December 24, 2024 • 51 mins
In the interest of not burying the lead here, this is our very first Christmas Special featuring Devon’s brother, Cody Ramone! Also, Jesus called into the show to weigh in on Saturday Night Fever. Don’t get too excited though. He dodged all the important questions. But still, he didn’t call into anyone else’s community radio program this Christmas Eve. So put on your boogie woogie shoes and spend this holiday with Devon, Doug, Cody and Jesus!
About The Movie :
Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 American dance drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian-American man who spends his weekends dancing and drinking at a local discothèque while dealing with social tensions and disillusionment in his working class ethnic neighborhood in Brooklyn. The story is based on "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night", a mostly fictional 1976 New York article by music writer Nik Cohn.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
You're listening to Radio Free Reinkliffe.
Happy fourth fiscal quarter, ladies and gentlemen.
I would like to say welcome to the first annual studio property, Disco Extravaganza forJesus.
(00:22):
I'm Doug Wartell.
I'm Devin Irby.
And this week for Disco Extravaganza for Jesus, we are talking about what we've beentalking about for several weeks.
Saturday Night Fever circa 1977.
And who directed this film?
This is by John Bottom.
And I'm not going to lie, I don't know who he is other than the Saturday Night Fever guy.
(00:46):
Do we know anything else that he's done?
Well, he did like Short Circuit later on.
my God, it's the Short Circuit guy?
It's a Short Circuit guy.
In fact, I don't think anything else is really worth mentioning.
I think he also did War Games, he also did Short Circuit.
Yeah, that's a movie like every like holiday, grade school.
What's word I'm looking for?
(01:06):
Crap.
Ali Shady.
That's the word you're looking for is Ali Shady.
Every grade school holiday assembly, we watched either Short Circuit or the originalShaggy Dog.
I've seen Short Circuit so many times.
And now, and who do you have to thank for that?
What's his name again?
John Bottom.
wait, hold on.
John Badom.
(01:26):
I'm unable to my own chicken scratch.
John Badom.
Right, to be confused with the drummer of Led Zeppelin.
Correct.
John Badom.
Right.
There we go.
So John Badham directed a film where the exercise of foreshadowing itself is straight upfetishized.
While the real life backdrop of disco fashion and music was actually pronounced dead twosummers before shooting began.
(01:49):
But it would all come back and breathe once more.
But like Lazarus, it wasn't quite the same.
So you see, disco's resurrection would be celebrated by tourists who'd never seen theinside of a nightclub or hung out with a double J or a Bobby C.
or knew the primal bonding ritual of matter of fact racism or the burning fever of aSaturday night sexual assault with your buddies.
(02:13):
They came for the dancing and they stayed for the dancing.
And this Christmas we shall all worship at its feet.
Can I get an amen?
Amen.
Cody, hit the theme song and let this fever burn us to the ground.
(02:39):
You
So that's studio property, your studio property.
Hey!
Shut your mouth or you'll
Devin, audience, we have a guest.
(03:00):
We do.
have heard him for like a brief moment in the very beginning there.
And his name is Cody and he's your brother.
I've been calling him Cody Manamana so long that I forgot how to pronounce his actual lastname.
That's probably okay.
He can mysteriously just be Cody.
I was going to go with Cody Ramon and then just talk about all my brothers.
(03:23):
Let's just do that.
You're Cody Ramon.
So tell us about Cody Ramon, Devin, because he's your brother.
He technically belongs to you.
Cody and I grew up in We go way back.
We go way back.
We go way back.
My whole life.
We actually really grew up in a household where a lot of movies were consumed.
(03:44):
It was maybe not our first mutual love, because I'm not going to lie, our first mutuallove is He-Man.
I mean, everybody in our family knows that.
That's accurate.
But our second mutual love was movies.
Our grandfather, Papa, was a huge film buff.
And so we didn't just watch current movies while we were growing up.
(04:06):
We watched a lot of old movies because of our grandfather.
Yeah.
What was the Columbia House subscription where you get 50 movies for a dollar for thefirst one, and then they charge you like 800 bucks for each movie after that?
100%.
And that's how he got the entire John Wayne collection.
Yeah.
Hundreds and hundreds of movies.
(04:27):
So many movies.
So many movies.
Yeah.
I just pictured a little Cody running in and his underwears were like, the sequel to DrewGrint's here.
And it's got Katharine Hepburn.
mean, close to accurate.
for the little Cody part because you can't tell because obviously we're on radio, butCody's extremely tall and was always, let's be honest, he's always been extremely tall.
(04:53):
So there was never a little Cody.
Yeah.
I would have been a formidable adversary to John Wayne.
for sure.
I have knocked him off a horse.
absolutely.
Well, also considering that by the end he only had one lung.
I mean, you know, he wasn't in great shape.
He wasn't taking care of himself.
Wouldn't it have been, you know.
And a kind of infamous limp.
(05:15):
Not to take anything away from you, but.
I mean, I'll take it.
If I was like six, yeah, I could have.
for sure.
I'll take the limp.
Yeah.
Now, Cody works in film.
Yeah.
Cody went to school.
He got to work it as you're telling this biography.
Yeah.
this Columbia House subscription, ultimately led to his career.
did.
Yeah.
(05:35):
Yeah.
Cody, went to, yes, he went to Northern Michigan University, got himself a degree incinema, which honestly is pretty unusual for anybody who maybe doesn't live in California
or New York.
I feel like you go to a coast for school.
This, this bad ass was like, uh-uh, I'm going to go to the UP.
(05:58):
Right.
The place to be is where I'm at.
That's right.
The great white north.
Right.
And so you've worked in film production, video production your entire career.
Yeah.
The better part of 20 years.
So commercials and not many things that people would have seen on purpose.
You know, it's amazing.
Cody and I once had a conversation about the Star Wars prequels because I am of a certainvintage and they and they hit me very different.
(06:25):
When I say hit me, they assaulted.
And explained to me why those films were important to filmmaking.
And now, holy s***, has that come true?
Like, we're yeah, this would never have been a thing if this didn't happen and rushedinto, like shoved into the conversation when it was.
And I was really fascinating.
(06:46):
And I'm reminded of it all the time.
so when I watch it, I'm like, god damn it, Cody's right.
It's your personal Martin Scorsese?
So right, since the subsequent movies have come out, I didn't mean to be that accurateabout, mean.
Right.
You're like, I didn't mean to be that correct about the end of cinema.
(07:08):
Yeah, exactly.
Apologies.
Yeah.
Whoopsies.
But today we're talking about Saturday Night Fever, which we all agree has more in commonwith like a Hubert Selby novel than it does like Grease.
Right?
Now, before we get started, I'm gonna give a little background on the pre-production,right?
(07:33):
This thing was the brainchild of Robert Stigwood, who is a record producer, one of the bigones in the 70s, right?
But Robert Stigwood just wakes up one day and he's like, I'm gonna make films.
And he is watching like Welcome Back Hotter and he's like, that kid's gonna be a star.
And signed John Travolta.
(07:55):
to a three picture deal.
Mind you, the guy's not made a movie yet, neither of them.
And then on top of that, he's gonna get the Bee Gees to do his soundtrack.
The Bee Gees at this point in their career are over.
Like they are like the Bee Gees of Massachusetts and I started a joke.
Like they can barely get work as their little brother's backup singers, right?
(08:21):
Like Andy, they're like in the back.
crowned of Andy Gibb records.
This is where the Bee Gees are when this is gonna be a thing.
So now he gets tasked with making this disco soundtrack based on this article called TheTribal Rites of the New Saturday Night.
And it's by a rock journalist named Nick Cohn.
And know, in an era of like where people with studios were buying best sellers and justnabbing up, that's how we get Puzios, The Godfather, all that business.
(08:49):
They just start nabbing up these novels.
This guy's like, I'm gonna buy this article from New York Magazine, which was later foundout to be kind of about 70, 30 nonsense, right?
But as a Brooklyn, I grew up in Bay Ridge, I'll tell you, not really, it might as wellhave been a documentary.
(09:11):
And all of Hollywood thinks this guy is crazy.
And this is where we start.
It was written by Norman Wexler.
who wrote the Serpico screenplay, which is why you get the Serpico poster in JohnTravolta's room.
It's like, Pacino.
And the first director, do I have the note on that?
(09:33):
The first director was John Avilsen.
I'm sorry to be so verbose, I gotta set this up, kids.
like, John Avilsen, he agrees to do it based on the article.
He's already shot a film with Stallone.
called Rocky and he's already in production, like in pre-production rather with the castof Saturday Night Fever.
(09:59):
He's about to change everything.
He hates the Bee Gees, he hates their music, he hates what the demos that are coming in.
So as they're about to shoot, Avilson's nominated for an Oscar for Rocky.
So now Stigwood has an Academy Award nominated director before day one starts.
(10:19):
and he's looking at what the director wants to do and fires him on the spot, doesn't givea fuck who he is.
He's like out.
And that's when we get John Badham.
And then now we're off to the races.
And this is the first time you had seen it, Devin, right?
Yes.
have somehow managed.
How about you, Cody?
Yeah.
(10:40):
Wow, really?
Wow.
What'd you think it was gonna be?
Do you wanna go first, Devin?
Well, Doug knows, I mean, I always made an assumption that Saturday Night Fever was, youknow, a tacky dance film, which is surprising that I'd never seen it considering how much
I love dance and I was a dancer.
So like, it's surprising that I was like, tacky dance film, not interested.
(11:02):
But he kept reminding me, uh-uh, not what you think it is.
So I kind of went into it going, crap, what is this actually gonna be?
And it was a lot.
That's what it was.
It was a lot.
My notes start, they just say Saturday Night Fever, oof.
(11:23):
And yeah, was, they were in, it was in the theater at the same time as Grease.
That's Yeah, think they're six months apart.
Yeah, they overlap.
That's insane.
Right, ready for this?
The first time I saw it, I was younger than my daughter.
Our father had come to visit.
Yeah, our father had come to visit, because my parents were separated.
(11:45):
We lived in Bay Ridge.
I could see the bridge from my window.
The very bridge Bobby C.
dies on, I could see from my window.
But it was the PG, because later on they cut a PG version.
So there were lots of reshoots, because the soundtrack was so successful.
