 1

Fresh after surprise back to back comedy hits of meat Balls and Caddy Shack sees Bill Murray team up with director Ivan Reitman and writer, actor and friend Harold Ramis, who also directed Caddy Shack. With the military comedy Stripes in nineteen eighty one, Bill Murray's John Winger has quit his job as a New York Cabby, has had his car taken away and has been dumped by his girlfriend. Yet this is eighties comedy rock Bottom, so he has

no other choice than to join the Army. Of course, he takes with him his best mate, Russell, a teacher of English is the second language, who admittedly doesn't seem anywhere near as close to rock Bottom as his friend John.

Either way, they find themselves in boot camp pretty quickly, with the usual bunch of misfits, including future eighties legends John Candy and Judge Reinhard, John Larrakatt as a Creepy cut As Creepy Captain Stillman and a strict drill Sarge and Holker played by Warren Oates, legend from The Wild Bunch and bad Lands. A smash it upon release, Stripes helped set up the gateway of Saturday Night Live TV

stars to the silver screen. It comes a year after Goldie Horn's Private Benjamin, the same year as Taps and the year before An Officer and the gentleman. Yep, military was in big time. Like many eighties comedies, there's a gootuitous nudity or female of course, logic flaws and the complete lack of repercusins for any actions. But undoubtedly Bill Murray's iconic laid back delivery, Big John Candy's big screen presence and enough set pieces that deliver laughs give us

enough reasons to root for our slacker heroes. Dave callon, when was the last time you mud wrestled in a bar?

Speaker 2

It's been at least three days, Irish Saw. I'm often finding myself in peculiar bar situations with the muddy people.

Speaker 1

I mean, we've done a lot of Melbourney to national comedy festivals together, Dave. But I don't know. Memories are a bit blurb. But I'm sure at the High five Bar there may have been a mud wrestling done back in the late nineties.

Speaker 2

Perhaps there were antics, I'm not sure if mud got involved. I think they might have had oh and s, you know, restrictions on how much you can dose yourself in certain substances.

Speaker 1

But other substances were fine. I'm sure, Dave. Thanks so much. It's great to be hanging out with you for the next hour. Thanks for agreeing to do it. You're joining us from Perth. So the way this works sometimes is people that nominate straight away the movies they know they haven't seen. Sometimes, in fact, almost always, I provide a list as thoughts starters you would have seen, like most of the movies on the list. You were one of these guests who were like, some guess are like, there

are so many movies I haven't seen. You were like, Okay, I've seen most of these movies, but he's a couple that I haven't seen. Why did stripes pop out for you? Oh?

Speaker 2

It jumped out because you know, I was always kind of a fan of Ghostbusters, and it's got two of them. Harold Ramis is just fantastic, and Bill Murray is an absolute legacy act in comedy. He's so sardonic and so great. And I realized that there was a precious duo in the cinematic round that I had not even seen. And I don't know how it passed me by, but I saw that on the list and I went, that would be me.

Speaker 1

Then, yeah, that'd be you. And you watched it. Did you watch it last night? Did you watch it on your on your phone would be on a screen with your immersed. How was your viewing experience?

Speaker 2

It could have been more cinematic. I watched a bit of it on my phone and a bit of it on my laptop. I used to dream about having a portable TV when I was a kid, and now look, we've got screens everywhere everyone. So I used I took advantage of modern technology and did it that way. I think it would have been better and had more of a digetic effect. I studied media studies. If I had wanted on a big TV, I think that would have been nicer.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I mean always always, but we do what we can. Let's talk about your three favorite films. Always always chuffed to see Star Wars in a top three, some people, including myself, I don't have any in my top three. I'm not really sure why. I think I've decided recently it's definitely my top five, but it probably should be right up there at the top because it's had such an influence and love in my life. Tell us about your Star Wars experience.

Speaker 2

Well, is it the greatest movie?

Speaker 5

No?

Speaker 2

Is it the most amazing explosion of creativity ever on celluloid? Yes? I believe it is. I also think it's the biggest fluke that ever happened. It shouldn't be as good as it is, Like it's pure magic from beginning to end, cinematic magic. The wild thing about it for me is that it is every genre of film. When you think about it, it's it's you know, it's a Western. I mean, it's got a cantena scene. For God's It's like, what there were Mexicans in space? But that whole scene is

like a spaghetti Western. It's like Han Solo shooting that guy and then the guy at the bargain.

Speaker 1

And I don't like you.

Speaker 2

My friend doesn't like you either, And that whole thing is like straight out of a Western. It's in Tatoine, which is like a desert. And then you've got you know, world War two film. It's got the Akat guns and it's got the you know, the space Nazis. They're coll stormtroopers. It's very damn busters at the end, you know, it's it could be a World War two film. And then you know, ostensibly a love story, it's a comedy, it's

a samurai movie. And then the wild thing, the wildest thing for me is what's the opposite of sci fi? Because it's a sci fi film, but what's the opposite? Fantasy is the opposite. So people like sci fi or fantasy. Now, when you look at Star Wars, a sci fi film, it's about a farm boy who wants to become a knight, who goes to a castle with a wizard to rescue a princess from a black knight. What secontly you put it in? Do you put it in sci fi fantasy? Yes,

it's a sci fi film with a fantasy skin. It's got elements, of course. I was the Hidden Fortress, you know, the two comic relief characters, and that are basically our two and C three po It's a horror film. It's everything in one package. It's for everyone. Every age group can enjoy it. And I just think it's it just sweeps you away. That opening shot will never be beaten ever ever. That opening shot of the ship's going overhead and you see the first ship. You go, that's a

massive rocket ship. And then you just see this just guark, gangs and thing that just goes forever. Beautifully parodied in Spaceballs, by the way, but I just you gripped from that moment and it doesn't let go of you.

Speaker 1

And when did you first see it?

Speaker 2

I saw it in nineteen seventy seventiece.

Speaker 1

Oh wow, we were I.

Speaker 2

Think, you know, seven, and I'll hangout. I was four and you were three, respectively, so I was I was too young to see it, but my dad took me to the cinema, and I remember he never took me to Empire, and I'm so glad because what a bait and switch. Imagine me and a kid. I would have been seven, you would have been six going going to Empire. I don't know if you did. But at the end of the movie, you go. You go there to see your heroes, you know, kick the shins of the Empire

again and have adventures. And then suddenly the end of the movie, a guy's in a pit and he has concrete portal over him, and there's that shot of him just trying to reach out. He's got a single tier and he's all you know, in that in that stuff, and that's that's horrific. And then the other guy has his hand chopped off, gets dropped down a shaft, and the last thing you see is him in a water tank on life support and that's the last shot of

the movie. It's like, imagine like unpacking that at Mac's with your kids after the show, was like, oh, I'm sure they're fine. What an ending? Like, seriously, there's no ending.

Speaker 1

And a massive roll of the dice to go there's something that worked and was like the biggest movie ever time.

You'd say you've made the biggest movie of all time, and then you go, okay, let's go dark, and yeah, there is conjecture of how much George Lucas had planned all these things, Like I think I always get the impression there's a little bit of revisionism going on with how much was planned and what wasn't you know, And I'm sure there was a you know, a story that George wanted to tell, but you find I'm sure you discover things along the way, and they would have had

ideas during making you know, Star Wars and then post Star Wars about what the next film could be. You know, I'm sure it didn't stick exactly to what George Lucas had in mind, so then to kind of go, no, we're going to do it. We are going to have this darkness. But I would argue that Star Wars does not become what it is now where we are still

getting new movies and TV series. If they don't nail Empire strikes back, and if they went with the you know, at this they try to repeat the formula of Star Wars with the sequel, then I suspect there's a chance that Star Wars doesn't end up becoming what it becomes.

Speaker 2

Yeah. No, they're very smart. I mean, you know, the original Star Wars was all set and sand. So they opened the Empire on an ice planet, so that was like stark difference. They brought a new hardware and it was very Godfather part too. It's like a bleak grim kind of downturn second act. But you're right, I think the expanded universe kind of compromises the original source material.

Like obviously Lucas decided Luke and Lee were brother and sister, and then you look back at the Empire and they kiss, and it's like, okay, didn't they they haven't had this planned the whole time. And then and then you know stuff like you know that guy who gets force choked in that meeting by Darth Vader. Yeah, that guy if like, how does he not know Darth Vader's history? Like we know it now, but at the time you're just watching Star Wars and you're like, oh, well, I don't really

know who this guy is. He probably just thinks it's Darth from from work, you know. Yeah, took me to do. I didn't even know we could do that with the Force. And I don't think Darth va it would turn up to group meetings anyway. I think it'd be too important. He might zoom in.

Speaker 1

He kind of does that mute.

Speaker 2

Breathing Darth. I'll just get my cat's asshole out of the way.

Speaker 1

I mean, but I mean dark, there's a bit of there's a version of zoom going on really with holograms, and and the way they do interact it is perhaps the original zoom.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I reckon so holograms. Yeah, the way you talk to the Emperor was straight out of zooms, like a zoom chat.

Speaker 1

Did you you know? I mean, obviously we can talk about I was for a long time. But just before we move on to your other excellent films, did you enjoy everyone? Can I be.

Speaker 2

Oh, it was so great to see. I don't want to talk too much about it in case people are listening. Yeah, yeah, but it was really interesting to see all the cast get back together. I'm very disappointed by the toxicity of Star Wars fans attacking some of the online. I think that's just horrific. And I don't think it's Star Wars fans. I think it's just there's a bunch of toxic blokes out there who attack who are nerds as well, and

they attack stuff like the New Ghostbusters. In this it's okay to have criticisms or not be happy with the directions something takes. But that's a real zeitgeist at the moment and a real problem. People just bullying online on Twitter, and you know, the actors, they go into a bit of a depression over it, and I think it's really unfair.

Speaker 1

Oh, the the treatment of some of the actors involved. I mean this idea that you can't when the Force awakens was announcer, you can't have a black Stormtrooper. It's like you believe that there can be a giant slug, you know, a gangster. You know, there's a little blue elephant playing in a band somewhere, but you can't have a black Stormtrooper. What what you know? What are you? You know? And yeah, and you learn that he's actually, you know, like there's you know, just wait for the

movie to come out. And I don't know. I just think personally, you know what, there are so many TV shows and movies to watch and people to follow. If you put something negative down, attacking somebody or a film there in I just think you're losing. You're losing at life.

Speaker 2

Yeah, and your criticisms will be obscured by your hate. Yeah, you've gotta if you have a genuine criticism that the producers might take on board, it'll be gone because you're just ranting and you know, exposing your bias about race and gender.

Speaker 1

Perhaps I had. I had the great fortune of interviewing Ron Howard recently, literally this week, and I really you know, and it's for his new movie thirteen Larves, about the ty Cave rescue, and it's it's a really intense film, and it was a real honor for me to interview

Ron Howard. But I really wanted to say to him, by the way, Solo was awesome, don't listen, don't listen to the haters, because I thought it was such a fun Star Wars film, and I would love to see that sequel, to be honest and I think Disney, if they were brave enough, they would actually do it as a TV series, do that next installment with Hahn going off to Javia's Palace as a sequel. And I thought the guy and I keep forgetting his name, but sadly

we haven't seen him since. I'm not sure if it's a if it's a blowback from from the reaction from Solo, but I thought he did an awesome job.

Speaker 2

Yeah, he was absolutely brilliant. And the guy who played opposite him played the rule of you know, child Ash cal Rissie and I guess.

Speaker 1

You could see Yeah, yeah, Don'd love it.

Speaker 2

Lando was fantastic casting. He just nailed it. It's so charismatic and just really captured the character brilliantly. I thought they both did a great job. I thought it was a rollicking adventure.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 2

I think there was a lot of backlash against the Last Jedi Jedi campaign for Nerds to Boycott's Solo as a punishment for what they perceived to be a direction they didn't like the Neu trilogy taking, which is wild. I don't know how true or how much effect that had, but Solo was great.

