Episode 675: Purple Rain (1984)

Special Guest: Alan Light
Guest Co-Hosts: Bill Ackerman, Samm Deighan

Samm Deighan and Bill Ackerman join Mike to discuss 1984's box office smash Purple Rain which launched Prince's movie career and made him a household name. The film stars Prince as "The Kid", a musician from Minneapolis who struggles to find his place in the music scene while battling personal demons.

Our episode features an interview with Alan Light, author of Let's Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain. We also discuss the "sequel" to Purple Rain, Graffiti Bridge, and the "remake", Rain the color of Blue with a little Red in it.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 675: Purple Rain (1984)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Purple Rain on Buy the Purple Rain soundtrack
Buy Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984 by Duane Tudahl
Listen to Alan Light's Sound Up podcast

Music:
"Erotic City" - Prince and the Revolution
"Baby I'm a Star" - Prince and the Revolution

Watch:

Episode 666: The Apple Fell (1948)

Guest Co-Hosts: Samm Deighan, Emily Intravia

Emily Intravia and Samm Deighan join Mike on Episode 666 of The Projection Booth to look at Helmut Käutner's 1948 film Der Apfel ist ab (The Apple Fell AKA The Original Sin).

It's the story of Adam Schmidt (Bobby Todd) who is torn between his wife Lilith (Joana Maria Gorvin) and his mistress Eve (Bettina Moissi). Despondent, Adam tries to commit suicide among the ruins of post-war Germany. Instead of killing himself, he commits himself to a sanatorium where he undergoes an extended musical fantasy sequence which retells the Genesis story.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 666: The Apple Fell (1948)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy The Apple Fell on DVD-R

Music:
"Number of the Beast" - Zwan

Watch:

Episode 657: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)

Special Guest: Dianne Steinberg
Guest Co-Hosts: Agatha Luz, Andrew Nette

Agatha Luz and Andrew Nette join Mike on a special episode to discuss Michael Schultz's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), a story of the dangers of fame set to the music of the music of The Beatles. The film stars the Brothers Gibb and Peter Frampton as innocents from Heartland, USA who get wooed by record producer B.D. (Donald Pleasence) and set against villains Mean Mr. Mustard and the FVB (Future Villain Band).

Singer Diane Steinberg who played femme fatale Lucy (of the Sky with Diamonds) discusses the making of the film and her illustrious career.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 657: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on Blu-Ray
Buy the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Soundtrack
Listen to the Palette Swap Ninja's Pricess Leia's Stolen Death Star Plans
Buy Golden Throats 4: Celebrities Butcher the Beatles

Music:
Selections from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band soundtrack
"10 Got To Get You Into My Life" - Little Joe (Pesci)
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" - William Shatner

Watch:

Episode 633: True Stories (1986)

Special Guests: Stephen Tobolowsky, Alix Elias
Guest Co-Hosts: Chris Stachiw, Axel Kohagen

Directed by and starring David Byrne, True Stories (1986) tells the story of Virgil, Texas which is having its sesquicentennial anniversary and having a big talent show. We’re introduced to the unusual residents of the town in little vignettes that star a lot of familiar faces.

Axel Kohagen returns to the Projection Booth along with Chris Stachiw. Meanwhile, Mike talks with screenwriter Stephen Toboblowsky and actress Alix Elias about their role in crafting the film.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 633: True Stories (1986)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy True Stories on Blu-Ray
Listen to the Tobolowsky Files
Follow the Food of Love Trio

Music:
"Radio Head" - Talking Heads, featuring Tito Larriva, Esteban Jordan With Los Vampiros
"Dream Operator" - Talking Heads, featuring Annie McEnroe
"People Like Us" - Talking Heads, feautring John Goodman

Watch:

Episode 565: Blonde Ambition (1981)

Special Guests: John Amero, Larry Revene, LaRue Watts, Kurt Mann
Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, April Hall

Released in 1981, Blonde Ambition was years in the making. Written by LaRue Watts and directed by Lem and John Amero, the film stars Suzy Mandel and Dory Devin as Sugar and Candy Kane, sisters who have a song and dance act in a podunk town. One fateful evening they encounter the dashing Stephen Carlisle III (Eric Edwards), a prince of sorts who carries not a glass slipper but a valuable jewel -- and, wouldn’t you know it, a duplicate of a worthless replica owned by the Kane sisters. It goes without saying that wackiness ensues.