And critics were very weirded out by how vulgar the film was, because he'd never been toBrooklyn, apparently.
(12:06):
So we go to see the movie, Grease was the first one.
Like, wow, and the car flies away.
she's in hot pants and he's in a Letterman sweater.
It's all very confusing because I'm seven, right?
Still confusing.
The only thing I remember about having watched Saturday Night Fever is opening the door tothe theater and the sun coming in, because it was like a matinee, it was a double feature.
(12:28):
And the first thing I saw was the bridge and that was my day.
I was wrecked from it.
As a little kid, I was just like, because the scream.
Yeah, that was my experience seeing Saturday Night Fever for the first time.
yeah.
Yikes.
It's so funny that they made they recut it to be PG so that that could happen.
(12:50):
You could have a double feature with Grease.
Yeah.
Like it's crazy.
they only they trade changed all of like, you know, a lot of dialogue and that kind ofthing.
They only cut like five minutes out of the movie.
It's not that much that they actually cut out.
It's just the language basically in a few like horrible scenes we can touch on later.
Yeah.
It's like it's still like
(13:10):
And you can only get the PG version on VHS.
It never came on any other media after that.
No, in the 80s on HBO, do you know who Ben Stiller's parents were?
Yeah, Jay Stiller and Ann Meara.
They used to do a show on HBO when it was like home box office, right?
(13:32):
Where they would preview what was gonna be coming on the following month.
And they'd be like,
there's a rated PG version and a rated R version.
And they showed both versions according to the time of day.
And my brother and I were like, I wanna see what's the nasty stuff.
Because we were a little older.
(13:52):
And you can only be traumatized by one movie you think just once, right?
Not just once.
Jaws ain't got shit on this movie.
I literally sat the whole time thinking like, this is a prequel to Taxi Driver, right?
This is what happened before.
That's how he gets there.
(14:14):
How he gets there, how Annette gets there.
yeah.
I have a whole thing about the sequel I wanted to see, which we could touch on later.
Yes, let's do that.
Let's do Cody's cut of Staying Alive.
It's very different.
Does Frank Stallone still do the soundtrack?
(14:35):
That's a really important question.
You tell me when.
I'll give you the whole thing.
It's a brief synopsis now.
Well, let's dive into a few scenes first.
We have to talk about Tony getting ready to go out to 2001 Odyssey the first time, becausethat whole thing of him getting ready is so ridiculous.
(15:01):
It's too long.
I felt like it was just like there could have been a real condensed version blow dryinghis hair.
Also as a lady, I'm just gonna say it now, briefs on a man, never acceptable in any way,shape or form.
Never.
So everyone in the Northeast who's hearing this part of the broadcast now knows the kindof man you've never dated and is...
(15:27):
quietly congratulating you for that.
that's nice.
Thanks listeners.
Yeah.
that.
Well, you you could tell I'm a Midwestern girl.
We don't we don't put things on show.
We just don't put things on been to the 18th Avenue Feast.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Yes, and they just, I don't know.
(15:47):
In fact, I found like John Travolta's chest hair to be the least offensive thing of thatwhole sequence where I was like- That whole situation.
That whole situation that was the least offensive thing to me.
was like, it's a fair amount of chest hair, eh, whatever.
But God, nobody should blow dry their hair that long unless you're a hairstylist andyou're doing somebody's hair for like a wedding.
(16:08):
You know Let me be clear about this.
Like everything about those men in this movie.
is 1000 % accurate.
I believe it.
I'm telling you, like, and it was accurate well into the 90s.
They changed the clothing a little bit.
Like the polyester was replaced later with sweatsuits, with Playboy bunnies for a minute.
Only like the clothing changed.
(16:29):
The hair didn't change much.
The preparation didn't change much.
And that good old fashioned misogyny stayed intact.
They stayed true to themselves, Tevin.
I mean, those were other elements of it too, right?
I mean, when his dad comes in and aggressively ogles the Farrah Fawcett poster, so weird.
(16:51):
yeah.
And uncomfortable.
And I was like, come on old man, dial it back, seriously.
Yeah.
God, so bad.
I would also say the outfit didn't bother me.
Overall, Tony's outfits did not bother me.
And once he was dressed, I was like, eh.
I mean, so much polyester.
I'm trying to like, mean, kind of easily stainable is that material?
(17:15):
I don't know.
It seems like it would be no, no polyester.
You can wash anything out of that.
The bigger problem is aggressive crotch rot because there's no breathability.
He literally wore plastic.
That's what polyester is.
It's plastic fabric.
And he wore it to a club where he danced his butt off.
I kind of assumed that
(17:36):
The polyester was to deflect the racial epithets that kept being flung around.
think you just wiped them off.
Yeah, feel like casual racism bounces easier off of man-made fibers than natural fibers.
That's just an assumption.
I mean, you could be correct.
Let's speak to that for a second.
Yeah, the language in the movie, the racism is, it's worse than say, I mean, it's morecasually racist than five Spike Lee joints, right?
(18:08):
Definitely.
Even the Italians in a Spike Lee movie draw attention to themselves when they're beingracist.
No, this is like low key, like under the radar, just matter of fact racism.
it's somehow like more, it hits harder.
Yeah, it feels accurate.
It feels like, yeah, people talk like that.
(18:29):
Yeah.
They did, somewhat say those things.
did.
It just wrote them down.
Like even when he's doing the right thing, right?
Like he knows he lost that contest.
He knows that it's kind of rigged.
even while he's giving the trophy to the Latina couple, Latino couple, as he's giving itto them, he's using the S word to describe them.
(18:51):
Yes, yeah.
And just matter of fact.
He's using the S word to describe how racist the judges are.
Yes.
Like you're being mean to the S word.
Yes.
And it's not meant for comedy effect.
No, not at all.
No, that's a piece of his of Tony's character growth in the movie.
(19:12):
Yeah.
God, you are so right.
That 1000 % spot on.
That's part of the growth of the character.
Yeah, that's his growth.
Yeah.
Is to still use the S word to do the right thing, essentially.
To be the bigger person.
We have to talk about and I mentioned it at the top like the amount of foreshadowing inthis movie is heavy it had its own unique flow to it that like many quote-unquote like
(19:45):
blockbuster films don't have yeah, it's pretty well constructed like this the story is isSurprisingly well put together.
I mean setting aside the casual racism and all the awfulness But like the actual flow ofthe story is is nicely constructed
Like it's engaging.
So comparatively speaking to some other movies of the time, it's surprisingly engaginglike the whole time.
(20:09):
Yeah.
You know, like it doesn't, it doesn't slow down and you don't like get lost on anything.
I didn't feel like you just keep going like, and the next thing that grabs you and youlike, there's some foreshadowing.
So you're like, something's going to happen with that.
Like it was really well constructed in my opinion.
It's almost like a glorified indie film.
It's like the indie film that could.
You know what I mean?
(20:30):
It was punching well above its weight.
Even though was a pop culture phenomenon, before Thriller comes along, it has the biggestselling soundtrack of all time.
Biggest selling album of all time.
And then because of the PG version, its box office is raking in, and then piggybacking offof Grease, it's making a ton of money.
(20:52):
I wrote it down because it was crazy.
This is not adjusted for inflation.
The movie costs three and a half million dollars to make and it box office $237.1 million.
Not adjusted in 1977 78.
Yeah.
Wow.
It's the highest grossing rated R movie of the seventies.
(21:14):
Wow.
That's wow.
Yeah.
Saturday night fever.
Who knew?
That's insane.
Do you guys remember in the 90s, a little movie called Kids came out?
Yeah.
Do you remember?
Did you ever see it?
I don't think I've seen all of it.
I don't think, I'm not sure I could handle it.
(21:34):
It was a big deal, right?
Like I think it's Rosario Dawson's first movie.
And Chloe Savini.
Chloe Savini, And I remember, okay, and the ending is, you know, a really horrible thinghappens at the end.
Can I tell you, was like, because of Saturday Fever, was like numb to it.
I was like, that's cute.
This is new for people.
(21:57):
You know what mean?
Cause there's so much sexual assault in Saturday Fever.
And the thing is, that like, made the movie, and it made the characters so rich to mebecause it was like, you're like, they're like, they have no shot.
Like no chance.
None of them.
Bobby C.
(22:18):
Double J.
Well, Bobby dies, but like Double J, Joey, like they're not gonna be anything.
you know, I'm lying.
No, mean, you know, until the Cody cut.
Like we get together.
But spoiler alert, no, they don't.
What I cannot wait to get to this.
(22:39):
by the I'm putting the phone lines are on.
yeah.
Going to radio free Ryan Cliff, you know, numbers on the website.
But yeah, really quick.
The scene where, and I'm gonna do a terribly big deep dive on this one, but it'sinteresting to me, because I've never seen it before or since in a film, where two
characters in a film, and it's when he first has coffee with Stephanie, I've never seen afilm where two characters read each other so hard and both of them be right.
(23:11):
They are reading, like how the drag queens say, they are reading each other to filth.
The way they're like ragging on each other.
They're both terrible to each other, but they're both right.
And I'd never seen that before.
Like, yeah, she does walk around like she's got a stairway to the stars because she isfrom that neighborhood and has a very glorified idea of what Manhattan is and what working
(23:35):
in Manhattan is.
And she also makes up bullshit stories about it, right?
And he's also a...
the two losers going nowhere fast in a cliche.
So when they say these things to each other, they're both right.
And I've never seen that.
And it was refreshing to see again, to be like, you know, like, I like this scene.
This is a really well done piece of filmmaking.
(23:57):
The way they both acted to not just how they're reading each other, but how they'reresponding to each other, to each other's comments is fantastic.
I'm sorry, but Tony just like shoveling food into his mouth.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Amazing.
You know that he he had to have studied those like he had to go to the neighborhood andlike watch.
(24:22):
I feel like Travolta like yeah studied those like those kind of people and just he hadtaken that in because like I mean I'm not saying he didn't come up with things on his own
but like he had to experience he had to know people or run across people that do thosethings.
Yeah.
anything about like his upbringing or I know that at this point and we'll get we'llprobably get to this and we can speculate this all the do-da-day like at this point he's
(24:50):
already like praying to Chewbacca right like they got his hooks in him yeah yeah like theScientology already has their hooks on in him you know in Welcome Back Hotter yeah you
know and also his girlfriend dies while he's making this movie that's why the footsteps inthe very beginning aren't him that's a double
So, cause he's in California dealing with that.