Speaker 1

There was a report by a university in America that saw that a lot of the negativity aimed at the last Jedi were actually proven Russian bots. And it was like it was almost like a strategy that the Russians were taking to not just infiltrate and promote discourse amongst American politics, but also popular culture to have to have

things that people seemingly harmonious about. If if they can get discourse into that and get people fighting on that, that's just disrupting culture holistically in a way, as opposed to just people who care about politics.

Speaker 2

Wow, you've just gonna fold your rogan there with your conspiracy theories.

Speaker 1

Yeah, well, it's it's all university backed by you know, it was an online university. I'm pretty sure. Anyway, moving on.

Speaker 2

He's offering me DMPT and protein.

Speaker 1

Next, let's let's look about grandhog Day, a brilliant film. Bill Murray, of course, and Annie McDowell tell us about your love of grandhog Day.

Speaker 2

Oh, I love it. I could watch it every day. What I love about it is it's a it's a it's a spiritual and human tale. It's it's about a guy who is a bit of a jerk and he's fed up with life. He doesn't value his life anymore. And and then he has to repeat the same exact day over and over again, and just the joy of discovery of that of him realizing he's trapped in the

same day, that's awesome. And then the third time and he suddenly gets to know each day intimately back to front, and he starts to mess with stuff and becomes possibly more of an asshole. And then suddenly he realizes the most important things to do are work on his flaws, get rid of his flaws, and to and that the secret of being happy, into being a whole person is to help other people and to be kind. And at the end of the film, he's just purified himself. It's

it's very Buddhist in a way. And then you know, repeating the same life. You know the Buddhist tenant that reincarnation exists, and we we only take with us what we learn and how to be a good person, and we take that in or we can go the other way, the other spiral. So a lot of Buddhists contacted the scriptwriter afterwards and said thank you for making a movie for us, and he's like, I don't know anything about Buddhism.

Speaker 1

I just up with an idea.

Speaker 2

And the other weird part is like he came up with that idea in a moment of divine inspiration. That's one guy's idea, and it's become a genre now, you know, like the Edge of Tomorrow. There was that horror movie Room fourteen Awaight or something that was John Cusack and then it was a TV series and Red Sparrow one of them. But it's probably all millions of dollars. It's his idea and they just went, no, that's thank you, that's that's in the popular culture. Now we're going to all do it.

Speaker 1

Russian Doll on Netflix is another one excellent series that they borrows the same, the same conceit. Andie McDowell is an interesting character, and Charlie Pickering had strong thoughts about

Andy McDowell. She is somebody who she clearly does not have the acting chops of a Meryl Streep, but she I think she does the job required and she has done it in movies who have gone on and been very you know, been very successful for Four Weddings and a Funeral, Green Card, Grand Hoog Day, Sexalize and Videotape. So for someone who's not we don't probably associate you know,

complete really strong acting chops. She's still been involved in like cow laid leading parts in movies that are successful, which you can't have, you know, a weak link in big movies.

Speaker 2

Yeah. That's funny, isn't it. She's not a standout. He can't you can't do an impression of her, and you can't quote in many of her famous quotes. But she's been in so many tent pole films.

Speaker 1

Yeah, yeah, Yeah, it's interesting Chris Elliot, very funny in that always always funny, Chris Elliott. Yeah, you go to.

Speaker 2

Apparently he didn't. They genuinely didn't get along with Bill Murray because Bill Murray doesn't suffer fools gladly. And I think the guy was a bit irritating to him at points. And they yeah, they so that that tension between them as cameraman and and anchor was genuine. They kind of had that relationship off screen, much like you know, Robert Shaw and Richard Drayfuss and Jaws. They actually hated each other as well, and I think that plays on screen beautifully.

Sometimes it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Speaker 1

But there there are so many times we hear those stories. I mean, you had you know, Vivian Lee and Clark Gable and Gone with the Wind famously, you know, didn't you know? It didn't get along, and it's arguably you know, some people I won't claim it as but some people will claim it as the greatest movie ever made, the greatest love story epic ever made. And they did not

get along. So it is interesting had sometimes it works, and you wonder how many movies there have been where they don't cast don't get along and it has just genuinely ruined the movie.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I think, yeah, that's a that's a good point, because people need to have alchemy, you know, to be able to function and to have that on screen chemistry. But Clark Able and Vivian Lee, that's that's interesting that they hated each other. Maybe there was some sort of weird tension that made it look the same, made it look like real kind of romance. So maybe they were supposed to be a bit tense with each other for

the plot. But it's you're right, there's probably numerous films out there where the plot where the cast didn't have the alchemy required and maybe they didn't get the movie to the point that wanted to be.

Speaker 1

As Yeah, the Greatest Showman is a movie. That's it's so interesting. I saw this with had one of those lovely cinematic cinematic experiences, Dave, where I saw it as a preview and more so that I didn't know anything about it. I knew Hugh Jackman was in it. My expectations. I remember thinking, for some reason, we're a bit low on it, and I was, and I had to say, very similar experience with Maverick recently. You know, bar was low,

wasn't sure what to expect and was blown away. And so many It's funny with the Greatest Showman, so many men in my life, you know, in my family and friends like really love this film. And I think I think that I'm not sure what their expectations were, who they thought their target demographic was, and but I think it's just one of those movies that is demographic is really wide. I'm not you know, when they're promoting it, when they were developing it, maybe they thought this was

female skewed. I don't know, but it's incredibly the amount of men who relate to this film.

Speaker 2

Oh wow, I didn't know that. That's interesting. To hear that a lot of your male friends like it. I remember seeing the trailer when I came out and going, oh, that looks great. That's that's right up my alleys. And then the reviews came out Pete and it's unbelievable, how unfairly milind it was, and that changed my interest. I threw a bucket of water over my interest and I just went, oh, I won't bother them. And then a friend of mine she was like, you got to see

this movie. You see the Greatest Showman. I was like, oh, yeah, it was kind of interested, but it sounds awful from the reviews. And then I'm over at her house one night ex house made in fact in Melbourne, my friend Bess, and then she goes, oh, I got to get you to watch it, and I'm like, oh no, I'm good. And then one day she kept asking tonight the night and I was like, oh, I mean yes, I would love to, and she put it on. I was just enthralled.

From the opening moment where Hugh Jackman's tapping his cane and it's like Singing in the Rain meets Carnivale, it's like just outstanding. I mean I was gonna call it a guilty pleasure. I'm not guilty about it at all. I'm just wondering why the reviewers hated it, potentially because it's the story of P. T. Barnum, but they just take wild liberties with it, you know, so they could have just changed it to being something about you know about you know, a showman of that era. They didn't

need to necessarily make it an actual historic figure. I think that really damaged it potentially. But the other what amazing thing I love is the song that was the breakout hit, This is Me, you know, a song for the disenfranchised and maybe people are a bit different or don't fit into certain kind of like containers. That song is just so empowering for many people and such a

beautiful song and a brilliant vocal performance. And they wrote that two weeks before they started shooting, Like the producers went to the songwriters, we need another song, like we need the you know, the people in the circus to have a song about what it means to them to be represented fairly. Finally, and they're all done, you know, less than two weeks, and it became the biggest hit of the musical. And also none of the Principles singing it. It's all the chorus basically, yeah.

Speaker 1

But I had somebody who said to me, and then the men I refer to mostly, I mean, I've got a lot of comedian friends and people who working in the arts who love it. But a lot of the men I come more to referring to are people who are like trade's and friends of mine who are you know, nowhere need of the arts industry, and maybe don't even go see a lot of movies. But you know, I had, you know, my brother in law say, you know, he

went and saw it. I think he maybe got tickets to a screening and then took his daughters back the next day to see it again. And and somebody else sue, he's very close to me, he said, he said, that song this is me. They said, whenever I feel, you know, I've been down, that's the song they just put on to listen to to get them get themselves back up. It's the Jews say, need to get back up. Maybe it's it's I mean, a freak position where I just happened to have sament around me who have told me that.

I'm not sure if it is, you know, if that resonates that was maybe let us know, get on the speed pipe on our links and let us know, or yasne at gmail dot com and let us know if The Greatest Showman speaks to you as much as as much as I've just we're just outlined.

Speaker 2

I've seen it so many. I've seen it twenty times, I think because it's a musical, so you just, rather than listen to the soundtrack, you whacked the whole experience on. And it's just got so many beautiful moments and songs in it, and it's a double love story. There's a moment where you know he's showing his childhood friend around this abandoned mansion and then he buys it for her when he's super wealthy. And it's a real circular story. Starts with the same song as it ends with as well,

so very circular. Zach Efron and Hugh Jackman just flexing their musical theater chops and showing us exactly what triple threats, quadruple sextuple threats they are. It's not fair. No human being should be as talented as Hugh Jackman. It's just unfair. Give one talent the work.

Speaker 1

It's extraordinary and I know zach Efron has you know, he started in I'm not sure he was he part of the Mickey Maska. I don't know where. He's certainly part of the High School Musical franchise. I remember coming out to Australia and we interviewed him a few times and he was he was so lovely back then, and I always kind of thought, I'm going to take an interest in this guy one. I think he's really he's really talented, he's ridiculously good looking. I want to see

where his career goes. But he's also really nice. I wonder was the track how nice he stays? And he kept on coming back, you know, periodically the promote movies, and I got to say, he's always remained a completely not like, completely nice, level headed guy who is obviously was obviously very interested in expanding and stretching himself. And so to see him and Hugh Jackman together in this movie, he's almost like a young Hugh Jackman in a way. It's really fun. Sign Zendia is great and as well.

I think when I first watched it, I wasn't sure because basically they're they're I forget the term, they actually used. What do they refer to themselves as, like the bedded lady, what do they refer to themselves as?

Speaker 2

Yeah, I think that's the original word geek. You know the word gigie, I mean an herdy guy. But they were circus geeks.

Speaker 1

Circus geeks, So you got these circus geeks. I didn't quite understand what was making Zendaiah like a you know, a geek. You know, you got the bit of lady and and and he's got this beautiful girl. I was. I wasn't sure she felt like she should have been in the different circus. Well, it wasn't just the color of her skin was that was at the point now I'm making Do you remember.

Speaker 2

It's a good question. I think they certainly took liberties with the timeline there, because I think a lot of those sideshow folks were like just in boxes and stuff, whereas they were, like it was more modernized. So I think it was really taking liberties with fashion and and and the timeline. So she was on she was doing a silk's routine, which is like, you know, but I noticed the criticisms of people saying it wasn't quite you know, accurate, And I'm like, well, that would be boring. I mean,

it's a fantasy. It's it's you know, they're they're swinging around on silks together in slow motion during that scene in the circus tent where they first kind of reveal their love for each other, and it's stunning and like if they had a real circus performance from back then, it would have been trapeze. It would have been like your first you know.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 2

So the modern styling really and made it something else. It was almost like it was in no time, or almost like a steampunk version of the eighteen hundreds.

Speaker 1

I think you make a good point. I think maybe seeing this as a if they had taken P. T. Barnum out of it and just made a generic you know, or a fictionalized character, it would have been fun. But it should not. None of this should spoil your enjoyment of the movie. It is such an enjoyable movie, and you're right there. It should be no guilt attached to it at all. Michelle Williams as well is always magnificent, and she's great in that. Okay, they're three great films, Dave.

You've given me three great films to talk about.

Speaker 2

Can I can I give you my least favorite film.

Speaker 1

Oh it's not usually an official part of the podcast. But you're a good friend, Dave, you're a longtime friend. I'm going to allow it. What have you got?

Speaker 2

I'm a real Maverick meat right, Pete? Gravity?

Speaker 1

Holy heck?

Speaker 2

Gravity? Do you know? Do you know the movie Gravity?

Speaker 1

Yes? I enjoyed Gravity, Sandra.

Speaker 2

Bullet, I hated so much.

Speaker 1

Is it because it's is it the tension or is it?

