Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - GGACP Classic: The Harder They Fall & The Verdict

Episode Date: August 14, 2025

GGACP's celebration of the centenary of big-screen legend Paul Newman (born 1925) continues with this reposting of a 2015 mini-episode, featuring Frank's tribute to Newman's 1982 courtroom drama "The Verdict." Also in this episode: Bogie takes his final bow! Sidney Lumet takes to the road! And Newman takes on the Prince of Darkness! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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You know, with the chair and everything? Ask your doctor for Wagoe by name. Visit Wagovi.combe.com for savings. Exclusions may apply. Hi, this is Gilbert Gottfried, and I'm here with my co-host, Frank Santo Padre, and this is Gilbert and Frank Santopadre, and this is Gilbert and Franksantau-Padre, and this is Gilbert and Franks, amazing colossal obsessions. I love the way you say that. I think we need a theme song, a separate theme song for this show.

What do you think? We never got a theme song. No, no, maybe get Paul Schaefer or somebody to cook us something up. Oh, that's an original composition. Yeah, we'll work on that. Maybe we'll put it out to our listeners. Yes. And see if anybody wants to come up with a theme song for the amazing colossal.

And why are you coming up with a theme song? Uh-oh. A new co-host. where this is going. Any recommendation. I don't care if he's ever worked in radio before. How about Omar Sharif? He's out, right? Cross Omar off the list. Believe me, I'd prefer him. Oh, so what do we got this week? Okay, who wants to go first? You go first. Oh, all right. Yeah. pick, and it's funny, because we were talking to Max Bayer Jr. Yes, we were.

Whose father was, of course, the great price fighter, a Jew price fighter, I should say. That's right. That's right. He was, well, Jewish on his father's side. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. If that counts. Yeah. And he, well, he boxed with a star of David on his trunks. That's right. Right. And beat Max Mellie. That's correct, which we talked about. But his father, Max, yeah, Max Bayer, appeared in this movie, basically playing himself. And the movie was Humphrey Bogart's last film, and it was called The Harder They Fall. And it was written by Bud Schulte. Oh, yeah, Bud Schilberg.

Yeah, who, of course, wrote... Well, Requiem for Heavyweight and on the waterfront. Yeah. and it's yeah it's Bogart's last Rod Steiger is in it and so it shows a weird mixing of old Hollywood and then actors like Rod Steiger who were the new Hollywood the method actors and I always wondered like how the two of their styles clashed but it was a very interesting film um Bogard was, since it was his last film, he was dying. He was sickly.

Yeah. He had throat cancer. And he, so there were points where he couldn't be understood. And the great voiceover artist, Paul Frees. Oh, that's right. Yeah. Loom. Did some looping.

Yeah. He was the voice of Boris Battenoff as well as a. million other. Paul Frees, look him up. Cartoons. He was also, he was also the Cyclops in the Cyclops with Lanchine. I think that came up during our anniversary episode. And so he was a, he was called a man of a thousand voices. Before Mel Blank. Yeah, he was a great voice.

And so he was dubbing in, he would do a Humphrey Bogart imitation for the parts of the movie where you couldn't make out. I never knew that. I never knew that. It's like when Anthony Hopkins was called into Loop, I think it was Olivier. Yeah, yeah. When they re-released Spartacus. Yeah.

And what's a picture about? And, oh, it's about an hour and a half. Thank you. Thank you. Remember to tip you waitresses. Bogart's a sports writer. Yeah. It's basically, like on the story of this Primo Carnetian.

Right, who we talked about with Max, who Max Bear won the heavyweight title from. Yeah, and I think Primo Carnara was basically, I could have beat him in a fight. He was one of those kind of fighters, and the mob owned him. You mean he was like a poluka? Yeah, exactly. A bum. Like Jerry Cooney. Yeah.

And the mob owned him, and they used to have him like either. win or take a dive. Right. They would, and so Bogart gets involved with Rod Steiger, who's a head gangster. Right. And he starts to find out how they're using and abusing this fighter that they have and how he gets no money. He gets totally screwed on everything. And, oh, the great.

character actor what oh oh geez give me a hint what was he in oh geez that's the problem he's in this Aldo Ray Nehemiah Persoff yeah he's in it

and he plays Leo the accountant and and when Steiger's asking how come all this money isn't going to the fighter he goes well you'll have to ask Leo that but don't

you with Leo, he's never wrong. Ooh, I like it. I like your Steiger. It's a little like your Olivier. Yes. Nehemiah Persoff. And I remember Steiger has a great part where, you know, Bogart goes, well, you know, I'll print this. It'll be in all the papers.

