On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I talk all about Back to the Future. I start off talking about what its like returning to your hometown after some time has passed. There’s something genuinely disorienting about walking streets you know by heart but finding them subtly wrong. The layout is familiar but the details have shifted. You catch yourself navigating toward a store that closed a decade ago, or slowing down in front of a building that used to mean something. Your feet are in the present but your memory keeps insisting otherwise. It’s about as close to time travel as most of us are ever going to get.

From there I dig into the film itself, starting with how Bob Gale cooked up the idea after stumbling across his father’s old high school yearbook. Seeing it, he wondered whether the two of them would have even gotten along back then. It’s a surprisingly simple premise for a story that became so sprawling. After that I cover the development, the casting situation that saw Eric Stoltz replaced by Fox after weeks of actual filming, the production, the release, and the reception. Which was pretty positive.

The music deserves its own podcast. Alan Silvestri’s score is one of those rare things that makes you feel the emotion of a scene before the actors do anything. And then there’s Huey Lewis and the News, whose contribution to the soundtrack sent “The Power of Love” to number one and functioned almost like an advertisement for the movie playing on every radio station in the country. The two things fed each other in a way that felt effortless but was almost certainly not.

For a while there, the film was a mania. It wasn’t just a movie people saw and enjoyed. It was something they returned to at the theaters, then on home video, then on television. Each new viewing of it reminded people why they loved it in the first place. On this episode I try to trace how that happened.

I first covered the movie on a podcast way back in 2011. This is a re-recorded version that has new material and better equipment. It is also the start of a larger visit to the franchise. I hope you enjoy it.

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Production Notes

* This is the 359th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 8 of Season 18.

* Not only is this album one of my top 5, but the soundtrack and the score are also in that grouping.

* Longish episode, but it was actually much longer. I needed to separate that stuff because I will be re-using it in upcoming episodes.

* I might revisit the movie in a few bonus tracks on Patreon.

* I had a more details look at the soundtrack, but without playing all the songs I don’t think it works.

* Was able to keep the retro audio small. I had a bunch of other stuff I wanted to play, but will save it for the future.

* The format of this episode is a bit of a hybrid. I wanted it to bridge my older format and newer format.

* The older version of the show will be disappearing.

* Still amazed we haven’t seen a reboot attempt. Its going to happen eventually, but I don’t want it to. Hold!

* Bonus clippings can be found over on Patreon for Supporters.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

The Retroist is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I talk all about Grease. Starting with my first interactions with the film. Like many, I found the songs in the films hard to resist and re-listened to the soundtrack until I had memorized my favorite song, Greased Lightnin’. What I didn’t know about the song, was that it had some adult themes that I was too young too understand. How did my family react, with laughter, of course.

Then I move onto the film going all the way back to its origins as a stage musical. After that, I discuss its development, casting, production, release, reception, and much more. This is a film that not only was big at the box office, but managed to find success in related media. Notably the soundtrack.

The soundtrack for the movie was a big seller and was a major reason for its snowballing success. The movie made you want to buy this infections soundtrack, but then after listening to it, you wanted to re-watch the movie and the studio obliged. Re-releasing the film in theaters, making it an early title on VHS, and getting it on television on a regular basis.

Grease ended up being more than a hit movie. It became something people lived with. It moved easily from theaters to records to home video and television, and each stop fed the next. Over time it stopped feeling like a release and started feeling like a fixture. On this episode, I look at how that happened, how a movie built on nostalgia became part of everyday life, and how a song you could sing without thinking ended up revealing more than you expected when you finally slowed down and listened.

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Production Notes

* This is the 358th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 7 of Season 18.

* I don’t think I have ever sang Grease Lightning again.

* Longish episode, but it was actually much longer.

* Cut a mini-episode within the episode about Grease 2. Maybe that would eventually become its down podcast?

* Had a breakdown of each song, but that deviated from the movie too much and I am not great talking about music in detail.

* Watching lots of Sha Na Na really put Grease back into my head.

* The Grease record my family owned was one of the most played and was being played long after the family had moved to cassette tapes.

* I had to cut a commercial I found about the musical, the audio was difficult to tame.

* I am surprised that they don’t re-release the sing-a-long version or that it hasn’t become a Rocky Horror style midnight movie.

* Bonus clippings can be found over on Patreon for Supporters.

* Some fun retro audio in this one. I want to include double what I did, but it was getting too long.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

The Retroist is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Started as a college performance act, Sha Na Na came to the attention of Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix liked their energy and with his urging, the organizers of Woodstock went to see them and invited them for perform. You can see their performance in the Woodstock documentary and some members of the audience look confused, but in the end, Sha Na Na wins them over and you can see why. Their energy and talent was relentless. The music? Timeless.

The group would go onto tour successfully, star in their own TV show, and have a memorable turn in Grease. So they were on the stage, the radio, the small screen and the big screen. Yet now, they are not often talked about, and if they are, its often as a punchline, which is all sorts of wrong.

On this episode, I started talking about how both my parents enjoyed the show and how I remember watching it with them. Then I move onto the group, discussing their creation, membership, rise, and slow fade. I also compare the band to another band I enjoy, DEVO. Its a fun ride about a great act, so I hope after you give this a listen, you revisit or check them out for the first time.

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Production Notes

* This is the 357th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 6 of Season 18.

* Watch Sha Na Na perform at Woodstock.

* Watch The Ramones appearance on Sha Na Na.

* Longish episode.

* I had to cut out a section about John Lennon’s brush with Sha Na Na. I completely flubbed the section and mingled with some other stuff that I had to edit out. Maybe if I revisit I can add it back in.

* I think you can tell that I do not think of Sha Na Na as a joke. I think people who say that have not watched their early performances or given them much of a chance.

* Bowser’s cartoon-like behavior probably made him beloved by most young people, but it didn’t sit well with me as a kid. Now I admire his commitment to the character.

* I had opportunities to the band over the years and I regret it never happened.

* Can you imagine going to see Sha Na Na and the opening act is this kid named Bruce Springsteen?

* Bonus clippings can be found over on Patreon for Supporters.

* Some fun retro audio in this one. I want to include double what I did, but it was getting too long.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

The Retroist is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I tried to break it down in little themes and also tried to not repeat what I have shared in past specials. I can also be limited by existing audio. A few commercials I found just had unsalvageable audio. Here are how I organized the show.

* Atari

* Music

* Other

* Newspapers and Magazines

* Foods

* Cameras

* Beverages

* Colognes

* Stores

* Fast Food

* Toys

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is the 356th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 6 of Season 18.

* I have said a few times that I wouldn’t do another one these specials. They are a challenge for me to choose, clean-up, and balance. But a few fans of the show really seem to enjoy them. So I started work on it last year after Christmas.

* I think this might be my last one of these special, but keep emailing me and I will probably change my mind.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start the episode talking about something that became important in the eighties. That’s when it wasn’t enough to just watch the special. Now with VCRs, you could own the special. Sure, you could eventually buy or rent a copy, but with a blank tape, you could make your own copy. So I discuss what that was like in my home at the time.

Then I dive into the special itself. I discuss the people in front of and behind the camera, its production, music, and much more. I also reference some newspaper articles, and I will share my clippings over on Patreon, so if you are a support, make sure to check them out.

It isn’t Christmas for me unless I watch, A Charlie Brown Christmas. It is a special that not just enhances my holiday mood, but helped to define it. Many of us who grew up watching it, when we try and think about what the season is really about, will hear Linus’ speech in our head. Its a message that is presented in an earnest way that doesn’t feel preachy, and for network programming, that is pretty amazing.

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is the 355th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 5 of Season 18.

* I know what you are thinking, didn’t you already do this special? Weird, I have not. It was supposed to be one of my first Christmas-themed episodes, but when I recorded it during my first year, I disliked how it turned out. So now a decade and a half later, I have revisited it and I think this one is much better.

* I spend some time talking about the 4 main people behind this special. I hope that is okay.

* How many of you had the Charlie Brown Xmas tree? Have you ever seen an aluminum tree?

* I like a lot of Peanuts animation, but this and The Great Pumpkin are peak. Everything else pages in comparison.

* I originally did the whole Linus speech during the show, but cut it out. It was indulgent on my part. Linus does it better.

* My two favorite Peanuts characters are Snoopy and Linus. Although I am probably most like Charlie Brown.

* Bonus clippings can be found over on Patreon for Supporters.

* Some fun retro audio in this one. I want to include double what I did, but it was getting too long.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

The design of the characters was by the great Alex Toth, who I haven’t really talk enough about on the show. So I start this episode with a bio of Toth after talking about my experience discovering and learning about the show over the years. Then I move onto thee show itself. I discuss the people in front of and behind the camera, the studio who made it, its release, the music, and much more.

While the show combined elements of science fiction and fantasy, it was very easy to understand. A family of people and creatures come together to protect their home against anything that throw at them. Combine that simple and repeatable idea with great design and straightforward, but compelling animation and you have a memorable show that is still worth remembering today.

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is the 354th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 4 of Season 18.

* I am glad to finally get to talk more in depth about Alex Toth. I intended to do that during the Thundarr episode I did, but for some reason that didn’t happen. Not sure why? User error?

* Like most people, I like the creatures more that the people. They are so perfectly designed and each one appealing in their own way.

* If I was to criticize one thing about the show, it would be the modern sound mix on releases. The creature noises are way too turned up.

* I have enjoyed the new comic book by Dynamite and hope they decide to keep revisiting the characters in the future.

* Who is your favorite creature? Is it the same one you had as a kid?

* I love that they don’t explain the name Herculoids (as far as a I can tell).

* A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia is a game you should try if you have not.

* Bonus clippings can be found over on Patreon for Supporters.

* Some fun retro audio in this one. I want to include double what I did, but it was getting too long.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

On today show I want to tell you all about the Saturday Supercade. I start by talking about my own viewing habits as a kid. I was very much the target demographic for this show and I did not let the network down. Then I move onto each segment of the show, talking a little about its run, voice talent, and more. I conclude by summarizing the Supercade, how long it was on, when it ran, and its long-term influence.

The show was so meaningful to me that this was actually the second episode of the Retroist Podcast. Over the years I have wanted to redo it to modernize the audio and bring a little extra to what I had done the first time. Ultimately I decided to keep a lot of what was original even though the format is a bit different from episodes that would follow. I did that just so people could still see how the show evolved, plus it was fun for me to go back and redo it this way.

Like so many kids, I was a major fan of cartoons, and the cartoons of the Supercade were high on my list of new shows that September and I am happy to say I was not disappointed. While the show might not have last long, it was a smart step in the strategy of cross-promotion. More importantly, for an all too brief time it gave new life and stories to some video game characters who to this day only had their moment of the sun during the Saturday Supercade.

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is the 353rd episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 3 of Season 18.

* This is a redo of episode 2 of the show. I hope you like it, the old version is being retired, but you can hear a little of it at the end of this one.

* In a perfect world, we would have had many more years and other video games brought into the Supercade. I would have loved to see a couple more Atari 2600 games get a season of segment. Maybe Haunted House? Yar’s Revenge? What would you have liked to see?

* I wondered if the segments were too kid-oriented? A lot of gamers were already pushing into the tween years. Maybe edgier cartoons (within reason) would have boosted ratings? Not sure that was possible at this time.

* I redid the Saturday Supercade logo to run as a promo image for the show and I am happy how it turned out. A lot of what is out there is very pixelated coming from screencaps. I did try and keep it slight retro looking. Pretty sure no one will notice it outside of the proud note readers.

* The old version of this show had some non-Peachy background music, that is all gone.

* Bonus clippings can be found over on Patreon for Supporters.

* Some fun retro audio in this one. I want to include double what I did, but it was getting too long.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I begin the episode by discussing my own prom. It wasn’t memorable like all the proms I saw in the movies, but my friends and I did eventually manage to have some fun. Could our prom have used more disco? Probably, but all proms could use more disco. After discussing the prom, I move onto the film itself. Talking about how it got made, who made it, the actors, music, reception and much more.

Prom Night is interesting as a bridge between the Halloween era and the more graphic slashers that followed. Its kills are relatively low-key compared to what came after, but its focus on teenage drama, secrets, and revenge foreshadowed many later films. Why should you watch it? Curtis’s performance, its place in slasher history, and its splendid mix of disco, high school nonsense, and a masked killer that makes it feel very much of its time.

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is the 352nd episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 2 of Season 18.

* This is a new episode for a new season. It was not how I planned to start it, but it is happening. Might have a few missteps, but episodes will flow like spice again.

* Jamie Lee Curtis is the best actor in the lot of “teenagers.” But the adults are all pretty decent. That isn’t always the case with these types of films.

* Dancing is great! Feels so "featured,” like they knew the choreography before they knew the plot of the rest of the film.

* If you know any disco music, try and listen to the sound-a-likes and see if you can tell which songs they are replacing. Some are very obvious.

* I will keep looking for those pillows. Someone must have one or a photo of one. Still think they must be generic.

* The scenes with the kids being all murderous are a bit scarier than the scenes with the actual murderer.

* Soundtrack and songs are all over YouTube, if you are interested.

* Not sure where this sits in my 80s horror list. I enjoy it when I watch it, but I would like it more if they focused a bit more on the background of the characters and how they feel and less on the weird love triangle.

* Bonus clippings can be found over on Patreon for Supporters.

* Some fun retro audio in this one. I want to include double what I did, but it was getting too long.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

The Retroist is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I begin the episode by discussing seeing this movie with my friends. They had wholeheartedly embraced metal music, while I was more of a tourist at this point. So there most movie chats about it went mostly over my head. Still, I did find the movie enjoyable and even more so when it was available on VHS. It is my time of horror, a little weird, creepy, but the violence is toned-down. I then discuss the film itself. Talking about how it got made, who made it, the actors, music, cameos and much more.

Trick or Treat is one of those movies that feels like it could only have been made when it was made. It takes all the fears parents had about heavy metal music, mixes them with teenage alienation, and turns it into a great horror story. The music and the fan culture of metal is as the center of the story, which was rare at the time. It is campy, but it has a surprising amount of heart, which is why it still stands out today.

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Production Notes

* This is the 351st episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 1 of Season 18.

* This is a new episode for a new season. It was not how I planned to start it, but it is happening. Might have a few missteps, but episodes will flow like spice again.

* Gene Simmons is surprising subtle in his role. Its not ground-breaking, but I am always impressed when I see him here compared to some other films he has done.

* Marc Price is also good in this film. Hard to separate him from his Skippy role, but this was a good role for him.

* The Orange and Yellow Flowers Paper Cup makes an appearance in this movie. Can you spot it!?

* This film might be the best horror film for looking at 80s stereo equipment up close.

* I wonder why they didn’t use a Technics Cassette Player in the film?

* I cringe when they destroy the stereo system in the film, but I love when the system starts glowing from the inside. I wish mine did that.

* Bonus clippings can be found over on Patreon for Supporters.

* Some fun retro audio in this one. I want to include double what I did, but it was getting too long.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

The Retroist is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I start the episode talking about my experiences with the film before moving onto the film itself. I discuss the people who made the film, its source material, other adaptations, the people who lent their voices to the film, its reception, music, and much more. It’s worth noting that the director, Brad Bird, would later go on to make “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille,” which shows just how much talent was already on display in this debut. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. had no idea how to market the film at the time, which didn’t help its chances at the box office.

The Iron Giant has become a cult hit and is well loved, but it’s not enough. A surprising number of people have never seen the film, and I think that’s a shame. It’s a thoughtful film, filled with wonder and spectacle, that will capture the imagination of kids and adults alike. Its story of fear, empathy, and the power of choice feels even more relevant today. So if you haven’t seen it, prepare to fall in love with a giant robot.

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Production Notes

* This is the 350th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 24 of the new season. This is the final episode of season 17!

* Vin Diesel’s voice was made for this character. I think he is great as Groot, but this voice work will also be my favorite of his.

* I got into a great discussion with a former co-worker who also liked this film about how it might have been more successful if this film had been made later in the Pixar age at that studio. I am not sure they could have done the style correctly, but I would have like to see them try.

* Bonus clippings can be found over on Patreon for Supporters.

* Not a ton of retro audio in this episode, but I was able to add the major release tv spots to the show.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* Already planning the next season of the show. And in the meantime I will continue to release episodes for supporters. You can get them by supporting the Retroist here on Substack or on Patreon.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

The Retroist is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I started the show talking about when I first got my hands on the Jaws Game by ideal. I inherited it and lots of toys from my sister. Them being older has a lot of perks. This was one of them. My toys were normally rooted in the 80s, but as my sisters got older, I had access to all these amazing older toys that I still think of as “my toys” to this day.

After I tell my story, I move onto to covering a few topics. Instead of my normal format, I just sort of talk a bit about each topic for a few minutes. This is not a comprehensive coverage of the subject, but really about the Jaws stuff I am most familiar with.

You will notices that I do not cover the novelty hit, Mr. Jaws from 1975. I originally recorded a short segment about it, but I didn’t like the way it turned out, but I didn’t want to ignore the “song.” So I included some of it as a bumper.

I am very surprised that the Jaws franchise is pretty dead right now. In our franchise obsessed world, it seems like a natural fit. One day, I hope a good director decides to take on the story of killer sharks again. When they do, I will be there.

Support the Show

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is the 349th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 23 of the new season. One more episode left in the season

* This is a sequel to my Retroist Jaws, Jaws 2, Jaws 3D, and Jaws: The Revenge podcasts and it will be helpful if you listen to the others (sorta).

* A few times over the years, I attempted to rebuy the Jaws game but was outbid. I would like the shark, but I would really like that box.

* If you would like to listen to Mr. Jaws in its entirety.

* Real regret how I didn’t go to Universal Studio. I was just such a Disney fan that the idea of wasting any time at another park was challenging.

* No bonus clippings for this episode. I did try and find some locally that fit well, but it was just too messy. Maybe I will come up with something in the future and post them on Patreon.

* I had a section about the Jaws promo documentaries, but since I covered them in the other podcasts, I didn’t think they were all that interesting here.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* Fond farewell, Jaws. Fond farewell.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

The Retroist is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I saw most of Jaws: The Revenge by myself. I don’t think I had a critical eye at the time, because even though I wanted it to be better, I was entertained enough by it, especially once it started. The FX did stand out as bad, but I liked the change in setting and the silliness of the shark seeking revenge. On this episode of the show, I will talk about the road to making the sequel, the writers, the director, the music, its reception and much more. Its a messy film that might not be critically great, but that doesn’t mean its not interesting.

This was a weird movie for me to cover in that I don’t think its a great film. That is not something I usually do. The thing is, the more I started watching it, thinking about it, and reading the novelization, the more interesting I found it. As you move further along in the Jaws sequels, fewer and fewer people see them. With this one, things have flatlined. Its reputation precedes it so much that people have avoided it like a shark plagued Amity beach. So will you think the movie is great after listening to this? Probably not, and I am not trying to convince you, but I do hope it makes you think about the movie.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 348th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 22 of the new season.

* This is a sequel to my Retroist Jaws, Jaws 2, and Jaws 3D podcast and it will be helpful if you listen to the others.

* The movie theater in my town was a hub for activity for so many years. A surprising amount of drama and just growing up experiences revolved around it. Communities need more spaces like this.

* I had a lot of retro audio I wanted to add, but I limited myself. I think at least 2.5 minutes were cut there.

* Its hard to say a movie is “Bad.” The expectations for this movie are higher than other films that get called “bad.” A lot more films are worse.

* The tone of the film jumps around a lot. I think most of the Bahama shifts work well enough, but the scenes in “Amity” are not a great way to start the film. They feel more like TV movie reactions and drama.

* I remember sitting on the steps of the theater, it had 3 small steps or so. Waiting for my friends and watching people come in and out of the theater. I could smell the popcorn.

* Not John Williams, but a really nice soundtrack.

* Shame Murray Hamilton passed away, I love the idea that after all that happened, he is still somehow the mayor of Amity.

* Bonus Clipping should be up at the same time the episode comes out and see if people prefer it that way.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

The Retroist is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I saw Jaws 3D at the theater with my best friend at the time. We were both enthusiastic about the prospect and unlike some critics, we were wow’d by the 3D effects. So much so that we completely ignored everything else about the movie and needed to see it again. Even then I am not sure, we weren’t just anticipating the FX and not paying attention to the plot or the acting.

On today’s show I will discuss Jaws 3D. I will talk about the road to making the sequel, the writers, the director, the music, its reception and much more. While filming Jaws 3D wasn’t easy, you don’t hear the same horror stories about production that you hear about the first two films. Still, pre-production was messy with producers leaving and at least one writer very unhappy with how the film turned out.

I might come across like I am defending Jaws 3D and I am. I am aware that it is not a great film. It is imperfect, but it also is interesting. Not only because it opted to use 3D technology, but because it took a big chance trying to change the formula of the first two Jaws’ films. Not all these decisions were good ones, but I think in retrospect especially they make the film watching or rewatching at least once.

Support the Show

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is the 347th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 22 of the new season.

* This is a sequel to my Retroist Jaws and Jaws 2 podcast and it will be helpful if you listen to them both.

* I had a lot of retro audio I wanted to add, but I limited myself. I think at least 4 minutes were cut there.

* My 3D glasses are long gone, but at least I got to enjoy them for a while after the movie. I thought I looked pretty cool in them.

* Riding my bike to the theater was one of my great joys of the summer and I remember retrieving them from our hiding place and riding home talking about each special effect we could remember.

* Not John Williams, but a really nice soundtrack.

* I will repeat, they could have done a lot with Jaws toys. I owned a few plastic and robber sharks as a kid. I think some might have even been branded (in a rip-off way) as Jaws. While they did make some Jaws merchandise, they should have leaned into some monstrous toys.

* Watch The Making of 'Jaws 3-D': Sharks Don't Die (TV Movie 1983) online.

* Bonus Clipping should be up at the same time the episode comes out and see if people prefer it that way.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

The Retroist is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

On today’s show I will discuss Jaws 2. I will talk about the road to making the sequel, the change of directors, the novelization, the music, its reception and much more. As you might remember if you listened to my Jaws podcast, it was fraught with problems. So it probably won’t surprise you to learn that the sequel might have had just as many.

Over the years I have come to enjoy Jaws 2 for what it is, a lighter more over the top sequel to a much better film. As directed it is a great film to watch during any summer and I am pleased to finally be able to discuss it here on the podcast.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is the 346th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 21 of the new season.

* This is a sequel to my Retroist Jaws podcast and it will be helpful if you listen to that episode first.

* Like with my Jaw’s podcast, I had a lot of retro audio I wanted to add, but I limited myself. Jaws 3 Podcast?

* I like film novelizations, but only a handful did I enjoy more than the movie. This one is near the top of my list. It does a lot with the subject, moves at a nice pace, and I think is better than the original Jaws novel.

* The novelization has an interesting quirk. It hints at stuff from the original novel as opposed to just the original movie.

* Really fun soundtrack.

* They could have done a lot with Jaws toys. I owned a few plastic and robber sharks as a kid. I think some might have even been branded (in a rip-off way) as Jaws. While they did make some Jaws merchandise, they should have leaned into some monstrous toys.

* Bonus Clipping should be up at the same time the episode comes out and see if people prefer it that way.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

The Retroist is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

On the show, I talk about one of my early encounters with what might have been a shark at the Jersey shore. Then I move onto the movie itself. I discuss its troubled production, the people in front of and behind the camera, alternate casting, its music, reception, and much much more.

Jaws changed the movies. While it might have come out in the 70s and I didn’t get to see it in theaters until much later. Every movie I saw in my childhood was different because this film existed. So if you haven’t seen Jaws, please check out out and if you have seen it, I think its time you return to it.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 345th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 20 of the new season.

* This is a redo of episode 40 of the Retroist Podcast. I have wanted to get this one redone for a while. The old version of that episode has officially been retired.

* I had a lot of retro audio I wanted to add, but I limited myself. Some of it might show up in a follow-up episode. (Just when you thought it was safe to listen to podcasts again).

* This Jersey Shore trip meant a lot to me. I spent a lot of time alone walking along the water and hanging out at the boardwalk. It was great, our place wasn’t big or fancy, required some cleaning when we moved in, but we could have our dogs and the whole family could fit (slightly cramped). Sad when we had to head home.

* I tried to match up as much of my original episode as possible, but then add some new stuff and streamline some of the presentation I didn’t like.

* In an early apartment I lived in with roommates we had a little shrine to Robert Shaw in the corner. We has images of him cut out and tapes to the wall. Whenever we would watch Jaws we lit a candle under it.

* Bonus Clipping should be up at the same time the episode comes out and see if people prefer it that way.

* Promotional image used in this post was provided by Christopher Tupa. This was art that Christopher provided all the way back in 2010 and its nice to see it back on the front page of the site again.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

The Retroist is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This console was interesting in that it combined a computer and gaming console in an attractive and cohesive packages. Unfortunately for Atari, releasing it in 1987, was just too little too late. And while there was some initial enthusiasm for the system, it quickly faded, buried under the efforts of Nintendo and to a lesser extent Sega. Still, while it might have failed, it was an interesting effort and worth discussing.

On today’s show, I talk all about the Atari XEGS. Discussing its designer, the company who made it, its reception, release, and much more. This being an Atari release, I found some great retro audio to include that I hope you enjoy.

Many consoles have been released that didn’t set the world on fire. That doesn’t mean they should be forgotten. Atari was trying something that certainly had been attempted before, but I think you could argue that they did it best up to this point.

