Ever wondered if a stray cat could steal the spotlight in a blockbuster movie? Or how sushi recipes ended up as the cryptic code in The Matrix? Sit back and spark up some curiosity, because this episode of our podcast is a treasure chest of film trivia and tales that will tickle the fancy of movie lovers and trivia buffs alike. We're rolling out the red carpet for stories that navigate the quirky and unexpected turns of cinema history, from the sandy dunes of Tunisia, where Star Wars lore meets military mix-ups, to the accidental cinematic debut of a feline in The Godfather.
Join us on a joyride through Malta's picturesque landscapes and discover its surprising connection to the financial scene, complete with a pit stop at the charming Popeye village. As your trusty hosts, we'll regale you with tales that oscillate between hilarious rat adoptions post-film release to the hidden Starbucks cups that snuck into Fight Club. And we don't shy away from the edgier side of movie-making – like the near-drownings that could have turned blockbuster sets into real-life tragedies. So, whether you're in for a laugh, a gasp, or a "I never knew that!" moment, this episode's got the reel rolling. Lights, camera, action – let's hit play on this cinematic journey.
Ever wondered if a stray cat could steal the spotlight in a blockbuster movie? Or how sushi recipes ended up as the cryptic code in The Matrix? Sit back and spark up some curiosity, because this episode of our podcast is a treasure chest of film trivia and tales that will tickle the fancy of movie lovers and trivia buffs alike. We're rolling out the red carpet for stories that navigate the quirky and unexpected turns of cinema history, from the sandy dunes of Tunisia, where Star Wars lore meets military mix-ups, to the accidental cinematic debut of a feline in The Godfather.
Join us on a joyride through Malta's picturesque landscapes and discover its surprising connection to the financial scene, complete with a pit stop at the charming Popeye village. As your trusty hosts, we'll regale you with tales that oscillate between hilarious rat adoptions post-film release to the hidden Starbucks cups that snuck into Fight Club. And we don't shy away from the edgier side of movie-making – like the near-drownings that could have turned blockbuster sets into real-life tragedies. So, whether you're in for a laugh, a gasp, or a "I never knew that!" moment, this episode's got the reel rolling. Lights, camera, action – let's hit play on this cinematic journey.
Uh, hoi, hoi, hey, what's up man? How you doing today? Oh, can't explain. The sun is shining, it's a balmy. It's at 14 degrees.
Speaker 2:
Oh my goodness, yeah, hey, I, uh man, hey, I got some insight about the show that I don't know if you know and stuff, but I actually, uh, the bong noise that we use a lot of times is not my bong. I do smoke a lot of weed during the show, but it's actually a sample that I have because I don't like smoking around my microphones. I mean, I know that sounds like whatever, but behind the scenes, you know, maybe a little bit shocking, right, ouch, as, as you know, because, because, uh, we have a lot, we, you know, we're connoisseurs of what a man named Ku-Ee would call wrapper weed. Yeah, today it's Peach on the Beach for me, but nonetheless, that was some shocking behind the scenes, my friend.
Speaker 1:
Oh yeah, I actually enjoyed some Ku-Ee certified wrapper weed called chocolate hashberries Not too long ago. Oh good, it went quite nicely with organizing the shop and crisping up some speck which is smoked prosciutto. Ooh, that sounds fantastic.
Speaker 2:
Hey, hey, yeah, all right, moving on, my friend. Um, I feel like I'm just going to, I'm just going to come, I'm going to go first and just smack your right in the face. This is one real fast. Here's anybody I don't know you may not have heard of this like B movie Star Wars. Okay, there's this movie called Star Wars and apparently in the movie A New Hope 1977, star Wars was filming in Tunisia. Right, the desert was perfect for these scenes with you remember, like some of the big, like weird vehicles they had that were rolling through sand and you know, I can't remember what they call them, but there's something anyway here. Let's just go ahead and reference this.
Speaker 2:
The work immediately ran into problems as Lucas fell behind schedule Thanks to malfunctioning props. Construction crews at the southwestern town worked eight weeks on this project. They really put something into these things. They're called sand crawlers. I'm such a fucking idiot. Anyway, so these things were mistaken for military vehicles. Tunisia has two neighbors I don't know if you knew this. They're not in Ireland Algeria to the west and Libya to the east.
