Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - Mini-Ep #34: Lifeforce and Local Hero

Episode Date: November 5, 2015

Each week, comedian Gilbert Gottfried and comedy writer Frank Santopadre share their appreciation of lesser-known films, underrated TV shows and hopelessly obscure character actors -- discussing, dissecting and (occasionally) defending their handpicked guilty pleasures and buried treasures. This week: Gilbert hangs at Tobe Hooper's house! And the brilliance of Frank Gorshin! MeUndies is offering you TWENTY PERCENT off your first order at http://meundies.com/gilbert. That’s a special offer just for GGACP listeners. Make sure you go to http://meundies.com/gilbert to get twenty percent off your first order of underwear in tons of styles and colors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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To hear them in person, plan your trip at tnvacation.com. Tennessee sounds perfect. Today's episode is brought to you by MeUndies. Get 20% off your first order at MeUndies.com slash Gilbert. Hi, this is Gilbert Gottfried. I'm here with my co-host, Frank Santopadre. And this is Gilbert and Frank's Amazing Colossal Obsessions. It is. And now we've made some breakthroughs with Pappy on Sousa.

Yes, I believe I have come up with an email address and maybe even a phone number. And for those, once again, who don't remember, she's the girl on Full Metal Jacket who said, Me so horny! Me rub you wrong time! That'll get her to do the show. That impression will lure her right in. Yes, it's like Mickey Rooney is cringing.

From the grave. And Jerry Lewis from Hardly Working. And just when you thought I was through talking about Ghost of Frankenstein. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. It was a revelation today. Yeah, we spoke to, we'll have her on.

We did get in touch with Janet Ann Gallo. Yes. touch with Janet Ann Gallo. Yes. Someone tweets me and says, one of the boys in the scene with Janet Ann Gallo in Ghost of Frankenstein, William Smith, is still alive. Got to call him. We got to. What happened to Donnie Dunnigan?

Yeah, we got to talk to Donnie Dunnigan. Okay. You come up with about 10 of these people together, and it'll make a show. Okay. Yes. Five minutes each. We'll do a show. Okay. Yes. Yes. Five minutes each. We'll do a Ghost of Frankenstein lightning round.

Okay. Here's a movie. Okay. I saw in, this was the Essex Theater that used to have movies for like $3. Where, in Brooklyn? No, this one was in the Lower East Side. Essex Theater. Yeah.

I don't remember that one. Now it's like a hospital or something. Okay, I don't remember. I remember the Thalia and the Regency, and I don't remember the Essex. Now, this is a movie that I haven't seen it for years. I remember I enjoyed it. Okay. It's definitely tacky. Okay.

Because the original working title for it was Vampires from Outer Space. So, you know, it can't be. You know, it's not Orson Welles. Okay. It's not a Mercury Theater production. No, it's not Boone Well. No. No.

Boone Well wishes he made Vampires from Outer Space. It was made with the title Life Force. Oh, this is the Tobey Hooper movie. Yes. Yes. Oh, God, I've never seen it. And I watched it again at Tobey. Is it Tobey or Tooby?

I think it's Tobey. He just spelled it with an E. Yeah. I once watched it with Toby Hooper. You did? Yes. Why isn't he on the show? We got to have him on.

Dara, write down Toby Hooper. He did Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And Poltergeist with our friend James Caron. Okay, now with Poltergeist. Yeah, I know. Yeah, that's kind of like Kristen Ivey directing the thing. You know, it's listed as Kristen Ivey, but everyone says it's Howard Hawks. So everyone says Steven Spielberg's Poltergeist.

Jimmy Caron was in it. We could ask him. Yes. Yes. Yes. And but so. So, yeah. Life force with Steve Railsback. Steve Railsback. Right. Absolutely. Yes, and – but so, yeah, Life Force.

With Steve Railsback. Steve Railsback. Right. Absolutely. From the stuntman. As an astronaut. Another good movie. Yes.

