September 4, 2025 • 54 mins
30 years on, the tide is turning for Showgirls.
Showgirls is remembered for its outlandish dialogue, the over-the-top performances, culminating in controversy, cult status, and unapologetic campiness. It's widely regarded as a mess, a critical and commercial flop, and poor Elizabeth Berkley took the brunt of the blame.
Showgirls is polarizing, for many it's a guilty pleasure drenched in excess, but for others, it’s a train wreck that’s hard to look away from. This movie is no financial flop though, in fact it's one of MGM's most lucrative of all time. Sex sells.
Nomi Malone hitchhikes her way to Las Vegas, dreaming of stardom and glory in the world of top tier showgirls. Writer Joe Eszterhas dreamed of a script that contained the real life stories of the women who worked in Vegas clubs, but director Paul Verhoeven wanted a not-so-subtle commentary on the darker side of fame and ambition in show business.
It’s looking at the American dream in a dark, twisted mirror, showing the misogynistic rot of show business, the dark reality of a patriarchal society that on the surface claims to love, idolise and promote women, it actually exploits and degrades women in the name of entertainment. Just like what happened to Elizabeth Berkley.
I would love to hear your thoughts on Showgirls !
Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and was nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes.
CONTACT....
- Twitter @verbaldiorama
- Instagram @verbaldiorama
- Facebook @verbaldiorama
- Letterboxd @verbaldiorama
- Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com
- Website verbaldiorama.com
SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review
ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA
Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.
Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio
Patrons: Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Heather, Danny, Stu, Brett, Philip M, Xenos, Sean, Ryno, Philip K, Adam, Elaine, Kyle, Aaron and brand-new patron Conner!
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(03:13):
Hi, everyone. I'm Em. Andwelcome to Verbal Diorama, episode
312, Showgirls. This is apodcast that's all about the history
and legacy of Movies you Knowand Movies you Don't. That doesn't
suck. Welcome to VerbalDiorama. Whether you're a branbrand-newdnewlistenertothispodcast,whetheryou're
aregularreturning listener,thank you for being here. Thank you
for choosing to listen to thispodcast. I am so Happy to have you
(03:35):
here for the history andlegacy of Showgirls. And if you are
a regular returning listener,thank you so much for continuing
to return to this podcast tosupport this podcast. And it genuinely
means so much to have you backwith us. And if you're a brandbrand-newnewlistener,well,there'sa
lotofepisodesforyou to catchup on, so hop to it. This, again
(03:58):
has been one of those episodesthat I've wanted to do for some time,
and I've always held off doingit because I wanted to give it the
attention it deserved. Andlast month, the month of August,
I specifically wanted to focuson female fronted movies. I did episodes
on Black Widow Red, SonjaBarbie, and also a special episode
on my favorite, Pride ofPrejudice. And this episode was originally
(04:21):
supposed to come out inAugust, but I got ill in July and
then everything was pushedback a week, and so it just kind
of plopped into September. Butout of all of those, this movie is
the most notorious. It's thebiggest flop, and it's also the most
(04:41):
divisive. This is one of thosemovies where if you mention the name
Showgirls to someone, they'reeither gonna turn around and say
they love it because it's acamp cult classic, or they're gonna
say, oh, I really don't likethat movie. That movie is rubbish.
So over the top. But I thinkthat's kind of the point. Whether
you love it, hate it, whetheryou think it's a satirical masterpiece
(05:06):
or the biggest pile of doggychow poop there is, there are bad
movies and there are badmovies. Showgirls ostensibly isn't
a good movie, so you could sayit's bad. However, the difference
between a bad movie and a badmovie is one is forgettable and one
is not. Showgirls is neverboring, never tedious, and never,
(05:29):
ever forgettable. I hope youlike this episode. I bought it at
Versace. Here's the trailerfor Showgirls.
(07:31):
Noni Malone hitchhikes to LasVegas, determined to make a name
for herself after being robbedand almost hit by a car. She befriends
Molly Abrams, a youngseamstress who agrees to take Nomi
in for a few weeks until shegets a job. Nomi finds work at Cheetahs,
a local strip joint, butdreams of joining the Goddess show
(07:51):
at the Stardust. When Mollyworks, Nomi is offered the opportunity
to dance in the Chorus Line,but dreams of only being in one place,
the star of the show.Unfortunately for Nomi, that part
is already taken by the one,the only, Ms. Crystal Connors. Nomi
makes it her mission to makeit big at the Stardust, no matter
(08:13):
the price. Let's run throughthe cast of this movie. We have Elizabeth
Berkley as Nomi Malone, GinaGershon as Crystal Connors, Kyle
McLachlan as Zack Carey, GlennPlummer as James Smith, Robert Davi
as Al Torres, Alan Rushins asTony Moss, and Gina Ravera as Molly
(08:36):
Abrams. Showgirls was writtenby Joe Eszterhas and directed by
Paul Verhoeven. Now, I'lladmit straight up, I misunderstood
and misjudged Showgirls. Ioriginally saw it for the reasons
mostly everyone else saw. Theover the top acting, the bad script,
the weird choices fordirection, the tonal whiplash culminating
(08:59):
in a sexual assault scene soatrocious that I felt like any grace
the movie did have had beeneradicated by showing that degree
of violence to a characterthat is literally the nicest one
in the entire movie. But thething about being a movie podcaster,
and specifically a filmhistory podcaster, means that it's
(09:21):
my job to go beyond that andhonestly, Showgirls is more than
worthy of an episode becauseShowgirls has a unique place in cinema
history that goes beyond thedrama and the sex and the and the
exploitation. I have grown tobecome quite fond of Showgirls for
everything it is, foreverything it tried to be, and for
(09:43):
everything it isn't. But totell the story of Showgirls, we need
to tell the stories of PaulVerhoeven an Joe Ezsterhas. Both
have been featured on thispodcast before, together for Basic
Instinct, which is episode 167and Verhoeven for Starship Troopers
which is episode 147.Verhoeven have made his name with
sexually explicit dramas inhis native the Netherlands like Spetters
(10:07):
and the Oscar nominatedTurkish Delight. Verhoeven came to
Hollywood in the 80s andbecame the go to director for big
budget violent satiricalvisual effects layered in science
fiction like Robocop and TotalRecall. Before being brought on board
to direct Basic Instinct byCarolco, Joe Ezsterhas had co wrote
(10:28):
the script for Flashdance,which became one of the highest grossing
films of 1983 and by the early90s he was the highest paid writer
in Hollywood. Thanks to BasicInstinct, for which he received $3
million, Basic Instinct becamethe ninth highest grossing film worldwide
of 1992 and became thequintessential erotic thriller, paying
(10:49):
homage to Alfred Hitchcock andinspiring many imitators, but also
firing up controversy for itsdepictions of bisexuality, with lesbian
and bisexual groups protestingthe movie. But lightning struck once
for the team up of Verhoevenand Ezsterhas so it could strike
twice, right? The problem wasthe pair had had a falling out over
(11:12):
Basic Instinct. Joe Ezsterhashad a reputation as the writer of
provocative sexually explicitscreenplays, but when Verhoeven suggested
changes to the script,including a lesbian sex scene, Ezsterhas
strongly disagreed with thechanges and he thought them exploitative.
Verhoeven wanted to amplifythe script's most controversial elements,
(11:33):
but Ezsterhas felt thatVerhoeven was pushing the sexual
content beyond what wasnecessary for the story and into
exploitative territory. WithVerhoeven and willing to budge, Eszterhas
and producer Erwin Winklerleft the movie a year later though
after Basic Instinct hadbecome a huge success, it was all
water under the bridge for thepair and they went to lunch in Los
(11:55):
Angeles with indie producerBen Myron, with Ezsterhas presenting
Verhoeven with a couple offilm ideas for the pair to work on,
one of which was based on anidea by Myron, formerly the head
of Roland Joffe's productioncompany Lightmotif, about a movie
set in Vegas with a youngfemale protagonist who starts working
as a lap dancer and then getsinto one of the big casino shows.
(12:17):
And the idea was for a big,extravagant Las Vegas musical. Verhoeven
loved the idea of emulatingthe Busby Berkeley musicals that
he loved. And producer CharlesEvans would pay Joe Ezsterhas a $2
million advance in November1992 to write the script about Las
Vegas showgirls. At the time,one of the highest guaranteed development
(12:39):
deals ever struck. Ezsterhasalso confirmed Paul dehoven was interested
to direct pending his approvalof the script. And November 1992
was Ezsterhas's lucky monthbecause two weeks earlier he had
sold a two page outline forthe movie Jade to Paramount for a
potential $2.4 million. Heactually received $1.5 million plus
(13:02):
$400,000 to executivelyproduce. Up until Shane Black's record
breaking $4 million for thelong Kiss Good Night Ezsterhas held
the record for the highestpaid screenwriter in Hollywood. The
script that Ezsterhas wouldshow Verhoeven initially wouldn't
excite the director, though hefound it an original. So he went
off to do something else.Carolco Pictures were making a big
(13:25):
movie with ArnoldSchwarzenegger. Verhoeven was keen
to reunite because TotalRecall star and signed on to direct.
Now, if you've listened to myepisode on Cutthroat island, which
was a few episodes ago, you'llknow what's coming next because yes,
it is the movie that you arethinking it is. The movie in question
was Crusade. They'd startedbuilding sets of Jerusalem in Spain,
(13:48):
but Carolco was also spendinglots of money on its big budget pirate
adventure, historical epic orPirate Schwarzenegger or Geena Davis.