(25:12):
So I don't know much about his upbringing, but I can tell you that the performance is sospot on.
Cody, might remember this, but I was in a band with a dude named Anthony who used to, heused to like say my name, like it was spelled with seven D's.
and every horrible trait that was ever like in any cliche Brooklyn Italian person.
(25:38):
Can him be embodied in this one guy?
And let me tell you something, John Travolta was like the good looking version of thatthing.
Like he was, it's so spot on that it's, it's horrible.
It's just, yeah, it's horrible.
I think that's really accurate.
I gotta say Joey, both of them, double J, like those actors are phenomenal in this.
(26:05):
You know, yeah, they're excellent.
Meanwhile, you know, they would like Juilliard or something.
I'm just saying, I'm speculating now.
I don't know for sure.
Like, yeah, they probably went to Juilliard.
Yeah, I feel like the only way you get those performances are to have like maybe there's a1 % chance you grab some kid from a neighborhood that can do that.
But mostly they're just fantastic trained actors that know what they're doing.
(26:26):
They're like, yeah, that's their job.
That's what they're trained to do.
And they just do it.
Now, Cody, you wanted to talk about the scene.
where he, you we're back at the club.
Back at the club.
Where Frank Jr.
is out with Tony and his friends.
Yeah.
Now, Tony's brother comes back after being gone for a while, he's a priest who's leavingthe church.
(26:51):
And Tony takes him out with his friends.
First of all, I'll say I love Frank Jr.
He's probably my favorite character.
Just because he's just like, also he's so mysterious.
Why is he leaving the church?
I don't know.
The family literally had his picture on the mantle because he went to the priesthood.
Yeah.
But then he's done with it.
(27:11):
And I like the scene because, first of all, the transition in it, you know, it's visual.
But at the beginning, just this spinning disco ball out of focus and it just comes intofocus.
Yeah.
Like it's the best like intro to a scene.
And then he just Tony's so happy to bring his brother.
and show him and his brother's so kind about like, you're a fantastic dancer.
(27:32):
He's so supportive.
think it's the first time he's been, Tony's been supported and really supported, not justhaving people fawning over him.
Yeah, it's the only time we see it in the film, actually, of somebody being really trulysupportive of him.
And then the other side of that scene is Bobby C pestering.
(27:54):
Frank Jr.
like trying to ask him stuff like a priest and the whole interaction is so was so funny tome because he kept repeating himself and like trying to get like basically his attention.
Yeah.
Like do you think the Pope?
What does he say?
you the Pope will give us a dispensation for an abortion?
(28:15):
Yeah.
And he's like, right.
No, I don't think I don't think that can happen.
Especially.
Because it's like the first time Frank really hears what he's asking for.
So that moment where he's like, wait a minute.
He's so focused on his brother.
He turns around, he's like, wait, wait, what?
Pregnant?
What?
What are you saying?
His brother's just going to town on the dance floor.
(28:38):
And a sidebar.
Do you know who the woman who asks him to dance?
Fran Dresser.
didn't realize that.
She was beautiful.
Yeah, she was.
How great was that dress, too?
So good.
All the dresses were good, though.
They were all so good.
Yeah, none of the dude's outfits were good at all.
Again, because they were all sweating buckets in that polyester.
(29:04):
Yeah, I just learned that polyester was plastic today.
But that is an amazing, that is an amazing scene because even when he's like, I'm going togo out and this isn't really my scene or whatever, but like he was just like, no, I wanted
to come see what you do.
You know, and that's, want to see what your life is like.
That's really cool.
(29:24):
Yeah.
I think it was like the supportiveness of Frank Jr.
And when Tony gets that support and he's like, maybe I can do something with this andleave and try to be, know, at least go somewhere else, try something else.
But you can see those like the wheels turning again, foreshadowing about like, hey, youcan do something with this, which is nice.
(29:46):
So that's the big dance number that everyone's familiar with.
It's the one where you see the pose.
It's the one where
It's the solo of him taking the floor by himself and just running with it.
The first cut of the film, John Travolta absolutely hated because it was zoomed in on him.
So all he got was like his upper body.
(30:06):
And he had to call Robert Stigwood and threaten him because he was like, I did five monthsof training for this one sequence.
I need to see that sequence because it hurts learning.
So they had to reshoot it and go back and reassemble everything and make it work.
(30:27):
that's credited to the Scientology guy for setting up for himself on it.
You know I mean?
Cause like a lot of people, especially since his first film.
Yeah, that's ballsy.
what mean?
It is ballsy.
give credit where it's due, Scientologists know how to make a movie.
They're very serious about it.
I hear.
(30:50):
I never saw a battlefield earth.
never seen it.
I have.
I want to so badly.
maybe in future episodes you should do it's like the April Fool's Day.
It's an impressive study.
It's a very, yeah, study because they're everyone's doing their darndest.
(31:10):
Yeah, even for.
yeah, because for us, the Whittaker is in it, too.
And he said also, yeah.
Yeah.
Wow.
I mean, here on the Christmas episode of Studio Property, we celebrate the plurality ofreligion.
Very inclusive.
Yeah, this episode is non-secular.
We're the opposite of a gang of dancing hoodlums in Brooklyn in the 70s.
(31:34):
We won't rape you.
We will support your decisions.
We'll still be racist about them.
Matter of factly, even.
I don't know anything about swientologists.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't want to get into what I know about it because it's a whole nother episode.
(31:55):
It's hilarious.
Why do you know so much about Scientology?
You know, one of those wormholes you go down, like the fact that L Ron Hubbard is named LRon Hubbard because there was another Ron Hubbard in the writers guild already.
I did not know that.
That is why that's just the tip of the iceberg.
It's just amazing.
(32:15):
I see when you say you went to work, know, like go down a wormhole like you didn't go likeyou didn't end up like you weren't feeling like really horrible about yourself and end up
in some work camp.
No, but I do on my way to work to my job.
There's a underground tunnel when it's the weather's terrible to go from the train to likea bunch of buildings you can walk like a mile underground and it was terrible outside.
(32:36):
was doing that and there'll be people sometimes they're of the Jesusy persuasioninterested in talking to you about Jesus and
on one occasion they were Scientologists with their e-meter at a table and I saw that.
wow!
You didn't do the e-meter though?
No, I just saw that I was like, hard pass.
(32:57):
you running late because there's no excuse to not do the e-meter?
You better have been running late.
Like this is not the time for me to stop and be like what are my levels at?
My Theaton levels or whatever.
I I probably could have, I probably like could have been late for work then and then justit would have been like a religious exception.
(33:21):
I was having a spiritual crisis in the underground tunnel on the way to the train.
And here's this note.
Yeah.
This note from Zorak 261.
Also, can I get an advance because I owe them six hundred thousand dollars now?
Right.
(33:42):
The scene that I wanna talk about is the scene where the mother and father try to sort ofblame Tony for Frank leaving the church.
And this is wonderfully active.
Tony, what did you say to Father Frank Jr.?
What?
What did you say, what did you do?
Yeah, what did you say?
What you talking about?
(34:04):
You must have said something to him.
You sleep in the same room, you talk to him, the next night he stays out all night, youdon't come back.
I said nothing to him.
A is not a priest no more than he's grown up, so he can do what he wants.
Something you said to him.
yeah, you trying to blame me that he ain't a priest no more?
You been writing to him.
I don't believe this.
You trying to hang this on me?
(34:27):
He called, he called, In a couple of days he's gonna say he's wrong.
He's going through like a trial of the soul, you know?
He's going back to the church, he's going back.
No he won't, he's not going back to the church.
He's going back to the church, telling you!
He's going back!
It's not ever going back!
You don't got a priest no more!
And you got no saint, you got nothing but three sh-t children now!
(34:50):
Good!
Good!
I'm sorry, mom.
Every bit of that performance is wonderful.
Like that to me sold the realism.
(35:12):
That whole family dynamic where the father sort of shits on the raise.
The economy of that dialogue where you get what's happening in that family in such shortlittle spurts, the father's out of work.
How emasculating to him that is when she suggests she'll get a job.
All of this happens in a fight and it's all very quick and you quickly understand who thisfamily is.
(35:35):
Yeah.
know, the sister's worship of Tony, but also when she's in front of the parents, she'strained to snipe at him.
Yeah, yeah.
Like all of that is remarkable to me.
know, Father Francis is perfect, the little sister can do what she can do, but Tony can'tget away with anything.
But also the honesty of Father Frank in the bedroom.
(35:57):
with Tony.
I'm sorry, the honesty of Tony to be honest with his brother and be like, if you're not sogood, I'm not so bad.
got a call.
on a minute.
Good evening, Radio Free Ryan Cliff.
Hello, Douglas.
It's delightful to be on with you.
Hello, Devin.
Hello, Cody.
Hello.
(36:17):
Well, hello, caller.
Caller, what's your name?
This is Jesus, Douglas.
I know that you're probably not feeling
any belief in what I'm saying, but this is Jesus.
I'm calling because I know that you're going- Jesus, where are you?
Like in Rhinebeck?
Nazareth, Douglas Nazareth.
(36:40):
Pennsylvania?
Cody's so funny.
It's just a delightful conversation that you're having and I'm so happy that you'veallowed me to come in.
I did want to talk a little bit about Saturday night fever.
What is the life of Christ?
that your name?
Is your last name Christ?
Well, not technically my last name, but I could see where you might think that.
(37:01):
A lot of things have been kind of hyperinflated, but I'm really here to talk about themovie.
This sounds like just a great conversation about a truly amazing film.
The opportunity that was given to John Travolta so early in his career, and what amasterful performance.
I just want to be clear that you're saying that you are Jesus as in the Yeshua.
(37:24):
calling into my community radio show, not the Norm Magnuson show, not on WKZE.
You're calling into studio property.
D.
Jesus is calling in to Radio Ryan Clip to speak to me.
Yes, yes, that was said.
I'm trying to.
Devin, can you believe that?
Trying to think of a way to say this in a vernacular that would appeal to you, but getover it.
(37:50):
Let's talk about it.
Let's talk a little bit about the film.
