July 27, 2022 • 27 mins
You've heard of Xmas in July? Well, we've got Halloween in July when we cover Alfred Hitchcock and The Salem Witch Trials. Two more contestants from our CLASH OF THE CLASSMATE series go head to head and one of them gives the greatest winning shout-out of all time!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, b Wait, you didn't tell me you were bringing
your cat today. Oh hey, Elliott Man, you sure caught
the sneeze express to cats. Oh well, maybe I should
have checked with you before bringing in Midnight. She's seen
like the perfect mascot for our two subjects, Alfred Hitchcock
(00:20):
and the Sailor with trials. Could you could you put
Midnight outside? I feel like I'm possessed by my allergies?
No problem, Hey Midnight go wait in the lobby, would you. Wow?
I've never seen a cat open and close the door
like that. Okay, well, now it's time for the reveal
of our backup mascot. That's better. Wait did you say
(00:44):
backup mascot? Well, if we're not going to have a
cat with us in here today, the next best thing
would be a flock of murderous birds. Yes, only they
didn't have murderous birds at the pets or so I
got us these cute little baby chicks instead. Ah, they's
so soft and fluffy. Didn't Eric please play us in here?
(01:13):
What do you think you know about the grates from
this story? The game is on. To get some energy
and buckle up your brain, because it's signed to play
the Whos Podcast because it's time to play but who Who?
(01:34):
Life from Tom the Land or so called Sow Los Angeles,
Welcome to Who Was, the history push show that gives
contestants the chance to win mega prizes and podcast glory.
I'm Deep the announcer who might put you under my spell.
And now here's your host, the man occasionally scared by
his own shadow. It's Elliott Kaylin. Thank you be, and
(01:56):
I've got a good reason everyone knows shadows or where
the mom stars by I saw my own shadow again.
We welcome everyone to the Who Was Podcast. This show
it's like Jeopardy, only with surprise guests, silly games, and
outrageously fun music. Our contestants were sent who Was books
about two great figures or events from history. Now they're
here to show off their knowledge and the hopes of
(02:18):
winning fantastic prizes problems. Today, we're chatting about two absolutely
frightful topics, the Salem Witch Trials and the master of
suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock. But before we learn about those,
let's learn a little about our contestants. All right, First up,
we have Parker. Parker, please introduce yourself. Hello, I'm Parker,
(02:42):
My favorite subject is social studies. I love social studies too.
Is it the history that you like or the lives
of people are learning about human beings come together in
this world of ours? What is it about social studies
that you like so much? The history? Who's one of
your favorite figures from history? Parker? George Washooter fantastic, amazing hair,
(03:04):
you how to ride a horse head, didn't smile very much,
but that's okay. Get a lot of else going for him.
Those the main things about George Washington. What does that
you like about George Washington? Is it that he had
great hair? No, it's about like how he he's the
first president, he's a leader, he fought in the Revolutionary War,
from the French and Indian War. Yeah, those are pretty
amazing things too. Yeah. I like all that stuff about him.
(03:26):
But the thing I admire most about George Washington is that, um,
he can write a boat even when it's very cold,
which is something that I have never been able to
do while standing up. While standing up? All right, Next
we have Branson. Branson, please introduce yourself. Hi. My name
is Branson and I'm nine years old and I love basketball. Alright,
(03:48):
which position do you play in basketball? I played print guards? Okay?
And is that the one that tackles everybody? Or are
you the one that holds the broom while the other
people push the puck sport on the ice? The see
that's hockey football. Okay, I did drive of the ball
and shoot? Oh do you have a favorite basketball player idea? Okay?
(04:12):
Well you uh well, please don't keep us in suspense,
please tell us who is your favorite basketball player? Black
with Jordan Oh? Okay, thank you so much both you
for being here, and thank you to Eric, our musician
for providing that lovely meet the contestants music and all
the music on the show today. Today's episode is a
specially excited because Parker and Branson. That's right, you guessed it,
(04:35):
they have the same feature Mr Bruno. Okay, well that's
who is. Now let's find out who was Alfred Hitchcock
with four fast facts pens. Alfred Hitchcock directed over fifty
feature films, most of which were scary or high suspense.
He had his own TV show and a magazine dedicated
(04:55):
to mystery stories. Hitchcock shot films for the British war
effort in World War Two and in nineteen seventy nine,
he was knighted by the Queen of England. Hitchcock made
so many movies and I've only seen a small portion
of them because they came out before you were born. No,
because only a small portion of the screen is visible
(05:16):
if you're watching a movie through your fingers. They're so scary.
With so much to learn about Alfred Hitchcock, it's time
for our first game. True or false? True or false?
Is false? Is it false? Or is it true? Is
it true that it has false? Is it false that
it was? True? Or true? True or false? Thank you Eric.
In this game, be will lead a statement. You will
(05:37):
then let us know if that statement is true or
false or false. You guessed it, And since this is
our first game, each question is worth one point. Take
it away. Being Parker Europe first. Alfred Hitchcock grew up
loving films and went to the movie theater with his
family every week. Is that true or false? False? That's right,
it's false. When Alfred was young, little Alfie Hitchcock, movie
(05:59):
theater didn't even exist yet. Instead, he went to the
regular theater, where he was inspired by how stage lighting
was used to create different moves. He went on to
use those same lighting techniques in his movies. Okay, Branson,
this next question is for you. True or false? Teenage
Alfred frequently visited the Black Museum at Scotland Yard, a
museum dedicated to evidence from famous and unusual crimes. True.
(06:23):
That's right. That's true. When he visited, he would have
seen nooses from actual executions and a letter from famous
serial killer Jack the Ripper. On the other hand, he
would not have seen me there because I've got to
sleep without nightmares. Thank you. All right, now it's your turn.