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is the 344th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 19 of the new season.

* I got to spend some quality time with an XEGS around 2015 and I was really smitten. Something about its design really won me over. Sad I didn’t pick one up when they first came out. I could have made some nice memories on this machine.

* Some fun retro audio in this one, but I wanted to include even more. Atari might not have had a big advertising budget for the system, but they did some nice stuff.

* I originally had a section about their advertising and budget, but I butchered it and it was awkward, so I cut it out.

* I had some cuts about people who worked at Atari and more about Commodore. Edited out close to 90 seconds by removing it.

* The XEGS has become collectible, but not as much I would have thought. I just don’t think enough people know about it or more likely didn’t build up enough memories to want to collect the system. Still, there are some people out there.

* I had pre-recorded some episodes in anticipation of some issues with my jaw. This is a newer episode and I think that it sounds okay.

* If you had and XEGS, I would like to know why you got one and what you thought about it.

* Bonus Clipping should be up at the same time the episode comes out and see if people prefer it that way.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

The Retroist is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I am going to discuss this arcade classic. I start off talking about what an incredible workout the game could be before moving onto the game itself. Then I go over the games evolution, the company and people who made it, its reception, scoring, the world record, and much more.

The thing about Robotron that makes it so good is that it's a lot of fun when you start out and you're just shooting everywhere. But the game is at its best when it is completely out of control. When you do not expect to survive, and you sometimes do. So the challenge of making this game is to funnel and control the chaos, giving the player of the game just amount of agency to win. But it's always a tightrope that they're walking. And they do it so well with colorful graphics, amazing sound, wonderful level design in a great package. So if you haven't played Robotron in a while, never played it before, go find a way to do so. It's one of the great games of the early 80s, and it's worth your time.

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is the 343rd episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 18 of the new season.

* Here is the promotional video they did the game. It is something.

* This podcast was supposed to come out last month and I didn’t plan on releasing it back to back with Golden Axe, but here I am going just that.

* I had a section where I talked about a kid who tore open and arcade version of Robotron by the joysticks. It was going to be my story, but opted for another one.

* Try playing the game 2 player with one person shooting and the other controlling movement. Its wild.

* Had about 90 seconds more about the creators and a minute more about the companies. Cut that all down.

* Not much self-contained retro audio for this one, so I needed to feature some other robots. I hope you like my choices.

* I got to play Robotron 2084 on a recent arcade outing in NJ. It had been a while and while I did better than I usually do, the high scores at this arcade, Billy’s Midway were out of this world.

* I did mention the world record. I don’t often do that because it changes and I don’t want to have to go back and edit it. Still, I always want to include it and I decided to do it. I cut out 15 seconds of me explaining that decision.

* Maker sure you play this game with the sound on, it adds a lot to the game.

* Bonus Clipping should be up at the same time the episode comes out and see if people prefer it that way.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I loved playing this game in the arcade, but one of my best memories of it was wrapped up in the Sega Genesis version. So I start the show discussing how a game rental turned into the last all-night game sessions I ever had with a childhood friend. Then I move onto the game itself. I talk about the company and people who made it, its release, reception, and technology. While I might not be a Golden Axe master, I have played it through several times, so I also share some of my strategies for the game.

Golden Axe remains significant for its role in shaping the beat 'em up genre. So significant that it looks like we might be getting a TV show based on it. One can hope that this will lead to future sequels or reimaginations of the original. And why not? With its blend of action, fantasy, and cooperative play, it helped set a new standard and one of its sequels was arguably even better. This is an important title in the history of video games, so I hope you give the show a listen and then go check out the game for yourself. If you can bring a friend, the experience will be all the better.

Support the Show

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is the 342nd episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 17 of the new season.

* While I might like the Genesis version of the game, whenever I emulate it, I still prefer the arcade version.

* I think it all the time, but not sure I have ever said it, but video games can use more dwarves.

* Maker sure you play this game with the sound on, it adds a lot to the game.

* If you clear the original, jump straight to Revenge of Death Adder.

* I no longer buy game consoles, but if Sega got back into the mix, I would consider it.

* No bonus clippings for this episode, I did try to find some local flavor, but they just weren’t covering the game in a significant enough way to anchor a segment.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start the show talking about what it was like not having agency in what videos were rented in your house. Being the youngest, I was a little resentful at the time, but now I realize how much richer my life is because of all the movies I was exposed to that I never would have chosen. One of those is Valley Girl, which my sister rented for herself, but I was never one to shy away from new entertainment and I watched it as well multiple times.

After I finished telling my story I move onto the film itself. I discuss how a Zappa song turned into a lawsuit that didn’t derail a film that has often been described as Vall-sploitation. Other films in this genre were released, but non were as well-made and well-acted as this one. Then I talk about production, the case, the music, the reception, and much more.

I am not sure why Valley Girl isn’t more popular. Maybe its because its a little rough around the edges, but I find that charming. It, and movies like, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, helped to establish tropes that other 80s films would borrow, and it deserves to be watched and celebrated.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 341st episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 16 of the new season.

* This episode is for my sister, who has been a constant champion of the film.

* The fact that its not Deborah Foreman in the poster and advertisements still seems so wrong and surprising.

* If you haven’t heard the Valley Girl song by Moon and Frank Zappa, give it a listen. Then listen to some music from the movie.

* The music from this film is up there or better than almost any other film from that era which people consider a classic from that time period. Plus you get real bands playing in the movie.

* This is the first place I heard Angst in my Pants by Sparks.

* I cut out a section where I read some Valley Girl slang I found in a book. It didn’t sound good, so I cut it out.

* Removed a bunch of stuff about the other cast members. It was just getting too long. Sadly this meant not talking about the small role by Richard Sanders from WKRP in Cincinnati as the driving instructor.

* I cannot recommend the remake of this film. Just like the original too much.

* Nicholas Cage is phenomenal is this film. This is usually the movie I think about when I picture him onscreen.

* Fred is a good friend.

* Warning, this movie is very quotable.

* I will keep putting Bonus Clipping up at the same time the episode comes out again and see if people prefer it that way.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

It was a simple questions, but would have an effect on how I consumed media moving forward. I start the podcast talking about how that questions came up before moving onto the show itself, where I do find an answer to it. Maybe its not an official answer, but its pretty close. Then I talk about the show’s development, production, cast, broadcast, and much more.

The idea behind Fantasy Island is strong. Strong enough that they have attempted to re-use the idea multiple times. Which is why I don’t understand how the full run of the show isn’t on physical media. It is a show that’s future I worry about, and I hope it gets a few of you to check it out and/or revisit it.

Support the Show

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 340th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 15 of the new season.

* After doing Love Boat last year, this episode needed to be done. They pair well together.

* On the show I am pretty consistent with how I say Hervé Villechaize’s name, but that sometime took multiple takes. Its not a hard name to say, I was just used to a very different pronunciation.

* I cut out a bit about Herve. Especially round his tragic death and onset behavior. Its a very sad story and didn’t want to linger too long on it.

* I had a bit more about the differences between the original movies and show that I removed. It was only 90 seconds, but I debated it for a while. Don’t think it was needed.

* I got to see the falls at the start of the show on a visit to Hawaii. It was indeed beautiful. It is also very off-limits. In a few episodes they use footage of people in the water at the foot of the falls. Not sure you could do that anymore.

* I am to try and put Bonus Clipping up at the same time the episode comes out again and see if people prefer it that way.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I begin by talking about my childhood encounter with the Odyssey came about because of a case of mistaken identity. It was a magical find and surprising highlight of a few family visits that were to follow. Then I move onto the console itself, discussing its predecessor, creator, development, games, accessories, and much more.

I also sprinkle a good amount of retro audio into the show and return to reading a little bit from the paper. Nothing excessive, but it a few highlights from around the time of the console’s release. This included another pop culture TV event that I think was worth mentioning.

We have had a lot of consoles that failed. Ones that didn’t last long, but I believe by all measures, the Odyssey 2 was a success. That is why I think it is a shame that not enough people have heard of it or have forgotten it. So please join me while I share the history and some information about Magnavox Geewhizbang console, the Odyssey 2.

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is the 339th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 14 of the new season.

* I have wanted to do this episode for a few years. It has been requested by people often.

* I think my uncle came across his system from someone he knew - a bought off the truck kinda deal. Knowing him, it doesn’t surprise me that he didn’t consider that multiple game systems existed.

* My favorite game from this time period was a platformer called, Pickaxe Pete.

* Put in some fun retro audio, but I would love to have included more. They did some solid marketing and had some great commercials. Leonard Nimoy is a great spokesperson.

* I cannot think of another console where one person was responsible for so much of the games available for it, especially at such a large scale. Its amazing. Here is a great interview with Ed Averett.

* If you want to check out the console, you can emulate it at the Internet Archive. Its not perfect, but it gives you a great idea of the consoles capabilities.

* I am to try and put Bonus Clipping up at the same time the episode comes out and see if people prefer it that way.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I started by discussing my first experience at Chuck E. Cheese. It was a mind-blowing time and one that I wish I could relive. Then I move onto the company itself. I talk about its founding, its founder, its growth, its relationship with Showbiz Pizza, its falls, rebirths and much more. I tried not to go too deep on the business of the company, but instead try to give a solid overview that should work for people familiar with the chain and those who aren’t.

Chuck E. Cheese was built for kids. It was a message its founder, Nolan Bushnell liked to make sure people working there knew. But this was also a major chain that made history and looked like it was going on to huge things in the early 80s, but having tied themselves to the arcade industry, it was hurt by the crash of 1983. Still, the company managed to dig itself out, refocus and continue. Other companies and food chains have come and gone, but Chuck E. Cheese adapts and survives.

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Production Notes

* This is the 338th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 13 of the new season.

* I recorded an episode about Chuck E. Cheese about a decade ago, but never released the episode for reasons.

* Chuck E. Cheese brought on a lot of competition and over the years I have heard from many people who went to non-Chuck or Showbiz pizza places that had animatronics.

* Pardon my attempts at a NJ accent.

* I was going to talk about Showbiz Pizza, but I think I will save that for a future episode. I was lucky enough to have tried both in my youth.

* The one I went to most was in the parking lot of the Willowbrook Mall in New Jersey. We would go to the mall and I would see Chuck E. Cheese across the parking lot and beg my Mom to take me. My biggest dream at the time was to have my birthday there. Sadly it didn’t happen.

* I cut out a great deal from this episode, but did add in some fun retro audio. The part I might revisit would be the subsidiary and ancillary businesses that sprung up around the business. Maybe as a bonus track.

* The last time I was in a Chuck E. Cheese was in the mid 90s. It still had a few arcade games that I could recognize, but a lot had changed. It was already not the place of my youth.

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

While mediocre reviews were certainly one reason it didn’t do very well, one cannot overlooks its competition. This movies was released in the summer of 1984, a pretty hot summer for movies. To stand out it would have to defeat some behemoths and it just wasn’t up for the task.

On today’s show, I talk all about this wonderful film. I start by talking about a game we used to play at the video store, where Streets of Fire was my go-to film. Then I move onto the movie itself, discussing the people in front of and behind the camera, its style, music, planned sequels, and much more.

This film filled me with optimism for films at the time. It showed that creative people were trying new things and while I couldn’t explain all of the decisions they made in the film, I continue to find them all very intriguing. This is a cult film that is a very easy watch and will have you singing along and ready to watch it again and again.

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Production Notes

* This is the 337th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 12 of the new season.

* I get a few requests for this movie each year. Its a great film and I am glad to finally have an episode about it.

* I have been making some changes to the show slowly, but surely. I hope people enjoy them.

* The soundtrack for this movie is amazing, I especially enjoy Nowhere Fast. Jim Steinman knows what he is doing.

* Every time I do anything where I need to mention Willem Dafoe I am reminded that his birthname is William. Willem, the Dutch version of Willem was his nickname, I wonder if he corrects people often or he just rolls with it.

* The unofficial sequel is interesting, but I don’t feel like I can recommend it.

* Sledgehammer fight!!

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

On the show, I start by discussing a friend in school who was obsessed with the band and how they hoped to get a part in the reboot of the Monkees. Then I move onto the band. I discuss their casting, music, the tv show, the movie, their tours, reception, rebellion, and much more.

This band matters. Not only were they wildly successful, but at the height of their popularity, they turned a critical eye towards themselves. It is amazing that a band that was constructed to serve as a commercial enterprise, not only played along, but then subversively began tearing down their own image. I am not sure if its unprecedented, but it a big deal and deserves to be remembered.

I am a Monkees fan, and because of their TV antics, they rank pretty high in my lost of bands from that era. Were they more talented than the Beatles? Maybe not musically, but in other ways, like presence and certainly acting ability, they were much better. So if you are not familiar with the band, please give them a try. If you haven’t listened to them in a while, now is a good time to revisit them.

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Production Notes

* This is the 336th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 11 of the new season. This is one of the longer episodes of the show. Certainly the longest episode this season, so far.

* For a long time, this was one of the most requested shows. I did try and record it during season 2 and 6, but I couldn’t get it right. My problem was that I don’t really have the proper vocabulary to talk about music in a podcast. For this episode, I decided I would focus on the show, but mention some stuff about their music and their movie, Head.

* At some points in the 80s, if you had cable TV and some decent local channels, you could watch several hours of the Monkees each day. A few times, I just channel jumped watching only Monkees.

* Monkees Screen Tests.

* We only owned their first album. So when the Monkees made their comeback, it was interesting to get to hear just how much music they had made over the years.

* In the episode, I cut out a part where I talked about how my favorite Monkee is. I am not going to explain, why, no one should have to explain their favorite Monkee. I am a Mike Nesmith fan.

* I mention the Epcot Concerts that I saw with Davy Jones. Those concerts were amazing. You could just be walking around the park and see a concert loading in and then get to see a well-know, but maybe slightly dated artist. What a treat!

* I cut out a section about people who would come into the video store trying to find all the episodes of the show. At least once a day, after the show premiered on MTV, this was a question you had to field. I think we started selling some Monkees merchandise and a surprising number of people would buy it once we told them you couldn’t get more of the show on VHS.

* The FBI kept files on the Monkees. Too much monkeying around?

* The Monkees weren’t about music, Marge. They were about rebellion!

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

In the episode I start by talking about how poorly I received the gift, but to my grandmother’s credit, she kept it in mind. Many months later she would surprise me with a visit to a Photon arena in Wildwood, NJ. It was AMAZING. While I might have still been interested in Lazer Tag, I was suddenly proud to have a Photon set.

After the story I move onto Photon itself. I talk about the arenas, the home guns, the toys, the TV show, video game and much more.

Photon had a lot going for it, but the toy business is rough. If you don’t catch on completely, its hard to become a multi-year hit. Despite the arenas and the TV show, Photon just couldn’t make the leaps. Still for those of us who owned a set or got to visit and area, it was very memorable.

The light shines!

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Production Notes

* This is the 335th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 10 of the new season. I planned on doing this show back-to-back with my Lazer Tag Podcast. It has only taken 7 years for me to get to it.

* We didn’t go to Wildwood, NJ very often and when we did, we tended to squeeze as much out of it as we could. This might have been my best trip there with my family.

* I wish I could bottle the enthusiasm I had for the gun set I had once I got out of that Arena.

* You can hear segments of the music in the commercial for the Arena in Baltimore that I play. Now looking for the laser disc, although I am sure a lot of other people are doing the same. Here is a digitized version posted onlne.

* I think we had 3 of these arenas in NJ.

* Do check out video that Flack shot of the last Photon arena.

* Entertech’s water guns were bananas. Still amazed they existed. My friends and I were obsessed them. The biggest problem with these water gun (besides the realism that scared people) was that they used up their water quickly.

* The Photon TV show reminds me a lot of Power Rangers. When the music shows up in an episode, its pretty exciting.

* When I look through old TV guides about Saturday Morning, I am always surprised at just how much kid’s programming you could get every Saturday Morning. Just hours and hours of cartoons.

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I begin the episode talking about what my friends and I took away from our first viewing, Twinkie Dogs! We decided to try it and the results were mixed. I later learned that Weird Al had a similar problem with the Twinkie Dogs. Having to take bites out of too many during shooting was just too much. Also, if you watch closely, he dips the dog in milk. We didn’t do that. After my story, I move onto the film itself. I discuss the plot, its production, the stars of the film, music, its reception and much more.

Weird Al is very funny and he brings his brand of comedy to the big screen and sadly America wasn’t ready for it. I think comedy has evolved over time and maybe the disjointed silliness would be more welcome today? I hope so. This is a film I would like to catch on and be considered something more than a cult classic. So if you haven’t seen UHF, please give it a chance.

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Production Notes

* This is the 334th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 9 of the new season. How did I go this long without talking about UHF?

* I considered making a Twinkie Dog before recording this, but I remember how it upset my stomach and decided maybe it wouldn’t be worth reliving that.

* We had so many great UHF stations. My favorite was UHF 68. I spent a lot of hours watching Uncle Floyd and Mr. Ed there.

* Its is crazy how much people want for some VHS tapes. I wonder how many collectors are actually watching the videos? Is it just speculation? Not a fan of he high prices.

* When I first saw Seinfeld, I was hoping that Kramer was going to be more like Stanley.

* Weird that Jay Levey doesn’t have a lot of info online about himself.

* It would be a dream to work my way up the world of film production for the opportunity to say to Weird Al that I want to be in the Weird Al business.

* I like the Secret Life of Walter Mitty and thought the remake with Ben Still wasn’t bad.

* Had a much longer section about the stars but I cut it down by about 40%. It was just a bit much.

* Wonder why Ellen Degeneres turned down the role?

* Would have loved to see Joel Hodgeson take a change in the film

* My friends and I showed up to see the first showing, thinking it was going to be Batman 89 crowded. It wasn’t, but we didn’t notice, we were laughing so hard.

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start the show talking about my childhood visits to the chain. They were all solo trips with my mom and I loved all of them. The place had character and tasty food, plus they had some great options for kids. All things I will talk about during the show. After my story I move on to the chain itself, I talk about its connection to Burger King, its growth, franchising, innovations, sale to General Foods and its decline.

My mom lamented the loss of this chain. She was convinced it was a higher quality offering than other chain. It just goes to show that a lot can go wrong when managing a fast food chain and that it can be difficult to recover when things go wrong.

Starting in the early eighties, they start converting Burger Chefs, mostly to Hardees. Bu the memory of BC lingered and Hardees has re-released the Big Shef a few times. Its been a decade since they release it last and I don’t see it happening again. I think that is a good indicator of people’s interest in the chain. My hope is that by talking about Burger Chef, I can inspire a few people to remember or seek out more info about it.

Listen and download Burger Chef Podcast

* Download Episode (MP3 Format) (MP3)

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Production Notes

* This is the 333rd episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 8 of the new season. This is the first episode of 2025.

* I wanted to do this podcast a few years ago when it was mentioned on Mad Men, but I didn’t like what I attempted to record.

* They had some great fun meals that would inspire other chains. Actually the more you look at Burger Chef, the more you realize how much other restaurants “borrowed” from the chain.

* Look at the reviews of the Ghost Chefs I mention. People have snapped photos of the interiors and some great Burger Chef details have survived.

* I really think Hardees could do more with this brand for special offerings.

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow. I didn’t dive to deeply on this round and didn’t review them during the show. It just didn’t seem to go properly with the theme.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start the episode talking about when my family went to see the movie and how disruptive Santa’s appearance was there. How could you expect a kid to concentrate on on anything when Santa was around? Then I move on the film itself. I discuss the plot, its production, the stars of the film, its reception and much more.

There is a lot of Christmas movies and specials you can watch, but I wanted to talk about Santa Claus the Movie because it is often overlooked. In the United States it doesn’t get a lot of replays. No 24 hour marathon. Nothing. It might not be, A Christmas Store, but I think as a holiday film its charming and deserves to be remembered.

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Production Notes

* This is the 332nd episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 7 of the new season. This is my holiday offering this year on the main feed, but you can get another Christmas-centric show on the Patreon feed.

* At the video store, I always wanted to play this movie, convinced it would help move copies. It didn’t cause much of a stir, but hardcore fans would always speak up.

* The Happy Meals from McDonald’s were great. I like a holiday themed Happy Meal and Happy Meal tie-in.

* While this film is available to stream, I recommend picking up a physical copy. This is the type of film that could easily disappear from streaming services.

* I was recently reading that John Lithgow was up the role of Frasier on Cheers. I imagine he would have done a great job in that role.

* I like that they tried to tackle the idea of a growing population for Santa to service. It was something I thought about a lot as a kid.

* I am not sure about Brian Dennehy as Santa Claus, but I was really happy with Ed Asner as Santa in Elf. Good actors can just make things work.

* I can’t remember the last time I just stumbled across this film on TV. Maybe the 90s?

* On of my favorite parts of the film is the idea of Christmas II. If people like Christmas, why not add another just a few months later?

* Feel like I need to rewatch Starchaser.

* After seeing movies do you sit up at night thinking about it? I did this a lot as a kid and still do it nowadays. Usually that is how I can tell how much if I like it. If it is really stuck in my head, its a better or at least more interesting movie.

* I’ll see you at the Clam Casino!

* Ricky Schroder and Santa!?

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start the episode talking about one of my many brushes with bullies over the years. This one was a little bit more interesting in retrospect, but maybe not too uncommon? Then I move on the film itself. I discuss the plot, its production, the stars of the film, its reception and much more.

This film was popular at the video store as a rental, mostly because everyone at the store would champion it. I personally rented it multiple times and was pretty excited when I finally got my own copy.

If you like the movie or some other movie that you don’t think people know about or watch enough, I encourage you to try and champion it. My suggestion? Buy them a copy of the film on some sort of physical media. Even if they don’t have the means to play it, it will act as a visible reminder that you will constantly hound them until they do.

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is the 331st episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 6 of the new season. Thanks for sticking with me or trying out the show.

* While this film is available to stream, I recommend picking up a physical copy. This is the type of film that could easily disappear from streaming services.

* Bullies were always treated as just part of life when I was growing up. Its been nice to see pushback against it as a concept over the last few decades.

* This episode had some more retro audio in it, but I cut it out for length and also because the material seemed more unconnected than I planned.

* I should have mentioned that this movie has some qualities of a western with a shootout at 3 instead of high noon.

* I would have liked to clarify the change of characters based on deleting scenes to give the film a better flow in a more elegant way than I did. I thought it was nice when I recorded it, but after editing and listening back I am less satisfied. It works, but could be better said.

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start the episode talking about my brush with being the class clown and how that tied into the film. Learning you don’t have what it takes to be the funny one in class is a tough lesson, but one I needed to learn. Then I move on the film itself. I discuss the plot, its production, the stars of the film, its reception and much more.

For all the years I worked in the video store, this was one film you could count on people renting or buying during the last two months of the year. Even if they weren’t, we only needed to put it on the in-store tv to get people interested. Despite this forced watching, I never grew tired of this film. These characters, especially Candy’s is just so endearing, its just nice to have them around, even in the background.

This is a revisiting of an episode I did back in 2010. Its one that people have mentioned they might like to hear me redo. Its a bit longer than the original, so I hope you like how it turned out.

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Production Notes

* This is the 330th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 5 of the new season. Thanks for sticking with me or trying out the show.

* This a revisit episode, so a version of it has been released before. This is a new recording though, so while it might have stuff in common, it is also a bit different.

* If you can, get the Ultra 4k edition just to watch the outtakes. They are compelling, but as I mentioned, most of them were good cuts. I especially love seeing Candy riff for 5+ minutes. What a talent.

* I can’t go on a roadtrip without thinking about this movie (and Vacation).

* The music used in the film is kind of odd. Which I like about it. This version of Red River Valley is burned into my brain.

* I wonder who would be excited about a remake of this film? There must be a group of people who want to see it besides the movie execs and stars hoping to cash in on the legacy of the original Who are you people? Why do you want to see this? Assuming you like the original.

* You’re messing with the wrong guy!

* I am not sure I have met anyone as thoughtless ad Del in the motel bathroom. I know he has been alone, but to use up ALL the towels is crazy and a big strike against him in my book.

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start the show talking about the closest thing we had to the old west in New Jersey, Wild West City. It was a place where I could finally shine like the star that I was, but unfortunately my attempts at improv on the stagecoach did not go over well with the people trying to do their jobs and my creative urges were stifled. Which explain why I am a blogger podcaster and not a Hollywood superstar nowadays.

After I tell my story, I move onto the show itself. I explore the talented people both in front of and behind the camera, how the lead was cast, the writing came together and the shows stirring music. I also reference some interesting newspaper ads and articles I came across while researching the film’s impact and history. For those interested, I’ll be sharing those clippings over on my Patreon tomorrow.

This show was ahead of its time and attempted to reinvent the western. Unfortunately the world wasn’t ready for it and we only got the single season. Still at least we have that, and it holds up well even after all these years.

Support the Show

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is the 329th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 4 of the new season. Thanks for sticking with me or trying out the show.

* What a tv show. I can’t believe this is the first time I am covering something with Bruce Campbell in it. How long until I can do a Burn Notice Podcast?

* I had two other stories about Bruce Campbell I intended to tell, but I will hold those for other episodes where I talk about Bruce’s work.

* I was going to have metagirl in this episode, but I couldn’t get the subject to her in time. She is still ready to join the show and will show up this season.

* The music from this show would show up from time to time on other shows and whenever it did I would jump up. I think I looked like that meme of DiCaprio from Once Upon In Hollywood pointing at the TV.