The people will find out. And Steiger goes, oh, the people, the people, the people, the little people. people who drink beer and fall asleep in front of their television sets. That's good. I never heard you do Ross Tiger and all the time we've been doing this. It's well worth it. The harder they fall. Yeah, yeah.

Okay. You see this movie. And we were talking to Max Baer Jr. about his father. His father had a lot of roles. His father did a fair amount of acting. He had an onion roll, a cinnamon roll. And he would work with a guy named Slapsie Maxie Rosenblum, but we didn't get to mention. And I remember every comedian on TV when I was growing up,

if they would play, do a joke with a punch drunk fighter, it was basically a Slapsie Maxie, yeah. They would always talk like that. Does he show up in the movie? Slapsie Maxey, or is it just? He might. I don't know. I think he definitely shows up in Requiem for a heavy way.

Right, okay. But, yeah, no, he's, but, and also it's, you know, it's one of those films. It's very depressing. I haven't seen it. I know of it. I've read about it. Oh, and another great character actor who I wish we could have interviewed.

Who's that? Edward Andrews. Oh, Edward Andrews. Yeah. Oh, he was in a lot of stuff. Yeah. And most people would remember him as the uncle in 16 candles. Edward Andrews.

That's right. Yeah. That's right. He was a... Loads of things. Yeah, he was kind of like James Karen. He had one of those careers that just went on and on and on. You couldn't name a movie he was there.

You couldn't name him, but you said, that was that guy. We will return to Gilbert Gottfried's amazing colossal podcast after this. Workday knows there are two kinds of people in business, backward thinkers and forward thinkers. And when you're a forward thinker, you need an AI platform that thinks like you do. Built to evolve with your organization, Workday reimagines how you manage your people, money, and agents

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to book your next eye exam. Eye exams provided by independent optometrists. And speaking of Slapsie Maxie Rosenblum, I think he's referenced in a honeymooners episode. Oh yes. In the TV. Yeah. Where they buy the TV and Ralph and Ed are trying to decide what to watch and Ralph's going

through the TV guide. And he says Slapsie Max and Slapsie Maxxie Rosen Bloom versus Kingfish Levinsky. Do you remember this? And Norton wants to watch Captain Video. Oh, yes. I think I misspoke. I think, and Dara just passed out.

Dara, I think I misspoke. I think that Rod Serling may have written Requiem for heavyweight. Yes. So I said Bud Schulberg. Official space helmet on Captain Video. My movie is one that you know. And I'm going to steal your favorite director this week. You've been talking about Sidney Lament.

In the previous weeks, we talked about by Braverman. The pawnbroker. We talked about a couple of things. Oh, God, the Prince of the City. Right, those are three that you picked. Yeah. And I watched one last night, The Verdict, which is just a terrific movie from the 80s with Paul Newman in a major role. I talked about Paul Newman in two previous picks.

I picked the Hudson Pocker proxy and Road to Perdition, but those were both small Paul Newman rolls. This was a starring role. And it's important to remember. Because you don't remember. That's right. That's right he was. You sure you don't want to change the title of these shows going forward? And also in the verdict.

The verdict, he plays an Irishman from Boston. And it's got one of my co-stars from Problems. Jack Warden. Jack Warden. Also, Irish-Jewish. Really? Jack Wharton. And

I'll tell you else who turns up Edward Binns turns up in the verdict playing the card on Edward Binns was in night moves with Gene Hackman that I recommend

But he was all That's right But he was also Juror number six To Jack Warden's juror number seven And 12 Angry Men Oh my God yes So there you go

He was the Was he the advertising exec? I think so Yeah I'm trying to remember It wasn't Robert Weber Oh it could have been Robert Weber was the, wasn't the, who was a favorite of Blake Edwards? That's right, because he's the gay songwriter in 10.