And, you know, and the movie's fun. Oh, also Patrick's – what's his name? Swayze? Star Trek. No, Patrick Stewart. Yeah. Yeah. John Cameron Swayze. He turns up?

Yeah, and he goes down the Niagara Falls, and it takes a ticket. Joy Behar made a John Cameron Swayze reference the other day. I thought it was worthy of you. I was the only person in the room that knew what the hell she was. I was shocked. Bozo the Clown, Larry Harmon. I was talking to him and he was saying something

about Patrick Swayze. And I said, oh yeah, John... Oh, see what I just... John Cameron Swayze. John Cameron Swayze, I said. I said, John Cameron Swayze takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

And Bozo the Clown was quite shocked. That Larry Harmon got your reference. Yes, yes. But I did go over to Toby Hooper's house. And he played. He put it up on the big screen, Life Force. Never heard this story. Now, I can't be sure it's a good movie.

Because you don't have a memory of it. Yes, yes. I have a memory of it, like great monster effects. But the one thing, a lot of times my opinion is drawn by my dick. I can't imagine that's true. Yes. And in this, the actress, French actress, Matilda May, walks around naked through most of the movie. And that's what got you.

Yeah. So it might just be that.cent canby you would use the same criteria drawn by my dick and siskel and ebert also we used to go uh one dick up or down at the end of the hour shaking her head sadly. So, yeah. What was this actress's name? Matilda May. Matilda May is a new one on me. I'm writing this down.

So Steve Railsback, who else was in it? Oh, was it Patrick Stewart? Captain Picard? Yes. Patrick Stewart. He's in it. And he's got, now it's funny, there he's bald, but he's got a fringe. Okay.

And when, you know, bold is the sexy and hip look if you're completely bald. Right. If you've got a fringe, you're just a bald guy. Right. It's the difference between Ed Harris and Murray Slaughter. Yes. Yes. Oh, Mary.

Oh, Mary. Oh, Lou. Life force. Yes. And what is the... Okay. Give me a quick storyline. They are vampires from outer space. She is the lead vampire.

And just that they suck the life force out of people. Yeah. And I don't know. I remember enjoying it. It might be a terrible movie. This is one for Mike McPadden. And I think it was, who was the critic who used to do rhymes and puns. Gene Shalit.

Gene Shalit. Right. Said sometimes. Also thought with his dick. I think with my fat dick with a handlebar mustache. So Gene Shalit liked this film? No. Oh, okay.

But he did think with his dick. Okay. Steve Railsback, by the way, famously played Charles Manson in the Helter Skelter TV movie. That's right. Yeah, and he was very convincing. That's right. And terrifying. And he's in The Stuntman with Peter O'Toole, which is an excellent movie.

Now, what's Steve Railsback doing now? No idea. We should have him on. Singing the national anthem at cockfights. Write Steve Rails back down. You know, I think Cisco and Liebert said, we had a cockfight over that movie. Well, Steve Rails back. I'm writing it down.

Papillon Susu and Steve Rails back. That's a show. Oh, and William Smith we have to have on. Yeah, and William Smith. Can you find William Smith, Dara? Okay. She's on it. He's Can you find William Smith, Dara? Okay. She's on it. He's got a website. Oh my God. He goes to Frankenstein

for four minutes and he's got a website. He's got a smaller part than Janet Ann Gallo. Bless his heart. But they say he was in like 300 movies. I love this. Maybe Life Force. William Smith was in 300 movies? Wow. Okay. I can't top that. I love this. Maybe life force. William Smith was in 300 movies?

Wow. Okay. Okay. I can't top that. Gotta find him. You know, Gil, we've been talking a lot about MeUndies for a few episodes now, but we should take a moment to tell the listeners again how great an opportunity this is. Yes, because they sent me underwear. They sent you underwear?

They sent me underwear, and it's so soft, and it just is so comfortable, and it's got all these different colors and patterns that ever since me undies sent me those underwear, I've been walking around without pants on. Yes, I'm traumatized. I just walk down the street with no pants because it's stupid when they've got great designs like that to cover it with pants. No one screams there's a pantsless Gilbert Gottfried standing in the street. No, no, no. They all expect it.