Interviews include director John Amero, actor Kurt Mann, writer and production designer LaRue Watts, and frequent Amero collaborator Larry Revene.

April Hall of The Rialto Report and Heather Drain join Mike to discuss this amazing musical.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 565: Blonde Ambition (1981)" on Spreaker.

Bonus Interview with Eric Edwards:

Listen to "Bonus Interview: Eric Edwards / Rob Everett" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Blonde Ambition on DVD
Buy American Exxxtasy: My 30-Year Search for a Happy Ending by John Amero
Read the Kurt Mann story

Music:
"Two little girls from Little Rock" - Marilyn Monroe & Jane Russell

Watch:

Episode 504: Duets (2000)

Special Guests: John Byrum, Kevin Jones
Guest Co-Hosts: Emily Intravia, Maurice Bursztynski

Musical Month concludes with a look at Bruce Paltrow's Duets (2000). Written by John Byrum, the film stars Paul Giamatti, Huey Lewis, Maria Bello, Andre Braugher, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Scott Speedman in a drama about the world of karaoke.

Emily Intravia (The Feminine Critique) and Maurice Bursztynski (See Hear) join Mike to discuss the film's incredibly troubled production history. Our interview subjects, Byrum and producer Kevin Jones, give the behind-the-scenes scoop.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 504: Duets (2000)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Duets on Blu-Ray
Buy the Duets soundtrack

Music:
"Sweet dreams (are made of this)" - Maria Bello
"Hello, it's me" - Paul Giamatti
"Free bird" - Arnold McCuller
"Try a little tenderness" - Paul Giamatti & Arnold McCuller

Watch:

Episode 503: The Blues Brothers (1980)

Special Guests: John Landis, Steven Williams, Laila Nablusi
Guest Co-Hosts: Brad Jones, Suzen Tekla Kruglnska

Musical month continues with a look at John Landis's The Blues Brothers (1980). It's the story of Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd), two musicians who need to get $5,000 in order to pay the back taxes on the orphanage where they grew up learning to be white blues singers.

Suzen Tekla Kruglnska (Rosemary's Baby 6:66) and Brad Jones (The Cinema Snob) join Mike for a discussion of The Blues Brothers (and Blues Brothers 2000) along with special guests Laila Nablusi (president of The Blues Brothers), Steven Williams (Trooper Mount), and co-writer/director John Landis.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 503: The Blues Brothers (1980)" on Spreaker.

Bonus Interview: Laila Nabulsi

Listen to "Special Report: Bonus Interview with Laila Nabulsi" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy The Blues Brothers on Blu-Ray
Buy Blues Brothers: Private by Judith Jacklin and Tino Insana
Buy the The Blues Brothers soundtrack
Buy Briefcase Full of Blues on CD
Buy Made in America on CD
Buy Blues Brothers 2000 on Blu-Ray
Buy the Blues Brothers 2000 soundtrack

Music:
"Groove Me" - The Blues Brothers
"Soul Man" - The Blues Brothers
"Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" - The Blues Brothers
"Quando Quanto" - Murph & the Magic Tones
"Sink the Bismark" - The Blues Brothers
"Rubber Biscuit" - The Blues Brother

Watch:

Episode 502: Hair (1979)

Special Guests: Michael Weller, Miles Chapin
Guest Co-Hosts: Gil Kenan, Lee Gambin

Gil Kenan and Lee Gambin join Mike to discuss Milos Forman's Hair (1979), an adaptation of the groundbreaking stage play from 1968. It’s the story of Berger (Treat Williams) and his friends who meet and interact with Claude Hooper Bukowski (John Savage), a hayseed who’s on his way to Vietnam by way of a trip to New York City to see the sights before heading off to war.

Special guests include actor Miles Chapin and screenwriter Michael Weller.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 502: Hair (1979)" on Spreaker.