Parker Hitchcock's first job with designing the title cards that
were used to communicate dialogue and important information in silent films,
(06:45):
because early movies didn't have sound. Is that true or false? True?
That's right, it's true. Hitchok was so good at drawing
titles as those cards containing important information were called that
his own title changed to boss when he became head
of the department Ice workout, Hitchcock. That's exciting for you.
Congratulations on your promotion, Branson, back to you, these questions
(07:06):
for you. Hitchcock found it difficult to get used to
making movies in the US, and his first films shot
in America were not successful. Is that true or false? False?
That's right, it's false. His very first film made the
United States, Rebecca, went on to win the Academy Award
for Best Picture. He was quickly established as the master
of suspense, and even forty years after his death, his
(07:28):
movies are still considered some of the most engaging and
thrilling movies of all time. True true true true. What
a great game. You both know a lot about Alfred Hitchcock.
We're gonna have Jane tally our scores and report them
to you after this short break, Eric, please play us
some scary movie music pianos playing inside the house. Wow,
(08:01):
welcome back to the Who Was? Podcast. Today we're learning
all about who was Alfred hihpop and what were the
Salem witch trials? With contestants who are terrifyingly smart. And
here's your host, Elliot Kalin. Thank you be. Before we
go further into the game, let's go to producer Jane
for the scores. I'm afraid of what I'm gonna hear. Oh, well,
(08:22):
you don't be too scared. It's only two points each.
It's a time fantastic Oh if any, if anything, that's
the least scoopy type of score. Wait, unless it's the
most scoopy type of score. Well, let's keep the show moving.
We gotta learn. Let's keep learn more about the Salem
witch Trials. I'm in a cold sweat either way, So
let's hear about the Salem witch Trials with four fast
(08:42):
facts prospects. Starting in the spring of over two people
in Salem Village, Massachusetts were accused of witchcraft. The townspeople
accuse one another of working with the devil to cause
a mysterious illness. By the end of the Salem witch Trials,
twenty people were executed for witchcraft and five died in Jaho.
(09:03):
By May of six all those jailed for witchcraft were
pardoned and released. There were no actual witches or witchcraft ever.
Who was a case of mass hysteria? For ten months
the townspeople of Salem accused from another of witchcraft. The
suspense was palpable. Alfred Hitchcock probably would have made a
great movie about it, but unless we'll never know. Wait,
(09:27):
maybe we can get him to make one. Using our
handy dandy time travel telephone. Who was that? Who was?
Want our next game? Can? Wait? We've got a movie
to make. Please welcome to the show Witchcraft accusing teenager
(09:48):
Betty Paris. Hi Betty, good sabbath to you, sir, and
welcome the Master of Suspense director Alfred Hitchcock. Good evening,
it's actually the middle of the day, Sir Alfred. Yes,
but that was my catchphrase. Good evening evening is scarier
than the middle of the day. Good point. Okay, so
(10:12):
how do we get this movie started? Let's begin by
setting the scene, Betty, where did all this happen? Pretty good, sir.
I reside in Salem Village, a godfaring community in New England.
No England, that's a little black. We'll say it in
San Francisco. Immor romantic. So you will watch a young
(10:38):
heiress matching wits with a handsome jewel thief. I watched
that movie. Yeah, me too. Let's call it sing three
people welcome. See that. I'm nothing of the sword having
to be praised. I'm a humble maiden of Puritan stock.
We believe that jewels and wealth are evil. That's not
particularly fun. Well, we'll also believe the fun is evil
(11:01):
and smiling and comfortable chairs. Eve. I understand correctly you
were wrongly accused of a murder and had to go
on the run to find the actual culprit. I watched
that movie. Yeah, me too, let's call it Paddington three. No, no, no, no, Um,
(11:23):
I would think you were joking, if jokes weren't also evil. No,
my cousin and I began to have strange symptoms. We
babbled while nonsense and hid under furniture because you were
being haunted by a ghost. Um, now, wet, they're so close. Well,
the town doctor said you were cursed by a witch,
(11:43):
and you know, we believed him because back then medicine
basically didn't exist. So we told him that three townswomen
were the witches. But really was the doctor who was
the witch? A twist. I've seen that movie, me too,
let's call it Spider Man four. Spider Witch like a
(12:04):
sandwich with spiders in it. That's obviously not what she
meant though, that would be spooky. No, no, no, there
weren't any which is at all. We were just scared
girls telling the grown ups what we thought they wanted
to hear. You know. Then things kind of got out
of hand and one thing led to another, and the
next thing you know, nineteen people were hanging to death. Oops,
(12:25):
that's not such a fun plot for a movie. Yeah,
it sounds more like a meditation on the nature of
fear and how communities use scapegoats when they don't feel
in control of the world around them. Well said, you
should make this movie because I don't want to. I
like movies that have fun. Goodbye. Okay, Wait, but before
(12:46):
we go, I have a question, what are movies more? Okay,
before we undergo our own case of necessary less to
dive into our next game. It's called by any other name.
In this game, be will describe some aspect of the
(13:09):
Salem witch Trials, but using an odd rhyming word or
phrase instead of the exact word that we're looking for.
You must decipher what she's saying and tell us the
real word that rhymes with the nonsense words. So, for example,
if the answer was happy Birthday, b would say something
funny that rhymes with it, like Patty learth Day, which
I guess is funny to everyone except Patty Learthday herself,
(13:31):
and we apologize for using her name. Yes, of the
of the New Jersey Lark. Yes, it's a wonderful family.