* This show is a reminder of why retro TV can be great. More practical effects, and some genuinely heartfelt performances.

* Some fans are amazing.

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I kick off the episode by sharing a personal experience, an encounter I had with a scarecrow at my uncle’s house when I was younger. This scarecrow was positioned just outside the window, its creepy presence looming over the yard. For a long time, it became the subject of our family’s spooky tales, passed between me and my cousins. We’d often dare each other to get close, but then, one evening, things took a much darker, more sinister turn, and it’s a memory that still sends chills down my spine.

After sharing that story, I dive deep into the film itself. I explore the talented people both in front of and behind the camera, how the film’s production came together, and the chilling score that sets the perfect tone for the story. I also reference some interesting newspaper articles I came across while researching the film’s impact and history. For those interested, I’ll be sharing those clippings over on my Patreon tomorrow.

This is a solid, scary movie, and what makes it even more special is that, since it was made for television, it’s not overly graphic. It can actually be enjoyed by older kids who don’t get too scared, making it a great pick for a family movie night during the Halloween season. If you’re on the hunt for something spooky but not too extreme, Dark Night of the Scarecrow might just be the perfect fit. So, if you’re looking for something to watch, please, check it out and let me know what you think.

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Production Notes

* This is the 328th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 3 of the new season. Thanks for sticking with me or trying out the show.

* I wanted to cover this episode a few years ago and actually tried recording it, but didn’t like the way it turned out. I have another story about a scarecrow that I used on that one, but I prefer this one.

* Charles Durning is a standout in this film. His portrayal of Otis P. Hazelrigg is so effective that, the first time I watched it, I found myself genuinely angry at him for being such a despicable character. That’s a testament to his talent—it’s not easy to pull off a villain who gets under your skin in such a visceral way. Durning really anchors the film with his performance.

* What’s also interesting is the casting of Larry Drake as Bubba. Drake went on to have a very successful career, notably playing another memorable, darker role in Dr. Giggles, but his portrayal of Bubba, the gentle giant, is heart-wrenching and unforgettable.

* The film is also a standout in the history of made-for-TV horror. Unlike the slasher films of the era, Dark Night of the Scarecrow relies more on atmosphere, tension, and psychological horror than on graphic violence. This is a great example of what is now a common theme in horror: the spirit or entity seeking vengeance for a wrong that wasn’t set right.

* I think this is the only segment from the Strother Martin episode of Saturday Night Live that is still online.

* The soundtrack for the film can be listened to online on YouTube, but the Klaatu Records Release is worth owning.

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start the episode by talking about a memorable time when I watched the show. If you've listened to the podcast or read the blog, you probably know that I like to make an event out of things. This story demonstrates the lengths I would go to. I wouldn’t recommend anyone try what I did, especially at the age I was, but in the end, it was rewarding.

Then I dive into the special itself. I discuss the people in front of and behind the camera, its production, music, and much more. I also reference some newspaper articles, and I will share my clippings over on Patreon tomorrow.

It really isn’t Halloween without watching the Peanuts special, and I make sure to watch it every year. Schulz was a brilliant cartoonist, and as I mention in the episode, it’s amazing how much of what appeared on the screen originated in his comic strip. He was a prolific creative genius who, for half a century, helped define and interpret American pop culture.

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Production Notes

* This is the 327th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 2 of the new season. Thanks for sticking with me or trying out the show.

* This is a revisited episode. It is similar to the original version I did in 2009, but it has new elements and new sound. I hope you like it.

* I went to the Peanuts Museum in California many years ago. It was as unassuming as you would expect it to be.

* My original had more retro audio in it, but I cut it down a lot. This episode was already getting a bit too long.

* I originally mentioned a lot more Pumpkin Carols. I had to cut that down. I have transcribed a lot of them on the site.

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start the show off by talking about how the film was inspiring to me in unexpected ways that have had a positive long-term effect on me. Then I move onto the film itself, I talk about the people in front of and behind the camera, its production, location, video games, music, and much more.

This film, when it finally came out on cable and VHS was pretty much on a loop at my house at the time. That, combined with showings at video stores, make it difficult for me to estimate how many times I have seen it, but it is proudly, a lot. I wanted to say this because it took me a while to get around to making this episode not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t think I could do it justice. I hope you enjoy the episode and more importantly watch or rewatch the movie.

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 326th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 1 of the new season. Thanks for sticking with me or trying out the show.

* I have some plans around this new season. Lots of retro topics to cover.

* This episode is on the long side, so I had to cut out some retro audio I wanted to include. I am happy with what I did include.

* I have been to Astoria three times now, and each time I have tried to see something different. If you can include a few days on the Oregon Coast, it is a great vacation destination.

* Maybe they should have included the Octopus scene? When I first saw it, I thought it was silly as well, but now I kind of love it.

* I could see a remake as a TV series on a streaming service. Perhaps a sequel series? Although I am not sure how they would find the ship after it set sail. Possibly a 2nd ship??

* I might post a bonus track on Patreon with the alternate story I recorded for this episode.

* The Cyndi Lauper music video is worth checking out. I had mentioned it during the show, but completely butchered my discussion of it. It’s got great wrestling connections.

* Here is Donner seeing his cast while trying to relax in Hawaii.

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I begin the show discussing my bit of bootleg patriotism that I wore proudly that summer. Then I move onto the games itself, covering the lead up to the games, its finances, successes, failures, designs, sponsorships, and much more. Because they were very important to me at the time, I also talk about the McDonald’s game and the very cool mascot, Sam the Eagle.

This 1984 Olympics were not a guaranteed success. It was only through careful planning and innovative handling of the event that they were not only able to succeed, but set a new standard for the games. Its legacy went beyond a successful broadcast. It raised funds that have lasted for decades to support sports in the area.

The Olympics are about to start and will return to LA in 2028. I hope that everyone can enjoy them and appreciate the rich history of this optimistic international event.

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Production Notes

* This is the 325th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 26 of this season. This is my final episode of the season.

* When you combine my Patreon episodes and my public episodes, this is my 400th episode of the Retroist Podcast. It will be a while until I hit 500, but I can see it on the horizon.

* This continues to be my longest season of the Retroist in many years.

* This looks like it is my longest solo episode I have done. Maybe I should have cut it in half? I think it moves along nicely even at this length.

* If you are interested in 1984 Olympics Merchandise, a lot of it is out there. If you have a record player, you should at least check out the official soundtrack. Some great tracks on there.

* I tried finding the shirt that I had from the time, but couldn’t find it. I am pretty sure it was a bootleg.

* I considered doing a podcast or maybe an article on the McDonald’s contest. I still might.

* I had a lot more retro audio, but the episode was getting a bit long, so I cut about half of them out.

* The boycott was big news at the time. I am glad I was too young to fully understand it.

* Still dream about carrying the Olympic torch.

* The colors and visuals related to the game are worth searching for online. It really helped set a color pallet that would be very popular for a large part of the eighties.

* Make sure to make your travel plans for the 2028 Olympics early. I am hoping to be there!

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start the show talking about my family’s first VCR. It was beautiful and a centerpiece of family life for years. It almost wasn’t though because of an accident that occurred while I was attempting to learn how to set it up to record. This involves grape soda, and what should have been electrocution.

Then I talk about the VCR itself, tracing its evolution from reel-to-reel to cartridge format. The rise of Sony and how their superior format was somehow not so superior. Once VHS triumphs, I talk about the VHS, VCR Plus, the rise of DVD and so much more. Metagrrrl is back to revisit her top 5 list.

I am enjoying the revisited episode, and I hope you do as well. I am going to be doing one more episode this season before taking a short break. During the break, I will continue to put out some shows on Patreon in the meantime, so check out the extra content on there, and I look forward to bringing you more retro fun next season.

Support the Show

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 324th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 25 of this season. Getting really close to done with this season.

* I have one more episode this season. It is a departure from my normal subject, and I am looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks.

* This might be my longest season of the Retroist in years

* We had that family VCR for years. Eventually we got a new one and it became mine. I think it kept running for over 15 years. Eventually, my sisters sold it or gave it away at a garage sale. Who knows, maybe it is still working?

* I loved buying used blank tapes in the late 90s and early 2000s. At some point, a lot of people started collecting them as well. Nowadays, you are very lucky when you find anything good.

* VCR Plus was a great idea, but it still managed to occasionally get things wrong.

* I am annoyed with myself that eventually I started trying to record things to skip commercials. They really set the stage for me.

* I had a section where I talked a little about Tivo. I didn’t like how it turned out, so I removed it. Look for my VCR Revisited Revisited Episode in 2034.

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Then I move onto the movie itself. I talk about the people in front of, and behind the camera, the film’s production, reception, and more. Some great clipping in this episode, so look for them over at Patreon soon.

While we might not have danced like we did as a group, I kept the torch alive. As soon as the film was on HBO, I taped it and would watch it often. Trying to copy the moves that I saw on screen. For a good year after the film came out, I thought breakdancing was going to last forever and get bigger and bigger. It didn’t.

Breakdancing might not be as prominent today, but its influence is still felt in music, fashion, and dance. It's been a lot of fun revisiting this movie and sharing my thoughts with all of you. Be sure to check out the extra content on Patreon, and I look forward to bringing you more retro fun next season.

Support the Show

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Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 323rd episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 24 of this season. Getting really close to done with this season.

* After the accident, we didn’t Breakdance as much. The parents were really worried that more of us would get hurt.

* It took me a while to record the VHS box. Now sure why, but it kept making me laugh.

* NJ Kidd is always ready to break.

* Some fun retro audio in the form of commercials. For a good year a bunch of products had a breakdancing theme. I would see them often while watching Saturday Morning Cartoons.

* People complain about the plot being simple in this film, but that allows the focus to stay on the dancing. That is exactly what I wanted to see.

* One thing I cut out because it didn’t sound good was a short discussion of the portrayal of California. I was always fascinated with California as a kid, and this was a whole new way of looking at it.

* This film is under 90 minutes. This is the perfect length for a film like this.

* When Lionel Richie performed All Night Long live at the American Music Awards, Boogaloo Shrimp & Shabba Doo were there.

* Get this soundtrack (or at least stream it).

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The show starts with a little story about comic book collecting. Although maybe it is more of a story about how collecting has changed over the years as larger economies have grown up around it. Either way, the story ends with me having free comics, always a good way for a story to end.

Then I talk about:

* Marvel’s Indiana Jones Comics

* TSR’s Indiana Jones role-playing game

* Raiders of the Lost Ark Board Game

* Kenner’s Indiana Jones Action Figures

* LJN’s Temple of Doom Action Figures

* Micro Machines

The Indiana Jones films spawned lots of great merchandise. Sadly, I was too young to collect it all. While I might not have had everything, the things I did have were more meaningful. If you like to get into Indy collecting now, you will find some high-priced items, but also a plethora of affordable and fun things to put on your shelves.

Support the Show

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 322nd episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 23 of this season. Getting really close to done with this season.

* This is the sixth and final episode in a series of podcasts I will be doing about Indiana Jones. It is probably the loosest show I have done.

* I am sad that this is the end of my Indy coverage

* I do not currently have any Indy stuff on display. I think I need to change that.

* If Indiana Jones had used the GI Joe strategy for releasing new content based on the comic and maybe a cartoon, I think the entire 1980s might have been different.

* I think Terry and Pirates would have been a solid template for growing the mythology off the big screen.

* Fun that TSR and Marvel actually put out commercials that mentioned Indiana Jones.

* After recording the show, there were two things I wished I had talked about. The Choose Your Own Adventures books and the 12 inch Indiana Jones figure. In a lot of ways, that figure was the perfect toy for playing Indy, as it focused on just Indy.

* Up next, I think a movie?

* Keeping this up here. I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

* Raiders of the Lost Ark (1982)

* Indiana Jones in the Lost Kingdom (1984)

* Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1985)

* Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients (1987)

* Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1988)

* Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure (1989)

* Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Action Game (1989)

* Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1991)

* Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (1992)

* The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1993)

* Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures (1994)

* Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures (1996)

We kick things off by reminiscing about my childhood and the challenges of playing these beloved games. Back then, playing your favorite titles wasn’t always easy, but with enough determination, anything was possible.

From there, we move on to the games themselves. This episode is a bit different, as I focus more on my personal experiences with these games rather than just the gameplay details. It's a mix of memories and opinion that I hope will bring a smile to your face and perhaps a bit of nostalgia.

Join me as I recount the highs and lows of playing these Indiana Jones games, sharing what made each one unique and memorable. I hope you find this journey through Indiana Jones gaming history as enjoyable as I did.

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is the 321st episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 22 of this season. Almost done with this season!

* This is the fifth episode in a series of podcasts I will be doing about Indiana Jones and the first outside the original trilogy.

* When replaying them recently, I tried to play some on original hardware, but the MISTer was very convenient and saves a lot of time.

* The arcade version of Temple of Doom might be my favorite, but Raiders for the Atari 2600 is a close second.

* This was almost a podcast just about Raiders on Atari, I folded some of my story from that into this episode. Maybe I will revisit that idea in the future.

* I decided to end in the 90s. I could have gone a little further, but wanted to really focus on games that I have strong memories of playing. I did play many of the games that followed, but I was a little older and viewed them differently.

* I am trying to figure out how to cover some other things I would like to talk about in the Indyverse. I decided to not cover Crystal Skull right now, but I might return to it in a few years. Still, I have some other subjects I think are worth mentioning.

* Found some fun retro audio to include. They didn’t advertise a lot of these games on TV or radio, unfortunately.

* Up next, Something?

* Keeping this up here. I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patreon tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The fun thing about "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" is how it cleverly intertwines real historical contexts with the Indy’s fictional world, offering us a blend of adventure and a history lesson in each episode. The series production stands out by its unique approach to storytelling, where each episode is a standalone story that that can also be combined with another episode to make a feature length film. That capability really highlights the craftsmanship of George Lucas.

In this episode of the podcast, we will explore how "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" not only plays with the Indiana Jones narrative but also serves as a crucial component in understanding the complexities of Indy's character. Did we need all this info about Indy? Probably not, but for fans of the show, it was a great wait to give us more of the character when we couldn’t get prime Harrison Ford Indy to make more movies. Despite having so many episodes, this show is weirdly overlooked. I hope by talking about it, I can get you to look at it again or the first time.

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is the 320th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 21 of this season. That is a lot.

* This is the fourth episode in a series of podcasts I will be doing about Indiana Jones and the first outside the original trilogy.

* Some names I tried really hard to say correctly in this one. I think I did it.

* I have tried on many styles throughout my life, but never returned to my psuedo Indy look.

* Surprising little interesting advertising for the show. I don’t feel like it was well-supported.

* A lot of the episodes are online.

* I preferred the less young Indiana Jones stories. They were just more similar to the real Indy stories.

* The Harrison Ford episode got some promos and hype at the time. After watching it, my Mom asked me what I thought and remember complaining that he wasn’t in it enough.

* I feel like I mispronounced one name here. I tried listening to it online, but I am not sure if I got it right. Maybe I did, so I won’t talk about it any further.

* I wonder if Disney talks about doing another series like this? I thought I remember them talking about Marion Ravewood as a series. With a bigger budget, they could make a few Young Indy films each year.

* Up next, Crystal Skull or Indiana Jones Video Games.

* Keeping this up here. I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* Bonus Clipping should be up on Patron tomorrow.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This film marks a return to the lighter-toned roots of the original Raiders of the Lost Ark. Sure, it embraces the classic elements of treasure hunting and globe-trotting escapades, but lacks the horror elements of Temple of Doom. Director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas, in what would have been the series capper, masterfully balance action-packed sequences with poignant moments, creating a compelling mix of thrill and sentiment.

This installment also benefits from John Williams’ continued participation. The grandmaster of film music elevates the film. From chasing the Grail to reconciling with his father, Williams tells the story through music that is as re-listenable as the film is re-watchable.

In this episode itself, I’ll delve into how The Last Crusade not only continues the legacy of Indiana Jones but also enhances it. We get backstory and themes of redemption and family relationships that weren’t in the first two films. As with the other two episodes, we will revisit the relationship between the dynamic duo of Spielberg and Lucas that led to this globe-trotting adventure. Whether you're revisiting this film or discovering it for the first time, this films is an amazing cinematic experience that only adds to the unending appeal of Indiana Jones.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 319th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 20 of this season.

* This is the third episode in a series of podcasts I will be doing about Indiana Jones. I will be covering the original trilogy and more.

* Some names I tried really hard to say correctly in this one. I think I did it.

* The soundtrack for this film is great. Before recording this, I listened to it infrequently, but not anymore.

* While doing a series like this, I try not to repeat myself about the same people over and over. I do repeat some stuff, but try to change it up. Hope that works.

* Pepsi AND Coke getting onboard as sponsors.

* This is my 3rd favorite of the original trilogy films. I am a sucker for Temple of Doom.

* I miss the Burger King I would visit near the theater. You could see the box office while sitting near the window. I liked people-watching the lines of people on these big blockbuster films.

* Where’s Animal!

* I do wish I could remember what I did when I got home after seeing this film. I am sure I watched TV, but what?

* At Suncoast Video, Indy was an easy sell. Just put any of them on the TVs and people would come in and buy them.

* I will post the clipping I mention over on Patreon soon. Got some good ones.

* Up next, Crystal Skull or Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

* Keeping this up here. I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* Follow Lou Lumenick on Twitter. He was my favorite childhood move reviewer.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

What sets this film apart? It might be its audacious blend of dark supernatural elements, perilous adventures, and the charismatic yet fallible hero, Indiana Jones, played with unparalleled zest by Harrison Ford. Or perhaps it's the film's ability to balance that darkness with moments of humor and heart that keeps it enduringly beloved.

In this episode, we dive deep into the heart of darkness that is Temple of Doom. I'll dissect the collaboration between Spielberg and Lucas, how they crafted a film that not only expanded the Indiana Jones universe but also took a path that set it apart from its predecessors and successors alike.

Then I will talk about the mesmerizing score by John Williams and how it added layers of depth to the movie, transporting audiences to an exotic and perilous world. The challenges Indiana Jones faces, from confronting cult leaders to rescuing enslaved children, are all set to the perfect music.

So, whether you're a long-time fan who revels in Indiana Jones’s thrilling escapades or new to the films, this episode promises an enjoyable journey into the darkest chapter of Indy’s adventures.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 318th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 19 of this season.

* This is the second episode in a series of podcasts I will be doing about Indiana Jones. I will be covering the original trilogy and more.

* I again had some technical difficulties while recording the show. I think the dark forces of Mola Ram did not want me to succeed.

* I would love to have had a Haunted House version of Indiana Jones. Something that really focused on ghosts and hauntings.

* This movie was a favorite to play at the video stores I worked at. At Suncoast, we weren’t allowed to play it because our manager told us it was too dark. I wonder whose policy that was?

* I would have preferred Marion Ravenwood in this film as Indy’s partner. Why couldn’t they have had more adventures before Raiders? I am still all for a Marion Ravenwood series. Show her life leading up to Raiders.

* We had a party at home when this came out on VHS. My family was supposed to watch it together, but my sisters bailed, and my mom got sick. So I was watching it with my Grandmother, who was not impressed.

* I mention the Temple of Doom arcade game, but will go deeper on that in a future episode. Same with the comics.

* Just want to talk about that convenience store/deli I mentioned in the notes last week. It was near the movies, and you could walk by it on the way home. I had my first Snapple there, way before Snapple was a widely available drink. They really had an amazing cold drinks selection. Also good ice cream.

* I will post the clipping I mention over on Patreon soon. Got some good ones.

* Up next, Last Crusade.

* Keeping this up here. I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* Follow Lou Lumenick on Twitter. He was my favorite childhood move reviewer.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* 15 years ago today, I released the first episode of the podcast. I didn’t expect this show to go on this long, but here we are. Thanks to everyone for listening all these years.

* This is the 317th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 18 of this season.

* This is the first in a series of podcast I will be doing about Indiana Jones. I will be covering the original trilogy and more.

* I had wanted to make my 15th anniversary special. So I decided to cover my favorite film and to make it the start of a series of podcasts.

* This episode almost didn’t happen. During editing, I had a crash and the entire audio project was corrupted, and I had to start over. Anything worth doing is worth doing twice.

* Big factual error in this episode when I mention Drew Struzan. I might edit and re-release the episode to take that out.

* When I first bought the VHS, I watched nothing but this movie at home for a month. One of my first purchases when I went to work at Suncoast Motion Picture Company was a new copy of the film. I would eventually own the box set.

* The soundtrack for this film is so good. Please listen to it.

* Danny Devito in Raiders!? It’s probably good it didn’t happen, but in some alternate universe, Tom Selleck and him were on-screen together.

* When this came out on VHS, my friend had a party at his home for use to watch it on his family’s brand-new VCR. We watch it twice that night, and his father had to chase us out of the house, or we would have watched it all night. Once we learned, you could pause and rewind! We couldn’t stop that either.

* Whenever I think of a film at the four-plex theater, I think of the convenience store we would stop at on the way home. It had this wonderful wall of refrigerators and every cold drink you could ever want, it also had a decent deli and smelled amazing.

* I did buy a copy of Raiders at McDonald’s. I didn’t even need it, but I couldn’t resist.

* I will post the clipping I mention over on Patreon soon.

* I had some more audio in this, but want to save some of it for future Indy episodes.

* Keeping this up here. I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* Follow Lou Lumenick on Twitter. He was my favorite childhood move reviewer.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

For those who tuned in to the original broadcast, you'll find echoes of the past mingled with some new insights and an improved audio quality. I am happy to report that Metagirl was nice enough to re-record her original portions of the episode to help capture a bit of the original magic.

Of course, I talk about the shows creation, the actors and characters, the future of the Magnum characters with the news series, and much more.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 316th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 18 of this season.

* This is the 3rd time I revisited a topic on the show. The first was the Rubik’s Cube. I think the next one will be the VCR (maybe Ghostbusters).

* This episode is about 60% longer than the original episode.

* I chose to redo this episode since it has long been a fan favorite. I also love this series still and just finished a complete rewatch.

* Metagirl is back and rerecorded her original segments exactly as they had been. We discussed altering them, but ultimately decided it was nice to recreate something from the original 2009 episode. Just let it be noted that I believe Metagirl would have changed every top episode to something different now (and so might I).

* I had a lot more retro audio in this episode that I took out. It was already getting too long. Its funny I used to insert a lot more audio bits in the show with characters speaking. I forgot about that.

* Audio is a lot cleaner.

* If you want the show in HD, the best bet still is to import the Blu-Ray release from the UK.

* When I first recorded the show, the new Magnum wasn’t on the horizon. They were still talking about reuniting the original cast. I mention the new show this time around, but I don’t go deep into it.

* My initial story is a bit longer than the original. Even then, I cut out a lot of details.

* Finally got to put in a little AT40 on the show. Wanted to do that for a while.

* I won’t argue with people that the Magnum theme is iconic, but I really love the original jazzy theme. It has more of the energy that you were hearing in other detective shows at the time.

* Why we didn’t get Magnum TV movies after the show wrapped is still a puzzle to me. Seems the perfect format for a “Retired” detective show. Maybe budget? Lack of interest from cast?

* I will include some bonus clippings on Patreon this weekend.

* I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 315th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 17 of this season.

* Fourth episode of 2024. You might notice this wasn’t supposed to come out anytime soon, but I got Joust fever recently and decided to finally tackle it.

* This show was released late. I apologize for the delay.

* I have looked at Joust a lot and never realized that in the arcade game, player 1 and 2 weren’t both ostriches. A stork??!

* The laser disc video game craze was so overblown. Amazing how much money disappeared on that tech.

* The flap mechanic seems like it should be cumbersome, but on Joust I find it really intuitive. They really got the flap to life ratio right.

* I am very pro Buzzard outside this game.

* I cut out a section about how colorful this game is and compared it favorably to Centipede in art style. Joust has a solid and bright color pallet.

* I played this at the store near me, but in the same year, two of the other three places in my town that had arcade games got a Joust machine. We were Joust saturated.

* I think they could give this game an update with a large screen like Killer Queen. Maybe bring it up to 4 or more players?

* If you have the opportunity to play a working version of Joust pinball, do it. But be gentle, it’s rare.

* I will post the clipping I mention over on Patreon soon.

* With this big Joust score busting marathon, they must have kept the arcade open overnight for this young kid. I wonder if people were allowed to be in the arcade all night while he was playing? All-night arcade was a dream of mine as a kid.

* Keeping this up here. I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

"Matinee" is a film that brilliantly encapsulates the nostalgia of the early 1960s, set against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Directed by Joe Dante, this 1993 masterpiece is more than just a movie about movies; it's a heartfelt homage to the power of cinema, blending comedy, drama, and a bit of historical fiction. What sets it apart? Perhaps it's its affectionate nod to the era's monster movies or its clever commentary on the socio-political climate of the time. Or maybe it's the way it captures the innocence of youth and the magic of movie-making.

This film transcends the typical nostalgia piece by weaving together an engaging narrative with memorable characters, all while maintaining a light-hearted tone that's both witty and poignant. Its clever script and charismatic performances elevate "Matinee" from simple homage to a rich, multi-layered story that appeals to both cinema aficionados and casual viewers alike.

So, whether you've seen "Matinee" a dozen times or are just hearing about it, this episode is packed with insights and anecdotes that will deepen your appreciation for this unique cinematic experience. Join us as we revisit this homage to the magic of movies and the era they helped define.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 314th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 16 of this season.