Speaker 2

Oh that kind of got to me. But yeah, the underlying tent was a bit intense. But I love space. Alien is one of my favorites. That's quite tense. But okay, they're in space and hectic, shit's going on. Great, so far, so good. And then okay, so there's a spoiler. So right now, if you're listening to this and you want to see Gravity, maybe I'm going to count down from five and then you can hit your forward thirty second button a couple of times until we're not talking about it.

But five four three two one George Clooney. The dead scene of George Clooney, right like he cuts his tether and then he just like floats he gets sucked into space. Ye, And it's like that does not happen, like there's no gravity in space. Like you cut a tether, you just stay there. You need to be in motion for you to go anywhere. There's a vacuum. It space is a vacuum. So he cuts the tether he would stay there, and

then he just like gets sucked off. And It's like, what the hell the movie's called gravity and you don't understand it. You've made a movie's cut in space called gravity without understanding what space does to gravity. And I just went oh, and I got so furious just by that. I was like, you've killed one of the main characters for a physical condition that doesn't exist in reality. And

I'm like, why would you do that? And then the next scene, Sandra Bullock's in like the station and there's a circular window, right and she's in there in a spacesuit and she's spinning around in the fetal position, and like there's a there's like a cord coming out of our space suit, out of the stomach of our space suit. And I'm like, Okay, I get it. It's a rebirth. Yeah, it's it's you're in a womb.

Speaker 1

I get it.

Speaker 2

And then I just went you know what, I'm going stick a fork in me. That's it. You've insulted my intelligence twice with a ham fisted metaphor a physical condition that doesn't exist. I don't want to get to the end of this movie and go I'm not you know one of those people who go, I'm never getting my two hours back. Oh, I'm getting them back. I may have lost twenty bucks, but I'm getting two hours of my life back. I'm going to go and have a

coffee in a one I've granted. I know this is about your favorites, and see one I've just like gone rah gravity.

Speaker 1

I mean maybe maybe this is a new you know portion of the podcast where I do allow a little venting exercise for the films that they get to us.

Speaker 2

So what to say that for six years.

Speaker 1

If Santra Blick was inside the Space Shuttle and like had like a i don't know, like a pool cleaner pole, if she was able to get that through somehow the space and like give George clearly a poke in the in the in the chest, what do you then float.

Speaker 2

That he absolutely would and he wouldn't stop unless he hit something.

Speaker 1

Yeah, So that's that's what That's what needed to happen that needed to happen. So there you go.

Speaker 2

Just give gravity a bit of a google. If you're gonna call a movie gravity.

Speaker 1

Well, it is interesting because you they do so much research for those movies, you know, like those types of movies, and they go to extraordinary lengths. You know, often get things right, but sometimes I wanted to. I always would love to be like a fly on the wall those discussions of going did they know? And I just ignore it? Or that is not know?

Speaker 2

Well, a lot of sci fi ignores the fact that there's no sound from an explosion in space, but that's that looks weird. Yeah, so like when spaces blow up, there's a big that doesn't happen either, So that's why the byline of aliens in space, no one can use scream there's no sound, So they ignore that, and I think that's good, don't. I don't walk out of movies that have explosions that are audible in space. But that one just it's a main character and that wouldn't happen.

Speaker 1

I'm like, see it, yeah, yeah, yeah, he basically only had two characters to look after. All right, Dave, let's go to nineteen eighty one. Ivan rightman directs stripes with the great Bill Murray, Haldraimus, John Candy, you know, Judge Reinholder becomes you know, he goes on and become Starr in Beverly Hills, cop and and Gremlins and so so much to think about, so much to talk about. But did you enjoy it? Yeah?

Speaker 2

I found it enjoyable. I was, you know, more lukewarm on it than I thought. I don't know why I expected it to be laugh a minute comedy. Maybe I was thinking about Caddy Shack and Meatballs and then the precursors with the same writers and cast this one kind of it plodded along for parts. The pacing wasn't great, but there were some great moments, some really good slapstick, and some really great kind of impro by Harold Ramis and Bill Murray. So I would rate it, but not

as high as I expected. Maybe that the passage of time has created maybe an expectation that maybe what didn't exist at the time.

Speaker 1

Yet I do feel with this podcast, it's down the dawn on me that comedies are trickier to do because time is less kind to comedy, because there are certain you know, Zike, you know when you make a comedy, there's certain things that are in the Zeitgei's comic styles, you know, product, you know, even even if as budgets go, what's given a comedy and what's given to you dramas? A lot of these also, a lot a lot of

these movies in the eighties. I think we're made quickly perhaps and and and I think there's a lot of cocaine involved. Try to cocaine go that that's that's on them. Yeah, that's their choices they make.

Speaker 2

We're not responsible for cocaine, no.

Speaker 1

No, But I think there is more that stands out as far as watching a film, you know, forty years on now and the things are going to go, oh, that's interesting, And that's the kind of maybe you can get in the way of you enjoyed the film, and you know, I don't want to stop down too much and talk about the things, and you know you kind of we will, I'm sure at times. But also just

the comedy stars on what we expect from comedies. You mentioned groundhog Day as one of your favorite films, and I feel like there was a turning point I think at the eighties where we started asking more from our comedies, you know, like bigger concepts, you know, even like you know, Three Amigos comes along and I think, you know, eighty six twenty five years after this, and it's not a completely dissimilar film in a way, but it's it's there's a lot more there's a lot more ideas built into that.

There's more jeopardy these films like Stripes and and and and Meat Boys. It feels like set Peace after set Peace, but there's no real there's no real consequence for any of the actions, you know, and there's a cartoon kind of feel suit. But even even the setup that Bill Murray when they go and and join the army, his mate Russell Zitsky player Harold ramis like he actually Russell joins the army without really thinking much about it at all.

Like when he's teaching his class, he doesn't really seem like he's at rock bottom, Like he actually seems like he's Yeah, he might be, he's probably a bit bored with it, but he seems to be getting a little bit out of it. He's getting them to singer song and you know, it seems like there's a reasonable vibe in there. There's certainly a progression of when he first introduces himself to his class to when he's got them

singing a song in English. I mean that seems, you know, a pretty remarkable bit of work from an English teacher

in that timeframe. I do feel there are, yeah, there are logic flaws and blot holes through this, and you eat to the side, and if you're watching it at a time in nine to eighty one, you probably go, well, I love this because I love Bill Murray and I love these set pieces, and I think when you watch it now, you kind of we ask for a bit more jeopardy, the stakes to be a bit higher, a bit more Well, why don't we know anything about Bill Murray's backstory? Yeah, like you a bit more staff.

Speaker 2

I agree completely. Yeah, that Howard Ramas, you know, teaching in the class versus Bill Murray's moment of you know, getting jack of driving people around New York and cabs. I think, you know, Bill Murray's character loses his partner and his apartment and his job and everything, and he's got no hope and he goes, oh, well, I'll enlist. That's more of an all lost moment for me in scriptwriting terms than Harold Ramas just going I don't really

want to teach this class. That's not in all his lost moment, and I don't think that character looks like he would go all enlist in the army at all.

Speaker 1

Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, Well, originally it was going to be Dennis Quai. Well, originally the movie was written of a cheat and Chom as a stone. Yeah, John go to the army.

Speaker 2

It was going to be and then cheat and John wanted to control the whole thing, which understandably it's their faces up there and everyone else went to No.

Speaker 1

Well, even more than that, I think I'm being nice to Cheach and Chong Cheachen Chung's manager wanted. This is remarkable. One of twenty five percent of Ivan Rightman's next four or five films the box office of the next five films, Yes what Yeah, which is ch Jong what?

Speaker 2

No? Come on? Like Elvis used to do that with people wanting to cover his songs, apparently because he'd inflate their career to the degree that they'd make much more

money on their next records. And so the Colonel Tom Parker and who actually was Tom Hanks in the Skies, I found out recently he made that deal with a lot of recording artists that Elvis would cover, but Chiach and Chong weren't Elvis, like Ivan Reichman is not going to be making bank for four or five movies inflated earnings wise, So that's a bizarre contractual thing to put in, like that's suiting yourself in the foot. Did Cheechs and Chung know this?

Speaker 1

Well? I've read it in two different sources, and and one doesn't make the point about whether the Chicken Chung knew, but one another one does say they were unaware. So there might have been a bit of Colonel Tom Packer going on with Chicken Chung's manager. So basically they took out the stone element but gave some of some of that kind of the the the debris of that exists in Judge Reynold's character, like he's a bit of a stone.

He doesn't really come through particularly strongly. I don't think so. But yeah, yeah, I.

Speaker 2

Think another reason potentially that they veered away from the Stone or anglers apparently you know, the American military, they wanted to use their basis because it would half the budget. Yeah, the film production company wanted to use all the you know, Fort Knox and all the other local locations in military hardware and uniforms. And they were like, yeah, yeah, yeah,

but let's negotiate the plot a bit. And so they had a power with the with the brass and what they wanted the movie to be in exchange for that, and they said, yeah, we'd love it to be a recruitment tool. So I wonder how that compromised the script.

It definitely would have taken drugs out of it. They might have had a moment where they were like, hey, you know this whole scene where you kind of have a commentary on the military industrial complex, but we take that out and put in an overly long mud wrestling scene.

Speaker 1

Well there was one. There is one little dig at the Army. Howld Ramas apparently was trying to get digs in at the military kind of on the sly by the way, and I meant to mention you mentioned Howard Ramis. It was almost a strange choice. Doesn't seem like a guy who would actually join the army, especially Dennis Quaid. Bill Murray said he wanted Harold Ramis because he's a longtime friend and also could help him rewrite jokes on the spot.

Speaker 2

Yeah, Ivan Rightman was on board as well because he'd worked together with him on either Meatballs or Caddy Shack and knew that he was a great improviser and a really sound comic mind as a great humorist. And I think he got brought in before Bill Murray and Columbia Studios just went no to his audition. They were like, nah, and I get it because he's got real Sam the Eagle energy. You know, he's not like a red nose comittee.

He's more like stoic and quite dead pan. And of course, you know Bill Murray's very deadpan as well, so they maybe wanted to lighten it up, get an actor. They didn't like his acting Chops Ramses. And then Bill Murray was like, like you said, he wanted his mate, someone he could bounce off and improvise with, who he had in alchemy with. And he also apparently in the commentary for this film and the director's commentary, he said that he always felt guilty that he couldn't get him into

Saturday Night Live. Apparently, yeah, that he tried and couldn't get him in. So he just said, no, this is it. He's got to be the other guy with Dennis Quaid. It still would have been a great film, but a lot we would have been missing a lot of those improvised scenes where they just bounce off each other beautifully and they have this amazing chemistry because they're great buddies.

You know, when you're working with a great buddy and you're just like, you know what the other guy's thinking and you know how to lead him to what he needs to say, you know, almost almost telepathic.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I mean you're grabbing. You came through the comedy circuit in Perth with Rove and when Rove got his opportunity that I mentioned, you know, he brought me along for the ride and you know he told me about his mate, which I had heard him talk about. He's made his hairy irishman from from Perth and he you know, he overlooked there's plenty of comics in Melbourne that it would have been, you know, he could have gone for. But he knew he had this amazing chemistry with you,

and he knew what you could you could bring. There's something that's you know, I don't really admire people who go no, no, no, no. I know what I trust this guy. I know what he can do, let's get him in.

Speaker 2

Oh, well, that's beautiful. Yeah. We were like hand and chewy back then. And then I came, I came over to Melbourne, I met Luke Skywalker and the force was strong with us. It was Yeah, we had such a great chemistry and so much fun in those early days. Jesus was Yeah, it was crazy, right, what a year.