And because this is our second game, each question is
now worth you guessed it two points, Parker, Europe. First,
this questions for you. After nothing seemed to cure Abigail
and Betty, the town doctor suggested that they were under
an evil hand, meaning they were tree snitched, bewitched. That's right,
(13:56):
be witched. Doctors regularly diagnosed patients for witchcraft back then. Thankfully,
modern doctors have discovered many new and creative ways to
tell you they don't know what's going on. This next
question is for you, Branson. Before being questioned, suspected, which is,
were usually examined to see if they had any moles, warts,
or mirth barks known signs of witchcraft birthmarks. That's right. Moles, warts,
(14:21):
or birthmarks were considered evil people thought, which has used
them to communicate with each other. Of course, my birthmarks
communicate that my skin, like me, is artistic. Okay, it's
your turn, Parker. Many people were in prison after being
accused of witchcraft, but the prisoners who got blessed were
treated better than those who didn't confessed. That's right. The
answer is confessed. Those who admitted to being witches weren't
(14:44):
put in chains, and many suspects were encouraged by their
families to just go ahead and confess to being which
is hashtag go blessed. Ready for the last question of
the round, Branson, Yes, sir. Starting in October, a new
court began trying the cases of witchcraft. Unlike the previous court,
they no longer used heck pull pebitants as proof that
(15:06):
someone was a witch. Specter, you know what, I'm gonna
give you half credit for that. What we're looking for
is they no longer replied on spectral evidence. That's a
tough one, meaning that you couldn't be arrested just because
someone said you were a witch. By this time, the
town felt that the trial had gone a little too far.
But you know what hasn't gone too far? Are schmund
pending pests for cowledge? Exactly our unending quest for knowledge.
(15:31):
And that's the end of by any other name, another
super strong round, almost suspiciously supernaturally strong producer, Jane, will
you please let us know where we stand with the scores? Sure, Elliott,
right now you have brands and with five points and
(15:56):
Parker has sped ahead with six. Fantastic, Thank you, Jane.
It's still a super close game, almost Dare I say it, frighteningly.
Oh my goodness. Look, Brandson Parkner, we're gonna keep going
with the scary puns and this and and stuff like that,
so get used to it. The game's not over yet.
I do have a question for you, though, uh so, partner, Branson,
(16:19):
if you could cast a spell on someone, we're just
on the world, what would you cast? And why? Branson?
What did you go first? What spell would you cast?
If you could, I would cast that I would never
have to grow up. Well, I would stay at a
certain age in my whole life. Yeah, Oh, may I
recommend thirty six? Yeah? Yeah, thirty six is a good one, Branson.
(16:41):
What what age would you choose? I'm not sure, but yeah,
probably thirty forty smart thirty to forty alright, looking forward
to the future, but but not that the too far
not the future. Okay, So you know you're gonna grow
up a little bit, You're gonna turn probably like thirty
two or thirty three. You're gonna meet a vampire and say,
make me a vampire so I can stay this age forever.
(17:02):
Oh no, we have which is an Alfred Hitchcock and
a vampire in this ship. If you get too scared
of Parker. If you could cast a spell, what would
it be in world hunger? Oh that's a great spell.
That's really beautiful. Yeah, that's wonderful. That's so sweet. Those
are both great spells. Well, we will be right back
with our witching guests after the break with more cool
(17:23):
was pie? Eric? Do you have any witch music you
can play for us? Which one the witch music? Yeah? Which?
Which song? Yeah? Yes, that's correct? Which? Yeah? That one?
The witch catalog? Exam that one? Yeah, the witch witch
song from the Witch Catalog? Exactly? Which one? Yes? Exactly?
You got which of the witch witch? Exactly? Let's dance
(17:49):
at night for fun? Sally? Who Was? Asked Marie Curie.
You may remember me from winning multiple Nobel Prizes off
from my episode of the who wast podcast where I
played myself. I wanted to take a moment to read
one of my favorite reviews about the who Was podcast.
(18:10):
This is from Shaken Bay and it reads loved this
Me and my little sister love this show more. Please
Our faith is Arietman. If you want to hear your
review right on the app, make sure to subscribe, like,
and review to the OAS podcast in the I Heart
Radio up or wherever you get your podcasts revoir or
(18:33):
should I stay abiato? Welcome back to the Who Was Podcast.
Today we're learning the spooky ins and out of the
Salem Witch Trials and Alfred Hitchcock. When we last left off,
Harker had six points and Branson had five points. And
(18:54):
now back to our host, Elliott Klin. Thanks Be. It's
still anyone's game as we head into our next end
final segment. Contestants, Parker, are you ready to play Converge
of Greatness? I find the Converge of Greatness music so inspiring. Okay.
(19:18):
In this multiple choice game, Be will read questions where
are subjects Alfred Hitchcock and the Sale in which trials
overlap or converge? And because this is the third game,
each question is worth you guested three points, So pick
the best option of the choices as your answer. Parker,
Europe First, It's your turn, take it away. B Courts
(19:39):
play an important role in the saleon Witch Trials, but
also in the life of Alfred Hitchcock. As a child,
he frequently sat in on criminal trials at the Old
Bailey Courthouse, and his favorite cases to listen to were
a traffic cases, B bookcases or see murder cases murder cases.
See that's right, The answer is c murder cases. Murder
(20:03):
would continue to fascinate Alfred Hitchcock. He made dozens of
movies about the topic. He even made a movie called murder.
That's the title of the movie. Okay, it's your turn, Branson.
Mistaken identity was often a part of Alfred Hitchcock's movies,
and in the Life of One Unfortunate Woman accused of
witchcraft in Salem, the court confused Bridget Bishop for an
(20:25):
unrelated woman named Susan Bishop who A owned a rowdy
in b fu on a broom or see played e
sports competitively A. That's right. The answer is A owned
a rowdy in the court didn't know the difference between
the two women and treated Bridget like she was guilty
of witchcraft right away. Not fair, not fair at all.
(20:49):
But a case of mistaken identity that I've had, Alfred
Hitchcock would have gotten a real kick out of. All right,
This next one is for you, Parker. The Salem witch
trials were fueled by people suspecting their neighbors of wrongdoing.