* Fourth episode of 2024. I should have put this film out last year for its anniversary. If you look at my release schedule, you might notice I have rarely done anything like that.

* It was a great joy when someone would come into the video store after enjoying something you had recommended. It was addictive.

* This film is an oddball when you look at the release calendar of 1993. It is so different. I wonder if it would have done better if it had been released in the summer?

* John Goodman has something that goes beyond talent. I just enjoy watching him on screen. Always have. I guess that is “star power.” I wish that translated into better box office numbers, but I guess not everyone sees or feels the power equally.

* I put some fun retro audio in here. Not a lot of “Matinee” related material, so I got to have some fun with it. It is great to have related audio, but its a lot more fun when I can go more on theme instead.

* Someone asked if I have any favorite movie reviewers nowadays. I do have some people I will check out when I am unsure of a film, but generally I avoid reviews nowadays.

* It would have been great to have Termite Terrace instead of Space Jam. I would take one Termite Terrace over a dozen Space Jams.

* I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

"Wizardry" surpasses its initial impression as a simple fantasy game by weaving together challenging puzzles, strategic combat, and a richly detailed world. Its influence on the RPG genre is immense, inspiring countless games that followed. The game's combination of intricate gameplay mechanics, alongside a mysterious and immersive world, elevates it from a mere early computer game to a timeless classic, resonating with gamers across generations.

So, whether you're a long-time fan of "Wizardry" or just discovering this cornerstone of RPG history, this episode hopes to offer new insights and rekindle your appreciation for this revolutionary game. Tune in and join me as I revisit this beloved classic game.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 313th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 15 of this season.

* Third episode of 2024. Originally planned for 2011. No episode should be 13 years in the making, but like many I have put off, here we are.

* I would have many great experiences with this game, since it remained popular in the circles I ran in for at least a half a decade after its release. It was a constant opportunity to bond with like-minded gamers.

* I was so thrilled the first time I got to play a ninja in the game, you would think I had actually become a ninja. I remember bragging to my sisters about it and them not being sure what I was talking about.

* I wish they had some early Wizardry advertising. I opted for Apple II related advertising. The vocoder voice one reminds me of ads for Carvel Ice Cream starring Cookie Puss.

* I have played a bunch of the sequels, although none like I played the first one. I even got the more recent version on Steam.

* Here is the Zimlabs work on Wizardry that I mentioned.

* After recording this I had a dream that I had found a velvet poster that had the original box art on it at a store, and they wanted $2000 for it or something like that.

* I bought most of my computer games at the Willowbrook Mall in Northern New Jersey. They had some great stores there and when I picture a mall of my youth, I am often thinking of this or an older mall, The Bergen Mall. Sadly, both were not near where I lived, but my family went frequently enough.

* I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

If you listened to the original episode, some of what you hear will be familiar, but I have added a lot of new information and the audio is a lot cleaner. One thing that did not make the transition is metagirl’s Top 5 list. So if you want to hear that gem, you will need to listen to the original.

Before we embark on a journey through the vibrant world of this classic video game, allow me to share a cherished memory. Envision a younger version of myself, gripping a joystick, attempting to skillfully navigate the labyrinthine levels of Pac-Man on the bustling boardwalks of the Jersey Shore. These formative experiences with the game left a lasting impression, igniting a lifelong passion for this legendary arcade staple.

Now, let's take a step back and visit the origins of Pac-Man in Japan. We'll delve into the innovative minds that birthed this gaming marvel, tracing Pac-Man's journey from a mere idea to a global cultural icon. Its arrival in the United States signified the dawn of a new era in gaming, mesmerizing players and laying the groundwork for the arcade frenzy that defined the 1980s.

But the legacy of Pac-Man extends beyond the arcade. It found its way into homes, appearing on various gaming consoles and platforms. In this exploration, we will appreciate the myriad adaptations of Pac-Man, and how its straightforward yet compelling gameplay secured its place in the annals of gaming history.

Moreover, we'll examine Pac-Man's significant impact on popular culture. From television shows to a vast array of merchandise, this small yellow character has become a timeless emblem of nostalgia.

Recreating this episode was a wonderful experience, and I trust you'll enjoy listening to it as much as I relished making it. So, pick up your joystick, join us in this nostalgic maze of information, and let's pay tribute to the lasting legacy of Pac-Man. Whether you're an experienced gamer or new to the enchanting world of retro gaming, this podcast promises an engaging and delightful trip through the iconic universe of everyone favorite dot-eater.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 311th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 13 of this season.

* First episode of 2024! How is it 2024?!

* This is the 2nd time I revisited a topic on the show. The first was the Rubik’s Cube. I think the next one will be Magnum PI and after that I might like to take a look at the VCR again.

* This episode is about 20% longer than the original when you take out metagirl’s segment. I am sorry I wasn’t able to schedule her segment for this one, but I promise to get her back in the mix when I tackle Magnum PI.

* I had a lot more retro audio in this episode that I took out. Some commercials, audio from the TV show, and music. It was making the show too long.

* I did include the 7-Up Pac-Man commercial. It’s a bit long, but it is so high quality and really sets an early 80s tone.

* I remember going back to the Jersey Shore the summer after the first summer I played Pac-Man there, and Pac-Man was already relegated to the back of the arcade. Things moved so quickly back then in the big arcades. Luckily, it was a bit slower in my hometown. Pac-Man was king there for at least a year.

* I will probably be doing a Supporter episode based on the Pac-Man Animated Series.

* We had a hospital in my town that I could walk to. It might not be the coolest place to visit, but it had a really decent arcade in it. I played a lot of Super Pac-Man there.

* I am still confused at how limited the Pac-Man mythology is compared to other video game characters. I would love to also see the character used in other types of games. An RPG would be really fun.

* I will include some clippings in a very short Bonus Clippings on Patreon this weekend.

* This episode was supposed to be released before Frost the Snowman, but I got ill, and it was delayed. Still happy to have something to edit and mix while my voice recovers.

* I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

We then explore the origins of the iconic song "Frosty the Snowman." I discuss how this catchy tune was released and how it laid the foundation for the animated stories that followed.

Next, we take a moment to appreciate the UPA cartoon adaptation of Frosty. While it may not be as well-known as others, this piece of animation is a gem that contributed significantly to the Frosty lore.

The highlight of the episode is, without a doubt, the Rankin/Bass TV special. Here, I delve into the behind-the-scenes magic that brought this beloved holiday classic to life. From the creative animation to the talented individuals who lent their voices to these memorable characters. But the story doesn’t end there. We also explore the various sequels and follow-ups that have helped keep Frosty's spirit alive for generations. Each of these works adds another layer to the enchanting snowman's legacy.

This episode was fun to do and is packed with nostalgia, interesting facts, and a deep appreciation for one of the most beloved holiday characters. So, grab a warm drink, find a cozy spot, and join me as we bring some winter cheer to life with the story of Frosty the Snowman.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 310th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 12 of this season.

* A lot of people overlook the Rankin/Bass special, but it has been broadcast for a very long time and is a lot of fun.

* I think the largest snowman I ever built was about 9 feet (2.74 m) tall. If my friends and I had actually finished one of our mega snowmen, we probably would have to stand on each other’s shoulders to complete it.

* Here is the UPA Frosty the Snowman Cartoon. This would be on TV around Christmas. I didn’t know what to make of it at the time. Eventually I started to enjoy its animation and make sure to watch it online every year.

* Right after Thanksgiving, we started selling Christmas specials on VHS when I worked at Suncoast Motion Picture Company. We often couldn’t keep them on the shelves.

* If they did redo this, I would like to see it done almost shot for shot, but with stop-motion in the style of Rankin/Bass of the time.

* I had a lot of retro audio to add to this one, but it was a bit redundant. So I cut it down to just two promos.

* It would be great if the Charlie Chaplin story was true.

* I cut out my Billy DeWolfe impression. I couldn’t pull it off. Messy, Messy, Messy.

* I will do some Bonus Clippings for this episode. If you have a local market you would like me to look up at the time you would like to see, let me know.

* I found another meat store ad. Am I just noticing them more now? The tone was very similar from the one from nearly two decades later. I will include the angry cow in the Bonus Clippings.

* I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start off the show by discussing my limited time studying martial arts. In 'The Last Dragon,' if you're a real martial arts master, you get 'The Glow.' I had a glow of sorts one day in school, but sadly, it didn't impress anyone.

Then, I delve into the film itself, exploring Motown, Berry Gordy, the individuals in front of and behind the camera, and much more.

Covering this was a fun topic, one that I, like many, have wanted to tackle for a while. It's great to finally get it out the door.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 309th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 11 of this season.

* I was obsessed with this move when it came out on HBO. The combination of music, comedy, and martial arts was extremely compelling, especially for me in 1985.

* The soundtrack is worth owning. I had a cassette of it that I wore out. It didn’t make it to the 90s.

* I cut out a bunch of stuff about the cast and the music artists. It was dragging stuff out. I also reduced my newspapers browsing. I was enjoying myself a little too much and it went long. I will share some of what I found soon in the Bonus Clippings on Patreon.

* My edits included 3 minutes of me discussing DeBarge. This included my talking about El DeBarge’s appearance on The Facts of Life.

* I had one more piece of retro audio. It was a local martial arts school commercial that I enjoyed. After listening to it, I didn’t want people thinking this was the martial arts school I went to. So I decided to take it out.

* I will do some Bonus Clippings for this episode. If you have a local market you would like me to look up at the time or a specific movie theater ad for the film you would like to see, let me know.

* I am obsessed with the beef place I mention in the episode. Not that I haven’t heard of stores likes this, it just seemed surprising in suburban NJ. That is a lot of meat.

* I need to cover The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. soon.

* I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* See what is happening at The Thunderverse. It all sounds very ambitious. I wish them the best of luck and will support their efforts where possible.

* Follow Lou Lumenick on Twitter. He was my favorite childhood move reviewer.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I begin the show talking about my own brush with Columbo himself, Peter Falk. It was an unexpected experience, but very positive. I am very happy to finally get to share it.

Then I move on to the show itself. I discuss the evolution of the characters, the show’s release, reception, the people in front of and behind the camera, and much more.

Columbo is special for a lot of reasons. Great writing, acting, etc. But also because he is different from other "cop shows". He wasn't meant to be a standard detective. His legacy hearkens back to earlier detective stories written by people like Agatha Christie. He has a more timeless feel, and that kept people interested for decades.

Add to that is Falk at the center of it all. He is not only a talented performer but also packs a lot of natural charisma. His dedication to perfection in what he believed in helped to make the character perfect.

I am really glad to have metagirl back with an epic Top 5 list. If you are looking for which episodes to watch, this is the definitive list.

Support the Show

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is the 308th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 10 of this season.

* I have wanted to do this episode for a long time. I recently did a complete rewatch of the show, and it was time well spent.

* metagirl is back with an amazing Top 5 list. It’s pretty epic.

* I had some more fun stories about spending time with Peter Falk, I might not talk about them in future episodes.

* Here is that episode of The Chevy Mystery Show, aka Sunday Mystery Hour “Enough Rope” that I mention.

* I originally planned on talking about Mrs. Columbo during the show, but decided to hold it for a separate episode that I will release for supporters.

* I cut out a lot of stuff about other actors, writers, and directors. The show was already too long, so I edited it down.

* Reduced about the Retro Audio in the show by about half. I didn’t need it, the show is robust enough.

* I cut out myself singing, “This Old Man.” You ain’t missing anything.

* The original length of the show was well over, and that was before metagirl.

* It really makes me sad that we never got Columbo episodes shot in the heart of the 80s.

* If you listen to this on YouTube, the episode might be shorter than the mp3 version of the show. I sometimes have to remove some audio to play on YouTube.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

It's a quiet October evening in the late '80s, and you find yourself flipping through channels on your trusty television set. Suddenly, you stumble upon a show that feels like a hidden treasure, a secret world of chilling stories and supernatural encounters. That show is Monsters. For many, it might have slipped under the radar, but for those who discovered it, it was a captivating journey into the macabre.

Despite its relatively quiet presence on television screens, Monsters found a second life in the realm of home video and cable TV. These releases of the series allowed fans to revisit their favorite episodes, introducing new generations to the show.

Monsters is hidden gem in the realm of horror television, but its loved by those who embraced it. So, whether you're a long-time fan or a curious newcomer, take a journey into the world of Monsters.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 307th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 9 of this season.

* I have attempted this show before and never liked the results. I think I figured out what I wanted to focus on in this one, and I am happy with how it turned out.

* I know this is not in the scheduled episodes, but I tend to go off-schedule during October and December. I hope you enjoy my themed choices.

* The show is currently available on both YouTube and The Internet Archive.

* If you listen to this on YouTube, the episode might be shorter than the mp3 version of the show. I sometimes have to remove some audio to play on YouTube.

* I removed a lot from this episode. I had a lengthy episode discussion and more on the actors, makeup artists, and directors. It was just too many all at once. Better to focus on the show and its impressive ability to attract talent.

* Had one more bit of retro audio in the show, it was just one too many.

* I really hope they release the music from this show someday. I would love to hear it remastered.

* This is a great interview and info page about the show.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 306th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 8 of this season.

* Thanks to Vic Sage for the episode suggestion!

* I know this is not in the scheduled episodes, but I tend to go off-schedule during October and December. I hope you enjoy my themed choices.

* The movie is currently available on both YouTube and The Internet Archive. I would suggest watching the Internet Archive version, it has original commercials in it.

* If you listen to this on YouTube, the episode might be shorter than the mp3 version of the show. I sometimes have to remove some audio to play on YouTube.

* I had cut out a section about the paperboy at the start of the film. He is surprisingly competent as far as movie paperboys go. And I love his choice of masks.

* I cut out a short section where I discuss my favorite costume in the film, The Football Player Gorilla Baby.

* This seems like the type of film that could be remastered and on DVD, but I am guessing the music rights would make it difficult. It really has an impressive array of music. I also would buy a soundtrack on cassette or vinyl if it was available. I would like to hear a very clean version of “Get Dead.”

* I had two more pieces of retro audio, but decided to remove them to tighten up the show.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 305th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 7 of this season.

* If you look online, you can find examples of Fruit Smack packaging if you are curious about it.

* This was supposed to be the week I released Columbo. It has been delayed until November.

* If you listen to this on YouTube, the episode might be shorter than the mp3 version of the show. I sometimes have to remove some audio to play on YouTube.

* I had a list of my favorite flavors as a sorta top 5 list. I took it out, Top 5 lists are metagirl’s thing.

* Grape is my favorite flavor.

* I don’t remember when my friends and I really got into Kool-Aid Guy, but at one point we were imitating him constantly.

* Some great print advertising for Kool-Aid. I will include that in some bonus clippings for supporters of the show.

* Kool-Aid Pops were good, but the advertising was better than the actual product.

* I was totally convinced that the Kool-Aid guy’s mouth effect was a practical one and not animation. I racked my brain trying to figure out how they did it, when the obvious answer should have been, well, obvious.

* Hopefully I didn’t oversell either of the games. The Atari version works well and is fun, but it is not extremely replayable.

* I had four more pieces of retro audio, but decided to remove them to tighten up the show.

* I have used the term, “drinking the Kool-Aid” without really thinking about what exactly it meant to the people who it referred to. So, I am going to try to abandon using that phrase.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 304th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 6 of this season.

* I tried to record this podcast last year after a rewatch, but didn’t like how it turned out, so I decided to give it another show.

* If you listen to this on YouTube, the episode might be shorter than the mp3 version of the show. I sometimes have to remove some audio to play on YouTube.

* I think the “meta” elements of comedy in this film might work better for today’s audiences.

* Like many scenes, the dressage scene in the film still cracks me. “I wish my horse could do that!” “Me too.”

* Most of the people I have met, who enjoy this film, discovered it either on HBO or Showtime. I was happy to find the Showtime clip to share.

* One of the pieces of retro audio is not like the other’s, but it’s still connected to the film, do you know how?

* I had two more pieces of retro audio, but decided to remove them to tighten up the show.

* I grew up saying homage with the H being heard. I have since stopped saying it that way, or so I thought. It resurfaces here.

* GW Bailey is a great character actor. I dislike his character in Police Academy and love his character in this one. He can just change it up.

* As you might guess, like most comedies from a different era, some of the jokes and lines don’t land now or are very dated, but for a film from the 80s, not as many as you would think.

* I don’t go out of my way to watch Westerns. I think I just saw so many as a kid, I got tired of them, but some of the best films I have seen have been westerns or were heavily influenced by the genre.

* The soundtrack has been uploaded in it entirety on YouTube if you wanted to check it out.

* I like the title of the film, but I wonder if it had a different name if it might have sold more tickets?

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 303rd episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 5 of this season.

* This might be the most contemporary podcast I have done. It has been on my list for a while and I think as we near 24 years, it is retro enough.

* If you listen to this on YouTube, the episode is shorter than the mp3 version of the show. I had to remove some audio to play on YouTube.

* A lot of dark stuff happened at Woodstock ‘99. I do not go into detail on that, but I don’t ignore it either. If you want more details about crime and bad stuff, check out the various long form podcasts and/or documentaries they made about the festival.

* I went up there with a great group of people. Sometimes you are lucky enough to work at a company where you have co-workers who you might not mind spending time with at a dangerous music festival.

* It might seem like everyone at the festival was dangerous or creepy, but most were very nice. They just don’t stand out when you have all these bad actors around.

* I took out times when I talked about the bands I saw. I got beat up a few times when mosh pit opened up around me. I am reminded of that comedy sketch with the moving mosh pit that gobbles stuff up. It was after me, and I had the bruises to prove it.

* I never listen to the music of this era anymore. It might have something to do with my time at the festival.

* I don’t remember eating the entire time I was at the show. I know I drank, but I think it was so hot and miserable that I didn’t have an appetite.

* I used to have a lot of Woodstock 99 swag, but I let it go about 10 years ago.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 302nd episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 4 of this season.

* I enjoy food related episode and I wanted to cover this a bit a go, but turned it into a post. Still, it sat with me, and ultimately I wanted to talk about it on the show.

* I am curious if anyone stumbled upon any other variations. I am finding speculations from people online about ones they remember, but I suspect a lot of that was special ordering.

* A bunch of former Pizza Hut employees have talked about what a pain these were to make. I could see that compared to the other menu offerings.

* Part of me wishes that at some point Pizza Hut made a big play for breakfast. I would love to have my own personal pan breakfast pizza at an old style Hut.

* It must be exciting working in the naming of products. It must have been fascinating when computers hit the scene and opened up all sorts of possibilities for name generation.

* I had double the amount of old retro audio in this one, but took out a bunch of it to move things along. I love old Pizza Hut advertising.

* Sadly, I cannot remember the last time I had a Priazzo. It was certainly with my family, but it is ones of those products I expected would stick around for a long while. As is usually the case with foods, I should have eaten a lot more of it.

* If you are listening on YouTube, I may have taken out the music that can be found in the downloadable podcast. Sorry about that.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Before we jump into the film, I want to share a personal connection I have to its production. It might be a minor connection, but for me and my family, it meant weeks of endless bragging and storytelling. It's those little moments that can make a movie even more special.

I explore the talented cast that brought these quirky characters to life, the engaging plot that kept us laughing, the fantastic music that added to the overall charm, and all the incredible people working behind the camera, making the magic happen.

Twins has received mixed reviews from modern audiences. But here's the thing – if you just watch it for what it is – a star-powered, silly, high-concept comedy – I truly believe you'll enjoy it. Sometimes, we just need to embrace the fun and entertainment a film brings without overthinking it, right?

So, grab your popcorn, sit back, and join me as I tall about Twins. I hope you have a blast listening to this episode, and remember, sometimes the best movies are the ones that simply bring a smile to your face. Enjoy!

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is the 301st episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 3 of this season.

* I haven’t covered many Schwarzenegger films, so I am happy to jump in with this one.

* I had some extra retro audio in here as commercials, but they slowed down the flow of the episode. Sad to lose the Doublemint commercial which made me laugh, but other stuff I dropped was fine.

* I had a bit more about locations that I visited, but I was a bit off-sounding when trying to explain them and what you see when you get there. So I cut that out.

* I really like to sing the soundtrack to this thing, especially, Bobby McFerrin & Herbie Hancock’s Turtle Shoes. Which I include a short snippet of. It’s just kind of nonsense sounding and it’s so prominently used. I found myself singing during recording, but I edited most of that out.

* Shortened the cast section, just focusing on the top leads. This mean cutting out some discussion of David Caruso who is in this film.

* I cut out my thoughts on a Twins sequel. Spoiler: I didn’t think it was a good idea.

* Probably took about 4 minutes off the final recorded time of the episode. So hopefully this thing moves quickly.

* If you are listening on YouTube, I needed to take out the music that can be found in the downloadable podcast. Sorry about that.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

If you were around in the mid eighties and had a Nintendo, you probably remember the first time you saw that gold cartridge. It did not look like the other games. It felt important before you even turned the system on. I remember holding it for a second longer than usual before sliding it into the NES, like I was about to try something I might not fully understand.

And then the music started.

What struck me was not just that it was fun, although it was. It was that it felt bigger than the television screen. You could walk in any direction. You could get lost. In fact you were expected to get lost. There was no helpful voice telling you where to go. You just wandered, burned bushes, pushed rocks, bombed walls, and hoped you were onto something. Sometimes you were. Sometimes you were just wasting bombs. That was part of it.

Nintendo was already a big deal by then, but this felt different from the arcade style games that filled the early NES library. Shigeru Miyamoto has said he drew from childhood memories of exploring caves and fields near his home, and you can feel that in the design. Takashi Tezuka helped shape that world, and Koji Kondo gave it a sound that still lives in my head decades later.

The save battery alone felt like science fiction at the time. You did not have to leave the console on overnight. You did not need a notebook full of passwords. You could stop. Turn it off. Come back the next day. That was not normal then.

And then there was the quiet storytelling. Link, Zelda, Ganon, the Triforce. The game barely explained any of it, which somehow made it feel larger. You filled in the gaps yourself. The instruction manual helped, sure, but most of it lived in your imagination. That is a powerful thing when you are a kid.

I have tried to cover this game before and it never quite landed the way I wanted. Maybe that is because it is tangled up with being a kid, with sitting too close to the television, with that feeling of not knowing what was going to happen next.

So for episode 300, I am not trying to make some big statement about it. I just wanted to spend time with it again. Think about how strange it felt to be dropped into a world with almost no explanation and told to figure it out. I did not know where I was going most of the time. I just kept walking (and loved it).

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* Welcome back to the 300th episode of the Retroist Podcast! It's also the 2nd episode of our new season, and I'm thrilled to be diving into one of my all-time favorite games, The Legend of Zelda.

* Amazing that I have made it to 300 episodes. Thanks to everyone who has continued to listen to the show and has shown support over the years by reviewing, contributing, liking and supporting over at Patreon. Getting to share my memories and things I love with people really keeps me going.

* I am slowed down some years, but I keep coming back to the pop culture that I love, and sometimes I think I could do it forever.

* Another episode I have recorded a few times and was not happy with. This game means a lot to me, so I hope I did it justice. At the end, I have a tiny bit of audio from a previously recorded episode.

* I am not great at pronouncing names, so I hope I did a decent job. I tried listening to recordings online to get it right.

* I had a lot more audio in this episode, but cut it down. It slowed things down. I especially wanted to include some commercials from Japan, but they are often very visual, or at least those are the best parts.

* If you are listening on YouTube, I needed to take out the music that can be found in the downloadable podcast. Sorry about that.

* Since I have tried recording the show multiple times, it has been amazing how many games they keep making in the franchise. I have enjoyed a few of them, but I always come back to the original and best.

* Each console I have ever owned has one game that I will go back to time and again. If I had to have one game locked into that console, that would be the one. For the NES, it is The Legend of Zelda.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

To kick things off, I open up about my own personal experiences with bullying when I entered high school. It was a challenging time, but fortunately, I crossed paths with someone who stepped in and made my life so much better. Though our friendship only lasted for a single school year, his kindness continues to resonate with me to this day.

After sharing my story, we dive headfirst into the film itself. I delve into the plot, the production process, the talented individuals involved, and the reception it received. Prepare yourself for a nostalgic trip as I sprinkle in some retro audio from that glorious time period, adding an extra layer of authenticity to the episode.

"My Bodyguard" centers around Clifford Peache, a timid high school student who becomes the target of a group of bullies. However, fortune smiles upon him when he unexpectedly befriends Ricky Linderman, a loner with a tough reputation who takes on the role of Clifford's unlikely bodyguard. Together, they embark on a heartwarming journey of friendship, courage, and standing up against injustice—a timeless theme that continues to resonate with audiences of all generations.

Join me as we explore the many facets of "My Bodyguard" and uncover the reasons behind its enduring charm. From its engaging plot to the incredible performances, we'll dive deep into every aspect that made this film a true gem of the '80s.

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Production Notes

* 1st episode of the new season and the 299th episode of the Retroist Podcast. This is the first episode of the season!

* I tried to record an episode about this movie in my first season of the podcast, and it was a mess. I am happy that I didn’t release that episode.

* Chris Makepeace is subtle as an actor, the more I have rewatched his work as an adult, the more I appreciate it. This movie could easily have gone over the top, but it stays very grounded.

* I should have mentioned it in the show, but the cinematography work in this film by Michael D. Margulies is top-notch. It compliments the directions very well.

* This is a big cast and I wanted to keep things moving along, so I redid the 2nd half of it and just mentioned the cast instead of diving more deeply.