I have to say that the opportunities that were available in this film to actors like JohnTravolta, to, especially Donna Pascal, who was a radiance in this movie, her performance,
(38:11):
all I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Jesus, you're right, my Lord.
Of course, you know this is a special in honor of your birthday, right?
is it June?
You have no idea that you're calling in on a Christmas special.
I'm quite aware of what the date is, but I just wanted to call in and join thisdiscussion.
(38:34):
And the film, one of my favorites, I know I shouldn't say You know we have a huge crisisin Israel right now.
Could you weigh in on that a little bit?
Are you angry that what's happening in Palestine and Israel?
I mean, it's like a genocide going on over there.
Douglas, stop.
We're discussing Saturday Night Fever with Jesus.
Quit asking him about the genocide.
(38:55):
Sorry, Jesus, please continue.
Thank you, Devin.
You're delightful.
thank you.
Really, just a wonderful show.
And I've enjoyed the other films that you've reviewed in the past.
But when I heard that you were going to...
really, Jesus?
You liked Shoplifters?
You thought that was a great movie?
Honestly, I did.
I feel that everyone...
(39:17):
everyone has a message and everybody has a spirit inside them that's done to come out.
Well, not dying like I did, but dying in a way.
When are you coming back?
Aren't you supposed to be coming back?
Well, I'm here to talk about Saturday Night Fever right now.
That's what I really showed up for.
So I do, I do think if everyone sat down together to watch this film, I'm sure
(39:44):
that they would all come out and have discussions that would all find an equal footing forboth sides of the aisle or the different racial.
I have a question, Jesus, because I also enjoyed the movie.
I think it's excellent.
And John Travolta was nominated for an Oscar for this.
And since he's a Scientologist, you did not give him an assist on that performance at all?
(40:06):
I don't pay attention to the religions that people follow.
And when I was there on the edge of my seat, actually, Oscar night,
Actually, not bragging, I was about six inches above the seat.
But I don't interfere with the comings and goings of mankind.
It is all right.
(40:27):
We are always right.
Once you can understand that you are never right, can you begin to understand that you arenever wrong?
He's got a point.
I can't argue with that.
So you don't prefer Richard Dreyfuss to John Travolta?
Richard has a dearth.
of skills, a great, as they call it in the business, a great bag of tricks to reach into,to bring to a performance.
(40:52):
John has different ones.
You will see him again, his resurrection, as you will, in Pulp Fiction.
He reinvented himself and his career in that film.
to see him transformed into this slick,
(41:13):
sleazy hit man.
It was a marvel.
Bravo, John.
Bravo.
Yeah, Jesus.
He was also in the remake of the taking of Pelham 123.
What did you think of that?
That was a show.
Well, thank you so much for calling in Lord.
Bless you all.
Thank you very much.
You're doing a great job.
(41:33):
Each each one of you just are truly a miracle.
Thank you.
And happy holidays.
Happy holiday.
Happy birthday, Jesus.
Thanks for calling us.
knew the son of God was such a potty mouth.
He was also a bit sassier than I anticipated, but I really good now.
(41:58):
I feel really good too.
I feel like everything's gonna be okay.
Yeah, exactly.
Where were we in this film?
Because it's not every day Jesus calls you.
No, no, I'm completely- We just talked about the dinner scene.
Yes.
Right.
Yeah, I mean, I think we, I don't know if we said all we needed to say about that dinnerscene before, you know, capture the last supper called in, but like that's, you know.
(42:26):
I'll add, although to go on to expand upon what you said and what Jesus said, and Imentioned it to him, John Travolta was nominated for an Oscar for this role.
So obviously- I didn't know he was nominated.
Yeah, I didn't know he was nominated.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
He, he lost out to Richard Dreyfus.
well.
for the Goodbye Girl?
(42:48):
Yes.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
And that got best picture that year, right?
Goodbye Girl?
No.
No?
I don't think so.
Did Annie Hall win or Annie Hall was nominated?
You might be right, and I think that's when Woody Allen famously didn't show up, becausethat would just contradict the film, it?
All they do is give each other awards out here, so that would make sense.
(43:09):
Yeah, it was Annie Hall.
Actually, you know what we should do?
Like, let's not elaborate on it right now, but we should do like a bonus episode where wetalk about directors that we're not allowed to talk about.
yeah.
Yeah.
Like, you know, what is the line and where is it?
I would love to do that episode.
Yeah, that's a good idea.
So that is a good idea.
I mean, we won't do that on Christmas.
(43:31):
No.
gosh.
No, but Easter is fair game.
So Cody, tell us about.
your sequel because I feel like it'll help pull strands of this film that we haven'ttouched on while we're writing the sequel.
I don't know if Devin knows this, but Cody and I had actually drafted the sequel to Xanaduand I just remembered that.
(43:57):
Revenge of the Muses.
Yes, we did.
Yep.
That's right.
Yeah.
Yes.
Yeah, we did.
wasn't a musical though.
Which is what makes it a real gem.
Yeah.
in the words of Jesus, real gem.
Or that's the reason why we couldn't get it funded, I don't know.
Also a possibility.
My sequel to Saturday Night Fever, which I'm figuring out the title, right now we'll justcall it Justice for a Net.
(44:25):
Okay.
It's a pretty straightforward summary.
Did you guys ever see Clean and Sober with Michael Keaton?
Yes.
Okay.
It's a lot like Clean and Sober, but with a net.
There's a lot of group therapy.
A lot of group therapy so she can exercise her demons and come out on the other side.
(44:51):
sorry, what's their names?
Double J and Joey.
Double J and Joey?
yeah, I think the end would be her visiting them in prison and forgiving them.
Ooh, wow.
I like it.
Now that I would watch.
they went to prison for unrelated crimes, by the way.
Right.
(45:13):
Also, is it does it take place immediately after like how far after?
This would be like the early 80s.
Years later.
She's had to deal with trauma for for like a decade almost.
OK.
So so is staying alive canon?
I think it could be.
Yeah, because they don't exist in staying alive at all.
They don't exist in that way.
Did you ever see that movie, Devin?
(45:34):
No, I haven't.
So it's the sequel to Saturday Night Fever that Sylvester Stallone directed.
right.
And has an obnoxious cameo in also.
But it's the one that like Travolta is in like a Tarzan outfit because he's doing aBroadway number.
(45:55):
It's This is the end.
It's a big Frank Stallone number.
Wow.
Okay.
Yeah.
You don't know it.
wow.
I don't know it.
Devin apparently has homework.
I do have homework.
I think you would know it if you heard it.
Okay.
So, so John Travolta is in Saturday night fever, but Joey, Joey and Double J are not.
(46:22):
staying alive.
you're talking about staying alive.
Staying alive.
Sorry.
Sorry.
Yeah.
Okay.
So John Travolta isn't staying alive, but Gus.
Double J and Joey are not.
Is Annette in Staying Alive?
No, they don't.
Okay.
Yeah, because his story is like- Is Stephanie in Staying Alive?
No, no, it's- Is it literally just John Travolta?
(46:45):
Yeah, because he's- it just Tony?
Yeah, it's like his Broadway career.
Like he goes on to be like a Broadway.
Yeah.
He actually becomes a professional dancer.
Yeah.
Wait, wait, wait.
Here it is.
Check it out.
(47:21):
Injustice for Annette, that song can start on the radio then she just turns it off.
Yeah.
Right, that's true.
man, and you'll be really, really great at the end.
Because you know could do anything with CGI now, right?
Like you could de-age Travolta, right?
Yeah.
And then she shows up to the Broadway show and does like a Lauren Bulbert where she justvapes through it.
(47:49):
I feel like you could make it really subtle and just have her in the audience.
then just John Travolta in his moment of triumph just connects eyes with her in theaudience.
Yeah.
And he just nods that's the end.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Like, like, I'm sorry, but like he doesn't know that he just like, yeah.
Yeah.
It's good.
I like it.
I like justice for Annette.
(48:10):
You guys got to get this made.
Yeah, for real.
This I need to see this film.
I do.
do.
It's a lot less bloody than our Xanadu sequel.
Really?
Sometimes I find that unsurprising though.
Yeah.
It's about emotional trauma, not physical trauma.
Yeah.
Fair.
I think we pretty much covered it.
(48:31):
Everything about this episode that we could possibly do, except figuring out how do wesell this to Susan?
Now for you at home, this is our favorite news segment.
that we try not to do in every episode, but it's hard not to.
Because our friend Susan is one of the most dismissive human beings we've ever met.
(48:55):
Cody, you've met her a couple times.
yeah.
And she's also has a very, very short attention span.
So we'll start with you, Devin.
How do we sell this film to Susan?
It doesn't seem like it would be that hard.
No, honestly, I'm mostly gonna just go with the dancing.
I mean, it's that simple.
(49:16):
It's John Travolta's hips.
Let's be honest, we all know Susan will dial in on that.
So I think that's really the route we go.
That's how we sell it to Susan and be like, you know, the hustle was on the way out.
And then this movie cranked it up again and it stayed hot into the 80s, you know?
(49:37):
it's what it took, you know, cause the hustle really started in New York city.
And so this movie is really how it got elsewhere.
I myself can't do the hustle, but I can do the push pull, which is essentially the hustlefor people who have, can keep a beat, but don't have John Travolta's hips.
(50:00):
Devon's like, my hips lie.
My hips do lie.
And it's a little bit blockier.
It's slowed down a little blockier.
Yes.
Brian and I, we can push pull with the best of them at a wedding.
The hustle is just a little too much for us.
But I feel like that's how we're going to sell it to Susan.
When we like, listen girl, lot of dancing and John Travolta's hips.
(50:25):
Worth your time.
Cody.
I think it's easy along the same lines.
Just remind Susan of that summer back in like 03 and she, when she was on her secondhusband with the dancer.
wow.
Remember that summer you enjoyed it so much.
You know, maybe inside you feel that was the summer you peaked.
(50:49):
mean, not judging.
We don't do that here, especially not today.
Nope.
Yeah.
But, you know, so anyway, I think we licked that envelope.
Yes, I believe we did.
So thank you guys so much for listening to this special Christmas episode of StudioProperty.
(51:13):
We're your Studio Property.
I'm Doug Wartell.
I'm Devin Irby.
I'm Cody Ramon.
Cody, you wanna try to come up with a catchphrase this week for that we can end the showon?