Bonus: Forman vs. Forman

Listen to "Special Report: Forman Vs. Forman (2019)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Hair on Blu-Ray
Buy Turnaround: A Memoir by Milos Forman
Buy 88 Keys: The Making of a Steinway Piano by Miles Chapin and Rodica Prato
Watch Let the Sun Shine In on Vimeo
Buy Let the Sun Shine In: The Genius of HAIR by Scott Miller
Buy Hair: The Story of the Show that Defined a Generation by Eric Grode
Buy We Can Be Who We Are by Lee Gambin

Music:
"Sodomy" - Original Movie Soundtrack
"Air" - Original Movie Soundtrack
"Ain't Got No" - Nina Simone
"Easy to be Hard" - Original Movie Soundtrack
"The Flesh Failures / Let the Sunshine In" - Original Movie Soundtrack

Watch:

Episode 501: Evita (1996)

Special Guest: Sir Tim Rice
Guest Co-Hosts: Paul Mow, Todd Nathanson

We kick off Musical Month with a look at Alan Parker's Evita (1996). Based on the stage musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, it's the story of Eva Duarte, a girl (Madonna) from the backwaters of Argentina who makes her way to Buenas Aires, climbing the social ladder until she ends up with Colonel Juan Peron (Jonathan Pryce) who soon becomes the country's fascist dictator.

Todd in the Shadows and Paul Mow join Mike to discuss the stage and screen versions while Sir Tim Rice discusses the versions of Evita that we almost saw in movie theaters.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 501: Evita (1996)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Evita on Blu-Ray
Buy Evita: The Original Cast Recording on CD
Buy Evita: The Original Broadway Cast on CD
Buy Oh What a Circus by Tim Rice
Learn more about The Ghostlight Theater
Subscribe to the Song Vs. Song podcast

Music:
"Es El Pueblo" - Nelly Omar
"Down Thru' Summer" - Ross Hannaman
"Rainbow Tour" - Swedish Cast
"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - The Mike Flowers Pops
"What's New, Buenas Aires?" - Evita: The Original Broadway Cast

Watch:

"Queen of Hearts"(Evita Perón) (Documentary) from Carlos Pasini-Hansen on Vimeo.

Special Report: du BEAT-e-o (1984)

Special Guests: Marc Sheffler, Mark Wheaton, Alan Sacks
Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, Adam Spiegelman

On this special episode we’re looking at the 1984film from Alan Sacks, Du BEAT-e-o . It’s a movie as unusual as its name. It’s the multi-layered story of a director -- the titular Du Beat-E-O played by Ray Sharkey -- who is given a chore to put together a film about the band The Runaways. At the same time we hear a postmortem of the film as we’re watching it unfold courtesy of a running fictive director’s commentary.

Adam Spiegelman (Proudly Resents) and Heather Drain (Mondo Heather) join Mike to discuss the history of the show as well as one of its participants -- El Duce of The Mentors. Interviews include co-writer Marc Sheffler, musician Mark Wheaton, and director Alan Sacks.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Special Report: Du-BEAT-e-o (1984)" on Spreaker.

Listen to the Proudly Resents interview with Alan Sacks:

Links:
Buy Du BEAT-e-o on VHS
Buy The El Duce Tapes

Music:
"Benny's Nightmare" - Veronica Lipgloss & The Evil Eyes
"Welcome Back" - John Sebastian
"We're All Crazy Now" - The Runaways

Watch:

Episode 295: Existo (1999)

Special Guests: Coke Sams, Bruce Arntson, J. Clarke Gallivan, Justin Lloyd
Guest Co-Hosts: Skizz Cyzyk, Scott Calonico

In Coke Sams's Existo (1999), the Moral Majority runs the U.S. while artists like Existo (Bruce Arntson) and Maxine (Jackie Welch) hide out in The Sewer, an underground club run by Colette Watchuwill (Gailard Sartain).

Brought to us by some of the folks behind the Ernest films, Bruce Arntson, Coke Sams, and J. Clarke Gallivan, Existo is a hyperbolic, hysterical musical that is perfect viewing for this election cycle.

Skizz Cyzyk and Scott Calonico join Mike to discuss Existo as well as the Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) phenomenon.