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And they have socks, they have sweats, they have shirts. Just think, Gilbert, socks that you can one day sew little dots into. Ah, yes, I could sew dots into socks, they have sweats, they have shirts. Just think, Gilbert, socks that you can one day sew little dots into. Ah, yes. I can sew dots into socks, and I'm able to sew pictures of Lon Chaney Jr. Into the socks. On the socks. I didn't know I knew you were that talented. So one last time, it's meundies.com slash Gilbert.

That's M-E-U-N-D-I-E-S dot com slash Gilbert to get 20% off your first order. Here's a movie I think you may have seen from 1983. Now, Burt Lancaster is somebody we haven't talked about a ton on this show. Well, I suggested The Swimmer. You did? What am I saying? First episode. I liked The Swimmer. I suggested that when I was with Robert Osborne.

That's right, on TCM. Frank Perry movie. And with music by Marvin Hamlisch. There you go. It brings it all full circle because we just spoke to Steve Stolier, who knew Marvin Hamlisch. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

Da-na-na-na-na-na-da-da-da-da-da-da. Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. Can we get the rights to any of these songs and cut an album? And I've had requests from people. Please let Gilbert sing the theme from, you know, Bang the Drum Slowly and Lords of Flatbush. We have to do this. And I once hummed the theme to Bye Bye Braverman.

And I think the words to that was, Have you seen Braverman dancing? He was the king of the ball, twirling and whirling and prancing, doing the Braverman waltz. This has to be, we have to cut a vinyl album where Gilbert sings. Yeah. Or you can get them separately on 45s. No, no, we're going to make this a collector's item on vinyl. We're going to go old school.

Which I should say, going to my childhood, he died recently. Billy Joe Royal. Oh, down in the boondocks. Yes. Yeah, he died recently. Billy Joe Royal. Oh, down in the boondocks. Yes. Yeah, he just died. And I remember when I was a kid, I heard Billy Joe Royal sing something like, I think it was, I Knew You When. I know that one. It was, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I knew you when you were lonely. I knew. And I remember as a kid, for some reason, I liked that song. Yeah. And my mother bought me a 45. Oh, that's great. Of the Billy Joe Royal. Yes. You don't still have these

45s lying around somewhere, do you? I have some 45s. I may have Pothelophica. I beg your pardon? Pothelophica, Pothelophica, Pothelophica, it sounds so romantic

and perky. Pothelophica, Pothelophica, it sounds so romantic and perky. Pafalafaka, Pafalafaka. It sounds so romantic and turkey. Oh, I know that phrase will make me thrill always. For it reminds me of you, my sweet. Just the mention of those tender words of love gives my heart a herkish-terkish beat. That was

soupy sales. Incredible. It was on the B-side of Do the Mouse. Oh, Do the Mouse, I know. Yeah. I didn't listen to the B-side. Hey, Do the Mouse, yeah. We're gonna start calling this show Tangents. Oh! Because we go down, yeah, Dara's tired already.

Oh, I think you had a movie. Yeah, I got one. Before I pull my movie out, I think we should... I beg your pardon? We should dig out... When I was watching Matilda May, I pulled my movie out. Here's what we should do, and I'll get to this movie eventually, if people are actually still listening.

We should pull out my old box of 45s and Gilbert's box of 45s and do a show and go through them. I have banana splits records. Oh, wow. I got weird stuff. And I got at least one. Venus in Blue Jeans by Jimmy Clanton. What do you got? Yeah, I got at least one Beatle one, but I forget which one it was.

Well, we'll do that on a future show. My movie, and it's now a complete anti-climax, but getting back to Burt Lancaster... I had an anti-climax while watching Life Force. This is a movie from 1983 where Burt Lancaster got to be

funny, and he wasn't funny that often, with Peter Riegert from Animal House. Do you know this movie? Do you know where I'm driving with this? Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. It was made by a Scotsman. Was it Rocket? Not Rocket Gibraltar.