Oh, yes. Yeah, we love Robert Weber, too. So a little bit about the verdict. I mean, Newman's great. He plays a drunk Boston lawyer who's got one last shot. It's a redemption story. One last shot at making a name for himself. And he's, it's a malpractice suit.

And it's a terrific film. I don't want to give too much of it away. There's so much to like about it. I watched it with my wife last night, and she said, you know, it really takes its time getting to where it's going. It's long. Yeah.

And it's deliberate. It's just like a great three-act play written by a playwright, David Mamet. A smart film, this you'll find interesting, that everybody was attached to this film when Richard Zannick and David Brown bought the rights to the novel. Supposedly, Frank Sinatra offered to play

the part of Frank Galvin for no money. Oh, wow. Now, I don't know if this is true, we'll do a little deep research into it. But everybody was attached to it. Roy Scheider wanted to do it. Dustin Hoffman wanted to do it. Robert Redford had it for a while.

Sidney Pollock was going to do it. Arthur Hiller was going to do it. It was one of these movies that had a journey and wound up with Lumet and Paul Newman. And as the villain, playing The Prince of Fucking Darkness, to quote Jack Warden, James Mason. Oh, yes.

James Mason was great in that. In one of his last films, because he died two years later. And I think, was that yet? another film, like I know Heaven Can Wait. They originally wanted Carrie Grant, I think.

Carrie Grant was supposedly discussed for this. Yeah. According to what I found on IMDB, but it's a little... He died, I think. I think he was dead by 86. And that made it difficult. Well... This was 82. And I can't imagine

that... And Grant wasn't acting. Hadn't acted since the 60s. So I don't know if that's true. Charlotte Rampling turns up. Oh, and Milo O'Shea. And Milo O'Shea is great. He's the evil judge. He's the corrupt judge. I don't want to give too much of the plot away. Sadly,

Newman, who's great in the role, lost the best actor to Ben Kingsley that year. And Hoffman was also lost, played starred in Tootsie that year. They both lost to Ben Kingsley. A smart film, just

an absorbing film that you actually can't pull yourself away from. Dustin Hoffman. And Ben Kingsley are Jewish. And that's important to know. And Jack Warden, what? Half a Jew? Yeah, half a Jew.

I understand Milo O'Shea. Also Jewish. Yes, yes. He was circumcised. By way of county cork. He wouldn't work on Saturdays. And they had a... Close production, because it was Yom Kippur, and Milo Sheet refused to work.

I want you to know, how many podcasts in the world? And what are there now, Dara, 6, 7,000, thousands of podcasts? How many podcasts? Are there any podcasts that mentioned both James Mason and Slapsy Maxi Rosenblum? I'm a punch drunk fighter. Go ahead, punch me in the face. Now, I think Slapsie Maxie... Yeah, it was in the Monsters.

Yeah, but wasn't he also in a movie that was very similar? It was basically almost like a rip-off, trying to be like arsenic and old lace. Ooh. With Boris Karloff and Peter Lorry. Oh, my God. I got to look that one up. It was...

With Slapsie Maxie in the Raymond Massey part? I think... I think Slapsie Maxie was in it. Yeah. But it was like playing up. Like people killing people as a comedy. Right. Oh, God.

They used to show that on TV. We'll Google it after we record this. Slopsy Maxi was probably getting the parts Mike Mazzirky turned down. Oh, yes. Yeah. Yeah. Another name you can look up. I remember him in the Munsters.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. And he always played the punch drunk fighter or the poluca or the bank robber or the guy that was basically, you know, because Maxy died young and Slapsie Maxi got his parts. Yeah. So this week. The two movies, my pick was the heart of they fall with the great Humphrey Bogart and Rod Steiger about the fight racket. And your film, of course.

The verdict. Yeah. And we'll keep bringing up. I think Sidney Lumet's going to keep coming back. And this is interesting because this is one of the Sydney Limet films not in New York. That's right. Yeah. That's right.

Set in Boston. Yeah. Yeah, but a terrific film, and Newman was never better. So see this one, and I will actually watch The Heart of They Fall. You know, after Problem Child came out, the reviews were Gilbert Gottreid's never been better. Really? That was in the street news, right? He's certainly never been better.

We've seen everything else he's done, and we can assure you, he's never been better. They call you a young Edward Binns? Yes!