Now Crusade was moreexpensive. So Crusade was eventually
cancelled. But with thecancellation, Verhoeven became available
once more. And despite Carolcobeing in extreme financial dire straits,
(14:13):
he agreed favortoCorelcocofounderMarioCasar Carolco he founder
Mario Kassar becaus he wantedto help save Carolco happenisKurolkoditchingtheNC17showgirlsinfavorof
Carolco ditching the NC17showgirls in IwouldsuggestlisteningtoCutthroatislandformoreonwhat
(14:35):
happenedtothatcrowdpleasingPG13pirateadventure.Trysayingthatreallyfast. ButKuralkareallyhadnochoice
buttosellShowgirlstotryandgetoutofitsCrippling But
Carolco really had noinpreproduction.Korolkowould thengo
bankruptin1995.ButbacktoShowgirls becausePaul to Chargeurs
in pre production. Carolcowould then go bankrupt in 1995. But
(14:59):
back to Showgirls because PaulVerhoeven wasn't taken with the original
story and insistedBetteDavisandAnneBaxteraswellasMarilynMonroeinoneofher early
roles.Theideaforitbeingamusicalwasnixedwhenit becameobviousthatthe
reallivesofShowgirlswasn'tallfun,upbeatmusicals,butoftenconsistedofabuse,physical,mental and
(15:24):
sexual.Andeachdaytheywerejustlivingtheirday, taking
thecash,cashingthechecksandshowingthepayingcustomerswhattheywantedtosee. Esterhaus
gotintouchwithaLasVegasreporterandexplainedtheyweremaking amovieaboutLasVegasShowgirlsand
shegothimin touchwithavarietyofyoungwomenwhoworkedinthe industry.HeandVerhoevehadinterviewed
(15:47):
see. Ezsterhas got in touchwith a Las Vegas reporter and explained
anderoticdancerswhoworkedinVegasclubs,shows,strip clubsandondance
shows.Thestoriesfromthesewomendirectly influenced
thedirectionofthe He andVerhoeven musicisstillimportanttotheshows
inthemovie,theideaofitbeingafullblownmusicalwasquickly dropped.Thatdidn't
(16:12):
meanthemusicalinfluencesweredropped.ThenumberwherethecharacterAnniewasinjuredwasdirectlybasedon thelookandstyleoftheBusby
BerkeleymusicalsthatVerhoevenloved.And inascriptsofullofcharacters
who would haveit outforNomiandTroy to break out.ThecharacterofMollywasintroducedinalaterscripttobetheonepersontrulyonNomi'sside,ignoringthe
(16:33):
factthatnooneeverinvitesanerratic,strangeperson tolivewiththemafteronlyknowing
themfor10minutes.Mollyisaprecious,precioussoul.Andwhileherrapesceneishonestly theworstpartofthewholemovie,Esterhousewasso
horrifiedbyalloftheVegaswomen's reportedassaults
andrapesthatheknewheneededtorepresent thathorrificsideoftheirlifebecauseit
(16:56):
wasspeakingfromtheexperiencesofsomanydancersand artistsinVegas.Andhere'sthething.I'vebeentoVegas.Yes,it'sbrightlycolored,vivid,loud,
andit giveseverythingyoucouldpossiblywantorneed.Andfamiliesdoholidaytherewithchildren.Butthere isablatantly
Ezsterhas was so horrified byall of the Vegas getoutontothestreetswiththevansadvertisingstrippers,thesex
(17:23):
workershuddledinthecornersofcasinosandtheleafletters smackingtheirleafletsontheirhandstoenticeyoutotakeone.Theycan'tgive
themtoyou,but youcantakethem.Andtheyareusuallyadvertisingnew danceshows.Bearin
mindit hasbeen15yearssinceIwenttoVegas, soitmaybedifferentnow,
butthat'sthesideofVegaspeoplewhowatchmoviesdon'tusually see.AndShowgirlsisat
(17:46):
leastattemptingtoexposethatsideofthecity.After doingallthisresearch,Eszterhousewent
offtowriteascriptinHawaii.Headmitsto beingabithighon
marijuanaatthe time,buthecrafted astoryaboutagrittyandambitiouswomanwhowants
to becomeanAliststripperinLasVegas. Esterhaus imaginedagritty
(18:06):
andgrounded filmbasedinthereallifeexperiencesofthe variouswomenhe'dmet.Verhoeven
obviouslyvieweditslightlydifferently.Hewanted to
makeasatireoftheentertainmentindustry withhisprevious
movieslikeTotal RecallandRobocopbeing extremelyviolent andthismovie
in particular,showingthatweasthat side of the city. After doing
(18:30):
all this research, Ezsterhaswent off explorewhy thatwas,Verhoeven
endedupdeferring70%ofhis$6milliondirector'sfee,dependingon if
thefilm turnedaprofitornot.Andmanyofthemovie'sweirdestandmostcriticizedpartswerebasedonthosereallifeexperiences, fromicecubesonnipples
(18:51):
andeventheDoggyChowconversation.One ofthedancersEsterhaasinterviewed
wasstrugglingformoneyandwouldeatdogfoodjusttobeabletoeat.Butoncethescript wasfinishedandeveryonewasremotelyhappywithit,theyhadtostartcastingandanyactresswho
wanted the leadrolehadtobemanythings.They had tobe intheirearly20s,beabletoactanddanceandbeokaywithfullfrontalnudity.Andnot
(19:18):
justafleetingglanceoffullfrontal,but bealmostconstantlyfull
frontalnude.Verhoevenspecificallywanted someonealist.
An incrediblelistofbignameactors auditionedfortheroleofNomi,includingPamelaAnderson,DrewBarrymore,
DeniseRichardson,AngelinaJolie,JenniferLopezandCharlize Theron.Theronwasturneddownfortherole,
(19:41):
which in hindsightwasprobablyagood thing.RichardswasinsteadcastfortheHobanStarship
Troopers.Barrymoreturnedtheroledowndueto theexcessivenudity.Andthename
onthemirrorat the Stardustthat's rippedoffinfavor ofNaomiisDru,presumablyinreferenceto
Barrymore.JenniferLopez'sfailedauditionforShowgirls wouldleadtohergettingherflowersforhustlers24yearslater,aswouldPamelaAndersonfor
(20:05):
theLastShowgirl.ProducerCharlesEvanswouldberesponsible for
findingthethen22yearoldElizabethBerkeley,fresh offherstarringrolein
teen sitcomSavedby Verhoevenspecifically wanted someone a list.
An incredible list of big nameactors auditioned for the role of
(20:26):
Nomi, including PamelaAnderson, Drew Barrymore, Denise
Richards, Angelina Jolie,Jennifer Lopez advisedhernottodoit.
Theron was turned down for therole, which in hindsight was probably
a good thing. Richards wasinstead cast for Verhoeven's Starshi
Troopers.totheHoven,whowasimpressedbyherconfidence andthefactshetold
(20:48):
Verhoevenhis searchwasoverandshe wastheir Nomi.Verhoevenhad
in favor of Naomi is Drew,presumably in reference to Barrymore.
Jennifer Lopez's failedaudition for Showgirls would lead
to her gettinginLosAngeles,LasVegasand NewYorkandinterviewingstrippers
atvenues for the LastShowgirl. Producer Charles Evans
(21:12):
would be responsible forfinding the then 22 year old Elizabeth
Berkley, fresh offVerhoevenhad neverseenSavedbythe
Bellpriortocasting her andadmitsthatheprobablyshouldhavebecausecastingherinapartsodifferenttohowaudiencesknewher likelyaffectednot
onlytheboxoffice forthe Spanojust for her. Berkley had heard of
(21:33):
the role of Nomi, butinchargeonscreen havenoconcern foranywoman'sreputation,sowhyshouldtheones
Berkley felt a connection tothe character and personally called
Evans, introduced herself asNomi and auditioned for him. Evans
was soandthedanceensemblehired for to Verhoeven,
who was impressed phase,ShivannadidDemiMooreatoneof theclubsinLosAngeleswhere
(21:58):
MoorewasconductingresearchforherroleinStriptease.And obviously
at thetime DemiMoorewas oneofthe biggestnames lightning can
indeed strike twice. Berkleyeven aprettygoodroleforayoungwoman.Atthetime,everyyoungactressinHollywood
hadtriedtoget thisrole.Berkeley'smotherwascertainthatherdaughterwouldgetan Oscarnomination.Andthatsoundssillytosay
(22:21):
from her agent, Berkley metwith toElizabethBerkeley thatthiswasgoing
tobea breakthroughforheractingcareer.Andit's alsosafe tosayshe
would be totallyunpreparedandblindsidedbywhatwouldhappentoherafterthereleaseofthis movie.
WhileMadonnaandSharonStonewereeyedfor theroleoftheerstwhilebisexualstaroftheshow,
(22:44):
CrystalConnors,that Berkley'sown reputation. But McDermott wasthefirst
choiceforZach,but he turnedtherole downand KyleMacLachlan, whowasahuge
fanofVerhoeven,specificallyRobocop,wascast inamoviehethoughtwould
bedarkandedgyanddisturbingandreal.Speaking of
dark,edgy,disturbingandreal,GinaRiverawassentthescriptbyheragent whileworking
(23:10):
asaclassicallytraineddancer.She film.
During this preparationalphase, she ran into Dem wassupposedtoauditionfortheroleofCrystal,butas
anAfroLatinaactor,sheknewthecastingdirectorwouldnevercast awomanofcolor
as the colead,soinsteadshereadforthe partofMollyawell
oftheblack myth'sfriendtrope.Shewascastas Nomi'sonlytruefriend.AndwhileRiverararelyspeaksaboutthemovie,she
(23:38):
mentionedinaninterviewwithyahoo for tried to
get this role. Berkley'smother was certain that WildNightsoutinRenoand
relished theopportunityto workwithPaulVerhoeven,a directorsheinitiallyadmired.Tothisday,
to Elizabeth Berkley thatonce,atthefilm's1995 LApremiere,and
(23:59):
she purposelyleftduringtherape scene.She foundthesceneincrediblytraumatictofilm
and endedupshootingforninehoursina deeply unpleasantandpainful
experiencethatleftherbruisedandvulnerable. Even asthefilmbecameembracedasacultfavorite,shepurposely
remainedonthesidelines,decliningtoappearat publiceventsorevendiscussherexperiencein
(24:23):
the first choice for Zack, buthe turned the movieifsheunderstoodtheordealshewouldhavetogo
through.Verhoevenwantedthescenetofeelrawandbrutal. Hedirected
themale actors,encouragingthemtoberoughandoverzealouswithRivera,whichled edgy,
disturbing and real, GinaRavera was sent the script by her
(24:44):
agent Herjawwasinjuredandremainedso foryearsafterwards.ShootingforShowgirlstartedinNevada
inOctober1994andlastedfourandahalfmonths, finishingin
March1995.It was shot atCristal, but as an Afro Latina actor,
and Casino,whichwasdemolishedin2017,andtheformerStardust Hotel
(25:06):
andCasino,theForumShop,St.Caesar's palace, aswellasusing
theexteriorsoftheRealCheetahsToplessClub.EverythingelsewasfilmedinLA onasoundstage.The
while Ravera rarely2006,butinterestingly,saved bytheBell
WeddingInLasVegaswasalsofilmedattheStardustataroundthesametimeandJessieSpano didmakeabriefcameointhatTVmovie.BerkeleyhadcommitmentstoShowgirlsbutmanaged
(25:35):
to film asmallcameoforherSavedbytheBellcolleagues.Duringthistime,Berkeleyreportedlydancedforupto16hoursaday,ofteneithercompletelynude orpartiallynudesevendaysaweek.Andshealsoreportedlynever
usedBodydouble.Consideringthisisamovieknownforitsfullfrontal nudityandbarrageofbarebreasts.Italsocontainssomeincredible
(26:00):
costumedesignincludingthefringeleatherjacketandhighwaistedjeanswornbyNaomiwhenwemeether hitchhiking,thestagelooksdrippingincrystalsandofcoursetheiconicblack
miniVersacedress.ThecostumedesignerwasEllen MirojnikwhoalsoworkedonBasic
InstinctandFatal AttractionaswellasSpeed.I'msurethatwon'tcomeupinabit.Shedesigned elaboratechiffontrimmedgowns,rhinestonecowboyhatsandchainmailhaltersets.