No, that's a fun movie, too. Different show. This is called Local Hero. Oh, okay. And it was made by a Scotsman named Bill Forsythe. And it's a sweet little comedy made in the UK. Peter Rieger plays an oil company rep, and Burt Lancaster, who's his boss,

dispatches him to this little Scottish town to basically buy up the land where they want to build an oil refinery. And it's one of those movies which is kind of, I guess, a sub-genre where the so-called rubes turn out to be smarter than the city slickers that are trying to take them. It's a very, very sweet film. Riegert, after Animal House, made a couple of good movies.

I liked Riegert. I'll probably suggest it in a later one. I think that was Crossing the Lansing Street. I love that one. Yeah. A Nice Little Romance. With Amy Irving. Street. I love that one. Yeah. A nice little romance comedy. With Amy Irving. Yeah.

I recommended it to my wife. Yeah, that's a very good picture, Crossing Delancey. And I met Peter Riegert, and I remember when I saw him, I said, oh, the pickle man. That's right. Yeah. We should get him for the show. Yes. Peter Riegert, Boone from Animal House, And very good in a movie called Shock to the System.

Good in Local Hero. And very good in Crossing Delancey. But Lancaster really kind of steals the movie in a smaller part. He plays this egocentric oil executive. Do you know the film? I haven't seen it. You have to see it. He pays a therapist to abuse him.

Which is very, very funny. Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits did the music for the film. It's a sweet film, different than the kind of things I recommend on the show. Peter Capaldi shows up, the Scottish actor, who's the new Doctor Who. Oh, yes.

And he's got a big cult following now. It's a very sweet, very offbeat film. Forsythe's films are very interesting. He made a coming-of-age movie called Gregory's Girl and one called Comfort and Joy and a movie with Burt Reynolds that didn't work so well where he was a safecracker called Breaking In. And his American films, he made one with Robin Williams, too,

I think called Being Human. And his American films were less successful than the films he made in his home country. But a very sweet film, if you haven't seen it, with a following. I hesitate to call it a cult film, but it may be one. Sweet, funny, wonderful score, all great performances, local hero. And I can't watch Burtancaster without thinking of frank gorshin right because gorshin did the world's best for burt lancaster hysterical yeah like on the old

show copycats oh yeah he did a great kirk douglas too i think everyone who imitates either Burt Lancaster or Kirk Douglas is doing Frank Gorshin. Just like anyone who imitates Johnny Carson is doing Rich Liddell's Johnny Carson. He did a Richard Widmark, too. Oh, yes. Frank Gorshin. He looked like Richard Widmark. He looked a little bit like him. Yeah.

And he patterned his, supposedly, and I don't know if I'm speaking here, supposedly he patterned parts of his Riddler performance. Oh, well, of course. Right, after the psycho that Widmark played in Kiss of Death. Yes, and I think he and Richard Widmark once played brothers in a movie. Wow. Which is, talk about ideal casting. You've stumped me. Yeah.

We'll talk about Richard Widmark in a future show. Those are the movies. Local Hero and a movie you can't really remember very well. Mine was Life Force. I remember it had great monster special effects or maybe tacky monster special effects.

But all I remember is this actress, Matilda May, walking around naked through most of the movie. Okay, and when we have our friend Mr. Skin on the show, we'll talk about Matilda May. I will. We'll talk about Matilda May. Oh, I will definitely bring it up. And I brought it up with Tobey Hooper, who went into detail.

I'm sure he did. That Matilda May had to shave her pubic hairs every day for the movie. Really? He wanted a clean shave. Same thing for Burt Lancaster, local hero. Yes. No, that was in Birdman of Alcatraz. He shaved his testicles.

I'm out. Okay. And so this, I think, has been Gilbert and Frank's Amazing Colossal Obsessions. Oh, Lordy. See you next time. Here we go. Thank you. Colossal Obsessions