Speaker 1

Well we had and we had this moment where we basically were given the keys of the kingdom. It felt like. So for those who don't know Rove was I had done to Channel thirty one with Rove. He got off at his own show at Channel nine and they said, who do you want to bring along? He brought myself, Kring, Grant and Dave along for the ride, and we arrived

at Channel nine where it was set up differently. Back then it was like the old Hollywood system where you'd have these California bungalows on on the lot and you'd have like across the road would be these huge studios. So for you and me, Dave, I remember particularly, we were like writing, you know, a lot of the sketches and to see the right something and then the next day or two days later to go across the studio where a set had been built. We were just like kids in a candy store. Yeah.

Speaker 2

Yeah, that was Buck Wildel to see something you right come to life in a matter of days. Props had get onto a costuming. They'd bring us in and go, how about that. You're like, that's way better than I imagine. We've just come from Channel thirty one. We're like blown away by all this. I'll never forget. I once thought it'd be funny for Rove to finish the show on a Jerry Springer final thought, because I'd been watching a

lot of jobs hooked on Jerry. So I just wrote this final thought and you know, the whole until next time, you know, take care of yourselves and each other and all that sort of stuff. And I wrote this, and then the next thing I know, they've come back and they've got a video cassette and they've put it on and it's Jerry Springer doing it, like doing the script I had written. And I'm just standing there with my jaw on the floor, going, what the frigg is going

on here? How did this magic happen? This Robe McManus guy, my old buddy from Perth, has just got the Midas touched. It was insane. It was a perfect storm. It was just magic unfolding before very eyes. So someone had obviously got in touch. And back then there was no inter or those Internet, but it was you known't get it down the lane. So I think they had a production crew they'd wind up to film Jerry doing that and

then polsted the cassette over. I don't know how they did it, but all I know is it was it was amazing to see my words in the in the mouth of the person that I thought rule was going to just perstige, but they got the actual gate incredible.

Speaker 1

And I refer to a moment in the opening line

of my introduction. We shot a video a sketch called Astrange Funny his Home Funerals, and it involved things going wrong at funerals, and you had the idea, Dave Callum, there would just be a funeral going on around an open grave, and then somebody would ride a bmx is out of nowhere into the open grave and then we're like, well, okay, we'll get a stuntman, you know, And then I think my first reaction was like, Okay, we probably won't be able to do that, and then somebody was like, oh,

we got to start, man, And then you said, no, I want to do it. I want to do it, like and I could do it. And then I was expecting somebody to go, well, we can't because you know you're not you're not a stunt man and you but then you said, well, you know, I've had some interest in stuft in you know, stunts.

Speaker 2

I'm somewhat of an enthusiastic Have you got a neat stunt training?

Speaker 1

No, So why people went with that, I have no idea And it wouldn't happen in twenty twenty two. But in nineteen ninety nine, you you they allowed you to ride a BMX into an open grave.

Speaker 2

Yeah, and more importantly, I was willing to Actually that hasn't changed in twenty twenty two. I would still do it. I designed. I was a big fan of Jackie Chan and he did all his own stunts, and I watched a lot of the making of his stunts that he did, and I kind of like, I just designed stunt. I'd never designed the stunt before, particularly done one.

Speaker 1

You get sketches and everything.

Speaker 2

Yeah, so I sketched it all up on Butcher's paper and so like I thought, this guy's riding his BMX, he hits a coffin and then goes over the handlebars into a grave. I'm just saying it out and out now. I don't know how how they said yeah, but I'm like, no, no, what happens is like I go over the handlebars. You're gonna have a bit of astro turf with a mattress underneath. So I hit the soft ground. Yeah, that's how you do it. And then and then I'll just like tuck

and roll sideways into the grave bomb no problem. And and then I got there on the day and they're like, oh, there's the grave there, and I'm like, that's in that's in the middle of the graveyard. And they're like yeah. And I'm thinking they would have made Doug like a because I said, and I outlined in the design for them to dig a you know, eight foot six foot tank kind of a trenchy thing. It doesn't even have to be that deep. But they were using a grave

a grave. And then I suddenly went visit. I don't know when I get haunted for the rest of my life.

Speaker 1

There was like an and we need to be done by two o'clock because somebody's actually being buried in this grave.

Speaker 2

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you got the coffin ready to go, so you know. But then again, if I did kill myself doing that stunt, at least they wouldn't have to do much with the body, just oh well, let's just bless it and bury it in.

Speaker 1

But the crazy thing was great. Correct me if I'm wrong. So you do the stunt, you ride the BMX into the grave, and then a director at the time, John Taba, says, you do you think you have another one in you?

Speaker 2

Yeah, well, yeah I do. And then the thing is, I decided I got over confident the second time because it went so well the first time. We didn't need a second take. Stupid stunts. If they work, if it's not broke, don't fix it. But I said, yeah, I'd love to do it again. And this time I thought, what would be even better is if I'm looking over my shoulder, because like, if the cyclist is looking ahead, he would see the coffin and he would swerve around it. Yeah,

he'd veer off to one side. So for this to actually be funny, I need to be looking the wrong way. So the second time I'm looking the wrong way in the frame, and I'm also peddling faster with the additional confidence. So instead of going over the confident landing on the prepared ground, I've just gone headfirst into the side of the grave, like I've spear tackled the grave, and my head kind of went plunk and I landed on a

mattress and down at the bottom. All I remember, I'll know if we get this, just me looking up at this rectangle of blue sky, and then all I see are like five or six heads peer over terrified.

Speaker 1

Did he die?

Speaker 2

Is he okay? Did he break his neck? Because if he watched that in slow motion, it's pretty inesting.

Speaker 1

I can still vividly see like a free frame of your head hitting the side of that of that grave, like it was kind of at the wrong angle.

Speaker 2

Yeah, and I'm blessed, and I had a guardian angel looking over me. But I remember the only thing they said note to in that whole process was we watched it in slow motion, and everyone's in peels the laughter, and I went, you've got to do that for the cold closery at the end of the credits. You got to chuck up the slow motion version and they were like, oh no, no.

Speaker 1

We got away with it legal and not approving that before we go back to stripes. And of course we're talking about you know, mate with chemistry, and that's how we got onto this. But I'll also say this, Dave, I've never laughed and I know you know this laughing on set. I've never laughed. I've never laughed, Dave, and I was hoping you'd make it me laugh today I've never laughed more on set and more uncontrollable. Well, yeah, I've had plenty of days where I've laughed a lot

on set, There's no doubt about that. But I think I've ever laughed so much but that I could not rein it in at least to get a single take. And God, Dan McCann The Angry Man, where it was basically you as being angry and around an office and there was a point where you were, I think, throwing cake or something, and I just could not. I mean only had I think, yeah, a budget allowed maybe maybe

three cakes, and I laugh. Yeah, I laughed through the first two cakes or something, and we kind of use them. And then you know, director John Debar said, come on, Pete, we need we need to get this. You cannot laugh is our last cake. And if you look at the and maybe when this episode goes away, we'll post We'll try to find that sketch and post it. It's just me covering up my face and seeing myself laughing. Still.

Speaker 2

Oh, it's so funny because like you're like trying to look shocked. You're like, but you can see your bulging cheeks from buying your fingers, was like, and you're just shoulders are going up and down.

Speaker 1

Oh man.

Speaker 2

Oh yeah. It's always when you when you can't laugh, when you're not supposed to laugh, that's when you get the giggles, like school.

Speaker 1

Yeah, yeah, we'll get back the stripes. It's interesting like when we look at things that have changed and like when And it's early on the film. I'm not sure if you got the feeling, but as soon as Bill Murray gets to his apartment and he calls out to his girlfriend and you hear a voice, a female voice in the other room, you just know she's going to come out topless. Because this is nine an eighty one, you just.

Speaker 2

Know it was contractually obligated between nineteen seventy eight and nineteen eighty three for featured female extras to have their cancer that was in the contract. Yes, I don't know why, and it's kind of weird, and I think they're generally not and god love them, they're generally not pro actors or very They're a bit wouldn't they take you out of the movie a little bit because their acting is not quite up to par with that of the lead.

And I think it's because serious actors at that time who were offered that role just would have gone, why sorry, why my nipples added? Does that advance the plot at all? Yeah, And the serious actresses would would have gone, thank you, but no thank you, and then just get someone from Hooters.

Speaker 1

Yeah. Yeah, it is. Yeah, it really is. You kind of watch it and you kind of go, wow, the fact that you just kind of expected, you know, being you know, a child of that era, you're kind to go, yeah, Like even in what I rememberan Wildcats, to be honest, like Wildcat's Goldie Horn, you know, he's like Beverly the Angelo and National Champion's Vacation like, but these were at least roles with a lot more to do and a

lot more agency, I guess. But yeah, it really was a big thing where it was like HBO always said, you know, it's not new to the HBO, and there was a feeling with with films comedies around those times that you know, seeing female breasts somehow is important.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I think it's like, you know, designed to fit into the trailer on late night TV to get dudes to tune in. But it watching it back now, it's such a product of his time. It's kind of awkward.

Speaker 1

It's like it's resually awkward, and you kind of go and because I wonder if they actually believe that comedy is were aimed at at at men. You know, like I'm not sure how many comedies there were in the early eighties that were deliberately aimed at women. I mean probably Benjamin Goldi Horn was probably you know, holding holding that space up a little bit. But yeah, it is interesting. And then you've got things like and this is an mystery one where you look back and you're going to go.

I mean, I think we look back at these films and we appreciate how far we've come and that there

are much better roles for women. There are, thank god for movies up Bridesmaids and stuff like that, and yeah, booky as Yeah, really blow key, you know, and that was the movie's it's you know, National Anpoons, it's Animal House, it's Porky's, you know, and it's like, I mean, this is like a military comedy really, but it's also it's partly a sex comedy in the way that they go as far as those other films go, but there is you know, there's you could tell they couldn't just leave

sex alone, you know, or near to the line. They for some reason they needed to have it. I mean that that scene with John Larrakatt, you know, Captain Stillman with the binoculars looking in i mean badly designed fort. You'd imagine that he's being able to stand in his office with binoculars go through another window to scene to the shower block.

Speaker 2

They need to talk to hr about that. Yeah, but the general's office overlooking this females. It was so ridiculous and it was so cruel bard In, And again you I blame Porky's because it was such a massive age and people just wanted to put that formula together because they knew you would sell. Yeah, but it just takes you out of the movie and it's just clearly you know, crewe bard In and it just feels it feels a bit of here.

Speaker 1

Yeah. Yeah, And then you have the scene where they go and join the army, and we have a quick listen to that scene.

Speaker 6

I'm not saying that the army'll be able to do you what it did for me. All I'm saying is that you get out of it exactly what you put into it. Well, sometimes the army is your best shot. Now, there's a couple of questions that I have to ask you. They're a little personal line. Have you ever been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor that's a robbery, Ray Carthiff, that sort of thing.

Speaker 2

Convicted?

Speaker 1

Yeah, No, never convicted. That's good.

Speaker 2

Good all either of you homosexuals.

Speaker 6

You mean like flaming or well, it's it's a standard question we have to ask.

Speaker 2

No, we're not homosexual, but we are willing to learn. Yeah, would they send us someplace special? Yes, it's no on both.

Speaker 1

So then there's that same dive.

Speaker 2

Yeah, there's that. You know what, it's that wast comedy because you know it showed Harold Ramises and and Bill Murray's chemistry in alchemy. There they were obviously just shooting the ship with that guy. That guy was a perfect foil for them because he was so serious and he played his role beautiful. I don't know if he was an actual military guy, but he had the entire thing down and so they were just, you know, they were messing with his head and you know, like the line,

so have you have you committed any crimes? And then they list the list of heenus crimes that the person could commit, and then Bill Murray just goes convicted. It's like, it's so subtle, it goes over the head of the recruitment officer, but it hits the audience, perfect pantomime. And then, of course, as you just heard that that question, are either of you homosexuals? My heart was in my mouth.