* I also cut out a discussion I had about the best movies set in high schools, in retrospects that would have been a good opportunity to put some metagirl in this episode. She will be back for future episodes this season.

* When I was kicking off the season, I like to start off with an episode that is very memorable for me. Since this was a show I had failed to release before, it added to my thinking about it and wanting to get it done.

* 300 is next? What will it be?

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I begin the show talking about my first time eating McNuggets and how I made them a part of my identity. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the processed meat nuggets would be a regular part of my life moving forward. My Mom appeared happy that I made a choice, up until that point I was just along for the ride, but ordering my own food was a useful step in growing up.

After the story is over, I move onto the McNuggets themselves. I discuss their creation, where they came from, who worked on them, and how long it took. Along the way, I delve into the world of McDonald’s and how a product there can come to market.

Chicken McNuggets are weirdly controversial. They are a processed food, but the extent of their processing has been greatly exaggerated by the people who would rather see them not exist. For me, they were delicious hot food that I could go out and eat with my family. It felt special, and I will always have a soft spot for them because of it.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 298 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.25th episode of the new season and the 298th episode of the Retroist Podcast. This is the final episode of the season!

* This will be the first episode I am sharing via email. I hope if you haven’t tried the podcast before, you give it a listen.

* I enjoy doing fast food-related podcasts, especially ones at McDonald’s. The company has a rich history and interesting processes.

* For years, all I got at McDonald’s was McNuggets. I think I was a teen before I got a burger of any sort again.

* I had some more background on bios of everyone involved, but I cut a bunch of it out. Probably about 3 minutes of edited show.

* Reduced the section of Baker to focus on just his Nugget work.

* A lot of people do not give the credits to all the people involved with the final process. That makes sense with technical foods. I liked being able to name the people and how they participated.

* I decided to keep my focus on the first few years of the nuggets. So I do not trace the full evolution of the nuggets over the years. I had recorded some stuff, but cut that all out.

* Because I stay in the 80s, I don’t go into details about how the recipe has changed. The McNugget we have now does not taste like the McNuggets from the past. This was supposed to be to keep them healthier and less processed. I preferred the old ones.

* I play a good amount of retro audio in this episode. The company has great advertising. I had to remove all that I wanted to include. It felt too much.

* A lot of bad information on McNuggets out there. It is a heavily processed food, but the claims about what is in it are often greatly exaggerated.

* It is amazing that they developed a chicken for the McNugget.

* Yes, McDonald’s tried to sell Fried Chicken. I might do a short podcast about that in a supporter episode in the future.

* If you want better McNuggets, go to lunch early. In my experience, the earlier nuggets are better. I like to go between 11 and Noon.

* Art used to promote this episode by Christoper Tupa.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

My story at the beginning of the show still bothers me. Not so much for the loss, but more my loss of trust in adults. Sometimes, I guess it just doesn’t seem worth the effort to make your kid do the right thing. Maybe it’s embarrassing? Not sure, but I haven’t forgotten.

Then I move onto the subject of the show. This is a bigger overview. So I talk about the toys, TV show, movie, music, video game, board game, magazine, and more. I might have done this in two episodes, but thought I would make it a slightly longer single episode.

The Gobots are mostly mentioned in comparison to The Transformers. I do it myself in this episode. That doesn’t always do The Gobots justice. It was a solid show and toy line whose creativity should be better appreciated and not just compared.

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You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 297 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 24th episode of the new season and the 297th episode of the Retroist Podcast. Much more than I expected for this season and still going.

* This is sorta the 5th episode in my Transformers podcast series. This was encouraged by a few people, and I want to thank everyone for the encouragement.

* My story about the Gobots was like a bucket of cold water at the time. Years later I would find out it wasn’t uncommon. I lost a beloved stuffed animal this way and didn’t learn until I was much older. Even after all this time, it still makes me angry.

* I almost turned this into two episodes, but ultimately decided to make it one episode. That meant I needed to cut down a bunch of stuff.

* I edited out some stuff about Machine Robo and some details about the Gobots toyline itself. I didn’t think the details about the various toys would be needed for the overview.

* Had a little more about Tonka and the stuff they did. Cut that down.

* Had to cut down the cast again. I like talking about these people, so some names might stick with people.

* Gobots animation really grew on me during this rewatch. They could have done a bit more with the Transformations and feature the characters as their toys. On the surface, Gobots and Transformers are not that different, but their approach to the material in the animation just feels and looks very different.

* I feel like I learned about Arthur Burghardt before.

* Because they are not as popular as the Transformers, the details of behind the scenes stuff just isn’t accessible.

* I had a much longer description of the movie plot. Cut out about half of its final form.

* The cast is huge, and my discussion of them was also huge. I went back in and moved through a lot of actors that I had to pass on discussing.

* I had some music from the show and video game. I cut that out.

* Cut out 3 other commercial from the Gobots. It was just getting too long.

* I had a fun time with getting to look at both the TV guide and the film listings section this episode.

* One of my favorite parts of the podcast has been revisiting my old movie listings. Great to return to that part of my life in a small way. Going to the movies was a great escape and one of my favorite summer activities.

* I now post the episode on YouTube for people to find and stream. You can find the link in the listen section above. It will appear there from now on. I will continue to mention it here until it becomes normal.

* Right now, you can find the Gobots series on the Internet Archive. No longer how long it will be there.

* Do you listen to older episodes of the show? Just curious how far you go back when you do? Only hear from a few people on this question, so I will keep putting it here and see who spots it.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I begin the show with a story about seeing this movie at my local theater. Not surprisingly, I was pretty emotional during the death of a main character. My friend would snap me out of it, thus preventing what would have probably been weeks of mockery.

Then I move onto the movie itself. I talk about the people in front of and behind the camera, its production, release, reception, music, and much more.

The Transformers the Movie was a milestone in many people’s lives. We didn’t know it at the time, but on the big screen, they were killing off a part of our childhood. The death wouldn’t last very long, but the message was loud and clear. Childhoods end.

I would linger in Transformer’s fandom for years after this, but in retrospect I can clearly see, it was never the same.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 296 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 23rd episode of the new season and the 296th episode of the Retroist Podcast. Much more than I expected for this season and still going.

* This is perhaps the final part in my series on the early years of the Transformers franchise. Still might do a 5th, but I might put it out in Patreon.

* This was a hard episode to edit. The Pre-edit length was over 90s minutes. I kept cutting it down further and further. I left a lot stuff out.

* The personalities around this film make the narrative of who did what on the film sort of odd. I tried to not dwell on what could be conflicting stories. Originally, I tried to deal with it by telling different stories from different people. Ultimately, I decided to remove move of it.

* I had a much longer description of the movie plot. Cut out about half of its final form.

* The cast is huge, and my discussion of them was also huge. I went back in and moved through a lot of actors that I had to pass on discussing.

* I removed some music excerpts from Lion and Stan Bush. Originally had been in, but didn’t think it added much.

* A lot of great Transformers specific podcasts out there if you want to go deep diving into this world. I am impressed with people who can keep all this info in their heads. The Transformers’ universe is surprisingly complex.

* Optimus Prime dying really damaged my enjoyment of The Transformers. I had a hard time not taking his death seriously, and I think this was the beginning of the end for my attempt at collecting the toys. I did stick with the comic. Probably because they largely ignored the movie.

* I debated putting more Orson Welles commercials in the show. I stuck to Dark Tower, it’s iconic for me.

* One of my favorite parts of the podcast has been revisiting my old movie listings. Great to return to that part of my life in a small way. Going to the movies was a great escape and one of my favorite summer activities.

* I had a bit of a riff on “The Touch” I cut all that out.

* Of course, I looked up The Merlynn Band.

* Here is the Running Scared ad I mentioned. I am surprised I haven’t done a Running Scared podcast yet. I like that movie a lot.

* I now post the episode on YouTube for people to find and stream. You can find the link in the listen section above. It will appear there from now on. I will continue to mention it here until it becomes normal.

* Do you listen to older episodes of the show? Just curious how far you go back when you do? Only hear from a few people on this question, so I will keep putting it here and see who spots it.

* Art used to promote this episode by Christoper Tupa. Great worlds collide!

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I begin the show with a story about how my friends collected comics together and how when of use decided to stop collecting, it all fell apart. Although, I did benefit from his departure from the comics’ scene.

After the story ends, I go into the comic books. I talk about the US/UK divide, the people who made the comics, the schedule, printing details, release schedules and more.

Marvel’s The Transformers was a great comic title, filled with mythology, fun characters, and great design. With its long run, it took the Transformers to places that the cartoons, movie, and toys could never go.

I grew up reading the US version of the comics. This time around I read the UK run of the comics, and it is different enough that I would advise any fan how hasn’t done so, to check it out.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 295 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.22nd episode of the new season and the 294th episode of the Retroist Podcast. Much more than I expected for this season and still going.

* This begins a multipart series on the early years of the Transformers franchise. Right now I am looking at 4 episodes, but we might get a 5th.

* I talked a big more about the artist and various storylines during the show, but it was a lot of info. Ultimately, I cut it all out. It was about 6 minutes.

* I kept info about artists in the episode, I think more people should know these names.

* I am no paper expert, but I found the paper debates online fascinating.

* Want to read the UK or US runs of The Transformers? Check out the Internet Archive.

* Busiansky vs. Furman should not be a debate. Both bring something to the comic, and I am very happy that both of these great writers were involved with the book.

* I wish we had a weekly Transformers (or other title) comics in the US back in the 80s. I hated waited an ENTIRE month to get more story. Although, I am guessing I would have had to buy fewer titles if they were weekly.

* Amazing that we lived in an era when they advertised comic books on TV. I added a bunch of these commercials into this episode.

* Anyone wants to send me their annuals, just let me know.

* I have started posting the episodes on YouTube for those interested in consuming the show that way.

* Do you listen to older episodes of the show? Just curious how far you go back when you do? Only hear from a few people on this question, so I will keep putting it here and see who spots it.

* Art used to promote this episode by Christoper Tupa. Great worlds collide!

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I started the show talking about how my lack of voice talent and maybe my strong accent as a kid might have made my Optimus Prime impersonation sound a bit off. It was a tough pill to swallow at the time and has stuck with me ever since.

After I finish with that story, I move onto the cartoon itself. The Transformers are one of a handful of cartoons that helped to define childhoods during the 80s. It is right up there with the toys for its cultural impact, and it is amazing how it came together from humble and rushed beginnings.

I discuss how the show came to be, the people who worked on it, where it ran, how it changed over time, and much more.

It has been a joy to rewatch the show leading up to this episode. I really like the first two seasons a lot and only wish they had gone on longer in that direction for future episodes. Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* 21st episode of the new season and the 294th episode of the Retroist Podcast. Much more than I expected for this season and still going.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This begins a multipart series on the early years of the Transformers franchise. Right now I am looking at 4 episodes, but we might get a 5th.

* I am not sure most people want to hear me trying to impersonate anyone, but stick around towards the end to hear a great Optimus Prime.

* Soundwave has crept into this episode again.

* A lot of arguments about who created what on this show. I originally had a section about this, but cut it out. Too much is debatable.

* I like the animation of The Transformers. People see errors, but I thought it was super exciting at the time.

* Love the PSAs.

* Why would they kill Optimus Prime??!

* An early peak at Car & Cable

* Cut a lot of retro audio I wanted to use, but I like the stuff I kept.

* It was fun looking through old TV guides to see how cartoons lineups changed over the years. I planned a lot of my time around what cartoons were on.

* I inserted a little commercial for the Retroist in the show. Still kind of curious if it will bother people. I know a lot of people skip the end which is often where this info is usually inserted.

* I have started posting the episodes on YouTube for those interested in consuming the show that way.

* Do you listen to older episodes of the show? Just curious how far you go back when you do? Only hear from a few people on this question, so I will keep putting it here and see who spots it.

* Art used to promote this episode by Christoper Tupa. Great worlds collide!

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The show begins with my discussion of how my friends and I started to play with our Transformers like they were a role-playing game. It became a pattern for us as we attempted to merge our various types of plays together. Sadly, it rarely worked out as well as we hoped.

Then I move onto the toys themselves. I discuss the original toy lines that the Transformers were based on, the people who made this all happen, the reception, the toys themselves, the longevity and much more.

These toys are remarkable for many reasons, but just consider their longevity. Go to any store that sells toys and they are still being sold today. Only a handful of toys from any decade can make claim to that kind of lasting power.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 293 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 20th episode of the new season and the 293rd episode of the Retroist Podcast. Much more than I expected for this season and still going.

* This begins a multipart series on the early years of the Transformers franchise.

* When my friends and I tried to combine RPG stuff and toys, it almost always ended in an argument. For some reason when we did it with GI Joe it worked out better. I think it was the stats being available that made it more challenging for us. When you knew a number, you were less like likely to compromise.

* A lot of info out there about the origin of these toys in Japan. I wanted to include as much as I could, but also want to simplify it a bit. So if some detail is missing, I apologize, I cut out a lot and tried to keep it coherent.

* I pronounce some names in this episode and did my best by using online pronouncing tools. I hope I do them justice. I didn’t want my inability to properly pronounce names keep me from mentioning these talented people.

* I cut out a lot of corporate history. Might seem like it’s missing. I think MAYBE I should have kept it in. Not sure.

* Japanese language commercial for Diaclones!

* The creativity in toys coming out from Japan is just remarkable. Watch the Diaclones commercials, they are super cool.

* I will tackle the Gobots someday. I respect them.

* I would love to go back to my town’s local 5&10. In retrospect, I can’t believe we still had one.

* I had a lot of the UK commercials for the Transformers. One had Soundwave being named the leader of the Decepticons. Even with explanation, I thought it might be confusing.

* Reading a log of comics right now. I was so into GI Joe in comics that I didn’t enjoy them the first time around this much. Can’t wait to do that episode.

* I focus mostly on the first toys from 1984, but it spills into 1985 and 1986.

* I hope that my mentioning of Macross is not confusing. It seemed important, but I didn’t want to linger on it.

* News report is from a local station from my childhood, WPIX.

* I want to use my Soundwave voice more in the future.

* I cut out my rant about stickers and rubsigns coming off.

* Despite the negatives you can get with metal toys, I still miss them.

* I inserted a little commercial for the Retroist in the show. Still kind of curious if it will bother people. I know a lot of people skip the end which is often where this info is usually inserted.

* Do you listen to older episodes of the show? Just curious how far you go back when you do? Only hear from a few people on this question, so I will keep putting it here and see who spots it.

* Art used to promote this episode by Christoper Tupa. Great worlds collide!

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start the show talking about how I tried and failed to turn Alien Nation into a role-playing game. Despite failing, I had a great time trying. It deepened my fandom, and fired up my imagination. I am sure a lot of TTRPG players have had a similar experience.

Then I move onto the show itself. I discuss the people in front of and behind the camera, the production, cast, release, music, reception, merchandise and much more.

This was going to be a combination of the Alien Nation movie and TV series. Ultimately, I decided I wanted to cover the TV show separately. So if you haven’t checked it out yet, please listen to the Alien Nation Movie Podcast.

This is a show that is better than the film. It builds on mythology and goes into greater detail. It is exactly what a TV version of a film should be. Sadly, just as it was getting good, it was taken away from us. But it is the perfect show to continue and not reboot. It held a mirror up to society and could continue to do so.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 292 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 19th episode of the new season and the 292nd episode of the Retroist Podcast. Much more than I expected for this season and still going.

* This was going to be a combined episode with the TV series, but I decided to split them.

* Do yourself a favor and rewatch the show. It is excellent, and the TV series is mostly solid as well.

* I really wish they had dropped the saltwater stuff from the show. Making my way through the series, it just seemed illogical. Not a dealbreaker, but I think it would have improved the show to drop it.

* The Alien Nation soundtrack is a lot of fun. Not one you stumble upon out in the world anymore, but certainly orderable online. You can also hear it on YouTube.

* The TV series builds on the mythology in a way that the film could never even touch.

* I inserted a little commercial for the Retroist in the show. Kind of curious if it will bother people. I know a lot of people skip the end which is often where this info is usually inserted.

* I cut out my reading of reviews of the show. Summary was enough.

* I have started posting the episodes on YouTube for those interested in consuming the show that way.

* Almost tried out the new intro to the show in this episode. Ultimately decided to wait till next season.

* Do you listen to older episodes of the show? Just curious how far you go back when you do? Only hear from a few people on this question, so I will keep putting it here and see who spots it.

* Thanks to metagrrl for the great top 5 list.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* Art used to promote this episode by Christoper Tupa. Do you get the reference?

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

In the realm of cult classics, 'Night of the Comet' stands out as a unique blend of horror, sci-fi, and dark comedy. Released in 1984, this film captured the essence of the era while projecting a post-apocalyptic world that resonates with audiences even today. What makes it so memorable? Perhaps it's the blend of humor with a sense of doom, or maybe it's the strong, relatable characters who navigate a world turned upside down.

Whatever the reason, ‘Night of the Comet’ exceeds its B-movie classification by blending sharp writing with well-developed characters, transcending typical genre constraints. Its clever mix of horror, sci-fi, and comedy, coupled with a self-aware tone, elevates it from mere 80s kitsch to a cult classic, resonating with audiences beyond its expected scope.

In this episode, I dive deep into the heart of this cult phenomenon. Beyond my personal recollections and the path it set for me and my friends, we explore the layers that make 'Night of the Comet' a film worth revisiting. I'll look at the innovative vision of writer-director Thom Eberhardt, how he and the cast brought this story to life, and the distinctive 80s soundtrack that still echoes in the minds of its fans.

Whether you're a long-time fan or new to this gem, this episode promises to offer fresh insights and reignite your appreciation for this quirky, end-of-the-world adventure. Tune in and join us on this retrospective journey.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is the 312th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 14 of this season.

* Second episode of 2024. This episode was planned for 2023 around Halloween, but got delayed.

* I was very sick for the last few weeks. This is the first real recording I did since recovering. It felt good to record and do some editing. Hopefully I will get back on my more regular schedule.

* This moves was on HBO a lot. I remember recording it at one point, and I watched that version of the film until I started working at the video store. Once I started working in video, I got more sensitive to quality and wanted better versions of all the movies I enjoyed.

* I had two more retro commercials that I removed. I couldn’t find a ton of relevant stuff, so it felt like padding. So I removed them. I liked putting a Betamax commercial in here. It was either that or a mall commercial. Ultimately, the mall commercials were kinda boring sound-wise.

* Kelli Maroney is very active on social media. You should follow her.

* The Tami Holbrook version of Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

* Sorry to sound so negative about Good Times videos. When I worked at Suncoast, we got a lot of returns on Good Times tapes.

* I will include some clippings in a Bonus Clippings post on Patreon this weekend. Let me know if you would like me to include info from the area you lived in growing up.

* This episode was supposed to be released before Frost the Snowman, but I got ill, and it was delayed. Still happy to have something to edit and mix while my voice recovers.

* I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* Follow Lou Lumenick on Twitter. He was my favorite childhood move reviewer.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start off the show with a story about going to see Alien Nation the next town over. It was a successful trip there, but I had a close call with stranger danger that has always stuck in my mind.

Then I move onto the film itself. I discuss the people in front of and behind the camera, the production, cast, release, music, reception, cinematography and much more.

This was going to be a combination of the Alien Nation movie and TV series. Ultimately, I decided I wanted to cover the TV show separately. So next week will be part 2 of this podcast where I cover the TV series.

Alien Nation was almost immediately a cult hit. But it really took off when it was turned into a TV show. It’s a buddy cop film with aliens, what is not to love about that? So do yourself a favor and check it out or rewatch it again.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 291 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 18th episode of the new season and the 291st episode of the Retroist Podcast. Much more than I expected for this season and still going.

* This was going to be a combined episode with the TV series, but I decided to split them. So the next episode will be part 2. Fans of metagrrl will be happy to know that she will appear in that episode.

* A lot of great “behind the scenes” stuff online about this film. Plus some nice fan stuff.

* The art direction is so subtle, it looks almost effortless, but you don’t get this level of subtle without a lot of talented people.

* I wish the character was named George Jetson.

* Listen to those Alien Nation soundtracks. The Goldsmith one is pricey, but both are posted on YouTube.

* The TV series builds on the mythology in a way that the film could never even touch.

* I inserted a little commercial for the Retroist in the show. Kind of curious if it will bother people. I know a lot of people skip the end which is often where this info is usually inserted.

* Joe Isuzu! I will always take an opportunity to bring that great set of commercials up.

* Roger Ebert’s take on this film is way off. Siskel is spot-on, and Lou Lumenick’s is fair.

* Would you listen to the audio for this show if it was posted on YouTube? I might try to start posting there again.

* Still considering a new introduction to the show. Not sure if that would freak people out. I also wouldn’t mind a shorter closing credit. If I do, it will probably be next season. If I ever get there.

* Do you listen to older episodes of the show? Just curious how far you go back when you do?

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Did you ever regret buying a gift for someone? I made that mistake with the When Harry Met Sally soundtrack. It was a mistake I would have to live with for a year, and it would affect my opinion of Harry Connick Jr. for much longer.

Then I move onto the film itself. I discuss the people in front of and behind the camera, the production, cast, release, music, reception, filming locations and much more.

When Harry Met Sally was deemed by many at the time to be in “instant classic.” While I am not sure if it has made the jump between generations, I think it is still expertly constructed and worthy of your time. Hopefully by talking about it today, I can persuade you to check it out or revisit it.

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You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 290 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 17th episode of the new season and the 290th episode of the Retroist Podcast.

* I had considered doing this as an episode for a while, but it was not my normal type of topic. I am glad I finally decided to tackle it.

* It feels like a good New Year’s movie, so I thought this would be a good time to release it.

* Eventually I would learn to enjoy this soundtrack, but some time had to pass.

* I was surprised when Harry Connick Jr. started showing up in films and TV shows. Not sure why, but I was. He is fun in Copycat.

* I had some other commercials, but cut out two. Keeps things flowing better. I liked the Showtime promo because it captures a promo that will have exclusivity to a specific channel.

* It was challenging to put together this top 5 list. A lot of great films, for such a broad topic. A lot of compromises to put the list together.

* I have been thinking about this episode for a while. It was on a recent rewatch when it hit me why I liked it so much and why I wanted to talk about it. I like the flaws.

* Billy Crystal did a lot of improv in the film. Bill Murray is known for his improv, so I think he would have been the best replacement for alt casting. Same talents, but completely different energy.

* I need to watch Shag.

* I am considering a new introduction to the show. Not sure if that would freak people out. I also wouldn’t mind a shorter closing credit. Maybe it’s okay that I am not quite like every other show?

* Do you listen to older episodes of the show? Just curious how far you go back when you do?

* Thanks to metagrrl for the great top 5 list.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Renting videos was one of the great cultural touchstones of the eighties. You will often hear people talk about not rewinding them or the fees you get for being late or losing a film. To start the show, I talk about what it was like when you lost a tape in your own house and the amount of effort you sometimes needed to put in to find it.

Then I move onto the film itself. I discuss the people in front of and behind the camera, the production, cast, release, music, reception, lack of merchandise and much more.

Scrooged was a hit at the time, but it seemed to fall short of everyone’s expectations. This has put it in a weird spot in people’s memories. Luckily, over the years, it has become a high-budget offbeat Christmas classic enjoyed by many. Hopefully by talking about it today, I can persuade you to check it out or revisit it.

Support the Show

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 289 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 16th episode of the new season and the 289th episode of the Retroist Podcast.

* I have been thinking about this episode for a while. It was on a recent rewatch when it hit me why I liked it so much and why I wanted to talk about it. I like the flaws.

* Bill Murray sure does seem difficult to work with.

* Do listen to the score by Danny Elfman, it does not disappoint.

* Star-studded is an understatement. Great old celebs. I really like Mitchum appearing in this film, but Allen adds the most outside of Murray.

* Would like to have seen Kinison in this film. His energy vs. Murray would have been something to see.

* I would eventually buy Scrooged on VHS. Back then though, I didn’t really appreciate it like I do now.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The Talkboy was a huge hit toy that came right out of Home Alone 2. They sold these at the Suncoast Video Store where I worked. It was hard enough to find these things once the video had been released. It was even more difficult because I had a coworker who was buying them all and selling them out of their trunk in the parking lot of the mall.

Then I move onto the film itself. I discuss the people in front of and behind the camera, the production, cast, release, music, reception, merchandise and much more. This is a companion podcast to my Home Alone Podcast, so I do not repeat some things I mention there. So I encourage you to check out my last podcast.

Home Alone 2 was an inevitable sequel after the massive success of the original. While it would not be as big a hit as the original film, it did great and has moments that are beloved by a generation.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 288 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 15th episode of the new season and the 288th episode of the Retroist Podcast.

* I was excited to record this show. I don’t often do episodes that are companions to another episode. So it is a little different. I would like to know what people think. Should I have repeated stuff from the first podcast?

* The Annie theory was a reach. Maybe I should have cut it out.

* I edited out a lot of stuff for this one. Too much to mention. Anything that was in the first film? I cut it out unless it was really needed.

* I am going to watch Traces of Red.

* I forgot to mention that I had a Talkboy. It broke really quickly, but it stayed on my shelf for years. I eventually donated it to a thrift shop.

* Product Placement in this film is strong. We all need a little American Airlines attitude.

