Transcript of 70mm’s Singin’ in the Rain (1952) Episode.
SLIM Hey, it’s your old pal Slim and this is 70mm, a podcast for film lovers just like you. Every Monday I chat about recently watched movies with my close friend and artist, Danny Haas.
DANNY I’ve never seen a man move like this. The dance moves, the way Gene moves — it’s sexual.
SLIM And my close friend and movie insider, Protolexus.
PROTO [sings] Goootttaaa daaance…
SLIM Every month we have a new theme that guides our featured discussion for that episode. And this time it’s our last movie from the VHS Village Top 100 movies of all time, it’s Singin’ in the Rain, and that’s the pick from our close friend, Mckenzie.
MCKENZIE The photo of La La Land where their little arms are extended and I see that Ryan Gosling’s hand is not energized, it’s just limp… I’m like, get out of here. You are no Gene Kelly.
SLIM Why don’t they make movies like this anymore? Was streaming movies a mistake? Should we prosecute anyone who gives this movie a low rating? All this and more… now.
[70mm theme song ramps up, plays alone, fades out]
SLIM Singing — Singin’ in the Rain. I don’t know if I’m gonna say ‘singing’ or ‘singin’’.
DANNY Read the poster, Slim.
PROTO How’s it pronounced?
SLIM Singin’ in the Rain. We will answer the question how do you say Singin’ in the Rain the movie title later in the show. Stay tuned. There’s always some kind of debate now that I want to settle. This month’s theme, we’re wrapping it up as well, which was the VHS Village Top 100, the greatest movies of all time as voted by our supporters. And we have the person on the show right now who put that entire thing together, the brains, the curator, co-host of the Austin Danger Pod and more importantly our friend Mckenzie, welcome back to the show.
MCKENZIE Hi, thank you for having me back! Wow.
DANNY You’re welcome.
SLIM Wow. Your first episode since Speed.
MCKENZIE Speed, the iconic it started as a bit and then it became an episode. Speed. [Slim & Proto laughs]
SLIM If there’s one thing that we can guarantee, a bit will probably turn into a full-fledged episode on this podcast.
MCKENZIE I mean, in my case with Austin Danger Podcast, a bit became a full-fledged podcast that is now 50 plus episodes deep. So if I can do one thing, it’s coming to the bit.
SLIM You want to talk about a bit? I think your next episode as of recording is Cat in the Hat with Mike Myers.
MCKENZIE Boy oh boy.
SLIM You do the math.
DANNY That wasn’t a bit? You guys really did that?
SLIM It’s coming, it’s coming soon.
MCKENZIE I am so excited for that episode. It’s going to be out by the time people are hearing this episode. And yeah, it was very fun. It’s it’s like weirdly nice to have a movie that connects actually to Austin Powers. And you know Mike is it’s there’s scenes where it literally just feels like Austin Powers in a fursuit. So really, it really just connects deep. So
SLIM For those that are listening and have been waiting for a podcast that is tangentially related to the Austin Powers film franchise. Your time is now you have to check out Austin danger pot and listen to cat in that
MCKENZIE My co-host Kev, I forget, he called us like the like teen movie parody of Dune Pod I think or something along those lines, which I think is accurate. And I do think that, oh yes, stoner comedy version of Dune Pod, thank you, Kev. And I think that’s actually a good episode of jumping on because it’ll be a very very good one.
SLIM I had a horrifying experience watching that movie I’d rather not get into oh. So usually when we have a guest on the show for the first time we’ll go through the four phase so we had already done that in the past so I just wanted to quick go through your four phase currently.
DANNY Did they change?
SLIM Bound is number one. I don’t think that’s changed necessarily since we last spoke. Casablanca, number two. You had said that might have been your pick if Danny — who’s pick was that? Was that Danny?
DANNY Yes it was my pick, Slim.
MCKENZIE That was that was my first pick. As soon as I got asked I went I know what I’m doing and then I immediately was like, all right drawing board and I returned to you.
SLIM When Harry Met Sally next.
MCKENZIE That was also another movie I was considering for tonight. It was down to that and singing I would say.
DANNY Absolute banger.
SLIM Danny, do you have like the sweaters from When Harry Met Sally?
DANNY The look that she has in the library with Carrie Fisher? I have I wear that often. The glasses the red sweater. I tease My hair out like that. So I look great.
SLIM You already look great.
DANNY Oh, thank you.
PROTO And when you’re not wearing it, it’s on the mannequin in your room.
SLIM Correct fashion mannequin and your final four of your face is the movie we’re covering this episode. This is the one, Singin’ in the Rain.
MCKENZIE I added it there in honor you know I feel like every time I watch it I just think man I love this movie so much so I popped it in there for for today.
SLIM Good heavens. There’s one cool thing I do want to mention too about the VHS village top 100 You know, it was voted on by our supporters. Aaron put together a new version based on a question that I had asked, you know, what would the list look like if we just go by villager ratings?
DANNY Oh gosh.
SLIM Harakiri is the number one based on the average rating the villagers? Look at that.
DANNY I respect that.
SLIM Proto, any thoughts on that?
PROTO That feels right to me. When I think of greatest movies of all time. That’s up there. Top three.
SLIM I’m on record as saying I’d spend $150 for 4k of that movie. Empire Strikes Back is number two.
MCKENZIE Are you kidding me?
SLIM That’s real. 4.8 on average.
DANNY Wait, what was that response for, McKenzie? [Slim laughs]
PROTO Is that how you always respond to masterpieces?
MCKENZIE I don’t remember which Star Wars — what happens in that one…
DANNY Whaaat?
SLIM Luke is in it, Vader is in it. Yoda…
MCKENZIE Is that the hand? Is it the second or the third one?
DANNY It’s the fifth one… [Danny laughs]
SLIM Danny’s about to karate kick the fashion mannequin in his room.
MCKENZIE I just, I guess I mean, but that makes sense. As someone who was taking in the polls, I was like shocked to see it honestly going above the original Star Wars so much.
DANNY I agree with you on that.
SLIM Yes. Can’t wait to discuss that in a future episode whenever that is. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is number three. That feels right. It feels real right, Proto.
PROTO Yeah, we were all there.
SLIM Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is next. we will have to talk about oh, we already talked about that extensively. Singing in the Rain is next. Singing rings number five, top five. So it rounds it out. Oh, yeah. All right. So we’ll we’ll circle back to I’m curious to hear from you, Mackenzie on what some of the best movies of the year in your opinion that you’ve seen so far. So we’ll come back to that discussion. But let’s go the opposite end of the spectrum. Maybe some of the worst movies ever made.
DANNY Oh you want to talk about James Bond? Understandable. I had my Letterboxd up, one second. The World is Not Enough is a terrible movie. And I was really bummed coming off of GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies, but there’s nothing I can say about this. I gave it two stars. I don’t know why. The car, maybe? Pierce looks amazing, but he always does. That’s about it.
SLIM How many women does he kiss in this movie?
DANNY All of them.
SLIM Even M?
DANNY They get close enough. [Danny laughs]
SLIM Dame Judi Dench? I don’t remember that scene.
DANNY How can you not? It’s rough. It’s a rough bond and then because of how bad it was. I went ahead and watch die another day to get out of this Pierce era and it’s it’s just as it’s just as ridiculously bad. And you know as funny as I kept what was the movie was a Batman and Robin with a Arnold and that’s what I felt like it was it was like the Batman and Robin version of James Bond. Wow, the ice Wow, this is and it just was a it was too it was too big. And I felt sad. I felt I felt gross afterwards like this how Pierce ended his run on James Bond. He started so strong. She couldn’t stick the landing. So I’m happy to be out of it. I’m giving it a breather till I start the Kreg journey because I am starting with casino obviously. And it is it is my favorite of the bonds. So I’m excited to begin the correct journey.
