Rena and Sara are pretty psyched that they saw this the second-best way (the first being on an Apple watch) at the Paris Theater. Because David Lean’s epic masterpiece Lawrence of Arabia is what everyone says it is: expansive.
Why did everyone tolerate Peter O’Toole’s drunken shenanigans? Why was Anthony Quinn’s appearance the one that had to be made accurate with a prosthetic nose? Which of T.E. Lawrence’s contributions to society were most meaningful: foreign policy based on nation-building or the motorcycle helmet? Why is master bridge player and actor Omar Sharif so darn hot?
We also play “Thanks A Lot, Alexander Korda” (you nerds out there owe him big time), talk about Lawrence of Arabia’s place in the Listicle Industrial Complex, Rena discovers what might be Mitch McConnell’s burner account for writing IMDB reviews, and Sara again mentions that she is trying to read The Power Broker.
Sources used in the episode include…
Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia by Michael Korda
The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, by T.E. Lawrence
Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth, by Noa Tishby
David Lean: A Self Portrait https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jAb4tmCPOk - I’d like to mention here that a friend pointed out the size of his ears - which are astonishing - and said, “It makes sense that one of the most acclaimed directors of the 20th century could probably hear everything on the set better than everyone else.” And I have not stopped thinking about that a little since. *
Articles in the New York Post, El Pais, and others https://english.elpais.com/people/2023-12-24/alcohol-fights-and-indestructible-talent-how-peter-otoole-survived-the-bars.html
https://transition.fcc.gov/national-broadband-plan/broadband-performance-paper.pdf (an FCC paper with figures on the shift from dial-up to broadband.)
Podcasts
The Empire podcast.
An episode of History Hit
An episode of In Our Time, from the BBCUnspooled, Lawrence of Arabia
Follow us!
Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory
Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social
Threads: @biopicapodcaststory
Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory
Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com
* So David Lean is like Dumbo, sort of.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.