Download Episode Now:

Listen to "Episode 295: Existo (1999)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Hey Vern, It's Ernest!: The Complete Series on DVD
Buy The Importance of Being Ernest: The Life of Actor Jim Varney (Stuff that Vern doesn't even know) by Justin Lloyd
Visit the Doyle & Debbie website
Listen to Scott Calonico's This is the President podcast
Visit the Hey Vern, It's Ernest! website
Listen to the Ernest Goes to Podcast

Music:
"White Bread Poodle" - Existo Soundtrack
"Mighty Love Thang" - Existo Soundtrack
"Do Me" - Existo Soundtrack
"Hey Vern, It's Ernest" - Theme Song
"Fuckin-A" - Existo Soundtrack
"Sewer of Love" - Existo Soundtrack
"Hoop Hoop" - Existo Soundtrack

Watch:

Episode 284: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

Special Guests: Nino Castelnuovo, Anne E. Duggan
Guest Co-Host: Ken Stanley, Rob St. Mary

Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les parapluies de Cherbourg) tells the story of two young lovers, Geneviève (Catherine Deneuve) and Guy (Nino Castelnuovo), and their ill-fated romance in a wall-to-wall musical with a score by Michel Legrand.

Ken Stanley and Rob St. Mary join Mike to discuss the film as well as other films from Jacques Demy. Big thanks to Simone Oppi for helping with translations with Mr. Castelnuovo!

Errata: Mike speaks a bizarre mélange of Spanish and Italian. For example, the phrase for "of course" in Italian is "corso" not "por supuesto".

Listen / Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 284: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy The Umbrellas of Cherbourg on DVD
Buy The Essential Jacques Demy on Blu-Ray
Buy Queer Enchantments: Gender, Sexuality, and Class in the Fairy-Tale Cinema of Jacques Demy by Anne E. Duggan

Music:
"Watch What Happens" - Sergio Mendes
"Les Parapluies De Cherbourg" - Kenny Drew Trio
"I Will Wait for You" - Johnny Mathis
"Watch What Happens" - Johnny Mathis
"I Will Wait for You" - Friends of Dean Martinez

Watch:

Episode 281: The First Nudie Musical (1976)

Special Guest: Bruce Kimmel
Guest Co-Host: Angela Mac, Trevor Gumbel

Released in 1976, The First Nudie Musical stars Stephen Nathan as Harry Schecther, a down on his luck filmmaker who's reluctantly entered the world of pornography to keep his father’s studio solvent. He gets the bright idea to shoot a musical and, at the behest of his backers, a nudie musical at that. With the help of his assistant, Rosie (Cindy Williams) and without the help of the wet-behind-the-ears director foisted upon him, John Smithee (writer/co-director Bruce Kimmel), we see the production of Come, Come Now the titular first nudie musical.

Angela Mac and Trevor Gumbel join Mike to discuss this fun-filled film.

Listen / Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 281: The First Nudie Musical (1976)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy The First Nudie Musical on Blu-Ray
Buy The First Nudie Musical soundtrack
Buy Shirley, I Jest!: A Storied Life by Cindy Williams
Visit the official Bruce Kimmel website
Check out all of Bruce Kimmel's books

Music:
"Orgasm" - Soundtrack
"Dancing Dildos" - Soundtrack

Watch:

Special Report: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Special Guests: Sal Piro, Larry Viezel, Shawn Stutler, Scott Michaels, Jeffrey Weinstock

We would like... if we may... to discuss The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975); the cult film phenomenon. We're talking about the film, the audience partici--        pation, and more.

Links:
Buy The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Blu-Ray
Buy The Rocky Horror Treasury by Sal Piro and Larry Viezel
Buy The Rocky Horror Picture Show Cultography by Jeffrey Weinstock
Buy Rocky Horror: From Concept to Cult by David Evans and Scott Michaels
Subscribe to the Home of Happiness YouTube Channel
Like We Love Sadie Corre and Rocky Horror on Facebook
Visit the official Rocky Horror fan site
Find more Rocky music at the The Musical World of Rocky Horror
Listen to our Shock Treatment episode
When in Los Angeles, visit Dearly Departed Tours... ask for Scott

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Special Report: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)" on Spreaker.

Music:
"Time Warp" - Various artists
"You Can Be Who You Wanna Be" - Ryan Wilson
"Eddie" - Kimi and Ritz
"Beauty Queen" - Little Nell
"I Do The Rock" - Tim Curry
"Time Warp (Reprise)" - RHPS Soundtrack

Watch:

Rocky Horror Saved My Life - Chapter One from Shawn Stutler on Vimeo.