That is also the plot of which Alfred Hitchcock movie
is it a The Birds, be rear window or see Psycho.
(21:10):
See I'm sorry, The answer is be rear window. Though
it is a great movie and a necessary part of
any car. That's just common sense. You need a window. Okay.
This last question is for Brandson. Over the last three
hundred years, several stories, films, and plays have depicted the
Salem witch Trials, which one of them became one of
the most popular plays written in America. Was it a
(21:34):
The Crucible, be a Charlie Brown Christmas or see Macbeth.
That's right, the answer is a The Crucible, written by
Arthur Miller during the height of the hunt for communists
in the entertainment industry. He found the parallel with the
two events to make the point that people's lives can
be ruined by the fear of something that isn't really
a real danger. And that's the end of Converge of Greatness.
(22:05):
And now it's time for me to confess the greatest
fear of all, my fear that we're coming to the
end of the show. So lowly wait for Jane. Yeah,
it's terrible. I wish there was more, But the last
all things must come to an end. But first, while
Jane talies the score. I'd love to hear from our contestants.
Is there something Branson or Parker that really surprised you
that you learned about the Sandwich Trials or Alfred Hitchcock? Oh? Yes,
(22:26):
and Salem what trials? Uh? Datty only said three people
in Abigail said over two hundred that were witches. They
won one name three people and one said over two
hundred people were witches and in the end were either
of them? Right? No, No, there were no witches. But
I guess if you're going to guess wrong, guess big.
You know. But that's it's amazing how even though they
(22:47):
disagreed so much, that people still were so scared of
witches that they went along with it. Uh, Branson, is
there anything that jumped out at you about either the
Sandwich Trials or Alfred Hitchcock and jumped at it you
in a good way, not jumped at it you and
a like at sky scary? Yeah, like a scary Alfred Hitchcock. Well,
and Alfred Hitchcock um for some of his movies, like
when they're recording he went to a hen house and
(23:10):
he grabbed some eggs and he through it the teacher's window.
I didn't know this. I'm learning, I'm finding this out.
We why would why would you do that? He was
just pranking. Yeah, prancers are do got a frank? Yeah,
they should have called Alfred hitch frank. That should have
been Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'm glad that we could learn
(23:31):
some of the scarier things and some of the lighter
things about these people. Mr Bruno, Is there anything that
that was surprising to you about Alfred Hitchcock with the
Sandwich Trials? Yes, I'm from New Orleans. I have fortune
tellers in the French Quarter, and those people wouldn't have
made it back then. Let's say we're throwing them were
thorn m and jail the fortune hunters. Though, that surprised me.
(23:53):
You're you're surprising that, Pete, that people in your own
community would have been thrown into jail for fortune telling,
whereas now it's a pretty good business us. It's a
solid business to be in telling fortunes. I mean, we're
we're here in l A and you're always within three
ft of someone getting a tarot ready m that's legally
you have talking legally, Yeah, it's required. Well, thank you both,
(24:14):
Thank you all three for such interesting insights. Now it's
time one for the big moment. Jane, will you please
look into your crystal ball or sprying cauldron and please
announce our winner. Oh well, yeah, I saw a spooky
thing going on. First Parker was ahead, then Branson was ahead, them,
Parker was They had them, Branson and Branson and Parker Parker,
(24:35):
Branson finally with Branson, who wins with eleven points, Parker
with nine. What a close game. Congratulation Branson, Parker. Fantastic playing.
That was so great for both of you. More suspenseful
than a Hitchcock plot. I'll tell you what. Yes, it's
that he wished he made a movie as suspensable as
this one. Branson, you have ten seconds for shoutouts, Go
(24:57):
for it. Who would you like to thank for your
victory today? I like to shout out for my mom,
my dad, and two of my friends had a championship
basketball game today. One name is Mason and another name
is Danny, and they've won. And I went to it
before this. That's fantastic, but an exciting jay across the board. Yeah, wonderful. Well,
(25:18):
our winner and their library of choice is going to
be receiving a selection of who Was Books, and I'm
going to give my own personal shoutouts to our interns,
act to Jane Cannise, Eric, Dewey Caddell for playing Alfred
ditch Coock for us in our sketch and to be,
and a big thank you to both of our contestants
for just playing such a fantastic, a frighteningly fantastic game.
Thank you especially also to you at home for listening
(25:39):
to this show. Please join us next week as we'll
learn who Was two more amazing people from history. Until then,
this is Elliott Douglas Klin saying we are history. Good Bye.
Everybody got a question for any of our famous figures,
send us a voice memo at the Who Was Podcast
at gmail dot com. It might just end up on
the show. Who Was Podcast is produced by Radio Point,
(26:02):
I Heart Media and Penguin Workshop, based on the best
selling who h Q series published by Penguin. Hosted by
Elliott Caylin with co host Megan O'Neil as v This
show also starred Jane Baker as Producer, Jane, Eric Shackney
as Eric, and Dewey Paddell as Alfred Hitchcock. The show
is executive Bruced by Richard Corson, Alex Boch, Elliott Calin,
Megan O'Neil, Daniel Powell, and Houston Snyder. The executive producer
(26:25):
for Penguin Workshop is Francesco SADDA executive producer for I
Heart Media is Lindsay Hoffman. Written by Megan O'Neil, Elliott Caylan,
Kennie Mobley, and Jane Baker. The show was produced by
Bernie Kaminski and our talent producer is Jane Baker. The
theme song and music were composed and performed by Eric Shackney,
edited and mixed by Kate molden Hour, and recorded by
(26:46):
Joanna Samuels. Special thanks to Zach Timpson, Charlotte Dianda, Daniel Goodman,
and Michael Lewis Howard. The Who Was Podcast was recorded
at the iHeart Studios in Los Angeles, California. Sound services
provided by Great City Posts. The School Worst boadcast because
it's standard flavor Fool was hand pass the West
Hello, b Wait, you didn't tell me you were bringing
your cat today. Oh hey, Elliott Man, you sure caught
the sneeze express to cats. Oh well, maybe I should
have checked with you before bringing in Midnight. She's seen
like the perfect mascot for our two subjects, Alfred Hitchcock
(00:20):
and the Sailor with trials. Could you could you put
Midnight outside? I feel like I'm possessed by my allergies?
No problem, Hey Midnight go wait in the lobby, would you. Wow?
I've never seen a cat open and close the door
like that. Okay, well, now it's time for the reveal
of our backup mascot. That's better. Wait did you say
(00:44):
backup mascot? Well, if we're not going to have a
cat with us in here today, the next best thing
would be a flock of murderous birds. Yes, only they
didn't have murderous birds at the pets or so I
got us these cute little baby chicks instead. Ah, they's
so soft and fluffy. Didn't Eric please play us in here?
(01:13):
What do you think you know about the grates from
this story? The game is on. To get some energy
and buckle up your brain, because it's signed to play
the Whos Podcast because it's time to play but who Who?
(01:34):
Life from Tom the Land or so called Sow Los Angeles,
Welcome to Who Was, the history push show that gives
contestants the chance to win mega prizes and podcast glory.
I'm Deep the announcer who might put you under my spell.
And now here's your host, the man occasionally scared by
his own shadow. It's Elliott Kaylin. Thank you be, and
(01:56):
I've got a good reason everyone knows shadows or where
the mom stars by I saw my own shadow again.
We welcome everyone to the Who Was Podcast. This show
it's like Jeopardy, only with surprise guests, silly games, and
outrageously fun music. Our contestants were sent who Was books
about two great figures or events from history. Now they're
here to show off their knowledge and the hopes of
(02:18):
winning fantastic prizes problems. Today, we're chatting about two absolutely
frightful topics, the Salem Witch Trials and the master of
suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock. But before we learn about those,
let's learn a little about our contestants. All right, First up,
we have Parker. Parker, please introduce yourself. Hello, I'm Parker,
(02:42):
My favorite subject is social studies. I love social studies too.
Is it the history that you like or the lives
of people are learning about human beings come together in
this world of ours? What is it about social studies
that you like so much? The history? Who's one of
your favorite figures from history? Parker? George Washooter fantastic, amazing hair,
(03:04):
you how to ride a horse head, didn't smile very much,
but that's okay. Get a lot of else going for him.
Those the main things about George Washington. What does that
you like about George Washington? Is it that he had
great hair? No, it's about like how he he's the
first president, he's a leader, he fought in the Revolutionary War,
from the French and Indian War. Yeah, those are pretty
amazing things too. Yeah. I like all that stuff about him.
(03:26):
But the thing I admire most about George Washington is that, um,
he can write a boat even when it's very cold,
which is something that I have never been able to
do while standing up. While standing up? All right, Next
we have Branson. Branson, please introduce yourself. Hi. My name
is Branson and I'm nine years old and I love basketball. Alright,
(03:48):
which position do you play in basketball? I played print guards? Okay?
And is that the one that tackles everybody? Or are
you the one that holds the broom while the other
people push the puck sport on the ice? The see
that's hockey football. Okay, I did drive of the ball
and shoot? Oh do you have a favorite basketball player idea? Okay?
(04:12):
Well you uh well, please don't keep us in suspense,
please tell us who is your favorite basketball player? Black
with Jordan Oh? Okay, thank you so much both you
for being here, and thank you to Eric, our musician
for providing that lovely meet the contestants music and all
the music on the show today. Today's episode is a
specially excited because Parker and Branson. That's right, you guessed it,
(04:35):
they have the same feature Mr Bruno. Okay, well that's
who is. Now let's find out who was Alfred Hitchcock
with four fast facts pens. Alfred Hitchcock directed over fifty
feature films, most of which were scary or high suspense.
He had his own TV show and a magazine dedicated
(04:55):
to mystery stories. Hitchcock shot films for the British war
effort in World War Two and in nineteen seventy nine,
he was knighted by the Queen of England. Hitchcock made
so many movies and I've only seen a small portion
of them because they came out before you were born. No,
because only a small portion of the screen is visible
(05:16):
if you're watching a movie through your fingers. They're so scary.
With so much to learn about Alfred Hitchcock, it's time
for our first game. True or false? True or false?
Is false? Is it false? Or is it true? Is
it true that it has false? Is it false that
it was? True? Or true? True or false? Thank you Eric.
In this game, be will lead a statement. You will
(05:37):
then let us know if that statement is true or
false or false. You guessed it, And since this is
our first game, each question is worth one point. Take
it away. Being Parker Europe first. Alfred Hitchcock grew up
loving films and went to the movie theater with his
family every week. Is that true or false? False? That's right,
it's false. When Alfred was young, little Alfie Hitchcock, movie
(05:59):
theater didn't even exist yet. Instead, he went to the
regular theater, where he was inspired by how stage lighting
was used to create different moves. He went on to
use those same lighting techniques in his movies. Okay, Branson,
this next question is for you. True or false? Teenage
Alfred frequently visited the Black Museum at Scotland Yard, a
museum dedicated to evidence from famous and unusual crimes. True.
(06:23):
That's right. That's true. When he visited, he would have
seen nooses from actual executions and a letter from famous
serial killer Jack the Ripper. On the other hand, he
would not have seen me there because I've got to
sleep without nightmares. Thank you. All right, now it's your turn.
Parker Hitchcock's first job with designing the title cards that
were used to communicate dialogue and important information in silent films,
(06:45):
because early movies didn't have sound. Is that true or false? True?
