Summer School

With special guest Steve Herold, Anna and Derek chat about the many changes that can happen from script to screen, the unexpected depth found among the Oceanfront High students and more during their discussion of the Carl Reiner comedy Summer School (1987).

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Anna Keizer and Derek Dehanke are the co-hosts of ‘80s Movie Montage. The idea for the podcast came when they realized just how much they talk – a lot – when watching films from their favorite cinematic era. Their wedding theme was “a light nod to the ‘80s,” so there’s that, too. Both hail from the Midwest but have called Los Angeles home for several years now. Anna is a writer who received her B.A. in Film/Video from Columbia College Chicago and M.A. in Film Studies from Chapman University. Her dark comedy short She Had It Coming was an Official Selection of 25 film festivals with several awards won for it among them. Derek is an attorney who also likes movies. It is a point of pride that most of their podcast episodes are longer than the movies they cover. 

Steve Herold has been working in film and television since graduating from the film program at New York's School of Visual Arts. His short films, including Death of an Umbrella Salesman, Waimea, Asburied and H.R Pukenshette, have screened at over 75 film festivals worldwide and won numerous awards. He prides himself on being extremely humble.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:08

All you had to do was babysit some social deviants. Some of those deviants are great kids. I'm sure they'll grow up to be wonderful criminals. They're as smart as you and me. You and I. All of us.

SPEAKER_04 0:21

Hello and welcome to 80s movie montage. This is Derek.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

And this is Anna.

SPEAKER_04 0:26

And we're working our way through summer, so it just makes sense that this week's movie is summer school.

SPEAKER_00 0:33

Yeah. Which is wild to me because just this week I saw my cousin post that her kids were already back in school, like real school, not summer school. And that is, I can't even wrap my head around that. I never went back to school before Labor Day.

SPEAKER_04 0:50

No, all I know is that um even if it was summer school, based on our uh intro clip, they're just as smart as every totally. Yeah. Summer school, regular school.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

They're not in terms of like, I mean, most of them failed that test.

SPEAKER_04 1:04

Yes, in this movie, even at the very end, there were a lot of issues these students were facing.

SPEAKER_00 1:10

Which, you know, I actually appreciated the honesty of that. And it wasn't like every single one of them just like scored a hundred on it.

SPEAKER_04 1:18

Yeah, I think, you know, one of them, one of them scored or passed pretty easily. The one who was obviously being set up to be the attorney in the group who's negotiating deals between the class and the teacher. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:31

Did you ever go to summer school?

SPEAKER_04 1:32

No.

unknown 1:33

No.

SPEAKER_04 1:33

I don't think so.

SPEAKER_00 1:34

Me neither.

SPEAKER_04 1:34

Maybe I did.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

I think I did for like a still a thing? Is there still summer school?

SPEAKER_04 1:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

There is.

SPEAKER_04 1:41

Look, I know there is because when I searched summer school, I had to be very specific with summer school movie. Otherwise, I got a lot of information on different summer school programs.

SPEAKER_00 1:52

Okay. Yeah. But I feel like maybe summer school nowadays, it's not it's not like has the same connotation. Where definitely back when I was in school, summer school was for the kids who had performed poorly and needed to catch up.

SPEAKER_04 2:09

You didn't take summer school unless you had screwed up something back back when like I was in school. And now I think it's more like those those students, they're already left behind. Summer school now is for kids who are trying to get even further ahead. Derek?

SPEAKER_00 2:25

Okay, well, I guess on that optimistic note, let's dive in. All right. So summer school 1987. Um we have okay, we have some familiar players behind the camera that we're gonna get to. But then, and I feel like I say this all the time and it ends up not being true, but I actually feel like this time we truly have all new actors that we've never talked about before.

SPEAKER_04 2:53

I think mostly, maybe a couple exceptions, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:56

What are the exceptions?

SPEAKER_04 2:58

Uh the director.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

Yeah, but I said actors. Well, he's Okay, he has the cameo, but that's not that's not, I mean, we're not gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_04 3:08

Did we have a cameo in uh Dead Men Don't Wear plaid?

SPEAKER_00 3:11

Probably.

SPEAKER_04 3:12

I think.

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Probably did. I think so, yeah. So yeah. Okay, so let's just get into it. So written by we have three gentlemen who have credits for this particular movie. Uh the first two, I think, from what I can kind of gather between the line, like read between the lines, they like worked on this together and then it was passed off to the third gentleman. Um, so the first two guys, uh, one of them is Stuart Burnbaum.

SPEAKER_03 3:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

This was actually, I mean, I don't mean this in terms of like he is no longer with us, but this was his last writing credit. Um, he, though, among his other writing credits, the Chicken Little Comedy Show. Nice, the Jim Stafford show, okay, which was weird. I know Jim Stafford is not a um uncommon name, but that was my uncle's name. So that was kind of interesting. Uh the BG special.

SPEAKER_04 4:07

That sounds amazing.

SPEAKER_00 4:08

He was a writer on Smoky and the Bandit Part Three.

SPEAKER_04 4:13

So one, they're transporting beer. Two, it was an elephant. I don't know what three is.

SPEAKER_00 4:19

That's right. I remember you telling me about that.

SPEAKER_04 4:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:21

Um, and then the zoo gang. Whatever that is. But I'm I'm gonna tell you something that might kind of blow your mind.

SPEAKER_03 4:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:31

So this gentleman has a credit as himself in the movie Getting Over.

SPEAKER_04 4:41

What the fuck?

SPEAKER_00 4:42

Yeah. I don't remember.

SPEAKER_04 4:45

So I looked at the um I looked at his credit on IMDb, and I'm like, I really recognize this image for the trailer. Yep. But that that can't be right.

SPEAKER_00 4:55

So, okay, for everybody who's like, what is happening right now? So basically, Getting Over is a feature documentary that was made by one of our dear friends, Jason Charnik, who also was a guest on this show back in season one for The Karate Kids. So you can have a listen to that one. And yeah, I mean, just crazy small world that this guy has a has a cameo in in Jason's movie.

SPEAKER_04 5:24

This if ever there was gonna be some kind of like crossover connection, I wouldn't expect it between this between this documentary and summer school.

SPEAKER_00 5:34

Exactly, exactly. So I just thought that was so fun, and I thought this is gonna blow Derek's mind when I tell him this. Yeah. So I was happy to say that that was indeed the case. Okay, so moving on to our next writer, David Dashov. So I'm gonna say that. Yeah. Um also, oh, I don't know if I actually mentioned this. So both Stuart and David have story by credits, so that's how they're connected to the material. This also, in the same way, was his last writing credit. Um, he also has a fairly brief uh writing resume, but among some of his credits, had to put this one in, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.

SPEAKER_04 6:13

I think we're all gonna wonder, maybe that fish shouldn't have.

SPEAKER_00 6:18

Oh wow, you're really coming coming hard with anyway. Um, and it looks like he, you know, kind of partnered with Stuart on a couple of different projects because he's also listed as a writer on Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 and also the Zoo Gang. Okay. So okay, so moving on to the final writer, he has a story and screen by, screenplay by credit. Um, Jeff Franklin. I don't know, so this is hard for me to convey, but like I feel like you if you saw a certain card as like part of like probably both the opening and closing credits of a particular show, you'd be like, oh, it's that guy. So, okay, I'll try to explain what I'm saying here in a minute, but basically, um, huge presence throughout TV for the last like 40 years. Um, he worked on Laverne and Shirley. I he wasn't on this for very long, but I had to put this one in, Booz and Buddies.

SPEAKER_04 7:15

Yeah, that show is kind of insane.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 7:19

I mean, Tom Hanks was in that.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 7:20

You're right, sure was.

SPEAKER_00 7:22

Equally insane, he was the writer on Just One of the Guys.

SPEAKER_04 7:26

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 7:26

A movie that would not be made today, I don't think.

SPEAKER_04 7:29

Well, neither would Boz and Buddies.

SPEAKER_00 7:31

Oh, sure. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So the reason why I was bringing up this whole, like, oh, you'd recognize his name, so he's a creator of, or the creator, of Full House. And I don't know if you remember, like, I wasn't like a huge Full House person, but like I just remember that card where it's like his name in yellow against the San Francisco skyline.

SPEAKER_04 7:52

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

That's him.

SPEAKER_04 7:54

Okay. So I don't know if there's a show that's ever been on TV that my father has liked le less than Full House. Yeah. It might be his least favorite show ever.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

I think it was very much of its time.

SPEAKER_04 8:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

Um, and then of course, like he came back to work on Fuller House. And I mean, he has a lot more credits, but then another one where he has like a creator credit on is hanging with Mr. Cooper. Okay. Yeah. And and just in general, Jeff Franklin, it seems like he he has a lot of writing credits, but it seems like really kind of what the drive is for his career is he's a producer. And and so, you know, but that that also often is a crossover in television where you have producing and writing credits for the work that you do. So all right, you already mentioned him.

SPEAKER_03 8:45

I did. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

Okay, the director, Carl Reiner. And yeah, so we we did cover him not too long ago earlier this year. So if you want to hear us talk about him in a different different way. If you want to know more about Carl Reiner, you can go to our Dead Men Don't Wear Plat episode that is from this very season. But I'll give a quick rundown of uh some of his no, specifically directing credits, because he definitely was a gentleman who wore many hats. Like to your point. Like he I don't consider him first and foremost an actor, but he did a lot of like cameos in his own projects and that sort of thing.

SPEAKER_04 9:29

And yeah, I mean people probably know him quite a bit from the um Oceans movies, Oceans.

SPEAKER_00 9:35

Sure. Sure. Um, and I think he he was like a major character on the Dick Van Dyke show, um, also working behind the scenes though on it. And I think that's I mean, that's the way that I kind of think of him as like a more writer, director, producer type individual.

SPEAKER_04 9:52

I think everyone's always thought of him as a triple threat.

SPEAKER_00 9:55

Exactly. So, okay, among specifically his directing credits, we have Enter Laughing, the comic, the new Dick Van Dyke show, the TV show, Oh God, the jerk. We already mentioned it, Dead Men Don't Wear a plaid, The Man with Two Brains, Oli Me, Summer Rental.

SPEAKER_04 10:12

Which is a great movie that we will definitely talk about at some point.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Okay, in a minute. In a minute, we will. Um, I remember calling this out when we did Dead Men because I just thought it was the best title ever.

SPEAKER_04 10:25

You gotta say it right though.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

Bert Rigby, you're a fool.

SPEAKER_04 10:29

Yeah. I like it.

SPEAKER_00 10:31

Yeah, I like it too. Uh Fatal Instinct and That Old Feeling. Okay, so moving on to cinematography. Uh, this is what's funny.

SPEAKER_04 10:44

I'm just laughing at the thought of cinematography for summer school. There were some some great cinem cinematography.

SPEAKER_00 10:49

Oh, sure, some inspired moments.

SPEAKER_04 10:51

Yes, yeah, there were.

SPEAKER_00 10:52

I would agree with you. Yeah. So the DP on this, a gentleman by the name of David M. Walsh, uh, you know, had a an awesome career. I mean, 60 cinematography credits to his name. That's like that's pretty good. Uh, among those credits, we have Evo Connevil, not the man, but the movie. Uh Cleopatra Jones.

SPEAKER_06 11:18

Cool.

SPEAKER_00 11:18

WC Fields and Me, The Goodbye Girl. Now we're getting so here's the thing. When I was going through his um list of credits, a lot of his earlier credits, and again, this doesn't mean anything. It's not like I have exhaustive knowledge of anything, but a lot of his earlier credits were projects I just I didn't know, but it seemed like later in his career he was part of productions where I was like, oh yeah, yeah, no, that one. So um, okay, so like I was saying, uh, WC Fields and Me, the goodbye girl, Private Benjamin.

SPEAKER_03 11:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:49

Do that one at some point.

SPEAKER_03 11:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

I ought to be in Pictures. I thought that one was fun. Unfaithfully Yours, Johnny Dangerously, Outrageous Fortune, and then his last credit was Back When We Were Grown-ups, which was a TV movie, and that was back in 2004.

SPEAKER_04 12:06

There's one other one that I a title that is kind of a fun title, and also I think just good advice. Never con a killer.

SPEAKER_00 12:15

Oh, that's great advice.

SPEAKER_04 12:16

Really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:17

Great advice.

SPEAKER_04 12:17

Do you take anything from this episode?

SPEAKER_00 12:19

Never con a killer.

SPEAKER_04 12:20

Please heed that advice.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

Okay, so moving on to music, the composer. I didn't know before I started researching that he was connected to this movie. Uh, none other than Mr. Danny Elfman, who I'm super excited because we're gonna see him in concert later this year.

SPEAKER_04 12:42

Maybe. I hope so. Probably.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

Well, boy, you are just Mr. Debbie Downer.

SPEAKER_04 12:49

I'm full of optimism today.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

How uh I'm gonna believe, okay, that we're gonna get to see him.