(26:28):
ForCrystal. She gaveMollycutedungareesandsundresses.Miroznik overzealous
with Ravera, which led toWilliam Shockley playing Andrew Carver,
accidentally hitting Ravera onTheytookinspiration fromearly90sVersacecreating
elaboratejeweledseethroughbodystockings. Andeven
(26:48):
thenVerhoeventhought theyweretoocoveredupand ripped thebody
stockings up.Versaceactuallyrefusedtosupply Luxor Casino, Therewasno
product placementagreementinplaceandnobigname actresstopersuadethemto
doit.SoMirozhnikwentoutandboughtthe dress out ofthebudgetfromtheboutiquetheBellagio
(27:09):
Hotel.Versacedid havetosignoffonthemispronunciationofthenamethough,whichwasapparentlysuggested byElizabethBerkeley,the
iconicposterimagewasbasedonSlovakianphotographerTono Stano's1992photo
Sense,which depictedmodelIlonaNovikovadrapedinblackfabricagainstablackbackgroundwith cameo
(27:32):
in that TV movie. Berkleyknownforhisblackandwhitephotosof scantilyclapped
women.SenseissaidtosymbolizethereemergenceofEastern Europe
from time, Berkley reportedlydanced bought by MGMStudios andtheycommissionedasimilarphotoastheposterfor
Showgirls.Anyway,itistimetosegueintotheobligatoryKeanureferenceofthisepisodeandifyoudon'tknowwhatthatis, it'swhereIlinkthemoviethatarefeaturingwith
(28:00):
KeanuReevesfor noreasonotherthanheisgenuinelythebestof men.Andthiswasso
remarkablyeasy.NotonlydidImention Ella,Mirochnik,and
by Nomi whenGlennPlummerisinthismovie.Andifyou don't
knowthelink betweenKeanuandGlennPlummer,GlennPlummerisinSpeed.Heistheguyin theconvertiblecarthatJackTravencommandeerson
(28:22):
thefreewayinordertogetto thebus.AndGlennPlummer isgenuinelyone
ofthemostmemorablesidecharacters inthe
movie.Idon'tbelievehe'sevengivenaname inthefirstSpeedmovie.Ithinkhe
getsanameinSpeedtoo, butthatisCristal. She gave Molly cute dungarees
and sundresses. Mirojnik andwas goingtobewritingsongsfortheShowgirlsoundtrack.However,Princewouldonlysupplysomeofhisexisting
(28:48):
songs for themovie,namely319andI'mnotGoingtobeableto pronouncethisRipoptheGoddessZipper.IhavenoideaifI
gotthatright,butneitherappeared ontheofficialmoviesoundtrack.DaveStewartfromtheEurythmicscomposedthefilm'sscoreaswellaswriting
themusic forthebigStardustshows,and thesoundtrack alsoincludesaversionofDavidBowie's
(29:10):
I'mAfraidofAmericansandNewSkinby Susieandthe
Banshees.Sothisis Mirojnikepisode'sgonnagetabitrisque,shall we
the budget from the boutiquethe Bellagio Hotel. Versace did have
to sign off on themispronunciation of the name though,
(29:31):
which was apparently suggestedby Elizabeth Berkley, the iconic
poster image was based onSlovakian photographer Tono Stano's
1992 photo Sense, whichdepicted model Ilona Novakova draped
in black fabric against aUStoaccommodatethefamilymarket.Butthenthere'sothermoviesthatbasicallyeschew thePG13ratinganddecide
(29:57):
to goforanRratingonpurpose.Showgirlsistheraremoviethatwas notonlyreleasedasNC17intheUSwhichisgenerallyconsideredboxoffice
poison,butitwasalwaysplannedtobeNC17.PaulVerhoevenrefusedtodothemovie if
itwasn't,andthereasonwasbecausehehadsuch anightmarewiththeMPAAovertheratingofBasicInstinct.BasicInstincthadtobesubmittedtotheMPAAeighttimestogetthe
(30:27):
requiredRrating.Verhoevenhadalongconversation withheadoftristarMikeMedavoy,who
toldhimtheycouldmakeBasicInstinctNC17and itmightmake
money,ortheycouldrateitRanditI mention Ellen Mirojnik, Now obviously,
BasicInstinctwentontogross$352millionworldwide. Buttheprocessofcuttingandresubmitting
(30:50):
wasanunpleasantexperienceforVerhoeven,an experiencehewasn'tkeentorepeat.Andso
ShowgirlswasdesignedtobeNC17.Hedidn'twanttofightwiththeMPAAovertheshowingat breastsorfull
frontalnaked women,becausethesedancers,theyweregoingtobe nakedalot.
Strippersdotendtostrip.Anddistributor NC17wasoriginallycreatedin
(31:15):
1990asasupposedlystigmafreealternativetotheprevious Xrating.But
sincethenstudios havebeenterrifiedofthoseinitialswhichstandfornochildrenunder17.Basically becauseit
alienateahugechunkofthemoviegoingpopulation.Manystudioshave actuallycontractuallyobligated
(31:37):
directorstoavoidit.MGMwascertain theratingwouldn'tputpeopleoff
becausethiswasthelatestPaulVerhoeven movie.They
neverinsisteditwascutanyfurtherforShowgirls, MGMdecidedtogo
allinonthat NC17 rating,releasingatrailersuggestingthemoviewastoorisquetotemptpeopletogo watchit.JoeESAHousewouldalsoencourage
(32:02):
youngsterstogetafakeIDtowatchit, whichobviouslysunk
likealeadballoon.MGMworetheNC17 and
New Skin by Siousxie and theBanshees. intoamarketingbonanza,including
shipping250,000 8minute sneakpreview tapesfeaturingscenestoonaughtyto
showintheatertrailers,twovideostores togiveawayas
(32:26):
freerentals.Therewasalsoaninteractiveadultsonlywebsite,oneofthe firstin
the relativeinfancyoftheInternet,whichhad1millionclicksadayto lookatracyonset
photosthatprobablytookseveralminutesto downloadonadialupmodem.Thesiteregularlycrashedandthey
hadto createnewservicetodealwiththedemand.Thewebsitecarrieda warningthatthematerialwasforover17s.However,people
(32:54):
quicklyclicked,nopunintended,that alltheyneededtodowas clicktoseephotosthattheywantedto
see.Andwiththat,Showgirlsalsodrew severalprotestson
itsrelease,includingbymoralityinmedia,withitspresidentstating,quote,greatdrama oftendealswith
life's underside, butitisatrulygreat story,producer andperformers
(33:18):
thatmakeforgreatdrama.Notwallto wallnudity,vulgarityandhardcoresex,unquote.Headdedthattheprotestprobably
wouldattractmoreattentiontothemovie,butendedquote,Ithink peopleshouldprotesttomgm,to
localtheaters, andtothenewspapersand televisionstationsthatrunthead.Whatfinallygot
(33:39):
metospeakout onthisisthewaythey'remarketingthefilm. Even
ifthefilmhas somelegitimacytoit,they'remarketingitforitstrash.I'mnotcontestingsomeone's righttomakethefilm.WhatI'mcontesting
isMGM'sdecisiontopromoteitandmarketitlikeaporno film,unquote.Aswithmostoftheseprotests,the
(33:59):
protestersprobablyneveractuallysawthemovieinthefirstplace,butnevertheless,Showgirlswasthefirst major
studiofilmtobereleasedwithanNC17rating since1990sHenryandJuneanditopenedon
1388 screens,stillthehighestnumberforanNC17movie.Onitsreleaseon 22
(34:22):
September1995,itopenedsecondattheboxoffice intheUSbehindSeven,which
wasactuallyaprettymeanfeatconsideringafew cinemas,especiallyinthe
Americansouth,had refusedtoshowit. Showgirlsdroppedtofifthinitssecondweekand
wasoutofthetop10byitsfourthweek.But here'sthe
thing.Lessthanayearlaterin1996, MGMRereleased
(34:46):
itinUScinemasasamidnightmovieandShowgirlshas hadsomewhatofanincredibleafterlife,especially
inthe way itwasembracedby theLGBTQcommunity, withdragqueenhostedscreeningscontinuingtobeatraditiontoday.Onits
$45millionbudget,Showgirlsgrossed $20.4milliondomesticallyandwasclassed
(35:10):
asaboxofficeflop.Buttheshowmustgoon.Girls andShowgirlshadgaineda
certainnotorietythatthehomevideomarket wasprime toflaunt.Thanksto
thehomevideomarket,Showgirlsisnolonger a
boxofficeflop,grossingover$100millioninrentalsandpurchases,includingthe one
(35:31):
Imadeforthispodcast.Buttherewasstilltheissueoverstoresthat wouldn'tstockNC17VHS
tapes.PaulVerhoevenagreedtoprepareanRratededition foritshomevideo
releaseforthosestores.ThisEddieisthreeminutesshorterandon2January1996ShowgirlswasreleasedonVHS intwo
(35:54):
versions.Adirector'sRratedversionforrentaloutletsincludingbig stores
likeBlockbusterandHollywoodVideo, andtheoriginalNC17ratedversion.Butthat's
notallforShowgirls.Itwasreleasedon DVDin2000.Of alloftheDVDsMGMsthatwere
released,ShowgirlsisthehighestgrossingMGMDVD ofalltime.It'sbeen
(36:18):
rereleasedastheVIPeditionin2004which includesgameslikePinthePastiesontheShowgirlanda
commentaryfromwriterandsuperfanDavidSchmader.Italsohadfullyexposededitionin2007,a 15thanniversarysensationaleditionin2010it
wasrestored in 4Kin2016andreleasedinUltraHD BluRayin2020.Now,
(36:45):
criticswere notkindtoShowgirlsatthetimeofitsrelease.Itcurrentlyhasa24%onrottentomatoes,summarizedasvile,contemptible,garishand misogynistic.Andthat
mightjustexactlybeShowgirl'spoint.RogerEbert wouldgive
ita 2outof4,butstateitwasawasteofaperfectlygoodNC17rating.EmpirewroteShowgirls wouldbeoffensiveifithadn'tbeenhyped,butithas.The
(37:13):
WashingtonPost'sRitaKempleycalledthefilmanovercoatmovieformenwhodon'twantto be
seen goingtoa Pornotheater,andVariety'sToddMcCarthysaidwatchingthefilmwas akintobeing
kneehauledthroughcesspoolforamovie.Iunderstand not
likingsomething,butreallydramatic much.Didyou
(37:33):
studyfilmcriticismattheNomiMaloneSchoolofOverreaction?Itwasnotimeatall,though,beforepeopledidfind awaytoenjoy
Showgirls.Inherreviewofthefilm,theNewYorkTimesJanetMaslinsuggestedShowgirls wasaninstantcampclassic,andit's
worthnotingthatmanyofthereviewsonRottenTomatoes areactuallyfairlyrecentreviews.
(37:57):
ItisalsoworthaddingthatShowgirlswasthewinner ofA
thenrecordseven GoldenRaspberryAwardsfrom arecord 13nominations,whichstillstands,includingWorst
Picture,WorstActressforElizabeth Berkeley,Worst Directorfor
PaulDe Hoven,WorstScreenplayforJoeEsdhouse,WorstNewStarforElizabethBerkeley,WorstScreen Couple
(38:19):
foranycombinationoftwopeopleortwo body
Parts,andWorstOriginalSongWalk intotheWind.PaultheHoevensurprisedeveryonebyappearing
inpersonatthe Razzies ceremonyto accepthisawardforWorstDirector.Showgirlswouldlaterwinan
eighthRazzieforworst pictureofthelast decade in2000.Italsoreceived
(38:40):
threenominationsatthe1995StinkersBadMovieAwards, WorstPicture,
WorstactorforColeMacLachlanandworstactressforElizabeth Berkeley.Ofthe
three,itsonlywinwasforWorstPicture.TherewasasequeltoShowgirls,written,produced,edited anddirectedbyRenaRiffle.RenaRifflestarredin
(39:00):
ShowgirlsasthecharacterPennyHope,thenewgirl who
startsatCheetahs andwhoendsupdancing withthecharacter
ofJamesafterNaomiturnshimdown.Atthe endofShowgirls,PennyandJames
areengagedandexpectingababy.Thesequel followsPennyassherelocatestola.Showgirl'sTwoPenniesFrom
(39:21):
HeavenwasfundedbyaKickstartercampaign,andjustlikeShowgirlsgotmidnightshowingsbeforebeing releasedon
DVDandVOD.The2019documentaryYouDon't KnowMebydirectorJeffreyMcHaledoesn'tshyawayfromShowgirlsissues,butalsoprovidesa
spaceforthemovieto berevisitedand home video release for those
(39:44):
stores. This edittalksaboutitscultfollowing,itsqueerfandom,themusicalthat has
beenborn of it,whichRenaRifflestarredasPennyinforamonth.It'sa fun
documentarythatreallyshinesalightonhowitfeelsdifferent30yearslater,howElizabethBerkleywillalwaysbeassociatedwithit,buthowshe has
actuallyturnedacorneronitandjust how muchpositivityis
(40:07):
outtherefor themovie.There'sanother documentarythatcameoutin
2023calledGoddesstheFallenRiseofShowgirlsbyEmmyAwardwinningfilmmakerJeffreySchwartz, andIhave
asectionin mynotesforremakes,but Idon'tthinkanyoneisbraveenough
toever remakeShowgirls.Itreallyisoneof akind,cannotbe replicated.Threedecadeson,
(40:30):
thetideisturningforshowgirls.GinaRiveradescribedthetoneofShowgirlsperfectlyin herYahoo
interview.Shesaid,quote,verhoeven hadsomanystylesgoingonsimultaneously.