SLIM For DoD thoughts in the Pierce Brosnan era of James Bond.
PROTO Not too many thoughts. i It’s been a minute, maybe two minutes since I’ve seen any of his movies. But yeah, I’m there’s been a little bit of conversation about where bond is going next. Danny, do you have an opinion about where where should bond go now?
DANNY Well, there was the there was the conversation because of Amazon owning MGM or some nonsense like that, that they could lean into a TV series of bond and I don’t think that’s the way to go. I mean bond is a cinematic event. We go to the cinemas for the grandiose of James Bond. It doesn’t belong on TV. It belongs in the cinema.
PROTO She wrote. Right James Bond we’re talking about right?
DANNY This is James Bond. So I don’t want to I mean, I’m gonna watch it if it’s a TV show, let’s be real. I also watch it, of course. But it belongs in cinema.
SLIM But didn’t you have the idea of whose idea was it? Maybe I’m sorry. I’ll give it to you anyway to put words in my mouth the idea of setting it in the 60s So was that your idea?
DANNY Get it out of modern time get us out of modern James Bond put us back when things need to be rotary dialed to dial into anything. Give us buttons and things no more touchscreens? No more automatic steering. Let me just guess back in the 60s a period piece. Go ahead, Proto
PROTO What if they were going to do a TV series but the person in charge was Rian Johnson?
DANNY No. I need you to rein it in place.
SLIM No What if I’m going to post a photo in chat? Okay, Dream casting? It’s not Timo, Chalmette. Your dream this is the bond dream casting. Right now I just posted the photo.
DANNY I gotta click. Who is that?
SLIM Irish boy, Paul Mescal from Aftersun, he’s the hottest actor going right now.
MCKENZIE Number one boy right now in Hollywood.
PROTO Generic white boy.
SLIM Number one cinema boy. Gaza jawline. I’ll give you that mentioned him in a suit 60s era clothing. You
DANNY couldn’t find them in a tux. He’s probably done a red carpet slum. You couldn’t share a tux?
SLIM There’s plenty of photos on here. I choose what I linked to.
PROTO Looks like he just stepped out of his garage.
SLIM What about the breaking news just real quick before we move on from Amazon TV the breaking news Proto, HBO is making more Lord of the ring movies going back into the universe they they got the rights from someone I don’t know how they do these things, but they’re going back in.
PROTO Movie lovers rejoice. Our time is now. This announcement is huge. How can I not be excited? Where were you when Peter Jackson was given the trilogy to make? You know where everyone was? Doubting. They were afraid. But we don’t have to be afraid anymore. A miracle happened before, it can happen again.
DANNY I agree.
SLIM Can a miracle strike three times they did it with the original trilogy they did it with the Hobbit trilogy Exactly. Which is arguably maybe the most beloved of the two trilogies slim you’re just wanting and then when they come back Alright, let’s move on enough of this hogwash part. Oh, what did you watch this week they were talking about
PROTO I watched Miami Vice went back to Michael Mann this movie has been on my my list for a while this is from this came out in 2006 almost 20 years old. Believe that interesting fact about this movie. It’s one of the first movies that’s primarily shot on digital. And you can really tell watching it this I want to say this is a like I haven’t seen a movie like this just this has just like a really unique look. I mean it’s it’s definitely like a Michael Mann movie. But there’s just like this understated way of like telling the story that I wasn’t expecting. I thought it was like really interesting. I didn’t love it. I gave it three stars. I thought it was good. It just didn’t really like you know like wow me and anyways I love Jamie Foxx in this. I think he is a great actor everything I’ve seen him in like I’ve loved it. Okay, but it was interesting just reading a little bit about it like he was apparently like pretty tough on set and I wonder if that’s like why he hasn’t been as many movies Jamie
DANNY Foxx was Yeah, I feel like Fox
PROTO Oh really? Yeah, this is racist 20 years ago is can we get sued over this? We might get sued but I’m ready to go to court. I will defend my honor
DANNY we kicked off or the parents don’t worry about
SLIM age could maybe put something in the pot illegal pot tape deck maybe he can help us out we got a legal pot i The my my main memory of Miami vices I bought it on HD DVD was one of my earliest HD DVD purchases. And I think I watched two seconds of it and I went to return it I did not I liked collateral I didn’t like I love collateral and then I feel like was also shot digitally or maybe not entirely digitally or faux digital I can’t remember but generally has a different look and then when I saw my device I was like I don’t know if I like it in this world. And I’d never went back to it
PROTO yeah it’s it’s it’s a really has a really strange feel to it.
DANNY Can I say something while we’re talking about Michael Mann my most most my the one movie I’m looking forward to the most this year is Michael Mann’s Ferrari with Adam Driver. I’m very excited about listening Yes, things are going to be a Mrs. F one F knots Ferrari. Oh, was F
SLIM for Ferrari one Ferrari one? No.
PROTO Those are different things.
SLIM We’ll get the intern to confirm that. When does this come out? What’s the plot of it? Is he playing
DANNY 23 So Ferrari in the 50s
PROTO Adam Driver drives a Ferrari.
SLIM Thank you. This is a bit from On Cinema when Tim Heidecker thought that Adam driver was a star Fast and Furious it’s crazy to see life imitate art.
DANNY This is written in the stars.
SLIM So Mckenzie we’re almost officially three months into the year. Oh god, you know, this is what the people have been they want to get tips they want to get movie recommendations from our guests you know to get an idea of what you like so what jumps out at you this year? That maybe is at the top of the list so far is there anything that’s that’s jumped so high up the list that you could recommend anybody?
MCKENZIE Like that’s 2023 release or that or anything that you’ve watched for the first time this year? Oh, because I have quite literally only seen 1/23 release and it is at for bracing for breach I wholeheartedly recommend to every five stars that then you are for each time I cried. I’m not even kidding. Literally. I was 15 minutes. And if you know, you know, when we’re getting the backstory of how the ladies met, I started crying and I went oh, we got me so hard. Yeah, so that is that is literally the only 2023 release I’ve seen. I’m seeing people post about Cocaine Bear. I am seeing that on Sunday so I’ll see to 2023 releases.
SLIM Will that top 80 for Brady? Cocaine Bear?
MCKENZIE I don’t know if the cocaine bear is as good as Lily Tomlin. Maybe. But how about another movie I’ve seen that maybe isn’t a new release that I really liked this watch this watch this year. Oh jinkies. I watched a Todd Haynes’s I’m Not There recently. That feels like an under loved movie. I’ll bring it up. Why not? It’s called a Bob Dylan biopic, but I don’t even think it’s really appropriate to call it a Bob Dylan biopic, and I want to say, I know I really know nothing about Bob Dylan, nor do I listen to his music. I just was like, I like Todd Haynes. Why not? Because I love Carol and love safe. I like a lot of his films. And it was just this weird, kaleidoscopic, exploration of art and death through sort of the personas of Bob Dylan. And everyone is played by different actor. There’s a very iconic Cate Blanchett and full drag as Bob Dylan basically. So yeah, I don’t think that’s been my most like, kind of weirded me out, but in the best way possible movie this year. Mom, Dylan. Right. Yeah. My favorite movie I’ve washed all year is after sun, which is a pretty recent release. Speaking of Mr. Paul mescal so Yeah, watch after sun if you have not seen the light and fantast Oh, yeah, those are some great movies I watched this year and I do for Brady. I guess
SLIM that’s a great top three. I’ll agree with that. Top three for sure. We love that boy. We should say a lot of some new patrons Eric hostway Dare Weston Denzer and M D all joined this week at patreon.com/70mm got access to the VHS village discord discounts on Danny’s beautiful prints. By the way I have seen well everyone listening as its release has seen it but the art for this week. Oh, man alive. Thank you. Maybe the best ever. Is it the best part? Oh no. We’re saying are you getting the DMS people
PROTO I’m getting the DMS and yeah there’s a lot of there’s a lot of hype about this this art it could be number one
MCKENZIE it’s pretty gorge
SLIM it’s it’s something I got a sneak preview that’s that was rarely allowed I think all Danny also like posted it and then deleted it one of those quick delete tricks and
DANNY sometimes you just got to be in the discord.