We try to do this every week and we can't get one that sticks.
mine is still just justice for a net.
Studio Property is mixed at Spillway Street Content in Red Hook, New York and syndicatedon Radio Free Reinkliff.
(51:39):
Themed song by The Corner Bodega.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on Instagram at Studio Property Show.
Thanks for listening and we'll catch you next week.
Spareway Street!
You're listening to Radio Free Reinkliffe.
Happy fourth fiscal quarter, ladies and gentlemen.
I would like to say welcome to the first annual studio property, Disco Extravaganza forJesus.
(00:22):
I'm Doug Wartell.
I'm Devin Irby.
And this week for Disco Extravaganza for Jesus, we are talking about what we've beentalking about for several weeks.
Saturday Night Fever circa 1977.
And who directed this film?
This is by John Bottom.
And I'm not going to lie, I don't know who he is other than the Saturday Night Fever guy.
(00:46):
Do we know anything else that he's done?
Well, he did like Short Circuit later on.
my God, it's the Short Circuit guy?
It's a Short Circuit guy.
In fact, I don't think anything else is really worth mentioning.
I think he also did War Games, he also did Short Circuit.
Yeah, that's a movie like every like holiday, grade school.
What's word I'm looking for?
(01:06):
Crap.
Ali Shady.
That's the word you're looking for is Ali Shady.
Every grade school holiday assembly, we watched either Short Circuit or the originalShaggy Dog.
I've seen Short Circuit so many times.
And now, and who do you have to thank for that?
What's his name again?
John Bottom.
wait, hold on.
John Badom.
(01:26):
I'm unable to my own chicken scratch.
John Badom.
Right, to be confused with the drummer of Led Zeppelin.
Correct.
John Badom.
Right.
There we go.
So John Badham directed a film where the exercise of foreshadowing itself is straight upfetishized.
While the real life backdrop of disco fashion and music was actually pronounced dead twosummers before shooting began.
(01:49):
But it would all come back and breathe once more.
But like Lazarus, it wasn't quite the same.
So you see, disco's resurrection would be celebrated by tourists who'd never seen theinside of a nightclub or hung out with a double J or a Bobby C.
or knew the primal bonding ritual of matter of fact racism or the burning fever of aSaturday night sexual assault with your buddies.
(02:13):
They came for the dancing and they stayed for the dancing.
And this Christmas we shall all worship at its feet.
Can I get an amen?
Amen.
Cody, hit the theme song and let this fever burn us to the ground.
(02:39):
You
So that's studio property, your studio property.
Hey!
Shut your mouth or you'll
Devin, audience, we have a guest.
(03:00):
We do.
have heard him for like a brief moment in the very beginning there.
And his name is Cody and he's your brother.
I've been calling him Cody Manamana so long that I forgot how to pronounce his actual lastname.
That's probably okay.
He can mysteriously just be Cody.
I was going to go with Cody Ramon and then just talk about all my brothers.
(03:23):
Let's just do that.
You're Cody Ramon.
So tell us about Cody Ramon, Devin, because he's your brother.
He technically belongs to you.
Cody and I grew up in We go way back.
We go way back.
We go way back.
My whole life.
We actually really grew up in a household where a lot of movies were consumed.
(03:44):
It was maybe not our first mutual love, because I'm not going to lie, our first mutuallove is He-Man.
I mean, everybody in our family knows that.
That's accurate.
But our second mutual love was movies.
Our grandfather, Papa, was a huge film buff.
And so we didn't just watch current movies while we were growing up.
(04:06):
We watched a lot of old movies because of our grandfather.
Yeah.
What was the Columbia House subscription where you get 50 movies for a dollar for thefirst one, and then they charge you like 800 bucks for each movie after that?
100%.
And that's how he got the entire John Wayne collection.
Yeah.
Hundreds and hundreds of movies.
(04:27):
So many movies.
So many movies.
Yeah.
I just pictured a little Cody running in and his underwears were like, the sequel to DrewGrint's here.
And it's got Katharine Hepburn.
mean, close to accurate.
for the little Cody part because you can't tell because obviously we're on radio, butCody's extremely tall and was always, let's be honest, he's always been extremely tall.
(04:53):
So there was never a little Cody.
Yeah.
I would have been a formidable adversary to John Wayne.
for sure.
I have knocked him off a horse.
absolutely.
Well, also considering that by the end he only had one lung.
I mean, you know, he wasn't in great shape.
He wasn't taking care of himself.
Wouldn't it have been, you know.
And a kind of infamous limp.
(05:15):
Not to take anything away from you, but.
I mean, I'll take it.
If I was like six, yeah, I could have.
for sure.
I'll take the limp.
Yeah.
Now, Cody works in film.
Yeah.
Cody went to school.
He got to work it as you're telling this biography.
Yeah.
this Columbia House subscription, ultimately led to his career.
did.
Yeah.
(05:35):
Yeah.
Cody, went to, yes, he went to Northern Michigan University, got himself a degree incinema, which honestly is pretty unusual for anybody who maybe doesn't live in California
or New York.
I feel like you go to a coast for school.
This, this bad ass was like, uh-uh, I'm going to go to the UP.
(05:58):
Right.
The place to be is where I'm at.
That's right.
The great white north.
Right.
And so you've worked in film production, video production your entire career.
Yeah.
The better part of 20 years.
So commercials and not many things that people would have seen on purpose.
You know, it's amazing.
Cody and I once had a conversation about the Star Wars prequels because I am of a certainvintage and they and they hit me very different.
(06:25):
When I say hit me, they assaulted.
And explained to me why those films were important to filmmaking.
And now, holy s***, has that come true?
Like, we're yeah, this would never have been a thing if this didn't happen and rushedinto, like shoved into the conversation when it was.
And I was really fascinating.
(06:46):
And I'm reminded of it all the time.
so when I watch it, I'm like, god damn it, Cody's right.
It's your personal Martin Scorsese?
So right, since the subsequent movies have come out, I didn't mean to be that accurateabout, mean.
Right.
You're like, I didn't mean to be that correct about the end of cinema.
(07:08):
Yeah, exactly.
Apologies.
Yeah.
Whoopsies.
But today we're talking about Saturday Night Fever, which we all agree has more in commonwith like a Hubert Selby novel than it does like Grease.
Right?
Now, before we get started, I'm gonna give a little background on the pre-production,right?
(07:33):
This thing was the brainchild of Robert Stigwood, who is a record producer, one of the bigones in the 70s, right?
But Robert Stigwood just wakes up one day and he's like, I'm gonna make films.
And he is watching like Welcome Back Hotter and he's like, that kid's gonna be a star.
And signed John Travolta.
(07:55):
to a three picture deal.
Mind you, the guy's not made a movie yet, neither of them.
And then on top of that, he's gonna get the Bee Gees to do his soundtrack.
The Bee Gees at this point in their career are over.
Like they are like the Bee Gees of Massachusetts and I started a joke.
Like they can barely get work as their little brother's backup singers, right?
(08:21):
Like Andy, they're like in the back.
crowned of Andy Gibb records.
This is where the Bee Gees are when this is gonna be a thing.
So now he gets tasked with making this disco soundtrack based on this article called TheTribal Rites of the New Saturday Night.
And it's by a rock journalist named Nick Cohn.
And know, in an era of like where people with studios were buying best sellers and justnabbing up, that's how we get Puzios, The Godfather, all that business.
(08:49):
They just start nabbing up these novels.
This guy's like, I'm gonna buy this article from New York Magazine, which was later foundout to be kind of about 70, 30 nonsense, right?
But as a Brooklyn, I grew up in Bay Ridge, I'll tell you, not really, it might as wellhave been a documentary.
(09:11):
And all of Hollywood thinks this guy is crazy.
And this is where we start.
It was written by Norman Wexler.
who wrote the Serpico screenplay, which is why you get the Serpico poster in JohnTravolta's room.
It's like, Pacino.
And the first director, do I have the note on that?
(09:33):
The first director was John Avilsen.
I'm sorry to be so verbose, I gotta set this up, kids.
like, John Avilsen, he agrees to do it based on the article.
He's already shot a film with Stallone.
called Rocky and he's already in production, like in pre-production rather with the castof Saturday Night Fever.
(09:59):
He's about to change everything.
He hates the Bee Gees, he hates their music, he hates what the demos that are coming in.
So as they're about to shoot, Avilson's nominated for an Oscar for Rocky.
So now Stigwood has an Academy Award nominated director before day one starts.
(10:19):
and he's looking at what the director wants to do and fires him on the spot, doesn't givea fuck who he is.
He's like out.
And that's when we get John Badham.
And then now we're off to the races.
And this is the first time you had seen it, Devin, right?
Yes.
have somehow managed.
How about you, Cody?
Yeah.
(10:40):
Wow, really?
Wow.
What'd you think it was gonna be?
Do you wanna go first, Devin?
Well, Doug knows, I mean, I always made an assumption that Saturday Night Fever was, youknow, a tacky dance film, which is surprising that I'd never seen it considering how much
I love dance and I was a dancer.
So like, it's surprising that I was like, tacky dance film, not interested.
(11:02):
But he kept reminding me, uh-uh, not what you think it is.
So I kind of went into it going, crap, what is this actually gonna be?
And it was a lot.
That's what it was.
It was a lot.
My notes start, they just say Saturday Night Fever, oof.
(11:23):
And yeah, was, they were in, it was in the theater at the same time as Grease.
That's Yeah, think they're six months apart.
Yeah, they overlap.
That's insane.
Right, ready for this?
The first time I saw it, I was younger than my daughter.
Our father had come to visit.
Yeah, our father had come to visit, because my parents were separated.
(11:45):
We lived in Bay Ridge.
I could see the bridge from my window.
The very bridge Bobby C.
dies on, I could see from my window.
But it was the PG, because later on they cut a PG version.
So there were lots of reshoots, because the soundtrack was so successful.
And critics were very weirded out by how vulgar the film was, because he'd never been toBrooklyn, apparently.
(12:06):
So we go to see the movie, Grease was the first one.
Like, wow, and the car flies away.
she's in hot pants and he's in a Letterman sweater.
It's all very confusing because I'm seven, right?
Still confusing.
The only thing I remember about having watched Saturday Night Fever is opening the door tothe theater and the sun coming in, because it was like a matinee, it was a double feature.