SPEAKER_04 12:55

Yeah, it's out it's outdoors. It'll be fine. It'll be fine.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Okay. So Danny Alfman, uh, we've talked about him several times.

SPEAKER_04 13:03

We have, and we've probably mentioned that he worked on this, I would imagine, maybe.

SPEAKER_00 13:10

Yeah, it probably just completely uh went in one ear and out the other when I did it.

SPEAKER_04 13:15

Because it it almost doesn't make sense. It's like that's crazy. Although maybe because of like the time, he wasn't he wasn't at that point the level of Elfmen that we have now.

SPEAKER_00 13:28

Which is interesting because like, okay, for instance, like when I say, Oh, we've already covered him, um, you know, he was the composer on both Beetlejuice and Batman, two of the films that we covered last season.

SPEAKER_05 13:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:39

And for both of them, I mean just really iconic music.

SPEAKER_04 13:44

Yeah, I don't think it it doesn't really stand out the same way for this movie that those movies do.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

I mean, I think probably my humble opinion, he really hit his stride with Batman. I think once once so 1989, that score I think put him into an upper echelon of composers.

SPEAKER_04 14:06

Maybe we don't get to Batman without summer school.

SPEAKER_00 14:09

Sure, you're always building on your work.

SPEAKER_04 14:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:11

You know, so it's not to, you know, disparage anything that came before that, but I mean, I think that like once he got to that point, maybe people then took him seriously as a composer.

SPEAKER_04 14:26

Well, it's just a different, I mean, it's I guess the difference in my mind between like, yeah, this is total like the the music is fine. It it goes with the movie, no issues with it whatsoever. And then Batman basically like punches you in the face with like this insane score.

SPEAKER_00 14:44

But it works really well. Like, I love it.

SPEAKER_04 14:46

Yes, and I mean that in a positive, like okay, it it stands out in a way where like you hear that and you associate him with this amazing accomplishment. Yeah, and that's the difference for me. There's nothing wrong with summer school, but Batman is just superb.

SPEAKER_00 15:00

I mean, when we look at the trajectory of his career, I mean, oh my gosh, how many credits do I have listed here? All of them. 28? Like, it's real I mean, he is prolific, prolific. Like this guy just does not stop working, which is a benefit to all of us. For sure. Uh but okay, so let me go through those credits. Uh, because it's been a minute since we have talked about him. Pee-wee's big adventure, back to school, Beetlejuice, Big Top Pee-wee, Scrooge. Oh, we've talked about him three times. I forgot about Scrooged.

unknown 15:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

Wow. Wow. Okay. Scrooged, Batman, Dick Tracy, Edward Scissor Hands, Batman Returns, The Nightmare Before Christmas, amazing. Yeah. Mission Impossible. And so, I mean, as you can tell, especially from his early career, really tight collaborator with Tim Burton. Yeah. And continues to be. Continues to be. But uh, so Nightmare Before Christmas, Mission Impossible. The Frighteners love that movie. And, you know, he definitely, boy, does he have range? Like he did good Goodwill Hunting. He comes back uh to Burton for Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes. He is the composer on the 2002 Spider-Man. So the um Garfield?

SPEAKER_04 16:19

No, no, Toby McGuire. Yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:21

Yep. Big Fish, Corpse Bride, Natural Libre, Milk, Alice in Wonderland. I don't said that with a real twang.

SPEAKER_04 16:31

Wonderland.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

Wonderland. Uh, Silver Lighting's Playbook, Frank and Weenie, American Hustle, Avengers, Age of Ultron, Dumbo, Men in Black, International, and then announced, which could mean that it's actually gonna go into production or that it's just only ever going to be announced. Beetlejuice 2.

SPEAKER_04 16:52

Oh yeah. So I mean he he's amazing. Amazing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:59

And probably doing quite well for himself. Uh, because he doesn't stop working. Okay. Moving on to another gentleman that actually we have covered before. So the editor of Summer School, Bud Mullen.

SPEAKER_04 17:13

And Bud put in some work on this one.

SPEAKER_00 17:17

Yeah. Yeah. I'm gonna agree with you on that one. So we talked about him because of his like professional collaboration with Carl Reiner. He's worked with him on a couple different projects. So he also came up when we talked about Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid. Um, that was very recent. So I'm going to just like kind of quickly run off some of his credits. We have uh so starts out real strong in in television. So we have our Miss Brooks TV show, the re the Loretta Young Show TV show. I love Lucy. Nice. Who I believe Lucy Oball just celebrated what would have been, I want to say like her 100th and 10th birthday. Um, so I love Lucy, and then the Lucy Desi comedy hour, the Dick Van Dyke show. So that's probably when he first, you know, cross paths with Reiner. I Spy, and then uh the film, they call me Mr. Tibbs exclamation point. Yeah, remember that?

SPEAKER_03 18:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:17

The new Dick Van Dyke show, and then again, like, you know, seems to be uh working pretty regularly with Reiner. He was the gentleman who cut Oh God, the jerk, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, The Man with Two Brains, Oli Me, the Man with One Red Shoe, Summer Rental, Police Academy 3, back in training, Bert Rigby, you're a fool.

SPEAKER_04 18:40

I'm so glad that uh that we got to bring that up again.

SPEAKER_00 18:44

And then we finish it out with again Fatal Instinct, another Rainer film. Okay. So we're already to uh the actors in this film, which again, I feel pretty confident in saying. These are all new people to us. I think so. Yeah. First of which is Mr. Mark Harmon. You know, okay, so he plays Freddy Shoop, uh, the gym teacher turned summer school teacher for remedial English, uh, which doesn't happen. I mean, you know, a lot of suspension of uh disbelief in terms of who is picked for for doing this kind of stuff. I I buy you know what's funny? I buy his last name as Shoop. He doesn't look like a Freddy to me.

SPEAKER_04 19:28

Maybe a Frederick?

SPEAKER_00 19:30

Oh no.

SPEAKER_04 19:30

Fred?

SPEAKER_00 19:31

No, no Fred. No version of Frederick. He just doesn't. I mean, I could see him as like a Jack.

SPEAKER_04 19:39

Jack Shoop?

SPEAKER_00 19:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:41

Yeah. But I won't call him that since that's not his name in the movie. Um Mark Harmon. And the other thing I realized when we were watching it the other night is uh people are gonna be like, what? But I think he shares a lot of similar facial features with Tom Cruise.

unknown 19:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:58

I I can see that, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:00

I thought that was interesting. Okay, so Mark Harmon, and this actually kind of applies to most of the people that we're gonna talk about. They all, you know, kind of to different degrees have a foot in cinema, but really these people are like huge TV stars.

SPEAKER_04 20:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:21

That's kind of really where they've made their careers.

SPEAKER_04 20:24

I mean, Mark Harmon is now, right? Like CS the CSR is like.

SPEAKER_00 20:38

So we have the TV series Sam, uh film Beyond the Poseidon Adventure. Beyond. Yeah, beyond. Okay. Uh TV series not familiar, 240 Robert. I don't even know what that means. I'm guessing it's like some kind of police call or something like that.

SPEAKER_04 20:54

Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I'm looking at some of the episodes: Earthquake, poison air, double trouble, time bomb.

SPEAKER_00 21:00

Wow, sounds like a very dramatic show.

SPEAKER_04 21:02

Whatever's going on, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

So his I think his first like big break, especially in television, was saying elsewhere. He was on that for quite a while. Uh, he was in the film Stealing Home. I remember that. And then More TV, we have Reasonable Doubts, Chicago Hope. He was in the 2003 version of Freaky Friday, one with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan.

SPEAKER_03 21:25

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 21:25

Yeah. And then uh you alluded to it just a minute ago. He's been on NCIS, I think, for the entirety of the life of that TV show. As of this recording, he's been in 400 14 episodes.

SPEAKER_04 21:44

I I yeah. I knew that he was part of that. I don't think I realized just how 400 in 14 episodes.

SPEAKER_00 21:51

So I think Mark Harmon's doing okay too.

SPEAKER_04 21:54

The uh the only other movie that I thought was like that I thought he was actually pretty good in, also co-starring uh Sean Connery and possibly Meg Ryan was The Presidio.

SPEAKER_00 22:07

Okay. Yeah. Not familiar.

SPEAKER_04 22:09

Yeah, it's like a cop detective thriller kind of movie, I think. Yeah, it wasn't bad.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 22:17

Yeah.

unknown 22:17

Cool.

SPEAKER_00 22:18

All right, moving on. It's so funny the way that her name is listed in uh IMDB, it's like very formal. Christy Alley, who is titled as Ms. Robin Elizabeth Bishop.

SPEAKER_04 22:32

Yeah, it was very confusing for me knowing that her character's name was Robin, but the vice principal's real was Robin.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

Real name is Robin. Yeah. I thought that was like so weird. I'm like, you could have easily changed her name.

SPEAKER_04 22:44

I I never even reconciled it in my mind while watching the movie. I just gave up and just just said, like, they're both Robin, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 22:51

I was like, that's gotta be kind of weird to be addressing somebody who plays your love interest in a movie whose name is your name.

SPEAKER_04 22:59

So Mark, uh yeah, Freddie was on the phone with the actual guy whose name is Robin, asking, can I talk to Robin?

SPEAKER_00 23:07

Yeah. This is wild, right?

SPEAKER_04 23:10

Acting.

SPEAKER_00 23:10

Acting. Okay. So Kirsty Alley, I mean, somebody that uh has had, you know, a lot of success. Actually, more probably more so than maybe some of the other individuals. Like she she really has a foot in both cinema and TV. Um, probably most people know her from like her kind of I don't know if I'd call it a breakout role, but I'm sure the Trekys know her from Star Trek to The Wrath of Khan.

SPEAKER_04 23:36

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:36

Yeah, yeah. I don't I'm not even a Trekie, and I like can picture her and her whole getup.

SPEAKER_04 23:41

She is uh she was a Vulcan, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

Yeah, exactly. Uh Blind Eight, and then this came up, I think, just in the last episode, North and South, the TV miniseries. So she was in both, like they they split it up, I guess. Like there's like a book one.

SPEAKER_04 24:00

What's what's book one called of North and South?

SPEAKER_00 24:03

Really like redundant, a lot of redundancy in the way it was the show. So so North and South, book one, North and South.

SPEAKER_05 24:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 24:12

And then North and South, book two, Love and War. How dramatic. Very dramatic. Wow. I actually watched it because I knew that um Patrick Sweetie was like those were the two, although neither were like huge stars, like the way that we think of them now.

SPEAKER_04 24:28

Yeah. But I He's always dreamy though.

SPEAKER_00 24:30

So always dreamy. And I like watched a YouTube clip of him uh doing some kind of like sword practicing with what looks like his superior, who I guess was like a real ass, and he of course beats him.

SPEAKER_04 24:51

I think most people don't realize that the Civil War was won by the superior sword play.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

It's very dramatic, very, very dramatic. Um, with the music and the whole thing. It's so, and which made me think, I'm like, it's so interesting how some films, I mean, you could have films from the 1930s that still are as timeless as they, you know, were when they came out. And there's some things from like much, much, much later where I'm like, oh boy, that was absolutely of its era. Like it does not really hold up.

SPEAKER_04 25:21

No, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:22

Unless you go for that kind of kitschy kind of like nostalgia. And that even holds true for these films that we cover. But absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 25:30

Yeah. Okay. This this is a good example of it.

SPEAKER_00 25:33

Yeah, this is a good example of it. So Loverboy, and then she probably, you know, really kind of makes her name with all of the Look Who's Talking films. So she's in Look Who's Talking, Look Who's Talking To, T O O, and then Look Who's Talking Now, which I think is a dog.

SPEAKER_03 25:50

Wow. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:52

Um, and then probably her most recognizable role is Cheers.

SPEAKER_04 25:59

Yeah, and there's some overlap with some of the some of the films that she was in and her her role on Cheers.

SPEAKER_00 26:05

Oh yeah. She had like a great couple years in the late 80s where she was like everywhere.

SPEAKER_05 26:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:12

Um, I mean, I don't know. Do you have a side when it comes between Rebecca and Diane?

SPEAKER_04 26:21

Um I have a side. Yeah, I I I prefer Diane for like purposes of the the nature of the relationship that they had and the chemistry that those two had.

SPEAKER_00 26:35

Great chemistry.

SPEAKER_04 26:36

Yeah. I yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:37

From everything that I've heard, like the show improved upon having her become part of it. I think, yeah. But I I just really loved old school cheers with Diane and Coach.

SPEAKER_04 26:51

I think it's possible that we'd only even like criticize the relationship between Christiale and and Sam. Because I can't remember her name in the show.

SPEAKER_00 27:01

Rebecca.

SPEAKER_04 27:01

Rebecca, yeah. Rebecca and Sam only is something that we would even like look at critically because of how amazing the chemistry relationship was. Right. Like if that had never happened.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

Like kind of not fair.