Speaker 2:
Hey, my friend, who do you think was running Libya around 1977 when they're filming this Star Wars movie? It was like Taddafi? Yeah, it was. Libya was ruled by dictator Taddafi fed chicken, yeah, and Colonel Muammar Taddafi All right Relation to Gaddafi's Libya and almost everyone else in the world were tents. Yeah, no shit. So, basically, what ended up happening, though, is these vehicles. They do look like they would be some sort of military shit, and even for people like I'm kind of a dork about a lot of shit, I won't lie, I don't even really care, but I'm not a Star Wars dork, so, sorry, guys, don't know much about it, but we all, even people like me, know who the fuck Yoda is. Right, owen, I mean, come on.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, of course, okay.
Speaker 2:
So it's hard to imagine now that in 1977, there was these people in Africa that didn't know what Star Wars was because it didn't really exist. So all they seen was these massive vehicles that had tread systems developed by NASA, I read. So they're very legit vehicles and they had to come inspect them to make sure that they weren't some secret military plot. But I guess these things are still in the Tunisian desert out there and it's some sort of Star Wars fan Mecca which I was not aware of. But it's pretty cool and it kind of goes back to the days of when people went when they built sets man or they really used like real shit and not as much green screen and stuff which I don't know. Either way, really, I think it's both cool If you do it right, correct? So, moving on, no wars over here.
Speaker 1:
Star Wars, yeah, another uh, I was just looking up obscure movie facts and I think especially people around our age, or they're a little bit older, a little bit younger Remember the matrix and the iconic green. You know codes running everywhere. Oh yeah, yep, of course.
Speaker 2:
You know what those are. Um, I have an L price and weird computer code thing already made up A?
Speaker 1:
uh, simon Whiteley, who was working on the project, uh, digitized recipes from his wife sushi cookbooks how is that? And so, yeah, all those are just digitalized sushi recipes that are running throughout the film.
Speaker 2:
Oh my gosh. I wonder if anybody like that knew that is tried to figure it out. That's something. Let us know people. I tell stories sushi for life. Nah, I don't know. Do you like sushi?
Speaker 1:
I do. It's not my favorite, um, but I like it All right.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I'm um, I'm kind of whatever about it. I'm not exactly like you know. It's not. It's not my favorite thing in the world and it's not the worst thing in the world. So anyway, good, yeah, that was a fun one. I like that. Good job, my friend.
Speaker 1:
This one near and dear, of course, the Godfather, one of the greatest films of all time, uh, one of the most iconic scenes, bito Corleone, you know, sitting with the cat in his lap. Turns out that was a stray that randomly showed up. It was not planned for the film, but it was for being a stray. It was extremely friendly with everyone, and so Francis Ford Coppola, who of course directed it, figured it belonged to someone working on the set and just picked it up and placed it on Marlon Brando's lap. And we have feline mafia history.
Speaker 2:
Dang cause that's pretty iconic right there. Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1:
And then it's been redone, and even Inspector Gadget, you know, remember, right Doctors, yeah, like he had the oh my God, the cat that was sitting there. So, um, oh, yeah, here's a fun one.
Speaker 1:
The Wizard of Oz started a disturbing trend in the realm of film effects in 1939. Um, when Dorothy's napping in the poppies, the snow that's falling is in fact asbestos. What, of course, that was, you know, a bit long before they knew how toxic it was, but that started the trend. Once the lizard of Oz did that, they're like oh, that looks great, like let's just dump asbestos over everybody. Anytime we need a snow effect. Wow.
Speaker 2:
Holy shit, I'm pretty sure that was like the first. I think it was like the first movie shot in Technicolor as well. Hey, it's like one of those things. It was a first for something else and, as well, a first for using and last, hopefully, for using asbestos as snow.
Speaker 1:
No, as I said, it started a disturbing trend, oh my God. Thanks, yeah, that was like the gold standard of snow effect.
Speaker 2:
Damn way to be a good listener, cold, hey on. I Tell Stories. I tell them. I don't listen to them very well, though, Check this out.
Speaker 2:
Speaking of stuff like that, I got a little witchy fact for you that had to do with, you know, the same movie, wizard of Oz, and it just is random that you said something, so I decided I'm going to say it. While filming the witch of the West, smoke filled exit, you remember, when she's taken off all that crazy shit and there's red smoke everywhere, kind of yeah, okay, anyway. So her smoke filled exit from Munchkinland. In the Wizard of Oz, actor Margaret Hamilton suffered burns on her hands and face. Following the incident she said I won't sue because I know how this business works. I would never work again. I will return to work on one condition no more fireworks. So apparently this woman got severely injured during that scene and she basically was like I wish I could get it by injuries paid for, but I'll be blacklisted or some shit is what I get out. That, wow, a bit depressing. Wizard of Oz. Wizard of Oz Day Day today, day Day, all right. Nonetheless, can we do? You got anyone? That's kind of funny or something. Let's get it going, guys.