Paid I was like, this was a time when Eddie Murphy was notoriously getting up and doing homophobic routines in his in his specials, and and I thought, I'm about to see, you know, two of my friends friends to my idols be exposed as big it's get canceled in real time retroactively. And they hand that so beautifully. I thought they did because they had to come up with gags, and they did so without being offensive or bigot it. They just went of course, as you heard, they said no,

but we're willing to learn to go someplace special. It's great two gags off the back of are you homosexuals at a time like that? That are non offensive and funny, brilliant.

Speaker 1

Yeah. I had the same experience. I've seen strikes before many years ago, but I kind of had forgotten bits of it, and I was my heart was in my mouth again, and I thought it was that the lines were funny. I also thought, you know, it's actually a valid point, and it's so valid to point to remember and this is why we, you know, we shouldn't go around canceling stuff because you weren't allowed to be homosexual in the military like they so they he says it.

I have to ask these questions, and up until recently, I'm most like, you know, I remember that debates still going on, and I'm not even sure what the rule is is a whole you don't don't ask, don't tell kind of philosophy, you know, in the US military. I don't know what the what what what the status is now I assume it's better, Yeah, I hope it's it's you know, if you want to serve. You can serve if you fit all the you know, the physical requirements.

But I think that's why it's it's dangerous to go back and cancel stuff, because I think it's it's good to point out and remember that, yeah, this is these are the questions that the US Army actually would ask you.

Speaker 2

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, And it's good to not cancel this stuff because those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it. And I think that it's important to see how far we've come and to really appreciate that, and for for kids to know how important it is to

keep pushing for social rights. Yeah, I think you're right. Like, for example, the one episode of a month of forty Towers has been canceled and is unavailable now because the kernel, you know, the old Dotter colonel in Faulty Towers for her Okay, yeah, yeah, he said really racist things in one episode and they canceled it. And I'm like, what are you doing, Like to show a character is racist, he has to say racist stuff and like he's the victim of the joke, not the people he's talking about.

The victim of the joke is old fashioned, behind the times, racist fuddy duddies who who you laugh at. They're they're a tragic comic character, you know, and and it shows you that that's not the way to be because you're ridiculing the character. The character has to say racist stuff. It's not it's not promoting racism. So I'm disappointed that they canceled that. Again, to show how far we've come would be good and also to to show people how not to behave.

Speaker 1

Yes, we have to show bad behavior. We have to show bad behavior and the consequences of that. If the racist guy wins, then that's you know, probably problematic. But yeah, it's it's it's interesting. There's a lot of improv in this film, obviously, Bill Murray. I mean, let's just talk about it. Before we talk abou anyprov, Let's just talk about Bill Murray, like I mean, he's as beloved as they as they come, as far as American comedic actors.

Steve Martin. Probably in that conversation, I might even have Steve Martin his breath ahead of him talk to me about your love of Bill Murray.

Speaker 2

Well, he just I think what's amazing about Bill Murray is that he does not give a single heck. He does not give a single one. He does no hecks to give, and he's never had a manager. He just has an answering machine and he might get back to you, he might not. He's just an enigma. He turns up to people's houses and does their dishes. During parties, he goes up behind people are restaurants, puts his hands over their eyes and goes You'll never guess who. He just

does what he wants. And in every movie he's not particularly stretching himself acting wise. He's just playing a sardonic, kind of really chill, really sharp, witty, often slacker role in the early years anyway, and people just love him for it. And in interviews he'll just speak his mind. He's a straight shooter. He has no he's not really a people pleasers. A lot of comedians are, because you know, people often get into comedy because they need to please

and to make people happy. But he probably has that too, but he doesn't have He doesn't often employ tact. He'll just say what he thinks. If he doesn't like someone, he'll tell them. I think he can get him into trouble. But also I think it's something that people admire in other people especially if they don't have it and they want it. And people appreciate a truth teller. Not everyone,

but but a lot of people do. And there's something charismatic about someone living completely authentically like he does.

Speaker 1

Sometimes I think he should maybe give a few more hects because he did, and maybe get him to have a manager, because he did agree to do the Garfield movies thinking it was written by one of the Coen brothers, Joel Cohen. It was the Wrong is a different Joe Cohen, and he wrote up he rocks up the Seven Day one is like, where's the Coen brother? Where's the other Coen brother? It's a different one.

Speaker 2

What was the Who was the director of that one?

Speaker 1

Well, it was either an Eighthan or a Joel Cohen. It's the same name. Yeah, right, And yeah.

Speaker 2

He thought they can do no wrong of course, anything they were attached to. I will say, yes, yeah, who are you? Yeah, I haven't seen it, but what a great voice for Garfield though you know that Garfield is essentially drying sardonic as well, so yeah, yeah, fantastic, But whether the script was up to his standards, you know, the thing altogether.

Speaker 1

Exactly the every So there's a lot of improv in this. Let's have a listen to. There's a scene where they're sitting around. It's kind a strange scene in the way because the drill side has been quite strict up until this point, and now he seems like he's just hanging out with the boys. But it's everyone just kind of shares a bit of a backstory and a lot of a lot of these, if not all of them, were, were improvised. Let's have it listen.

Speaker 6

Okay, mister push ups, let's hear your.

Speaker 4

Story chicksting me because I really were underwear, and when I do, it's usually something unusual. But now I know why I have always lost women to guys like you. I mean, it's not just the uniform, it's the stories that you tell, so much fun and imagination. Lee Harvey, you are madmen.

Speaker 1

When you stole that cow.

Speaker 4

And your friends tried to make it with the cow. I want to party with you, cowboy, the two of us together forget it.

Speaker 1

So, I mean, two minds about this. Dave to be a completely honest like Bill Murray is. If you've got to talk about the strength of Bill Murray, it's not even it's his attitude. It's his attitude. That's what we love about Bill Murray. So that doesn't need to be he doesn't need zingers, not to say he doesn't, you know, have zingers you know in his film catalog, but he's not dependent on them the way maybe more Harold Ramis might be. Yeah, but I do wonder, and this is

an improvised scene. I just think there could have been some sharper stuff. It is scene. I do like wonder, like there were some stories that like he's very okay. Is that? Yeah? You know that's that's a perfectly good take from Bill Murray? Is it the best take? Is that the best funniest thing Bill Murray could have said that in the character could have said in that scene. Yeah?

Speaker 2

Sure, Yeah, I'm not sure either. I do like the last line of that, you know, I'll party with you, cowboy. He will never be a thing. It's just a fun line. Is it laugh out loud funny? Though? I think it is. The question is not particularly and I think when you compare it to stuff like Adam McKay's films nowadays, Step Brothers is an example, it's like the amount of ad libbing they must have done in the amount of time on the editing room they must have done to get

it down to what it was. But I think those guys nowadays they add lib for hours and hours and hours of film and they can cherry pick the best stuff. I don't think maybe because it's digital now and it was filmed back then, exactly have enough money in the budget to roll and roll and roll and roll, So they probably just did maybe one or two or three. And I think sometimes I feel a bit like actors of that caliber would maybe resent scriptwriters who haven't written

the script properly. It's good to leave room for AdLib or to have a script and allow them to add lib alternative versions. But maybe in some of the cases in this film and some of the scenes, they were like, well, we kind of left it without a gag, but you just do want no like gags are something you can just do. They have to be inspired and come out of divine inspiration moments. So maybe there was a bit of that, like he was written into a corner and couldn't quite gag his way out of it, you know.

Speaker 1

Yeah, And you're absolutely right. It's a big difference is that the shooting on digital now, where they came. They can shoot all day and it doesn't cost much as opposed to shooting on film where it was expensive. So you know, maybe Bill Murray had four cracks at Matt you know, and that who knows, it might have bean, it might have been Yeah, I'm sure it was probably a few more, but but yeah, it is. I just wonder sometimes I love to seeing provisation when it's right.

I love to saymprovisation in front of me, as opposed to you know, I feel like you shouldn't know it's improvised if it's on screen. I feel if people to talk, it's too much like a peep behind the curtain for me. And I feel like sometimes it can be disrespectful to

the screenwriter. Yeah, and I've mentioned this on this podcast before I became alert to listening to the DVD of Wedding Crashes, where Vince Vallne kept on talking about how much human and improvised their lines, and it's like, yeah, well somebody somebody wrote this, you know, and they yeah.

Speaker 2

Yeah, it's interesting, like credit to the screenwriter. But yeah, it depends. I mean, sometimes if the screenwriter just leaves out jokes, leaves gaps in the script, because they know the guys genus brilliant and yeah, you write the jokes in there. I mean, you know, that's debatable about who gets the credit and whether it's ethical for them to do that, to expect the actor to fill in the blanks and make it, make the magic happen.

Speaker 1

So to speaker, we should talk about the there are two female characters in this. They're not it's it's it's very nine to eighty one. At least they don't have to get there, you know, get naked. But Sean Young and PJ. Sols played Louise instead of the two military police,

and it's you know, I mean, there's no why. I mean, you know, we just go along the fact that these women fall in love with these men who are kind of jerky, you know, really you know, jerky losers, and they you know, I mean, thank god we have come further than this.

Speaker 2

You're like, you can do so much better. You're Rasal from Blade Runner.

Speaker 1

You know. Well, Sean Young did not get along with Bill Murray because she did not like his improvising, so she has her own process. And I was chatting to Julie Morris a little bit. We spoke about happy Gilmore and the improvising that kind of goes on, and we were talking about it does take it's okay of one, you know, for people the improvise, but it does take, you know, people within the scene to be a chemistry

to be present for improvisation to work. And obviously we spoke about Howl Ramis and Bill Murray in that scene when they sign up for the army, they have that beautiful chemistry going on. But if he put one actor in the scene that doesn't doesn't you know, isn't comfortable improvising, or doesn't have that chemistry with you, it can either lead to a bad scene or at least a kind of fractuous onset relationship.

Speaker 2

I can imagine that. Yeah, Like I watched an interview with Bill Murray from the time nineteen eighty one and he was saying that you know, I don't no sorry. It was Harold Ramas and he was talking about the Second City, which is an imperv group that he came from here, and he was going, Emperor was great because you know, you get it's the actor's worst nightmarey you're on you're on screen or on stage without a script,

and you're feeling your way around. You don't know what the scene is, you don't know what's coming next, but the audience know as well. And he said, it gets rid of your fear of being naked in public, so to speak. Yeah, so some actors just haven't done that, and it's a muscle. You got to flex it, you got to work it out, you got to develop it. And if actors have only done what's on the page, that's all they're going to want to do, you know.

And some just aren't inclined towards it. And I think Sean Young probably Sean Young yet probably strikes me as as the latter camp. And to be to be then put with some second city guys, not only that, stand up comedians, beloved ones at that, and then to have to kind of you know and match match energy with them, that would have been pretty harrowing for for a young actor. Yeah.

Speaker 1

Yeah, completely. P J Stalls, who played Stella, also, funny enough, played a character I think Wanda Winter was a name the year before in Private Benjamin and actually wore the same outfit exactly.

Speaker 2

Wow. Well, I'll see, I'll see that, and I'll add to that, there's a colonel in a colonel Glass and he's played by Lawrence Groun or something. Anyway, this guy, I'm looking at him, go, who the hell is this guy? And then I realized it's Colonel Decker from the A Team, you know, the A Team and trying to capture them. That was that guy. He was the colonel in this as well. He was a colonel in the A Team.

He played a lieutenant in t J. Hooker called Lieutenant Decker the year before he was Colonel Decker in the A Team. I'm like, is that a coincidence, same actors, same surname, or is there a shared cinematic universe between t J. Hooker and the A Team, which I've to think. Then in nineteen eighty six and Iron Eagle, he played in general so I like the way during his career advancement he also advanced in military ranks. He's like, I'll just buy my own I've got yeah, I'll just buy

an army costume. It's fine, and add medals or take them out as appropriate.

Speaker 1

And I'm gonna raise you again because Ivan rightman wants it. I think his name is John uh flat flat flairy Flaherty. I'm not sure how to finance surname. I apologize Irish names. Yes, yes, how do you How would you say flairtly, flapperty, flattery, Flaherty, Flaherty, flatterity, yes, John Flapherty.