Itwasliketoomanytypesofpepper.Yougotwhitepepper, chilipepper,cayenne.It'sgoingtobe
toohot.Thewardrobewasbig,themakeupwashuge,theactingwashuge, andthedriveoftheNomicharacterwashuge.It'sallhyperbolicandIthink
(40:58):
it'ssetat suchahigh levelyoucouldn't perceivethe subtletyofwhathewastrying
tosay.Butthequestforstardomandhowfame is
monstrous.Hecouldhavebroughtinsomeotherhuessohecouldhighlightspecificelementsabouttheculture thathewas
tryingtocommunicatetotheaudience.Unfortunately,itwasallbrightandloud,unquote.Nowyoucouldjustsay, well,that'sVegas,
(41:21):
baby.Brightandloud.AsVerhoevensaysheintended,italsoexplainswhymanymoviegoersatthetime rejectedthefilm'soutlandishextraportrayalofSinCity.Hewantedto
bringsomethingtothescreenthatcommentedonstardom,Hollywood,LasVegas, greedandambition.
It's onlyafterreevaluationthatyoustarttoappreciate Showgirls.Somethingthatyoudon'tknowme
(41:46):
goesintoistheeffectofmirrors,whichareeverywhere inthemovieanda
tooltoreflectwomen'ssexualityback atthem,butalsoshowthecharacter'snarcissism
andthecraftingofmultiplePersonas. Verhoevenalsomirrorscertainscenesliketheopeningandclosingof
Nomihitchhiking,theintroductionofCrystalasthe starofGoddessversus
(42:07):
theintroduction Picture, WorstActress for Elizabeth Berkley, Worst
Director for Paul Verhoeven,Worst mirroredfromherlap Ezsterhas,
Worst New Star for ElizabethBerkley, Worst Screen Couple for
any combination of two peopleor two body Parts, and erraticleadperformance,thatit
the Wind. Paul Verhoevensurprised everyone by appearing in
(42:30):
person atrepeatsitself.It'slookingatthe AmericanDream
inadarktwistedmirror,showingthemisogynisticrotofshow business.Thedark
reality ofapatriarchalsocietythaton thesurfaceclaims
tolove,idolizeandpromotewomen,thatactuallyexploitanddegradeswomeninthe Worst
(42:51):
actor for Kyle MacLachla andworst actress for Elizabeth Berkley.
Of the three, its only winworldwhereblackpeoplemeether and
instantlyabandonedtheirownbestintereststo serveherwhims.CharacterslikeJamesand
Mollyaregivennocharacteroftheirown, but
livetoserveandrevolvearoundNomi.Itisworthadding thatMollywas
(43:12):
notspecificallywrittenasablackcharacter, James
after Nomi turns him down. Atthe end of Showgirls, Penny darkskinnedblackmanas
the bestfriendandloveinterestrespectively,the brutal treatment
of la. Showgirl's 2 (43:24):
Penny's From Heaven was funded by a Kickstarter
campaign, and justandmisogyny.Butdespiteallof this,Showgirlshasbeen
givenasecondlife.Notonlyisitnolongerabomb,having earned$100
millioninVHSandDVDsales,it'salsobeginning tohaveaculturalreevaluation
(43:47):
asasatireoftheentertainmentindustry.MGMwerefullycapitalizingonthebawdinessandcampclassicreputation. It'sbecomequite
thecultsuccessontheleveloftheRockyHorrorPictureshowor beingembracedassobadit'sgoodliketheRoom,butitnonethelessemulatesthat
cultclassicstatus.Showgirls30yearsonstillgetshownincinemasandmost importantly,peoplearestilltalkingaboutit.
(44:15):
UnlikesomethinglikeStripteaseasan example,which
isasimilartheme, cameouttheyearafterand starreda muchbiggerstar,DemiMoore.Speakingofthestar,ElizabethBerkeleywas
blamedprimarily asthereasonwhythismoviefailed.Shewasjusta22year old
womanstartingoutherfilmcareerasshewastreatedabysmallybythemostly richwhite
(44:40):
menincharge.Oh,theirony.Berkley has
sincecometotermswiththemovie'sreputation, herinvolvement
andin2015appeared ata20thanniversary screeningatthe HollywoodForeverCemetery.She
gaveamovingspeechtothe4,000Showgirlsfanswho Ravera described
quote,In1995,itwassuchadifferenttimewheretakingriskslikethatwere notembraced.They
(45:03):
werelaughedat,theywereshamedpublicly.Tobea younggirlin
thecenterofthatwassomethingthatwasquite difficult.But
Ifoundmyownresiliency andmypower and myconfidence,notonlythroughwhatIhadto
findout,butbecauseof you guys.InMarch 2024, Berkeleyreceivedthree
standingovationsandasoldoutscreeningto1200fans attheAcademyMuseum'sDavidGeffenTheatre.Shewouldsay,quote,showgirlsreallypushedthe
(45:32):
boundariesatthetimethathavenowbeenembraced.Notmisunderstood, buttruly
embraced.And I'msogratefulthat thefilmhasfounditsway notonlyintoyourhearts,butespecially
theLGBTQcommunity.Youstoodbythefilm,you alwaysbelieved,asdidI,andforthatI'm
eternallygrateful.ShealsojokedthatshewasfinallythankingtheAcademyMuseum.At leastshehasasense
(45:59):
ofhumoraboutitallnow.Butit'ssafe tosaythatElizabethBerkeleyandhercareerwerethrowntothewolvesafterthismovie.AndPaulVerhoevenhasadmittedthat
muchofthevitriolthatwentBerkeley's waywas
purelydowntohisdecisionsonhowtodirecther.Andhehasopenlyapologizedto herforthat.ElizabethBernkleewillbe
(46:20):
inAustinonthe9thofOctober2025.That'slateronthisyearasofthisepisode's releaseforaspecial30thanniversaryscreeningofShowgirls.So
if you liveinthe Austinareaandyou'refreeonthe9thofOctober2025,pleasecheckyourlocallistingsandpleasegoandshowyoursupporttoElizabethBerkeleyandShowgirlsifyoucan,becauseIthinkthatwillbean incrediblescreening.
(46:44):
AndasIsaidatthestart,ItoomisunderstoodShowgirls doingan
episodeonit.IfeellikeIunderstand itnow.Maybenotcompletely,but
better.IseewhatVerhoevenwastryingtodo,whatEsterhousewastryingto sayinhis
script.AndjustlikewithBasicInstinct,thevision oftwoverydifferentmenledto
(47:05):
abitofafallingout.Butthistimewithatonallywildcultclassicerotic movie
withzeroeroticism,withoutlandishperformances,immenselyquotablelines,manyof which
Ican'trepeatonafamilyfriendlypodcast,anda legacythatjustgoesbeyondalmostanyothermovieofitsilk,itiswhollyuniquein
(47:25):
somanyways.ItmakessomemistakesfordefiniteVanessa Househassaidit's
abouta youngwoman'sjourneytoalifeshethinksshewantsandthenseeing itforwhatit
reallyisandthenturningherbackon thatlifeand
alsoturningherbackonherfriend.Butclearly Naomi
wasn't thinkingofMollywhenshewasthinking ofavengingMolly. AsJessieSpanomightsay,Hollywoodisfull
(47:49):
ofsexistpigs,butthesewomenhavecomeout ontop
andhavemade all the moneytheyneedtosurviveandtothrive.Maybesexreallydoes sell,aslongasit'sflailingaboutin
aswimmingpool.Thankyouforlistening.Asalways,I wouldloveto
hearyourthoughtsonShowgirls.And as
always,thankyouforyourcontinuedsupportofthispodcast.If youenjoythispodcast,pleasetakeamomenttotell
(48:13):
yourfriends,tellyourfamily,leave aratingorreviewwherever youfoundthis
podcast.Andifyou wanttogetintouchwithmeoryouwanttofollowmeonsocialmedia,Iamerbaldioramawhereveryoudoyoursocialmedia.And youcan
likepost,sharepost,commentonposts,or youcan
DMmeandlet'stalkaboutShowgirls. Ifyoulikethisepisode
(48:34):
onShowgirls,youmightalsolikeasimilarepisode that Idida littlewhile
back.Episode205ofthispodcastisonthemovieHustlers,whichobviously doesn'thavequitesomuchsexasShowgirlsdoes,butitisaveryinterestingmovieaboutstrippersanditdoesstarJenniferLopezinarguablythebestJennifer
(48:57):
Lopezperformancethateverexists.IwouldhighlyrecommendHustlersasacompanionpiecetoShown Girls,
because Hustlersisbasicallythewomen takingchargeandgetting backatthoserichwhitemen.
Soitwouldbereallygood,Ithink,towatchShowgirlsfirstand thenwatchHustlersandthenseetherichwhitemengettheircomeuppance.
(49:20):
Sothe nextepisodeof thispodcastisgoingto beanothermoviefrom
1995,amoviethatactuallycameoutsixweeksbeforeShowgirls, alowbudgetcrimethrillerthatwouldgoontomake
10timesitsbudgetthathadeveryoneasking, whoisKaiserSoze?Iguesswe'llfindout.Joinmenextweekfor
(49:42):
thehistoryandlegacyoftheUsualSuspects.IfyouenjoywhatIdofor thispodcastoryoujustwantto
support anindiepodcasterwhodoeseverything onherown,ifyou
havesomesparechangeyoucanfinanciallycontributetotheupkeepofthispodcast.Nowyou're undernoobligationbecausethispodcast
isfree anditalwayswillbefree.Butif youdogetvalueoutofwhatIdoand
(50:06):
you have themeanstosupport,therearea coupleofwaysthatyoucan.Youcanmakeaoneoffdonation@verbaldiorama.com
tipsoryou cansubscribetothepatreon@verbaldiorama.compatreonandallmoneymadegoesbackintothispodcastfor payingfor
softwaresubscriptions,websitehostingornewequipment.Hugethankyou tothe
(50:28):
patronsofthispodcasttoSimon,Laurel,Derek, Kat,Andy,Mike,Luke,
Michael,Scott,Brendan,Ian,Lisa,Sam, Jack,Dave,Stuart,Nicholas,so,Kev,Heather,
Danny,Stu,Brett,PhilipM.Zenos,Sean,Rhino,Philip K,Adam,Elaine,
(50:48):
Kyle,Aaronandbrandnewpatron,Connor.WelcomeConnor.Thank youforjoiningthePatreon.Youaremostwelcome.If
youwantto getintouch,youcanemailverbaldioramail.comyou cangotothewebsiteverbal
diorama.comandfill outthelittlecontact form.Youcansayhi,givefeedbackorsuggestions.