Episode 46: The Apple (1980)

Special Guests: Menahem Golan, Coby Recht, Iris Yotvat, Joss Ackland, George S. Clinton, Catherine Mary Stewart
Guest Co-Host: Eric Bresler, Dan Tabor

Time to break out your BIM marks... we're talking about The Apple, the oft-maligned musical that combines Genesis, Revelation, and a little Faust which takes place in the distance future... 1994. See how the world will really look like.

Co-hosts this week are Eric Bresler from Cinedelphia and Dan Tabor of Geekadelphia. There's a whole lot of delphia going on.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 46: The Apple (1980)" on Spreaker.

Listen to Interview Outtakes:


Links:
Read Judge Crabb's opinion on Recht Vs. MGM
Get Coby Recht's new CD
Iris Yotvat's Official Website
Cathrine Mary Stewart's Facebook Fan Page
Read Nigel Lithgoe's memories of the film
Read Joss Ackland's autobiography
Buy The Apple on DVD
Download The Apple Soundtrack
Read about another cut of The Apple
Listen to the Good Bad Flicks episode on The Apple
Read Jim Donahue's thoughts on The Apple

Watch:

Episode 43: The American Astronaut (2001)

Special Guest: Cory McAbee
Guest Co-Hosts: Josh Johnson, Skizz Cyzyk

Follow the adventures of Samuel Curtis (writer/director Cory McAbee) as he travels through the solar system on a quest to recover the body of Johnny R. It's The American Astronaut, just another sci-fi musical comedy western shot in gorgeous black and white with a soundtrack by The Billy Nayer Show.

Co-hosting this week are Josh Johnson of Rewind This! and Skizz Cyzyk of Freaks in Love.

Links:
More about Skizz Cyzyk
Check out Rewind This!
Pick up your copy of The American Astronaut
Order a digital copy from Sundance Institute
More about The Billy Nayer Show

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 43: The American Astronaut (2001)" on Spreaker.

Watch:

Episode 26: Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

Special Guest: Jessica Harper
Guest Co-Host: Ari the Archivist

Salutations from the other side! Mike and Mondo Justin are joined this week by Ari the Principal Archivist at www.swanarchives.org as we dissect Brian De Palma's rock and roll musical, Phantom of the Paradise.

We're your nightmare coming true.

Links:
Visit the Swan Archives
Buy the Phantom of the Paradise Soundtrack
Buy Phantom of the Paradise on DVD
Den of Geek talks about Phantom of the Paradise
Read all the lyrics to the POTP soundtrack
Visit another Phantom of the Paradise fan site
Check out the Arrow Films release of Phantom of the Paradise

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 26: Phantom of the Paradise (1974)" on Spreaker.

Bonus Interview with Gerrit Graham:

Listen to "Bonus Interview: Gerrit Graham" on Spreaker.

Watch:

Episode 24: The Forbidden Zone (1980)

Special Guest: Richard Elfman
Guest Co-Host: Skizz Cyzyk

Go down, down, down to The Forbidden Zone with Mike, Mondo Justin, and special guest commentator Skizz Cyzyk discuss the cult film favorite; a mix of live action, animation, musical scenes, and madness in the sixth dimension.

Links:
Visit Richard Elfman's buzzine.com
Be sure to LIKE Forbidden Zone 2 on Facebook
Buy The Forbidden Zone on DVD
Read an interview with Danny Elfman about his work

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 24: The Forbidden Zone (1980)" on Spreaker.

Watch:

Episode 12: Shock Treatment (1981)

Special Guests: Jessica Harper, Cliff DeYoung

Hoopla! You'll find Mike and Mondo Justin in Denton this week, discussing the quasi-sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Jim Sharman's 1981 film Shock Treatment.

Links:
Read L. Rob Hubbard's "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment"
Buy Shock Treatment on DVD
Buy the Shock Treatment soundtrack
Visit the official Rocky Horror fansite
Visit the Rocky Music website
Watch the That Guy with the Glasses episode on Shock Treatment

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 12: Shock Treatment (1981)" on Spreaker.

Watch: