December 19, 2025 • 8 mins
Dr. Bob Thompson has the latest entertainment news including the latest episodes of Stranger Things drops on Netflix soon!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's jump right in on my Legacy retirement Group dot
com phone line lout of ground to cover with one
of our all time favorites, doctor Bob Thompson, Professor of
Pop Culture at Sarah Hughes University. Bob, this is not
only our last talk of the year, you're the last
guest of twenty twenty five on this program.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Congratulations.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Oh, I'm so honored. I hope I can live.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Up to that.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
I think you I think you can. I think every
week you live up to what's expected of you. A
lot to get to. Unfortunately, the big story this week
has been Rob Reiner, and as you point out in
the email, not sure what else is there to say
about this. Incredibly tragic. It certainly was one of the
biggest entertainment stories of the year. And you think about
all the movies, and these are blockbuster movies that he
(00:41):
was responsible for.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
It's really remarkable.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Yeah, it did. And not only were they blockbusters, but
they've become you can't go a day without seeing some
meme referring to these movies, some of them that have
been made along a long time ago. I mean, they
really became part of the vocabulary, you know, the sayings
not only of the eighties and nineties, but of the
(01:04):
of the twenties now, and that even forgets that before
he started movies. You look at all of these really
important moments in the history of TV, and you don't
have to scratch the surface, and his name comes up
on that. The Smothers Brothers arguably the first show that
really reflected the real world, the fact that there was
(01:26):
a Vietnam War and a civil rights movement and all
that stuff which we saw in the news, but we
never saw on primetime. We never saw that on The
Flying Nun or Gomer Pyle or Mister Ed or any
of that. The Smothers Brothers in one fell Swoop starts
talking about all that, and lo and behold. Rob Reiner
was a writer on The Smothers Brothers. Then, of course,
(01:48):
the single most influential entertainment show in American TV history
bar none, All in the Family. He was a co
star of that, of course, took over from number one.
All the Family was number one during the first half
of the seventies. The second half of the seventies was
taken over by Happy Days and Happy Days. Pilot episode
(02:09):
episode one was co written by none other than Rob
Reiner didn't know that.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I didn't know that. That's that is impressive and he's everywhere.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Yeah, well, and you mentioned it's just such a good
point about some of the one liners from some of
the movies that he is responsible for, how they permeated
pop culture and just and I'm not the biggest movie
buff out there. I don't quote movies. But to prove
your point, you look at a few good men. You
can't handle the truth. Princess Bride a cult classic. You
(02:40):
know my name is in nake on Montoya. You killed
my father? Are prepared to die? You know when Harry
met Sally, I'll have what she's having. You know, so
spinal tap, but ours go to eleven.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
I mean, I can. You're absolutely right.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Just as a guy who casually watches movies, I know
those lines and Rob Reiner involves productions.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
It's pretty it's what are you cool?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Actually, now we should point out that he didn't write
all of those movies, but nevertheless, it's the I think
it's the way those movies were made by the director
that took those lines. I mean, each one of those
lines set out of context. You think, what, that's not much,
but put that into the movie that he made and
do we know why we continue to say them to
(03:21):
this very thing.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
And he's got his fingerprints all over them and a
tragic story and you know, we won't get into the
details of the crimes, but you know, he's a guy
that I think will be missed and when it comes
to American pop culture. And then, you know, sort of
getting lost in all of that was the passing of
Anthony Gary, who I think died the same day, and
(03:42):
he was Luke on General Hospital.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Yeah, and you know that may not be seem like
a big deal now, but I think probably the age
of a lot of your listeners they remember that summer
of nineteen eighty one when the two of Luke and
Laura got married on General Hospital. Highest rated soap opera
episode of all time thirty million. This is a daytime
soap opera, not a big primetime whatever. Nothing but the
(04:08):
super Bowl or a few other things get thirty million
these days. And I remember, and back in nineteen eighty one,
television was still by fancy intellectual types, was considered the
boob tube, the idiot box. Hill Street Blues had just started.
TV had no reputation, and most people in universities would say, oh,
(04:30):
I don't even own a television, or I have a TV,
but I only watched the McNeil Lair report. That kind
of attitude. I remember I was at Northwestern. I walked
up for lunch the student union the summer of eighty
one when this Luke and Laura wedding was coming on,
and it was standing room only because there were TV
sets in the place where we eat lunch and filled
(04:53):
with tweed English professors who just by coincidence happened to
all going to lunch on that day during that wedding.
They of course hadn't gone to watch that show anyway.
It was hilarious to see in the middle of this big,
fancy university the amount of people who had piled into
that place to see that wedding. It was the soap
(05:16):
opera event in the history of the soap opera, which
goes back, of course, to radio in the nineteen thirties.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
It's really crazy because I was, I think in probably
eight or ninth grade in eighty one, and you know,
kind of becoming aware of pop culture.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
And I wasn't a soap opera guy.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
But I can remember the girls in our class were
just all a buzz about Luke and Laura and the
wedding and can we stay home and watch it? And right,
kids didn't go to school so they can watch it.
It was a pop culture moment, no doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Funny how nineteen sixty nine there were like, I think
twenty nine soap operas on the three networks, and then
nineteen eighty one we have this Luke and Laura thing.
Today three soap operas left.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
That's it. It's wild.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Well, every drama now be sort of classified as a
soap opera.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
You are absolutely right. Once serialization starts, which goes way
back to Dallas. Well, once in primetime and now everything
figured out that he could tell stories that would go
from episode to episode. We stole the thunder from the
soap opera. Yeah, they used to be the only place
where that happened.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Bob, Speaking of pop culture highlights, you know, look back
on the year. Since this is our last conversation, what
do you think are the biggest highlights of pop culture
in twenty twenty five?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Well, we could talk about the goofy things, you know,
six seven La Boohoo, the Coldplay concert, Jumbo tron. I
mean there's a number of those, but I think the
really big stories were probably number one AI, which when
you think of where we were AI last year at
this time, it's gone a long long way. Yeah, developments
(06:52):
have really just been the ASRA and all all of
this stuff, So that's probably number one. I know this
is just Late Night, but I think probably it's up
there for what it implies, and that would be the
firing or the cancelation of first place late night show
Colbert back in July, and then the whole temporary thing
(07:12):
that happened with Kimmel, and combine that with funding taken
away for the corporation from Probable Broadcasting being shut down.
All of those kinds of things I think really demonstrate
how significantly different television is going to look on these
very basic levels very very soon. And then I suppose
(07:32):
the third would be the Warner Brothers being in play,
whether it goes to Netflix, whether it goes to Paramount.
That's going to be a big moment as well. And
we've talked about all these things as they were happening,
but those I think all demonstrate what a brave new
world this whole media thing is.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Well, you checked off two of the three that I
had in mind when we brought this up. AI a
big story. Obviously you mentioned six seven. I mean it
does not is something goes viral? I mean that is
that is it?
Speaker 2 (08:01):
I mean?
Speaker 1 (08:02):
And you deal with young people in your classroom, And
I would have been great if you maybe graded their
tests and gave everybody a sixty seven percent one of
the would be hilarious.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Actually, that's probably about with a lot of her going
to get.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
But the one that I think you left off was
the Taylor Swift engagement. That was something that everybody was
talking about in twenty twenty five, like her or not.
I mean she You couldn't open up a website without
seeing some sort of Taylor Swift story this year.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
No, that's absolutely true. How many how many Fridays did
we end up talking about this past year? Course, let's
not forget her. Her counter part, Beyonce finally won a
right album Emmy, although she's had Grammy, She's had lots
of them before that, even Katie Perry in that category.
Didn't she go to space.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
She went to her big Space stunt. Yeah. Absolutely,
Let's jump right in on my Legacy retirement Group dot
com phone line lout of ground to cover with one
of our all time favorites, doctor Bob Thompson, Professor of
Pop Culture at Sarah Hughes University. Bob, this is not
only our last talk of the year, you're the last
guest of twenty twenty five on this program.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Congratulations.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Oh, I'm so honored. I hope I can live.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Up to that.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
I think you I think you can. I think every
week you live up to what's expected of you. A
lot to get to. Unfortunately, the big story this week
has been Rob Reiner, and as you point out in
the email, not sure what else is there to say
about this. Incredibly tragic. It certainly was one of the
biggest entertainment stories of the year. And you think about
all the movies, and these are blockbuster movies that he
(00:41):
was responsible for.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
It's really remarkable.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Yeah, it did. And not only were they blockbusters, but
they've become you can't go a day without seeing some
meme referring to these movies, some of them that have
been made along a long time ago. I mean, they
really became part of the vocabulary, you know, the sayings
not only of the eighties and nineties, but of the
(01:04):
of the twenties now, and that even forgets that before
he started movies. You look at all of these really
important moments in the history of TV, and you don't
have to scratch the surface, and his name comes up
on that. The Smothers Brothers arguably the first show that
really reflected the real world, the fact that there was
(01:26):
a Vietnam War and a civil rights movement and all
that stuff which we saw in the news, but we
never saw on primetime. We never saw that on The
Flying Nun or Gomer Pyle or Mister Ed or any
of that. The Smothers Brothers in one fell Swoop starts
talking about all that, and lo and behold. Rob Reiner
was a writer on The Smothers Brothers. Then, of course,
(01:48):
the single most influential entertainment show in American TV history
bar none, All in the Family. He was a co
star of that, of course, took over from number one.