(12:28):
And the first thing I saw was the bridge and that was my day.
I was wrecked from it.
As a little kid, I was just like, because the scream.
Yeah, that was my experience seeing Saturday Night Fever for the first time.
yeah.
Yikes.
It's so funny that they made they recut it to be PG so that that could happen.
(12:50):
You could have a double feature with Grease.
Yeah.
Like it's crazy.
they only they trade changed all of like, you know, a lot of dialogue and that kind ofthing.
They only cut like five minutes out of the movie.
It's not that much that they actually cut out.
It's just the language basically in a few like horrible scenes we can touch on later.
Yeah.
It's like it's still like
(13:10):
And you can only get the PG version on VHS.
It never came on any other media after that.
No, in the 80s on HBO, do you know who Ben Stiller's parents were?
Yeah, Jay Stiller and Ann Meara.
They used to do a show on HBO when it was like home box office, right?
(13:32):
Where they would preview what was gonna be coming on the following month.
And they'd be like,
there's a rated PG version and a rated R version.
And they showed both versions according to the time of day.
And my brother and I were like, I wanna see what's the nasty stuff.
Because we were a little older.
(13:52):
And you can only be traumatized by one movie you think just once, right?
Not just once.
Jaws ain't got shit on this movie.
I literally sat the whole time thinking like, this is a prequel to Taxi Driver, right?
This is what happened before.
That's how he gets there.
(14:14):
How he gets there, how Annette gets there.
yeah.
I have a whole thing about the sequel I wanted to see, which we could touch on later.
Yes, let's do that.
Let's do Cody's cut of Staying Alive.
It's very different.
Does Frank Stallone still do the soundtrack?
(14:35):
That's a really important question.
You tell me when.
I'll give you the whole thing.
It's a brief synopsis now.
Well, let's dive into a few scenes first.
We have to talk about Tony getting ready to go out to 2001 Odyssey the first time, becausethat whole thing of him getting ready is so ridiculous.
(15:01):
It's too long.
I felt like it was just like there could have been a real condensed version blow dryinghis hair.
Also as a lady, I'm just gonna say it now, briefs on a man, never acceptable in any way,shape or form.
Never.
So everyone in the Northeast who's hearing this part of the broadcast now knows the kindof man you've never dated and is...
(15:27):
quietly congratulating you for that.
that's nice.
Thanks listeners.
Yeah.
that.
Well, you you could tell I'm a Midwestern girl.
We don't we don't put things on show.
We just don't put things on been to the 18th Avenue Feast.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Yes, and they just, I don't know.
(15:47):
In fact, I found like John Travolta's chest hair to be the least offensive thing of thatwhole sequence where I was like- That whole situation.
That whole situation that was the least offensive thing to me.
was like, it's a fair amount of chest hair, eh, whatever.
But God, nobody should blow dry their hair that long unless you're a hairstylist andyou're doing somebody's hair for like a wedding.
(16:08):
You know Let me be clear about this.
Like everything about those men in this movie.
is 1000 % accurate.
I believe it.
I'm telling you, like, and it was accurate well into the 90s.
They changed the clothing a little bit.
Like the polyester was replaced later with sweatsuits, with Playboy bunnies for a minute.
Only like the clothing changed.
(16:29):
The hair didn't change much.
The preparation didn't change much.
And that good old fashioned misogyny stayed intact.
They stayed true to themselves, Tevin.
I mean, those were other elements of it too, right?
I mean, when his dad comes in and aggressively ogles the Farrah Fawcett poster, so weird.
(16:51):
yeah.
And uncomfortable.
And I was like, come on old man, dial it back, seriously.
Yeah.
God, so bad.
I would also say the outfit didn't bother me.
Overall, Tony's outfits did not bother me.
And once he was dressed, I was like, eh.
I mean, so much polyester.
I'm trying to like, mean, kind of easily stainable is that material?
(17:15):
I don't know.
It seems like it would be no, no polyester.
You can wash anything out of that.
The bigger problem is aggressive crotch rot because there's no breathability.
He literally wore plastic.
That's what polyester is.
It's plastic fabric.
And he wore it to a club where he danced his butt off.
I kind of assumed that
(17:36):
The polyester was to deflect the racial epithets that kept being flung around.
think you just wiped them off.
Yeah, feel like casual racism bounces easier off of man-made fibers than natural fibers.
That's just an assumption.
I mean, you could be correct.
Let's speak to that for a second.
Yeah, the language in the movie, the racism is, it's worse than say, I mean, it's morecasually racist than five Spike Lee joints, right?
(18:08):
Definitely.
Even the Italians in a Spike Lee movie draw attention to themselves when they're beingracist.
No, this is like low key, like under the radar, just matter of fact racism.
it's somehow like more, it hits harder.
Yeah, it feels accurate.
It feels like, yeah, people talk like that.
(18:29):
Yeah.
They did, somewhat say those things.
did.
It just wrote them down.
Like even when he's doing the right thing, right?
Like he knows he lost that contest.
He knows that it's kind of rigged.
even while he's giving the trophy to the Latina couple, Latino couple, as he's giving itto them, he's using the S word to describe them.
(18:51):
Yes, yeah.
And just matter of fact.
He's using the S word to describe how racist the judges are.
Yes.
Like you're being mean to the S word.
Yes.
And it's not meant for comedy effect.
No, not at all.
No, that's a piece of his of Tony's character growth in the movie.
(19:12):
Yeah.
God, you are so right.
That 1000 % spot on.
That's part of the growth of the character.
Yeah, that's his growth.
Yeah.
Is to still use the S word to do the right thing, essentially.
To be the bigger person.
We have to talk about and I mentioned it at the top like the amount of foreshadowing inthis movie is heavy it had its own unique flow to it that like many quote-unquote like
(19:45):
blockbuster films don't have yeah, it's pretty well constructed like this the story is isSurprisingly well put together.
I mean setting aside the casual racism and all the awfulness But like the actual flow ofthe story is is nicely constructed
Like it's engaging.
So comparatively speaking to some other movies of the time, it's surprisingly engaginglike the whole time.
(20:09):
Yeah.
You know, like it doesn't, it doesn't slow down and you don't like get lost on anything.
I didn't feel like you just keep going like, and the next thing that grabs you and youlike, there's some foreshadowing.
So you're like, something's going to happen with that.
Like it was really well constructed in my opinion.
It's almost like a glorified indie film.
It's like the indie film that could.
You know what I mean?
(20:30):
It was punching well above its weight.
Even though was a pop culture phenomenon, before Thriller comes along, it has the biggestselling soundtrack of all time.
Biggest selling album of all time.
And then because of the PG version, its box office is raking in, and then piggybacking offof Grease, it's making a ton of money.
(20:52):
I wrote it down because it was crazy.
This is not adjusted for inflation.
The movie costs three and a half million dollars to make and it box office $237.1 million.
Not adjusted in 1977 78.
Yeah.
Wow.
It's the highest grossing rated R movie of the seventies.
(21:14):
Wow.
That's wow.
Yeah.
Saturday night fever.
Who knew?
That's insane.
Do you guys remember in the 90s, a little movie called Kids came out?
Yeah.
Do you remember?
Did you ever see it?
I don't think I've seen all of it.
I don't think, I'm not sure I could handle it.
(21:34):
It was a big deal, right?
Like I think it's Rosario Dawson's first movie.
And Chloe Savini.
Chloe Savini, And I remember, okay, and the ending is, you know, a really horrible thinghappens at the end.
Can I tell you, was like, because of Saturday Fever, was like numb to it.
I was like, that's cute.
This is new for people.
(21:57):
You know what mean?
Cause there's so much sexual assault in Saturday Fever.
And the thing is, that like, made the movie, and it made the characters so rich to mebecause it was like, you're like, they're like, they have no shot.
Like no chance.
None of them.
Bobby C.
(22:18):
Double J.
Well, Bobby dies, but like Double J, Joey, like they're not gonna be anything.
you know, I'm lying.
No, mean, you know, until the Cody cut.
Like we get together.
But spoiler alert, no, they don't.
What I cannot wait to get to this.
(22:39):
by the I'm putting the phone lines are on.
yeah.
Going to radio free Ryan Cliff, you know, numbers on the website.
But yeah, really quick.
The scene where, and I'm gonna do a terribly big deep dive on this one, but it'sinteresting to me, because I've never seen it before or since in a film, where two
characters in a film, and it's when he first has coffee with Stephanie, I've never seen afilm where two characters read each other so hard and both of them be right.
(23:11):
They are reading, like how the drag queens say, they are reading each other to filth.
The way they're like ragging on each other.
They're both terrible to each other, but they're both right.
And I'd never seen that before.
Like, yeah, she does walk around like she's got a stairway to the stars because she isfrom that neighborhood and has a very glorified idea of what Manhattan is and what working
(23:35):
in Manhattan is.
And she also makes up bullshit stories about it, right?
And he's also a...
the two losers going nowhere fast in a cliche.
So when they say these things to each other, they're both right.
And I've never seen that.
And it was refreshing to see again, to be like, you know, like, I like this scene.
This is a really well done piece of filmmaking.
(23:57):
The way they both acted to not just how they're reading each other, but how they'reresponding to each other, to each other's comments is fantastic.
I'm sorry, but Tony just like shoveling food into his mouth.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Amazing.
You know that he he had to have studied those like he had to go to the neighborhood andlike watch.
(24:22):
I feel like Travolta like yeah studied those like those kind of people and just he hadtaken that in because like I mean I'm not saying he didn't come up with things on his own
but like he had to experience he had to know people or run across people that do thosethings.
Yeah.
anything about like his upbringing or I know that at this point and we'll get we'llprobably get to this and we can speculate this all the do-da-day like at this point he's
(24:50):
already like praying to Chewbacca right like they got his hooks in him yeah yeah like theScientology already has their hooks on in him you know in Welcome Back Hotter yeah you
know and also his girlfriend dies while he's making this movie that's why the footsteps inthe very beginning aren't him that's a double
So, cause he's in California dealing with that.
(25:12):
So I don't know much about his upbringing, but I can tell you that the performance is sospot on.
Cody, might remember this, but I was in a band with a dude named Anthony who used to, heused to like say my name, like it was spelled with seven D's.
and every horrible trait that was ever like in any cliche Brooklyn Italian person.