* I had a lot more info about merchandise. Listing more of the stuff I have found online. It was about two minutes of stuff. But like with the extra stuff I would mention about the video game, I cut it out. Not super happy with the edit around the video games

* I am a little down on the Turtle Doves. I forgot to mention they also broke easily. We would have them at Suncoast and at least once every other day we would find a set broken.

* Bring back Monster Sap!

* Listen to the Tim Curry voice work on the audiobook. So good.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I remember the first time I was home alone at night, mostly because I did not handle it very well. Still, unlike Kevin from Home Alone, I was home alone by choice that night. I share my memories of this first attempt at independence and how it didn’t quite work out like I hoped.

Then I move onto the film itself. I discuss the people in front of and behind the camera, the production, cast, release, music, reception, merchandise and much more.

Home Alone seems like an obvious hit film, but it really was a film that grew by word of mouth. It was unexpected and that made it special. While it had very talented people in it, the film was mostly carried by the charisma of Macaulay Culkin. It is a formidable accomplishment for any actor, and remarkable for a child actor.

Support the Show

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 287 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 14th episode of the new season and the 287th episode of the Retroist Podcast.

* I first recorded this show years ago, and it was not great. So I redid it a few days ago and when I listened back, the audio was filled with static. It was terrible. So I had to redo the whole thing again

* Not sure if the Christmas Carol connection is a thing? It just occurred to me during my last rewatch. Maybe it is obvious to other people.

* I often wonder why Chevy Chase continues to be so difficult. He must know he has the reputation he has? I guess he just got away with it for so long.

* Columbus was a great get, no matter how you slice it. I wonder how different Christmas Vacation might have been if he had stayed?

* Joe Pesci leaving a scar is a great story.

* Joe Pesci had two big films out at the same time. This and Goodfellas. Amazing.

* Listen to Joe Pesci’s music, it makes you see him in another light. He also did a vaudeville-style show on Broadway for a short run.

* This cast is huge and lost of interesting people to talk about, I just couldn’t keep talking about them all. Otherwise, it would have gone for a long time.

* I am pretty happy with my alliteration in this episode. Metagrrrl has rubbed off on me.

* John Williams! I always forget he is the force behind the film, but it is obvious when you pay attention.

* I will have to try to figure out the exact date that our Fourplex theater closed.

* I could spend a podcast just reading old movie ads, but I don’t think anyone would find it as fascinating as me.

* “Sadistic festival of adult bashing!”

* This movie is better than Dances with Wolves and Dick Tracy.

* I tried to find more info about the Juicy Juice promo, but couldn’t find audio to play.

* I originally had 3 more pieces of retro audio, but I thought the show could use a little tightening.

* The poster commercial is awesome. The kid is so excited about reliving the torture of the Wet Bandits.

* Just search Home Alone on the Internet Archive to read it.

* I will be covering Home Alone 2, very soon. So a bunch more stuff to talk about there.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Each summer a carnival would come to my hometown. Since that ties in well with the film, I thought I would share my memories of my time at the carnival. It is not as dark or exciting as in the film.

Then I talk about the movie, including the book it is based on, its author, the talent in front of and behind the camera, shooting locations, music, what else was out at the time, and the movie’s reception.

Something Wicked This Way Comes was a film that had more of a life on cable and home video. Still, it is not a big hit. Instead, it has become a film with a dedicated following. If you like nostalgia and light horror that is wildly entertaining, you should give this film a shot.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 286 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 13th episode of the new season and the 286th episode of the Retroist Podcast. Lucky number 13 for Halloween. I was trying to have Friday the 13th the series be the 13th episode, but it is not the way my editing worked out. Plus, I wanted to release this on Halloween.

* A rare non-Friday release of the podcast.

* I like that Ray Bradbury has an almost superhero style origin story. I wonder how much of it is mythology.

* Have you seen The Illustrated Man movie? When I was in school, they would show segments from it. I didn’t realize that these were parts of a movie until I started working in a video store.

* Mr. Dark and the Dust Witch are amazing characters. Maybe the best in the movie. Great performances really make them work.

* I had another segment of retro audio that I edited out. I decided to focus just on promos and trailers for the film.

* Such a messy production with people and companies betraying each other.

* Wonder if Alien would have been as good with Clayton directing?

* I like how Disney wanted to try more adult stuff, but when they got it, they pushed back. Disney gotta Disney.

* Fingers crossed that one day we get to see a different edit of this film. I think that would only happen if they remade it, and it kicked off interest in the original.

* Cut about 3 minutes off the cast section. Big cast, so had to try to keep it short.

* Jason Robards with TWO movies in the theaters at the same time.

* Christopher Lee as Mr. Dark!?

* I had originally read passages from the book and sprinkled them throughout, but it didn’t work.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* Thanks to Christopher Tupa for the fun promotional art he supplied this episode. Here it is below. Do you get the reference? My Mom was a big fan and would have loved this.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I begin this podcast episode by reflecting on milestones, especially the small ones that, individually, don’t mean much, but collectively, make you who you are.

Then I talk about this classic horror TV series, including its ties to the film by the same name, the folks in front of and behind the camera, shooting locations, and the show’s public reception.

Friday the 13th: The Series ended abruptly, even though the quality of the program was still solid. It was just a show in need of a network who believed in it more. While we only got three seasons, they’re chock-full of episodes. So if you haven’t seen the series before, you’ll have plenty of horror to thrill you.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 285 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 12th episode of the new season and the 285th episode of the Retroist Podcast.

* Chris Wiggins really did sound amazing, likability is high on screen and appeared to be the same off-screen.

* Do look up Robey’s early music. I think it is a lot of fun.

* The cousin thing obviously bugs me. It is weird throughout, but especially during the 1st season.

* I had a bunch more retro audio in the episode, but cut it for time.

* I liked John D. LeMay on the show and preferred his character to Johnny Ventura, although I think Steve Monarque did a good job with the role.

* As usual, when someone is from NJ, I tend to linger on them a bit longer. Monarque is from Pompton Lakes, which is a really nice are of NJ.

* metagirl is back with a top 5 list this week. It is a great list of episodes you might want to check out if you are just getting into the show.

* What would you call this show? Maybe Curious Goods would have been a good name?

* Here is the book I was talking about in the show.

* Here is the soundtrack to the show, it’s pricey.

* I enjoy looking at the old TV guides. My original recording had about 5 more minutes of me talking about old TV. I cut it down.

* The reviews of the show annoy me. Not sure if that comes across.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start this episode discussing the horror movie club that started in my circle of friends once one of our families got a VCR. It was a great time to discover films, but it raised an important question. How does a kid rent a rated R horror film at the video store?

When the story is over, I begin discussing the book and its author, Peter Straub. Then I move onto the film, covering people behind the camera, the cast, production, shooting locations, plot, and more.

Ghost Story has an interesting cult following. It has a throwback quality for its time, and so it appeals to a certain type of horror fan. The complexity of the book made for some difficult creative decisions that I think were handled superbly, but that complexity also lends itself to a longer form. So I think this book is ripe for a streaming series treatment.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 284 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 11th episode of the new season and the 284th episode of the Retroist Podcast.

* Cut out stuff about Straub in his bio. Mostly stuff from interviews.

* I had to cut down my explanation of the plot of the book AND the move, they were rambling. Not sure if I nailed my short summaries, but I think it was good enough.

* Shortened Cohen and Irvin sections. Had found some quotes that didn’t add much.

* Had a section about the producer, it was short and not sure if people care much about producers. I have cut that out of most of my episodes, so I did it here.

* As usual, the bio of cast members was too long. Listmania gone wild. I cut it down a lot. Removed about 3 minutes from the show.

* Had some discussion of make-up. Not sure if I should have cut this section out completely? It was messy, but salvageable, but I cut it out.

* John Houseman makes a Silver Spoons reference before Silver Spoons.

* I am curious if Astaire was REALLY upset on the set or if that was just movie hype. Still I like the story.

* I got my copy of the Ghost Story soundtrack and I have been listening to it often.

* I removed some discussion of films. I loved looking at the old listing. I have been trying to print it out on the largest paper I have, but it is using a lot of ink. I need to think about. I would like to save ink, but I like looking at it printed out.

* Such mixed reviews of the movie. I had some stuff about people I know who think the film is too slow. People who “get” this film, are really into this film.

* Pick up the blu-ray, it is worth it for the commentary

* I would watch a show about the making of Ghost Story the movie, a mini-series based on the book, or both.

* Removed 3 commercials and a shortened trailer.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The Sega Dreamcast was an amazing system that should have cemented Sega as an ongoing player in the console wars, but sadly it failed. On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss the rise and too-quick fall of this wonderful system.

I talk about my excitement and disappointment with the Dreamcast. While I would own other consoles, for me, it was the last great console, and the end of an era.

Next, I dive into the details, starting with the company that made it, Sega. Then, a closer look at the system: its developers, tech specs, accessories, games, and much more.

The Dreamcast was an incredible console that should have done better, but it went head-to-head against a very formidable competitor, the PlayStation 2, and lost.

I have wanted to do an episode about it since I started the podcast, but when I started the podcast, I didn’t consider it retro enough to cover. Time flies, though, and now the Dreamcast is far enough in the rearview mirror to make for a great topic.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 283 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 10th episode of the new season and the 283rd episode of the Retroist Podcast.

* I have been doing the podcast long enough that subjects that I would not have considered retro when I started it, are now retro. Not sure if I have a real timeframe, but it is probably in the 15-20+ years range.

* I had a lot more old advertising audio in this after the first pass, decided to cut most of it out.

* A section about video games of the Dreamcast was removed. It was a bit rambling and slowed things down as the episode was ending.

* I cut down the technical overview to keep is simple. I am not techy enough to comment on the technical decisions outside secondhand things I have learned, but I kept it in because I like some tech talk in there.

* Lots of people do deep video game console podcasts. This is not a show to compete with them, but I hope it gives enough of a taste that you might want to try some video game centric retro podcasts.

* Removed some launch hype info.

* Butchered some names as usual. My apologies to everyone.

* Removed about 3 minutes about the Sega Saturn. I suggest listening to a Sega Saturn podcast for more details about that system. I have plans to tackle it myself soon.

* Had a section about the magical clearance shopping experience where I bought a hundred bucks worth of Dreamcast stuff in one go and it almost filled the trunk of my car.

* Cut out a part where I talked about the selling of Dreamcasts online in the late 2000s. I couldn’t remember how much I actually remembered about it.

* Removed a section where I compared the Dreamcast to the DeLorean.

* Thanks to Christopher Tupa for the fun Sega Dreamcast promotional art he supplied this episode. Here it is below. I love how he combined the Jetsons and the Dreamcast in this one.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The show begins with a story about how I got a taste of freedom while at the mall as a kid. This liberating experience for me, was an alarming one for my family. Good or bad, the adventure started and ended at K·B Toys, or as it was known back then, Kay-Bee Toy & Hobby.

Next, I talk about the store chain, its founding, growth, management shifts, name changes, and eventual demise. And, of course, I cover the great Nickelodeon Super Toy Run! Along the way, you’ll hear some fun retro advertising that ran over the years.

K·B Toys was a presence in young people’s lives for decades. It felt like an institution that would always be around. Rumors continue to circulate of a brand revival, which could be fun to see, but right now, they are just rumors.

In the meantime, all we can do is reflect on the history of this great chain, commune over our shared memories, and dream of what toys we would grab in a 5-minute dash around our favorite store.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 282 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 9th episode of the new season and the 282nd episode of the Retroist Podcast.

* I only have a handful of mall chain stores that I actively miss, K·B Toys is at the top of that list.

* Cut out a little bit about the Bros who founded the original stores. Just about a minute. Didn’t add much.

* Removed a bunch of stuff about the financial wranglings behind the scenes as the company imploded. It was becoming a business/finance podcast and I didn’t want that and I am not good at that.

* I had gone a bit overboard on the retro audio and cut about 2 minutes of it out. Love the toy run commercial.

* Was really happy to learn about Paramus Park’s place in mall history.

* I had a little walkthrough of a sale that I picked up a circular for, but while I enjoyed looking at it, it wasn’t particularly compelling once edited. That chopped off two minutes.

* I discussed Circus World/Child World in what I later learned was a confusing way, so I cut that out.

* Had some more stuff about the companies attempt for less violent toys, but I think the gun example was enough.

* Thanks to Christopher Tupa for the fun K·B Toys promotional art he supplied this episode.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I begin this podcast telling a story about how my mom and I would come to dominate a Trivial Pursuit game night by unintentionally memorizing a lot of the questions. It was a funny game night and a story my mom and I would love laughing about for years to come. Sadly, I don’t remember the questions anymore.

Then I move onto the game. I discuss the game’s creation, its creators, the companies that would license it, various editions, the video games, game shows, and much more.

Trivial Pursuit was a phenomenon when it was released, but it wasn’t a flash-in-the-pan. It is an evergreen concept. New trivia is always being created, so it has an infinite number of future editions to make in the future.

It is a great game that can be a lot of fun, allowing you to be social, while learning tons of facts. So do yourself a favor, take it out of your game closet, and play it this weekend.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 281 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 8th episode of the new season and the 281st episode of the Retroist Podcast.

* I think I have told this story somewhere before, but I can’t remember where. Maybe it was when I went on as a guest on someone else’s podcast?

* I have multiple Genus Edition sets of Trivial Pursuit. When I have seen them for sale in the past, I found them hard to resist.

* I caught myself mispronouncing Selchow and Righter. I had to re-record that whole section. Luckily, I caught it during my recording session.

* It is great that the creators of the game acted as reporters to do research, when they were already reporters.

* The section about Game Editions was much longer, but was too listy. I was just amused by all the variations.

* I hope the “How to Play” section works. Furthermore, I recorded 3 different versions. This was the 2nd recording.

* Removed 2 commercials to reduce length a little.

* Took out details about House Rules and just referred people to website.

* The sections about litigation and the game shows were about 2 or 3 minutes longer.

* Looking up the “Genus” name was long overdue.

* Had a section about Trivial Pursuit in other media, that is where the Moops part at the end was pulled from.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

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This episode was a surprise to me. I had recorded a section about toys during my Six Million Dollar Man podcast. When I listened back to it, I had two problems.

* The segment was too long to be a part of a podcast.

* I didn’t like the flow. It was missing something.

So when I released the episode, I removed most of the discussion of toys outside my initial story and thought I would try to rerecord. This episode is the result of my efforts.

It is slightly different from my standard podcast in that I mostly discuss the toys. So a little but more opinion and a lot more retro audio. I hoped you find it as fun to listening to it as I did putting it together.

The show starts with a little discussion about something I content with as a collector, “what do we hold onto?” Then I move into the toys!

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Production Notes

* This is episode 280 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 7th episode of the new season.

* This, like many episode this season was not planned. This episode was supposed to be Alien Nation.

* It is a follow-up or companion podcast to my Six Million Dollar Man episode.

* I covered The Bionic Woman a few years ago.

* I had more about The Bionic Woman in this episode, but cut it all out since I had covered it earlier.

* Removed about a minute from the story segment where I have other examples of toys I dumped over the years.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

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At the start, I share a story about a great couple of hours I got to spend playing with my cousin’s amazing and ignored toy collection. Whenever I think about toy collections or picture toys on shelves, I can’t help but think of his room. The place looked like a great hits selection from the Sears catalogs of the era. It was remarkable.

Then I move onto the show itself. I talk about the Cyborg books, the show’s production, plot, characters, cast, music and more.

The Six Million Dollar Man is iconic. Spoofed, parodied and beloved, it is well-remembered by millions of people. At the time, it was the most successful superhero TV shows ever made. It even spawned a successful spinoff and managed to survive in TV movie form for a decade after the show was canceled.

So, it is a show worth your time. Either just to know a little more about or perhaps to check out on physical media, a retro TV channel, or streaming service.

Support the Show

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 279 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 6th episode of the new season.

* I planned on releasing this episode a few months from now, but got interested in moving it up after starting to re-read Cyborg.

* Consequence of moving it up? I didn’t have enough time to get a top 5 list from metagrrrl.

* I covered The Bionic Woman a few years ago.

* I had more about The Bionic Woman in this episode, but cut it all out since I had covered it earlier.

* Opening story was about a minute longer, but lots of unnecessary details removed.

* Adjust for inflation, The Six Million Dollar Man would be The Forty Million Dollar Man. Still seems like a bargain.

* Removed some filmography stuff from the bios.

* Had a section where I discussed some of my favorite episodes. Felt like metagrrrl territory, so I cut it.

* My section on merchandise involved me looking through an old catalog. I wasn’t happy with how it turned out. I cut it out. I might re-record it and release it as a bonus track.

* I was more terrified during the stuff that happened in the story that I let on. Also, we laughed A LOT afterwards and I was welcomes as a member of the crew after that.

* The new song in this show by Peachy is back (again). Check it out during the credits.

* Cut out a little bit of bio stuff on a lot of people. It was just too much.

* I reduced my summary of the show. It dragged.

* Some retro audio featured. I removed the bumpers again. Still not sure which people prefer.

* I worked for Kevin Smith in the 90s and I actually asked him about this script at the time after reading about it. He wasn’t too chatty about it. He was a great person to work for.

* Novelizations have really gone up in price over the last few years. I wonder if that is connected to the podcasts related to them or vice versa?

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

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The episode starts with a slightly longer story where I introduce you to a few characters I met during my college years. They were drunken pranksters, who were always up to something. Whenever I think of college pranks, my memories drift towards their antics.

Then I move onto the film itself discussing its production, plot, characters, cast, music and more. Finally, I end, discussing the planned sequels and follow-ups that have never materialized.

Real Genius is a fun light comedy, but it is a little “smarter” than many other college comedies that came out in the Eighties. Instead of just mindless antics and partying, we see smart young people learning hard lessons. What makes it great is that they don’t just let bad stuff happen, but instead turn their substantial intellect towards making things right.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 278 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 5th episode of the new season.

* This is the 2nd episode that is sort of a surprise.

* Introducing the Adventures of Parking Block and the Tree Musketeers.

* I was more terrified during the stuff that happened in the story that I let on. Also, we laughed A LOT afterwards and I was welcomes as a member of the crew after that.

* The new song in this show by Peachy is back (again). Check it out during the credits.

* Cut out a little bit of bio stuff on a lot of people. It was just too much.

* I reduced my summary. Again, just too much.

* I did my own Toxic Waste Shirt. I like it in yellow since it is more similar to what they did in the poster. I also found an Order of Apes shirt online that I ordered. Not sure of quality, so didn’t link here yet.

* 3 pieces of retro audio in the show. I had a 4th, but cut it. I decided to re-add the bumpers I had used in past series. I am curious which people prefer.

* Had to remove a lot about the cast.

* I had technical issues recording this show and had to re-record it. I think it was feedback from a set of Bluetooth headphones I had left on my desk and not turned off.

* The Rescue Rangers connection is right up there with the popcorn for stuff I learned about the film.

* I would love to do a show on old movie-going. Maybe it will be a special with some people.

* Could you imagine being called the Einstein of anything?

* This would have been a fun adventure game for the C64.

* Thanks to Sir-Tech for “Wizardry.”

* Would love to include music from the film in the podcast. I would also like to have had this released on physical media.

* Love the popcorn facts. The set must have smelled amazing.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The episode begins with a story about bargain toy collecting. Owning a lot of toys was a dream every kid had, but is often abandoned once we reach adulthood. Not all of us, though. Especially when the toys are on clearance.

Then I move onto the film itself. I start with its development from concept to story to screenplay. Then I move onto the film itself discussing its production, plot, characters, cast, music and more. Finally, I end, discussing what happened to Willow once it hit theaters and where it is going in the future.

This was not an episode I had scheduled, but I have been thinking a lot about Willow lately and thought I would finally release it. It is a story with a lot of potential and the film, despite some technical low points, is quite charming.

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is episode 277 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 4th episode of the new season!

* The first episode I am releasing during the new season that was not scheduled. I do that.

* A new song in this show by Peachy! (again) Check it out during the credits.

* The opening story had some more details about what I did with the toys, but I shortened it to focus on just the idea of buying them.

* Had a lot more about Lucas and Howard. They have given lots of interviews, but it was a bit cumbersome. Probably reduced the length by 3-4 minutes.

* Plot summary was a good amount longer on the first take, as was the cast listing. Edited a lot out.

* Removed deeper discussion of the video games and the board game.

* Used all the audio I wanted to use.

* I have been talking a lot about James Horner lately.

* This is the 3rd fantasy-themed episode I have released in a row. I am enjoying it and would love to keep it rolling, but don’t have anything on deck.

* I had looked up some plot leaks for Willow and mentioned them when I originally recorded them. Not verified and spoiler, so removed them. Not sure what I was thinking.

* Had a little tirade against the Razzies that I cut.

* I cut out a part about the Willow RPG Sourcebook. I picked up years after Willow and never go to play. I cut it out mostly because in every attempt to talk about it, I tripped over my own words and couldn’t edit it into shape. I tried to re-record after the fact, but the audio did not match up well.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

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I begin the episode talking about the shifting population of my neighborhood. It would result in lots of older people moving away and would land us a new next door neighbor who would become my friend. We bonded over computer games, and he introduced me to The Bard’s Tale.

Then I talk about the game itself. I discuss the design, gameplay, story, the companies, and people behind the game, and much more. This section includes some fun audio, including some delightful music and retro advertising.

This episode has a major change at the end. I am using BRAND NEW background music during the credits by Peachy. I hope you enjoy it.

The Bard’s Tale was a leap forward in computer RPG games that is remarkably still very playable decades later. It spawned solid sequels and would influence hundreds of games that would follow.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 276 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 3rd episode of the new season!

* A new song in this show by Peachy! Check it out during the credits.

* I edited down the opening story, taking a side discussion of mapping. I mention it later in the show.

* Not sure why, but it bugs me when people who make the stuff I like, had some sort of long term conflict or disagreement. In my perfect world, everyone would be friends getting stuff done together.

* Had some more talk about ports that I removed.

* Took about a minute out of my discussion of the Construction Set. Wish I still had the things I had made.

* Brave Sir Robin!

* Run away!

* I was a little harsh on the more modern versions of the game. I don’t love them, but I didn’t like my harshness, so I edited it out.

* Had some discussion about the books from what I remembered of them. It was silly.

* I had recorded a weird read of the packaging message. It didn’t turn out well, but I added a little of it at the end.

* I loved my Commodore Computers. I miss them. When I replayed the Bard’s Tale recently, I did it on my MISTer.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy. Love that new track!

* Thanks to Christopher Tupa for the fun The Bard’s Take promotional art he supplied this episode, to change thing s up this season, expect to see more Tupa art in comic form.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I start the episode talking about how my friends liked to play. A film like Krull could be very inspiring to us, but it could also lead to the dangerous shenanigans we seemed to love so much.

Then I move onto the movie itself. I talk about the production, cast, reception, music, possible toy line, the glaive (of course) and much, much more. I also found some fun retro audio clips to play that I think you will enjoy.

Krull is a cult film and is generally not on many people’s list of great films. That said, it’s compelling and not easily forgettable. That is due to the talented cast, the well-done cinematography and a great musical score by a film legend.

I can’t believe I didn’t release this episode sooner, Krull rules.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 275 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* 2nd episode of the new season!

* Took over a minute of my opening story out of the final cut.

* I had another story to tell that was about working in the video store where you could rent Krull, but went in a different direction.

* I removed a lot about the cast in this one. That section was over 3 minutes longer before a final edit.

* I removed some non-Krull retro audio to keep the length down a little more.

* You should watch the Krull behind the scenes video.

* Here is that Krull wedding gown ad I mention in the episode

* I went off on a tirade about the dubbing in the film. It was short, but not needed.

* Cut out a section about roleplaying in the world of Krull.

* Removed some stuff about the games and video games.

* Removed a section where I speculated as to why they chose to make the glaive a throwing weapon. In it, I also speculated about how often a person SHOULD be injured while trying to catch a glaive.

* Thanks to Christopher Tupa for the fun Krull promotional art he supplied this episode, to change thing s up this season, expect to see more Tupa art in comic form.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I begin the episode talking about how and where I often got Shrinky Dinks as a kid, my fear of using an oven, and how Shrinky Dinks were a useful tool in conquering that fear.

Then I move onto the Shrinky Dinks I discuss how they were created, their peak decade, their decline, and how they managed to make a turnaround and survive in modern times. Along the way I play some retro audio, talk about the science behind them, and much more.

The history of Shrinky Dinks has a great start with two moms who saw the magic in shrinking plastic and turned it into a phenomenon. It was a fun subject that swept me off my feet. Really happy to lead off the new season with this subject.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 274 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* A brand-new season starts today!

* I am experimenting a little with this episode. I decided to use the podcast as the basis for a post and to have the post re-inform the podcast. So this podcast will come out at the same time as a post and a newsletter about Shrinky Dinks. So people can enjoy it in different ways.

* I had a longer list of Shrinky Dinks I was going to include. I even thought about trying to do something with metagirl on this one, but the list wasn’t very beefy.

* Removed two commercials. What I had is enough.

* I tried to get a Shrinky Dink Maker before recording this episode, but couldn’t get a good deal.

* It still feels wrong putting plastic in the oven.

* Hope my science part is decent enough. I tried to be as simple as possible with the description. If you wanted more science, you have come to the wrong podcast.

* Cut out a short section on pricing over the years. Mostly because I wasn’t happy with how the recording came out during that part.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

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This is my 2nd named Memory Special. It was fun to hear other people record their memories, and I hope everyone enjoys them.