Speaker 2

Think hurty at the end and then think flat.

Speaker 1

Flathirty flat erty, John flait hurty, John flit Herty.

Speaker 2

Already this is just like okay, Pete, this is the word and it's double laughing.

Speaker 1

You. You're gonna got me a coxa like I soon. I know in true Dan McCann, the angry man fashion.

Speaker 2

In the room with me, so I could throw a cake in your face? What is what can you spell it?

Speaker 1

F F l a h e r T why Flaherty.

Speaker 2

Yeah, you did it, even did it with the sing song voice.

Speaker 1

Well, you're leaning to the irishness a little bit, I think for that name for me, not too.

Speaker 2

Much green face, please people. Hellia is a friend's name. I'm pretty sure. So that's well yeah Flaherty, Yeah Flaherty.

Speaker 1

I was saying, if regressed again, Yeah, well I even rather wanted him to play the role of the border guard. Yeah, but they ended up there's another actor. This goes back to Bill Murray and Joel Cohen. You know, in the Garfield movie, there's another one called Joseph x Flaherty Flaherty.

Speaker 2

You need to urish your flaherty is before you talk about him again.

Speaker 1

Wi my wife always funny enough stumbled, I cannot has to say you say Billy Connolly, has to say Connolly, like has to already focused to say Connolly.

Speaker 2

For some reason, as opposed to colony.

Speaker 1

A colony colon.

Speaker 2

Billy coloscopy. I'm a guy, you know, we man fucking you know, walking along with my face and that we're sticking away camera up my house. We get a guy with a camera. How don't we look around, you know, hit me with ge spot please while you're there, you don't mind.

Speaker 1

That's the famous comedian Billy for Hurley.

Speaker 2

I'm calling him that from now on.

Speaker 1

Well, so this this this Joseph x Flairly, Oh.

Speaker 2

God, you can outsource the flowerties to me. Just Joseph x Flaherty.

Speaker 1

And he rocks up the He rocks up the set and maybe to rehearsal or maybe the pre production and Ivan Rightan realized they got the wrong guy, so he gets given a smaller role and they do go out and get the proper Joe.

Speaker 2

Flairerty except except to follow you around for the rest of your life. Now, in case you say that's her.

Speaker 1

Name again, I imagine if I had the interviewer introducing him on the project, that'll be no.

Speaker 2

No, no. And the thing is you'd rehearsed millions of times before, but then in the moment your brain and say, no, you can't have that anymore. So is that way there were two border guards instead of one.

Speaker 1

No, I think it was a different role. Actually, I think he was like one of the smaller sergeants, you know, or more minor sergeants earlier on. So, yes, a good story, badly told.

Speaker 2

I think I think you kind of like maybe like yeah, maybe just through a few stumbling blocks in there with your persistence and douged miss Pronuncia the whole caboose. Those two Russian guys were great. They were really funny.

Speaker 1

Yeah, well, funnily enough. John Flirt he has been I want to look a look him up. I meant to do it earlier, but he has been. I'm pretty sure he might have actually been in Happy Gilmore as well, which I'm pretty sure I probably would have uh set up his name back then. But I'm sure he was in something maybe I can't find it anyway.

Speaker 2

So so they were knowing comics as well.

Speaker 1

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think they're part They were part of the gang. There is a scene I want they want to talk about, which is almost like the most serious scene in the film, which takes place in the in the bathroom, when drill Sergeant Holker has has had enough of the comic ways of John Winger. And and this is a trope in these kinds of movies. I have a word, uh private word, and and this takes place in the bathroom.

Speaker 5

Get the idea of Winger that you don't like me.

Speaker 2

Maybe I just don't know you well.

Speaker 5

Enough yet, Sorge, what do you say? Let's cut out the bullshit between you and me. Let's I think here a fuck. I've been in this army twenty eight years.

Speaker 2

I've seen your.

Speaker 5

Can come and go.

Speaker 2

You think you know something about everything, don't you.

Speaker 6

Well, let me tell you something, mister.

Speaker 2

You don't know a damn thing about soldiering.

Speaker 4

Oh it's real tough stuff, such especially that marching in the street line business.

Speaker 2

I hate talking about that crap.

Speaker 5

I'm talking about something important like discipline and duty and honor and courage and you ain't got none of it.

Speaker 2

Those words mean so much to a man who scrubs garbage cans. Look, if you don't want me in your army, kick me out, but get off my back.

Speaker 5

Maybe you'd like to, uh take a swing at me.

Speaker 2

I'd like to take a big swing at you, sir.

Speaker 5

We'll go ahead and give it your best shot.

Speaker 4

I don't think I wanna go to the stockade.

Speaker 2

I'll take my hat off.

Speaker 3

Ere.

Speaker 1

We are a winger.

Speaker 5

Ain't no more drill, sergeant, It's just you and me, kid man the man.

Speaker 2

He said, go ahead, give it your best shot.

Speaker 6

Swing at me.

Speaker 2

Get less.

Speaker 7

Fuck.

Speaker 6

I'm wanting to forget about it, inst it and I want you to think real hard about it and maybe someday you'll understand what the hell I'm talking about.

Speaker 1

It does stand at divers as perhaps the most interesting saying in the film, and something that's tonally a bit of a shift.

Speaker 2

It's a great scene like the mension and the stakes are pretty high and you don't know what's going to happen. I was glued to that scene more so than the rest of the film. It was almost like it was out of full metal jacket rather than a screwball military comedy. The studio hated it. They wanted to take it out.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I get that.

Speaker 2

For the pacing, I mean, it does change the energy of the film. It does change the mood. It kind of creates a bit of an icy feeling. But it's such a great scene. I'm really glad they left it in. And I think the reason that they did was because somebody went into bat for Bill Murray saying that it shows as flexibility has ranged as a dramatic actor.

Speaker 1

Yeah. Well, I think Bill Murray kind of stood up for himself a bit and said, I think this is the scene's important as well. He wanted to show that these two were, you know, at loggerheads and we're enemies at this stage. And it does. It increased the stakes, But I can I can actually see the studio's point of view. It is such a shift, and I think if you're to make this film now, if you're going to have this scene, you would you would lean into it, you know, a bit more by finding ways to raise

the stakes elsewhere in the film. It's almost like they've gone, Okay, this can be the bit where we raise the stakes, you know, and then we'll just get on with these little set plays outside outside of it.

Speaker 2

Yeah, you're right, because the rest of the movie it's almost like little sketches. There's always a punchline at the end of every scene, and that one's just like a pure dramatic scene.

Speaker 1

And performed really well.

Speaker 2

You know.

Speaker 1

And and Warren Oates, who plays Holker, you know, he was in The Wild Bunch and bad Lands and apparently would tell tales of being on the Wild Bunch, you know, massive iconic film and sadly died a year after the film was released with the heart attack. But they're great together, Like there's a really lovely dynamic between Bill Murray and Warren Oates.

Speaker 2

There was you could tell there was a mutual respect. You know, he's obviously a veteran of those films. He brought that energy to this role, but he also had a bit of a comic edge to it, and I think he respected Bill Murray's serious edge, his dramatic age. So I think there were a yin and yang together, especially in that scene it was it's just yeah, it just pings, it really does.

Speaker 1

It made me kind of you know, I kind of lean forward a bit and kind of go okay, this is yeah, okay, you know, when you have that moment, you can okay, this film's taking off now, Like he doesn't probably completely take advantage of, you know, the work that that scene had done. But what was interesting as well, there was a there was a cut scene, Dave, a nine minute scene where John and Russell take LSD and accidentally end up on a mission to fight rebels in

the Colombian jungle. And finally the studio loved it. But yeah, but it was well it was Ivan, well, I'm over sure it was the army, but the maybe it was that potentially you're correct their Dave, but Ivan Rightman said that didn't fit the tone of the film, which is interesting. I mean it is this is like a nine minute sequence based on an LSD trip. And also it probably takes away when they finally do go to Eastern Europe.

I wanted to ask you about that, like did you start getting ahead of yourself and kind of go, okay,

where where does this film go? Like there's no there's no war on as such, this is not set in the you know, they can't end up in a you know, Vietnam or you know, in World War two the time period do you kind of go, this might go into kind of Eastern Europe the Cold War, because you kind of feel like, Okay, the natural place for this to go is is these guys that end up in a war zone or war type situation.

Speaker 2

Yeah. I actually was very surprised. I didn't expect them to go into a conflict, let alone for it to degenerate into an episode of The A Team Eastern Europe.

Speaker 1

I mean it was.

Speaker 2

It was like every episode of The A Team ended with them stuck in a barn and having to weld metal to like some sort of RV that was in there, and then they'd bust out and win the day. I'm pretty sure this was the prototype for every eighteen episode ever. It was. Yeah, it was a real bait and switch

because I honestly didn't know what's going to happen. I thought it would be just basic training all the way through, but they kind of got maybe a little bit railroaded into creating a bit of an action finale, so to speak, to have them kind of, after their basic training go and actually use their skills and win the day against some some enemy. Yet. But it was surprising when I think I went to get a drink out of the fridge, and they came back and they're like, welcome to Italy

and I'm like, oh, Italy, like upstate New York, Italy. Oh, they were actually in Italy and I'm like what. And then they draw from Italy to Germany and I'm like, how did they do that? The Alps are in the way, like that's not quick. And then there's like Czechoslovakians involved in Russians. I'm like, what is going on again? Like you said at the start of this podcast, you know, leafs of logic, there were so many at the.

Speaker 1

End, yeah, yeah. And I'm not sure that if they just take advantage of Americans not caring, because this is back in the day where it really seemed like and I'm not sure how much has changed, but Americans still make movies for the American market and like have like there's no there's no consideration that you know, people don't know who this baseball player is or this reference is that you know, like they just continued. They never seemed

to think, well, how does this play overseas? And that's fair enough that you know, I feel like they just go, well, nobody in America knows the maps of Europe anyway, and that the Alps are in between Germany and Italy, and you know that's it's not gonna who cares.

Speaker 2

Well, Yeah, that's what it was. Yeah, I forgot about the whole Yeah, take it or leave it aspect to American films, and yeah, they're not really caring about cultural imperialism. We will consume their media anyway. They don't need to know about our geography.

Speaker 1

I mean, you had the moment where they they teach themselves after the dull sergeant gets kind of blown up on that thing and he's okay, but you know, he basically falls down and they shot of missile into the adventure playground, that's call it that. And then they had to train themselves and they come up, you know, and as they're marching to like the I guess the square or whatever it was, and they've got shirts hanging out,

someone wearing white shirts. I'm not sure what the choices were as wardrobe goes, but I thought maybe they have them at least stressing their their fatigues, you know, or at least neatly might have been a nice touch. But maybe you don't expect, you know that they want us to have our expectations low and then they kind of come out with some what's some choreography, that's what they've been working on and uh, and let's have a little listen to that.

Speaker 4

True where the hell have you been soldier.

Speaker 6

Training?

Speaker 2

Sure? What kind of training?

Speaker 7

Son by training?

Speaker 2

Sir? Because like last even better shoulder?

Speaker 1

Oh right?

Speaker 2

Why didn't across the road?

Speaker 4

Right?

Speaker 1

You step a ring?

Speaker 5

No?

Speaker 1

So yeah, it goes. It goes for like longer than you think. And but it actually kind of I like that to go the length of time that does go because you kind of go, Okay, they're actually they have they actually have learned some kind of military choreography and they've put their own spin on us and it's fun.

Speaker 2

Yeah, someone needs to drop some beats behind that. It could be the next Louis throu It was. It was actually a really cool scene and it came at a great time in the movie because I think it wasn't

it wasn't that long after that serious bathroom scene. And yeah, you mentioned that the fact that they were all on topped and kind of dishevel and I think that was to visually tell the audience said, yeah, the drill sergeant's gone as slacker is now they're drill sergeants, and so they're all they've all followed the leader and they're dressed

like him. They're doing this wild choreography which incorporates actual military drill stuff like the guns to the shoulder and the spinny spinny and all that, but they've added a bit of jazz ballet to it. It's such a fun scene. I reckon it sustains the length, even though it is a long boy, it's it's pretty pretty good all the way through it. It was quite a jovial moment. Yeah.