(25:38):
Can him be embodied in this one guy?
And let me tell you something, John Travolta was like the good looking version of thatthing.
Like he was, it's so spot on that it's, it's horrible.
It's just, yeah, it's horrible.
I think that's really accurate.
I gotta say Joey, both of them, double J, like those actors are phenomenal in this.
(26:05):
You know, yeah, they're excellent.
Meanwhile, you know, they would like Juilliard or something.
I'm just saying, I'm speculating now.
I don't know for sure.
Like, yeah, they probably went to Juilliard.
Yeah, I feel like the only way you get those performances are to have like maybe there's a1 % chance you grab some kid from a neighborhood that can do that.
But mostly they're just fantastic trained actors that know what they're doing.
(26:26):
They're like, yeah, that's their job.
That's what they're trained to do.
And they just do it.
Now, Cody, you wanted to talk about the scene.
where he, you we're back at the club.
Back at the club.
Where Frank Jr.
is out with Tony and his friends.
Yeah.
Now, Tony's brother comes back after being gone for a while, he's a priest who's leavingthe church.
(26:51):
And Tony takes him out with his friends.
First of all, I'll say I love Frank Jr.
He's probably my favorite character.
Just because he's just like, also he's so mysterious.
Why is he leaving the church?
I don't know.
The family literally had his picture on the mantle because he went to the priesthood.
Yeah.
But then he's done with it.
(27:11):
And I like the scene because, first of all, the transition in it, you know, it's visual.
But at the beginning, just this spinning disco ball out of focus and it just comes intofocus.
Yeah.
Like it's the best like intro to a scene.
And then he just Tony's so happy to bring his brother.
and show him and his brother's so kind about like, you're a fantastic dancer.
(27:32):
He's so supportive.
think it's the first time he's been, Tony's been supported and really supported, not justhaving people fawning over him.
Yeah, it's the only time we see it in the film, actually, of somebody being really trulysupportive of him.
And then the other side of that scene is Bobby C pestering.
(27:54):
Frank Jr.
like trying to ask him stuff like a priest and the whole interaction is so was so funny tome because he kept repeating himself and like trying to get like basically his attention.
Yeah.
Like do you think the Pope?
What does he say?
you the Pope will give us a dispensation for an abortion?
(28:15):
Yeah.
And he's like, right.
No, I don't think I don't think that can happen.
Especially.
Because it's like the first time Frank really hears what he's asking for.
So that moment where he's like, wait a minute.
He's so focused on his brother.
He turns around, he's like, wait, wait, what?
Pregnant?
What?
What are you saying?
His brother's just going to town on the dance floor.
(28:38):
And a sidebar.
Do you know who the woman who asks him to dance?
Fran Dresser.
didn't realize that.
She was beautiful.
Yeah, she was.
How great was that dress, too?
So good.
All the dresses were good, though.
They were all so good.
Yeah, none of the dude's outfits were good at all.
Again, because they were all sweating buckets in that polyester.
(29:04):
Yeah, I just learned that polyester was plastic today.
But that is an amazing, that is an amazing scene because even when he's like, I'm going togo out and this isn't really my scene or whatever, but like he was just like, no, I wanted
to come see what you do.
You know, and that's, want to see what your life is like.
That's really cool.
(29:24):
Yeah.
I think it was like the supportiveness of Frank Jr.
And when Tony gets that support and he's like, maybe I can do something with this andleave and try to be, know, at least go somewhere else, try something else.
But you can see those like the wheels turning again, foreshadowing about like, hey, youcan do something with this, which is nice.
(29:46):
So that's the big dance number that everyone's familiar with.
It's the one where you see the pose.
It's the one where
It's the solo of him taking the floor by himself and just running with it.
The first cut of the film, John Travolta absolutely hated because it was zoomed in on him.
So all he got was like his upper body.
(30:06):
And he had to call Robert Stigwood and threaten him because he was like, I did five monthsof training for this one sequence.
I need to see that sequence because it hurts learning.
So they had to reshoot it and go back and reassemble everything and make it work.
(30:27):
that's credited to the Scientology guy for setting up for himself on it.
You know I mean?
Cause like a lot of people, especially since his first film.
Yeah, that's ballsy.
what mean?
It is ballsy.
give credit where it's due, Scientologists know how to make a movie.
They're very serious about it.
I hear.
(30:50):
I never saw a battlefield earth.
never seen it.
I have.
I want to so badly.
maybe in future episodes you should do it's like the April Fool's Day.
It's an impressive study.
It's a very, yeah, study because they're everyone's doing their darndest.
(31:10):
Yeah, even for.
yeah, because for us, the Whittaker is in it, too.
And he said also, yeah.
Yeah.
Wow.
I mean, here on the Christmas episode of Studio Property, we celebrate the plurality ofreligion.
Very inclusive.
Yeah, this episode is non-secular.
We're the opposite of a gang of dancing hoodlums in Brooklyn in the 70s.
(31:34):
We won't rape you.
We will support your decisions.
We'll still be racist about them.
Matter of factly, even.
I don't know anything about swientologists.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't want to get into what I know about it because it's a whole nother episode.
(31:55):
It's hilarious.
Why do you know so much about Scientology?
You know, one of those wormholes you go down, like the fact that L Ron Hubbard is named LRon Hubbard because there was another Ron Hubbard in the writers guild already.
I did not know that.
That is why that's just the tip of the iceberg.
It's just amazing.
(32:15):
I see when you say you went to work, know, like go down a wormhole like you didn't go likeyou didn't end up like you weren't feeling like really horrible about yourself and end up
in some work camp.
No, but I do on my way to work to my job.
There's a underground tunnel when it's the weather's terrible to go from the train to likea bunch of buildings you can walk like a mile underground and it was terrible outside.
(32:36):
was doing that and there'll be people sometimes they're of the Jesusy persuasioninterested in talking to you about Jesus and
on one occasion they were Scientologists with their e-meter at a table and I saw that.
wow!
You didn't do the e-meter though?
No, I just saw that I was like, hard pass.
(32:57):
you running late because there's no excuse to not do the e-meter?
You better have been running late.
Like this is not the time for me to stop and be like what are my levels at?
My Theaton levels or whatever.
I I probably could have, I probably like could have been late for work then and then justit would have been like a religious exception.
(33:21):
I was having a spiritual crisis in the underground tunnel on the way to the train.
And here's this note.
Yeah.
This note from Zorak 261.
Also, can I get an advance because I owe them six hundred thousand dollars now?
Right.
(33:42):
The scene that I wanna talk about is the scene where the mother and father try to sort ofblame Tony for Frank leaving the church.
And this is wonderfully active.
Tony, what did you say to Father Frank Jr.?
What?
What did you say, what did you do?
Yeah, what did you say?
What you talking about?
(34:04):
You must have said something to him.
You sleep in the same room, you talk to him, the next night he stays out all night, youdon't come back.
I said nothing to him.
A is not a priest no more than he's grown up, so he can do what he wants.
Something you said to him.
yeah, you trying to blame me that he ain't a priest no more?
You been writing to him.
I don't believe this.
You trying to hang this on me?
(34:27):
He called, he called, In a couple of days he's gonna say he's wrong.
He's going through like a trial of the soul, you know?
He's going back to the church, he's going back.
No he won't, he's not going back to the church.
He's going back to the church, telling you!
He's going back!
It's not ever going back!
You don't got a priest no more!
And you got no saint, you got nothing but three sh-t children now!
(34:50):
Good!
Good!
I'm sorry, mom.
Every bit of that performance is wonderful.
Like that to me sold the realism.
(35:12):
That whole family dynamic where the father sort of shits on the raise.
The economy of that dialogue where you get what's happening in that family in such shortlittle spurts, the father's out of work.
How emasculating to him that is when she suggests she'll get a job.
All of this happens in a fight and it's all very quick and you quickly understand who thisfamily is.
(35:35):
Yeah.
know, the sister's worship of Tony, but also when she's in front of the parents, she'strained to snipe at him.
Yeah, yeah.
Like all of that is remarkable to me.
know, Father Francis is perfect, the little sister can do what she can do, but Tony can'tget away with anything.
But also the honesty of Father Frank in the bedroom.
(35:57):
with Tony.
I'm sorry, the honesty of Tony to be honest with his brother and be like, if you're not sogood, I'm not so bad.
got a call.
on a minute.
Good evening, Radio Free Ryan Cliff.
Hello, Douglas.
It's delightful to be on with you.
Hello, Devin.
Hello, Cody.
Hello.
(36:17):
Well, hello, caller.
Caller, what's your name?
This is Jesus, Douglas.
I know that you're probably not feeling
any belief in what I'm saying, but this is Jesus.
I'm calling because I know that you're going- Jesus, where are you?
Like in Rhinebeck?
Nazareth, Douglas Nazareth.
(36:40):
Pennsylvania?
Cody's so funny.
It's just a delightful conversation that you're having and I'm so happy that you'veallowed me to come in.
I did want to talk a little bit about Saturday night fever.
What is the life of Christ?
that your name?
Is your last name Christ?
Well, not technically my last name, but I could see where you might think that.
(37:01):
A lot of things have been kind of hyperinflated, but I'm really here to talk about themovie.
This sounds like just a great conversation about a truly amazing film.
The opportunity that was given to John Travolta so early in his career, and what amasterful performance.
I just want to be clear that you're saying that you are Jesus as in the Yeshua.
(37:24):
calling into my community radio show, not the Norm Magnuson show, not on WKZE.
You're calling into studio property.
D.
Jesus is calling in to Radio Ryan Clip to speak to me.
Yes, yes, that was said.
I'm trying to.
Devin, can you believe that?
Trying to think of a way to say this in a vernacular that would appeal to you, but getover it.
(37:50):
Let's talk about it.
Let's talk a little bit about the film.
I have to say that the opportunities that were available in this film to actors like JohnTravolta, to, especially Donna Pascal, who was a radiance in this movie, her performance,
(38:11):
all I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Jesus, you're right, my Lord.
Of course, you know this is a special in honor of your birthday, right?
is it June?
You have no idea that you're calling in on a Christmas special.
I'm quite aware of what the date is, but I just wanted to call in and join thisdiscussion.