SPEAKER_04 27:11

But yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:12

Okay. So hands down, my absolutely favorite role of hers, Dropp Dead Gorgeous. If anybody who's listening has not seen that movie, highly, highly recommend it. It is dark, dark comedy satire. It's absolutely hilarious. It's not just her, it's Kirsten Dunce, it's Denise Richards, it's Ellen Barkin, it's Allison Janney. It is so good. And I mean, it just I still don't think it gets the credit it deserves. Anyway. Um, and then she's done several other TV series Veronica's Closet, Fat Actress.

SPEAKER_03 27:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 27:52

Uh, Kirsty. So she had a show named after her. And then Scream Queens. So Kirsty Alley. Okay, so moving on to the gentleman that you mentioned a bit ago, Robin Thomas. He plays vice principal, Phil Gills. Name that rhymes. Um, you know, has had a very busy career. Uh again, a lot of television work. Uh, so Another World, the soap opera was one of his earlier credits. He was on Who's the Boss for A Stint? He was on Matlock, the film, Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael with Winona Ryder.

SPEAKER_03 28:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 28:36

Lots more TV work. The among some of the series that he was on for A Stint, the Mommies, Murphy Brown, Queer as Folk, The Division, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Mystery 101, and then beyond series where he was a recurring character, just lots. And I put like five S's behind lots, lots of TV appearances.

SPEAKER_03 29:02

Yeah. So including CSI.

SPEAKER_00 29:05

Oh, yeah. And actually, I did that for some other people. Um, where I'm like, oh, I wonder if uh, you know, friendships were maintained because all several of these other actors have cameos on um and CIS.

SPEAKER_04 29:19

Yeah. Yeah. That makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 29:20

Okay. So moving on to Okay.

SPEAKER_03 29:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:25

I wanna I want to really try to say this right on the first try.

SPEAKER_03 29:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 29:30

Patrick Labiorto?

unknown 29:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:35

That's the best I can do.

SPEAKER_03 29:36

I got yeah. I'm with you. I think that's I think that's probably 100% right.

SPEAKER_00 29:40

Who plays Kevin Winchester, one of the students in summer school.

SPEAKER_03 29:45

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:46

Yeah. Yeah, you know now you I know why you did that. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 29:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:50

So has been working ever since. I think he started out actually as like a child actor because he has uh quite a few credits before we get to this point in his. Career.

SPEAKER_04 30:00

He was already uh like like high school age and yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 30:05

So I think he started pretty young, um, which shows as much with like some of these credits. So uh the movie MAME, he was on Little House on the Prairie, that's the one that I'm thinking of, the TV series. And then we uh I think at the time we were so early in our podcasting that I don't know how much of a deep dive we were doing with some of the characters, but he is in Heathers, yes, which we covered last season. Yeah, he's Ram.

SPEAKER_04 30:30

Yeah, he plays a pretty important role.

SPEAKER_00 30:33

He plays another football player, yeah. So I was like, Ram! Okay. Uh he is in ski school. Some of these titles are like really trying to trip you up. Okay. Ski school, The Last Frontier, which is a TV show, Spider-Man, the animated series, Jag, and he had a very long stint on Jag. He is credited with 208 episodes. So um never watched the show, but I'm guessing that it's like he must have been one of the main players for quite a while.

SPEAKER_04 31:04

Jag is like, I want to watch Law and Order, but I want to see a military court instead.

SPEAKER_00 31:09

Yeah. And then, like we were just talking about, he had a cameo on NCIS, so maybe uh Harmon, you know, is like, come on the show. Okay. Courtney Thorne Smith, who plays Pam House, um, another just like super recognizable face, mostly from her TV work.

SPEAKER_03 31:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:30

Um, although, you know, she has a well, in particular, one credit. Her very first uh acting credit is for the film Lucas.

SPEAKER_03 31:38

Oh, interesting.

SPEAKER_00 31:39

Which love that movie, and we'll get to that at some point for sure. Uh she so I'm not surprised that this became a TV series, although I'm curious how well it did. I could have, I guess, done a little research on it. After Fast Times at Ridgemont High, they did a TV version of it. Just called Fast Times.

SPEAKER_04 32:00

Where was it at?

SPEAKER_00 32:03

So she in the TV series played Stacy. So she played the television version of um Jennifer Jason Lee's character.

SPEAKER_04 32:13

Okay. I was trying to figure out if that was Phoebe Cates or Jennifer Jason Lee, but okay.

SPEAKER_00 32:17

Um she's in the film Revenge of the Nerds 2, Nerds in Paradise, uh a TV show called Day by Day. She was on LA Law. Okay, so probably if you were like growing up in the 90s, you know her from Melrose Place.

SPEAKER_04 32:33

Yeah, I I wasn't, and it's still where I recognize her most from Oh, I totally was into Melrose.

SPEAKER_00 32:38

And I didn't watch the show.

SPEAKER_04 32:39

I just I did.

SPEAKER_00 32:41

It was all about what was gonna happen between Allison and Billy. Uh uh, what's his name? Shu. Um, Elizabeth Shu's brother, Andrew Shu.

SPEAKER_03 32:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

Yeah. So she was, and I think she, I mean, I know some of the actors on that show kind of came and went, but I think she stayed with it for most of it.

SPEAKER_03 32:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 33:00

Um, she's credited with 158 episodes. And then I thought this was really funny. So she was on a TV series called Allie, not to be confused with the TV show Allie McBeal, which she was also on.

SPEAKER_03 33:14

Okay. Isn't that funny? Yeah, that's not confusing at all.

SPEAKER_00 33:17

Not confusing at all. And then maybe um I I don't know. Probably you're either gonna know her from Melrose Place, or you're gonna know her from According to Jim. Because she also had a long I mean, she was probably the second lead behind Jim Belushi.

SPEAKER_04 33:35

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 33:35

Yeah, played his wife.

SPEAKER_04 33:36

I remember her from commercials of According to Jim. Oh because I've never actually watched the show.

SPEAKER_00 33:42

Oh, no.

SPEAKER_04 33:43

But I've seen commercials and go, oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 33:44

Yeah. Uh 182 episodes, she is credited with. And then I know she had a stint as well. I don't I'm sure she was probably a love interest, but I don't know of whom. Uh Two and a half men.

SPEAKER_03 33:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:56

She's done quite well for herself in television.

SPEAKER_04 34:00

It's kind of uh it's it's a little sad that you're probably 100% accurate as to like the role based on like the formula of that show.

SPEAKER_00 34:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 34:08

But you're probably right.

SPEAKER_00 34:10

I mean, and the thing is is that most of these TV shows are in syndication. So go Courtney Thorne Smith. You you get it, girl. Yeah. Okay. So moving on to Dean Cameron, who plays Francis Chainsaw Gremp. So again, I mean, working up to this day, among some of his credits, uh, the TV series Spencer. So he also was in the TV version of Fast Times. And he played you want to know who he played? Don't look.

SPEAKER_04 34:41

Okay, I'm not I'm I'm scrolling, but I'm not looking at it.

SPEAKER_00 34:43

Who do you think he played?

SPEAKER_04 34:44

Uh I think he played um the creepy guy who hooked up with Brad? No. Wasn't Brad the can the guy who worked at the store?

SPEAKER_00 34:54

Well, I think he's creepy because he like was like masturbating to Phoebe K.

SPEAKER_04 34:58

But that's pretty creepy. Okay, so the like other like the the nerdy uh movie theater worker's friend.

SPEAKER_00 35:06

Oh, Damone?

SPEAKER_04 35:07

Yeah, Damone.

SPEAKER_00 35:08

No, okay. He was Facoli.

SPEAKER_04 35:10

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_00 35:11

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. He was also in ski school and ski school too.

SPEAKER_04 35:18

Ski school too.

SPEAKER_00 35:20

You have a much easier time with that than I do. The TV series They came from outer space, uh, the film Kicking and Screaming, another TV show, Mr. Sterling. Uh, I just like this title, Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer.

SPEAKER_04 35:35

Yeah, I actually really really like that title. The other one that I wanted to mention, uh, a great movie. Unfortunately, it's 1990, so we can't cover it. Men at Work. He was the pizza man. You really like that movie. I do.

SPEAKER_00 35:48

Too bad. It's 1990. Yep. Um, also had an appearance on NCIS. I did not realize this. He, I mean, I don't know how sizeable of a role, but he was in Straight Outta Compton. Hmm. And then same Z, lots of TV appearances. So outside of the shows where he had a recurring character, just a ton of TV appearances.

SPEAKER_04 36:13

I mean, it's like these two characters, Chainsaw and his buddy, whose name escapes me at the moment.

SPEAKER_00 36:19

Dave.

SPEAKER_04 36:20

Yeah. Yeah. Dave. Though those two are kind of like the standout, and I think it's like intended to to be that way. Like they're kind of like the unofficial leaders of this ragtag group of uh students.

SPEAKER_00 36:34

Absolutely get the most screen time.

SPEAKER_04 36:35

Yeah. They're they're super funny. Like you can tell that they're actually like legitimately good.

SPEAKER_00 36:40

Laugh out loud moments. Yeah. While we were watching.

SPEAKER_04 36:42

His uh his moment, so you want me to lie? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 36:45

Okay. So yes, his um his buddy in this movie is Dave Frazier. That's the character played by Gary Riley. Um, so hasn't acted in a while, but among some of his credits, uh also must have started very young because he was on the TV series Silver Spoons.

SPEAKER_04 37:06

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_00 37:07

So this is it. I'm like, who would this be? He is credited in Back to the Future as guy number one.

SPEAKER_04 37:15

Fucking guy number one?

SPEAKER_00 37:17

I don't I can't even begin to guess who that is. They give no indication like, is it a guy at the dance? Is it a guy in the soda shop? Is it a guy in school?

SPEAKER_04 37:30

Like I'm getting this out of the way right now because uh this is very unconventional and I apologize. But my call to action right now is if you can identify guy number one from Back to the Future, please let us know.

SPEAKER_00 37:42

Um, you know, has like smaller roles than several other really big films, The Journey of Natty Gann, Ruthless People. I actually do remember, do you know who he is in Standby Me? He's like one of Kiefer Sutherland's buddies.

SPEAKER_04 37:54

I can't picture it, but if I saw it, I'd definitely do picture him. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 37:58

Yeah. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and then his last credit, Fear from 1996. All right. Moving on to Kelly Joe Minter, who plays Denise Green. So Denise, and I know that it might be you-I mean, everybody has like a really kind of recognizable face in the film, but maybe the names don't exactly uh carry over. So she's the one that was really trying to get her driver's license.

SPEAKER_04 38:22

She's dyslexic. And then they find out, right?

SPEAKER_00 38:24

Sure. Yeah. I wasn't gonna lead with that as like a personality treat, but I'm not trying to do that.

SPEAKER_04 38:30

I just uh look, she's she's incredibly talented because she overcame that that condition within two weeks to almost pass this test.

SPEAKER_00 38:39

I appreciate that they brought that up, but then it was like like wrapped up in pretty short order. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_04 38:45

They actually addressed it in a pretty like mature way, like, hey, we realize that you that you're dealing with this thing. We want to get you some help so that you can like overcome this.

SPEAKER_00 38:56

And I think cur Kirsty Alliett, like when it comes to Freddie's attention, I actually really appreciated that, and we'll get to him in a minute, that Alan, you know, immediately knew something was wrong. And I actually for I don't know, I just really liked that moment in the movie where he goes to Freddie and he's like, Hey, you need to know about this.

SPEAKER_04 39:15

If they accomplished nothing else in the entire summer school period that this course uh went through, they did one good thing.

SPEAKER_00 39:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 39:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:23

Okay, so among some of her credits, the film mask. I we're gonna have to revisit this because I don't remember who she is in it. The Lost Boys? She has a bit role in Lost Boys. Yeah. Also A Nightmare on Elm Street 5, The Dream Child. House Party, Doc Hollywood, and then she too, several TV appearances.

SPEAKER_04 39:46

So the people under the stairs.

SPEAKER_00 39:49

Oh, that's a good one. Is it well, I mean, like a good title? Yeah. Okay. So now moving on to um sizing up this name. Okay, Ken Alant. Actually, I don't think that's too bad. Alant.

SPEAKER_03 40:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:08

Yeah. Okay. So he's the guy, okay, he's titled Larry Kazamias? That's an even harder name. Why would you give a character that difficult of a name to pronounce? Anyway, but what you might know him better as is the guy who's always asleep in the movie. So, okay, and we all find out it's because he's been a stripper and And he's 17.

SPEAKER_04 40:32

And he's 17.

SPEAKER_00 40:33

My God, there are so many It's hilarious though, because he's like, when he's having the conversation with Freddie, he's like, you know, I know what older life is like, so I'm gonna basically I'm gonna get my kicks now while I can get them. Like Rizzo in Greece.

SPEAKER_04 40:47

Yeah. Look, there's a lot to unpack with a lot of things here. Oh yeah. I'm trying, I'm trying to hold on until we get to uh our guest, but man, it's it's tough sometimes.

SPEAKER_00 40:58

Okay, so among some of his credits, uh the TV series Riptide, the film April Fool's Day, which at some point we'll do as part of our Halloween series. Yeah. TV series Super Carrier, which felt very timely. I don't know, with everything and super carrier. Do you know where I'm going with that? Like just with COVID supercarrier.

SPEAKER_04 41:24

I mean, yeah. I was looking for like a super spreader, but oh yes, that's a better way to make it. Maybe maybe you can't have a super spreader without a super carrier. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:34

He was on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, another TV series called Super Force, the film Leprechaun. I love this one. Marry Me or Die.

SPEAKER_04 41:46

I mean, that's that's an ultimatum right there.

SPEAKER_00 41:48

I mean, could you imagine if you proposed to me that way? That'd be an interesting dynamic. Uh, and then same scenes, lots of TV appearances. Okay. So moving on to our final two actors, the first of which is Shawnee Smith, who plays these last names, man. Rhonda Altobello.

SPEAKER_03 42:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:11

So among some of her credits, we have and like I think the same. A lot of these people started off as very young actors, child actors. She was in the film Annie, Iron Eagle, the TV series All Is Forgiven, The Blob, Who's Harry Crumb, the TV show Arsenio, another show just called The Tom Show. I guess that was that like Tom Green, maybe?

SPEAKER_04 42:35

Maybe.

SPEAKER_00 42:36

She was in a film called Carnival of Souls. That sounds dark. Breakfast of Champions. She hooked up with that Saul series. So she's in Saw, Saw 2, Saw Three, Saw. Oh, and then she skips ahead, actually. So she's in one, two, and three, and then six.

SPEAKER_04 42:53

I haven't watched a lot of them, but I've I've probably seen more of the first one than anything, and I do kind of recognize her from that.

SPEAKER_00 43:00

Yeah. I definitely do associate her with that, even though I'm not like super connected to the those films. Not really my thing.

SPEAKER_04 43:08

We like horror movies, but I'm not big into torture porn. Agreed. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:12

Yep. And then she too uh hooked up with a couple TV shows where she, you know, was on them for quite a while. She was on the show Becker with uh to dancen. She has 129 credits for that particular show. She was in the film The Grudge Three, and then Anger Management, and she's also credited uh with a hundred episodes for that.

SPEAKER_04 43:34

There was a TV series I just learned of Anger Management because that was also the movie with Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson. Correct. What a strange pairing.

SPEAKER_00 43:44

Yeah, but I think in a way it's kind of inspired.

SPEAKER_04 43:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:47

Yeah. So okay, last up is Richard Stephen Horvitz. He plays Alan Ekian? Ekian? Yeah, I think so. I mean, a work horse just like everybody else. 208 credits. And now he has a very distinctive voice.

SPEAKER_04 44:07

Which is relevant.

SPEAKER_00 44:08

Which is relevant because the vast, vast majority of his credits is voice work.

SPEAKER_04 44:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:14

So um, okay, I and I I mean, I'm not kidding. Like this guy has been working, working, working.

SPEAKER_04 44:20

Man, between like uh gaming series and animated stuff, he's done a ton.

SPEAKER_00 44:25

Yeah. So among some of the ones that I like tried to whittle down to get to like a manageable list, we have Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Okay. Credited with 156 episodes for that. Also Power Rangers Theo TV series. Um this is God, do I have anything that's like not TV? No, it's all TV.

SPEAKER_04 44:44

I got one.

SPEAKER_00 44:45

Well, I'm gonna quick run through just so I can get through them. Um, The Brothers Flub, The Angry Beavers, Invader Zim, Duel Masters, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, Squirrel Boy, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Camp Laszlo, which is I guess a TV series short. Not I've that I think that's the first time I've ever seen that titled that way. Ben Ten, Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures, Wonder Quest, The Comeback Kids, Skylander's Academy, and The Loudhouse.

SPEAKER_04 45:18

Nice. I think Madagascar, Colonel, Escape to Africa was uh animated feature that he was in, and then a game called Brutal Legend with Jack Black. He's also doing uh it looks like he did some voice work in.

SPEAKER_00 45:33

Yeah, I mean, a way to take something that is like a unique uh kind of aspect to who you are and really like run with it.

SPEAKER_04 45:42

So he had such a distinctive voice, he has such a distinctive voice that I'm I'm glad that he was able to capitalize on it like that.

SPEAKER_00 45:49

Okay. Film synopsis.

SPEAKER_04 45:52

Oh yeah. What do we got?

SPEAKER_00 45:55

Okay, here we go. Freddie the gym teacher has to teach remedial English this summer. Oh, has to teach remedial English in summer and then in parenthetical at high school if he wants tenure. As he can only teach gym and his students want fun, our emphasis is on quote field trips until he's fired, unless all of his students pass the test.

SPEAKER_04 46:22

That's um like oddly detailed.

SPEAKER_00 46:25

It's it it could use a little tightening up.

SPEAKER_04 46:29

Yeah, it's not wrong in any of its uh explanation.

SPEAKER_00 46:33

And it doesn't, and like the one thing that is kind of useless information for somebody who hasn't seen the movie, like you don't need to call people out by their names because that means nothing to the people who are reading this. Like you could just say a gym teacher has to teach remedial, you know. Um and it could just be something like a uh a gym teacher has to teach remedial English to students who aren't interested and you know, whatever.

SPEAKER_04 46:56

Like the parenthetical of high-hour school.

SPEAKER_00 46:59

I'm like, who wrote that? Like it's just really interesting, but um, I mean, it's not incorrect in any manner.

SPEAKER_04 47:06

This is yeah, this is one of the most interesting little uh synopses that that I've looked at because it looks like um it looks it looks like someone kind of watched the movie and took notes down it and they're like, no, make it shorter. No, make it shorter. Okay, this is what I got.

SPEAKER_00 47:25

This is this is uh the best I could do.

SPEAKER_04 47:26

Oh quote unquote field trips. There's no need for quotes around field trips because they were real field trips. They were just field trips. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All right.

SPEAKER_00 47:36

Um I did have a couple little fun film facts that I thought you might be interested in.

SPEAKER_04 47:41

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 47:42

I don't know if you I mean they didn't no, they actually had a fair amount of exterior shots. Did you at all recognize the school where they filmed?

SPEAKER_04 47:50

Kind of, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

SPEAKER_00 47:52

The karate kid.

SPEAKER_04 47:54

Oh, really? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 47:56

Yeah. Um, and then I thought this was really interesting. So one of the like Hawaiian shirts that Freddie wears, I guess, is like the same uh like the same pattern as a Hawaiian shirt that Montgomery Clift wore in From Here to Eternity.

SPEAKER_04 48:15

That's impressive because the movie does kind of like have that moment where they're on the beach in the sand.

SPEAKER_00 48:21

Oh, that must have been it.

SPEAKER_04 48:22

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:23

I mean, that Montgomery Cliff is not in that iconic moment that's between Deborah Kerr and Bert Lancaster.

SPEAKER_03 48:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 48:29

But um, but I do feel like that is a direct ripoff of that. Yeah, so definitely. Yeah. Um, okay, good good call out because that's probably exactly where he's wearing Mac.

SPEAKER_04 48:38

No, it stood out at the time, but I didn't uh I didn't like really recall that until you brought up the shirt.

SPEAKER_00 48:43

So Okay, fun. Um, and then lastly, so that super fun, probably both of our favorite scenes or scene in the film is the you know, faux massacre of all the students. And so apparently Carl Reiner arranged to have that scene filmed on Halloween.

SPEAKER_03 49:04

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 49:04

So that all the actors could like get dressed up and then wear those cost, like it's Halloween, so then they can wear those costumes, yeah, for the whatever party they're gonna go to later.

SPEAKER_04 49:16

That is incredibly thoughtful.

SPEAKER_00 49:18

Right?

SPEAKER_04 49:19

Like, what a cool thing.

SPEAKER_00 49:20

Yeah, what a cool director, right? I thought that was super fun. Um, okay. We do have a montage, and it's like a pretty, a pretty classic 80s type montage.

SPEAKER_04 49:34

It really is, yeah. With the music, the inspirational kind of music, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:38

Exactly, exactly. So we're talking about when the kids are actually in the midst of doing their tests. Yeah. And you get the music going. So we're we're in the latter half of the film. We're probably in the last like 15 minutes of it.

SPEAKER_04 49:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:51

And uh, yeah, so it's just, you know, as it's like kind of classic as it comes, where it's like shifting from one student to the other. And, you know, for instance, we have um, gosh, I'm already like forgetting her name. Uh, Rhonda, you know, she's in labor, so that's going on. And then everybody else is going, you know, um, Larry puts on his glasses, he doesn't want anybody to know he needs glasses, and so it's like all these little moments that are happening.

SPEAKER_04 50:17

Um I thought he was about to cheat when he put his glasses on. He was very suspicious.

SPEAKER_00 50:21

Don't don't do it, man. Don't do it.

SPEAKER_04 50:23

Yeah, he was being very dog.

SPEAKER_00 50:24

But I think that was very deliberate, you know, but that's probably what the intention was to make you think he was about to cheat. Um, and so that's where the laugh comes when it's like just glasses. But uh yeah, so we got our montage in. Thank God. It's about time.

SPEAKER_04 50:39

It's been a while, huh? Has it been? There's a montage in uh in our last film, also featuring school.

unknown 50:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 50:48

All right. So I think uh I think it's time to dive into our conversation with our special guest. Yeah, let's do it. All right, Derek and I are so incredibly thrilled to have with us today filmmaker Steve Harold. Steve, thank you for joining us on the show.

SPEAKER_01 51:06

How are you guys doing? Now, first and foremost, do you all want to thank me now or thank me later for forcing you to watch SummerScreen?

SPEAKER_00 51:17

You know, we're gonna, you know what, we're gonna, we're gonna double up. We're gonna thank you now. And then after all is said and done, I'm sure we're gonna keep thanking you because I mean, I okay, this is for me a movie that had been a couple minutes since I had last seen it. I can't remember.

SPEAKER_01 51:36

So that's that was I was curious, had you guys both had you seen this before already? Or I had yeah. I had seen it, yeah, for sure. I had seen it, but it had been a while.

SPEAKER_00 51:45

I think the scene that, and I we're kind of getting like I want to definitely get to the the intro question because it's about you, but I mean, I think the you know, that infamous super fun gore scene where you know they do the massacre is the thing that like always sticks out the most in my memory. Right. Um and is like for me the highlight of the film. But other than that, I think a lot of a lot of other details have kind of receded into the background. So like it was like kind of a fresh viewing.

SPEAKER_04 52:15

That was a highlight for me, but also the unexpected highlight, and I'll just bring it up real quick so we can go through our normal first question was just how many moments I had forgotten about that this time watching it made me so uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_00 52:27

Oh, the problematic 80 classic problematic 80s, 16-year-old wanting to okay, anyway. All right. So with that being said, first question. I just we both would love to know do you have like a specific memory of when you first saw this movie and like what what that was, what your reaction was to it?

SPEAKER_01 52:49

I do, and not to make this too big of a moment, like this didn't mean there's no reason why I still have this, but for some reason, I still have my ticket stub from when I saw this.

SPEAKER_00 53:03

Oh, that's actually really cool.

SPEAKER_01 53:05

And I and I I really don't know why. I mean, I think back then I would sometimes just kind of toss them, you know, into your pockets or whatever, and just toss them in a drawer. And uh, you know, over the years it just never got thrown out or whatever. And now it's like one of those things where it's like now I would never throw it out. You know, not that the movie like is my favorite movie of all time or anything like that, but it's just kind of funny to me that I still have that ticket stub for some reason. But um, I saw it that summer. Um my friend Will uh had moved up to Massachusetts, and my friend Gary and I decided we would go up there like at the end of the summer, and we were going camping and skateboarding and stuff, and I guess one day it rained, so we just were like, ah, let's go to catch a movie, and we went and we saw that. Um and I I remember thinking it was hysterical when I saw it, like to the degree where I I kind of remember thinking like like if it if it we had to if it rained again, I was like, I was ready to go watch it again right away. Uh I just thought it was I just thought it was really funny, and obviously I think the um you know uh chainsaw and Dave, uh Cameron and Gary Riley's characters, I mean they obviously stood out, you know, and they were you know the highlight for me, the funniest part. But um, but yeah, it just and then and then after that it kind of became one of those movies in our group of friends that um we quoted a lot, and mostly their stuff, but but it it was just like even just the other night, I ran into my friend Sean, a good friend of mine, known for a long time, and he and I would quote this movie like crazy, and I was telling him that I was gonna be doing this, and and even right then we just started like quoting like lines from back and forth, and I haven't seen it in a while, but you know, it was just like those same old lines we just started quoting like right then and there, you know. It was just so it was it was kind of like one of those movies for us and for me, you know.