SLIM That’s right, right. We got access you get access to recent releases just for supporters, Columbo. Smallville pilot. I think we’ve settled on we have one more pilot to do. And then we might announce the next phase of the supporter episodes very soon. There. We’re also probably going to be announcing our next intern commentary episode. Sally. Yep. So a lot of things going on here. Maybe it’s time to get to see on the rain. 1952 This is episode 159 of 70mm.
DANNY Oh my gosh.
MCKENZIE Oh, Congrats guys. Thank you.
SLIM Thank you. We made it to the minus one for tonight.
MCKENZIE I was dreaming of that one five nines.
SLIM Everyone always has it on the calendar. It’s circled in the future. Part of what is this movie singing in the rain.
PROTO Don Lockwood is a star of silent films. But when the talkies arrive, he’s got to reinvent his career. Lucky for him, he is in love with Kathy, a brilliant singer, and best friends with Maestro Cosmo Brown. Together the trifecta dives headfirst into shooting a musical to save their movie from certain box office catastrophe. Gotta dance for Singin’ in the Rain.
SLIM The grin on Proto’s face when he delivered the last line. So this is Mckenzie’s pick for this episode. When was the first time that you saw this movie? Did you hear about this movie growing up at all? Was it just in the background? How did it relate to you and movie watching?
MCKENZIE I definitely did not see this as a kid. I think I had like heard the name of it because it’s so it just feels so iconic culturally, like you kind of just know what the song singing in the rain is. And but I’ve never seen it. I got into musicals in early high school after I saw hairspray and fell in love with it. And definitely is the reason why I went to school for theater because I got really into musical theater. And I was very like anti old musicals. I did like one production of Oklahoma and I was like Rodgers and Hammerstein are dead to me. I never want to see a musical before 1992 I don’t know. So I was I never thought it out because I just assumed it’s an old musical. There’s no way it’s good. Which was definitely probably how a 15 year old thinks. And my freshman year of college I worked backstage on a production of singing in the rain. I was Lena LeMans Quick Change person. And I also had to vacuum up all the rain at intermission. Just splashed all over the stage. It was the worst job ever. We’d have to shop back at like the full like 15 minute intermission and we’d be vacuuming up all the rain and then dumping it outside.
SLIM It was under some kind of like fancy. New waves rain way to show wrong way. Or some kind like faux rain. Maybe it’s like lighting. Yeah, it’s like projected projection wrong or something.
MCKENZIE We might have been great for our college students to say let’s take the owl and do a projection. No. Instead, they had to hook up a hose that was attached to a pipe above the stage. And rain would fall into the most shallow trough ever. And the Don Lockwood actor would just start tip tap in his little feet in it and it would go literally all over everywhere. So I at that point in my life, I became aware of what Singing in the Rain was, but I still never saw the movie. And then like early early last year, my fiance Rachel was like, Why the hell have you not seen singing in the rain? And we put it on and it blew my mind. I could not believe how gorgeous it was, how fun it was, how it lived up and surpassed any expectation I might have had for it. And it kind of just immediately became a movie that I feel like I could just watch a million times and and never get tired. I’ve actually recently watched it so like a couple months ago. So this is a my third watch of singing in the rain. But yeah, it just gets better every time. It’s such a beautiful movie to just look at. And yeah, I will say on the right now.
SLIM Probably you revealed I think last week the you this was going to be your first viewing.
PROTO Right? Yeah, yeah, I watched my mom was into musicals of this era. And we would watch some of them but mostly like I’d Christmas you know, I guess like the Christmas stuff like Bing Crosby. musicals. Yeah. And somehow I never saw this. I don’t know. It seems strange now, but it just wasn’t in the rotation. Maybe it’s just because we didn’t have the VHS and that’s the way it went. But yeah, first viewing for me. No LaserDisc.
SLIM Danny, I think famously, you added this to your top four last year on your first viewing, right?
DANNY On my on my first viewing last year I put this directly into my top four. But that’s it. That’s all I really knew about this film outside of Disney’s Great Movie Ride, which we just talked about with Casa Blanca there’s a segment in the ride where I’m sure someone will correct me because they do their when you are looking at Casa Blanca I believe the singer in the red segments on the other side of you, but if they’re close enough that that’s like the classic cinema section of suds. That’s all I knew of singing in the rain. Was him holding on to the light post getting all wet. For the girl he loves
SLIM with that it’s worth so simple.
MCKENZIE When you get wet for the girl you love
SLIM that wasn’t me this time. I’m not the one
MCKENZIE so my mouth shut and let it out.
SLIM I remember so I I think the first time I watched this really as an adult was probably in prep for the letterbox show. So it was on someone’s for faves. So I sat and watched it and then I think it was another pick for someone’s for fade. So I watched it again and that’s fine when he picks it’s when i Five banged it last year. I gave it a hard five. Oh my. And so we’ll take it from there. But I do remember growing up and seeing this, you know, my dad was a big movie buff. So I think I saw this probably in the background, but also in like montages a lot, ya know, like greatest movies of all time. You see him dancing around like, oh, yeah, I’ve seen this. I’ve heard this song. Like a million times, like singing in the rain. Like you hear it? You hear it? So often you see the scene so many times. But really, I think probably for most of us, you don’t really sit to watch it until later in life. So, Mackenzie, you’re the guest. You’ll start off our discussion we’ll try to in this segment, we’ll jot down three things. For each house. We’ll go roundtable and to get through our list and then we’ll give our final rating so we can see what’s the first thing that you want to talk about for singing in the rain.
MCKENZIE Oh, wow. I mean, I think the first thing that really hits me that I that I that is what blows my socks off every time I watch this as the production design and just the Technicolor of the film The the colors are so vibrant. And maybe it’s because so often mainstream films look like brown sludge nowadays, in certain light. I mean, I you know, I I love Rob Marshall. But every time I see a screenshot from the new Little Mermaid and you cannot perceive a single human being in the shot, it makes me sad. And but yeah, like, gosh, I mean, I have a new ish 4k TV, and just popping this movie on, especially in the Broadway Melody sequence where there’s all those different colors. I just it’s like mind blowing that a movie can look so delectable. Visually, it’s just I it’s I just miss it. I wish movies look like this. But also it makes us feel special because I can really only get it here and this kind of era of the great Technicolor usage.
SLIM I thought my budget TCL was going to explode during the finale of this movie. And the last time I thought about this for watching an older movie was a supporter only episode of West Side Story. Because I think if I remember correctly, that was one of our early 4k watches, like as a group. And that thing looks nuts in a dance hall. Remember the colors pop on those walls? I had had memories of that experience. But so what about you proto? What do you think about the visuals?
PROTO Yeah, I mean, it really does like the way the colors are using this. It is like it looks like more of like an art form where as McKenzie was saying, like now it kind of almost feels like an afterthought with some stuff almost like there’s no color theory with this though. It’s it’s, it’s so alive. And this was kind of like, probably gonna be my first point was just that it reminded me a lot. I actually watched it a second time I watched it again today, it reminded me of a cartoon so much, just be like by the colors, but also all the other elements of it as well. And then I went I went in I was talking about it with my, with my, my wife and my son, and he loves to dance. And I was like, Oh, I watched this movie. You got to see the sequence so I showed him the gotta dance sequence the whole Broadway bed at the end. And it is amazing how and that’s the first thing he said he was like this looks like a cartoon. Just because of how the color is used. It’s just so vibrant. And like communicate so much through it that it’s amazing.