That's right, it's true. Hitchok was so good at drawing
titles as those cards containing important information were called that
his own title changed to boss when he became head
of the department Ice workout, Hitchcock. That's exciting for you.
Congratulations on your promotion, Branson, back to you, these questions
(07:06):
for you. Hitchcock found it difficult to get used to
making movies in the US, and his first films shot
in America were not successful. Is that true or false? False?
That's right, it's false. His very first film made the
United States, Rebecca, went on to win the Academy Award
for Best Picture. He was quickly established as the master
of suspense, and even forty years after his death, his
(07:28):
movies are still considered some of the most engaging and
thrilling movies of all time. True true true true. What
a great game. You both know a lot about Alfred Hitchcock.
We're gonna have Jane tally our scores and report them
to you after this short break, Eric, please play us
some scary movie music pianos playing inside the house. Wow,
(08:01):
welcome back to the Who Was? Podcast. Today we're learning
all about who was Alfred hihpop and what were the
Salem witch trials? With contestants who are terrifyingly smart. And
here's your host, Elliot Kalin. Thank you be. Before we
go further into the game, let's go to producer Jane
for the scores. I'm afraid of what I'm gonna hear. Oh, well,
(08:22):
you don't be too scared. It's only two points each.
It's a time fantastic Oh if any, if anything, that's
the least scoopy type of score. Wait, unless it's the
most scoopy type of score. Well, let's keep the show moving.
We gotta learn. Let's keep learn more about the Salem
witch Trials. I'm in a cold sweat either way, So
let's hear about the Salem witch Trials with four fast
(08:42):
facts prospects. Starting in the spring of over two people
in Salem Village, Massachusetts were accused of witchcraft. The townspeople
accuse one another of working with the devil to cause
a mysterious illness. By the end of the Salem witch Trials,
twenty people were executed for witchcraft and five died in Jaho.
(09:03):
By May of six all those jailed for witchcraft were
pardoned and released. There were no actual witches or witchcraft ever.
Who was a case of mass hysteria? For ten months
the townspeople of Salem accused from another of witchcraft. The
suspense was palpable. Alfred Hitchcock probably would have made a
great movie about it, but unless we'll never know. Wait,
(09:27):
maybe we can get him to make one. Using our
handy dandy time travel telephone. Who was that? Who was?
Want our next game? Can? Wait? We've got a movie
to make. Please welcome to the show Witchcraft accusing teenager
(09:48):
Betty Paris. Hi Betty, good sabbath to you, sir, and
welcome the Master of Suspense director Alfred Hitchcock. Good evening,
it's actually the middle of the day, Sir Alfred. Yes,
but that was my catchphrase. Good evening evening is scarier
than the middle of the day. Good point. Okay, so
(10:12):
how do we get this movie started? Let's begin by
setting the scene, Betty, where did all this happen? Pretty good, sir.
I reside in Salem Village, a godfaring community in New England.
No England, that's a little black. We'll say it in
San Francisco. Immor romantic. So you will watch a young
(10:38):
heiress matching wits with a handsome jewel thief. I watched
that movie. Yeah, me too. Let's call it sing three
people welcome. See that. I'm nothing of the sword having
to be praised. I'm a humble maiden of Puritan stock.
We believe that jewels and wealth are evil. That's not
particularly fun. Well, we'll also believe the fun is evil
(11:01):
and smiling and comfortable chairs. Eve. I understand correctly you
were wrongly accused of a murder and had to go
on the run to find the actual culprit. I watched
that movie. Yeah, me too, let's call it Paddington three. No, no, no, no, Um,
(11:23):
I would think you were joking, if jokes weren't also evil. No,
my cousin and I began to have strange symptoms. We
babbled while nonsense and hid under furniture because you were
being haunted by a ghost. Um, now, wet, they're so close. Well,
the town doctor said you were cursed by a witch,
(11:43):
and you know, we believed him because back then medicine
basically didn't exist. So we told him that three townswomen
were the witches. But really was the doctor who was
the witch? A twist. I've seen that movie, me too,
let's call it Spider Man four. Spider Witch like a
(12:04):
sandwich with spiders in it. That's obviously not what she
meant though, that would be spooky. No, no, no, there
weren't any which is at all. We were just scared
girls telling the grown ups what we thought they wanted
to hear. You know. Then things kind of got out
of hand and one thing led to another, and the
next thing you know, nineteen people were hanging to death. Oops,
(12:25):
that's not such a fun plot for a movie. Yeah,
it sounds more like a meditation on the nature of
fear and how communities use scapegoats when they don't feel
in control of the world around them. Well said, you
should make this movie because I don't want to. I
like movies that have fun. Goodbye. Okay, Wait, but before
(12:46):
we go, I have a question, what are movies more? Okay,
before we undergo our own case of necessary less to
dive into our next game. It's called by any other name.
In this game, be will describe some aspect of the
(13:09):
Salem witch Trials, but using an odd rhyming word or
phrase instead of the exact word that we're looking for.
You must decipher what she's saying and tell us the
real word that rhymes with the nonsense words. So, for example,
if the answer was happy Birthday, b would say something
funny that rhymes with it, like Patty learth Day, which
I guess is funny to everyone except Patty Learthday herself,
(13:31):
and we apologize for using her name. Yes, of the
of the New Jersey Lark. Yes, it's a wonderful family.