SPEAKER_00 55:09

Is it fair to say that like because it what it sounds like to me is that you were kind of in a time with your life, like it sounds like okay, summertime, you're going on this trip with your friends, like you already have this like awesome kind of scenario happening and you're making memories, and then you happen to go see this movie as well. Like, even if like you legitimately, you know, that's your type of humor. Do you feel like it was kind of part of this like larger moment in your life where it was just like a a nice memory?

SPEAKER_01 55:39

I mean, it was it's definitely a good trip, and it was just like a memorable trip. So like that it was part of that, you know, might play into it. But you know, at that time I was like, you know, a teenager, and you know, it just was that the that kind of humor I found funny. And I was and I and I was a fan of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, so the fact that they're bringing that up. So that's interesting. So I mean it was it was just a uh, you know, uh like a a lot of those elements, you know. But yeah, there's probably like if I had just seen it like one afternoon at home, maybe, you know, maybe yeah, I think I still would have enjoyed it, but I don't know if it the memory would have stood out like when I saw it and where it was and all that, it might not have stood out as much, you know.

SPEAKER_00 56:21

I mean, at that point, okay, so I mean you work in entertainment, and so I don't know if like as early back in this part of your life you were already kind of thinking about film in a different way than maybe just another type of movie goer would. But you know, were you already familiar with like Carl Reiner? And because I mean he had a string of hits in the 80s, so like was that was he a filmmaker that you were already following at all?

SPEAKER_01 56:47

Well, I don't know that I I mean it's funny because he's made some movies that I like. I mean, The Jerk is one of my favorite comedies of all time. Okay, it's brilliant. And you know, he was obvious, I mean, obviously he directed at, but he was also, I think, very um much involved with the development of that movie and the script and the jokes and everything like that. Um, you know, I don't think he I'm sure he doesn't have screenwriting credit, but I'm sure he could if he, you know, stomped his feet or whatever. But um, but I I was familiar with him because I even I think it was even maybe the summer before, maybe two summers before, he had done the movie with John Candy, Summer Rental.

SPEAKER_06 57:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 57:27

And I remember, and that was like kind of like, and I think when this movie came out, that was like around when we first got cable. So I was watching I was suddenly now one of those people, like everybody has those stories, like, oh, it was always on cable. Like, so like Summer Rental was one of those movies that was playing on cable when we finally got it. So I saw it a lot and was and knew I you know, and I knew of him, I knew essentially who he was and you know his uh his background, but I I wouldn't say that I was like a big fan of his or anything like that. I mean, he wasn't the draw to get me to go see the movie or any. It wasn't like oh, the new Carl Rainer movies actually. But um, but it's kind of cool. It's it's you know, and it's it's interesting that he's that he directed that because you know there's it's lots of jokes. Like again, same like the jerk. I mean, there's there's no question that he was that you know, he's probably you know involved in that script and kind of like you know, sort of punching up those jokes, and like this is funnier. I have a copy of the script because that's what I was just gonna bring up. Yeah, the script that I have is from so back, you know, obviously back then, you know, uh with eyes on making movies someday myself, you kind of uh and I I got this l much later. I didn't get this like back then when I saw the movie. It was probably you know in the 90s sometime, um, that I got a copy of the script, but the copy I have is like a third draft from like January 86. And a lot of the stuff is there, you know. Uh um there's scenes, you know, obviously that got uh taken out and stuff, and some stuff's in different order and what have you, but um like you can uh but you can see like sort of like probably how he was involved in making this funnier or what have you, you know. Um but yeah, I mean the guy Carl Reiner, it wasn't so much the draw, but I was aware of who he was. I knew kind of his history. I was a fan of comedy.

SPEAKER_00 59:25

I you know, I mean I knew you know what who he was and what you I mean I'm curious because I mean I don't know if we've ever had a guest where they were familiar with like a version of the script before, you know, before seeing or well, you had already seen the movie, but like having that comparison, point of comparison. And I'm curious, like from what you are seeing in your version of the script, did it seem like there was a lot of like athlipping, or do you did they stick pretty closely to what the script had?

SPEAKER_01 59:53

Um there's a lot of there's a lot of jokes. I I feel like there is, especially the the chain. Saw and Dave characters. Yeah. I think I'm not sure. My gut tells me that they I I feel like knowing like Dean Cameron, who played Chainsaw, he seems like a pretty funny guy. And my gut tells me that he the stuff that he ad-libs that you know seems like it's ad-libs that's not in the script that I have. And obviously my draft is an earlier one. Sure. But um, but I my gut tells me that he maybe came up, and I feel like I may have heard him say that you know that Carl Reiner kind of like um, you know, uh what do you what do you call it? Like kind of freedom to the actors, yeah. Like, you know, he kind of encouraged he encouraged that kind of stuff. And and and I that's that seems like you know, Carl Reiner coming from TV and working with all those comedians. Uh it I my gut tells me that I'm sure that's probably the case, you know. Um I mean But the draft I have seems like the movie would have been far more R-rated, not so much. Interesting! But not so much nudity, but a lot, but a lot more language. You know, there's a little bit of language in there now, but it's obvious they've pared it down quite a bit.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:13

Because there's like a whole scene where Robin is telling them, can you like cut it out with the swearing?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:18

Yeah, and then if you and when you watch that scene, like this the swears they're saying aren't really even that bad. But there's like a lot of like you know, uh cursing in the draft I have, so it was obvious they were just like, hey, we gotta try to get a PG 13 here.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:31

Let's I think there's like a um like watch your fucking language, and the response is shut up, Farkface.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:36

Yeah, and yeah, like a lot, like the one dude's like loggerhead. He's like, come on, you loggerhead. It's like, what the hell is it? What is the loggerhead? Somewhere somebody's listening to this podcast, like, oh my god, they said longerhead.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:51

Don't even I don't even reference for that.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:54

Yeah, we just we have no idea that we just offended the we'll put out uh we'll put out a statement saying, we're sorry if that offended you.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:00

Um Yeah, you're gonna have to record a like in a thing in before, like on this episode of a 80s movie montage.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:09

Well, I'm curious. Okay, so you're you're helping me to segue because okay, so obviously the 80s had its more than fair share of like high school centric uh stories. And I was just curious, like, what are your thoughts? Like when you think about it, there's like a lot of really kind of serious slash dark type storylines going on. I mean teenage alcoholism, teenage alcoholism, teenage pregnancy.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:41

Yeah, played for laughs.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:43

No, it is interesting, like what you're saying, because they do, I think when I was watching it this time, I kind of um was thinking about that. It's like like there was part of me that when I was watching it this time, like I feel a little bit like it's obviously they have it's it's Mark Harmon's show, but sure, you know, there there's a there obviously there's an ensemble here. And I I think they do fairly a pretty good job at kind of giving each one of those students sort of like their own kind of storyline. Yeah. There's there's they're definitely like in this, like in for instance, in the script, I have, you know, they definitely go into some of them a little bit more, like the um the uh pregnant girl played by Shawnee Smith. Like, you know, they she's got a handful of more scenes. Something in my script that I thought was interesting that that obviously got uh left behind was like there's there's one or two scenes where just the uh the female students kind of like have a scene to just themselves, like talking, you know, about this and that. And um but um but I thought they did kind of a fairly good job, but like what you're talking about, like watching it now, it's like yeah, they do kind of take on these kind of really which a lot of those kind of teen summer movies wouldn't be doing, but they kind of really take on these kind of serious subjects, and and you know, everything is kind of like brought up, it's and it's never really that heavy, you know, or that serious. It's kind of brought up and it's kind of resolved by the end, you know, uh like a nice bow. It's like, okay, she's getting help with her dyslexia, you know, these guys are sober now, and for two days for two days, for two days and four hours and whatever he said. But um, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:27

That's why I thought it was so interesting because like, okay, I I don't have like a comparison for every single storyline, but you know, most films, if they're dealing with like a teen issue like that, like she's uh not she's having a baby, um, for keeps with uh with Molly Ringol. So the whole you know nexus of that is that it's a it's a teen pregnancy. So but that's the entire storyline pretty much for that movie. Um, or this is probably a pretty bad comparison, but uh what's that one with Chris? It's Christopher Atkins. Like, is it like one night in heaven when he's like a stripper?

SPEAKER_01 1:05:05

Oh, I am not familiar with this. Derek's like, oh, I've got a I'm doing a I'm doing a solo, I'm gonna do a solo episode about that coming.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:16

So that's like the whole storyline of that. And so I was like, wow, they really actually put in a lot.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:22

Yeah, I don't know what the idea was behind that of or why they maybe felt like we've got like, I don't know, maybe there was a feeling that it's like we want these characters to have a little more to them than just like yeah. So I mean it's it's it's one of those things. It's like you give, you know, you give them props for putting that in there and sort of tackling that stuff. And then I guess at the same time, you know, you're kind of like, yeah, but they kind of just like, you know, it's it's brought it's it's easily solved, you know. It's like it's it's you know, it's uh, you know, sort of not to, you know, not to be critical, but it's kind of like a sitcom, you know, it's sort of brought up and then 20 minutes later it's wrapped up and everything. We can move on to the next thing, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:08

I mean, I thought it was interesting. I mean, it's it's of its era. I mean, I think it's a very kind of 80s way of addressing issues, you know, especially if we're talking about a comedy. Um, I thought I did think it was interesting that with like Rhonda's pregnancy, they, you know, I know that she has kind of this like line with uh the Lama's front desk person when she's asking about the father, and she's like, oh, well, it's either you know David Lee Roth or uh was it Sean Penn?

SPEAKER_01 1:06:35

Sean Penn, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:37

And I did think that that was something uh a choice made where like there's no there's actually no mention of who actually got her pregnant.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:47

Can we discuss who would have been the better father between those two? Um it's probably Penn, but I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:55

I'm just gonna say Sean Penn.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:58

I'm not sure. Well, he's got kids. I mean, he's got kids, probably all right, right? I have no idea about David Lee Roth is a very David Lee Roth's kind of a loner. I mean, I don't think yeah. I mean, he probably he'd probably be good to like a good uncle or something. He'd be a fun dad, yeah, enjoy them for you know, enjoy the you know, kids or make them laugh for a little bit and then he's gone, you know. But uh, but I don't think he'd be a great dad necessarily. But it's funny you bring that up because in my script they there's other scenes with her where it it turns out that in the original draft, that was like a consistent thing of her character of lying. Like when she there's a moment when she goes, they they don't show it in the movie of her and Shoop going into the Lamaz class, but in my script there is a scene where they go into the Lamaz class and they say, Is this the father, Shoop? you know, and she's like, No, the father's on the space shuttle right now, or something like that. She consistently lies in the movie like a couple more times where she's just like making up uh, you know, uh whoever the father is, like, or just lying about where this guy is or who it is or whatever, which they obviously ditched.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:09

Which is so interesting to me because it's like to me, especially if they had kept those like um you know, multiple references to her very explicitly not telling who the father is. It's like, okay, is she cut she's covering up for something? She's protecting somebody in some way. Right. And it's like, I don't know, and not to get too much in the weeds with it. I just thought that that was like an interesting choice made that you know the father is just literally not in the picture.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:37

Yeah, you'd almost expect there to be, and like I said, there isn't even in my draft that I have, which is draft three, but like you'd almost expect there to be, especially because she has this romance, this you know, budding romance with the football player, you'd almost expect like there to be some scene where the father shows up and the football player is like kind of like you know, there, like awkwardly watching their conversation, and how do we where do we go from there? Like, I could easily see that scene happening, but yeah, for whatever reason they did decide not to go down that route, you know. And I feel like I guess they were just like, hey, it'll be funny if he's got to be a Lama's coach. Sure, exactly. I think that was the essence of it. That'll be a laugh.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:16

Um, I feel like nowadays that absolutely would imply. There'd be some kind of like acknowledgement or or calling out of the person. It's just different, you know, there's a lot, and this is not just to call out this film. This is something that's like very, I think, common with especially 80s comedies, yeah, where there's just certain things that are like not explored. And I feel like with the way that script development goes nowadays, like, well, no, you gotta you gotta bring up like who the dad is, if even for like a source of conflict, you know, that sort of thing. But um yeah, I mean, speaking okay, so speaking of conflict, the other thing that I was very curious about now, I really like Mark Harmon. I really like him as a person. I think it was a good casting choice to have him in this role. I don't know if you did the math, um, but when he finally realizes that he's getting hit on by his 16-year-old student, right, and she's trying to give him the scenario where she's like, you know, you might be dating so-and-so, but when she's 66, I'm just gonna be 61. And he's like, Well, I'll be 75. And then so personally, I did the math. And so in present day, she's 16, he's 30, but he's also dating a 21-year-old.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:32

Is he though? Because she's in the world.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:34