SLIM Unreal. unfreaking unreal. What is Marshall doing with that little mermaid trailer? Is this movie real?
MCKENZIE The man like Chicago is gonna give me slight
SLIM shots that were popping up on my Twitter feed looked very sauce. Yes. Danny any any things jumped out at you with the visuals before we get to your number one.
DANNY I mean not more than what was said it really is kind of shocking how colorful that says. It reminded me of when we watched red shoes and the Technicolor and red shoes and the 4k of that and this really had that same vibe where like proto said there was thought into every scene and what jumps out at me the most when I think of the color in this not just the opening of the lights in the Broadway section but when Debbie is wearing that purple, that purple dress when he walks her into the giant Bay and it kicks on the sunset and just how it all kind of goes together that dress matches the background and he’s turning the fan on and then he kicks the lights on for the stars behind her and it is just a gorgeous scene and it feels intentional. It doesn’t feel like oh, wow, we caught this on camera. It’s like, oh, we’re gonna think this through how the colors are laying across the screen. The ground how Debbie’s looking the background. I mean, it’s just it’s it’s, it’s it’s a it’s artwork.
SLIM I mean, when those those bay doors open to the got that was a crazy shot,
DANNY what I shot that look fake this the site, the scale of that shot, and they do that again with the Broadway scene when they pull back from him when he’s in. It’s just that big long. It’s like how big are these numbers? It just, it looks the scale looks bonkers. And it doesn’t feel fake. It feels real. Right?
SLIM feels fast, like matte paintings. Oh
DANNY I thought about you with a matte paintings when the opening shot at the movie premiere? The very first show no, no. When? When he after he’s trying to find Debbie’s character again. What’s your end Kathy blanking on it. And he’s walking through all the different movies being shot. Yeah. And then the train scene where it’s the rotating backdrop of like, Oh, look at that map paid. I think it was great.
SLIM Yeah, I think there’s a matte painting where they go to the royal rascal premiere, you know, when all the actors are coming up to the red carpet, and that first shot of the movie theater. Oh, my God looks so good. My number one would want to talk about I mean, one of them was like, essentially just reiterating what happened to these movies. I know what happened to them. But like, is, do you need that perfectionist director or law sorry, James Cameron, to have movies that make you feel like you’re getting the best of the best because you I did watch a making of which was hosted by Debbie Reynolds, believe it or not, she did like a hosting. She looks fantastic. She oh my gosh, so radiant, and like hosting, making up for this movie. And she talks about Jean, and everyone talks about gene being that kind of perfectionist. And you can kind of read between the lines, which some of the stuff has come out like later about how he was kind of really hard on Debbie Reynolds, she said it was like the hardest thing between filming that movie and childbirth were equally difficult. But it’s so funny to see this older documentary where you she’s like,
[clip of Singin’ in the Rain plays]
At the time, I wasn’t a dancer at all, I was a gymnast. And I was very insecure and frightened that I wouldn’t be able to keep up. And I kept right on practicing my steps. And the wonderful thing about Gene Kelly was a he made you feel you were capable of more than you would ever done. He would come in, watch my rehearsals and say work harder. And I was so much to prove to him that I could pull this off. So I worked harder.
SLIM But like when you read between the lines, like he’s just like this little the biggest a hole on set, like making her you know, try to get better and better, but it’s just but you know, I think some of that comes back to like, you either have to be that kind of like visionary doesn’t even make this stuff happen. Otherwise, it’s just not gonna happen like Spielberg, you know, kind of tried to do it with West Side Story that had some amazing visuals, but like other directors, you’re just not getting something that’s going to knock your socks off. Like I guess it’s just, I mean, I guess I guess it is just so difficult to do at this scale
MCKENZIE as well. I think which Jim Cameron is, I think great at doing those large scale projects.
SLIM Mackenzie, what’s what’s next on your list? You wanted a discussion? I go. Oh, did you go you go? Yeah, no. I’m so sorry. I thought was one of your points. What did he please please go.
DANNY You’ve done this. Do not I wanted to talk about Gene Kelly. I said to Casey I was like if you told me that they CGI gene Kelly’s legs in this movie, I would believe you. I’ve never seen a man move like this. With his legs. The tapping not only him even Donald. There are moments where I mean Moses suppose this is an incredible moment in this film. Not for what not just a song. When they get in sync together and are tapping and doing all the moves. I can’t to pick my jaw off the floor. I’m just I can’t believe what I’m watching. I don’t think I’ve ever seen. I haven’t seen anything else by Jean Kelly and this and definitely not anything Donald has been in. But the the dance moves the way Jean moves. It’s sexual. Yeah, I can’t eat. It’s incredible to watch this man.
SLIM His ass cheeks alone in those slacks. Like this is an R rated movie. This comes out today.
DANNY Oh easily and 4k. Yeah.
PROTO forecasts made of marble, chiseled.
SLIM Yeah, the dance. The dance scenes are nuts. I remember being blown away by that scene. And most of these shots are long takes, like it’s not super long takes and I watched the second documentary, oh, the Apple TV edition had like extras, which was a more modern making of it was kind of like a talking head. And you can kind of get an idea of when it was filmed, because this had actors from Glee in High School Musical. And the director of High School Musical like, this is the I guess, at the time, the cutting edge of musical talent. And they were saying how at that time, you know, you filmed it, just to show how good everyone is at this. And if they took months to rehearse, like they would stop production, to rehearse these dance numbers and get it in those long takes, which is still so bonkers to me. I would be exhausted doing that. He had a smile on his face the whole frickin time. The whole time. made me sad singer.
DANNY Yeah,
PROTO yeah. Yeah, he’s incredibly effortless in the way that he dances. He just he makes it look so easy. The moves that he does early when he’s first explaining, like his, his journey up and in Him and what’s what’s this? Is it, Donald?
DANNY Donald? Yes.
PROTO Where they’re, like, low at the ground. And they’re I don’t know what that’s what that’s called. But they’re kicking their legs out. Like they make it look like it’s not a big deal. I would I would like break my neck. If I tried to do that. I would you know, both of my knees outs. It’s just incredible how everything is like perfect every single move of his I don’t think I’ve ever been like enthralled by a dancer in the way that I was by like watching him. I feel like I’ve never seen anyone dance. I can’t before.
SLIM Should we start dancing? Next next meet up, recreate. Moses supposes.
DANNY That would be amazing.
MCKENZIE Gene Kelly just always seems like he’s just like floating on air when he dances in a way that is like, I cannot believe especially in that Broadway Melody, there was a part when like they all rushed towards them. And he’s kind of leaning back and doing this, like slow, whatever. And I was like, he looks like he weighs the same as a feather. Like, how does he do that. And Moses supposes might be my favorite in the whole movie. Because I love that you can see how talented they both are that they’re so in sync. But also, if you take the time to just focus on one of them. They have their own flares. They have their own personality, and they’re dancing, which I love that they’re in sync, but they’re also so unique in the way that they dance. Like it’s just really out there. Just I mean, I can get over that talent. Kevin, I talked about it a bit on ADP. I watched that entertainment on HBO Max, which was like a clip show of all these types of musicals. It was like MGM being like, hey, look how great our musicals were. And there was a thing at the beginning of one of them, because there’s three I watched the first two, were I think it was Frank Sinatra or somebody walking out and introducing singing in the rain. And saying, like, you will never see talent like this on a screen ever again. I would bet money and it’s true. I just feel like we don’t see, like triple threats. And people have this level of talent and the ways that they were talented anymore. It’s it that it’s another reason I think why the movie feels unique. It’s because like when’s the last time we’ve seen someone dance like that?