Speaker 1:
That's that to we help the image of rats and increased rat adoption rates. I don't have the exact numbers, but there's a direct correlation between the elites of rap. That's lovely movie.
Speaker 2:
It is your, it's your and Adam's movie. That's where I got the fun fact about how the town in, I think, quebec I'm going to get it right this time, I hope doesn't have rats, because they really got on that in the beginning and they have a bunch of policies, so they're just a rat freeze on. Apparently I learned that from the movie ratitude. All right, anyway, go ahead.
Speaker 1:
Here's a fun one. I'm unfamiliar with toy story. I'm sure I would probably like it. I just haven't seen it. I don't have kids, but I know Buzz Lightyear. Do you know what they were going to call him? They were sad and calling him no, I didn't. I didn't buzz like a lunar Larry. What, why? Yeah, again a wise choice. Is it a car dealer?
Speaker 2:
Lunar Larry's yeah, come get you a sedan. Yeah, all right.
Speaker 1:
Anyway, the toilet flush on screen and psychic when Janet Lee is disposing of evidence it violated. It was known as the Hayes code. When you know her character, marion Crane flushes the toilet on camera. That's the first time that it ever it was not considered polite society to show toilets flushing.
Speaker 2:
Oh, was there, I don't remember. So in the movie psycho is there? What is there like P and it or something? I don't understand.
Speaker 1:
No, no, it's just, she's throwing some, she's trying to get rid of something I vaguely remember, yeah now they have 1960. You didn't pretend that no one went to the bathroom Right.
Speaker 2:
And now welcome to 2024, where we have commercials for tampons with bread. Die, yeah, all right. Nonetheless, any other good facts you got there?
Speaker 1:
For his role of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Christian Bale told David Letterman that he developed the character from watching Tom Cruise, claiming he boasts a friendly face but lacks humaneness.
Speaker 2:
Oh, my the humanity. That's fun one in home alone.
Speaker 1:
When Kevin takes, takes up a picture of buzzes girlfriend and exclaims woof, the Nobody on set wanted to mock the real, the parents of a real life girl. Oh, okay, the art director took a wig and put it on his son, starting a disturbing trend, yeah.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I get it. I didn't say that. I know, live next to a great house, so I guess I got one. Then why not? Why not join the party here on? I tell stories moving right along. While filming the sermon on the mount scene in the Passion of the Christ, jim Cavie's old was struck by lightning. He's oh, think about this, just think about it, guys, all right. Anyway, he said about four seconds before it happened it was quiet. Then it was like someone slapped my ears. They had seven or eight seconds of like a pink, fuzzy color and people started screaming and they felt, yeah, so clearly the guy finished filming. I don't want to really laugh at this guy getting struck by lightning.
Speaker 2:
No, no do I but that's pretty funny, guys, guys out there in podcast land, yeah, I don't know, I don't think, I don't know, just go ahead. Do you have anything else?
Speaker 1:
Oh yeah, acknowledging said he's turned towards consumerism. I think it was 1998 and I'm at my club came out a couple of Starbucks appears in almost every frame of the film. Oh really.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, wow, that's a weird one, huh.
Speaker 1:
There are a couple near drownings. And now you see me, I live. Fetched Fisher almost drowned in the glass tank, oh, and then in expendable street, jason Statham had his seat belt fastened in a truck as he floored it early for the black sea and he couldn't get get out of there. The brakes malfunction, the vehicle knows dive into the water and luckily he has Incredible diving skills and managed to get out. Make it, of course. Otherwise, yeah, jason really been expendable, right? Hey, you know what? Thanks to I tell stories, people now know that Jason Statham has incredible diving skills.
Speaker 2:
Not only is he a real man, but he's a real man. Thanks to I tell stories, people now know that Jason Statham has incredible diving skills not just average.
Speaker 1:
He's not Markedly better than Steven's. Oh, Damn. Seagulls air hockey skills are gradually improving until.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, we should maybe sneak those in sometimes, hey, so I don't know, man, I'd hate to step on your toes. I feel like Some of that shit was not too bad. Let's see here, my friend, we'll go ahead and go with this one. Glasses that Jason Alexander worn on Seinfeld's pilot were actually worn first by Spike Lee's Malcolm X, so it seems like a relatable character yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:
So I see a picture here. They are the same glasses and that was. There's a fun Seinfeld fact for you, you know. It seems like these film Malcolm X and the sitcom Seinfeld's share some history. Costume designer Ruthie Carter used glasses from the film the styles Jason Alexander and a sitcom's pilot. He put them on. I was like, yeah, I like this shape, I like this. Bingo done. She said, yeah, there you are. Right from the freaking horse, apparently right from good old Ruth's mouth, right she's. She's telling you what you got next, bro. You got anything.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, in part two of it, 5,000 gallons of fake blood were used, breaking a record.