(38:34):
And the film, one of my favorites, I know I shouldn't say You know we have a huge crisisin Israel right now.
Could you weigh in on that a little bit?
Are you angry that what's happening in Palestine and Israel?
I mean, it's like a genocide going on over there.
Douglas, stop.
We're discussing Saturday Night Fever with Jesus.
Quit asking him about the genocide.
(38:55):
Sorry, Jesus, please continue.
Thank you, Devin.
You're delightful.
thank you.
Really, just a wonderful show.
And I've enjoyed the other films that you've reviewed in the past.
But when I heard that you were going to...
really, Jesus?
You liked Shoplifters?
You thought that was a great movie?
Honestly, I did.
I feel that everyone...
(39:17):
everyone has a message and everybody has a spirit inside them that's done to come out.
Well, not dying like I did, but dying in a way.
When are you coming back?
Aren't you supposed to be coming back?
Well, I'm here to talk about Saturday Night Fever right now.
That's what I really showed up for.
So I do, I do think if everyone sat down together to watch this film, I'm sure
(39:44):
that they would all come out and have discussions that would all find an equal footing forboth sides of the aisle or the different racial.
I have a question, Jesus, because I also enjoyed the movie.
I think it's excellent.
And John Travolta was nominated for an Oscar for this.
And since he's a Scientologist, you did not give him an assist on that performance at all?
(40:06):
I don't pay attention to the religions that people follow.
And when I was there on the edge of my seat, actually, Oscar night,
Actually, not bragging, I was about six inches above the seat.
But I don't interfere with the comings and goings of mankind.
It is all right.
(40:27):
We are always right.
Once you can understand that you are never right, can you begin to understand that you arenever wrong?
He's got a point.
I can't argue with that.
So you don't prefer Richard Dreyfuss to John Travolta?
Richard has a dearth.
of skills, a great, as they call it in the business, a great bag of tricks to reach into,to bring to a performance.
(40:52):
John has different ones.
You will see him again, his resurrection, as you will, in Pulp Fiction.
He reinvented himself and his career in that film.
to see him transformed into this slick,
(41:13):
sleazy hit man.
It was a marvel.
Bravo, John.
Bravo.
Yeah, Jesus.
He was also in the remake of the taking of Pelham 123.
What did you think of that?
That was a show.
Well, thank you so much for calling in Lord.
Bless you all.
Thank you very much.
You're doing a great job.
(41:33):
Each each one of you just are truly a miracle.
Thank you.
And happy holidays.
Happy holiday.
Happy birthday, Jesus.
Thanks for calling us.
knew the son of God was such a potty mouth.
He was also a bit sassier than I anticipated, but I really good now.
(41:58):
I feel really good too.
I feel like everything's gonna be okay.
Yeah, exactly.
Where were we in this film?
Because it's not every day Jesus calls you.
No, no, I'm completely- We just talked about the dinner scene.
Yes.
Right.
Yeah, I mean, I think we, I don't know if we said all we needed to say about that dinnerscene before, you know, capture the last supper called in, but like that's, you know.
(42:26):
I'll add, although to go on to expand upon what you said and what Jesus said, and Imentioned it to him, John Travolta was nominated for an Oscar for this role.
So obviously- I didn't know he was nominated.
Yeah, I didn't know he was nominated.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
He, he lost out to Richard Dreyfus.
well.
for the Goodbye Girl?
(42:48):
Yes.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
And that got best picture that year, right?
Goodbye Girl?
No.
No?
I don't think so.
Did Annie Hall win or Annie Hall was nominated?
You might be right, and I think that's when Woody Allen famously didn't show up, becausethat would just contradict the film, it?
All they do is give each other awards out here, so that would make sense.
(43:09):
Yeah, it was Annie Hall.
Actually, you know what we should do?
Like, let's not elaborate on it right now, but we should do like a bonus episode where wetalk about directors that we're not allowed to talk about.
yeah.
Yeah.
Like, you know, what is the line and where is it?
I would love to do that episode.
Yeah, that's a good idea.
So that is a good idea.
I mean, we won't do that on Christmas.
(43:31):
No.
gosh.
No, but Easter is fair game.
So Cody, tell us about.
your sequel because I feel like it'll help pull strands of this film that we haven'ttouched on while we're writing the sequel.
I don't know if Devin knows this, but Cody and I had actually drafted the sequel to Xanaduand I just remembered that.
(43:57):
Revenge of the Muses.
Yes, we did.
Yep.
That's right.
Yeah.
Yes.
Yeah, we did.
wasn't a musical though.
Which is what makes it a real gem.
Yeah.
in the words of Jesus, real gem.
Or that's the reason why we couldn't get it funded, I don't know.
Also a possibility.
My sequel to Saturday Night Fever, which I'm figuring out the title, right now we'll justcall it Justice for a Net.
(44:25):
Okay.
It's a pretty straightforward summary.
Did you guys ever see Clean and Sober with Michael Keaton?
Yes.
Okay.
It's a lot like Clean and Sober, but with a net.
There's a lot of group therapy.
A lot of group therapy so she can exercise her demons and come out on the other side.
(44:51):
sorry, what's their names?
Double J and Joey.
Double J and Joey?
yeah, I think the end would be her visiting them in prison and forgiving them.
Ooh, wow.
I like it.
Now that I would watch.
they went to prison for unrelated crimes, by the way.
Right.
(45:13):
Also, is it does it take place immediately after like how far after?
This would be like the early 80s.
Years later.
She's had to deal with trauma for for like a decade almost.
OK.
So so is staying alive canon?
I think it could be.
Yeah, because they don't exist in staying alive at all.
They don't exist in that way.
Did you ever see that movie, Devin?
(45:34):
No, I haven't.
So it's the sequel to Saturday Night Fever that Sylvester Stallone directed.
right.
And has an obnoxious cameo in also.
But it's the one that like Travolta is in like a Tarzan outfit because he's doing aBroadway number.
(45:55):
It's This is the end.
It's a big Frank Stallone number.
Wow.
Okay.
Yeah.
You don't know it.
wow.
I don't know it.
Devin apparently has homework.
I do have homework.
I think you would know it if you heard it.
Okay.
So, so John Travolta is in Saturday night fever, but Joey, Joey and Double J are not.
(46:22):
staying alive.
you're talking about staying alive.
Staying alive.
Sorry.
Sorry.
Yeah.
Okay.
So John Travolta isn't staying alive, but Gus.
Double J and Joey are not.
Is Annette in Staying Alive?
No, they don't.
Okay.
Yeah, because his story is like- Is Stephanie in Staying Alive?
No, no, it's- Is it literally just John Travolta?
(46:45):
Yeah, because he's- it just Tony?
Yeah, it's like his Broadway career.
Like he goes on to be like a Broadway.
Yeah.
He actually becomes a professional dancer.
Yeah.
Wait, wait, wait.
Here it is.
Check it out.
(47:21):
Injustice for Annette, that song can start on the radio then she just turns it off.
Yeah.
Right, that's true.
man, and you'll be really, really great at the end.
Because you know could do anything with CGI now, right?
Like you could de-age Travolta, right?
Yeah.
And then she shows up to the Broadway show and does like a Lauren Bulbert where she justvapes through it.
(47:49):
I feel like you could make it really subtle and just have her in the audience.
then just John Travolta in his moment of triumph just connects eyes with her in theaudience.
Yeah.
And he just nods that's the end.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Like, like, I'm sorry, but like he doesn't know that he just like, yeah.
Yeah.
It's good.
I like it.
I like justice for Annette.
(48:10):
You guys got to get this made.
Yeah, for real.
This I need to see this film.
I do.
do.
It's a lot less bloody than our Xanadu sequel.
Really?
Sometimes I find that unsurprising though.
Yeah.
It's about emotional trauma, not physical trauma.
Yeah.
Fair.
I think we pretty much covered it.
(48:31):
Everything about this episode that we could possibly do, except figuring out how do wesell this to Susan?
Now for you at home, this is our favorite news segment.
that we try not to do in every episode, but it's hard not to.
Because our friend Susan is one of the most dismissive human beings we've ever met.
(48:55):
Cody, you've met her a couple times.
yeah.
And she's also has a very, very short attention span.
So we'll start with you, Devin.
How do we sell this film to Susan?
It doesn't seem like it would be that hard.
No, honestly, I'm mostly gonna just go with the dancing.
I mean, it's that simple.
(49:16):
It's John Travolta's hips.
Let's be honest, we all know Susan will dial in on that.
So I think that's really the route we go.
That's how we sell it to Susan and be like, you know, the hustle was on the way out.
And then this movie cranked it up again and it stayed hot into the 80s, you know?
(49:37):
it's what it took, you know, cause the hustle really started in New York city.
And so this movie is really how it got elsewhere.
I myself can't do the hustle, but I can do the push pull, which is essentially the hustlefor people who have, can keep a beat, but don't have John Travolta's hips.
(50:00):
Devon's like, my hips lie.
My hips do lie.
And it's a little bit blockier.
It's slowed down a little blockier.
Yes.
Brian and I, we can push pull with the best of them at a wedding.
The hustle is just a little too much for us.
But I feel like that's how we're going to sell it to Susan.
When we like, listen girl, lot of dancing and John Travolta's hips.
(50:25):
Worth your time.
Cody.
I think it's easy along the same lines.
Just remind Susan of that summer back in like 03 and she, when she was on her secondhusband with the dancer.
wow.
Remember that summer you enjoyed it so much.
You know, maybe inside you feel that was the summer you peaked.
(50:49):
mean, not judging.
We don't do that here, especially not today.
Nope.
Yeah.
But, you know, so anyway, I think we licked that envelope.
Yes, I believe we did.
So thank you guys so much for listening to this special Christmas episode of StudioProperty.
(51:13):
We're your Studio Property.
I'm Doug Wartell.
I'm Devin Irby.
I'm Cody Ramon.
Cody, you wanna try to come up with a catchphrase this week for that we can end the showon?
We try to do this every week and we can't get one that sticks.
mine is still just justice for a net.
Studio Property is mixed at Spillway Street Content in Red Hook, New York and syndicatedon Radio Free Reinkliff.
(51:39):
Themed song by The Corner Bodega.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on Instagram at Studio Property Show.
Thanks for listening and we'll catch you next week.
Spareway Street!
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