SLIM Not first person c’est la vie and chat gets an instant ban night
MCKENZIE will ban you the photo of lala land but their little arms are extended. And I see that that Ryan Gosling’s hand is not energized. It’s just like limp. I’m like get out of here you are no Gene Kelly.
SLIM He slept walked through that movie.
PROTO Yeah, that’s such a great point. Because if this movie was made now, it would just be big name actors who would like they would just be taught how to dance. Like, we don’t have dancers who are actors. We only have just, we just have actors who fill any role, regardless of if they have the skill to perform something like that. Because I can’t, you know, there’s like, there’s singers, entertainers who kind of make the transition to movies, but like something like this? Yeah, it’s it’s true. You don’t see it isn’t a small percentage
SLIM of the acting
MCKENZIE crew. I also think it was more reasonable for people to go from theater to film back in this time as well, which I feel like a lot of the people in this movie did is they were theater people and then they became film people and they had all that experience from theater.
SLIM Crepes. Next on your list, Mackenzie?
MCKENZIE Well, you know we talked about Gene I feel like the cast is is just so great to talk about so some to talk about gene maybe we talk about Donald and Debbie especially. I think that Donald O’Connor just steals the show so much. He is so funny. He he’s just always walking in the room with little stinker energy. And I respect I respect a little stinker. He’s walking and going. Hey, guys, it’s just throwing a little mustache and being cute. And he’s brill. I mean, make them laugh is one of the most brilliant single performances, like the fact that he’s holding that number by himself. And I feel like you’ve I’ve read somewhere he was sick maybe when he did that. I feel like they were all sick doing half of these numbers. But and then Debbie, I mean, she’s just perfection. When all I do is dream of you began happening. I felt like Don Lockwood in that moment of like, how can you watch her right there and not just fall in love with her immediately? Yeah, wow. It’s just the trio of the lead cast. It’s just bonkers how talented and funny and attractive and wonderful they all are.
SLIM Done also has I feel like big cocaine energy to me coming out. He’s He’s imbibing lead walks. Yeah, this is alleged, please. So you can eat almost like you have that friend who just feels like they just imbibed before they got in the room. They’re climbing the wall. Third, they’re literally he’s literally climbing the walls. You know, you can see some people you know, doing the same thing. It’s what I’m saying.
MCKENZIE Gene Kelly came in and said, You better. Better get that energy up, baby. Anyway, they sold it probably over
SLIM the counters, the 19 1950s you get a soda. The potato chips for God’s sake.
DANNY You know Cosmo’s delivery in his comedy is what I think I love most about him not just as dancing and stuff. He has the most subtle kind of jokes that can go overlooked. My favorite. One of my favorites is when the tire gets flat, and he goes, I can’t understand it. This guy hasn’t given me a look at trouble in nearly six hours. It’s so subtle, but it’s funny. When he finds out he’s been the new music head of music. Or he was like losing his job. He says, Well, I can now go work on my symphony or something. It’s like, oh, you know, you’re gonna be promoted. I don’t know I could work on my 70 year. Just like so subtle as comedic timing is perfect. Call me a cab, okay, cab, it’s just it’s really funny stuff. And I watched it with my washer for a second time. I almost finished it again today with my oldest daughter, and I wasn’t sure how she’d like it. She’s 15 I just hear her laughing at these bits too. And it’s just crazy that it can still make that kind of impact on a different generation.
SLIM Someone in chat let’s see if I can find it. There was a question about wasn’t Dawn like, you know, hospital for three days after the make them laugh that I did something on the way up that like, they filmed it over the course of three days and he was like bedridden after after it or something like that. So it’s already segment, it was pretty insane.
DANNY When his screen actors go, moving his face around to
SLIM God. There was the heat there. He did speak about that in one of the documentaries. He was talking about how it was building to such a large crescendo that I thought I’d have to kill myself at the end to top everything that I was Oh my god. I thought about so yeah, he’s very much the character of real life. I thought about something like I grew up a wrestling fan and there was like this joke that people would say that Ric Flair could wrestle a five star match with a broomstick. Like he was so talented that there would be a broomstick in the ring and you believe everything you saw. And Donald O’Connor is like the equivalent of that. Like he literally has a dummy. He has a raincoat. Yeah, he has himself. And it’s insane. Like you’re glued to the entire moment. And it’s just so well done that I rewind the walking up the wall thing. Every time I watch this movie, like I still am falling away that he’s able to do that.
DANNY Twice. Proto. Next on your list.
PROTO Yeah, next on my list was yeah, just the kind of the same thing and just about the three of them and their chemistry. And also, just like the script the script is is really funny, just the way the story is constructed. There. I love the banter between Debbie Reynolds. When her and Gene Kelly meet where he falls into her car, just the way they go back and forth. They’re so playful with each other. The script is so smart that they have just like amazing chemistry. You in those scenes, and then having the three of them together for the good morning bit. Is Magic. Like the what you mentioned them dancing with the raincoats. Just like the creativity. That’s the thing. Like there’s so much like creativity in all of these like these dances that just put a smile on your face as you watch it just because it’s surprising and just exciting to watch in that way where you know, like who would have felt like dancing would be this compelling, at least to me like I’m not a big fan of like dance numbers and whatnot. But this like really captivated me in a way that a musical hasn’t before.
SLIM Yeah. The one of the docs had you know, people who who do this for a living even called All out that like the amount of props that Jean would love to use in the dance numbers, just, you know multiplies the difficulty levels in all of these things, especially since we’re using the long takes. Really, I mean, like, I’ve I think I read this in one of my reviews, but maybe this is on someone else’s top three but the dream sequence with centuries in that hangar with bird, what is that that’s gigantic scarf that she had. Nail the like, first of all, that thing is gorgeous, that scene is gorgeous, stupid. It’s amazing. I want that framed, but the amount of work that it took for them to make sure that that scarf was moving with the music, and also just not in anyone’s face. Like during the entire dance number. They were talking about how like they had a series of women with like working the fans to ensure that that was like moving at the correct speed and like moving up the right way so that it could form like that entire scene just still boggles my mind. Like I don’t understand how they did it or how they even came up with it. It’s just not it’s not.
PROTO Yeah, it is not, it doesn’t look physically possible with how they control that veil. It looks like it had a mind of its own and the fact that they did it with fans. It’s just it’s hard to believe is that impressive.
DANNY Jean jeans all black look in that scene. Oh,
SLIM my God centuries, his legs, oh, my
MCKENZIE feet long those legs.
DANNY As long as Jean, literally,
SLIM imagine Danny sharees in this kind of
DANNY be a short King. I’m like six three slum please. Not
MCKENZIE short energy, I’d say did like he looks kind of short.
SLIM They did say that. Jean knew how tall she was. And even with the heels on, he had to construct the dance in a way that didn’t really accentuate the height difference. So that’s why you see them kind of like bending a lot and moving and swaying with each other because it really changes the kind of like height differential when they’re together, which I thought was fascinating. Yeah. Otherwise he’s wearing lifts like he can’t wear lifts the moves. He’s done. He’s wearing flats for God’s sake. That’ll be my third. So let’s move to Danny. Now what’s your third? My second that was my second sir. Son, I
DANNY got skipped again. I put this on my first review of this movie. I am all I’m both times watching this now. I’m constantly shocked on how not serious it takes itself. I when I first watched this movie, I was thinking 50s Musical. One thing I could think of I don’t know if it’s 50s. But like sound of music is very serious. Not as much like I just thought that it was like a vein of this is going to be a serious, you know, singing movie, but it is so funny. It pokes at Hollywood, way more than I thought it would. And I just I want to be in the theater when this comes out. And just to see how the crowd actually reacts to this film because it it shows silent films, but it shows them watching silent films. And the Ria and like even the silent film is funny. It’s also poking at silent films. It’s it’s incredibly meta, this whole movie and I it, it just brilliant protos talked about how the story was incredibly written. It’s just like, it’s so true. I don’t feel like you could pull another movie out of the 50s and been like it’s equally as creative as this or funny. Like every that’s this is firing on all cylinders, comedic musical dance performances, visuals. I mean, no one misses a beat the character actors alone like Lena Lamott. She’s so funny. Like her. Her voice in this is hilarious. The director is so funny when he’s trying to make her up, just screaming his head off. Like there’s so much production value into this movie that I’m constantly. Every time I watch it. I’m just shocked that this is how perfect this movie is.