(51:09):
Oryoucangetintouchwithmeonsocialmedia andtalktomeaboutShowgirlsoranymovie
thatI featured.Pleasefeelfreetogetintouch,say hi and let'stalkaboutmovies.Andfinally,
Bullyand Costello.k ley .Jo eEzsterhas
(53:33):
Bye.
Hi, everyone. I'm Em. Andwelcome to Verbal Diorama, episode
312, Showgirls. This is apodcast that's all about the history
and legacy of Movies you Knowand Movies you Don't. That doesn't
suck. Welcome to VerbalDiorama. Whether you're a branbrand-newdnewlistenertothispodcast,whetheryou're
aregularreturning listener,thank you for being here. Thank you
for choosing to listen to thispodcast. I am so Happy to have you
(03:35):
here for the history andlegacy of Showgirls. And if you are
a regular returning listener,thank you so much for continuing
to return to this podcast tosupport this podcast. And it genuinely
means so much to have you backwith us. And if you're a brandbrand-newnewlistener,well,there'sa
lotofepisodesforyou to catchup on, so hop to it. This, again
(03:58):
has been one of those episodesthat I've wanted to do for some time,
and I've always held off doingit because I wanted to give it the
attention it deserved. Andlast month, the month of August,
I specifically wanted to focuson female fronted movies. I did episodes
on Black Widow Red, SonjaBarbie, and also a special episode
on my favorite, Pride ofPrejudice. And this episode was originally
(04:21):
supposed to come out inAugust, but I got ill in July and
then everything was pushedback a week, and so it just kind
of plopped into September. Butout of all of those, this movie is
the most notorious. It's thebiggest flop, and it's also the most
(04:41):
divisive. This is one of thosemovies where if you mention the name
Showgirls to someone, they'reeither gonna turn around and say
they love it because it's acamp cult classic, or they're gonna
say, oh, I really don't likethat movie. That movie is rubbish.
So over the top. But I thinkthat's kind of the point. Whether
you love it, hate it, whetheryou think it's a satirical masterpiece
(05:06):
or the biggest pile of doggychow poop there is, there are bad
movies and there are badmovies. Showgirls ostensibly isn't
a good movie, so you could sayit's bad. However, the difference
between a bad movie and a badmovie is one is forgettable and one
is not. Showgirls is neverboring, never tedious, and never,
(05:29):
ever forgettable. I hope youlike this episode. I bought it at
Versace. Here's the trailerfor Showgirls.
(07:31):
Noni Malone hitchhikes to LasVegas, determined to make a name
for herself after being robbedand almost hit by a car. She befriends
Molly Abrams, a youngseamstress who agrees to take Nomi
in for a few weeks until shegets a job. Nomi finds work at Cheetahs,
a local strip joint, butdreams of joining the Goddess show
(07:51):
at the Stardust. When Mollyworks, Nomi is offered the opportunity
to dance in the Chorus Line,but dreams of only being in one place,
the star of the show.Unfortunately for Nomi, that part
is already taken by the one,the only, Ms. Crystal Connors. Nomi
makes it her mission to makeit big at the Stardust, no matter
(08:13):
the price. Let's run throughthe cast of this movie. We have Elizabeth
Berkley as Nomi Malone, GinaGershon as Crystal Connors, Kyle
McLachlan as Zack Carey, GlennPlummer as James Smith, Robert Davi
as Al Torres, Alan Rushins asTony Moss, and Gina Ravera as Molly
(08:36):
Abrams. Showgirls was writtenby Joe Eszterhas and directed by
Paul Verhoeven. Now, I'lladmit straight up, I misunderstood
and misjudged Showgirls. Ioriginally saw it for the reasons
mostly everyone else saw. Theover the top acting, the bad script,
the weird choices fordirection, the tonal whiplash culminating
(08:59):
in a sexual assault scene soatrocious that I felt like any grace
the movie did have had beeneradicated by showing that degree
of violence to a characterthat is literally the nicest one
in the entire movie. But thething about being a movie podcaster,
and specifically a filmhistory podcaster, means that it's
(09:21):
my job to go beyond that andhonestly, Showgirls is more than
worthy of an episode becauseShowgirls has a unique place in cinema
history that goes beyond thedrama and the sex and the and the
exploitation. I have grown tobecome quite fond of Showgirls for
everything it is, foreverything it tried to be, and for
(09:43):
everything it isn't. But totell the story of Showgirls, we need
to tell the stories of PaulVerhoeven an Joe Ezsterhas. Both
have been featured on thispodcast before, together for Basic
Instinct, which is episode 167and Verhoeven for Starship Troopers
which is episode 147.Verhoeven have made his name with
sexually explicit dramas inhis native the Netherlands like Spetters
(10:07):
and the Oscar nominatedTurkish Delight. Verhoeven came to
Hollywood in the 80s andbecame the go to director for big
budget violent satiricalvisual effects layered in science
fiction like Robocop and TotalRecall. Before being brought on board
to direct Basic Instinct byCarolco, Joe Ezsterhas had co wrote
(10:28):
the script for Flashdance,which became one of the highest grossing
films of 1983 and by the early90s he was the highest paid writer
in Hollywood. Thanks to BasicInstinct, for which he received $3
million, Basic Instinct becamethe ninth highest grossing film worldwide
of 1992 and became thequintessential erotic thriller, paying
(10:49):
homage to Alfred Hitchcock andinspiring many imitators, but also
firing up controversy for itsdepictions of bisexuality, with lesbian
and bisexual groups protestingthe movie. But lightning struck once
for the team up of Verhoevenand Ezsterhas so it could strike
twice, right? The problem wasthe pair had had a falling out over
(11:12):
Basic Instinct. Joe Ezsterhashad a reputation as the writer of
provocative sexually explicitscreenplays, but when Verhoeven suggested
changes to the script,including a lesbian sex scene, Ezsterhas
strongly disagreed with thechanges and he thought them exploitative.
Verhoeven wanted to amplifythe script's most controversial elements,
(11:33):
but Ezsterhas felt thatVerhoeven was pushing the sexual
content beyond what wasnecessary for the story and into
exploitative territory. WithVerhoeven and willing to budge, Eszterhas
and producer Erwin Winklerleft the movie a year later though
after Basic Instinct hadbecome a huge success, it was all
water under the bridge for thepair and they went to lunch in Los
(11:55):
Angeles with indie producerBen Myron, with Ezsterhas presenting
Verhoeven with a couple offilm ideas for the pair to work on,
one of which was based on anidea by Myron, formerly the head
of Roland Joffe's productioncompany Lightmotif, about a movie
set in Vegas with a youngfemale protagonist who starts working
as a lap dancer and then getsinto one of the big casino shows.
(12:17):
And the idea was for a big,extravagant Las Vegas musical. Verhoeven
loved the idea of emulatingthe Busby Berkeley musicals that
he loved. And producer CharlesEvans would pay Joe Ezsterhas a $2
million advance in November1992 to write the script about Las
Vegas showgirls. At the time,one of the highest guaranteed development
(12:39):
deals ever struck. Ezsterhasalso confirmed Paul dehoven was interested
to direct pending his approvalof the script. And November 1992
was Ezsterhas's lucky monthbecause two weeks earlier he had
sold a two page outline forthe movie Jade to Paramount for a
potential $2.4 million. Heactually received $1.5 million plus
(13:02):
$400,000 to executivelyproduce. Up until Shane Black's record
breaking $4 million for thelong Kiss Good Night Ezsterhas held
the record for the highestpaid screenwriter in Hollywood. The
script that Ezsterhas wouldshow Verhoeven initially wouldn't
excite the director, though hefound it an original. So he went
off to do something else.Carolco Pictures were making a big
(13:25):
movie with ArnoldSchwarzenegger. Verhoeven was keen
to reunite because TotalRecall star and signed on to direct.
Now, if you've listened to myepisode on Cutthroat island, which
was a few episodes ago, you'llknow what's coming next because yes,
it is the movie that you arethinking it is. The movie in question
was Crusade. They'd startedbuilding sets of Jerusalem in Spain,
(13:48):
but Carolco was also spendinglots of money on its big budget pirate
adventure, historical epic orPirate Schwarzenegger or Geena Davis.
Now Crusade was moreexpensive. So Crusade was eventually
cancelled. But with thecancellation, Verhoeven became available
once more. And despite Carolcobeing in extreme financial dire straits,
(14:13):
he agreed favortoCorelcocofounderMarioCasar Carolco he founder
Mario Kassar becaus he wantedto help save Carolco happenisKurolkoditchingtheNC17showgirlsinfavorof
Carolco ditching the NC17showgirls in IwouldsuggestlisteningtoCutthroatislandformoreonwhat
(14:35):
happenedtothatcrowdpleasingPG13pirateadventure.Trysayingthatreallyfast. ButKuralkareallyhadnochoice
buttosellShowgirlstotryandgetoutofitsCrippling But
Carolco really had noinpreproduction.Korolkowould thengo
bankruptin1995.ButbacktoShowgirls becausePaul to Chargeurs
in pre production. Carolcowould then go bankrupt in 1995. But
(14:59):
back to Showgirls because PaulVerhoeven wasn't taken with the original
story and insistedBetteDavisandAnneBaxteraswellasMarilynMonroeinoneofher early
roles.Theideaforitbeingamusicalwasnixedwhenit becameobviousthatthe
reallivesofShowgirlswasn'tallfun,upbeatmusicals,butoftenconsistedofabuse,physical,mental and
(15:24):
sexual.Andeachdaytheywerejustlivingtheirday, taking
thecash,cashingthechecksandshowingthepayingcustomerswhattheywantedtosee. Esterhaus
gotintouchwithaLasVegasreporterandexplainedtheyweremaking amovieaboutLasVegasShowgirlsand
shegothimin touchwithavarietyofyoungwomenwhoworkedinthe industry.HeandVerhoevehadinterviewed
(15:47):
see. Ezsterhas got in touchwith a Las Vegas reporter and explained
anderoticdancerswhoworkedinVegasclubs,shows,strip clubsandondance
shows.Thestoriesfromthesewomendirectly influenced
thedirectionofthe He andVerhoeven musicisstillimportanttotheshows
inthemovie,theideaofitbeingafullblownmusicalwasquickly dropped.Thatdidn't
(16:12):
meanthemusicalinfluencesweredropped.ThenumberwherethecharacterAnniewasinjuredwasdirectlybasedon thelookandstyleoftheBusby
BerkeleymusicalsthatVerhoevenloved.And inascriptsofullofcharacters
who would haveit outforNomiandTroy to break out.ThecharacterofMollywasintroducedinalaterscripttobetheonepersontrulyonNomi'sside,ignoringthe
(16:33):
factthatnooneeverinvitesanerratic,strangeperson tolivewiththemafteronlyknowing
themfor10minutes.Mollyisaprecious,precioussoul.Andwhileherrapesceneishonestly theworstpartofthewholemovie,Esterhousewasso
horrifiedbyalloftheVegaswomen's reportedassaults
andrapesthatheknewheneededtorepresent thathorrificsideoftheirlifebecauseit
(16:56):
wasspeakingfromtheexperiencesofsomanydancersand artistsinVegas.Andhere'sthething.I'vebeentoVegas.Yes,it'sbrightlycolored,vivid,loud,
andit giveseverythingyoucouldpossiblywantorneed.Andfamiliesdoholidaytherewithchildren.Butthere isablatantly
Ezsterhas was so horrified byall of the Vegas getoutontothestreetswiththevansadvertisingstrippers,thesex
(17:23):
workershuddledinthecornersofcasinosandtheleafletters smackingtheirleafletsontheirhandstoenticeyoutotakeone.Theycan'tgive
themtoyou,but youcantakethem.Andtheyareusuallyadvertisingnew danceshows.Bearin
mindit hasbeen15yearssinceIwenttoVegas, soitmaybedifferentnow,
butthat'sthesideofVegaspeoplewhowatchmoviesdon'tusually see.AndShowgirlsisat
(17:46):
leastattemptingtoexposethatsideofthecity.After doingallthisresearch,Eszterhousewent
offtowriteascriptinHawaii.Headmitsto beingabithighon
marijuanaatthe time,buthecrafted astoryaboutagrittyandambitiouswomanwhowants
to becomeanAliststripperinLasVegas. Esterhaus imaginedagritty
(18:06):
andgrounded filmbasedinthereallifeexperiencesofthe variouswomenhe'dmet.Verhoeven
obviouslyvieweditslightlydifferently.Hewanted to
makeasatireoftheentertainmentindustry withhisprevious
movieslikeTotal RecallandRobocopbeing extremelyviolent andthismovie
in particular,showingthatweasthat side of the city. After doing
(18:30):
all this research, Ezsterhaswent off explorewhy thatwas,Verhoeven
endedupdeferring70%ofhis$6milliondirector'sfee,dependingon if
thefilm turnedaprofitornot.Andmanyofthemovie'sweirdestandmostcriticizedpartswerebasedonthosereallifeexperiences, fromicecubesonnipples
(18:51):
andeventheDoggyChowconversation.One ofthedancersEsterhaasinterviewed
wasstrugglingformoneyandwouldeatdogfoodjusttobeabletoeat.Butoncethescript wasfinishedandeveryonewasremotelyhappywithit,theyhadtostartcastingandanyactresswho
wanted the leadrolehadtobemanythings.They had tobe intheirearly20s,beabletoactanddanceandbeokaywithfullfrontalnudity.Andnot
(19:18):
justafleetingglanceoffullfrontal,but bealmostconstantlyfull
frontalnude.Verhoevenspecificallywanted someonealist.