Well, that's why okay. So, what do you think about that, Steve? Where it's like, were they broken up or all of it, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:42

About him, a 30-year-old dating a 21-year-old.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:45

I'm curious about that point for sure. So we could start there.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:49

Yeah. I mean, I think they probably well, I mean, I guess that gives away his age because you did the math. So it wasn't because it there's definitely a feeling like they're kind of um, you know, keeping that, you know, tucked away of like how they never they don't state exactly he's this age, exactly. So that scene kind of gives it away. Exactly. But um, but you know, I mean, what do I'm not gonna like what I'm I'm not gonna talk about what I personally think about it, but I think I think in the 80s that wasn't something that like really kind of um yeah like in all honesty, actually, I hate to keep like going back to my script, but in my script, that character is 19. But they I don't think they mention but they they actually they have they she she has that line about she has that line about um you know when she's this age, I'll be this age, but I don't think the line about him saying I'll be 75 and it won't matter, I don't think that's in the script that I have, but but that character is actually 19, and they don't really I don't think they state how old he is in the script. And like I said, his line that you're talking about isn't in the script I have. But but I I thought like as far as I and I knew this was gonna come up, the the idea with the um student. I think the way they played it didn't bother me so much. Like I'm curious because you know, your take on it, but it didn't bother me so much because he always was sort of it seemed to me he was always sort of on the right side. Sure. Absolutely, you know, like they didn't they didn't hint that he was kind of like uh maybe into it, you know. Like he always seemed because in all honesty, I think again, you know, in in the script I have, I think maybe like he he still you know does the right thing, so to say, but I think in my script they maybe there's a line or two that he says, like a sarcastic kind of line or something that maybe that would probably ruffle people's feathers more than what happens in this movie. So I feel like you know, they were like, you know, look, we can't even we can't even suggest that he might be interested in this. And I don't really feel like they do, you know. I feel like they couldn't.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:00

No, I agree with you.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:01

There's like uh um like a naive innocence about his character a little bit. That he doesn't realize scenario.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:07

I mean, it's like I mean, I I don't doubt for a minute, like, you know, even how the movie was sold or even maybe how the movie was uh uh you know pitched or whatever, it's like he's you know a grown teenager, you know what I mean? Like you know, which she I think Kirsi Alley even says, like they'll relate to you, you know, like you're no different than them, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:27

Um no, I totally agree with you.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:29

You know, so it's almost like you know, when he kind of like, you know, obviously doesn't go down that route, you know, it's kind of like, you know, they kind of they sort it seems like they sort of know, you know, not to go there really, or not even to suggest maybe that that might happen. Like he kind of is like, all right, you know, we gotta get out of here, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:48

I mean, one of the funniest, sorry, I just want to say really quickly that one of the funniest moments to me in the film is when she does come to his bedroom during the party, right? And she starts like, you know, saying these things where that cutaway to the look on his face, the moment of realization of what's happening, is hysterical to me.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:11

It's like a really good combination of confusion and panic. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:16

Like I'm alone in my bedroom with this girl who now I'm realizing wants to be together with me. It is so funny.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:23

It's yeah, I think she's talking about like the Granion running or whatever. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:28

And that was like the um like this innocence about like the movie in general. Like, yeah, there's a massacre scene presented to a teacher kind of like all these things were like it seems more shocking now because I'm watching it again in 2021. But at the time, those were like just up there. They're like fair game for just jokes. And you're right, like the way that he, the way that uh Freddie, Mark Harman's character, treated all of it, you never really got the sense that that he was like interested in pursuing something where you're like, well, that's not that's not good. Right. He just constantly found himself in these situations that were part of like he just wanted to be like their friends, he wanted to like be their buddies in part because of how he like works as a PE coach, I guess. And right, yeah, yeah. But seeing it now versus seeing it then, it's just like one of these like crazy comparisons.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:23

It's similar to like what you brought up before, Anna, where it's like it's a very serious topic that they're kind of like putting into this comedy the same way with dyslexia or teen alcoholism. Yeah, it's this other like you know thing that certainly I don't know if that's when like it felt like you started hearing about those kind of stories all the time about a student and a teacher, it might have been right around then or whatever. But again, it's it's kind of like it's kind of dealt sort of like you know, lightly, and it's just like let's bring it up, and then it's like you know, and then we'll just kind of solve it, you know, and he does the right thing and we move on, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:00

Her family was there, they they like uh approved of your movie.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:04

I was actually really curious about that.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:06

That was so interesting to me because I actually in that moment felt so sad for her when she came to his apartment, and because she references her brother, she's been sleeping on the couch, yeah. And I'm like, she's 16 years old. Like, where is like are there parents in the picture?

SPEAKER_01 1:16:24

Well, it's similar to like what you bring up about like where's the husband, who's the father of the city. Exactly, exactly. Almost you could easily see like a scene between her and Mark Harmon where they delve into like why is exactly why did she have nowhere to go and what have you, you know?

SPEAKER_00 1:16:39

Yeah, so I felt actually really sad for her when she's going through like I know it's kind of played for comic effect.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:46

There are all of these like really serious, like every single one of them, one of them is a 17-year-old working as a stripper.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:52

Yeah, we're gonna get to that.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:54

There are so many things that are actually would be like really serious. No, we're gonna make jokes from all of it.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:00

Yeah, it's it's like they took all the after school special early 80s and just throw them into a ball and said, but we're gonna make it funny. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:08

Exactly, exactly. I mean, I will say this about that storyline. I think that what's effective about it is that, you know, if you want to try to talk about Freddie's character arc, you know, definitely I think a through line is is maturity, him maturing through this process. And I think that that does prompt him to understand that like he's gonna have a healthier relationship with Robin because she's like an actual like mature woman. And and that, you know, between, I mean, I know that there was never any interest to begin with with Courtney Thornsmith's character, but like between her and then the 21-year-old girlfriend who's in Hawaii, him realizing like that's like that's not for me, and wanting to have like an actual real relationship with somebody, um, where he's like challenged from time to time in a healthy way by her. So I think it's really effective in that way for him to like have kind of, even though they're not like super explicit, um, for him to have these realizations about like the way he wants his life to go. Um, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:16

But yeah, no, that is a deeper analogy of the thing that Derek and I are Derek and I are stunned in the silence, you know, like, but uh what about the dog? What about the dog?

SPEAKER_00 1:18:29

Actually, I love, I love I have a story about the dog. Oh, tell the story.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:35

Um, two things, actually. Um I remember I I specifically do remember, you asked earlier, like, do you remember when you saw it, the impact, blah blah blah? Um, but I specifically remember um when I saw this movie for the first time, when he um is kind of like blowing off his dog near the end of the movie and throws the little toy into the ocean. And the way that they cut that, the way they set that up, I was sure that the dog was gonna drown.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:07

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:09

Because they dissolve and then they go to him just sleeping on his chair and stuff. And then the fact that the dog shows up like a second later, you're like, oh phew. But I swear, I can even just now when I watched it, you know, it was like you know, a flashback. Like I can remember the first time I watched it was like, like, Jesus, they're not gonna kill the dog, are they? Right, they held on the dog, yeah. Then they dissolve, you know, he's like looking in the ocean and it dissolves to you know, Mark Harmon sleeping, you know, past that in his chair. I don't know if that would be sure that was gonna happen.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:38

An intentional, like, you know, way of like fucking with the audience or something.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:43

But I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:44

I can't live, I can't watch. I mean, I don't know how many examples there are of this, but like a guy throwing a toy into the ocean for his dog, I'm never gonna not be able to. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:56

Yeah. Yep. So pinpin or whatever. Pin. But I mean, it I can't imagine those guys watching that when they're editing it and going, like, do you think people are gonna think we're gonna kill the dog? I got real nervous. I was really worried for guys.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:13

You know, the dog was a good actor too, because like when you know the toy is lost and he's so morose about it, like him on the couch.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:20

Yeah. Well, that good at the fact that you mentioned the dog's a good actor leads me to my second story about Wonder Mutt. Um, I went was in 1990, I think, I went to Universal Studios in Hollywood. And, you know, back then, Universal Studios, you could there wasn't a lot there. You could kind of do everything there was there to do in you know a couple hours, you know, like you know, three hours you were done with everything there was. There weren't a lot more like there are now. But um, so I remember we were there and it was just like kind of just we, you know, because it they were so limited what you could see there, you know, it was just we were seeing everything. And I remember us going to, they had like in the like auditorium there, they had like a pet, like a you know, animal stunt kind of show thing, you know. Okay. And so we go in there and we're you know, it's kind of like to take a break because we've been walking and all this time, and then you're inside, maybe a little AC or something like that. So we're sitting there watching, you know, the guy do the show, and you know, with the pets doing like you know, the different animals coming out and doing little things. All of a sudden, here comes Wondermutt, comes out on the stage, and I was like, and I was like, damn, that's Wondermutt from summer school, man. Like, shit. And everybody's looking, everybody in the audience is looking at me like, what the hell's wrong with this guy? He's flipping out over to Wondermutt, the dog.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:37

I mean, we should not underestimate Wondermutt. I mean, like, I'm looking at the key art, and he's featured with Mark Harmon, you know, so it's just the two of them.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:48

It's just the two of them. Not anymore. Now, like uh now, I mean, you know, when they put out like future DVD copies and everything, like I think a lot of them like got rid of Wonder Mutt and they made like Courtney Thorne Smith on the cover and Kirsty Alley and everything.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:03

It's like Kirsty Alley, okay. I can see why she would be added to it. Um, I mean, I this kind of points to something you said earlier in our conversation about it being an ensemble. And I do think that generally they do a really good job, like you said, of giving everybody their own story, their own background. Um, and she's just, you know, she happens to be one of them. So I mean, I get it, you know, she's had like a really successful career in television and she's a recognizable face. Um, but that's a little unfair that she gets to have that when, especially like you were saying about um the actors who played Chainsaw on Dave, like they they are definitely more prominent than she is. Um, but okay, so I before I forget, I did want to bring up Larry uh and Larry's strip, short, short-lived stripping career.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:59

Right, right. I mean some people are gonna get in a lot of trouble over that.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:03

Well, here's the thing about like okay, so what I don't understand is that well, in a way, his story's the funniest to me because, like, when first of all, why is Freddie at the strip club? I never understood.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:16

I can answer that question. Oh, thank you. Yes, yeah, he's there. Um, yeah, because I also for a long time was like, what's he doing there? You know? And uh he was there to pick up women, thinking that they were all worked up seeing this dude on stage.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:32

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:33

You know, and then and then it would be an easy way to kind of you know pick up slide in. Uh because the in this again, again, I don't want to keep sounding like a broken record, but in the script I have, they point out when he goes there, they point out that there's a bunch of other dudes like in the back, like sort of like waiting for the same reason. Okay. So I think what he was there for is he's like, Oh, I think these women are all like worked up and it'll be easy to uh, you know, whatever, pick up a woman there or something. That's why he was there.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:02

I think in the in the movie, like right before that is when he's talking to Wonder Mutt, talking about how they need like a cultured woman that gets them.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:11

Oh, I miss that.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:12

Yeah, they do the smash cut to the lady going like okay, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:17

I mean, I even I even heard it, and I still was like, wait a second.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:20

I thank you for bringing that up because I didn't make that connection. So I was like, I'm not understanding at all why he's here. And um I mean, what to me is really funny is that so he I mean, kind of catches Larry, but Larry does not seem you know ashamed or apologetic or anything at all.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:37

No, right.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:38

Um, and I kind of to a certain degree appreciate what he's saying about like, hey, I'm young. I want to like, you know, make the most out of this time in my life. But I will say that I think he gets the short drift in terms of like any kind of arc. Like basically, he just has a supremely embarrassing moment with his mom coming to the show, which I think it's funny because he's like, Yeah, she didn't realize it was me when she put the like the $5 bill down my and I'm like, but you knew it was her. Like, why did you even allow that?

SPEAKER_01 1:25:09

Yeah, right. Money's money, why not?

SPEAKER_00 1:25:11

Money's money.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:12

Yeah, I guess. Like, what why not like that night? You'd think he'd be like, hey guys, I'm not gonna dance tonight.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:17

No, like I see my mom in the audience. Um so that that's pretty much it, is that he gets found out. And I mean, unless I am selective memory and not remembering something that's like mentioned about him realizing that that's for the best for him to not pursue this.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:42

Oh no, they do mention his scores at the end, like, yeah, because his mom is like, Oh, if I only fans, they mention his scores, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:49

If this was made in um 2021, it would just be we'd be just talking about Larry and his OnlyFans account.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:54

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:57

But that, you know, um, not to jump off that topic, but that's another thing I kind of like about this movie that kind of occurred to me this time watching it was I like at the end of the movie that they didn't go with the obvious ending of like everybody pass, you know. Like they kind of went the bad news bears route. And it's like we didn't win the championship. It's like a couple of them passed, but a lot of them it's like you got a six last time, now you've got a 34, you know. It's like, and they're still and they put a positive spin on it, you know. They're I just like the idea because they like, especially in the 80s, they easily you could see them going like a studio exec being like, they gotta all pass, they all gotta pay. He's got they got you know, he's gotta succeed, you know. And I kind of like that they kind of went the route they went, where like all the students, you know, most of them still failed, you know, but they just improved a bit, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:49

This is um summer school starring Mark Harmon not stand and deliver. I know.