Speaker 1

And the longer it, guys, you've got, the more impressive it kind of becomes, which I think was nice. They were. I was surprised the ward jup. They were untacked. And I'm going to try to get you to use a certain word, Dave. I'm surprised I couldn't tack the shirts into.

Speaker 2

Their flabherties flaerty steady.

Speaker 1

We got there, We got there. Let's talk about the mud scene and John Candy. John Candy is one of my favorite comic actors. The empathy that I feel towards John Candy, maybe because I've always been a man of girth. Uh, He's always I've always had I don't know, I felt like a kinship with John Candy and I mean playing Strange and Ortab it was one of my favorite films of all time. This is like six years before that. He's so much fun. And what are your overall this views on John Candy himself.

Speaker 2

Oh, he's a great tray protagonist. Yeah, I learned that at Media Studies Bachelor of Englist majoring in film and television.

Speaker 1

What what was the word you used?

Speaker 2

Actually I just discovered it today. Tritagonist. It's the third protagonist. So you got like Billbras the protagonist and the dueter agonist is Harold Ramis, and then you've got the third so like he's a tertiary protagonist. Yeah, so he he's probably the MVP sometimes in this film. He just has some great comedy set pieces. He's just funny to look at. Yeah, and he's got funny bones. As they say, he can do anything. He's a great physical comedian. But then sometimes

I think, do people just move funny? Are they not necessarily good physical comedian but just play virtue of their shape or the way they move? People laugh of me no matter what I do, which is a blessing and a curse. But if I like them and they're just go ha ha ha. Anyway, so they.

Speaker 1

But Johnny John Canny obvious, he's got that physicality, but he is. I think he's so funny if you look at I could watch like a YouTube kind of mashup of John Candy just reacting to stuff, Like his reactions and stuff is just for me, just gold and makes me laugh all the time. One of my favorite movie memories, he's watching National Champion's Vacation with my mum and her laughing so hard at John Candy on that roller coaster as well.

Speaker 2

May not have been acting, that might have been just him actually really been terrified. Like to circle back to the mud wrestling scene where he's, yeah, mud wrestle five five women and he he just cops the hits from them, and it's not acting. He's reacting to their blows. Like one of them kicks them in the stomach really hard.

You know the bit where it's like no biting in thee is bitten and no no hitt in the face, then no kicking and she just unleashes this mood tie to the to the stolar plexus and he's he looks like he's winded. But it's hilarious.

Speaker 1

Yeah, so it's absolutely it's it's it is hilarious, like take away. You know. Obviously there's more gratuitous near to the We've talked about that, We've covered that, but it is funny. John Canny was deeply uncomfortable with doing this scene. Though. There's a great book which I've referred to a few times. I'm not sure if you've read it there, called Wild and Crazy Guys. It's a great book that covers basically

all those SNL actors who became super movie superstars. Dan Akroyd, Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Belushi, Bill My hurry, and I'm just going to read it a little bit out to you. John Candy argue passionately that the scene should be cut, entirely, believing it was sexist and designed to make him look like a pig in a sty. John didn't want to do it, and he was pissed off that he had agreed to do it, says Dave Thomas. He was like, Hey, I've got a lot more to

offer than this. Don't make me wrestle nude women in a mud tub in a way hold Ramus low board John even at SCTV Second City TV, he would write write a load of fat jokes for John and jud would do them because he was a nice guy. But it did bother him. Yeah, yeah, so it is, you know, I think it's it's worth noting even though I mean, I think John Candy would want us to, you know, still enjoy that scene and find hilarious, and even the scene before when you know, when he's considering getting into

the ring and Bill Murray gives that speech. You know, he's very funny in that. I just find him a very funny guy. And when I read that book, it did kind of it's added me to a degree that he well, it's aded to me that he didn't want to do that, saying was kind of forced to do it. He don't very often here from my perspective, I mean, the amount of women who are obviously forced to do things, possibly including the same by talking about we you know,

that's that happens time and time again. Hopefully it's getting better. But to hear from my own perspective is is a bit more rare.

Speaker 2

Yeah, that's heartening. That speaks volumes to his character, that he'd be like, I'm awkward with this, to be honest, you know, like not only the two perspectives, not only you know, the perspective of you know, the I guess exploitation aspect, but also explore, you know, the fat shaming aspect of it, like he's a pig and a sty kind of thing, you know. Yeah, so I think that speaks volumes. I'm so glad he's such a nice guy and so has basically standards and so on, and it's

a shame that, you know. Overriding that was the fact that they were making a film, and they wanted people to talk about it, including teenage boys at high school going either's mud wrestling, you're going to see this movie or whatever. Way. They thought that crow barring in that scene would would help sales or reputation. But yeah, it doesn't stand up today. I kind of got awkward watching it when it started. I was like awkward with it, and then as it unfolded, I realized that Candy saved it.

He saved the scene by just being brilliant and just just doing it po faced and physically, you know, there there were physical gags in there, and so he saved it. Really it it was kind of terrible, but he wasn't.

Speaker 1

Yes, yes, exactly, And I think you're right. There's almost a where he decides to actually win that actually kind of become it becomes it becomes a bit funny in a way, and yeah, he's celebration and is is good fun.

Bill Murray in ninety seven ninety ninety seven express a little bit of regret and remorse for being in a in a movie where he was carrying a machine gun, but has also kind of said, but you know, yeah, he's not completely apologizing for it or anything like that, but he just kind of he finds it awkward maybe to look at those to those scenes. I'll give you

another fun fact. Dave, the guy who played Cruiser justin dial I think his name is is his first paid job, first paid job, and he stayed in character the whole time. He went method in his first job for a role straight.

Speaker 2

Away, never go for the method on your first gig. Had he just kind of like read a book by sir John. Why did he decide that's the best way to start. It's like that's an advanced technique surely, and a questionable one for some of that, you.

Speaker 1

Know, Yeah, and it's usually people like Daniel Dave Lewis doing it for roles like my left foot or in the name of the Father, not necessarily playing the sixth character. If that, maybe you know the eighth character who's just a bit dumb. He actually apologized to Ivan Rightman at the ends, and he actually said, I'm sorry for being dumb all the time.

Speaker 2

It must be exhausting for everyone, especially the actor. I mean, you know, if you want to be the character and get into the character, just walk around your apartment, don't don't bring it to the work set. You know, in between takes, can you change emotions on a dime? Like can you can you go from happy to sad, angry to hungry? Whatever? Can you do that? Well? Yeah, then you can turn it on when the camera gets turned

on you. Sorry if I'm offending any actors listening who are all about the method, I'm sure that there's pros and cons to it, but I don't know. It must be a pain in the whole.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I often think about what it does to the mood on set, but I honestly I think method means different things to different people. Like some I think we always think the method is always never come to leaving the character. I think there are subtle differences or differences in the way some actors approach being method. In verta commas.

Speaker 2

I'll tell you what would have been just wild, would have been hanging out with Tony Clifton, you know, the character that that Andy Kaufman used to do. Yeah, that's taking it to a whole new level, pretending that but that your method character is a whole different person. Yeah. Yeah, and then doing stuff like getting a call saying we need to fire Tony and he's like, oh, you have to tell him in person. I'm not going to see him. You know, shit like that is wild.

Speaker 1

Yeah, yeah, it's nuts. It's not nuts to be around. Not a little fun fact. Dave, the cast this was being shot. It comes out in eighty one, so I was shot nine an eighty. While I was shooting at John Lennon was assassinated and the cast got drunk pretty heavy day. You can imagine them all being Beatles fans and Lennon fans. And the scene that John Laraquett tells him off for going out to the mud wrestling night and he's berating Candy and Judge Reynhold and the others.

Apparently Larry Cat was. He would admit a middle later on it. He was drunk in that scene.

Speaker 2

That scene was the day that they had gotten really drunk.

Speaker 1

Yeah, it must be like whether he was hungover or actually drunk, maybe still drunk from the from the night before.

Speaker 2

Through or hair of the Dog and he had a few too many. Yeah, I want to rewatch that scene there.

Speaker 1

Yeah. Yeah, when I because when I was watching, I thought, doesn't seem to he seems he seems different. I did. Actually I didn't know this fact when I was watching it and then I but I did kind of clock something didn't seem his manner. Didn't say. My mind didn't go, oh he's slurring or he's drunk or anything like that. But I just kind of felt the performance didn't quite

match up with the other bits of that character. I found the character kind of confusing as to because I thought the drill sergeant was the antagonist and that's who we're kind of like, and then we got this other one who's kind of just a bit weird, and is he the one where kind of supposed to hate you know, there's nothing about him that was enjoyable, So we kind of disliked him, but yeah, I found that a bit, a little bit confusing.

Speaker 2

Yeah, telling was a bit clumsy, virus, a lot of loose ends, and I've tied up a lot of characters that could have just been condensed into one person. It definitely wasn't a well paced or it didn't have a particularly good.

Speaker 1

Floor and I mean, let's face it, it was a star vehicle for Bill Murray and he got his funny mates involved. The legacy of this movie really is that it starts opening the doors for Southern out live performers to become movie stars. Some people will say for better or worse. I think for better. I think a lot of those guys Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase Down, Acro, definitely Steve Martin have made some of the great comedies of the eighties.

And for Beverly Hills, cop To you know, to play Strains and Ormobiles or even the jerk and Ryan's you know Caddy Shack grand Og Guy. I mean it is you know, a nation lampage vacation. It's it's pretty staggering the comedy that you know, four or five blogs put out.

Speaker 2

Yeah, oh yeah, the prolific output is incredible from those alumni from Saturday Night Live, and yeah, this film again probably launched a lot of those opportunities led to the Blues Brothers, one of my.

Speaker 1

Favorites of course.

Speaker 2

Yes, yeah, there was a scene at the start that I felt like, I don't know if it could have been improved by this idea, but it's what I imagined in my mind. And then I think this considerations why it didn't happen. But remember he's right in the driving the cab around and and the haughty Upper east Side lady as she was in her actual film credit in

this was Grumpy Dowager in Taxi or something like that. Anyway, she played that Upper east Side haughty woman with a tiny dog in a big fur coat in every new from the seventies to the eighties, and she's great and she's really pissed off with them. But he just he has a gutfull, pulls the car over and he goes to the edge of the water and I'm like, he's just gonna walk into the sea. He's just gonna like oh yes, yeah, yeah yeah. And like next scene he's

opening his apartment door just soaking wet. I thought that would have been hilarious but instead he threw the keys and I don't know why. It's probably because they didn't want to copycat people going no, you can just jump into a river off a bridge. That would be probably bad.

Speaker 1

Well, I thought what he was going to do was stop the cab and get her lugga jat and throw them into the river, which I thought would have been funny. Also funny yer because nothing really happened it like he threw the keys in and he climates. I thought, yeah, yeah, I thought you could have done done more with that that bridge. Funnily enough, it was the Ohio River, and it's the same bridge and river that Muhammad Ali through his Olympic gold medal.

Speaker 2

Intern Oh wow, I wonder if that was a reference to that.

Speaker 1

Pretty subtle, so pretty subtle.

Speaker 2

Yeah, yeah, but that's interesting. What year did he do that? Was that during the Vietnam War Rior?

Speaker 1

I imagine, I imagine around that time. I imagine it's before eighty one, unless it was something you did retrospectively, Yeah, hang.

Speaker 2

On in the mid nineties. I didn't like Vietnam gold medal. You got to do it at the time of the way moment.

Speaker 1

Yeah, it's that point protesting the Vietnam or in nineteen eighty one. The damage has been done. It did see this like a bunch of war movies. Like I said in the intro, Private Benjamin was the year before Taps was the same year obviously in a Gentleman, the year after Top Guns made in eighty six, Bloxi Blues eighty eight, Heartbreak Read eighty six, Full Metal Jack of eighty seven. So there was a real appetite for military movies in

that thing. But I will I will say that, like I think there are plenty of last in this movie, and if Strip is one of your favorite films, I hope we haven't put any kind of water on that. This is not about canceling things. It is a weird thing when you watch films, you know, forty years later

and things you pick up. I will say that there were, like I mentioned, I think film's got more interesting and they kind of put more work into the plot, and that was I think maybe getting off the coke a little bit, maybe taking a bit more time to actually make you know, to think films through. I'm sure there's a host of reasons, but even a movie like Wildcats with Goldie Horn in it, you know which comes out. I'm going to guess around about eighty four eighty five.

It's interesting. That's almost inherently more interesting because it is a female lead and she inherently has these stakes involved because she is a divorced mum and there's the threat of having a kid taking away while she kind of tries to coach a football team, and I think there's that kind of element is lacking. I'm not saying that you know, this should this needed to be a female

lead role at all. I'm just saying that I wonder if a bit more work had been done investing in John Winger and giving is a bit more depth as opposed to just letting Bill Murray be Bill Murray, which is always a joy to look at, and this is why this film still provides laughs and some enjoyment. But I wonder if it would have been considered maybe a great and a more enjoyable rewatch if we had a bit more substance to these characters.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I think I think so too, a bit more of a backstory, especially for how Ramas's character, and certainly maybe a bit of a tweak on the pacing, maybe a little bit of an old edits, maybe a redraft of the script, and there could have been something super special. As it is, I liked it. I really enjoyed it.

Speaker 1

Yeah yeah, because when you win, Bill Murray has that thing where it's like, oh, we'll be your leader. I feel like it comes a little bit out of the blow. Like he does mentioned he does mention at the Big tost speech that he announces that he's prepared, you know, if he almost foretells for shadows what's going to happen. It's like, if I need to step up our wheel, I'll be the big toe. I think that's what he says. But it kind of comes from though we're not really

sure why he says that. It doesn't come from lessons learnt in the movie. He just says it, you know, and that's what happens in the end. But plenty of fun, plenty of laughs, some comedy icons, and some mud wrestling. What more could you ask for.

Speaker 2

It's it's a heady concoction. Also, I don't think the Army would have actually requires a huge suspension of disbelief for the Army to go, oh, yeah, we'll let the fnngs train themselves. It would have just got another drill sergeant and it's not protocol for them to go, Yeah, let the enlisted people just do their own drill, sergeanty Well.

Speaker 1

And the fact that these guys would have been that, you know, we've seen them be fuck ups this whole time, and the fact that they would be the ones who got sent on this secret mission, you know, need some suspension of this belief. But again, the comedies around this time, and you know, even some comedies you know after Habby

Gilmore kind of fits into this category. I think where they just go, we don't, we don't actually care, not in a not necessarily even in a maybe in a sloppy way, in just this is not the movie we're making. We're making a silly movie. And if you're on board with some silliness, we'll give you some. We'll give you a plate loads of silly. And there's part of me that sometimes thinks we're lacking in that. But with that said, I'd like a little bit more meat on my with my potatoes.

Speaker 2

Yeah, a few more bathroom scenes.

Speaker 1

Fewer bathrooms is yes, yes, absolutely great scene.

Speaker 2

Great, let's wrestling.

Speaker 1

More bathrooms, Dave, come on, this podcast comes with homework. I really do appreciate you watching this movie and and your insights into not only this movie but Star Wars and grandhog Day and The Greatest Showman and reflecting on our time together many years ago. Da ages, we're getting old.

Speaker 2

Oh we're just aace? Is fully gracing what age? Fully gracing? Grace? Again, we're getting old. You're right. That was worse than you trying to say, Flower.

Speaker 1

Take me back. I'm already thinking do we take it out or do we leave it in. I think we're gonna have to leave it in. It's it's too good.

Speaker 2

I've been doing every misfire of Flaherty. You said you almost got it one time.

Speaker 1

One time, and you thought, okay, we can move on there. And then I said it again and that You're like, no, we can't move on because you're it hasn't stuck.

Speaker 2

You regressed back to your old ways. There absolute honor, by the way. It's I could talk movies all day and I could talk to you all day. So the two together is an absolute tree for me. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1

I love you, mate. Chats bloody hell. It was good to catch up with my old mate Dave call and talk about Bill Murray and the gang in that stripes. I hope you enjoyed that too. Riding alongside me is, of course, Derek Myers and Castaways Studios dot Com. This is where we've been recording this podcast since the very first episode where a stone throws away from what Time Out magazine called the coolest street in the world, Smith

Street here in Collingwood in Melbourne. Derek, how are you fantastic? Yes, I imagine you've been a Stripes fan.

Speaker 7

Yeah, I definitely was.

Speaker 1

I've never been quite pick it. Sometimes I think this has got Derek Morris written all over it, and then you're slight hasnant. Well you've got why.

Speaker 7

Once again, it always seems to come to what age I was when these things came out, and this was sort of around, you know, revenge of the nerdsy kind of Yes, my favorite Stripes moment was in English class. It must it must have been year eleven or something like that, and we're all talking about the Grapes of Wrath and Cry, the Beloved Country and all these intellectual books, I suppose, and then they started talking about favorite films

and everyone was really flexing. You know, how people do you? Oh, I really love this And I was two thousand and one Space OBYSSEYE and Terry Preston, the only proper footy player in our you know, played for Vermont. He's jumped up and he goes stripes, stripes everyone, and he just for the first time, he just was alive. And he turned to the whole class and said, you've got to see it. Everyone, it will split your side. And he just made the best I've ever seen for a film.

And so a lot of us had a bit of a look at it after that, and yeah, we loved it.

Speaker 1

There is a part of me when I watched movies that are kind of comedies from that era that are revered like Stripes, that I think I reckon we had quite a low bar for comedy in a way. I know that sounds like quite disrespectful, and I know comedy doesn't always age as well as you know, a drama, but I just got to think, pound for pound laughed

at loud. You know. I think you look at a Judd Apato film, for example, just to think of one, you know, forty year Old Virgin, the amount of jokes and the amount of laughs that are in that compared to even this, the amount of jokes that they're even

going for in Stripes. I think Stripes kind of is iconic because of it's, you know, one of the early Bill Murray films, and he you know, he's he's just he effortlessly has it what he has, his effortless charm that kind of carries the movie and makes it what it is. But as far as like pound for pound, joke for joke, I think there we have higher expectations that.

Speaker 7

Yeah, definitely. And it was a bit of a shock because I remembered it as a comedy and I'm always telling the kids, oh, well, you know, what's on TV at eight thirty hour would have been rated R in my day. So I've put it on with my twelve year old daughter and it's like what and I'm like, oh, don't look, you know, look what It was awkward. Yeah, But then the bit I guess that was a bit awkward was when the guy was a sex crime you know, spying on it.

Speaker 1

Yeah, that seemed to be a real thing in these kinds of this stage in comedies. You had Revenge of the Nerds. There's always that stuff going on Gregory's Girl, There's that stuff going on Porky, So there was always the peep holes were seen to be a thing, and so hopefully we've all moved past that. But I really enjoyed watching it again and I certainly enjoyed chatting with Dave about it. You can get onto us and you

can be part of the podcast. We would actually we would love to hear your voice on our speak pipe. It's basically like an answering answering machine. Message and you go, you finow the links and the show notes and you'll see a little link there for speak pipe, and you can leave us a message. And we love getting the speak past because we love hearing you. But you can also, if you're a bit shyer, send us a message on Yasney at gmail dot com, Yasney Podcast at gmail dot com.

I think it is Yasney podcast at gmail dot com. We have had some great feedback recently and this is we got one. I'm gonna let you read it out, Dari. We've got one from Liam Phillips who has sent one. The subject box caught my attention. I had to help. I held my breath. The subject box said a crockwork lemon m and you can you can read it that. Here we go, all right, here we go.

Speaker 7

Hello Peter as a fellow film nerd. I'm loving the podcast. I came across it after listening to Mason Cox's.

Speaker 1

Podcast, Mason Collingwood Football. You know a legend, really an American who came out and played is playing and good footy for Collywood right now, and he studied his own podcast at Mason Cox. I think it's called a Mason Cox podcast. Really fun one.

Speaker 7

Have listened to it, Mason Cox Show. I watch it here it is, it's on YouTube as well. I started out by listening to the episodes that covered my favorite films, then listen to my favorite guests, and then I went back and I started from the beginning. Oh good idea. Yeah, I've loved all the apps so far.

Speaker 1

This is good.

Speaker 7

Please more, Luke McGregor, of course.

Speaker 1

You love more, Luke McGregor.

Speaker 7

However, I've just listened to the Christopher Pine episode.

Speaker 1

Did you love that one too?

Speaker 7

I'm not sure? Can you please not allow any more liberals on your show, especially ones where the point of the film sales over their stupid private schoolboy head at thirty thousand feet? It was fantastic that he told us he'd read the Iliad and the Odyssey a more fascinating piece of trivia when discussing a kubric masterpiece, I can't imagine. I get the impression though. Most people who are unfortunate enough to meet Pine get told this factoid very quickly, and.

Speaker 1

Then Lim goes on. They get into, you know, other parts of Christopher Pine's political career. But I think his points are well and truly made up until this point. He did say at the end, keep up the keep up the show. I do love it, but no more fascists tricked up as ordinary people. Please kind regards, Lim, you know what, You know what. I try to keep this space non political, even when we're chatting about movies and it goes into unless it's slide tied into the

themes of the movie. But I have tried to keep this as much as you can a non political space. Christraper Pine was the actual very first episode I recorded for this podcast. It wasn't episode one, but it was the first episode I recorded. Listen. I am grateful that Christraper Pine came on. Obviously, people have different political opinions. I don't consider myself an overly political person, despite the

fact that I am on a current affairs show. I try to, you know, I think there's sometimes value in trying to get to know people who are making decisions based on our futures and our lives. But I completely understand that Lian would have that opinion, and I, you know what, I guess I would just say I don't have any plans to have another politician on it this stage.

I'm not saying it's going to be a blanket rule that I won't But what I would suggest is maybe that don't listen if you don't like that politician, maybe just don't listen to that episode. But what I respect about what Liam's done is and he's done that. He's

obviously had a big swipe at Christopher Pine. But and this has come up a few times with this podcast where somebody has disagreed with something that has been said by either myself or my guests on the podcast, and they have been so respectful about the way they put in a cross. Now, obviously, like I said, he's had a big swing at Christopher Pine. At part of being a politician, Chris is going to thick skin and he probably won't even hear that, but but he's he's had

his opinion. I absolutely do hear it. Leam and I was just thank you for it was a pretty amusing email I found it. I found it amusing as well. Sincerely, I do appreciate it. So next week on the show, we got Kevin Rudder. We don't. We don't. Next week on the show, I'm already gonna I'm gonna say this off the bat, maybe my favorite episode ever. If you's said nothing yet, we've already recorded that. It's with pop sensation. Darren Hay is one of the biggest music exports Australia

has ever produced. He has a new album out, Got Homosexual, and is a work of genius. Darren is so enlightened, he's passionate, he's funny and really genuine and I love the chat we had about many many things. It's a monster episode. Next week it goes on like almost two hours. Not only want to take any out of it. I just loved it all. But the movie that we are there to discuss is a classic movie, one of Tony Martin's favorites. It is Singing in the Rain. That's right,

we're finally doing it. Singing in the Rain. It become one of my favorite films as well, and I can't wait to speak the Darren Hayes about that one and next week, and so we leave old Pete, save fan soul, and to our friends of the radio audience, we've been a pleasant good name.

Transcript source: Provided by creator in RSS feed: download file
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android
Open in Metacast