SLIM Who’s going to who’s who in modern day is going to make this movie. Danny McBride. Everyone’s making this movie today. It’s over. It’s never coming back. It’s not possible. I did see in the documentary. Drink whenever I mentioned the documentary. Sorry, buddy. No, I
DANNY like that. You watch it. I meant
SLIM that most of the music already existed in the time period that they’re referencing, like singing in the rain and most of the songs and they show clips from the movies. Like the first talkie the first musical dance, all singing, all talking all dancing written by the people who wrote the music Brown and Arthur freed was the Broadway Melody. So they played a clip that movie thing was like 1929 I mean, it looked boring as hell. Like a dry run from a high school and They also play like the original sing in the rain song which was from the Hollywood review of 1929. And Arthur freed went on to you know, American in Paris Gigi think he produce Wizard of Oz. Blessing I’ll say about Arthur freed is the Shirley Temple black wrote in her biography that like, at age 12, they did like a casting session. And she says that Arthur freed exposed himself to her in her casting session as like a 12 year old. So just like who I don’t know I just had I feel like I had to bring that up because I didn’t want I wanted to bring up that like we didn’t mention this but Arthur fried but so just throwing it out there. Good God. It’s insane that the meta levels of the movie like go back decades, like it was meta even then. And it’s even more meta now watching it in 2023, which is bonkers.
MCKENZIE They showed a lot of those clips from in that’s entertainment as well. And I felt like such a doofus because I didn’t realize that all these songs were already written and already popular. And I watched the Broadway Melody and it is so boring. And all they do is just sing that one song over and over again, and it doesn’t get any better. So yeah, don’t I wouldn’t I did win the Academy Award. So I was trying to be a completion as
SLIM seen in the ring clips are also pre bad. And they’re like, Yeah, this amazing number of the singing the rain from 1929. I’m like, I’m falling asleep watching. Like 60 people on stage. We’re in raincoats singing this song in the rain. I’m like, oh my god, this is terrible. Mackenzie, we’re back to you for your number three. Gosh,
MCKENZIE I feel like we’ve said everything. So much of this movie is just like, it looks gorgeous. It sounds gorgeous. The acting is perfect. It’s just it’s I feel like we’ve said Truly everything. And I agree with everything that’s been said. Yeah, these are the best versions of the songs for me. I mean, like, it’s just they’re all bangers, but I think that maybe the last thing I want to bring up is something that blows my mind every time I think about it. Speaking of the academy, is that this was just like, completely ignored by the Oscars. Except Except for to nominate nations. That was like best scoring of a movie, which it lost. Somehow this musical lost that. And Jean Hagen who played Lina Lamont was the one other nominations only. And I find that so interesting. I mean, shout out to her. She’s fabulous. And I find it so wild that like, I feel like this movie is like, so iconic, it has stood the test of time. There are people on podcasts and 2023 watching it for the very first time. And kids this week watching it for the first time. And it’s just I feel like it is probably more than any other movie that year stood the test of time. And so it’s very wild that it was so ignored when I just feel like it is like the classic of all musical classics.
SLIM There were some theories that the year before I think An American in Paris had done so well at the Oscars that they said lane to Yeah, yeah, they were kind of giving the musical a break for a year. I don’t know how true that is. A crime is a crime and we will work to prosecute those involved. This year.
MCKENZIE I’m moving illegal.
DANNY They’re still alive.
SLIM We’ll prosecute their states if we have to. We’ll take them down. I’ll come proto final point.
PROTO Um, yeah, we’ve covered so much. I just gotta say that the whole Broadway sequence. Gotta dance is just, that’s it for me. I love I love that whole sequence. I thought it was mesmerizing when Jean pulls out the ballet moves as they go as it goes into the dance with the woman in the green dress. Oh, my God. It’s just incredible. I don’t know. It’s like 15 minutes long. It’s crazy.
MCKENZIE Gene Kelly’s like, ‘Alright, we’re cresting into the final act. Let me just pause. I got something else to do for like 20 minutes.’ I mean, what a risk that I feel like pays off. Because it’s like, who cares? It’s fun. But like, why wouldn’t you just keep telling this story? We’re already watching whatever. I think it’s great. But yeah,
PROTO yeah, well it ends with a great joke to there where he’s like, you know, explaining it to the producer and at the end he’s like, yeah, I really can’t envision it
SLIM I mean, that set is that one of the greatest sets ever made. Like they I think they said they used to lots it was to football field sized lots to oh my god to do that final sequence. And I mean, every shot is not the pull away where they have all those signs hang in there. Yeah, what a what a lost art. Like that entire sequences really looking back. My final point I just real quick wanted to touch on, you know, the talky aspect of it, how they’re they have this party and the head of the studio shows them a reel of like, the earliest footage of audio and video mixed together. And everyone’s like, Yeah, this is a fab This is never gonna take off and I’m
MCKENZIE so impulsive. The gums are man. Oh my gums talking they’re so deep and dark I was like what is the okay
DANNY the four Qaeda Do you know how expensive dental work was back then?
MCKENZIE Why can I see inside of
SLIM Invisalign is 100 years away
MCKENZIE is built between his teeth
SLIM prosecuting his estate in fact, my prosecute us specifically McKenzie for those comments and amazing but yeah, I love the just looking back to see how shift like seismic shifting that was. And I’m so it’s probably easy for me to do but like how are you that shocked? How did you not see this being the future of cinema in any way shape or form. And it’s bonkers, that they weren’t able to really even do it at that point until like 1929, where the first feature film did it. So it’s fun to see their reaction to that thing. And also, it’s fun to see them try to film a movie with sound. They did say in the documentary drink, where they did like the heads show some stock footage of actors that MGM pre sound. And they showed them at like a party, you know, the cameras just like going down as long table. And they did say that like most of the of the actors were not capable of doing a movie with sound they weren’t capable of acting, speaking or singing, which is bonkers to think about that. Lien his character was a large percentage of staff at MGM. Like they, if they had to be heard, their career was finished. Which is crazy, Don
DANNY to he had to ask for the lines to be changed. If you just want to say I love you, I love you. I love you. He’s not gonna lie he did. He had no idea how to perform lines. I thought that was really well portrayed.
MCKENZIE Yeah, like that happened to a lot of actors of that at that time. I mean, pantomime is a little different than especially the kind of acting we’re used to now. And it makes me think also of another movie, I think that is suddenly very great about this is Sunset Boulevard. Because there’s also a meta layers to that, like that main actress. And that was one of the actresses who didn’t quite make it in that transition. And then she’s playing an actress who didn’t quite make it in that transition and the madness and the the self hatred and all of that that comes with that. And yeah, I feel like that’s, it’s weird. But yeah, it feels like a lot of people just kind of, if you got left in the dust, you were in the dust and everybody was moving on.
DANNY Right? I wonder if there’s a equivalent to modern time, like, what would that be for? And I
SLIM was thinking that too. And the only thing I can think of was like 3d but 3d wasn’t an AI.