And because this is our second game, each question is
now worth you guessed it two points, Parker, Europe. First,
this questions for you. After nothing seemed to cure Abigail
and Betty, the town doctor suggested that they were under
an evil hand, meaning they were tree snitched, bewitched. That's right,
(13:56):
be witched. Doctors regularly diagnosed patients for witchcraft back then. Thankfully,
modern doctors have discovered many new and creative ways to
tell you they don't know what's going on. This next
question is for you, Branson. Before being questioned, suspected, which is,
were usually examined to see if they had any moles, warts,
or mirth barks known signs of witchcraft birthmarks. That's right. Moles, warts,
(14:21):
or birthmarks were considered evil people thought, which has used
them to communicate with each other. Of course, my birthmarks
communicate that my skin, like me, is artistic. Okay, it's
your turn, Parker. Many people were in prison after being
accused of witchcraft, but the prisoners who got blessed were
treated better than those who didn't confessed. That's right. The
answer is confessed. Those who admitted to being witches weren't
(14:44):
put in chains, and many suspects were encouraged by their
families to just go ahead and confess to being which
is hashtag go blessed. Ready for the last question of
the round, Branson, Yes, sir. Starting in October, a new
court began trying the cases of witchcraft. Unlike the previous court,
they no longer used heck pull pebitants as proof that
(15:06):
someone was a witch. Specter, you know what, I'm gonna
give you half credit for that. What we're looking for
is they no longer replied on spectral evidence. That's a
tough one, meaning that you couldn't be arrested just because
someone said you were a witch. By this time, the
town felt that the trial had gone a little too far.
But you know what hasn't gone too far? Are schmund
pending pests for cowledge? Exactly our unending quest for knowledge.
(15:31):
And that's the end of by any other name, another
super strong round, almost suspiciously supernaturally strong producer, Jane, will
you please let us know where we stand with the scores? Sure, Elliott,
right now you have brands and with five points and
(15:56):
Parker has sped ahead with six. Fantastic, Thank you, Jane.
It's still a super close game, almost Dare I say it, frighteningly.
Oh my goodness. Look, Brandson Parkner, we're gonna keep going
with the scary puns and this and and stuff like that,
so get used to it. The game's not over yet.
I do have a question for you, though, uh so, partner, Branson,
(16:19):
if you could cast a spell on someone, we're just
on the world, what would you cast? And why? Branson?
What did you go first? What spell would you cast?
If you could, I would cast that I would never
have to grow up. Well, I would stay at a
certain age in my whole life. Yeah, Oh, may I
recommend thirty six? Yeah? Yeah, thirty six is a good one, Branson.
(16:41):
What what age would you choose? I'm not sure, but yeah,
probably thirty forty smart thirty to forty alright, looking forward
to the future, but but not that the too far
not the future. Okay, So you know you're gonna grow
up a little bit, You're gonna turn probably like thirty
two or thirty three. You're gonna meet a vampire and say,
make me a vampire so I can stay this age forever.
(17:02):
Oh no, we have which is an Alfred Hitchcock and
a vampire in this ship. If you get too scared
of Parker. If you could cast a spell, what would
it be in world hunger? Oh that's a great spell.
That's really beautiful. Yeah, that's wonderful. That's so sweet. Those
are both great spells. Well, we will be right back
with our witching guests after the break with more cool
(17:23):
was pie? Eric? Do you have any witch music you
can play for us? Which one the witch music? Yeah? Which?
Which song? Yeah? Yes, that's correct? Which? Yeah? That one?
The witch catalog? Exam that one? Yeah, the witch witch
song from the Witch Catalog? Exactly? Which one? Yes? Exactly?
You got which of the witch witch? Exactly? Let's dance
(17:49):
at night for fun? Sally? Who Was? Asked Marie Curie.
You may remember me from winning multiple Nobel Prizes off
from my episode of the who wast podcast where I
played myself. I wanted to take a moment to read
one of my favorite reviews about the who Was podcast.
(18:10):
This is from Shaken Bay and it reads loved this
Me and my little sister love this show more. Please
Our faith is Arietman. If you want to hear your
review right on the app, make sure to subscribe, like,
and review to the OAS podcast in the I Heart
Radio up or wherever you get your podcasts revoir or
(18:33):
should I stay abiato? Welcome back to the Who Was Podcast.
Today we're learning the spooky ins and out of the
Salem Witch Trials and Alfred Hitchcock. When we last left off,
Harker had six points and Branson had five points. And
(18:54):
now back to our host, Elliott Klin. Thanks Be. It's
still anyone's game as we head into our next end
final segment. Contestants, Parker, are you ready to play Converge
of Greatness? I find the Converge of Greatness music so inspiring. Okay.
(19:18):
In this multiple choice game, Be will read questions where
are subjects Alfred Hitchcock and the Sale in which trials
overlap or converge? And because this is the third game,
each question is worth you guested three points, So pick
the best option of the choices as your answer. Parker,
Europe First, It's your turn, take it away. B Courts
(19:39):
play an important role in the saleon Witch Trials, but
also in the life of Alfred Hitchcock. As a child,
he frequently sat in on criminal trials at the Old
Bailey Courthouse, and his favorite cases to listen to were
a traffic cases, B bookcases or see murder cases murder cases.
See that's right, The answer is c murder cases. Murder
(20:03):
would continue to fascinate Alfred Hitchcock. He made dozens of
movies about the topic. He even made a movie called murder.
That's the title of the movie. Okay, it's your turn, Branson.
Mistaken identity was often a part of Alfred Hitchcock's movies,
and in the Life of One Unfortunate Woman accused of
witchcraft in Salem, the court confused Bridget Bishop for an
(20:25):
unrelated woman named Susan Bishop who A owned a rowdy
in b fu on a broom or see played e
sports competitively A. That's right. The answer is A owned
a rowdy in the court didn't know the difference between
the two women and treated Bridget like she was guilty
of witchcraft right away. Not fair, not fair at all.
(20:49):
But a case of mistaken identity that I've had, Alfred
Hitchcock would have gotten a real kick out of. All right,
This next one is for you, Parker. The Salem witch
trials were fueled by people suspecting their neighbors of wrongdoing.
That is also the plot of which Alfred Hitchcock movie
is it a The Birds, be rear window or see Psycho.