All the Family was number one during the first half
of the seventies. The second half of the seventies was
taken over by Happy Days and Happy Days. Pilot episode
(02:09):
episode one was co written by none other than Rob
Reiner didn't know that.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I didn't know that. That's that is impressive and he's everywhere.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Yeah, well, and you mentioned it's just such a good
point about some of the one liners from some of
the movies that he is responsible for, how they permeated
pop culture and just and I'm not the biggest movie
buff out there. I don't quote movies. But to prove
your point, you look at a few good men. You
can't handle the truth. Princess Bride a cult classic. You
(02:40):
know my name is in nake on Montoya. You killed
my father? Are prepared to die? You know when Harry
met Sally, I'll have what she's having. You know, so
spinal tap, but ours go to eleven.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
I mean, I can. You're absolutely right.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Just as a guy who casually watches movies, I know
those lines and Rob Reiner involves productions.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
It's pretty it's what are you cool?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Actually, now we should point out that he didn't write
all of those movies, but nevertheless, it's the I think
it's the way those movies were made by the director
that took those lines. I mean, each one of those
lines set out of context. You think, what, that's not much,
but put that into the movie that he made and
do we know why we continue to say them to
(03:21):
this very thing.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
And he's got his fingerprints all over them and a
tragic story and you know, we won't get into the
details of the crimes, but you know, he's a guy
that I think will be missed and when it comes
to American pop culture. And then, you know, sort of
getting lost in all of that was the passing of
Anthony Gary, who I think died the same day, and
(03:42):
he was Luke on General Hospital.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Yeah, and you know that may not be seem like
a big deal now, but I think probably the age
of a lot of your listeners they remember that summer
of nineteen eighty one when the two of Luke and
Laura got married on General Hospital. Highest rated soap opera
episode of all time thirty million. This is a daytime
soap opera, not a big primetime whatever. Nothing but the
(04:08):
super Bowl or a few other things get thirty million
these days. And I remember, and back in nineteen eighty one,
television was still by fancy intellectual types, was considered the
boob tube, the idiot box. Hill Street Blues had just started.
TV had no reputation, and most people in universities would say, oh,
(04:30):
I don't even own a television, or I have a TV,
but I only watched the McNeil Lair report. That kind
of attitude. I remember I was at Northwestern. I walked
up for lunch the student union the summer of eighty
one when this Luke and Laura wedding was coming on,
and it was standing room only because there were TV
sets in the place where we eat lunch and filled
(04:53):
with tweed English professors who just by coincidence happened to
all going to lunch on that day during that wedding.
They of course hadn't gone to watch that show anyway.
It was hilarious to see in the middle of this big,
fancy university the amount of people who had piled into
that place to see that wedding. It was the soap
(05:16):
opera event in the history of the soap opera, which
goes back, of course, to radio in the nineteen thirties.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
It's really crazy because I was, I think in probably
eight or ninth grade in eighty one, and you know,
kind of becoming aware of pop culture.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
And I wasn't a soap opera guy.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
But I can remember the girls in our class were
just all a buzz about Luke and Laura and the
wedding and can we stay home and watch it? And right,
kids didn't go to school so they can watch it.
It was a pop culture moment, no doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Funny how nineteen sixty nine there were like, I think
twenty nine soap operas on the three networks, and then
nineteen eighty one we have this Luke and Laura thing.
Today three soap operas left.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
That's it. It's wild.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Well, every drama now be sort of classified as a
soap opera.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
You are absolutely right. Once serialization starts, which goes way
back to Dallas. Well, once in primetime and now everything
figured out that he could tell stories that would go
from episode to episode. We stole the thunder from the
soap opera. Yeah, they used to be the only place
where that happened.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Bob, Speaking of pop culture highlights, you know, look back
on the year. Since this is our last conversation, what
do you think are the biggest highlights of pop culture
in twenty twenty five?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Well, we could talk about the goofy things, you know,
six seven La Boohoo, the Coldplay concert, Jumbo tron. I
mean there's a number of those, but I think the
really big stories were probably number one AI, which when
you think of where we were AI last year at
this time, it's gone a long long way. Yeah, developments
(06:52):
have really just been the ASRA and all all of
this stuff, So that's probably number one. I know this
is just Late Night, but I think probably it's up
there for what it implies, and that would be the
firing or the cancelation of first place late night show
Colbert back in July, and then the whole temporary thing
(07:12):
that happened with Kimmel, and combine that with funding taken
away for the corporation from Probable Broadcasting being shut down.
All of those kinds of things I think really demonstrate
how significantly different television is going to look on these
very basic levels very very soon. And then I suppose
(07:32):
the third would be the Warner Brothers being in play,
whether it goes to Netflix, whether it goes to Paramount.
That's going to be a big moment as well. And
we've talked about all these things as they were happening,
but those I think all demonstrate what a brave new
world this whole media thing is.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Well, you checked off two of the three that I
had in mind when we brought this up. AI a
big story. Obviously you mentioned six seven. I mean it
does not is something goes viral? I mean that is
that is it?
Speaker 2 (08:01):
I mean?
Speaker 1 (08:02):
And you deal with young people in your classroom, And
I would have been great if you maybe graded their
tests and gave everybody a sixty seven percent one of
the would be hilarious.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Actually, that's probably about with a lot of her going
to get.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
But the one that I think you left off was
the Taylor Swift engagement. That was something that everybody was
talking about in twenty twenty five, like her or not.
I mean she You couldn't open up a website without
seeing some sort of Taylor Swift story this year.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
No, that's absolutely true. How many how many Fridays did
we end up talking about this past year? Course, let's
not forget her. Her counter part, Beyonce finally won a
right album Emmy, although she's had Grammy, She's had lots
of them before that, even Katie Perry in that category.
Didn't she go to space.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
She went to her big Space stunt. Yeah. Absolutely,
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