Thanks to Vince Bray, Josh Stafford, Walt Keegan, Adam Strange, Christopher Tupa, Vic Sage, and The Projectionist for sharing. You are all superstars.

If you would like to be a part of a future Retroist show, please make sure to follow along with what I will be covering in the next season.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 273 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This show was updated on April 30th with a new file uploaded. It now had a brand-new memory!

* This is the 19th episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the nineteenth episode I recorded this season. It is the final episode of the season.

* Great stuff being talked about on the Retroist Discord. Glad to have everyone there.

* Follow Vince Bray on Twitter.

* Follow Walt Keegan on Instagram @WJKCreations.

* Make sure to follow Christoper Tupa at his website.

* Follow Josh Stafford and the Mayfair Theater and make sure you check out his work on the DC Super Hero Girls episode #FlashForwardFlashBack, and the 5 issue comic miniseries Damned, Cursed Children from Source Point Press.

* You can find Alan Bowers on Twitter at @wdwmanimal.

* Adam Strange is a great person to chat with, look him up at the Retroist Discord.

* Follow Vic Sage on Twitter and make sure you check out his podcast, Saturday Frights, The Diary of an Arcade Employee Podcast, and Pop Culture Retrorama.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

My first attempt at a Love Boat podcast was in my first 10 episodes of the podcast. I attempted to do it back-to-back with a Fantasy Island podcast. Neither of them worked out.

I begin by talking about a favorite subject of mine, traditions around activities. My family knew the secret to enjoying Love Boat, fancy “tropical” drinks.

Then I get into the show. I talk about the people in front of and behind the camera, shooting locations, the book, guest stars, the ship, the theme song, and much much more.

metagirl is back with a top 5 list of the best episodes of The Love Boat.

Based on all the guest stars this show had over the years, I would argue that The Love Boat is one of the more important shows of the 1970s/1980s. At the very least, it is noteworthy and deserves attention from everyone.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 272 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the 18th episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the eighteenth episode I recorded this season. This was the second time I recorded on the subject. It is the final regular episode of the season.

* My story was about a minute longer before a final edit. I pulled an outtake from a story I told and added it at the end.

* Took about three minutes about the cast out in final editing.

* I had a section about my favorite guest stars. It didn’t add much. So I removed it. I thought about working with metagirl on a top 5, but couldn’t decide on my five favorite.

* The pools on the Pacific Princess always makes me laugh.

* If you watch the show, look for the food and drinks. The colorful green drinks are amazing looking. They also have great buffet shots.

* Over time, fashions change for extras. If you marathon the show, that’s fun to track.

* I have been rewatching the show for a few months now and still loving it.

* I had a few more commercials in, but cut them out. Instead, I used just three.

* I had music from the Next Wave and the Season 9 theme song, but I cut those out.

* I am still amazed that they didn’t do more in the way of backdoor pilots during the run of the show. Amazing restraint.

* I tried to find the Gopher poster I had as a kid. I imagine it was pulled from a magazine. So far, I haven’t been able to follow it.

* metagirl is back with a new top 5 list. Glad to have her on the last two shows of the season.

* Here is the amazing art provided by Christopher Tupa that I used for social media promotion. He captures Doc really well.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

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I have wanted to do an Emergency! episode for a while. I actually tried back when I did my Adam-12 podcast. It was not great, I needed to get more into the show. Glad I revisited it.

I start the show talking about my earliest memory of seeing a real house fire. It was a real eye-opener and scared me enough to dispel all my notions of being a firefighter when I grew up.

Then I move onto the show itself. I talk about the people in front of and behind the camera, shooting locations, development of the show, creators, theme song, and much much more.

metagirl is back with a top 5 list of the best episodes of Emergency!

Emergency! isn’t streaming like it used to, so I am afraid that some younger people aren’t learning about it, and older people aren’t being reminded of it. It’s a show that is worth your time and should be checked out, so please check it out.

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is episode 271 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the 17th episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the seventeenth episode I recorded this season. This was the second time I recorded on the subject. My first attempt didn’t work out.

* My story about seeing a fire in my neighborhood was about 60 seconds longer, but I trimmed down my description of the fire and getting to the fire.

* I cut down the cast size a good deal and just ran through and didn’t mention other people. It was probably about 4 edited minutes I reduced.

* I had a section about the equipment of Emergency! It was overly technical and really didn’t add to the show.

* I had some other commercials and a promo for Emergency!. I removed those.

* I cut down my discussion of Boot vs. Henry. I am happy with the results.

* Some amount of ranting about how weird I find the Adam-12/Emergency! crossover.

* The section about the shared universe was trimmed about 30 seconds.

* I had a section about some of the foods they made in the firehouse. It wasn’t very meaty and was only about 90 seconds.

* Emergency! seems higher budget than Adam-12 and Dragnet. I had a small discussion about the low budget feel of the other two shows and where they saved money on this show. Webb was famous for his thrift.

* Do watch the Burglary D31 episode of Dragnet.

* metagirl is back with a new top 5 list. Glad to have her on the last two shows of the season.

* Here is the amazing art provided by Christopher Tupa that I used for social media promotion. He really captures Johnny and Roy’s energy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I had some exposure to the CED over the years. Both in my personal life at a friend’s house, but also while working at video stores where we both sold and rented them. Even though that was the case, I didn’t really think about doing an episode about them until having tackled laserdiscs in a past episode.

I begin by speculating on the motivation of an owner of a CED Player that I met in the Eighties. They seemed both heavily invested in the technology and at the same time completely irrational about its future. I didn’t appreciate or understand it at the time, but I think I might nowadays.

Then I discuss the technology itself. I talk about the evolution of playing video on discs, the companies behind the CED, the limitations and highlights of the format, the media itself, and much more.

CED is a finicky bit of technology, and it is had been slowly dying. So if you are lucky enough to get to watch a complete CED disc that works, appreciate it. Odds are, future generations will only get to read about them.

Support the Show

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 270 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the 16th episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the sixteenth episode I recorded this season. This was the first time I recorded on the subject.

* I was going to tell some stories about a sleepover at a friends house who had an amazing media center setup in the 80s. I will probably save that for another show.

* The RCA section was about 2 minutes longer before the final cut.

* I tried to dive more deeply into the European evolution of the format. I decided what I covered was probably a good enough overview.

* A lot of good Selectavision commercials. I removed multiple to cut things down to size, but do search on YouTube. They also have some great promo videos from the time.

* I had a large technical overview, that took forever to wrap my brain around. I decided to also record a briefer and simpler mind dump and decided that played better in the show

* I still find CEDs from time to time for sale and have to resist buying them with all my might. Something very compelling about them for me.

* I would get LaserDisc and VideoDisc confused as names all the time. Often merging them into one thing in my head, this despite the fact that they are very different technology.

* Here is the amazing art provided by Christopher Tupa that I used for social media promotion. It’s a wonderful commentary on the relationship between CED, LD, and VHS

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

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I first tried to cover Mappy about 7 or 8 years ago and was not happy with how it turned out. I took my time recording it this time around, and I am much happier with the end results.

At the opening of the show, I discuss what it was like tracking all the local arcade games in my town and how I could obsess over a mysterious adult who would play Mappy in our town.

After that, I get into the game itself. I talk about the people and companies behind the game, its sequels, ports, music, animated series and much more.

Mappy is an excellent game that often gets buried under better known titles. It’s got complexity, a timeless theme (cat vs. mouse), and is extremely replayable. I hope I can persuade you got to give it a try.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 269 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the 15th episode of the 14th season of the podcast. The season is going on so long that I have lost track of when I recorded this in relation to other episodes.

* I had another story I thought about using. Memories I have of playing video games alone at various locations in our town. I had a serious arcade game addiction.

* I tried my hardest to pronounce names correctly, hopefully I got close.

* I cut out about 90 seconds about Namco and about 60 seconds about Bally Midway. Just slowed things down.

* I did try a few strategy guides I found online. I was surprised at how quickly my high score went up. Those multipliers are key.

* Was trying to get a top 5 list going. Top 5 video games featuring mice, but it didn’t come together. Metagirl will be back in the last two episodes of this season, though.

* I took a little dig at Dig Dug. Mr. Do! rules!!

* I love the color style of the trampolines in Mappy, something about the color change.

* I am terrible at the bonus stage. Always have been and I still am today.

* The Mappy cartoon is amusing. Please check it out on YouTube.

* Here is the original art provided by Christopher Tupa that I used for social media promotion. Christopher did two pieces, both are great. Again he made two very different and at the same time excellent.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

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I recorded this podcast multiple times. The first time it didn’t turn out great, so I decided to transcribe it and edit it into a post about Mac. People really seemed to like that, so I decided to give recording another shot.

I begin by talking about seeing an animatronic performance and not having a camera to capture it on film. Then I speculate about if that was actually a good thing. After recording this multiple times and thinking about it a lot, I believe it is a good thing.

Then I move onto Mac Tonight. I discuss his creation, the people behind it, his release, popularity, comparisons to Max Headroom, and much much more.

I think about food mascots a lot. Mac has always been a bit of an outlier, and that has made him even more intriguing. So I am pleased to finally be able to cover him

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is episode 268 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the 14th episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the seventeenth episode I recorded this season. This was the third time I recorded it.

* Doug Jones really is a nice-seeming guy and was especially nice to his fans when I saw him. While Jones doesn’t sing in the commercials, I found this clip of him singing the extended jingle to a fan. It’s amazing.

* I tried to track down all the commercials they made online, but only a handful of them have been posted in a decent format. I was going to include more of them in the show, but they are very visual and in a podcast they sounded redundant.

* I didn’t know anything about the Hate Group stuff and didn’t want to dive too deeply into it. At any level, it’s a shameful use of the character by bad people.

* I cut out a segment about Mac Tonight Merchandise. It was short, but I didn’t think it added anything. Mostly because they have so many things.

* When making this show, I thought about McDonald’s food way too much.

* I misspoke during my story at the start and even after editing and listening back to it, I didn’t hear it. Then when uploading it, I let it run and hear it. Prosperity! It’s very frustrating. Should be posterity. This is what happens when you do not have a script and use words that you have historically mixed up. I apologize for the mixup.

* I really wish Mac and Ronald teamed up.

* Here is the original art provided by Christopher Tupa that I used for social media promotion. Christopher did two pieces, both are great. One shows Mac in action, and the other wonderfully captures the energy of a late night fast food run. Look for these images in promotions I post on social media and of course here on the site.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This is not the first time I recorded a The Wizard podcast. In my first few episodes, I did a show called Famous Nintendo Missteps that started as a The Wizard podcast. Happy to finally record this and release it, especially in conjunction with The Wizard TV Show Podcast.

I begin the show talking about going away to college. It was a fascinating time for me and when I look back I am surprised at the differences between now and then. So I discuss one of those differences, the casualness of retro gaming.

Then I move onto the film itself. I discuss the people in front of and behind the camera, the film’s reception, its cast, the video games, and much more.

I think most people who listen to the Retroist have already heard of this film and have probably seen it. If you have not or if it’s been a while, I hope this can nudge you to check it out.

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 267 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the 13th episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the sixteenth episode I recorded this season. I had tried to record it during my very first month of podcasting. The results were mediocre, now over a decade later, I finally get back to it.

* I am obsessed with the more weird choices in the film. I am not sure how else to describe them. But I see them as very menacing, moments where the adults intrude on this kid’s film and I am not sure what their intentions are. In the end, it’s pretty wholesome, but it doesn’t always feel that way to me.

* If you still buy physical media, you should check out the Shout! Factory Blu-Ray edition. It’s really well done.

* I got distracted reading old Roger Ebert reviews. Always amuses me. His take on the film based on video game criticism is magical.

* I had a lot more about the cast, but it was way too long. So I cut that down about 3 minutes.

* I originally had a lot more commercials for Nintendo products. I thought it amusing to put them in for a movie that is a big commercial for Nintendo. That wasn’t enough of a reason and the show was getting long. So I cut it out.

* I love Video Armageddon. The flash, the odd style and energy, everything. I wish they spent more time wandering around Universal Studios.

* I cut down some video game talk. Maybe 2 minutes after editing?

* Removed soundtrack samples. About 40 seconds worth and some background?

* I had an abbreviated trailer that I removed. That cut out 90 seconds.

* Here is the original art provided by Christopher Tupa that I used for social media promotion. It’s a mashup of The Wizard and Thing from, The Addams Family. I really need to do an Addams Family podcast of some sort.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

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I had actually tried recording this show last year, and it didn’t work out, so I decided to turn it into a post on the site. While doing so, I realized that I would like to give it another go as a podcast. I am glad I did because it gave me another opportunity to dive deeply into this amazing game.

The show begins with a story about a great teacher I had as a kid. He expressed interested in my love of pirates in general, and I thought that was pretty swell.

Then I moved onto the game itself. I discussed the game’s evolution, the history of the company that made it, its reception and so much more.

This game sold well and was well-received, but surprisingly it hasn’t spawned any sequels and just a handful of remakes. Luckily, the original versions of the game are very playable, but I still keep hoping that we will see a remake in the future.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 266 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the 12th episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the fifteenth episode I recorded this season. I had tried to record it last year and failed. I turned that recording into a post and after doing that, I decided to give it another go.

* Big news! If you are reading this post and following me on social media, you will see that there is some new style art. That was provided by someone who provided all the early art for the podcast, Christoper Tupa. Really excited to have Tupa’s work back here.

* Microprose meant quality for me. I would save up my money for them, and they gave me hours of joy. What a company.

* The clincher for me to try this podcast again was getting Sid Meier’s Autobiography. It’s a great read.

* I still have my original copy of Pirates! It is one of the few original games that I kept every component of.

* I talked a bit more about the evolution of adventure style games. I cut about 90s seconds or 2 minutes out of that.

* I like the story of how Sid’s name made it to the top of the game. I always assumed that when someone gets their name on the top of something, they pushed to have it done.

* When I worked in video games, I almost got to meet Sid, but sadly the meeting was canceled. I was very depressed after that.

* I put in a few commercials, pirate-themed, that made me smile. Sadly, they didn’t make any commercials for the original release. I had a Commodore commercial, but cut it out since the show was getting long.

* If you don’t have original hardware, you can emulate the game on a lot of systems, and the Steam version from 2004 still works really well.

* Get that Number Pad.

* Here is the original art provided by Christopher Tupa. It’s a great call back to the original version’s physical media and the pirate on the cover.

* Here is the art I made for further promotion, mixing Christopher’s work with my original box art.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

When I planned out this season of the show, I was going to do a podcast about The Wizard, but I did not specify which one when I announced this season. Would it be the TV series from 1986 or the motion picture from 1989? Well, after many emails and messages from people, I realized that I needed to do both.

I start off by talking about my fandom for the show and how I decided to participate in the “Save The Wizard” campaign when the show was canceled. I doubt my illegible letter made a difference, but the experience was important to me at the time.

Then I move onto the show itself. I talk about the people who created the show, its starts, its receptions, its availability nowadays and much more.

David Rappaport, the star of The Wizard, did not have a long career. This show, which was written with him in mind, is a large part of his body of work, it’s a shame that it is not very well known or available to watch.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 265 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the eleventh episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the thirteenth episode I recorded this season. I recorded The Wizard film podcast, which will be out soon.

* First episode of 2022! Closing on the podcast’s anniversary in March.

* I debated discussing hunting down this show back in the 90s, but I thought the story I used here sets more of the tone I wanted to have for the show.

* I found some promo material for The Wizard, but sadly most of it is redundant. So a big portion of the history of this show is lost.

* David Rappaport is sadly no longer with us. Taken too early.

* I got to put Time Bandits on my to-do list.

* I dove a bit more deeply into the cast, since it was on the small side.

* Not only has this show not been released on streaming or physical media, but the versions out there are very dated. Still, I am glad at least some way exists to watch it.

* How can a show about a toy maker not have a single kid’s toy tie-in? Even if it was just one season, someone must have thought about it. I couldn’t find a single thing here or abroad.

* I did talk to metagirl about doing a Top 5 list, but we couldn’t get the timing down. Look for metagirl in upcoming future episodes.

* Here is the promo image that I used for this episode.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This was a subject I had wanted to cover for years, but never managed to get to it. It is probably my second favorite of the Rankin/Bass specials, and I hope you enjoy this.

I begin the show talking about Christmas caroling in my neighborhood as a kid and how I thought the music from Rankin/Bass was my path to big money.

Then I moved onto the special itself. I discuss the people in front of and behind the scenes, the plot, the book that inspired it, the spinoffs, the music and much more.

This special introduced two new great characters to the Christmas canon in the form of the Miser Brothers. Even if it wasn’t a timeless classic, and it is mostly because of them, you should it just to see and hear them in action.

Support the Show

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Production Notes

* This is episode 264 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the tenth episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the eleventh episode I recorded this season. I did not intend to do this episode this year, but the magic of the Christmas season got to me.

* I am going to release this episode early to give people more time to check it out and hopefully check out The Year Without A Santa Claus before Christmas.

* For some reason, I will often call The Year Without A Santa Claus, A Year Without A Santa Claus. I am not sure why, but I think I checked myself throughout this recording.

* Some people have asked about a light sound they occasionally hear in the background of the show. That is me not sure what to do with my hands while recording. I am trying to better and not put them on the desk or anything that will pick up sound. Don’t even know I am doing it, but I will try and do better.

* Christmas Caroling was a big deal for a few years for me and many of the Christmas gifts I was able to buy for my family members, which were very small, were paid for by singing in the cold.

* Almost told a story about the video store. So many of my memories about entertainment are from working in video stores. Makes sense.

* This was not the first episode I worked on for this release. I almost did a GI Joe Christmas-themed episode. It was coming together, but it was mediocre.

* Not sure why I started with the bit with reading from the book. I like the wind in the background.

* I have done a bunch of Rankin/Bass Episodes, but I still find myself needing to reacquaint myself with their background.

* I focused a bit about the production companies who did the animation. The style and animation are amazing, and it dawned on me during Mad Monster Party that I should put more attention on the “below the line” talent.

* Read the book online with the original illustrations.

* Listen to Boris Karloff read the book.

* Want a copy of your own?

* I had a bit more audio, some general Xmas commercials. I removed them as the show was getting long.

* About a minute removed from the sequel and live-action version. It sounded a bit negative.

* Cut about 3 minutes out of the cast section. It is a very good cast and too much to discuss.

* Chopped about 2 minutes out of the music section. Also, a minute and half about lyrics to songs.

* Love the Mickey Rooney resort commercial.

* Here is the promo image that I used for this episode.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I have wanted to do this show years ago and tried a few times, but I was never happy with the narrative and found other voices, who are more plugged into retro gaming, did such amazing work. Eventually I found what I wanted to discuss in a way that is not too technical.

I start off back at the mall video store. There I had a co-worker who had an Atari Lynx that he almost lost to an uninvited visitor to the store.

Then I move onto the console itself. I discuss the companies and people behind the Lynx, the reception, the technology, its differentiating features, and much more.

I have played the Lynx a bunch of times over the years, but have never owned one, which I regret. Fortunately, with emulation, you can enjoy this console at home. It’s not the same as owning the portable unit, but it can give you a low-risk sample of what you are missing.

The Lynx community looks like a lot of fun. So if you are a member or have been involved, I would love to hear from you.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 263 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the ninth episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the seventh episode I recorded this season. It would have been the seventh episode I released, but Halloween got in the way.

* I had another story about trying to buy a Lynx a few years ago on Craigslist. It was a negative experience and didn’t want to have a sad and too modern story.

* Lynx Prototype?

* Epyx Handy

* I cut out some background on Atari, Epyx and Commodore. It was too much corporate stuff.

* So many great commercials! I had double the amount and removed them.

* A top 5 list was discussed, but didn’t work out. It would have been about top 5 games.

* I had a 2-minute speculative discussion of an Atari dominates the world counterfactual. It was too off the cuff and fanboyish. So I cut it out.

* Recently, my neighborhood has been plagued with very loud motorcycles and cars ripping around at all hours of the day and night. I try and edit them out or record around them, but occasionally they make it into the background of a recording. Not sure what the cause of this is, but when combined with the leaf blowers, it makes podcasting less convenient.

* A few of my podcasts had been listed as sources on Wikipedia in the past. Someone contacted me, I think the person who had added them, to tell me they had mostly been removed/replaced. I think I would have rather not known about that. I guess community makes that decision about what’s good enough.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Unbelievably, in all the time I have done this podcast, I have never done an episode of the show. That does not mean I didn’t try. I attempted an episode way back when I covered Manimal, but it just didn’t work out.

I begin by talking about trying to support a TV show when you are completely wrong about it and how that can lead to stubborn ignoring of reality.

Then I moved onto the show itself. I discuss the cast, the people behind the camera, the music, and much, much more.

Metagirl is back with a new Top 5 list where she talks about the 5 best episodes of Automan.

Like Manimal, Automan is often dismissed as a half-season oddity, but if you look at the talent behind it, you can see that they were swinging big with this one. It was a high budget, high concept show that earnest tries to build a mythology.

I hope, after giving the show a listen and give the show a watch, it’s a 1980s classic.

Support the Show

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If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 262 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the eighth episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the sixth episode I recorded this season. It would have been the sixth episode I released, but Halloween got in the way.

* I had recorded a story about trying to get my sister to watch Automan with me. It didn’t come out great.

* I had found some stuff online about the technical work on the show. I greatly reduced that section.

* Furthermore, I had a section about some guest stars. Cut that out.

* More info about the vehicles, I trimmed that.

* Found some more audio online from Automan promos. Decided to not use them to move things along more quickly.

* Talked a bit more about the Automan video game. I even recorded a little of my playing it. That was not compelling.

* The cast size was reduced.

* Metagirl is back with a brand-new Top 5 list.

* If you want a laugh, please check out HEWLOGRAM.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This is one of the more recent topics I have covered at the Retroist, but I am a big fan of the film and have wanted to do a couple of more shows set in the Nineties.

I begin by talking about my first visit to San Francisco Moscone Center that let to a case of déjà vu that I couldn’t shake until I learned that I might not have been there before, but I had seen it.

Then I move onto the film itself. I discuss the evolution of the production, the people behind the camera, the stars of the film, ordering pizzas on the internet, and much, much more.

People might watch The Net nowadays and jumped to the conclusion that it’s dated. The technology certainly is, but it’s such a well conceived and expertly acted film with themes that are still very relevant today. Maybe more so now than even back then.

I hope, after giving the show a listen, you check out the film, it’s a 1990s classic.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 261 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the seventh episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the fifth episode I recorded this season. It would have been the fifth episode I released, but Halloween got in the way.

* I had two stories I went through when recording this, the other was more about my movie-going experience at around this time. I think this was more apt.

* Furthermore, I had a long rambling section about the computers I spotted in the film. Cut because it was both long and rambling. Oh, and boring. Sooooo boring.

* The cast size was reduced.

* The discussion of Pizza.net was shorted. Read more here.

* My making fun of Mozart’s Ghost was removed. It was unfair and was really me making funny of 90s rock culture. Which was also unfair.

* I had some more pizza commercials. Ultimately, I decided on a more time appropriate one.

* This plot recap was on the long side, so I cut it down. It might still be a bit long, but I was into it.

* Removed the movie trailer.

* Removed movie soundtrack segment and background musics.

* Here is my movie stub from seeing The Net in 1995.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This is another extra podcast inspired by discussions on the Retroist Discord. People mentioned it, and continued discussion of Halloween made me want to do another horror-related show this month.

I start off talking about how tape trading and Mad Monster Party ruined a friendship when I was a kid. Then I move onto the film itself.

Notice I keep calling it a film. Most people will look at Mad Monster Party as a TV special, but it was actually originally as a motion picture in theaters before it started its run on TV, a unique thing for a Rankin/Bass production.

I discuss the people in front of and behind the camera, the company that produced it, people from Mad Magazine, MOM Productions, the music, its home video release, and much more.

Mad Monster Party is not as popular as other Rankin/Bass productions. This is probably because they are more heavily associated with Christmas, which is a shame. This movie is delightful, stacked with talented people delivering Sixties-flavored family fun.

I hope, after giving the show a listen, you check out the film and make it a part of your holiday celebrations.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 260 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the sixth episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the seventh episode I recorded this season. This was not planned, but it’s Halloween time, so another Halloween-friendly episode seemed to be appropriate.

* The story was shortened a bit, I had some stuff about our first VCR. I covered that in my Retroist VCR Podcast.

* I cut a minute about Mad Magazine out of the show. I should probably do a Mad Magazine episode at some point.

* I had about 2 minutes about MOM Productions that I cut out, It was interesting, but not needed.

* My plot recap was a lot longer. I removed most of it, the trailer adds enough.

* I had some more Halloween commercials planned for this episode, but cut them out and stayed more on theme for the episode.

* Took out some stuff about Some Like It Hot.

* Removed about a minute of myself going over stuff Phyllis Diller did. What a fun person.

* I played and discussed more about the soundtrack, removed all but the main title theme. Included Ennis singing the US national anthem, but cut that out. The soundtrack is on YouTube, so if you have the inclination, I suggest you check it out

* I did a quick rundown of my favorite Rankin Bass Special. It felt out of place. Maybe I will redo it as a bonus episode.

* Rapids ahead, Captain Cupcake!

* I randomly mention a page from Frankenstein that makes regular appearances on the internet. I was going to cut it out, but I want more people to see it or seek it out.

* I had tried to record this episode once before about 6 years ago. I am glad I didn’t release that episode, it was a mess.

