Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - GGACP Rewind: Mini-Episode #19: "Road To Perdition" and "Marathon Man"

Episode Date: October 5, 2026

In this series of topic-focused mini-episodes, Gilbert and Frank share their love of unheralded films, underrated TV shows, underappreciated pop songs and (often) unknown performers, discussing, dissecting and (occasionally) defending their handpicked guilty pleasures and buried treasures.This week: Tom Hanks vs. James Bond! The artistry of Conrad Hall! And Dustin Hoffman goes to the dentist! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Don't forget to follow us on our Facebook page. Gilbert Gottfried's amazing colossal podcast. On Twitter at Real Gilbert, A-C-P, and on Instagram, Gilbert Podfried, P-O-D-F-R-I-E-D. You see, it's kind of a pun on the last. This name. Ah, never mind. This is Gilbert Gottfried, and I'm here with my co-host, Frank Santopatra. And this is Gilbert and Frank's amazing colossal obsessions.

Mm-hmm. Now, last week we talked about Paul Newman. Yes. And we talked about the Hudsonca proxy. And here's, I also touch briefly on a movie called Blaze, which I like. Paul Newman's, uh, Jew. That's right. Yes.

Yeah. That's right. He's in charge. Yeah. That's the most important thing. You do a third show on Fridays called Who's a Jew? Who's a Jew? Yeah. Yeah. Paul Newman's a Jew. This is one of... I'll ask you about the rest of the cast in a minute.

I think Alan King's a Jew. I'm not positive. And Jackie Mason maybe? Yeah, we're still checking into that. Perhaps Shackie Green. I don't know. I always love that Simpsons gag. Mel Brooks is... Yeah. This is another... We talked about the Hudson Hucker Proxy last week and a latter-day role for Newman.

This is another one from 2002, a movie that I love that Gilbert hasn't seen, but he's lucky because I brought it with me on DVD, called Road to Perdition, which is, you know, for the most part of Tom Hanks movie. Yes. With Hanks in a role that, you know, you would think you would have trouble buying him in

as a killer, as a hitman, he's terrific in the film. But Newman plays his kind of surrogate father that he runs a foul of. It's a gangster picture, a very, very good film based on a graphic novel

by two guys, Max Allen Collins and Richard Rainer. It's a wonderful movie. It was Sam Mendez's follow-up to American Beauty. His first movie, took the world by Storm and won best picture. Kevin Spacey. Kevin Spacey, right? Also,

shot by the great Conrad Hall, who shot this. One of the great things about this movie is the production design done by Dennis Gassner and Conrad Hall cinematography. Conrad Hall. The cinematography in the movie I'm picking was Hunt's Hall. Really? Yeah, yes. Heard was movie, Dubrowski.

Yes. Ooh, ooh, ooh. Put more light there. Ooh, ooh. Of course, we like to digress. Yes. You know who does a great Hunts Hall? Bobby Slayton.

Oh, yes. Best Hunts Hall in the business. Come back to the story. It's a real call for it. Conrad Hall, who shot, you should know who he is. Liberty Valance. He did shoot Liberty Valence. He did shoot the movie that you're going to recommend after I stop yamoring.

Yeah. He shot, I won't mention it. He shot Butch Cassidy in the Sundance Kid Day, The Locust, Cool Hand, Luke, a great cinematographer. This film is sumptuous. There's a lot to look at. It's beautifully shot. It's beautifully directed. The acting is great.

Again, I won't give you too much of the story. because I don't want to give away the guts of it or the surprises. Jennifer Jason Lee, who we keep talking about. Yes, who likes to take her clothes off. Who you like to point out, likes to take her clothes off? Yeah, that's what I heard about her. Jennifer Jason Lee, if you're listening, come over to my apartment and take your clothes off. Thank you.

But not Jason Lee. Yes. Jennifer Jason Lee. She's in the film, Stanley 2. turns up. Jude Law as a killer, another killer, a very, very scary character.