MCKENZIE I mean, maybe social media and or like the me I feel like there’s a idea of being online now. That wasn’t even a celebrities thing like 20 years ago. And now there has to be this like level of like being online and present. And people know you in a different way. So maybe that’s the biggest like shift in celebrity culture. I feel like that’s happened.
SLIM Danny, final and third point?
DANNY I mean, we’ve talked so much. Yeah, I don’t know. Cassie, Debbie Reynolds is amazing. She’s so adorable. My favorite bit, my favorite bit of hers. But when she drops him off, and he closes his coat in the door and her laugh at him is incredible. What a laugh
SLIM and he looks directly at the camera. Yeah.
DANNY He breaks the fourth wall lot, which I found very interesting in this too. Yeah, that’s honestly about it. Really?
SLIM This is the reading and final thoughts. Sure. Final thoughts.
DANNY There. I don’t I can’t fault anything in this movie. I mean, I watched it once and it goes instantly up into my top four. I think this is easily one of the greatest movies of all time. And for a movie from the 50s to be able to just still blow my mind now blow my daughter’s mind blew her mind, but she was laughing and enjoying it with me. It’s crazy. It’s absolutely crazy. It’s easily a five star movie. I can’t imagine giving it any less. I can’t imagine anyone else giving it any less. So if you have there’s time to change it before I see your letterbox.
SLIM I mean, the question is should we prosecute these people? Yeah, we need to
MCKENZIE think about that as well. We’re building a coalition of the people that we’re prosecuting Yeah.
SLIM Who will pro bono litigate for us against people who rated at sub five stars? Will proto be included in the litigation? We haven’t heard his writing yet.
DANNY Say soon.
SLIM McKenzie, final thoughts on implementations writing?
MCKENZIE Oh, I mean, it’s yeah, I speaking I just give Kathy that last shot of her with the tears in her eyes. Oh, yeah. sends me to the moon. Yeah, this is like the easiest fivestar ever. It’s just Such a perfect movie I think it might be the beacon of movie musicals someone I believe in chat earlier said every other movie musical is chasing this movie and I think some part of that may be true it really is just I don’t know it’s it’s the reason why I liked ad for Brady it was it’s a movie that is there to make people smile it’s a movie that’s there to bring joy and to bring light and I think that a movie like this especially feels great when so much feels so dark and so yeah, I just this easiest five star ever great movie I picked it because I knew that it would be a really happy love filled evening and thanks for doing this movie.
SLIM God can we get that on T shirt that entire speech
MCKENZIE clavicle to belly button it that whole thing
SLIM the back can be an ad for Invisalign for that one
MCKENZIE right is is good to sing on the rain both five star movies to all walks over here. Oh my Kenzo
SLIM oh he’s taking a drink he’s getting ready up here
PROTO final thoughts you said this in your review slim but we went Don Lockwood is doing the the stunt double stuff and he wrote down someone tell Tim crews Don Lockwood did first that jump that looks just like
SLIM that recognize the same stuff? It’s crazy. It was insane.
PROTO What are you what are you gonna do? A line I loved at the beginning where they’re watching the movie and the one girl says she’s so refined I think I could kill myself so many amazing lines like that. Um, after the Moses supposes the amount how many towels they need just like the sop up the sweat that these guys must have been produced. They were going hard. Sobbing sopping a lot of sweat on the floor. Why did everyone drink milk with dinner? Was anyone else disturbed by this when they they’re having a meal together? They have and they take their plates. They all got a glass of milk.
SLIM People use that milk delivered to their homes. The milkman used to hand deliver it.
PROTO I guess she had like a day to drink it. So it was just like milk for every meal. Right?
MCKENZIE My fiance drinks milk with dinner and dinners I think should not go with milk. It’s like upsetting to me sometimes. Yeah, it’s like, rice and she’s like, let me get some milk and I’m like, Excuse me. Alright, I love Rachel. Oh my good lord.
PROTO I think the thing I love most about this movie is that it is cold. Mackenzie, you were saying this early. It’s like happiness on display. It really just the musical numbers the the way the story is told, I mean the Singing in the Rain sequence. It’s just like, joy and happiness personified there on the stage and I think you’re right I think this is kind of like the the movie that all other musicals would be chasing with with how good this is. So this is a five banger for me. Oh, I mean, this is I honestly think this is probably like a movie that I shouldn’t you know, watch rewatch every year. I mean, it feels that good. You know, between this and Halloween three, those are like my team.
SLIM Feature. Oh, no, those. Oh, my God. What about the next meetup? We showed two movies Halloween three and then two different shirts. Incredible. I have a lot of notes. One of the things I wrote down from the documentary was Debbie Reynolds talked about how she started working for MGM at age 15. And she needed her parents approval, obviously, but also because she said that they were Nazarene. I guess they belong to the Church of Nazarene. And they had a conversation and they met people at MGM and they made the decision that MGM was also a hard working family with nothing evil or depraved going on in FGM so they allowed her to work with us.
MCKENZIE So Tanya, you don’t know if that was all true. But you
SLIM so yeah, there’s some interesting nuggets. I recommend people checking out these Doc’s are very cool. We haven’t we didn’t talk about the dance number, which was like the fashion show. The beautiful beautiful sorrow, which I originally like, forgot about, and I was like, What is this and then the outfit started coming through. They called out how the designer Walter Plunkett, when they were making the movie, they saw his work and they made it a whole sequence just to display some of the designs that he put together for that fashion show, which I thought was fascinating.
DANNY When we were watching that today, all of she goes, I love every one of those looks.
SLIM They all look amazing. Is this. Like, I know this was focused on the late 20s But like something about this timeframe that 50s and 60s where it could work in any decade. Mighty century. Where is the movie set theme park attraction of this movie? Does anyone we need to we need to we need to make some clever and we need to make some calls people’s eye colors pop it off my TV girls with blue eyes. I couldn’t even focus the director of monumental pictures is wearing rocketeer pants. Do you notice? No
DANNY I wrote down his golf fit. Yeah, those flares when
SLIM he was called like pilot pants. I don’t know what the hell they are when they
DANNY do the they show that they show the first silent film that they’re in and he has the sword fighting scene or really reminded me of the laughing band at segment of the rockets yeah with with on
SLIM the wrath the royal rascal swashbuckling scene, maybe the greatest swashbuckling scene in history scene was so cool the theater that they’re seeing that movie in I wrote was streaming movies and mistake theater is gorgeous the him on the trolley the movie sets I think we talked about this during the fable mins, but like, I want to I want to be in that era. I want to work in that era. Live on these sets.
PROTO Oh yeah.
SLIM So amazing.
DANNY Have you been to the Chinese Theater?
SLIM I was I was there to see the Hollywood movie ride before in LA Oh,
DANNY the actual actual No,
SLIM I am going on a work trip to LA next week. And I’m hoping that we can do some cool things at Universal but we’ll see
DANNY I mean it’s it’s a sketchy area but the inside the renovation they did that theater it’s gorgeous inside it’s an incredible theater
SLIM papapapa speaking classes. Oh yeah. When they when they first do their first talkie I love that. They just left all the bad audio in and still screen the movie like together and saying yeah, let’s just show it everybody. singing the Ron is singing in the rain. The most famous song of all time. That was just one of my my notes. Ask the question.
DANNY It’s good question.
SLIM The Broadway Melody she said is maybe the best of all time that pullback shot is knots. Reminds me of West Side Story.
MCKENZIE You know, speaking of West Side Story, I forgot to mention Rita Moreno very tiny role in this. Oh yeah. I’ll notice her
DANNY wherever she, she she’s,
MCKENZIE yeah, so she arrives in the beginning with her older husband. And then she is like randomly watching beautiful girls and makes a little stinky face when they’re like she could be your little sister. And then she’s at the end the one who brings Linda so she’s like the tiniest role but little little Marina Marina there which is Yeah.