SPEAKER_06 1:26:54

Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:55

I was thinking about that too, or the number of movies where there's like some big test that all the and I was actually I told Derek, I was like, I feel like this is like a high school version of old school because there's a similar thing at the end where they have to all pass that test.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:09

Right, right. Um did you know that I mean I know you guys usually dip into trivia and all this stuff, but I remember back in like the 90s, there was a TV movie that came that was made before this, before summer school, that starred. It was called the it was a TV movie. Uh Mark Harmon played a pool cleaner. And he uh it was the movie was called uh The Prince of Bel Air. Not to be compared with Will Smith's movie Prince of Bel Air. Mark Harmon as like a he owned a pool cleaning business. Kirsty Alley is his romance interest in it. Uh the dude who played the football player, Patrick uh Labertour, Labortow, he's in it. Dean Cameron, who played Chainsaw, or those those two guys, they they play like his um the guys work at his pool cleaning company. This is amazing.

SPEAKER_06 1:28:01

All these same people.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:02

They were all this TV movie, and I remember like in the 90s or late 80s after summer school, you know, back then a lot of times they'd put out these TV movies on like VHS so that you could rent them, and they try to make them look like it was a real movie, like try to trick people into thinking like this is a real movie, not a TV movie that we just put on VHS. But I I remember that, and I was I was so like such a fan of summer school when I saw that, I was like, Oh, I gotta watch this. It's like half the cast is in this thing, you know. And I remember watching it going, like, this feels like a TV movie or whatever, you know, and then realizing that that's indeed that's what it was, you know.

SPEAKER_06 1:28:39

That's wild.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:41

Wow. Yeah, it's pretty uh bizarre, you know, because I I remember I think the football player, Patrick uh Labortow or whatever, I think he I thought like on my DVD, there's a couple uh nothing crazy, but there's a couple little special features. And I watched the one this morning, and he says on there that he uh that that's how he got this gig. Like Mark Harmon, you know, remembering from that TV movie, and he called him up and he said, Hey, you know, why don't you come out for this movie?

SPEAKER_04 1:29:09

That's cool. I saw that I saw that list in uh Mark Harmon's credits, but I glossed over it to get to the presidio because I love that movie so much.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:17

Well, it's funny you say that because that's what one thing when you were talking about Mark Harmon that you you thought he was well cast in this, um, because they really at that time they really were pushing him to be like a movie star. It was like this. Then he did the Presidio with Sean Connery and Meg Ryan. He did a movie with Jodie Foster, I think it was called like Stealing from Him or something like that. Yeah and then he did like another movie, like I think it was called Worth Winning, where he was kind of like a womanizer or something. And but it just it just never clicked, you know. He just never he just never clicked as like a box off, like he couldn't open a movie, really, you know. Yeah, that's but they really were they really were pushing him. I mean, he must have had a deal at Paramount at the time of this and the Presidio and stuff, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:59

Because the Presidio was. was pushed really hard. Like that was, I mean, with Sean Connery, that was the I think after Untouchable.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:05

Yeah, it was like right after Untouchable. So you know, but uh yeah they they really were pushing him pretty hard to be like, you know, a a new movie star or whatever, but it just didn't seem to really didn't really seem to happen.

SPEAKER_00 1:30:17

I mean, I think that you know Derek and I were talking about it earlier about how um for I think a majority of the the main names in this movie really where they found more success. Not to say that they don't have like um you know their time in different films, but like they found the majority of their success in TV.

SPEAKER_06 1:30:39

Sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:30:39

And um especially like Courtney Thornsmith um has found her success in television. And I mean what I'm glad of is that of course in the 80s preceding that sort of thing there was definitely a very different outlook on what it meant to be a TV actor versus what it meant to be a film actor. And and obviously now I think that that line has completely been obliterated.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:06

Yeah I don't even think it's blurred.

SPEAKER_00 1:31:08

I think it's just erased it's just gone.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:10

Yeah it doesn't exist anymore really which is you know as it should be in terms of like there's amazing content that's coming out because I actually listened to an interview with James Brooks the other day where he kind of talked he talked a little bit about that. And it's such a it's such an odd thing that used to happen where it was sort of like you know if like because even like you think same thing like around the same time like Ted Danson you know tried to jump in the movies and it you know he had a little bit of success but it wasn't the success he had in it wasn't because of him.

SPEAKER_06 1:31:41

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:42

You know and you know even uh Tom Sellick they pushed you know and and it was just so odd back then that there was that line where it was like if you're a TV star you know it's like you know they they looked at you as a TV star. Right didn't think like you know they try you know occasionally somebody like that who was really popular or whatever they try to put into movies and then if it didn't work I think a lot of times they were just like oh they're they're supposed to be on TV or whatever. It's such an odd thing that used to happen that there was almost like this you know uh prejudice of if you did TAC like you cannot do movies, you know, and it's it's it's just weird to think that like that was a like a thing not too long ago, you know?

SPEAKER_00 1:32:24

And it's hard for me to pick out like specific examples, but you know I have seen in like interviews and that sort of thing older actors now who talk about that era and say like oh yeah I would have like I wanted to be in film. Like I I didn't want to even try to take a TV role because then I was too afraid that I would get pigeonholed exactly as a as just quote just a TV actor.

SPEAKER_04 1:32:47

It's um I I listened or I watched actually the Siskel and Ebert review of Summer School oh they hated it right so spoilers they did not like it. But the first thing they brought up was like this this aspect of Mark Harmon going coming from TV to this being like his first big uh major film. So even even then it was like a major point of discussion and how it would affect his ability to get roles in the future.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:13

See and I I think I watched that too not too long ago um and I remember being I loved those guys Siskel and Ebert and and I and I can remember the trailer for this movie certainly highlighted their little kind of takeoff on Siskel and Ebert. Yes um and uh and I and that that that's the one thing that like bummed me out. Like it doesn't surprise me that they didn't like this movie. It it wasn't really their thing. But I was I I I like I don't even think they really even mentioned that. I would have like would have loved to have them just said like oh you know they take a little you know they do a little parody of us that's kind of funny but you know we didn't like the movie.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:49

Like you know it just like you know it just it you know because it was obviously done out of respect or what have you you know for those two guys like I was like absolutely I just remember being a little bummed that they didn't even like mention you know those characters like kind of you know doing their little homage yeah yeah did a couple of them really like after the roller coaster and then in the library they did like a more a more proper two thumbs up uh we'll see you with the movies thing and it's I mean look summer school is just meant to be like a fun summer movie and there there was a period I feel like Sisco and Ebert went through phases of reviews where if if it wasn't like French with English subtitles they're giving it two thumbs down. Like they they go through phases of what they're willing to have fun with.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:36

Yeah this I mean this is obviously not you know geared towards them necessarily and and not even in like a sense it's not even in the sense where you'd be like oh maybe they have nostalgia for when they were in high school or something. It's not even one of those kinds of movies. This is geared at you know teens summertime it's a light breezy comedy nothing you know although they deal with some heavy subjects like we've discussed they kind of you know they don't go too deep with them or get you know too like uh dramatic about it or whatever. And and it's like you know to me it's just it's it's a fun movie. It's silly it's it's it's fun if somebody you know I don't think of it as like you know I I would never even think of it as like oh this is one of the greatest films of all time obviously or anything like that. And it's like you know if somebody said to me they watched it and like a half an hour later they barely remembered what they saw it'd be like yeah well it's supposed to be that kind of movie you know it's it's sort of it's supposed to be just kind of this silly kind of comedy or whatever you know but it's funny because like I remember when I was in I think I was in high school and there was like a like back then there was like a I think it was like you know the local cable channel and I remember going to a meeting because they wanted to start like a show like like teens doing like kind of like a news show but by teens for teens that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_05 1:36:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:00

And I and some however I heard about it I heard about and I went to the first meeting and it was like all right you know this is kind of cool. We'd be like you know it's like you know a small little TV studio whatever and and I was kind of interested I was obviously I was interested in that stuff and I remember talking to the guy who was running it and saying I'd like to review movies from like a teenager's point of view you know because you know you'd read the you know even like Siskel and Ebert like you're reading these these are adults you know they're not reviewing they're not going to review summer school like you're not you know I'm not gonna watch Siskel and Ebert and go should I see summer school? Let me see what they have to say you know I'm on the fence let me see what these guys have to say but um but uh you know I remember pitching him like this idea that I wanted to do that and he was like no he's like you know we don't want you to do that we want you to review like plays that the schools are putting on and stuff and I was like I don't want to do that I was like I want to review like you know if a if a Friday the 13th movie comes out I'm reviewing it for you know 14 year olds you know I'm a 14 year old reviewing it for 14 year olds that point of view and they were just like no no we don't want to do that and also that's a shame yeah I'm like Jesus dude like we're I thought we're trying to be creative here man and you're like forcing this like thing but but that's the thing it's like you know it's like those movies you know it's like it doesn't mean any you know I mean if Siskel and Iber somebody like that had seen a movie like this and liked it it would have been like mind blowing you know what I mean it's just like yeah you know this isn't you know it wasn't made for them really and you know and they're looking at it from their point of view and it's just like there's no way they're gonna like enjoy it.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:37

I think today like we don't really rely on like the celebrity reviewer in the same way that people will look at like Rotten Tomatoes maybe.

SPEAKER_00 1:37:45

Yeah we don't have like a Pauline Kale or you know people where their their opinion is really revered.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:51

So out of curiosity I looked up Rotten Tomatoes to see what this movie rated at and it was at a solid 63. That's a bad and so here Hey that's like uh that's like Dave's final score on the big bad some uh some movies that it has a better Rotten Tomato score than Beaches The Mummy with Brendan Fraser which is a travesty supertroopers well okay so what I wanted Space Jam.

SPEAKER_00 1:38:19

What I wanted to say is that to to your point a couple minutes ago in terms of uh well two things. One, I know that Ebert at least did a lot of revisiting of his earlier reviews. I can't say honestly if he ever changed his opinion about summer school but I can say that like I think he I wish he did I would love to read that I will say that I think he realized later in his career maybe some of the instances where he was taking himself a little too seriously and taking phones a little too seriously and forgetting the fact that first and foremost it's entertainment.

SPEAKER_06 1:38:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:38:59

And to and that speaks to the second point, you know, which is right there with what you were saying. I mean I can definitely get into a good prestige film. Sure. You know like it no problem. But what I love is a film that will just make me laugh, will make me forget about whatever's going on for a couple hours. I feel like that is you know not to be really kind of corny about it, but I feel like that is as noble a pursuit for somebody who is working in film or television as anybody else you know and it's not to like you know bash the No Midlands and all those other films out there that have a have a certain prestige to them. But like if I'm having a really crummy day, what I'm not gonna throw on is no med land. Yeah I'm gonna throw on like a summer school or something like that. So I I get I just I'll admit I get on a little bit of a soapbox with this kind of stuff because I'm just so tired of comedy not being recognized for just how incredibly important it is. And even bad comedy, you know, even if you're like kind of cringing sometimes and be like oh my goodness because you're probably still smiling as you're doing that. And you know to kind of tie in and this I'll then I'll zip it but like to tie in the last you know 18 months and just how challenging it's been for people I I don't have the figures on it, but I want to say that probably a lot of people turn to comedy, turn to things to just make them happy which points to the importance of art in general but also that part of it you know where people go when they just need a uh an escape from whatever is going on. So I it's fine, you know, comedy is so subjective that I'm not gonna like begrudge somebody who's like oh it just like wasn't my kind of comedy like a lot of Adam Sandler movies, not my kind of comedy.

SPEAKER_01 1:40:59

It's over. My divorce paper it's like here's the divorce papers.

SPEAKER_00 1:41:04

It's over but I recognize that for other people they love those movies and that's okay. Like it's fine for me to not be like into it and it's like more than okay for you to love it.