An incrediblelistofbignameactors auditionedfortheroleofNomi,includingPamelaAnderson,DrewBarrymore,
DeniseRichardson,AngelinaJolie,JenniferLopezandCharlize Theron.Theronwasturneddownfortherole,
(19:41):
which in hindsightwasprobablyagood thing.RichardswasinsteadcastfortheHobanStarship
Troopers.Barrymoreturnedtheroledowndueto theexcessivenudity.Andthename
onthemirrorat the Stardustthat's rippedoffinfavor ofNaomiisDru,presumablyinreferenceto
Barrymore.JenniferLopez'sfailedauditionforShowgirls wouldleadtohergettingherflowersforhustlers24yearslater,aswouldPamelaAndersonfor
(20:05):
theLastShowgirl.ProducerCharlesEvanswouldberesponsible for
findingthethen22yearoldElizabethBerkeley,fresh offherstarringrolein
teen sitcomSavedby Verhoevenspecifically wanted someone a list.
An incredible list of big nameactors auditioned for the role of
(20:26):
Nomi, including PamelaAnderson, Drew Barrymore, Denise
Richards, Angelina Jolie,Jennifer Lopez advisedhernottodoit.
Theron was turned down for therole, which in hindsight was probably
a good thing. Richards wasinstead cast for Verhoeven's Starshi
Troopers.totheHoven,whowasimpressedbyherconfidence andthefactshetold
(20:48):
Verhoevenhis searchwasoverandshe wastheir Nomi.Verhoevenhad
in favor of Naomi is Drew,presumably in reference to Barrymore.
Jennifer Lopez's failedaudition for Showgirls would lead
to her gettinginLosAngeles,LasVegasand NewYorkandinterviewingstrippers
atvenues for the LastShowgirl. Producer Charles Evans
(21:12):
would be responsible forfinding the then 22 year old Elizabeth
Berkley, fresh offVerhoevenhad neverseenSavedbythe
Bellpriortocasting her andadmitsthatheprobablyshouldhavebecausecastingherinapartsodifferenttohowaudiencesknewher likelyaffectednot
onlytheboxoffice forthe Spanojust for her. Berkley had heard of
(21:33):
the role of Nomi, butinchargeonscreen havenoconcern foranywoman'sreputation,sowhyshouldtheones
Berkley felt a connection tothe character and personally called
Evans, introduced herself asNomi and auditioned for him. Evans
was soandthedanceensemblehired for to Verhoeven,
who was impressed phase,ShivannadidDemiMooreatoneof theclubsinLosAngeleswhere
(21:58):
MoorewasconductingresearchforherroleinStriptease.And obviously
at thetime DemiMoorewas oneofthe biggestnames lightning can
indeed strike twice. Berkleyeven aprettygoodroleforayoungwoman.Atthetime,everyyoungactressinHollywood
hadtriedtoget thisrole.Berkeley'smotherwascertainthatherdaughterwouldgetan Oscarnomination.Andthatsoundssillytosay
(22:21):
from her agent, Berkley metwith toElizabethBerkeley thatthiswasgoing
tobea breakthroughforheractingcareer.Andit's alsosafe tosayshe
would be totallyunpreparedandblindsidedbywhatwouldhappentoherafterthereleaseofthis movie.
WhileMadonnaandSharonStonewereeyedfor theroleoftheerstwhilebisexualstaroftheshow,
(22:44):
CrystalConnors,that Berkley'sown reputation. But McDermott wasthefirst
choiceforZach,but he turnedtherole downand KyleMacLachlan, whowasahuge
fanofVerhoeven,specificallyRobocop,wascast inamoviehethoughtwould
bedarkandedgyanddisturbingandreal.Speaking of
dark,edgy,disturbingandreal,GinaRiverawassentthescriptbyheragent whileworking
(23:10):
asaclassicallytraineddancer.She film.
During this preparationalphase, she ran into Dem wassupposedtoauditionfortheroleofCrystal,butas
anAfroLatinaactor,sheknewthecastingdirectorwouldnevercast awomanofcolor
as the colead,soinsteadshereadforthe partofMollyawell
oftheblack myth'sfriendtrope.Shewascastas Nomi'sonlytruefriend.AndwhileRiverararelyspeaksaboutthemovie,she
(23:38):
mentionedinaninterviewwithyahoo for tried to
get this role. Berkley'smother was certain that WildNightsoutinRenoand
relished theopportunityto workwithPaulVerhoeven,a directorsheinitiallyadmired.Tothisday,
to Elizabeth Berkley thatonce,atthefilm's1995 LApremiere,and
(23:59):
she purposelyleftduringtherape scene.She foundthesceneincrediblytraumatictofilm
and endedupshootingforninehoursina deeply unpleasantandpainful
experiencethatleftherbruisedandvulnerable. Even asthefilmbecameembracedasacultfavorite,shepurposely
remainedonthesidelines,decliningtoappearat publiceventsorevendiscussherexperiencein
(24:23):
the first choice for Zack, buthe turned the movieifsheunderstoodtheordealshewouldhavetogo
through.Verhoevenwantedthescenetofeelrawandbrutal. Hedirected
themale actors,encouragingthemtoberoughandoverzealouswithRivera,whichled edgy,
disturbing and real, GinaRavera was sent the script by her
(24:44):
agent Herjawwasinjuredandremainedso foryearsafterwards.ShootingforShowgirlstartedinNevada
inOctober1994andlastedfourandahalfmonths, finishingin
March1995.It was shot atCristal, but as an Afro Latina actor,
and Casino,whichwasdemolishedin2017,andtheformerStardust Hotel
(25:06):
andCasino,theForumShop,St.Caesar's palace, aswellasusing
theexteriorsoftheRealCheetahsToplessClub.EverythingelsewasfilmedinLA onasoundstage.The
while Ravera rarely2006,butinterestingly,saved bytheBell
WeddingInLasVegaswasalsofilmedattheStardustataroundthesametimeandJessieSpano didmakeabriefcameointhatTVmovie.BerkeleyhadcommitmentstoShowgirlsbutmanaged
(25:35):
to film asmallcameoforherSavedbytheBellcolleagues.Duringthistime,Berkeleyreportedlydancedforupto16hoursaday,ofteneithercompletelynude orpartiallynudesevendaysaweek.Andshealsoreportedlynever
usedBodydouble.Consideringthisisamovieknownforitsfullfrontal nudityandbarrageofbarebreasts.Italsocontainssomeincredible
(26:00):
costumedesignincludingthefringeleatherjacketandhighwaistedjeanswornbyNaomiwhenwemeether hitchhiking,thestagelooksdrippingincrystalsandofcoursetheiconicblack
miniVersacedress.ThecostumedesignerwasEllen MirojnikwhoalsoworkedonBasic
InstinctandFatal AttractionaswellasSpeed.I'msurethatwon'tcomeupinabit.Shedesigned elaboratechiffontrimmedgowns,rhinestonecowboyhatsandchainmailhaltersets.
