Episode 35: Episode 35: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang/The Thin Man

THE HOLIDAYS CAN BE MURDER. “Don't quit your gay job.” Don’t you hate when this happens? You gather for the holidays. Christmas carols are in the air. Trees are lit with fairy lights. You’re ready to exchange gifts. And then, wouldn’t you know it? Someone gets murdered and you have to figure out who did it. Yes, sounds like the perfect time for Episode 35 of Pop Art, the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic side of cinema with a connection to it. For my listeners, please like, follow or comment. Today, I am happy to welcome back a previous guest, film enthusiast and podcaster, and lover of Christmas movies, Jay Cluitt, who has agreed to join me to talk about a couple of holiday films. Jay has chosen Shane Black’s directorial debut, the dark comedy Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, while I have chosen the classic detective film based on the Dashiell Hammett novel, The Thin Man, both about murder at Christmas time. And in this episode we ask such questions as: Why was Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang not a box office hit? What was so difficult about filming the climactic scene in The Thin Man and how do oysters come into it? What is the source material for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang? Who is Skippy? Who played the bear in the commercial in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang? How does Mia Farrow fit in? What is it about Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and women? Meanwhile, check out Jay’s podcast Deep Blue Sea (about Renny Harlin’s film) on Apple, Spotify, Podomatic and many other streaming services. And his blog Life v. Film at https://lifevsfilm.com/