If you haven't seen it from 2002, we usually recommend older movies, but this one has been on my list. I haven't got my wife to watch it yet. I want to get my wife to watch it. It's one of my favorite movies of the 2000s.

Hanks is great. The direction's great. I don't want to say, oh, Daniel Craig turns up. The future James Bond. Oh, yes. Is in it too. Not Jewish, but he's in a lot of movies that had to do with Jews.

Yeah, isn't he in a Holocaust film? He's in that one about, based on a true story, they were like... With the hiding in the woods? Yeah, yeah. What's the name of that picture? Oh, God. Jews on the loose. Jews in the woods.

I think it was called. With Marty Allen. Yeah. Charlie Brill. And he was also in, uh, Munich. Correct. Yeah. He was in Munich, which, which subject we talked to Bob Costas about.

That's right. It all comes full circle. So I'm not going to give away. Well, it means we have nothing to talk about anymore. Road to Perdition is a terrific film. If you haven't seen it, great performances, check it out. Thumbtack presents. Uncertainty strikes. I was surrounded. The aisle and the options

were closing in. There were paint rollers, satin and matte finish, angle brushes and natural bristles. There were too many choices. What if I never got my living room painted? What if I couldn't figure out what type of paint to use? What if... I just used Thumbtack. I can hire a top-rated pro that knows everything about interior paint. Easily compare prices and read reviews. Thumbtack knows homes. Download the app today. Mr. Gottfried. Okay. The next film that I'm picking is one directed by John Schlesinger, and who directed Midnight Cowboy

with Dustin Hoffman and John Voight. And I've been falling down a lot. I'm scared. I'm scared. You know what they do to you and they find out you can't walk? And so he, yes. By way of David Brenner.

Yes. Oh. Oh, hi, I'm Rathorimov. It's David Brenner as Ratzor Rizzle. Oh, boy. Hey, look, Joe Buck. Joe Buck. You know what you should do?

You should become a male hustler. A male... You ever see those male hustlers? They were a cowboy hustling. You know what I mean? You know what I'm talking about? Oh, oh, oh, wait, wait, wait, wait. You know something?

You go on there, you pick your guy. Get pain to half thex is that wild? Don't get John McGiver. Oh, John McGiver, yes. It's true. You've got a strong back there, Joe. Get on your knees. A strong back.

You're going to need a show. Name me one other podcast that gives you John McGiver and David Brenner as Razzor, ladies and gentlemen. And he makes him go and read from the Bible and read scripture. and that was funny old Daniel freaking out like that. And yet that's not your movie. No. After all that. No.

But John Schlesinger, oh, I was supposed to pick a movie? Yes. Back to John Schlesinger would team up with Dustin Hoffman again. Correct. For another fun action film. Lighthearted. Yeah, lighthearted. And you know, I.

I love my Nazi films. You do? Yeah. You give me my Nazi films. I'm happy. And this has to do with Nazis, the House of Un-American Activities, and the Olympics.

The whole shebang. Yeah. They keep having clips of Jesse Owens running. And Dustin Hoffman plays like he's, you know, he's basically a college student. and he goes out running every day. And then he finds out his older brother, Roy Scheider, from Jaws, is mixed up in some strange activity that he didn't know about.

And Lawrence Olivier is there, I think, Snell or Schnell? Zell, Zell, Zell, Zell. We haven't even said the name of the picture. Yes, yes. It's Marathon Man. People that don't know it's shame on it. And Marathon Man taps into, you know how jaws tapped into people's fear of water. This does them one better.

People's fear of the dentist. And so there's a torture scene that is hard to watch where Olivier takes an electric drill. and starts drilling into Dustin Hoffman's teeth as they're holding them down. And that's where that line cut. Is it safe? Is it's what, I don't know what you're talking about. Is it safe? He runs through the whole game.

It's very safe. Totally safe. Yeah. It's safe. It's so safe you wouldn't believe it. And it's, yeah, so Olivia's great. He's terrified. Oh, he's so scary in this.