DANNY ad for Brady.
ad for Britain all night.
MCKENZIE We all need to realize everything gets back to radio right?
SLIM I’m chilled up. Five stars. It’s obviously five star but you see some amazing 4k If you can do it. Watch it have your life change irrevocably after watching singing the rain. So glad to have you on the show. Thank you Mackenzie.
MCKENZIE Thank you for having me
SLIM it’s great don’t go anywhere don’t leave yet to leave the studio we still have already
are to get to we have to have proto reveals pick for next week. The theme our theme for now wow month it’s Big. Huge you can drop us an audio memo or letter at 7am pod.com We got links to everything this comes from Brian subject line new sub just trying to support my guys Oh,
DANNY thank you oh
SLIM seven hmm Brian st angle on Discord was at St. Angel misspelled I’m not sure if you’re just here to show my love and support. I enjoyed this pot enough to sub to the Patreon for the year and got a letterbox sub as well to support you guys was very happy to hear the Kill Bill pod live last week been listening since good time.
DANNY Oh my gosh.
SLIM Oh wow. Well that episode three and longtime I would love it if you guys took a shot at menari Parasite bottle rocket or knives out episode. My dream app. Are you sitting down? No. Oh it would be a Last Samurai or Mission Impossible Fallout right before dead reckoning comes out. Anyways love you guys. That comes from Brian. Sin angle and chat letter. We haven’t mentioned it but we did drop. Kill Bill Volume Two to supporters right after wine one last week. was a lot of fun but drop The Last Samurai what it
DANNY what a fisher magic.
SLIM What is our community ready for a Last Samurai and although I don’t know if it is just Tom during it again disclaimer I do a podcast it’s it’s odd break called interview with a podcast vampire with what you call them my best friends Josie loves beer who host twin vipers. And Dale underscore Ray who hosts a baton spider and we have a rule that I’m not allowed to cover anytime movie unless we already covered on interview with the podcast vampire. But Last Samurai that feels like a hot potato. That’s how hot the hot potato is our community at large. But we do have some plans for dead reckoning timeframe. We’ll see. We’ll see. menari Menara be fun. Bottle Rocket parasite.
MCKENZIE Number one on the VHS village top 100 nowise
SLIM All right. We got to talk about this theme next month. It’s part of my announcing ad or my or you want me to announce it. Theme?
PROTO Sure. Yeah, go ahead. All right. All right.
DANNY I like the stage. All right.
MCKENZIE I feel like I shouldn’t be here. I’m like, This feels private. I’m here for this.
SLIM Oh my god. Alright, so the this is going to be the third time we’ve done this theme. But there’s going to be a twist. The first time we did it was in May of 2021. Then we did Volume Two in April of 2022. And then now in March we’re doing leading ladies month volume three is going to be a twist. It’s leading late 80s month. So it’s going to be early 80s Movies 80s late 80s 80s. Ladies hashtag 80s Ladies, so we’re only going to be doing movies from that decade. We’re very excited. And I mean how best to get excited with leading ladies than Pardo’s Peck.
PROTO Thank you. Yeah, we were I think we were talking to DMS like seven days month was so much fun. What if we do 80s money? And then we’re like, oh, but we need to do leading ladies to and then Dale was like What about leading ladies? Was
SLIM l in front of duties for everyone wants to try to visualize
PROTO ladies. It makes sense when you see it written down? Yeah, so my pec this came to me quick, you know, I almost picked this movie. In a previous leading lady’s theme. It might have been the first one that we did. I picked Orlando the first year. Oh my god, I think this was my runner up. Gosh, so we will be doing a movie from 1980 and there isn’t just one leading lady. We’ve got three hash. We’re doing nine to five oh my gosh, why Excuse
MCKENZIE me? 84
DANNY no word.
SLIM No. YALI is this real? And Alzheimer real
PROTO movie?
SLIM Look at this cast Jane Fonda Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton streaming on HBO Max. Getting even as a full time job.
PROTO We’re going to end men next week.
MCKENZIE We answer the question.
SLIM settle the debate.
MCKENZIE Do men suck? What
SLIM I mean, read the synopsis Frank Hart is a pig. He takes advantage in the grossest manner of the women who work with him when his three assistants managed to trap him in his own house. They assume control his department and productivity leaps. But just how long can they keep heart tied up? Oh, gosh. Dabney Coleman, I presume is the man himself.
MCKENZIE Have any of you seen this movie? No, no. I Oh, delighted for all of you to experience this because it’s gonna go to weird places. You you’re not expecting it to go back. Okay, it’s a great movie. I’ve seen the musical version of it. I grew up watching this movie. Oh, my grandmother loved this movie because it’s a you know, great girl power movie from that time. So
PROTO streaming on HBO Max.
MCKENZIE You all will fall in love with Dolly if you’re not already.
SLIM I’m looking back at the first leading Lee’s. Let’s see. What did we do in Orlando? A Woman Under the Influence? Oh house. Oh, oh, contact Oh, and I think there was a vote involved where we did aliens right didn’t always win the village
DANNY vote. K, I think.
SLIM Right? And then we find Volume Two if I may. Please. Oh Papa papa. tabulating Danny kicked it off with the piano. Oh, my annihilation.
DANNY Oh that was last month God bless
SLIM Moonstruck and then we we wrapped with Dirty Dancing with backs.
DANNY Yo, that’s her month.
SLIM That was a that’s a
DANNY great fleeting ladies months have been bangers
MCKENZIE Holy Cow Feldman Luis was on leading ladies.
DANNY When did we do the film? That was leading ladies
PROTO that was sure was not
MCKENZIE good for that control.
SLIM That was episode 110. Oh, you know what? We did a weird thing where we started it because then the Godfather 50th anniversary was the week after so we did oh man Louise and then we slaughtered the gods. Yeah, you’re right. You’re right. How do I write extra
MCKENZIE better I don’t
SLIM always say to say most people know their show better than that. Either through the road to the Batman was right before Thelma and Louise. Oh my gosh, visualize it. All right. Well, Mackenzie, thank you so much for coming on. If you want to direct people to find more of what they heard is awesome. Danger pod the best place to find it.
MCKENZIE Yeah, Austin Danger Pod. We’re on all our socials with that. It’s a very silly podcast. It’s just kind of random movies that fit into the Uber of 90s, early 2000 Studio comedies. We have a really good time over there. And yeah, we’re gonna have some more guests on soon. We have a lot of really great plans for this year. So yeah, find us over there. And I may have another project coming up that I can think about another place you can hear me talking about movies.
DANNY Empire Strikes Back podcast
SLIM every week for a year. So if you enjoyed our chat today, be sure to check that podcast out but proto any closing thoughts this week,
PROTO I was looking around on the Wikipedia. Just trying to read a little bit about Singin’ in the Rain And I was on Gene Kelly’s wiki. And what a fascinating character. I got to watch more of this guy’s movies. But I was really impressed by his his work work ethic and just what he was able to accomplish, like we said earlier, like his dancing was amazing. But there was this quote about him when he was practicing for a production. And the person said, Van Johnson said I watched him rehearsing and it seems to me that there was no possible room for improvement. Yet he wasn’t satisfied. It was midnight, and we had been rehearsing since eight in the morning. I was making my way sleepily down the long flight of stairs when I heard staccato steps coming from the stage. I could see just a single lamp burning under it. A figure was dancing. It was Gene. Man that’s like an amazing story of like a guy who like went for it hard and paid off.
SLIM It’s how I think about Proto prepping for this podcast, that lone light and I see Proto’s shadow doing the work, prepping.
PROTO The things we have planned.
MCKENZIE Little soft shoe under a lamp.
SLIM Vegan soft shoe. We’ll see everybody next week for Nine to Five.
[70mm theme song ramps up, plays alone, fades out]