(26:28):
ForCrystal. She gaveMollycutedungareesandsundresses.Miroznik overzealous
with Ravera, which led toWilliam Shockley playing Andrew Carver,
accidentally hitting Ravera onTheytookinspiration fromearly90sVersacecreating
elaboratejeweledseethroughbodystockings. Andeven
(26:48):
thenVerhoeventhought theyweretoocoveredupand ripped thebody
stockings up.Versaceactuallyrefusedtosupply Luxor Casino, Therewasno
product placementagreementinplaceandnobigname actresstopersuadethemto
doit.SoMirozhnikwentoutandboughtthe dress out ofthebudgetfromtheboutiquetheBellagio
(27:09):
Hotel.Versacedid havetosignoffonthemispronunciationofthenamethough,whichwasapparentlysuggested byElizabethBerkeley,the
iconicposterimagewasbasedonSlovakianphotographerTono Stano's1992photo
Sense,which depictedmodelIlonaNovikovadrapedinblackfabricagainstablackbackgroundwith cameo
(27:32):
in that TV movie. Berkleyknownforhisblackandwhitephotosof scantilyclapped
women.SenseissaidtosymbolizethereemergenceofEastern Europe
from time, Berkley reportedlydanced bought by MGMStudios andtheycommissionedasimilarphotoastheposterfor
Showgirls.Anyway,itistimetosegueintotheobligatoryKeanureferenceofthisepisodeandifyoudon'tknowwhatthatis, it'swhereIlinkthemoviethatarefeaturingwith
(28:00):
KeanuReevesfor noreasonotherthanheisgenuinelythebestof men.Andthiswasso
remarkablyeasy.NotonlydidImention Ella,Mirochnik,and
by Nomi whenGlennPlummerisinthismovie.Andifyou don't
knowthelink betweenKeanuandGlennPlummer,GlennPlummerisinSpeed.Heistheguyin theconvertiblecarthatJackTravencommandeerson
(28:22):
thefreewayinordertogetto thebus.AndGlennPlummer isgenuinelyone
ofthemostmemorablesidecharacters inthe
movie.Idon'tbelievehe'sevengivenaname inthefirstSpeedmovie.Ithinkhe
getsanameinSpeedtoo, butthatisCristal. She gave Molly cute dungarees
and sundresses. Mirojnik andwas goingtobewritingsongsfortheShowgirlsoundtrack.However,Princewouldonlysupplysomeofhisexisting
(28:48):
songs for themovie,namely319andI'mnotGoingtobeableto pronouncethisRipoptheGoddessZipper.IhavenoideaifI
gotthatright,butneitherappeared ontheofficialmoviesoundtrack.DaveStewartfromtheEurythmicscomposedthefilm'sscoreaswellaswriting
themusic forthebigStardustshows,and thesoundtrack alsoincludesaversionofDavidBowie's
(29:10):
I'mAfraidofAmericansandNewSkinby Susieandthe
Banshees.Sothisis Mirojnikepisode'sgonnagetabitrisque,shall we
the budget from the boutiquethe Bellagio Hotel. Versace did have
to sign off on themispronunciation of the name though,
(29:31):
which was apparently suggestedby Elizabeth Berkley, the iconic
poster image was based onSlovakian photographer Tono Stano's
1992 photo Sense, whichdepicted model Ilona Novakova draped
in black fabric against aUStoaccommodatethefamilymarket.Butthenthere'sothermoviesthatbasicallyeschew thePG13ratinganddecide
(29:57):
to goforanRratingonpurpose.Showgirlsistheraremoviethatwas notonlyreleasedasNC17intheUSwhichisgenerallyconsideredboxoffice
poison,butitwasalwaysplannedtobeNC17.PaulVerhoevenrefusedtodothemovie if
itwasn't,andthereasonwasbecausehehadsuch anightmarewiththeMPAAovertheratingofBasicInstinct.BasicInstincthadtobesubmittedtotheMPAAeighttimestogetthe
(30:27):
requiredRrating.Verhoevenhadalongconversation withheadoftristarMikeMedavoy,who
toldhimtheycouldmakeBasicInstinctNC17and itmightmake
money,ortheycouldrateitRanditI mention Ellen Mirojnik, Now obviously,
BasicInstinctwentontogross$352millionworldwide. Buttheprocessofcuttingandresubmitting
(30:50):
wasanunpleasantexperienceforVerhoeven,an experiencehewasn'tkeentorepeat.Andso
ShowgirlswasdesignedtobeNC17.Hedidn'twanttofightwiththeMPAAovertheshowingat breastsorfull
frontalnaked women,becausethesedancers,theyweregoingtobe nakedalot.
Strippersdotendtostrip.Anddistributor NC17wasoriginallycreatedin
(31:15):
1990asasupposedlystigmafreealternativetotheprevious Xrating.But
sincethenstudios havebeenterrifiedofthoseinitialswhichstandfornochildrenunder17.Basically becauseit
alienateahugechunkofthemoviegoingpopulation.Manystudioshave actuallycontractuallyobligated
(31:37):
directorstoavoidit.MGMwascertain theratingwouldn'tputpeopleoff
becausethiswasthelatestPaulVerhoeven movie.They
neverinsisteditwascutanyfurtherforShowgirls, MGMdecidedtogo
allinonthat NC17 rating,releasingatrailersuggestingthemoviewastoorisquetotemptpeopletogo watchit.JoeESAHousewouldalsoencourage
(32:02):
youngsterstogetafakeIDtowatchit, whichobviouslysunk
likealeadballoon.MGMworetheNC17 and
New Skin by Siousxie and theBanshees. intoamarketingbonanza,including
shipping250,000 8minute sneakpreview tapesfeaturingscenestoonaughtyto
showintheatertrailers,twovideostores togiveawayas
(32:26):
freerentals.Therewasalsoaninteractiveadultsonlywebsite,oneofthe firstin
the relativeinfancyoftheInternet,whichhad1millionclicksadayto lookatracyonset
photosthatprobablytookseveralminutesto downloadonadialupmodem.Thesiteregularlycrashedandthey
hadto createnewservicetodealwiththedemand.Thewebsitecarrieda warningthatthematerialwasforover17s.However,people
(32:54):
quicklyclicked,nopunintended,that alltheyneededtodowas clicktoseephotosthattheywantedto
see.Andwiththat,Showgirlsalsodrew severalprotestson
itsrelease,includingbymoralityinmedia,withitspresidentstating,quote,greatdrama oftendealswith
life's underside, butitisatrulygreat story,producer andperformers
(33:18):
thatmakeforgreatdrama.Notwallto wallnudity,vulgarityandhardcoresex,unquote.Headdedthattheprotestprobably
wouldattractmoreattentiontothemovie,butendedquote,Ithink peopleshouldprotesttomgm,to
localtheaters, andtothenewspapersand televisionstationsthatrunthead.Whatfinallygot
(33:39):
metospeakout onthisisthewaythey'remarketingthefilm. Even
ifthefilmhas somelegitimacytoit,they'remarketingitforitstrash.I'mnotcontestingsomeone's righttomakethefilm.WhatI'mcontesting
isMGM'sdecisiontopromoteitandmarketitlikeaporno film,unquote.Aswithmostoftheseprotests,the
(33:59):
protestersprobablyneveractuallysawthemovieinthefirstplace,butnevertheless,Showgirlswasthefirst major
studiofilmtobereleasedwithanNC17rating since1990sHenryandJuneanditopenedon
1388 screens,stillthehighestnumberforanNC17movie.Onitsreleaseon 22
(34:22):
September1995,itopenedsecondattheboxoffice intheUSbehindSeven,which
wasactuallyaprettymeanfeatconsideringafew cinemas,especiallyinthe
Americansouth,had refusedtoshowit. Showgirlsdroppedtofifthinitssecondweekand
wasoutofthetop10byitsfourthweek.But here'sthe
thing.Lessthanayearlaterin1996, MGMRereleased
(34:46):
itinUScinemasasamidnightmovieandShowgirlshas hadsomewhatofanincredibleafterlife,especially
inthe way itwasembracedby theLGBTQcommunity, withdragqueenhostedscreeningscontinuingtobeatraditiontoday.Onits
$45millionbudget,Showgirlsgrossed $20.4milliondomesticallyandwasclassed
(35:10):
asaboxofficeflop.Buttheshowmustgoon.Girls andShowgirlshadgaineda
certainnotorietythatthehomevideomarket wasprime toflaunt.Thanksto
thehomevideomarket,Showgirlsisnolonger a
boxofficeflop,grossingover$100millioninrentalsandpurchases,includingthe one
(35:31):
Imadeforthispodcast.Buttherewasstilltheissueoverstoresthat wouldn'tstockNC17VHS
tapes.PaulVerhoevenagreedtoprepareanRratededition foritshomevideo
releaseforthosestores.ThisEddieisthreeminutesshorterandon2January1996ShowgirlswasreleasedonVHS intwo
(35:54):
versions.Adirector'sRratedversionforrentaloutletsincludingbig stores
likeBlockbusterandHollywoodVideo, andtheoriginalNC17ratedversion.Butthat's
notallforShowgirls.Itwasreleasedon DVDin2000.Of alloftheDVDsMGMsthatwere
released,ShowgirlsisthehighestgrossingMGMDVD ofalltime.It'sbeen
(36:18):
rereleasedastheVIPeditionin2004which includesgameslikePinthePastiesontheShowgirlanda
commentaryfromwriterandsuperfanDavidSchmader.Italsohadfullyexposededitionin2007,a 15thanniversarysensationaleditionin2010it
wasrestored in 4Kin2016andreleasedinUltraHD BluRayin2020.Now,
(36:45):
criticswere notkindtoShowgirlsatthetimeofitsrelease.Itcurrentlyhasa24%onrottentomatoes,summarizedasvile,contemptible,garishand misogynistic.Andthat
mightjustexactlybeShowgirl'spoint.RogerEbert wouldgive
ita 2outof4,butstateitwasawasteofaperfectlygoodNC17rating.EmpirewroteShowgirls wouldbeoffensiveifithadn'tbeenhyped,butithas.The
(37:13):
WashingtonPost'sRitaKempleycalledthefilmanovercoatmovieformenwhodon'twantto be
seen goingtoa Pornotheater,andVariety'sToddMcCarthysaidwatchingthefilmwas akintobeing
kneehauledthroughcesspoolforamovie.Iunderstand not
likingsomething,butreallydramatic much.Didyou
(37:33):
studyfilmcriticismattheNomiMaloneSchoolofOverreaction?Itwasnotimeatall,though,beforepeopledidfind awaytoenjoy
Showgirls.Inherreviewofthefilm,theNewYorkTimesJanetMaslinsuggestedShowgirls wasaninstantcampclassic,andit's
worthnotingthatmanyofthereviewsonRottenTomatoes areactuallyfairlyrecentreviews.
(37:57):
ItisalsoworthaddingthatShowgirlswasthewinner ofA
thenrecordseven GoldenRaspberryAwardsfrom arecord 13nominations,whichstillstands,includingWorst
Picture,WorstActressforElizabeth Berkeley,Worst Directorfor
PaulDe Hoven,WorstScreenplayforJoeEsdhouse,WorstNewStarforElizabethBerkeley,WorstScreen Couple
(38:19):
foranycombinationoftwopeopleortwo body
Parts,andWorstOriginalSongWalk intotheWind.PaultheHoevensurprisedeveryonebyappearing
inpersonatthe Razzies ceremonyto accepthisawardforWorstDirector.Showgirlswouldlaterwinan
eighthRazzieforworst pictureofthelast decade in2000.Italsoreceived
(38:40):
threenominationsatthe1995StinkersBadMovieAwards, WorstPicture,
WorstactorforColeMacLachlanandworstactressforElizabeth Berkeley.Ofthe
three,itsonlywinwasforWorstPicture.TherewasasequeltoShowgirls,written,produced,edited anddirectedbyRenaRiffle.RenaRifflestarredin
(39:00):
ShowgirlsasthecharacterPennyHope,thenewgirl who
startsatCheetahs andwhoendsupdancing withthecharacter
ofJamesafterNaomiturnshimdown.Atthe endofShowgirls,PennyandJames
areengagedandexpectingababy.Thesequel followsPennyassherelocatestola.Showgirl'sTwoPenniesFrom
(39:21):
HeavenwasfundedbyaKickstartercampaign,andjustlikeShowgirlsgotmidnightshowingsbeforebeing releasedon
DVDandVOD.The2019documentaryYouDon't KnowMebydirectorJeffreyMcHaledoesn'tshyawayfromShowgirlsissues,butalsoprovidesa
spaceforthemovieto berevisitedand home video release for those
(39:44):
stores. This edittalksaboutitscultfollowing,itsqueerfandom,themusicalthat has
beenborn of it,whichRenaRifflestarredasPennyinforamonth.It'sa fun
documentarythatreallyshinesalightonhowitfeelsdifferent30yearslater,howElizabethBerkleywillalwaysbeassociatedwithit,buthowshe has
actuallyturnedacorneronitandjust how muchpositivityis
(40:07):
outtherefor themovie.There'sanother documentarythatcameoutin
2023calledGoddesstheFallenRiseofShowgirlsbyEmmyAwardwinningfilmmakerJeffreySchwartz, andIhave
asectionin mynotesforremakes,but Idon'tthinkanyoneisbraveenough
toever remakeShowgirls.Itreallyisoneof akind,cannotbe replicated.Threedecadeson,
(40:30):
thetideisturningforshowgirls.GinaRiveradescribedthetoneofShowgirlsperfectlyin herYahoo
interview.Shesaid,quote,verhoeven hadsomanystylesgoingonsimultaneously.