And, oh, he also has that line, Simple Oil of Kloaf. Yes. Pain relief. Life can be that simple. And it's wonderful. William Devane turned up. William Devane, yeah.

And where are you, my? Marta Keller. Yeah. Beautiful Marta Keller. Yes. Another actress from the 70s that kind of went away. Yeah. We forgot to.

Yeah. She was there for that tiny period of time. Didn't she in Black Sunday? Yeah, Black Sunday with... Mr. Stern. And from Jaws. Robert Shaw. Right.

Yeah. Right, right. Yeah, it's a scary film. And it's sort of a companion piece in a way to the boys from Brazil, which you've already recommended. Yes. Yes. He's also back with his German accent, although this time he's a Nazi. And then boys from Brazil, he was Simon Wiesenthal.

The Nazi hunter. And because they, you know, the clips of Jesse Owens brings it back to that time period when Hitler wanted to use the Olympics as his proof of the, the superior Aryan race. And then this black runner goes on and beats the Germans. Very famous. And as Cleveon Little said in Blazing Saddles, for my next impression, Jesse Owen. And that brings me to that Marty Glickman. Oh, the sportscaster.

He was supposed to be running. That's correct. And he's Jewish. and the guy in charge said, no, no, you're not running. And I think they found out later, the guy in charge of the Olympics was doing business with Hitler. It's a fascinating story. Yeah. Look it up.

Marty Glickman. Yeah, he was a runner. It's a scary film. It's a good film. I think it's the film I read William Goldman's Adventures in the screen trade. William Goldman wrote the story, wrote the book. He wrote the screenplay. based on his book.

And I remember him talking about Hoffman doing a lot of method work. Oh, yes. And Olivier famously, you know this line? Famously says to him. Oh, yes. He's like saying that, according to the story, at least, Hoffman was staying up late and, like, you know, using all this intense method. And sleeping for days.

Yes. And Olivier said to him, have you ever tried acting? Yes. It's in Goldman's book. I hope it's true. And not apocryphal. Terrific movie. Yeah.

It's one of those edge of your seat. When people talk about great American films of the set. And a great New York. Yeah. Yeah. You get to see New York. Especially the Diamond District. Oh, yes.

Central Park. And a lot of New York in 1976. And there's something interesting about it. There's one scene where, Lawrence Olivier as the former Nazi Zell, I think that they called him the White Angel. He's forced to go into the diamond district to sell these diamonds.

It's a great scene. And they start, as he's walking by, they're going, is that Zell? Zell and they're all these old Jews are recognizing. And you know what's so weird about this? This is going to sound totally. nuts. When I walk down the street. In the Diamond District? Yeah, anywhere. When I'm walking down the street and I'll go, oh, is that that guy, Gilbert, something? And I always think of that

scene in Marathon, man. I feel like Lawrence Olivier in Marathon Man. It just happened to us 20 minutes ago. We were out on the street doing something for TMZ. And TMZ. It just happened. Yes. You felt like the angel of death. Yes. Nice to know. All right. So the movies this week. Yes.

Well, I picked Dustin Hoffman, Roy Scheider, William Devane, and Lawrence Olivier. And don't forget Marta Keller. And Martha Keller in the, in John Slessinger's Marathon Man. Shot by Conrad Hall, who I also just talked about. terrific film. Two terrific films. So I hope Jennifer Jason Lee never gets your message.

Yes. Come here and take your clothes off. One last thing I want to end. Does Danny Kay have a cameo in Marathon Man? Since Olivier's in there. Yes. Yes. But see, they're only filming Olivier from the waist up in that scene.

So you don't really see what's going on. But he's definitely there. I got it. And that's what gives Olivier such an evil look on his face. Right. That Danny Kay has his fist in Olivier's asshole. It's been talked about. I was at the, they gave a speech at the American.

Yes. No kidding. The American Film Institute. They said it was, they flew Danny Kay in to put his fist. in Lawrence Olivier's assail. To recreate it. Yes, to make him more evil. For film buffs.

I'll see you next week.