* All the music you hear in this episode is by the mighty Peachy.

* I had some newspaper clippings I put aside during researching the show. Just ads, but thought I would share them.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Now you might be looking back at the post I did at the start of this “season” and note that Re-Animator was not included in that list. I have been listening to feedback from people on Discord and decided I should do something horror-related during the Halloween season. What better than this amazing film.

I start off by talking about my attempts to build a library in my childhood home and how that led me to find and read my first works of HP Lovecraft.

Before getting into the movie, I touch upon the life and work of Lovecraft, with emphasis on the writing and release of Herbert West – Reanimator.

Then I discuss the film itself, discussing the complicated journey it and its writer/director took while bringing it to the big screen. I talk about the plot, cast, music, sequels, and much more.

Like most people who worked at a video store in the 80s and 90s, I had a lot of exposure to this film. I have watched the film countless times, and it is remarkably re-watchable.

I hope, after giving the show a listen, you check out the film.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 259 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the fifth episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the seventh episode I recorded this season. This was not planned, but it’s Halloween time, so a horror movie seemed to be appropriate.

* I cut about 30 seconds of the story I tell. Mostly about other stuff I had brought into my library.

* I had more about Lovecraft. Including modern critiques of him as a human being. Felt like too much and went off on distracting tangents that would work better as a full podcast by someone else.

* I had a bit more audio. I cut it down so I could include the longer trailer.

* While recording the show, I had my Lovecraft book in front of me the entire time. You might hear me pawing at it in the background. I apologize for the distractions.

* I got a little too much into the summary.

* I had a section about the liquid they used for the re-agent. I flubbed it a lot and couldn’t fix it.

* It might sound like a lot of Jeffrey Combs talk, but that is actually cut down. Combs is awesome.

* I cut down on the music section. The soundtrack is on YouTube, so if you have the inclination, I suggest you check it out.

* I had tried to record this episode once before about 8 years ago. I am glad I didn’t release that episode, it was very messy.

* If I mispronounced your name as a Patreon supporter, please email me and I will add a corrected version to a future episode.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This is part four of a four-part series on the early-eighties incarnation of the GI Joe franchise. If you are interested in learning more about the toy line and comic series, please check out, the GI Joe toys, GI Joe Comics, and GI Joe: A Real American Hero podcasts.

I begin the show by talking about my last attempt at a hurrah with my GI Joe friends, and how it wound up becoming another night on the couch watching TV with my grandmother as she smoked and looked puzzled as to what I was watching.

Then I move onto the movie itself. First, I discuss the authorship of the film. I don’t think it’s a very controversial take, but I find the story of who wrote it interesting. Get those contracts locked down, people.

I mention Buzz Dixon a lot, and I think if I take away one thing from this run of GI Joe podcast, it’s a greater appreciation for Dixon. Buying the DVD or Blu-ray is worth it just for his commentary.

I mention the plot, fan out over the intro, talk some cast highlights, share my thoughts about how they should not have leaned so heavily on new characters and so much more.

I liked the movie as a kid, but I like it even more as an adult. The character work could be better, but the plot is off the chart bananas, and the opening scene might be one of the best GI Joe vs. Cobra fights ever animated.

I hope, after giving the show a listen, you check out the film.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 258 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the fourth episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the fourth episode I recorded this season and is part four of a four part series. Yes, it was originally a three part series.

* I reduced my story a bit. Mostly some details about the party planning.

* Across the board, I tried to remove redundancy from other episodes, so I reference them. As recorded, it probably took 15 minutes off the show.

* Buzz Dixon forever!

* I had a few more commercials in the show, but they were not about the movie, and they felt like passing.

* I had a few more quotes from Buzz, but it wasn’t needed to forward the narrative.

* Really check out the Wally Burr website while it is still up. Just search Wally Burr.

* Visionaries really were amazing and underrated.

* The trailer I play is very abbreviated. They have a much longer, much more cinematic version, but I like the straight-to-video feel of this one.

* The summary was a bit too detailed. I was enjoying it too much. So I cut it down a great deal.

* I would have preferred a non-Serpentor/Cobra La world,especially if they had done The Most Dangerous Man in the World like Dixon envisioned.

* Removed stuff about voice actors and focused just on the two.

* I had more about the things I covered in the last three episodes. If you can, please listen to the other two episodes first.

* If I mispronounced your name as a Patreon supporter, please email me and I will add a corrected version to a future episode.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This is part three of a four-part series on the early-eighties incarnation of the GI Joe franchise. If you are interested in learning more about the toy line and comic series, please check out, the GI Joe toys and GI Joe Comics podcasts.

I start off by discussing my appreciation for the animated series and how it became appointment television for my group of friends. It was on the first shows where we all made sure to get together when possible to watch it so that we could discuss it as soon as the episode had ended.

Then I move on to the show itself. I touch on the various companies that put the cartoon together and the talented people behind the scenes that made this show so memorable.

My focus is on the Sunbow-made show, but I also touch on the DIC series. I believe the Sunbow version is superior, but I enjoy them both.

I was going to roll the animated film into this episode but decided it might be worthwhile to do a fourth episode covering it. So this trilogy is now a tetralogy.

With on-demand programming and wide availability, the GI Joe cartoons are more accessible now than they ever were in the past. They will give you MANY hours of entertainment, so I hope I can give you the background that gets you fired up to revisit or watch it for the first time.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 257 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the third episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the third episode I recorded this season and is part three of a four part series. Yes, it was originally a three part series.

* I cut out just a little about our cartoon watching routines from my story.

* I included all the audio clips I wanted to in those one. I love the sound, music, etc from this show.

* I had more about the things I covered in the last two episodes. If you can, please listen to the other two episodes first.

* I removed a whole lot about the direct-to-video motion picture. I am going to re-record and try and turn that into a new episode.

* The cast on this show is huge. I tried to just name a few people, which meant leaving people off. Still, it was the right things to do.

* I had some thoughts on a few episodes I like but I cut them out since they were redundant because of metagirl. Plus I wanted to keep the show at around 30 minutes.

* Still not bumpers being used. I think it speeds things up and doesn’t take much away from the show.

* I cut out a part where I told a story about the movie. It will come back around in the next episode.

* I had a sorta “greatest hits” list that went nowhere. Boring stuff.

* It was a lot of fun rewatching episode from the series from this. Still say, Cold Slither forever!

* metagirl is back in her first appearance of the season. Her illiteration skills have only grown since we last heard from our list champion. I was bowled over by one of them in particular during this list.

* If I mispronounced your name as a Patreon supporter, please email me and I will add a corrected version to a future episode.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This is part two of a three-part series on the early-eighties incarnation of the GI Joe franchise. If you are interested in learning more about the toy line, that was covered in my first episode, GI Joe toys.

I begin the show by talking about what a revelation this comic was to my group of friends. It was so well-done that it made us change the way we purchased comics and overall increased the number of comics we were buying.

Then I move onto the comics. I trace the history of how the comic came to be at Marvel. After that, I talk about the HUGE debt we all owe to the creative powerhouse behind GI Joe, Larry Hama.

He was the writer of nearly every GI Joe story during the Marvel years and the book itself was successful beyond expectations. Running for over a decade, it would include intricate long-running stories that engaged fans and welcomed new readers.

I do briefly touch on the post-Marvel comics but barely. If you want more about GI Joe comics, there are dozens of quality episodes of other podcasts dedicated to the subject.

As a kid who did not want to give up on GI Joe, long after my friends did, I owe the comics a lot. It allowed me to continue my fandom alone well after the group fun I had enjoyed with my friends had to them become age-inappropriate.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 256 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the second episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the second episode I recorded this season and is part two of a three part series.

* My initial story was a lot longer originally and a bit more melancholy as I talked about when my friends stopped reading the comic and how I acquired their collections because they thought they were childish.

* I had a few more audio clips in the show. They released a lot of commercials for the comic. I cut it down to just two.

* I had a small section about how the tone and voicework is less sophisticated than what they did for the cartoon. I amnot sure how true that was, I might just be biased. So I removed it.

* Commercial bumpers have been removied from this episode and the last one. Its an experiment to lighten the show as I make them a bit longer overall.

* I had some more about Hama. Mostly about his non-GI Joe work. It does not seem necessary.

* Dicussed the GI Joe comic collection they released 7 or 8 years ago. Didn’t add much to the show so I removed it.

* Was supposed to be a top 5 issues but couldn’t come up with just 5. Plus so many good things are from multi-part storylines. Look for metagirl to return soon though.

* I am not an artist but I am still confused as to why artists overall didn’t want to stick with this book. I guess you had to be there at the time to understand.

* Took out some stuff about buying comics in the eighties when you didn’t have a comic book store nearby. I might revisit this as a bonus track.

* I have been in the middle of a re-read of the full comic line and thought it would be interesting to record my reaction to rereading some of my favorite issues. It turns out, it wasn’t.

* I had a little history section of stuff I covered in episode 255, seemed redundant.

* If I mispronounced your name as a Patreon supporter, please email me and I will add a corrected version to a future episode.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I have been thinking wanting to release a GI Joe Podcast for a while now. It always just felt too big a subject to cover in the way that I do podcasts. The answer to how I should cover it was pretty straightforward. I would do it as a multi-part podcast. So this podcast is part one of three episodes of GI Joe podcasts.

I start off talking about how my friends and I played with GI Joe figures. The actual way we played, which was like live-action roleplaying but with dolls. It was delightful and very rarely ended in fighting.

Then I moved on to the toys themselves. This story starts way before the 80s with the company that made them, Hasbro. So I talk about how that company started, how it got its hands on GI Joe, and how the toyline would move from the Sixies into the Eighties.

My coverage of the toys stops in the first year. I do mention a few things that came later but I really wanted this show to focus on that first year of figures and how we got there.

GI Joe was extremely popular in my group of friends and would be for years. It was a colorful and creative toy line that was brimming with possibilities. Despite all the movies and attempts to reboot the franchise, I continued to be surprised that they didn’t figure out a way to sell Joes to kids again.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 255 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the first episode of the 14th season of the podcast. It was the first episode I recorded this season and the first time I am attempting to cover a topic in multiple episodes.

* I cut out about 30 seconds about The Lieutenant.

* You really need to do a search on the Hypo Squirt toy. Its so silly looking.

* I had more about Romper Room. It was a show I liked. I mentioned its history and when Hasbro came to be associated with them. It was too much of a tangent.

* I had talked about the origin of the phrase GI Joe, but I garbled it. It probably would not have added much.

* I had a rant about breaking figures and a friend who loved to do it. At the same time I also talked about how easy it was to learn to fix them.

* That led to talks of custome figures. I cut that out because it felt like it didn’t work in the window of time I had chosen.

* I had a bunch more commercials, but cut them out. I am also trying to remove the commercial bumbers. I kind of like the way it turned out on this episode.

* I removed some info about Palitoy and the UK version of the figures. Action Force feels like it could be its own thing.

* You will learn a bit more about Larry Hama in the next episode.

* Fury Force would have been very cool.

* I talked about how Snake Eyes was done on the cheap being unpainted. I didn’t like how it turned out. Cut it.

* I have a couple of bonus tracks I will probably release for this episodes. I had recorded two other stories for the intro of the show before settling on this one and I had talked a bit more about stuff while I looked at them in catalogs.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This is similar to other specials I have done in the past, but I think I tightened the format a bit. That should make it move along faster.

I do open the show by talking a little about my process in selecting episodes and why I cover certain topics while others are still in a holding pattern.

I am joined by three friends of the show in this episode. Jeremiah Jones-Goldstein, who shares his memories of Batman ’89. Vincent Bray, who talks about his experience playing King’s Quest on his IBM PCjr. Finally Vic Sage is back to discuss his passion for LaserDiscs.

While I enjoy the information I present on the show, it is often the memories that drive me to complete an episode. So hearing other people share their own stories makes me really happy.

I plan on doing these specials at the end of episodes in the future. So I hope you like the format and the submissions.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 254 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* This is the final episode of the season. I was waiting on a few people who had wanted to submit. Those submissions didn’t work out. Hopefully, I will hear from these people next season.

* I wasn’t sure what to call this episode and opted for a sort of generic title. I am open to suggestions for future versions of this show. Let me know.

* Jeremiah’s story about the collector card quest really brought back some memories to me. I collected cards as well and when you were down to the last one you need, you can get desperate.

* Vin’s story was so good and he submitted it early enough that I almost used it instead of my own for King’s Quest. I love that we both made a ComputerLand connection.

* Here is Vin’s story about David Prowse’s Spoiler that I mention during the podcast.

* It’s been a bit since Vic was on the show and he does not disappoint in his passion for the LaserDisc. It does not surprise me that he and I would obsess over the format. Also a mention of Suncoast!

* I used a bunch of Peachy background music in the show. Different backgrounds for different people and an older closing track. I hope it makes the show more enjoyable. Music tracks used include Sad Toys, Happy Peppy Walk, Caliope, Mellow Gallery, and Moonlight Yomping.

* All the music you hear in this episode is by the mighty Peachy.

* I have one more supporter-only episode that I will release via Patreon before Season 14. Looks like that is going to be about the Speak & Spell (although voting is still open).

* If you are a supporter and noticed I didn’t mention your name in this episode that is because I wasn’t sure if/when this episode would happen. I will be sure to mention you in the next public episode.

* If I didn’t mention your name this season, please contact me and I will make sure to remedy that ASAP.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I had attempted to record this show once about 6 years ago and it long and rambling. I wanted a show that gave a nice overview of the history of the company. Hopefully it will fire up your interest in its history and/or its pizza.

I start the show by talking about pizza in my hometown growing up. Our area had a great number of solid pizza offerings. So it did not sit right with my Mother that we would go to a chain to enjoy pizza. This naturally caused me to rebel and sneak out to enjoy meals at Pizza Hut with friends.

The history of Pizza Hut is of course a lot more complex than what I am covering here. But it should broadly give you the background of the origin, growth, and issues that this food giant has tackled. Starting with its founding in Kansas, through its purchase by Pepsi, and finally its spinoff into what is now Yum! Brands.

It’s amazing how food can trigger nostalgia and for many people Pizza Hut was their first foray into eating pizza. My options might have been broad, but the warm welcoming interior of older Pizza Huts and their creative product development made me a fan and continue to draw me back.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 253 of the Retroist Podcast.

* The tenth episode of Season 13. This is the final planned episode of the 13th season, but I might put something else out before announcing what you can look forward to in Season 14.

* I cut out a big section on some of the drama around the Carney brothers. I wanted to focus on the business, rather than details about the family. Listening back I wonder if I should have left it in.

* This book is nearly impossible to get, but if you want a history of Pizza Hut, keep an eye out for The Pizza Hut Story.

* I wanted the show to not go too long. I wanted it to move along quickly and give people a primer on the history of the company. I think this cut works well at that. Maybe I could have cut a little bit more.

* The History of Pizza is interesting, but like many things, it steeped in myth.

* I have a Shakey’s Pizza very close to me that I still have not gotten to go to. I know it won’t be the same as it was in the past, but I can’t wait to try it out.

* Metagirl knocks this top 5 list out of the park and included a very surprising entry at the start. Both the choice and delivery are excellent. Her segment is 5 minutes long, I could have listened to a top 30 list on this one.

* Pizza Hut has said they will experiment with retro interior elements once again. I will believe it when I see it.

* I remember when the Pizza Hut closest to my house was also involved in the Crystal Pepsi giveaway. I was all in on that. That said, I prefer Coca-Cola and would prefer a lot of the Yum! brand restaurants still served Coke.

* While I like the classic Mansard roof pizza hut, I love finding different-looking Pizza Huts overseas. The internet is full of fun and interesting photos.

* I cannot stress how much I think about pizza. Its at least a few times per day.

* Pizza Hut is pushing its Detroit Style Pizza lately. I have has that style pizza at home. I prefer an east coast style pizza, but Detroit ain’t bad.

* Added some fun audio. Look for Shakey’s and Pan Pizza. I had some other ads, including one that featured stuffed crust. I also talked a little bit more about advertising in general. I might revisit this as a bonus track or mini-episode for Supporters.

* I love Tricon Global as a name. It sounds like it should be anything other than restaurants. I don’t like the name Yum! Brands.

* I have never had a Pizza Hut pizza delivered to me. I have only ever eaten at the restaurant or picked it up to go.

* Had two odd edits that I included that I don’t love. I had flubbed my metagirl line multiple times in the intro and decided to rerecord, but for some reason, the audio came out way off today. Same with the Patreon mentions. Not a huge deal, but it bothers me to no end.

* All the music you hear in this episode is by the mighty Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I can’t believe its taken me this long to finish this podcast. It was fun to record, but also fun to play King’s Quest again.

I begin the show talking about my earliest experience with King’s Quest. It was at a store called Computerland. This was a national chain that no longer exists (only in my heart). That store was filled with very understanding worker who let a group of messy kids spend quality time messing with their machines.

Then I jump into the game itself. I talk about the people who created the game, Roberta and Ken Williams and their company Sierra Online. My coverage with how they got into making video games and while I focus on the first King’s Quest title, I do also mention its ports, sequels and a few other games they worked on.

King’s Quest was an amazing game and Roberta and Ken Williams’ contributions to gaming cannot be praised enough. They took an engaging gaming genre and clearly saw its potential. Then, each with their unique abilities, they were able to build a game that would redefine that genre.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 252 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* The ninth episode of Season 13.

* I planned to do this podcast many years ago and it has been requested MANY times over the years. I hope everyone enjoys it.

* I have gotten into MISTer recently, King’s Quest was one of the first titles I fired up.

* It looks like some people are still using the Computerland name. That’s a shame, I would have like to turn it into a t-shirt.

* Computerland was extremely important to me as a kid, just access to machines opened my eyes to all sorts of possibilities. Every kid should have the same opportunity.

* I mention the smell of the place briefly, it has stuck with me and I have entered environments where I found that same smell. It took me write back.

* Here is more info about the Versawriter.

* PCjr has some hardcore fans. I hope I didn’t offend anyone by saying it was not a big hit.

* Interviews with Ken and Roberta Williams are great. They are very open and honest. Do a search on YouTube and enjoy.

* I had some quotes about Ken’s programming abilities. They didn’t lead anywhere, so I edited them out. I should mention that people say Ken is a remarkably skilled programmer.

* I talked a bit about the AGI Game Engine, but it wasn’t that long or interesting, so I cut it out.

* I love the manuals for King’s Quest. Here is the PCjr version.

* Between D&D and computer gaming, graph paper was a valuable commodity. Never trust anyone with graph paper, they are always plotting something.

* I talked a bit more about the experience of playing later versions of Kings Quest (thanks MISTer). It was all a bit flat, so I cut it out.

* Included some audio in this show, featuring both Computerland and the PCjr.

* I talked about some other adventure games, including Leisure Suit Larry. I might include that as a Bonus Track.

* Included a reading I had done from the manual that I cut out.

* All the music you hear in this episode is by the mighty Peachy.

* If you want to get into retro computer gaming, do check out MISTer and msg me if you want to discuss setting one up.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I have always been fascinated with LaserDiscs and their capabilities, so this was a fun episode to do. I learned a lot.

I start the show back in the video store because when I worked at a store that sold videotapes, we also sold LaserDiscs. The customers who enjoyed LaserDiscs were always extremely knowledgeable and well-informed. They were the first people who taught me about many of the movie audio formats that we take for granted today.

Then I talk about the history of the LaserDisc starting with the people and companies that invented, promoted, popularized, and sold the discs and players. The LaserDisc last for over two decades, and during that time there were many innovations on both the discs and players. So I discuss a bunch of these technological leaps and try to explain why they were important. I touch on the differences between LD and other formats that were popular at the time, namely tape. Although I do touch on CED as well.

LaserDisc was ahead of its time, and it was eclipsed in the USA by a cheaper and more versatile format, videotape. Still, it would influence future optical formats like CDs and DVDs.

Since this is a technical subject, I do get a bit technical. I try and explain things to the best of my ability. Hopefully I walk that line between oversimplifying and overly technical well enough for everyone to enjoy the show.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

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Production Notes

* This is episode 251 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* The eighth episode of Season 13. I actually recorded it a bit earlier.

* I planned to do this podcast many years ago, right after I did the VCR Podcast. When I tried to record it back then, it was way too technical. So the show was put on hold for an awfully long time.

* Gauss Electrophysics is a great name. I kind of want to make a t-shirt with the name on it and might do it. Is that crazy? Well crazy or not, I decided to do it.

* I tried to simplify LaserDisc technology to explain it more simply. Some of this would be a lot easier if I had a video to show.

* Here is a magnification of the LaserDisc surface.

* I didn’t go into a lot of detail on LaserDisc Audio. I am fascinated by the idea that people were collecting this audio format and that these collections are still out there. I wonder if

* These are the laser pointers I currently have on my desk. I do love playing with lasers.

* I would have gone into more detail about CED, but I plan on discussing that in a Season 14 or 15 podcast.

* I told a story about my early blogging days when I was talking about my early experiences with LaserDisc. Someone was nice enough to comment on my confusion between CED and LD. I decided to go with my story about the video store instead. We all know how unkind the internet can be, I didn’t need to remind people about this.

* I cut out a section about shopping for LaserDiscs at Goodwill even though I didn’t own a LaserDisc player. It was only about a minute long. It was a tangent that didn’t tie into anything.

* I would have liked to visit an electronic store in Japan in the early 80s. They were doing some cool and interesting things there that seemed so futuristic at the time.

* I had more discussion of the various LaserDisc-based games. It was about a minute long and lacked any detail about the various games. So I cut it down to just Dragon’s Lair.

* All the music you hear in this episode is by the mighty Peachy.

* While I love my Media Center, I am still a cheerleader for physical media. So if you are thinking about starting a LaserDisc collection I highly encourage it.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This is a show I watch a lot. It is one of my favorite detective shows and that has a lot to do with the charisma of Jack Klugman.

I begin the show talking about watching TV at work and how lucky I was to be able to do it for a while when I was younger. While I liked the TV at the time, now I can’t help but think of how it let me bond with someone much older than me. It feels like we might be losing some of that in pop culture and the workplace. I hope not.

Then I move onto the show itself. I talk about the show’s creations and inspiration. This includes a book, a person, and two non-American shows. I discuss how Quincy took on social issues, how Klugman pushed the show in the direction it took, and much more.

Metagrrl is back this week with a top 5 list of the best Quincy ME episodes. It’s a great list with some wonderful dramatic flourishes. So info-packed you will wish it was a top 10.

Quincy ME was a wonderful show that influenced the direction of detective and procedural dramas. This has a lot to do with the personality and artistic vision of Jack Klugman. A lot of modern television owes a nod of gratitude to him.

Support the Show

You can support the Retroist by joining my Patreon. Supporters will get member-only shows and audio extras associated with the show. Click the giant button below to check out the Patreon Page.

If you have a moment, please stop by Apple Podcasts or wherever you might download the show and perhaps give the show a quick rating. It is very much appreciated.

Maybe I will release this Podcast on Cassette? Join Patreon for a chance to get a mixtape.

Follow on your favorite platform

* Apple Podcasts

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Production Notes

* This is episode 250 of the Retroist Podcast.

* Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

* The seventh episode of Season 13.

* This is my 250th episode of the Retroist Podcast. This seems insane to me. I purposedly chose Quincy for this milestone since it is a show I really like a lot.

* I reference Where death delights; the story of Dr. Milton Helpern and forensic medicine by Marshall Houts. It is an insanely expensive book right now. It averages about $500 for a copy, but sometimes they show up for about $60.

* Quincy references Coroner to the Stars, Thomas T. Noguchi in at least one episode. Certainly an influence on the show, he is a worthy subject to explore on your own.

* Here is the premiere episode of the TV show, Wojek. It is surprisingly intense.

* Here is a rare online episode of The Expert from the BBC. Interesting show, but I prefer Quincy or Wojek.

* I had talked about Quincy’s boat twice in the episode, but for some reason referred to it as a yacht all the time. I have no idea, but it sounded so weird that I decided to edit it out. Might become a bonus track.

* All the music you hear in this episode is by the mighty Peachy.

* Metagrrl’s top 5 list is again a bit longer than usual, but it is info-packed I would have listened to a top 10. I hope you are liking these slightly longer segments.

* It is hard to pick the top 5 episodes of a show that is this enjoyable.

* I love metagrrl’s dramatic quote reading. It is very Klugmanesque.

* I earnestly enjoy Quincy’s reaction to punk rock music. The portrayal is a bit cartoonish and lacks nuance, but makes complete sense when you consider that the show is done from Quincy’s Point of View.

* I had included some Quincy audio, mainly the theme song. I opted to not include it because of the up-in-the-air nature of how fair use might come to be defined. But I had a section that discussed the intro of the show and how it changed that I edited out. That was nearly 2 minutes long.

* I don’t really like newer crime shows, especially shows like CSI, but I love Quincy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I am a fan of fast food and enjoy reading about the fast-food industry. This episode is a celebration of the McRib and a discussion of its history and creation.

I start the show talking about quests. I enjoy seeking things and fast food has given me many opportunities to seek things over the years. From premiums to limited-time foods, the searching has brought me great joy.

Then I move onto the sandwich itself. I discuss the creators of the McRib, the process of making one, its relationship to the pork industry, its initial failure, and its slow inevitable rise.

Metagrrl is back this week with a top 5 list of discontinued McDonald’s menu items. It’s a great list that could almost be a podcast unto itself. I think you will enjoy it.