Itwasliketoomanytypesofpepper.Yougotwhitepepper, chilipepper,cayenne.It'sgoingtobe
toohot.Thewardrobewasbig,themakeupwashuge,theactingwashuge, andthedriveoftheNomicharacterwashuge.It'sallhyperbolicandIthink
(40:58):
it'ssetat suchahigh levelyoucouldn't perceivethe subtletyofwhathewastrying
tosay.Butthequestforstardomandhowfame is
monstrous.Hecouldhavebroughtinsomeotherhuessohecouldhighlightspecificelementsabouttheculture thathewas
tryingtocommunicatetotheaudience.Unfortunately,itwasallbrightandloud,unquote.Nowyoucouldjustsay, well,that'sVegas,
(41:21):
baby.Brightandloud.AsVerhoevensaysheintended,italsoexplainswhymanymoviegoersatthetime rejectedthefilm'soutlandishextraportrayalofSinCity.Hewantedto
bringsomethingtothescreenthatcommentedonstardom,Hollywood,LasVegas, greedandambition.
It's onlyafterreevaluationthatyoustarttoappreciate Showgirls.Somethingthatyoudon'tknowme
(41:46):
goesintoistheeffectofmirrors,whichareeverywhere inthemovieanda
tooltoreflectwomen'ssexualityback atthem,butalsoshowthecharacter'snarcissism
andthecraftingofmultiplePersonas. Verhoevenalsomirrorscertainscenesliketheopeningandclosingof
Nomihitchhiking,theintroductionofCrystalasthe starofGoddessversus
(42:07):
theintroduction Picture, WorstActress for Elizabeth Berkley, Worst
Director for Paul Verhoeven,Worst mirroredfromherlap Ezsterhas,
Worst New Star for ElizabethBerkley, Worst Screen Couple for
any combination of two peopleor two body Parts, and erraticleadperformance,thatit
the Wind. Paul Verhoevensurprised everyone by appearing in
(42:30):
person atrepeatsitself.It'slookingatthe AmericanDream
inadarktwistedmirror,showingthemisogynisticrotofshow business.Thedark
reality ofapatriarchalsocietythaton thesurfaceclaims
tolove,idolizeandpromotewomen,thatactuallyexploitanddegradeswomeninthe Worst
(42:51):
actor for Kyle MacLachla andworst actress for Elizabeth Berkley.
Of the three, its only winworldwhereblackpeoplemeether and
instantlyabandonedtheirownbestintereststo serveherwhims.CharacterslikeJamesand
Mollyaregivennocharacteroftheirown, but
livetoserveandrevolvearoundNomi.Itisworthadding thatMollywas
(43:12):
notspecificallywrittenasablackcharacter, James
after Nomi turns him down. Atthe end of Showgirls, Penny darkskinnedblackmanas
the bestfriendandloveinterestrespectively,the brutal treatment
of la. Showgirl's 2 (43:24):
Penny's From Heaven was funded by a Kickstarter
campaign, and justandmisogyny.Butdespiteallof this,Showgirlshasbeen
givenasecondlife.Notonlyisitnolongerabomb,having earned$100
millioninVHSandDVDsales,it'salsobeginning tohaveaculturalreevaluation
(43:47):
asasatireoftheentertainmentindustry.MGMwerefullycapitalizingonthebawdinessandcampclassicreputation. It'sbecomequite
thecultsuccessontheleveloftheRockyHorrorPictureshowor beingembracedassobadit'sgoodliketheRoom,butitnonethelessemulatesthat
cultclassicstatus.Showgirls30yearsonstillgetshownincinemasandmost importantly,peoplearestilltalkingaboutit.
(44:15):
UnlikesomethinglikeStripteaseasan example,which
isasimilartheme, cameouttheyearafterand starreda muchbiggerstar,DemiMoore.Speakingofthestar,ElizabethBerkeleywas
blamedprimarily asthereasonwhythismoviefailed.Shewasjusta22year old
womanstartingoutherfilmcareerasshewastreatedabysmallybythemostly richwhite
(44:40):
menincharge.Oh,theirony.Berkley has
sincecometotermswiththemovie'sreputation, herinvolvement
andin2015appeared ata20thanniversary screeningatthe HollywoodForeverCemetery.She
gaveamovingspeechtothe4,000Showgirlsfanswho Ravera described
quote,In1995,itwassuchadifferenttimewheretakingriskslikethatwere notembraced.They
(45:03):
werelaughedat,theywereshamedpublicly.Tobea younggirlin
thecenterofthatwassomethingthatwasquite difficult.But
Ifoundmyownresiliency andmypower and myconfidence,notonlythroughwhatIhadto
findout,butbecauseof you guys.InMarch 2024, Berkeleyreceivedthree
standingovationsandasoldoutscreeningto1200fans attheAcademyMuseum'sDavidGeffenTheatre.Shewouldsay,quote,showgirlsreallypushedthe
(45:32):
boundariesatthetimethathavenowbeenembraced.Notmisunderstood, buttruly
embraced.And I'msogratefulthat thefilmhasfounditsway notonlyintoyourhearts,butespecially
theLGBTQcommunity.Youstoodbythefilm,you alwaysbelieved,asdidI,andforthatI'm
eternallygrateful.ShealsojokedthatshewasfinallythankingtheAcademyMuseum.At leastshehasasense
(45:59):
ofhumoraboutitallnow.Butit'ssafe tosaythatElizabethBerkeleyandhercareerwerethrowntothewolvesafterthismovie.AndPaulVerhoevenhasadmittedthat
muchofthevitriolthatwentBerkeley's waywas
purelydowntohisdecisionsonhowtodirecther.Andhehasopenlyapologizedto herforthat.ElizabethBernkleewillbe
(46:20):
inAustinonthe9thofOctober2025.That'slateronthisyearasofthisepisode's releaseforaspecial30thanniversaryscreeningofShowgirls.So
if you liveinthe Austinareaandyou'refreeonthe9thofOctober2025,pleasecheckyourlocallistingsandpleasegoandshowyoursupporttoElizabethBerkeleyandShowgirlsifyoucan,becauseIthinkthatwillbean incrediblescreening.
(46:44):
AndasIsaidatthestart,ItoomisunderstoodShowgirls doingan
episodeonit.IfeellikeIunderstand itnow.Maybenotcompletely,but
better.IseewhatVerhoevenwastryingtodo,whatEsterhousewastryingto sayinhis
script.AndjustlikewithBasicInstinct,thevision oftwoverydifferentmenledto
(47:05):
abitofafallingout.Butthistimewithatonallywildcultclassicerotic movie
withzeroeroticism,withoutlandishperformances,immenselyquotablelines,manyof which
Ican'trepeatonafamilyfriendlypodcast,anda legacythatjustgoesbeyondalmostanyothermovieofitsilk,itiswhollyuniquein
(47:25):
somanyways.ItmakessomemistakesfordefiniteVanessa Househassaidit's
abouta youngwoman'sjourneytoalifeshethinksshewantsandthenseeing itforwhatit
reallyisandthenturningherbackon thatlifeand
alsoturningherbackonherfriend.Butclearly Naomi
wasn't thinkingofMollywhenshewasthinking ofavengingMolly. AsJessieSpanomightsay,Hollywoodisfull
(47:49):
ofsexistpigs,butthesewomenhavecomeout ontop
andhavemade all the moneytheyneedtosurviveandtothrive.Maybesexreallydoes sell,aslongasit'sflailingaboutin
aswimmingpool.Thankyouforlistening.Asalways,I wouldloveto
hearyourthoughtsonShowgirls.And as
always,thankyouforyourcontinuedsupportofthispodcast.If youenjoythispodcast,pleasetakeamomenttotell
(48:13):
yourfriends,tellyourfamily,leave aratingorreviewwherever youfoundthis
podcast.Andifyou wanttogetintouchwithmeoryouwanttofollowmeonsocialmedia,Iamerbaldioramawhereveryoudoyoursocialmedia.And youcan
likepost,sharepost,commentonposts,or youcan
DMmeandlet'stalkaboutShowgirls. Ifyoulikethisepisode
(48:34):
onShowgirls,youmightalsolikeasimilarepisode that Idida littlewhile
back.Episode205ofthispodcastisonthemovieHustlers,whichobviously doesn'thavequitesomuchsexasShowgirlsdoes,butitisaveryinterestingmovieaboutstrippersanditdoesstarJenniferLopezinarguablythebestJennifer
(48:57):
Lopezperformancethateverexists.IwouldhighlyrecommendHustlersasacompanionpiecetoShown Girls,
because Hustlersisbasicallythewomen takingchargeandgetting backatthoserichwhitemen.
Soitwouldbereallygood,Ithink,towatchShowgirlsfirstand thenwatchHustlersandthenseetherichwhitemengettheircomeuppance.
(49:20):
Sothe nextepisodeof thispodcastisgoingto beanothermoviefrom
1995,amoviethatactuallycameoutsixweeksbeforeShowgirls, alowbudgetcrimethrillerthatwouldgoontomake
10timesitsbudgetthathadeveryoneasking, whoisKaiserSoze?Iguesswe'llfindout.Joinmenextweekfor
(49:42):
thehistoryandlegacyoftheUsualSuspects.IfyouenjoywhatIdofor thispodcastoryoujustwantto
support anindiepodcasterwhodoeseverything onherown,ifyou
havesomesparechangeyoucanfinanciallycontributetotheupkeepofthispodcast.Nowyou're undernoobligationbecausethispodcast
isfree anditalwayswillbefree.Butif youdogetvalueoutofwhatIdoand
(50:06):
you have themeanstosupport,therearea coupleofwaysthatyoucan.Youcanmakeaoneoffdonation@verbaldiorama.com
tipsoryou cansubscribetothepatreon@verbaldiorama.compatreonandallmoneymadegoesbackintothispodcastfor payingfor
softwaresubscriptions,websitehostingornewequipment.Hugethankyou tothe
(50:28):
patronsofthispodcasttoSimon,Laurel,Derek, Kat,Andy,Mike,Luke,
Michael,Scott,Brendan,Ian,Lisa,Sam, Jack,Dave,Stuart,Nicholas,so,Kev,Heather,
Danny,Stu,Brett,PhilipM.Zenos,Sean,Rhino,Philip K,Adam,Elaine,
(50:48):
Kyle,Aaronandbrandnewpatron,Connor.WelcomeConnor.Thank youforjoiningthePatreon.Youaremostwelcome.If
youwantto getintouch,youcanemailverbaldioramail.comyou cangotothewebsiteverbal
diorama.comandfill outthelittlecontact form.Youcansayhi,givefeedbackorsuggestions.
(51:09):
Oryoucangetintouchwithmeonsocialmedia andtalktomeaboutShowgirlsoranymovie
thatI featured.Pleasefeelfreetogetintouch,say hi and let'stalkaboutmovies.Andfinally,
Bullyand Costello.k ley .Jo eEzsterhas
(53:33):
Bye.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.