Speaker 2:
Oh, wow, that's a lot.
Speaker 1:
Oh, it is, and here's a good one from the year you were born. Et and poltergeist sprang from a singular idea. What feel for had the idea of a family being affected by a being which was not of this world. The writer came up with ET phone home and they're here in the same draft, so it's fun to epic early 80s films from the air of your birth, my friend.
Speaker 2:
Oh, wow, yeah, I feel you there.
Speaker 1:
That's um, and we covered this one. The the mask on Halloween Michael Myers mask course was hey, hold on real quick. Yeah, I'm just gonna find her.
Speaker 2:
Hold on, hold on, yes, yes, I'm sorry. Two fun facts about ET and me. Somehow we're fucking related all the time here by your bird the guys. But first fun fact is that was the last movie that my mom and dad seen Right before I was born. Like like right the neck the day before, kind of shit and there's in theaters and all that right. And then To friend of the show trig, when I used to drink a lot, called me fucking ET one time and that never getting to.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, so apparently me and ET got a thing going here.
Speaker 1:
Anyways, I'm sorry, so yes.
Speaker 2:
Yes, isn't that wrong. He says it's not even ET phone home. That's wrong.
Speaker 1:
I can't yeah, I heard some triggers actually tell me no, we.
Speaker 2:
We did it in movie miss quotes. Then we talk about it. It's like something different. So listen to movie miss quotes. People don't Google it. Okay, just say it. Listen to our movie miss quotes episode and don't Google what ET really says, and you'll get it. Oh, here's the. I'll go ahead, sorry.
Speaker 1:
No, for it's part in Ferris Bueller's day off. You know Charlie Sheen was playing a what appeared to be a drugged out Convict or potential convict sitting in the jail. He stayed up for two days straight, so I'm guessing that means he went to bed a day early From the what else is new program.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, who the hell thought that was impressive.
Speaker 1:
He put the coke vendor a day early, so we only stayed up for a couple.
Speaker 2:
What's the Lawrence Taylor story? That would be similar, like where he showed up to practice. Oh, he showed up.
Speaker 1:
There's one that said he showed up and had like handcuffs still on. But there's one where you know he notoriously Partied all night and came in and still just wrecked shop. But there was apparently Once again this is the 80s, the height of the cocaine epidemic, or sware a, depending on who you ask but yeah, he showed up and said like I got eight hours of sleep, they're dead, I think. He went out and had like three and a half. Yeah, good story. Yeah, this one's pretty interesting. The entire 16 minutes of screen time Anthony Hopkins has portraying cannibal Lector. He didn't blink once and in an interview with Barbara Walters he told her it's a trick I learned because if you don't blink, you know you can keep the audience mesmerized. It's not so much not blinking, it's just being still. Stillness has an economy and have a power about it. And I've learned that by watching other great American actors which, yeah, he's calling himself a great American actor. He's right, so I can't. We all remember Uma Thurman's overdose scene in Pulp Fiction.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, that's fantastic, that was filmed in reverse. Oh, oh, oh wow.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, tarantino was so set on it, looking realistic In the Andy Astro Volta, to hold the needle above Thurman's chest and drop backwards rapidly. He's been reversed the sequence and you know it appears as he revives her with a shot of adrenaline in the heart.
Speaker 2:
That actually makes a lot of sense to me. That's a good. That seems like a pretty good trick, to be honest. Um, hey, did you see anything about the movie apocalypse now?
Speaker 1:
I Didn't. Oh, okay, something, but not on, not on this there not on this particular one.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, we've actually touched on some pretty disturbing shit from apocalypse now previously, on another episode, anyway. So on Apocalypse now, please. Showed up on a set in the Philippines and took everyone's passports after discovering they were using an unidentified bodies purchased from a grave robber as props. Co-producer Gray Fredrickson told independent they didn't know we hadn't killed these people because the bodies were undead, unidentified. I was pretty damn worried for a few days, but they got to the truth and put the guy in jail. After soldiers removed the bodies, the film used extras instead, but nonetheless they were using real bodies. So he was very aware that they were gonna use real dead people as props for this movie, and I never even fucking knew that, of course, but I just not know.