SPEAKER_04 1:41:16

So I propose that we create a new podcast called In Defense of Summer School every week.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:22

That's all I want to say I just you know no it's true and it's like and that's the thing about like summer school it uh obviously it's a comedy you know people like it's just not my thing. It's not what I find funny. I think like from somebody like those guys and not that we want to turn this into like a whole Siskel and Ebert podcast now but but like from from their point of view like okay if it didn't make you laugh whatever but especially back then in the 80s you know we know there was just a huge amount of those kind of like teen comedies yeah that and and I'm not gonna like put them down I was I enjoyed I watched uh you know some of them and laughed or whatever but you know they you know they were you know they were doing one thing specifically you know it's like we gotta show some naked girls and this and that and so like even just from that point of view you know to say like okay I didn't find this all that funny but this movie isn't that like they did they could have easily just went that route with this story. I mean a movie called an 80s movie called Summer School like you're you're before you even watch it you're thinking like okay this is just going to be like another teen comedy uh naked girls running around whatever uh you know and and it's not that at all you know I mean it's it it's completely not that so I mean even from their point of view we didn't like it but I think you could at least say hey these guys tried to do something different for in a teen com if with a teen comedy as opposed to you know and I mean obviously John Hughes was doing his thing back then and he certainly his films certainly stand apart from those. I'll I'll tell you a real uh uh thing you guys will probably get a kick out of last summer I don't know if you're familiar there's these like um and I shouldn't be eating them but I last summer you know all all hell with all bets were off last summer it was like who cares you know but uh there are these things called chip witches okay it's like it's like two two cookies with the ice cream it's oh okay right oh yeah we're gonna brand with the ice cream yeah so there's a brand like I don't know maybe it was just like an East Coast thing this brand Chipwich but um I was in the food store last year you know making that visit with gloves on and masks on and everything and freaking out should I even be in here and uh and I happened to go by the like ice cream section I usually don't buy these kinds of things but I you know I was just like again it was just like you know who cares man I'm throwing caution to the wind all these stuff that I shouldn't be eating and I saw that these were I thought they didn't exist anymore and I saw that they were um in the f in the freezer there and I was like oh you know I haven't had those in ages I didn't even know they were still around so I bought a package of them and it was delicious and I and I I don't remember if I emailed I sent a a note to the company okay emailed them or something you know where this is going and and I sent them a thing just saying like hey I didn't even know you guys were still around I tried you know I had them the other day it was so you know cool to see that you guys were back they were delicious blah blah blah blah blah I and they sent me back they said can you send us your address we want to send you a bunch of free coupons they sent me a bunch of free coupons for for chip witches and uh and I posted it on uh Facebook or whatever and uh and said like um you know Mr. Shoop taught me well his free coupons and uh and and uh Dean Cameron the actor Dean Cameron he uh he he gave you know he gave it a thumbs up or whatever you know or whatever but it was just comical you know like that is amazing that's so funny that's a really fun story and I loved it this is so now here's a tip everybody like you'll get some product you like something tell them maybe he'll get something out of but no but seriously like that's just so fun to hear it's fun to hear that there are still companies out there that appreciate people who appreciate their products oh yeah it's um it shocked me I couldn't believe that they were doing that it was like oh really what the heck that is so fun well I think that that's honestly the perfect way for us to wrap up what has been a really just super fun I mean so many laughs. I I had a great time talking about this one with you Steve and um just again thank you so very much for taking the time because we again it happens every time where we get to have a conversation with somebody where we start discussing things that never probably would have popped because summer school yeah summer school deserved this they deserved this this opportunity in defense of summer school more people should give it a shot come on Derek come on Derek let's be honest before we started recording you were talking to Anna before you guys logged on and everything you were like we'll be done with this by uh you know 11 15 minutes this is gonna be 20 minutes tops I did all that I thought for sure I didn't get in my mind no it was great I was it was a blast you know it was a blast talking you guys it was fun talking about this film and you're absolutely right I mean you know we went places with this movie that you did not expect us to go well you know it kind it's a little bit come up here and there throughout our conversation you know we always have just really fun amazing talented creatives on the show and I was curious if you wanted to share with our listeners what you've been up to lately. Um thank you I uh yeah well the um I have a film like it's kind of wrapping up the festival it's pretty much done I'm trying to figure out a short film called Wiamea um that we'll I'll have to figure out what we're gonna do as far as putting it out there for just everybody to check out um but uh you know we just shot we were trying to figure out when the pandemic was going on especially for and I'm I'm sure you know this is a concern of yours as well Anna like we were trying to figure out the YMA played at a festival last summer um and we had you know it was it was you know uh zoom and all that stuff they had like a filmmakers forum on Zoom and we were the festival director we were all kind of talking uh this was kind of like the middle of summer when still things were just like unknown completely and you know he brought up something about like how do we go forward like indie filmmakers like how are we gonna be able to make films going forward and all this stuff and you know and it got me thinking you know like yeah like how are we gonna be able to do this you know studios will figure out ways to get around this but like the indie people like ourselves how are we gonna do this and it started me trying to think of a way to make a film and I started working on a uh an idea of where we were going to sort of have an actor like you know just one actor like work like acting with themselves you know so like shooting like split screen kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_06 1:48:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:48:16

And um because you know it was seemed like that's the only way we were going to do this with a skeleton crew of just the bear minimum you know crew camera person, sound person, myself and the actor like that's it. Like and we started working on idea and um and it just wasn't coming together. And then something else happened that kind of triggered this other idea for me. And again it was it was something that we could do um with social distancing and keeping everybody safe like you know mostly the actors would be them by themselves in their cars.

SPEAKER_06 1:48:50

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:48:51

And you know another actor would be like on a phone like a FaceTime thing. So we were like okay we that's the way we can do it. And then some stuff kind of like we were getting ready to to do that and some things kind of lifted a lot of people were vaccinated and stuff so we were able to kind of like you know ease up a little bit or bring in a few more crew members and stuff. So we shot that long story short but uh we shot that uh we uh we finished it about um two weeks ago I guess we wrap you it's a short it's another short um but you know I haven't even begun because I gotta leave the country to work on this TV show uh so I haven't even really begun to like edit it or anything like that. But hopefully and I'm not in any rush either so like hopefully we'll have that you know bringing it around to festivals next year sometime. And then you know I mean do you have a ton of title? Yeah right now it it'll be called um two two rights don't make a wrong nice um or wait what did I say two wrongs don't make a right okay I should equally nice two wrong yeah two wrongs don't make a right and it and the title will make like obviously makes sense if you see it I think it'll be pretty funny. I mean we have a good cast um some people I've worked with I work with a lot of the same people you know we bring you know it's like I work with a lot of the same people and then you bring in a few new people here and there every project um but uh but I I think it'll come out pretty good and then you know like I said I'm I it's it's time for me it's been too too long. I've been I've had a lot of ups and downs in this uh industry different projects and stuff um and uh but I just feel like it's it's you know I gotta kinda finally make the leap. We're working on a feature idea it's like you know it's time to kind of make the leap. It's just been it's been way too long before we uh we should have already tried you know at this point but uh we just never really had a script that we could like we had scripts that we we liked and everything but they were never you have to really love it because it is it is and also something that we could really pull off on a on a smaller budget. It was like some of the stuff you know my friend Kurt and I used who I used to write with like we wrote a lot of these crazy comedies. We had a lot of you know interests here and there but none of those scripts we could ever make on our own or anything like that. You know so it's really been about trying to find that right idea with and and at the same like I'm always thinking on that side of it as well as far as like you know can is this something we could make independently ourselves like we're not gonna have a huge budget. Could we you know make this and you know a lot of times in the past the ideas we were working on they weren't that wasn't the case but this one I feel like is something along those lines that we'll be able to kind of uh you know shoot independently if we you know see we'll see what we can raise money wise but you know we'll see what happens but that's what I'm making working on you know that's it's I really can't be I can't really part ways with you all without congratulating you on all your success with your it was a great film I enjoyed it thank you um I don't know if you really like bringing that up on the podcast but I cannot I cannot like you know like I cannot you know avoid that you know Derek's like what about me what about me no not at all I that that means a lot um I I really just take to heart you know when other filmmakers uh get some joy hopefully um out of something that they've watched and the fact that like I you are saying that about mine is just so kind.

SPEAKER_00 1:52:24

Um so I I really love that I really love that thank you so much uh and just as you move forward I mean I know I know it's been it's been a wacky we I think we all thought we would be far far far beyond this point. Yeah um but slowly but surely I do I I am optimistic that we will continue to move towards better season. Yeah you gotta be you know you gotta be really you have to you have to and I think you're absolutely right like you know obviously it is just the strangest time and and I know that there's the saying like there's never gonna be a perfect time.

SPEAKER_01 1:53:02

I know it's a really strange time um but good on you for just saying okay we're gonna we're just gonna move forward don't know how linear it'll be but we're moving forward one step in front of the other or one foot in front of the other in times like this I just think of uh Jurassic Park and uh life finds a way yeah yeah you know Derek I'm a little disappointed because I really thought when you started that it was going to be a reference to summer school and I'm like come on man.

SPEAKER_00 1:53:31

Well Steve thank you again wishing you just all the best so much success with your endeavors as you move forward and thank you again we had a great time having you on the show.

SPEAKER_04 1:53:42

Wow it's been awesome had a blast I'll see you in Los Angeles soon hopefully thank you again Steve we had such a great time with you that was awesome honestly and I did see more than one movie over the weekend and I'm kind of shocked that between summer school and the green night I'm gonna take I'm gonna take summer school and that's only because I do not have a master's in Arthurian literature. You know that's that's for me that's the only reason.

SPEAKER_00 1:54:12

Yeah given this is an 80s movie podcast I mean I could say a lot about the green night but I won't.

SPEAKER_04 1:54:21

I said all I needed to which is summer school was amazing and thank you so much Steve for talking with us about it.

SPEAKER_00 1:54:27

What I will say is if you want to check out more of Steve's work and we definitely encourage you to do so you can go to his website which is jointfilms.com and that is J-O I-N-T-F-I-L-M-S dot com.

SPEAKER_04 1:54:44

Checks out jointfilms.com did I really just say that summer school is better than the Grey Knight?

SPEAKER_00 1:54:50

You did. I'll back that one up. All right thank you.

SPEAKER_04 1:54:53

I mean look we got to talk about a movie that I think is like a cult 80s movie type of uh film that doesn't get the same uh level of attention perhaps yeah as some of the others and it like like we said like there's some solid laugh out loud moments in it. I enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_00 1:55:13

So you are leading me to asking you Derek would you watch this film again?

SPEAKER_04 1:55:20

I mean I'd watch parts of it again. I'm not I'm not like seeking it out. I'm not saying you know what today needs some summer school. But if it's on I'll probably watch it. Uh I really enjoyed like a few of the moments with obviously with the uh the school massacre scene which is a weird statement but you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_00 1:55:39

Oh jeez Derek everyone knows what I'm talking about at this point. Yeah it's yes when you put when you call out the way that the and anyway yes that's that's what it was. That's what it was and it was hilarious. And it was hilarious. Um yeah I think for me I don't know if this is weird because it's not it's not like so grounded in the fact that it's like well I mean it is it's it's called summer school. So for me it feels seasonal. Yeah is what I guess I'm trying to get at yeah so in the same way that like I'm not gonna watch Scrooged in the middle of July I feel like this is a movie that it's like this time of year that you know especially if it was like on TV or something I would have it on. But like if it was December I would maybe be like well I'll watch it in the summer. That kind of thing. Does that make sense? Is that weird?

SPEAKER_04 1:56:36

I I don't think it's is it weird that I want to compare it so much to the last movie we covered in Dead Poet Society because they both involved school no I don't know why we've been on this track.

SPEAKER_00 1:56:46

I mean it is completely unintentional.

SPEAKER_04 1:56:48

We spent some time in Detroit now we spent some time in school.

SPEAKER_00 1:56:52

We we spent some time with cops and now we were spending some time with school teachers. Yeah I don't really it it just it just totally randomly worked out that way just works out that way just works out that way so all right so you had a call to action oh god earlier.

SPEAKER_04 1:57:12

Do you remember what your call to action was I I don't right off the top which is exactly why I do why I put got it in there when I remembered it.

SPEAKER_00 1:57:20

Yeah no I had a feeling that that might have slipped your mind.

SPEAKER_04 1:57:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:57:23

Um you wanted to have somebody point out guy number one. Yes from Back to the future right yes yeah yeah yep so I think that that's a great one if someone could please tell us it was Dave right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:57:39

Dave from summer school is guy number one in Back to the future who is he?

SPEAKER_00 1:57:44

Who is he? Um I mean I think that that's probably the stronger call to action. I'm also just curious like if people do have summer school experiences. Like I just don't have that experience.

SPEAKER_04 1:57:59

Tell us about how you got liquored up during summer school and when you were in high school how you went to summer school drunk.

SPEAKER_00 1:58:06

Yeah I'm just curious what that was for people if they actually did attend summer school and you know was it as um it looked like a lot of laborious as I've heard it is you know like I I don't know anybody who's like you know enjoyed their time or was it like not as bad as they make it out to be in like the movies.

SPEAKER_04 1:58:25

All right so we've given options.

SPEAKER_00 1:58:27

We you got options people and if you want to get in touch with us we would love for you to do so you can reach out through Facebook Twitter or Instagram and it's the same handle for all three. It is at 80s Montage Pod. All right well that's it for this one you guys thank you so very much for hanging with us and uh we will talk to you in two weeks' time and we'll try to do better.