(21:10):
See I'm sorry, The answer is be rear window. Though
it is a great movie and a necessary part of
any car. That's just common sense. You need a window. Okay.
This last question is for Brandson. Over the last three
hundred years, several stories, films, and plays have depicted the
Salem witch Trials, which one of them became one of
the most popular plays written in America. Was it a
(21:34):
The Crucible, be a Charlie Brown Christmas or see Macbeth.
That's right, the answer is a The Crucible, written by
Arthur Miller during the height of the hunt for communists
in the entertainment industry. He found the parallel with the
two events to make the point that people's lives can
be ruined by the fear of something that isn't really
a real danger. And that's the end of Converge of Greatness.
(22:05):
And now it's time for me to confess the greatest
fear of all, my fear that we're coming to the
end of the show. So lowly wait for Jane. Yeah,
it's terrible. I wish there was more, But the last
all things must come to an end. But first, while
Jane talies the score. I'd love to hear from our contestants.
Is there something Branson or Parker that really surprised you
that you learned about the Sandwich Trials or Alfred Hitchcock? Oh? Yes,
(22:26):
and Salem what trials? Uh? Datty only said three people
in Abigail said over two hundred that were witches. They
won one name three people and one said over two
hundred people were witches and in the end were either
of them? Right? No, No, there were no witches. But
I guess if you're going to guess wrong, guess big.
You know. But that's it's amazing how even though they
(22:47):
disagreed so much, that people still were so scared of
witches that they went along with it. Uh, Branson, is
there anything that jumped out at you about either the
Sandwich Trials or Alfred Hitchcock and jumped at it you
in a good way, not jumped at it you and
a like at sky scary? Yeah, like a scary Alfred Hitchcock. Well,
and Alfred Hitchcock um for some of his movies, like
when they're recording he went to a hen house and
(23:10):
he grabbed some eggs and he through it the teacher's window.
I didn't know this. I'm learning, I'm finding this out.
We why would why would you do that? He was
just pranking. Yeah, prancers are do got a frank? Yeah,
they should have called Alfred hitch frank. That should have
been Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'm glad that we could learn
(23:31):
some of the scarier things and some of the lighter
things about these people. Mr Bruno, Is there anything that
that was surprising to you about Alfred Hitchcock with the
Sandwich Trials? Yes, I'm from New Orleans. I have fortune
tellers in the French Quarter, and those people wouldn't have
made it back then. Let's say we're throwing them were
thorn m and jail the fortune hunters. Though, that surprised me.
(23:53):
You're you're surprising that, Pete, that people in your own
community would have been thrown into jail for fortune telling,
whereas now it's a pretty good business us. It's a
solid business to be in telling fortunes. I mean, we're
we're here in l A and you're always within three
ft of someone getting a tarot ready m that's legally
you have talking legally, Yeah, it's required. Well, thank you both,
(24:14):
Thank you all three for such interesting insights. Now it's
time one for the big moment. Jane, will you please
look into your crystal ball or sprying cauldron and please
announce our winner. Oh well, yeah, I saw a spooky
thing going on. First Parker was ahead, then Branson was ahead, them,
Parker was They had them, Branson and Branson and Parker Parker,
(24:35):
Branson finally with Branson, who wins with eleven points, Parker
with nine. What a close game. Congratulation Branson, Parker. Fantastic playing.
That was so great for both of you. More suspenseful
than a Hitchcock plot. I'll tell you what. Yes, it's
that he wished he made a movie as suspensable as
this one. Branson, you have ten seconds for shoutouts, Go
(24:57):
for it. Who would you like to thank for your
victory today? I like to shout out for my mom,
my dad, and two of my friends had a championship
basketball game today. One name is Mason and another name
is Danny, and they've won. And I went to it
before this. That's fantastic, but an exciting jay across the board. Yeah, wonderful. Well,
(25:18):
our winner and their library of choice is going to
be receiving a selection of who Was Books, and I'm
going to give my own personal shoutouts to our interns,
act to Jane Cannise, Eric, Dewey Caddell for playing Alfred
ditch Coock for us in our sketch and to be,
and a big thank you to both of our contestants
for just playing such a fantastic, a frighteningly fantastic game.
Thank you especially also to you at home for listening
(25:39):
to this show. Please join us next week as we'll
learn who Was two more amazing people from history. Until then,
this is Elliott Douglas Klin saying we are history. Good Bye.
Everybody got a question for any of our famous figures,
send us a voice memo at the Who Was Podcast
at gmail dot com. It might just end up on
the show. Who Was Podcast is produced by Radio Point,
(26:02):
I Heart Media and Penguin Workshop, based on the best
selling who h Q series published by Penguin. Hosted by
Elliott Caylin with co host Megan O'Neil as v This
show also starred Jane Baker as Producer, Jane, Eric Shackney
as Eric, and Dewey Paddell as Alfred Hitchcock. The show
is executive Bruced by Richard Corson, Alex Boch, Elliott Calin,
Megan O'Neil, Daniel Powell, and Houston Snyder. The executive producer
(26:25):
for Penguin Workshop is Francesco SADDA executive producer for I
Heart Media is Lindsay Hoffman. Written by Megan O'Neil, Elliott Caylan,
Kennie Mobley, and Jane Baker. The show was produced by
Bernie Kaminski and our talent producer is Jane Baker. The
theme song and music were composed and performed by Eric Shackney,
edited and mixed by Kate molden Hour, and recorded by
(26:46):
Joanna Samuels. Special thanks to Zach Timpson, Charlotte Dianda, Daniel Goodman,
and Michael Lewis Howard. The Who Was Podcast was recorded
at the iHeart Studios in Los Angeles, California. Sound services
provided by Great City Posts. The School Worst boadcast because
it's standard flavor Fool was hand pass the West
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