Speaker 1:
I remember that we discovered that about poltergeist using real skeletons because they were cheaper.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, I seen that one a bit on this thing too somewhere. Yeah, yeah, that's a pretty. It's an adventure in its own right.
Speaker 1:
That sounds fun on a lighter note upon learning that Jack Nicholson Detested cheese sandwiches. Absolutely hated on this guy, stanley Kubrick, who's famous for doing you know little Tricks that weren't so popular with the actors he wanted. Of course you know, playing Jack Torrance, that he wanted him to be as agitated as possible, so he made sure that Nicholson was only served cheese sandwiches on set. Oh that's fantastic.
Speaker 2:
I love that.
Speaker 1:
Like what's wrong with cheese sandwiches, jack? I'm sure it was probably like it wasn't crafting or maybe it was.
Speaker 2:
Then the last fun fact about it.
Speaker 1:
Other great films.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, you know, we learn things all the time on. I tell stories like how you know you can support the show by clicking on the subscription link. You never know it's gonna come of it and you know if you're using this for your entertainment. It's kind of a cool gesture for appreciation. But the best one too is to share the show with your friends and visit the website. You know pitlocksupplycom P-I-T-L-O-C-K and then supply. I think you guys can spellcom, right, owen, and pick up a shirt or something, check it out. At least do something. We got a lot of fun things going on.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely. We appreciate each and every one of you. Yeah, for sure, yeah, we're putting the show together.
Speaker 2:
That's right. Do you have anything else on these movies?
Speaker 1:
That's about. There are a couple more, but I just kind of picked out my favorite. You know there's still stuff that's interesting, but I picked like what I found the most interesting and humorous or disturbing for some combination of the two.
Speaker 2:
Right, I believe this is my life, right. Hey, I forgot about one that I thought was kind of this is sort of related. I just fucking thought of this. Hey guys, it's again live on, I Tell Stories. I love that it's live right now, guys. Anyway, popeye Village, also known as Sweet Haven Village, but it was built for remember, robin Williams did the movie Popeye.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I never saw it, but I remember when it came out, right?
Speaker 2:
yeah, I remember seeing it on like Comedy Central. Anyway, the village that they used for that set was built in Malta, and when they were done with the movie they just fucking left it, and so now the people just use it as like a little village.
Speaker 1:
And it's time in a traction.
Speaker 2:
Yes, it was built as a film set, so they I don't know, that was kind of a thing. So if you ever want to go see the Popeye Village, visit Malta.
Speaker 1:
All right, I just grabbed my other things to do in Malta.
Speaker 2:
Yeah for the young and for the young heart. I'm looking at this right now. You know it's great. It's certified by all sorts of folks. That actually looks pretty interesting, but I don't think I'd go to Malta for that. But no offense, maltese right, but they be Maltese. I don't even know.
Speaker 1:
That's what the dog is. So they just those dogs running around like kind of like Shetland and their ponies.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, that's a real thing. I heard their dickheads do man like nip ad gin shit. There's a real problem out there in Shetland on the streets of Shetland. Ok.
Speaker 1:
Well, yeah, I just had. I knew Malta was somewhere over there, but it's basically like directly south of do, south of Sicily. I've been near Malta, but it must have been too.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, tons of history there, Knights of Malta, lots of. There's the siege of Malta. Yeah, the dogs, the Maltese. They must have been bred in that castle. Somehow Malta can't be that big right, I don't know.
Speaker 1:
No, it looks like it's like a city city. Sicily is like the size of Massachusetts, roughly, and Malta looks like it's like I don't know five percent of Sicily or something. Gotcha, yeah, maybe 10. But yeah, pretty small, wow, gorgeous.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, probably so. I think a lot of bank or a lot of people tell you get some tax free money over there. Malta, a lot of banks and shit have shit set up over there or like so there's some screwy shit. Like you know how people can set up shell companies. Malta is like a place they do that, I feel, and it's kind of well known because I remember looking it up.
Speaker 2:
So anyway, nonetheless, go visit that Popeye village out there in Malta. Hey, maybe we'll get some plays by Malta. Except I said Malta so much.
Speaker 1:
Malta, malta, malta, right yeah.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I wonder if they're the ones that were, like you guys, drinking liquor. I don't know. I want to Malta liquor. I don't know. That doesn't really make much sense. Yeah, trying to come up with something. Yeah, some Barbara Corsairs? Yeah, I don't know. Anyway, nonetheless, I think we're done, guys, it's a good show, good showing of of of me, you know, and we showed up today. We tried to give it our best. You know, we'll put it all out on the on the streets. I guess I don't even know what to say now. We're cool, though, man, this is a great show. I hope everybody has a good day.